Xue Huai returned home with the magical weapon, and no one asked him how he got it so easily——because he fell asleep right after returning. After a day and a night passed, he finally got up with dizziness, then turned to the corner to take a bath in the hot spring pool in his own courtyard.
Xue Zong is not here, so he is the head of the family; thus, Mrs. Liu dares not inquire.
When he was taking a bath, he heard the old man say something——not sure what had gotten into the young man’s surname Zhu and the other young men who were circling around Yun Cuo. They haven’t been out of the house in the past few days, and they didn’t even go to the Xunxian Pavilion.
Zhu Qingcang didn’t know what was going on, so he asked the Xue family in a roundabout manner. However, Xue Huai was still asleep and hadn’t woken up. Xue He and Mrs. Liu also didn’t know what had happened, so there was no way out. And because Xue Huai had greeted him in advance, he didn’t dare ask Xue Zong, and in the end, he could only stare blankly.
Xue Huai immersed himself in the hot spring and lazily listened to the old man’s report, saying, “There’s no big problem. Don’t worry, the magic weapon is in my room. Could you please take it to the Shenhua Terrace? Just give it to my father when he comes back.”
The old man looked at him suspiciously but still followed suit and didn’t ask him anything else.
After a while, Xue He also came over to ask what was going on. He opened his big, beautiful, and warm eyes and looked at him anxiously. “Brother, are you okay? Don’t drink so much alcohol next time you go out. I heard from the people outside that you go up against the Young Master Zhu and the Young Master Yun. Is that true?”
Xue Huai casually beckoned the birds in the yard to bring himself a sweet fruit, slowly peeled it off and threw it onto the shore, and then the birds ate the skin. He said, “So what if it’s true? They stole something from our family, I just came to their house to get it back.”
Xue He bit his lips and looked at him for a while before timidly speaking, “But Young Master Yun and the others…”
“They can’t be offended, I know.” Xue Huai’s tone was very light, and he thought for a moment. “It seems like I went a bit too far. Will it make those kids autistic?”
Xue He was startled and said, “Brother! What have you done?”
“I just knocked them out, tied them to the pillar, and I did a little makeup for them.”
The rope is a sturdy and powerful fairy-binding lock, and it is probably impossible for those youngsters to break free with their own strength. The turtle was also drawn as the most authentic little turtle, exactly like the ones kept in his father’s little tank.
Surely pissing them off.
However, the most interesting one is Yun Cuo.
He was not affected by his zither tunes, but he continued to pretend to be asleep after asking him to draw.
To say he couldn’t get out of the fairy-binding lock and get his friends out, Xue Huai won’t believe it. Apparently, Yun Cuo just didn’t do that, and in the end, it was likely the Zhu family’s people who were sent to guard the ground floor of the Xunxian Pavilion who found those bastards. And they’ve made a fool of themselves.
They probably haven’t noticed there’s a traitor among them yet.
Xue Huai said, “What you said makes sense. It seems like I went a bit too far. I’m not sure what to say to father or uncle, I’ll write a few apology letters over there…”
He summoned the gluttonous ghost in the room, pinching its neck with one hand and forcing it to spit out the unused snow-wave paper he had cut and hadn’t used a few days ago, writing a short letter: “The grudge is gone, and the bet is accepted. Xue Huai’s actions are still inappropriate. I hope one day I can call my friends out to drink and sing along.”
Xue He was beside him, watching him finish writing.
After Xue Huai finished writing, he handed it to him and said, “Little brother, can you help me deliver it? The green bird is mad at me and doesn’t want to help me deliver the letter. I have a hangover, and I’m lazy; I don’t want to move.”
Xue He curled his eyes and smiled at him. “Obviously, it must be big brother who scared the green bird.”
He took it over and put the apology letter in his bosom, then reminded Xue Huai to eat well. He looked obedient and gentle, just like a template for a good younger brother.
Xue Huai watched him walk away and smiled faintly.
He got out of the water and casually put on a robe before entering the room. As soon as he entered, he bent down and tossed the drooling, glowering gluttonous ghost aside. With a loud thud, he picked up the squashed green bird that was in the same place.
The green bird cried bitterly and said, “Didn’t I say I was upset with you? Young Master Xue, please just roast me! I don’t want to live such a fearful life anymore!”
“Last time’s affair, I forgave you. If you don’t want to be roasted by me, keep an eye on the letters in Xue He’s hand. Don’t worry about where it’s going, just let me know eventually.” Xue Huai gently touched its fur, he felt that he himself was gentle. “Be good.”
The green bird huffed and puffed and then flew away.
*
Three days later, trouble came to the door.
Although Xue Zong himself is still in Xianzhou and has not returned; however, he was informed about this matter by the parents of several teenagers. No blood was seen, the person was fine, just tied up and painted a few turtles. Except it’s a little embarrassing——The exact words were “a great shame” and nothing else was harmed.
Xue Zong, as a parent, expressed his sympathy and compassion with a big smile and “generosity” on behalf of the parents. “Hey! It’s just young people messing around! These kids are tough, and if it’s impossible, our Xue Huai will also let them tie him and draw back. If it is still impossible, we can also add Xue He. I’ll let you guys paint them back. We have many children in our Xue family.”
The crowd’s parents：“……”
Seeing that they couldn’t reason with the big rascal, the gentle comrades of the parents set their eyes on Xue Huai, the little rascal.
Xue Huai received them one by one, carefully listening to their complaints and questions, and then he told them the whole story, apologizing again and again.
Xue Zong’s appearance is a bit casual; however, Xue Huai inherited his mother’s good looks. Others did not expect that the legendary domineering, young master of the Xue family was actually such a beautiful and elegant young man who spoke to them in a gentle voice. The little bit of heartache they had for his son was almost overturned.
When they learn the ins and outs of the robbing the magical weapon event, they even point to their own son to scold them after they went back: “It’s someone else’s property. What’s the point of going out and grabbing a gun? He’s such a nice kid; if it weren’t for you guys bullying him first, would he fight back like this? You deserve to be painted like this. It’s better to send you to get a master to cultivate as soon as possible; it’s only the right way.”
Xue Huai became a “good child” praised by all the parents in Xianzhou overnight, which caught him off guard——the hatred from those kids suddenly escalated a little bit more.
As expected, three days later, the group of boys regrouped and blocked him when he was on the way to the Shenhua Terrace, vowing to seek an explanation from him.
In fact, according to a normal human’s way of thinking, Xue Huai did nothing wrong, after getting bullied, he bullied them back.
But the boys, as well as Xue Huai himself, all have this rogue thought:
Robbing means robbing, and we all agreed and made a bet to rely on one’s abilities to snatch it back. In addition, we even made a note together. But you, Xue Huai, after snatching it back, you even tied them up and made them make a fool of themselves in front of others. This is betrayal. Everyone agreed to become a hooligan together, but suddenly you are a Heavenly Official, that’s the point.
Today they came to find him with Yun Cuo, who took the lead, but he didn’t speak. He just held a long sword and leaned against the wall, watching him with a smile.
The two of them have little secrets that neither of them can say.
On that day, he knew from the beginning that he wanted to win this game using the zither. It’s as if he could read through his mind, so he took it as a small fight between youngsters and did not take it seriously.
To put it simply, only Xue Huai and Yun Cuo did not take the dispute caused by this magical weapon seriously.
That attitude of Yun Cuo…is like some kind of indescribable indulgence and pampering, like an older brother treating a younger brother, or something else. But in other parts of his being extraordinarily persistent, for example, he still holds a grudge against him for lying about the flower cigarette event.
Xue Huai was a bit unhappy: don’t mention anything from the previous life, he is several months older than Yun Cuo, and he is no longer his protector in this life. It really wasn’t Yun Cuo’s turn to look at him with such eyes.
Even his father wouldn’t dare look at him like that!
Yun Cuo also brought his silly cat, a silver-gray cat with soft and fluffy fur. It is born without a spiritual root, is unable to speak, and is no different from ordinary cats, but Yun Cuo has spoiled it with lawlessness, and it even dares to climb on people’s heads at any time.
Now the cat crouched on his shoulder, stretching its neck and meowing at Xue Huai a few times, its eyes filled with curiosity.
*
Xue Huai averted his gaze and didn’t look at them. Instead, he collected the atlas in his arms and put it into his sleeve.
This place is not far from the Shenhua Terrace, where thousands of flowers have been planted. The deeper the road goes, the more charming it becomes. A gust of wind shook off the fragrance of flowers all over his body. He was carrying a backpack on his back, so he appears to be the most obedient student ever.
“Young Master Xue, we are here for an explanation. Last time you didn’t bring a weapon, we said we would use our method, but later you played us, what does that mean?” The youngsters made progress this time. Instead of just looking at him, he asked a question in an aggressive manner.
Xue Huai smiled friendly and said, “I went too far. I’m sorry.”
Obviously, his reason could not convince the crowd. Except for Yun Cuo, everyone else was obviously angered by his down-to-earth attitude: “I even thought you were a responsible young man, but you could use these cunning moves behind your back! Do you dare to fight? Speak up!”
Xue Huai looked at them strangely and said, “Do you have to be so persistent? I even wrote apology letters, but you’re nothing more than unruly men with no tolerance for others. Let’s fight. I won’t make a move. I’ll lose if any of you can touch even half of my clothes.”
“What apology letter? You’re talking nonsense, you dare to look down on people, right?” His words immediately ignited the already angry youngsters, their eyes turning red as they rushed forward to beat him.
Xue Huai’s eyes were frivolous, and he said seriously, “One by one? Why don’t you come up together? So I can save some time.”
The hatred was so thorough that it was hard for these young masters, who had never suffered a single grievance in their daily lives, to suppress it in their hearts. A young man with a long whip was shoved in to fight him.
Xue Huai remained calm and led the people to find an open place, but he also carefully set up the formation.
He stood there like a small white jade tree with a straight back and waist, his left hand holding his right wrist, folded behind his back, motionless like the wind.
“Surname Xue, If this little master didn’t put some flowers on your face today——” A whip swung out, and a chilling sound cut through the air and rushed towards.
Xue Huai gently dodged, as soft as a feather.
He tilted his head and smiled. “Then what?”
His mother is a member of the Fengyu tribe and is naturally light and agile. Before her passing, Xue Huai followed her to step on Meihuaquan1梅花拳 literally ‘Plum Blossom Pole’ is a common term used to name styles or exercise sets of kung fu. It’s a technique practiced on poles.. In the end, he could dodge the spring breeze and sunlight on the treetops in early spring without shaking off even a single leaf.
Not to mention his current cultivation level is now Yindan, but even without it, with the stance he had when he was sixteen, it was indeed difficult for anyone to come close.
The silver whip was like a fierce spiritual snake, rushing left and right but unable to get through. The young man who danced the whip became more and more anxious and unstructured. In the end, his companions became anxious as well when they saw him like that. Xue Huai, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. A few moments later, he saw that the teenager had gone red in the face with anxiety. Taking advantage of the teenager’s mistake, he reached out and grabbed the tail of the whip, yanking it in his direction. The young man was caught off guard, and the weapon easily fell into Xue Huai’s hands.
Xue Huai suggested again: “How about you guys come together?”
“You are full of shit!”
So there was another fight.
Yun Cuo remained motionless from the beginning to the end, just leaning against the wall with his long sword and smiling at Xue Huai. The silver cat crouched impatiently on his shoulder, having fun seeing a group of people moving around in front of it. Xue Huai moves around more. The cat was particularly having fun, and it came closer, wanting to rub against Xue Huai’s feet.
Xue Huai has to avoid both people and this cat at the same time. He quickly got annoyed, unloading the youngsters’ weapons one after another and casually throwing them onto the tree. One sword after another was deeply nailed into the tree’s trunk, shaking off floating flowers on the ground.
He asked. “Still want to fight? Are you running out of people yet?”
The youngsters looked at each other and then turned their gaze towards Yun Cuo.
They dare not ask Yun Cuo to make a move. They usually rely on Yun Cuo, and it’s always been the case that whatever Yun Cuo does, they follow suit. But in terms of Xue Huai’s case, it’s not Yun Cuo’s original intention——at first, Yun Cuo was chasing after Xue Huai, and they didn’t know what happened afterwards.
When it came to personal grudges, it was Zhu Xing’s problem. Yun Cuo followed him from the beginning to the end, but also only watched from the beginning to the end, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
A courageous person tried to challenge and said, “Who said no more? Young Master Xue, have you really never heard of the name Young Immortal Lord Yun, or are you faking it?”
Xue Huai pursed his lips and kept quiet.
He wanted to say that he had never heard of it, but he caught a glimpse of the gaze that Yun Cuo sent over, then wisely closed his mouth.
Fierce and vengeful, in his previous life he took away most of his life. Who wants to hear about him?
Under the gaze of everyone, Yun Cuo stood up and silently approached Xue Huai.
He leaned in close enough that his breath could be heard.
“Do you want to fight?” Yun Cuo asked, “Little Young Master Xue.” He spoke the last four words lightly, as if with a hint of laughter.
Xue Huai shook his head and said, “I won’t fight anymore. If you really can’t accept this, just tie me up and draw a few strokes. Didn’t you receive the apology letters I sent?”
He still had this light and gentle look on him.
The youngsters present hesitated for a moment, recalling the words Xue Huai had said before the start of the fight. They doubted and said, “Did you really write it? You’re not here to deceive us?”
Xue Huai stood still and said, “You guys can find any green birds in the city and ask them, and you will know. I had a hangover, and after I woke up, I thought this was inappropriate. So I’ve written letters of apology for my brother to pass on to you guys.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Cuo reached out and shook his hand in the air——A reddish-black smoke drifted away and then transformed into a solid form, taking the shape of a blood-eating crow with sharp teeth and a sharp beak.
Zhu Xing stared in disbelief: “The Underworld Faithful Crow! Where did you get that?”
Yun Cuo said lightly, “I met the master of the underworld once and he casually gifted it to me.”
The Underworld’s Faithful Crow is a messenger connecting the two realms’ yin and yang; they never tell lies. Yun Cuo whispered. “Tell them, is the young master of the Xue family a little liar or not?”
Xue Huai：“?”
The Faithful Crow quacked and laughed. “He is.”
Xue Huai：“???”
The Faithful Crow continued, “But he didn’t lie to you guys about this. The apology letters he gave you are now in the stomach of the gluttonous ghost. His younger brother didn’t deliver it and just threw them away.”
As soon as the words fell, the black smoke dissipated, and the faithful crow disappeared in a blink of an eye, as if it had never existed before.
“The little liar” Xue Huai, who was certified by the underworld faithful crow, blinked and looked at Yun Cuo.
Yun Cuo withdrew his spell and said in a low voice, “So, the misunderstandings have all been resolved. It’s more convenient if you just speak up early. Are there any other questions?”
The others snapped: “No, I don’t have ……”
He looked to Xue Huai.
Xue Huai couldn’t avoid Yun Cuo’s gaze——the young man in black stared at him without blinking. It seems to contain deep meaning, but it also seemed like there was nothing at all.
Xue Huai’s scalp was numb from his gaze, so he took a step back and calmly said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first.”
Before he could leave, his wrist was grabbed by another warm hand, and he was pulled over.
Behind the two of them happened to be the pillar-shaped Ginseng fairy tree. Yun Cuo trapped him under the tree, lightly pressing his back against it, shaking off a pale pink flower petal that happened to drift into Xue Huai’s hair.
“You said it yourself, if we’re really angry, we can also draw a few strokes on your face, right?” Yun Cuo leaned down to look at him and asked seriously.
He was younger than him, but much taller than him. Between square inches2Between square inches refers to the heart., Xue Huai had originally wanted to make a move but couldn’t do it in time and was pressed down like this by Yun Cuo. Yun Cuo’s eyes, which are as deep as an ancient well, are also gazing down at him, reflecting his bewildered self.
“……Yes.” he admitted.
In the hazy sky, there was a gust of wind that seemed like a rising flame. The branches above their heads seemed to be facing the wind, and they began to shake vigorously, making a rustling sound. The number of falling flowers is also increasing, like flowing clouds that are gathering and dispersing. The flowers were cutting, gathering, and compressing at Yun Cuo’s fingertips. The pale powder converged into a rapidly accumulating deep red, emitting a scorching heat.
As the scorching heat approached his cheeks, a thought flashed through Xue Huai’s heart——Does Yun Cuo want to ruin his eyes?
But surprisingly, it’s not too hot, it’s even slightly warm, just like a person’s fingers. The movements were light and cautious, as if touching some rare treasure. Yun Cuo rubbed his finger lightly against the end of his eye, and rubbed it again under his eye and then, wiping off the makeup he deliberately overspread, exposed the frivolous red mole.
There is a peach blossom created by a few strokes at the ends of his eyes.
