Curved Path to Save the Nation!

It was currently class time, so the appearance of two students in Fuxing High School uniforms at the Beast-Faced Pavilion was rather conspicuous.

As a result, the patrons who had planned to spend the afternoon with a cup of Jade Water and half a biography couldn't help but cast glances at Li Mu Yang and Cui Xiaoxin.

Moreover, the fact that the beautiful Cui Xiaoxin was seen with an ugly, dark-skinned boy like Li Mu Yang suggested to them that there was something worth investigating.

A couple was doing just that, indulging in such idle speculation.

"Another typical case of a toad wanting to eat swan meat. The boy is probably going to confess. When it's a situation where the girl is strong and the boy is weak, the boy shouldn't just open his mouth so easily—"

"Oh, the girl is angry—"

"The girl left, but the boy called her back—What's the girl's name? Cui Xiaoxin? Nice name. But judging by the boy's appearance, he's trying to keep her here again. What a stubborn guy who overestimates himself—"

"What? What did he say? You look so beautiful wearing that gardenia—Forgive my poor eyesight, I didn't expect you to be such a master of this art—"

Cui Xiaoxin blinked, her hand gripping the brass handle, but her steps halted before she pushed the door open.

She saw Li Mu Yang's conflicted expression, his flustered eyes, his open mouth as if to speak, yet unable to find the words. Was he going to confess to her?

However, even if that were the case, she wouldn't accept it.

What a pointless endeavor!

"I forgot to say earlier—You look so beautiful wearing that gardenia," Li Mu Yang said to Cui Xiaoxin. Due to extreme nervousness, his speech had become stuttered.

This annoyed him, worried that his stammering would ruin the effect of his words. Li Sinian had repeatedly instructed him to say it naturally and casually, without making it seem forced or out of place.

Would his performance today—make people feel it was out of place?

Cui Xiaoxin paused at the doorway for a moment, then surprisingly turned and walked back towards Li Mu Yang.

This astonished the many patrons in the Beast-Faced Pavilion. They never expected the dark-skinned boy to have such skill. One sentence was enough to make a beautiful girl, who was in a state of anger, surrender.

She sat back down on the chair in front of Li Mu Yang, as if nothing had happened.

The waiter brought the Jade Water she had ordered. She nodded to the waiter, using the standard noble etiquette of the empire. Perhaps Cui Xiaoxin herself didn't even notice this detail.

On the other hand, Li Mu Yang was still confused about the situation, standing there unsure of what to do next.

Cui Xiaoxin picked up her Jade Water and took a sip, then said to Li Mu Yang, "You should try some too. Although it's a bit sweet, deviating from the expected astringent and fragrant taste of Jade Water, this is characteristic of the Jiangnan style—it's quite good quality Jade Water."

Li Mu Yang obediently sat down, picked up his Jade Water, took a sip, and nodded, saying, "It's quite good."

He usually drank the most herbal medicine. Jade Water was forbidden at home because the old Taoist said it would stimulate his heart.

Therefore, any tea that tasted better than herbal medicine made him incredibly satisfied.

Cui Xiaoxin's gaze fell on the swirling petals in the Jade Water cup, and she softly asked, "Is this the first time you've said something like this to a girl?"

Li Mu Yang's dark face flushed slightly.

Of course, because his face was so dark, even when it flushed, it was just a darker shade of black.

"And my sister," Li Mu Yang said sheepishly. "Whenever I make her angry, as long as I praise her for being beautiful, praise her eyes like pearls from the South Sea, praise her skin like the ice and snow of the empire's northern frontier, and praise how perfectly she matches every outfit, setting the Jiangnan fashion trend, she immediately makes up with me and tugs on my sleeve asking if it's true, if it's really true—"

"She calls this move 'Curved Path to Save the Nation.' When a girl is angry about something, don't dwell on it or try to defend yourself. Find another way to communicate. That's what she taught me."

Cui Xiaoxin looked up and seriously observed Li Mu Yang's facial expression.

When Li Mu Yang spoke of his sister, his voice seemed to be infused with a thick layer of honey, and the feeling called happiness was almost overflowing from his face.

It was evident that their sibling relationship was very good.

Cui Xiaoxin's emotions were stirred. She thought of the tall, taciturn man in Tiandu City who always shielded her when there was danger, and she softly asked, "You love your sister very much, don't you?"

"Yes," Li Mu Yang nodded. "But I feel like she loves me more."

A smile appeared on Cui Xiaoxin's lips, and she said, "Then you must dote on her a lot, right?"

Li Mu Yang shook his head and sighed, "It should have been that way. The older brother takes care of his younger sister, gives her the best food first, the most fun toys first. If someone bullies her, he should get revenge for her. If she bullies others, he should help her—Clearly, I'm an unqualified brother. Most of the time, it's my sister who takes care of me."

"She's much smarter and much more capable than me. When she was very young, she insisted on protecting me and has been working towards it ever since. When my grades were at the bottom of the school, she casually took first place in the entire school. She loudly told everyone that my brother isn't stupid, he just doesn't want to study. When she saw me being pushed to the ground, she followed an old Taoist and learned a martial art called 'Qi Breaking Technique.' She practiced diligently through the winter and summer, never taking a single day off in 365 days a year—"

When the old Taoist was treating Li Mu Yang, Li Sinian was also the one pulling his greasy sleeve, begging him to teach her martial arts.

The old Taoist treated Li Sinian much more warmly than Li Mu Yang. Every time he visited, he brought her delicious food, and his old face would wrinkle with smiles when he saw Li Sinian returning from school.

He couldn't bear to refuse any of Li Sinian's requests. After communicating with Li Mu Yang's parents, he accepted Li Sinian as his registered disciple.

Later, Li Mu Yang personally witnessed Li Sinian punch and break a tree with a bowl-thick trunk in the courtyard.

Li Mu Yang also wanted to learn. He endured the nausea and pulled the old Taoist's sleeve, wanting to become his disciple.

He even imitated his sister's tone, acting spoiled and saying, "Grandpa Taoist, Grandpa Taoist, teach me—"

"Speak properly," the old Taoist said sternly, flicking his sleeve.

Li Sinian laughed so hard she rolled on the floor.

"Qi Breaking Technique?" Cui Xiaoxin thought for a moment and said with a smile, "That sounds a bit familiar."

"It was taught to her by a traveling doctor. The name might have been chosen casually," Li Mu Yang said with a smile. "If anyone mocked my intelligence, she would use her own achievements to mock them back. If anyone bullied me for being weak and powerless, she would fight back with her own martial arts—Am I a failure as a brother?"

Cui Xiaoxin shook her head and said, "On the contrary, you are a very successful brother—because you have a sister who loves you so much."

"So, before you, she was the only young girl who was willing to treat me like that—" Li Mu Yang looked directly into Cui Xiaoxin's clear eyes and said, "Although I didn't want you to clash with Teacher Zhao because of a useless student like me, you did it—And I'm truly grateful. Countless times when I walked out of the classroom alone, hearing hurried footsteps behind me, how much I longed for those footsteps to be coming for me—"

Cui Xiaoxin was once again touched by Li Mu Yang, feeling that this guy had a talent for acting in melodramas, provided his face was covered.

"Do you know why I turned back?" Cui Xiaoxin asked casually, idly playing with the silver soup spoon crafted from fine steel with her delicate fingers.

"No," Li Mu Yang shook his head.

"Because I've never seen a guy who is worse at praising others than you are," Cui Xiaoxin stated bluntly.

Li Mu Yang's face turned bright red, and he started stammering again, hastily explaining, "I don't have much experience—isn't it very difficult to do something like this?"

"It is indeed very difficult to do," Cui Xiaoxin replied. "But boys always like to challenge their weaknesses—the more they challenge themselves, the more skilled they naturally become."

"—"

"So, tell me your story," Cui Xiaoxin said, her eyes narrowing and smiling as she saw Li Mu Yang speechless. "Tell me the story of how you were struck by lightning. I'm really quite curious. After all, not every Imperial citizen gets to experience something like that. If you're not in a hurry."

"—"