Memories (8)

Yun Lan had just stepped into the house with Yi Jiang and Yi Xuan. The soft light of the foyer dispelled the lingering twilight from outdoors. The two girls were still carrying several small shopping bags containing newly purchased clothes, pants, and skirts. Their faces held the faint, rosy flush of excitement from their outing; though they remained quiet, their eyes were much more lively than when they had first arrived.

Just then, his phone gave a very slight, specific-frequency vibration in his pocket. He paused for a moment, nodded to Uncle Su, who was helping take the items, and walked straight to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.

Outside the window was the meticulously maintained night view of the courtyard. His figure was reflected on the glass, his expression somewhat indistinct amidst the interplay of light and shadow. He took out his phone, the cold white light of the screen illuminating his calm face. On the lock screen, a black goat-head pattern, simple to the point of being eerie, was flickering. There was no signature, only a single question:

"Young Master, what are the mission requirements?"

The sender's identifier was a simple symbol: "". Yun Lan's gaze swept over it, his fingertips tapping rapidly on the screen. He replied crisply and efficiently, clearly having planned this long ago:

"You are to provide close protection for these two young ladies."

After sending the message, I paused slightly, the corners of my mouth seeming to hook into a faint, calculated arc, and continued typing:

"As for the method of close protection... go apply to be their homeroom teacher. The school, qualifications, and identity—Fufu will handle everything for you."

I thought for a moment, then added two characters at the end, as if for confirmation, or perhaps a casual greeting born of years of tacit understanding: "Xiao Tang."

The message was sent, and the screen went dark, reflecting Yun Lan's calm brow and eyes. This arrangement was the most appropriate. The school was a place where they would stay for long periods, a place where my line of sight could not fully cover. The identity of "homeroom teacher" would allow for reasonable proximity while maximizing control over their activities at school without attracting excessive attention. Fufu never had any flaws when handling background matters, and as for "Xiao Tang"... I trusted her work.

Turning around, he saw Yi Jiang carefully helping her younger sister, Yi Xuan, tidy up the hair that had been messed up in the car, while Yi Xuan tilted her little face up to cooperate obediently. The warm yellow light spilled over them, brewing a circle of tranquil radiance.

I said to Yi Jiang and Yi Xuan: "After the New Year, you two are going to school. Based on your age, you should be in the sixth grade. If you really can't keep up, Uncle Su will find someone to tutor you when you come back in the evening."

Yi Xuan was very excited, as she had never been to school before. Yi Jiang, however, raised a question: Then what about you, Young Master?

I smiled. I finished self-studying middle school knowledge long ago. Now I am apprenticing at Yungui Mountain, so relatively speaking, I will only be able to come back to see you on weekends or holidays from now on.

Yun Lan's words fell, delivered in a deliberately relaxed and joking tone, yet they were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up unexpected ripples in Yi Jiang's heart.

She froze first, and that pair of eyes, which always held caution and quietude, clearly flashed with a trace of bewilderment, which was then quickly submerged by a thick, inseparable sense of loss and panic. The Young Master is leaving? Going to such a distant mountain? From now on... only able to return occasionally?

Before Yun Lan could say anything more to ease the atmosphere, before Yi Xuan beside her could react, and even before Uncle Su, standing to the side, had done more than slightly twitch his brows—

A pale blue figure had already lunged over like a fledgling bird instinctively seeking shelter after being frightened.

Yi Jiang used almost all her strength to tightly hug Yun Lan's waist. Her face was buried deep in the fabric of his chest, her small body trembling slightly and uncontrollably. This hug was sudden and chaotic, yet filled with undeniable attachment and fear.

Yun Lan was also taken aback by this sudden impact, subconsciously steadying his stance. He could feel the girl's slender arms wrapped tightly around him, as if she feared that if she let go, the person before her would vanish. Through the fabric, he could even feel her racing heartbeat and the sobbing she was desperately trying to suppress but still leaking out.

Then, he felt her stand slightly on tiptoe, her moist, warm, and trembling soft lips pressing against his earlobe. The voice was very soft, light as a feather's touch, yet carried a scorching temperature and a desperate plea, each word clearly drilling into his ear:

"Then... Young Master, don't forget me and my sister..." She sniffled, trying hard to make her voice sound less broken, "You must come back to see us often. You must... come back."

Every word was soaked in the fear of being abandoned and an extreme greed for this hard-won warmth. This was not acting spoiled; it was more like the humblest and most persistent confirmation of a drowning person clutching a piece of driftwood.

Yi Xuan, beside them, seemed to be infected by her sister's emotions; her little mouth puckered, her eyes turned red, and she timidly reached out to grab the corner of Yun Lan's clothes.

Yun Lan remained stiff for a moment. The hand hanging at his side finally lifted slowly, with a hint of hesitation, and eventually landed gently on Yi Jiang's slightly trembling back. Through the soft fabric, her thin shoulder blades revealed a fragile curve.

"Mm," I replied, my voice lower and softer than usual, "I won't forget. After all, I picked you two up, so I have to be responsible."

Time passed quickly. The New Year came and went, and Yi Jiang and Yi Xuan went off to school.

As for Yun Lan, he packed simple luggage and returned to Yungui Mountain with a suitcase that was quite out of place with the style of mountain cultivation, stuffed full of various high-end health supplements.

"Here, Master, a tribute from your disciple." Yun Lan placed the box of supplements in his master's bamboo hut, his expression unchanging. His master, a crotchety old man who claimed to have "the bones of an immortal" but actually often stole wine and had a chaotic sleep schedule, glared at him, his beard still stained with grease: "You brat! Trying to fool your master with these sugar pills? You'd be better off bringing two jars of good wine!"

Although he said that, the old man still grumbled as he rummaged through the box, picked up a bottle of liver-protection pills to inspect it against the light, his mouth twitching suspiciously, before finally waving his hand: "Go, go, go! Go practice your sword! Don't be an eyesore here!"

The years in the mountains flowed by in the day-after-day of sword energy piercing the air and breathing exercises. In the early morning, he would stand in a stance against the biting mountain wind; in the afternoon, he would practice sword moves deep in the bamboo forest; and at night, he would sit in meditation to comprehend mental cultivation methods. Yun Lan's skills improved at a visible rate, his figure becoming more upright and agile, and his eyes settling into a sharper, more tranquil state.

However, this secluded cultivation was not completely isolated from the world below the mountain. His phone became a warm link connecting the two ends.