"How did I end up sleeping here? Wasn't I practicing swordsmanship?"
Not long after, Zhou Tong woke up groggily, remembering nothing after handing over the sword.
She looked around, and her heart sank.
"Oh no! It looks like I can't hide this time."
Centered around her, all the dirt within a two-meter radius had sunk by half a foot.
It formed a shallow circular pit, with splattered mud covering the courtyard.
Zhou Tong's limbs were weak, and she could only brace herself on the wooden sword as she struggled to stand.
"When Mother and Brother come back, I should just confess!"
She stuck out her tongue and staggered into the house.
That night, Zhou Muyun returned home.
Xu Rou sat upright in a chair, her expression stern.
Zhou Tong stood off to one side with her head lowered, clearly looking like a child who had done something wrong.
"Mother, what happened?"
Zhou Muyun was curious what Zhou Tong had done to make their mother so angry.
Ever since their father had died, he had rarely seen Xu Rou lose her temper.
"Yun'er, you're back."
The expression on Xu Rou's face softened somewhat. Looking at Zhou Tong, she slowly spoke in a tone both affectionate and reproachful.
"Isn't it because of your sister? She turned the courtyard into a complete mess, and now she even dares to lie!
She says it happened while she was practicing swordsmanship. How could I possibly believe that?
You've been practicing martial arts for half a year, Yun'er, yet I've never seen you turn the courtyard into this state."
"I'm not lying. I really did it while practicing swordsmanship. If you don't believe me, I'll show you."
Zhou Tong raised her head, pursed her lips, and retorted.
"Look at her. Even now that you're back,