Xue Qingmu seemed to understand, yet not quite. His face still held a trace of befuddlement. "So complicated. Since they want to stop too, why are they so..."
Not only did Xue Qingmu think the Aristocratic Clans had far too many bad habits; even the cultivators outside watching the show felt these two clans' disciples had far too much drama. They were already fighting—couldn't they just settle the winner and loser cleanly? This lukewarm, forward-looking and backward-worrying approach was no different from scratching an itch through a boot.
"Why are you following me?"
"I... I..." Xue Qingmu jogged after him. "I want to follow you."
Wen Xu said, "Why are you following me?"
"I also... want to go into town. It's safer following you. Is that alright?" After saying it, Xue Qingmu could not help giving himself a silent pat on the back for his cleverness. He did have some quick wits after all.
Wen Xu considered it. Bringing him along was not impossible; after all, variables meant the unknown. "Alright. But just call me Senior Brother. There's no need for honorifics."
Xue Qingmu's face broke into a guileless grin. "Senior Brother Wen, you're such a good person. How about I be your eyes?" He thought about it. This was about the only use he had now.
"That won't be necessary. This is the Enlightenment Grounds. Relying on external things would spoil it." Besides, he had long passed the point of needing to rely on another person's eyes.
"Oh, Senior Brother, your realm is truly lofty."
Wen Xu: ...Forget it. He could not be bothered to correct him.
The foot of the mountain was actually very close to the town. The fields on both sides of the road gleamed gold, clearly the season of harvest. Yet with the sun setting