The Beginning of Summer had passed, and the weather grew hotter by the day.
After finishing his cultivation, Lu Qingchen unwittingly found himself walking to Tangli Cottage again.
A long string of little shadows trailed behind him.
Xiangxiang and the other birds watched him anxiously.
Xiangxiang, the only one who could speak, cried through streaming tears, "No, don't take your own life!"
Lu Qingchen: "..."
He had wondered why these four birds had followed him everywhere for the past three months. So they were afraid he would kill himself?
His expression nearly cracked.
Lu Qingchen tried hard to control his emotions, only to discover that he could not quell his anger at all.
Xiangxiang and Little Lu carried too many memories of their time together for him to bear punishing them. So Lu Qingchen punished Xingu and Hezhen by taking away all their future snacks.
He summoned a rope, tied up all four birds, and tossed the bundle back to Chengfeng Courtyard.
Then he felt that he had been far too hotheaded. When had he ever been as impatient as he was now? Lu Qingchen thoroughly berated himself.
He looked up at the apricot tree overhead. Unripe fruit already dotted its branches, and he wondered whether Ning Xiang would return by the time the apricots ripened.
At that thought, Lu Qingchen reached out, plucked a green apricot from the lowest branch, and took a bite. The sour, astringent fruit made him frown.
Suddenly, a girl's clear voice rang out behind him. "Master."
Lu Qingchen's back stiffened. It took him a long time to turn around.
The girl's red robes blazed, dazzlingly radiant.
As for Lu Qingchen's marriage proposal, Ning Pingzhang was unwilling in every conceivable way. He even challenged Lu Qingchen to a magical duel.
Lu Qingchen was injured, and