Thinking of the Gentle Breeze

"From the look of it, it seems the only possibility is someone in Black Stone City."

When she thought of someone in Black Stone City who was capable of saving her, Ye Fu's figure involuntarily surfaced in Qu Hongxiao's mind.

"Sir..."

Qu Hongxiao dared not think any further.

She dared not think any further about anything concerning him. The more she thought, the less she could see through and the less she could discern. He was like the moon in water, a flower in a mirror, gently resting there, yet impossible to touch.

"Sir..."

She recalled what Ye Fu had told her. "The heart of a clear mirror has shattered, but the upright bones in your body must not bend."

Involuntarily, she raised her head and straightened her chest, easing her brow. Her expression returned to its usual calm, still as water, and she walked slowly forward.

Not one of her upright bones bent in the slightest.

The young man in black knelt below the great hall, silently awaiting an answer from the person whose gaunt figure sat behind the screen.

A long time passed.

A long, drawn-out voice came from behind the screen.

"Are you certain?"

After waiting so long, he received a question in return. The young man in black understood at once that even his lord found this hard to believe.

He gave a bitter laugh. "My lord, I saw it with my own eyes, heard it with my own ears, and cleared the area myself. Every word is true."

"Hiss-"

The person behind the screen drew a sharp breath. His gaunt figure began to tremble. After a long while, he said, his voice quivering slightly, "Ding, you did very well. Fortunately, you sealed off the heavenly secrets in that area in time. Otherwise..." He did not continue.

The young man in black said worriedly, "My lord, I'm afraid my abilities may not have been enough to seal them off completely."

"You've exhausted yourself. Rest and recuperate first. I'll handle this matter personally."

"My lord, what about Qu Hongxiao..."

"Do not speak carelessly. If she isn't the new saint, we won't interfere. If she is... But a new saint who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the three ancestors would be on equal footing with our Forest Guardians. We wouldn't be qualified to interfere either."

"Yes."

With that, the young man in black took his leave and vanished into the night.

Behind the screen, the gaunt figure changed little by little, then suddenly toppled sideways to the ground. At the same time, another figure, several sizes smaller than the first, appeared. A moment later, it too vanished.

In the blink of an eye, a person in Daoist robes, with the appearance of a child, suddenly appeared in the middle of the road where the man in the bamboo hat and Qu Hongxiao had fought.

A youthful voice came from his mouth, carrying a suggestive laugh. "Qu Hongxiao, the new saint, the Forest Guardians." Then he revealed an innocent smile. "Forest Guardians, oh, Forest Guardians, when this matter spreads throughout the world, don't blame me for breaking the rules. One of your own Forest Guardians told me this personally. I didn't force it out of him."

Still laughing, he raised a hand and waved it, scattering all five concealing restrictions the young man in black had left behind. Then he vanished.

What he did not notice, and could not notice, was that another restriction lay over those five.

And that restriction had been left by someone whom several young women called "sir" and "teacher."

After exchanging good mornings with the pear tree and enduring another wide-eyed stare from Qin Sanyue, Ye Fu got up and washed.

After Qin Sanyue, another diligent person had appeared at the Three Flavors Study.

Qu Hongxiao had already been sitting upright beneath the pear tree since early morning.

Ye Fu looked out the window, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face. He experienced what it felt like for a teacher to watch his student working diligently.

He was deeply gratified.

Today, Qu Hongxiao was as cool and aloof as ever. But she was also somewhat different: her hair was shorter, and she had changed into another outfit.

Ye Fu noticed, and he could not help but feel sorry for her.

Whenever he thought of his student being bullied, he could not help feeling that he had failed in his duty.

Back when he was in high school, a few thugs had cornered him against a wall while he was working an odd job. If his homeroom teacher hadn't appeared in time and chased them off, the money he had worked so hard to earn over half a month would have been gone.

From then on, a student being protected by a teacher became the gentlest thing in his heart.

He had naturally seen the injuries Qu Hongxiao suffered yesterday. Not only had one of her arms nearly been severed, but the meridians inside her body had also been shattered inch by inch, her Dantian had burst apart, and the Purple Mansion between her brows, which had only just opened a crack, had collapsed as well.

And all of it had happened less than three li away from him. Ye Fu could only blame himself for being so absorbed in his movie that he had reacted too slowly.

That was why he had shown no mercy, taking all his self-reproach and anger out on the man in the bamboo hat.

That was how he had killed someone for the first time.

"So, in this world, strength really is important."

Because of what had happened last night, Ye Fu had to revise his teaching syllabus. He would not only teach Qu Hongxiao and Hu Lan to read, but also teach them to protect themselves.

Especially Qu Hongxiao. All her cultivation had now completely dissipated, decades of practice reduced to nothing. And her identity meant she would face all kinds of cultivators. Ye Fu did not want to be her protective umbrella forever, so he could only change the way he taught her.

Chapter 30: Thinking of the Gentle Breeze

Qu Hongxiao opened her eyes because she felt a gentle breeze blowing toward her.

She looked up and saw her teacher standing in the doorway, smiling at her. He held a book in his hand.

She instinctively smoothed her hair, which had been cut half short, then said softly, "Good morning, sir."

Ye Fu nodded, then walked over.

"Are you satisfied with the Three Flavors Study?"

Qu Hongxiao asked in return, "What aspects are you asking about, sir?"

Ye Fu sat on a stone stool. A pear blossom drifted down onto his shoulder. "All of them."

Qu Hongxiao lowered her eyes. "Everything is good."

"If you think it's good, then that's very good. But for the next while, you may find it less so."

"What do you mean by that, sir?"

"Hongxiao, I don't know who you are or what burdens you carry, but I can sense that your heart is having some trouble settling down right now." Ye Fu stood, walked over to the pear tree, and gently broke off a branch.