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墨書 Inktalez
The following days were relatively calm and peaceful. Aside from occasionally being called out by Elder Lan to stand for the entire class, nothing particularly special happened.
After all, I didn’t actively engage with others, so most people kept their distance from me, and we hardly interacted at all.
Ning Feiwan would greet me in a casual manner, but I always felt a hint of wariness in her demeanor. Yan Yuyan, on the other hand, was quite sociable and loved to dig for gossip. I had heard several embellished versions of rumors from her, and the content was becoming increasingly bizarre...
As for Lan Juan, every time she saw me, she would float over with some indifferent remarks to assert her presence or deliberately look for faults in me, as if she wouldn’t feel satisfied unless she picked a fight.
"I say, you, although you are just an insignificant low-ranking individual, as a guest of the Gusu Lan clan, you should be wearing the plain white headband according to our traditions. Are you looking down on the customs of the Gusu Lan?"
There it was again; she had seized another opportunity to attack me.
Sigh, when will this end?!
Faced with her questioning, I couldn’t help but let out a silent sigh of annoyance.
This girl—couldn’t she just maintain that initial facade of aloofness? Why couldn’t we respect each other from a distance and go about our lives without bothering one another? Why did she have to explode with anger every time she saw me?
What have I done to deserve this...?
Speaking of the headband, I remembered that the original text did mention that disciples and guests must wear plain white headbands without family emblems to signify self-restraint.
However, when Lan Wangji came to inform me of my assessment results, he only mentioned some points to pay attention to and didn’t bring up this matter at all. I hadn’t received a headband and didn’t know who to ask for one.
Besides, I really didn’t want to wear it; it seemed like a hassle.
With a sly glance, I confidently smiled at her and said, "This is specially authorized by Hanguang Jun."
Yes, that’s right; I lied. I was too lazy to come up with an excuse to deal with her and gambled that she wouldn’t go out of her way to verify this with Lan Wangji. I felt quite at ease with this lie.
Seeing my smug expression of "What can you do about it?", Lan Juan immediately shot me a resentful glare.
"Impossible! Hanguang Jun is the one who values family rules and etiquette the most. Besides, as the Lan's enforcer, how could he possibly allow you to do such a thing?!"
I casually gestured for her to speak to Hanguang Jun if she had any complaints—too lazy to say another word to her.
Lan Juan choked for a moment before angrily sweeping away.
"Um... did Hanguang Jun really permit this?" Qi Wei beside me couldn't help but ask in confusion. "I heard that the Gusu Lan place great importance on the significance of the headband..."
I glanced at her indifferently and replied with a dismissive smile, "That applies to the Gusu Lan, doesn't it?"
For disciples and guest elders, the significance of the headband lies only in "self-restraint" and as a symbol of affiliation with the Gusu Lan... but my position is rather ambiguous; whether I wear one or not shouldn't matter much, right?
"Is that so?" Qi Wei tilted her head, looking somewhat bewildered.
Although Qi Wei is warm-hearted, she often comes across as a bit slow on the uptake.
Perhaps due to Hanguang Jun's request, she makes a point to come find me for meals every day and helps me get familiar with the surroundings, making her one of the closer people to me.
However, Yun Shen Zhi Chu is truly vast; its map exceeds my mental storage capacity by far. If it weren't for her acting as a human GPS by my side, I would probably end up lost in another world like Zoro (note: One Piece reference).
Sigh, this future looks concerning!
***
"Ah, it's Xiao Chun!"
After school that day, Qi Wei, as usual, took me around to familiarize myself with the surroundings when a passing Female Cultivator suddenly approached us with an excited expression.
"Yifang, what's going on?" Qi Wei asked.
The other person leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "I heard that Mr. Lan Sizhui and the others are feeding rabbits. Do you want to go see?"
Her expression was as if she was sharing some earth-shattering secret, leaving me utterly perplexed.
Feeding rabbits? What’s so special about that?
"Ah, sure! Just in time, Mian Fei, let’s go join the fun!" Qi Wei turned to me with a smile.
What? I stared at her in disbelief.
Really? Is it that unusual for Si Chui to be feeding rabbits that it warrants a special trip to see? Aren’t you all a bit too free?!
Before I could respond, I was unceremoniously dragged along.
※※※
In a thicket some distance from the grassy area ahead, several people had clearly already settled into their spots, hiding among the foliage.
On the grass, I saw Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi playing with fresh radishes and leafy greens, enticing the fluffy white balls scattered all over the ground. Lan Sizhui even got knocked over by an overly enthusiastic welcome from the little creatures, causing Lan Jingyi to burst into laughter beside him.
…Is this some kind of celebrity stalking scene?
It seems that Si Chui’s popularity behind the scenes is indeed not to be underestimated!
I was speechless as Qi Wei stealthily pulled me into a thicket.
"Hey? Xiao Chun, what a surprise to see you here!" A few people were already crouched in this spot, and they looked at Qi Wei with some surprise. When their eyes landed on me, their expressions turned into something hard to describe.
"Sorry, just borrowing a bit of light!" Qi Wei tugged me closer. "Mian Fei, have you seen those rabbits?" Qi Wei pointed excitedly at a pile of white furballs bouncing around on the grass. "Aren't they adorable? They're all raised by Hanguang Jun, who takes care of them personally. When Hanguang Jun isn't around, Mr. Lan Sizhui and the others look after them. If even Mr. Lan Sizhui is too busy, sometimes it falls to us to help out!"
I stared thoughtfully at Qi Wei—while the others were here to watch "Si Chui feed the rabbits," she seemed more interested in simply seeing the "rabbits."
This thought brought me an inexplicable sense of comfort.
However, perhaps it was the intense gaze of the fans that made the person in question sense something was off, even from a distance.
Suddenly, Lan Sizhui, who had been contentedly feeding the rabbits, stiffened and turned his head toward the thicket, whispering sharply, "Who’s there?!"
The previously hushed whispers fell silent in an instant; even Qi Wei beside me couldn't help but cover her mouth in fear.
Oh no, we've been discovered!
Just as I was chuckling to myself in schadenfreude, I felt a sudden force push me from behind, and I stumbled out of the thicket.
What the heck! Who attacked me so ruthlessly? That's so unfair!
***
"Hey? It's Ms. Wei!" Lan Jingyi exclaimed first.
As I scrambled to regain my balance and turned around abruptly, I saw that the group who had been hiding and eavesdropping had all scattered during the chaos.
"Well done, treating me like a smoke screen, huh?"
"Ms. Wei!" Lan Sizhui first looked surprised, then smiled gently. "It's been a while since we last met; I'm so glad to see you're alright."
"Um..." I scratched my head awkwardly. "Sorry for worrying you all."
"No, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard back then..." Lan Sizhui stood up and walked towards me. "Although I heard you had regained consciousness recently, I still felt uneasy not seeing you in person..." He examined me with a hint of concern on his face before breaking into a reassuring smile. "Now I can finally rest easy."
"Exactly! When you suddenly collapsed, you scared everyone present!" Lan Jingyi followed behind, still shaken. "Thank goodness you're okay."
In response, I could only stand there awkwardly and force a smile.
"Uncle Ning is doing well now. I've heard that Senior Wei rented him a house down the mountain so he could live independently, and he has settled down nicely. We really owe it all to Ms. Wei's help. Also..." Lan Sizhui looked at me with an expression that suggested he had more to say. "I've heard about your master. Although I'm not sure how I can help, please let me know if there's anything I can do."
"That's right! Count me in too! Don't hesitate!" Lan Jingyi chimed in.
I see, I remember that when I broke the restriction and confirmed the interface's existence, Wen Ning was present. Now that Wen Ning and Si Chui can communicate telepathically due to their bond, anything Wen Ning knows, Si Chui will also be aware of.
However, explaining the situation regarding An Yeh would be too complicated; I'll just let them think what they want.
I smiled calmly and said, "Then let me thank Young Master Si Chui and Young Master Jingyi for your kind intentions."
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