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墨書 Inktalez
Li Xun's expression was one of surprise, seemingly astonished that Ye Tian had actually entered the Cloud Sea Sect. He had vaguely overheard their conversation earlier and understood from the child's words that Ye Tian had indeed joined the Cloud-Drifting Pavilion.
The master of the Cloud-Drifting Pavilion, Qiu Tiande, was known for his aloofness; how could he possibly accept someone who had previously rejected an invitation to join the Cloud Sea Sect?
Although Ye Tian had mentally prepared himself for various scenarios upon seeing Li Xun, he never expected their meeting to be so abrupt.
"May I ask when Xuanyuan Senior will return?" After a brief silence and mutual gaze, Ye Tian cupped his hands in greeting to Li Xun. There was nothing disrespectful about their encounter, so basic courtesy was still maintained.
After all, there was no deep-seated enmity between them; it was merely a minor unpleasantness stemming from mutual dislike. Therefore, while Ye Tian had no ill will towards Li Xun, he also did not expect Li Xun to respond with anything less than courtesy. Li Xun returned the gesture, saying, "My master is out, and his return date is uncertain."
Upon hearing this, Ye Tian frowned slightly. If what Li Xun said was true, he would find himself in an awkward situation. Waiting here would seem somewhat shameless. If he were to descend the mountain now, getting back up would likely be a hassle since his smooth ascent this time was entirely due to Thunderstorm's Cloud Token.
Thanks to Xuanyuan Changfeng's personal letter, Ye Tian was not worried about being unable to communicate with the guards at the foot of the mountain. His real concern was whether that letter could reach Xuanyuan Changfeng. Li Xun did not strike him as someone generous, and judging by his demeanor, he likely held a high position within the Cloud Rolling Sect.
Ye Tian not only had past grievances with him but also suspected that rejecting the invitation would further sour Li Xun's feelings towards him. Thus, it was entirely possible that Li Xun might obstruct his efforts; if that happened, meeting Xuanyuan Changfeng would become exceedingly difficult.
"Thank you; I will come back later," Ye Tian said again, cupping his hands in gratitude as he noted that Li Xun's tone seemed relatively amicable.
This time, Li Xun did not return the gesture but instead curled his lips into a dismissive smirk, as if to say, "It won't matter if you come back a thousand times."
Seeing this, Ye Tian chose to ignore him and turned to leave.
"Senior Brother, who is he?" A young man's voice rang out with a hint of disdain in his tone.
"Heh." Li Xun did not answer but let out a derisive laugh.
Ye Tian turned his back to the two, but he could imagine the contemptuous expression on Li Xun's face and the meaning behind that cold laugh.
"Senior Brother, who exactly is he?" the young man asked again.
"A boastful and arrogant person." Li Xun answered immediately after the boy's question, indicating that this was his impression of Ye Tian. He did not bother to control his tone, which carried a hint of provocation.
Upon hearing this, Ye Tian's pupils contracted. He did not care how Li Xun viewed him, but it was rather underhanded for this person to take his own interpretation and even lead others to form opinions about him.
"Oh, so he's not from Cloud-Drifting Pavilion... then it's fine to keep him here for a cup of tea." The young man seemed somewhat disappointed that Ye Tian was not from Cloud-Drifting Pavilion, though he did not understand why he held such a deep prejudice against them.
However, the latter part of his statement warmed Ye Tian's heart. Although the young man had been rude before, it was based on mistakenly thinking Ye Tian belonged to Cloud-Drifting Pavilion. Now that he learned Ye Tian did not belong there, he had not been misled by Li Xun, and he could still remember the etiquette of hospitality, indicating that his nature was quite kind.
"Drink tea?" Li Xun sneered. "Wine Kid, can't you see? He came here this time just to seek a meal from us at Cloudscroll Pavilion, and he even wants to stay here long-term."
"No way, he doesn't seem like that kind of person." The young man's name was Wine Kid. After denying that Ye Tian belonged to Cloud-Drifting Pavilion, his impression of Ye Tian noticeably improved.
"Heh, you're still young; what do you know?" Li Xun laughed scornfully while raising his voice again.
At this moment, Ye Tian felt an unbearable urge to retaliate. The repeated provocations from Li Xun were truly infuriating.
"Senior Brother, Master said you have a narrow mind." Wine Kid, feeling somewhat wronged by the insult, began to retort.
As the saying goes, one should not hit someone's face or expose their shortcomings when arguing. Though young, Wine Kid's words were sharp. Upon hearing this, Li Xun was instantly furious but could do nothing since the speaker was just a small boy. He could only snort angrily and stomp away.
After driving away Li Xun, Wine Kid quickly ran a few steps to catch up with Ye Tian and asked, "What are you looking for Master for?"
Although the Wine Kid's actions drove Li Xun away, it did indeed relieve some of Ye Tian's frustration. Now, the fact that he even came after him with the intention of reconciliation made Ye Tian feel a growing fondness for this eleven or twelve-year-old boy.
"I made a promise to Xuanyuan Senior that I would come here one day to drink tea and play chess with him," Ye Tian replied with a smile.
"Nonsense!" the Wine Kid suddenly shouted, glaring at Ye Tian.
Ye Tian was taken aback, looking at the Wine Kid in confusion, waiting for an explanation.
"My master only drinks wine, not tea, and he doesn't play chess!" The Wine Kid's gaze towards Ye Tian was now filled with hostility, as if he felt deeply disappointed by what he perceived as Ye Tian's deception.
"But I really didn't lie; this is what Xuanyuan Senior told me himself," Ye Tian said helplessly, wishing he could recreate the scene from that day.
"Didn't you say you have a letter? Show it to me," the Wine Kid said, now half-believing Ye Tian and asking for proof.
Ye Tian hesitated for a moment. His hesitation wasn't due to distrust in the boy's character but rather because he felt that the boy seemed a bit clumsy, making him uneasy.
"Are you really trying to deceive me?!" The Wine Kid saw that Ye Tian was slow to produce the letter and assumed Ye Tian was fabricating everything, increasing his suspicion and resentment.
Seeing this, Ye Tian felt quite helpless and had no choice but to reach into his pocket and take out Xuanyuan Changfeng's handwritten letter to hand it over to the Wine Kid.
In truth, Ye Tian could have simply left and visited when Xuanyuan Changfeng returned; there was no need to explain himself to this young boy. The reason he did so was entirely because he felt he couldn't betray the trust that the Wine Kid had placed in him.
When the Wine Kid saw that Ye Tian really took out the letter, he was momentarily stunned. He carefully accepted it and examined it closely. After a moment, he nodded and said, "Yes, this is my master's handwriting."
"Now you believe me, right?" Ye Tian smiled as he took back the letter and tucked it away safely.
"Yes, but Master really has an uncertain return date. You might as well wait here for a while; I'll treat you to some tea." The Wine Kid didn't dislike Ye Tian to begin with, and this remark eased his doubts, so he immediately became enthusiastic.
"Then I’ll trouble you." Ye Tian was at a loss for where to go, and since the Wine Kid suited his temperament, he did not decline.
"No trouble at all, follow me." The Wine Kid waved his small hand and turned towards a narrow path.
Ye Tian followed with a light smile. This young boy had a bold demeanor; though still small, he seemed likely to grow into a chivalrous person.
The path was narrow but clean, made of gravel, winding forward like a serpent probing deep into the forest.
"Little brother, what is your name?" Ye Tian asked, not out of ignorance but because "Wine Kid" was clearly a nickname or pet name. Their relationship wasn't close enough for him to call him by such names yet; otherwise, it would be somewhat disrespectful.
"Wine Kid? Aren't you just asking what you already know?" The Wine Kid replied casually.
"Is your real name really Wine Kid?" Ye Tian asked in confusion; he had never heard of the surname 'Wine' before.
"I don't have a real name." The Wine Kid casually broke off a twig and put it in his mouth, continuing, "This name was given to me by Master; he picked me up."
"I see." Ye Tian nodded and then curiously asked, "Do you know why Xuanyuan Senior gave you such a name?"
"Haha. Of course I do!" The Wine Kid laughed happily, as if this topic brought back pleasant memories for him.
"Can you share it with me?" Ye Tian liked this little boy very much, so he engaged him further.
"What’s there to stop me?" The Wine Kid spat out the twig and said with a grin, "I heard Master say that when he found me, I was only four years old and unconscious. After he saved me, the first thing I did when I woke up was drink from his wine flask..."
"Is that how you got your name?" Ye Tian asked with a smile.
Wine Kid shook his head and replied, "Of course not. My master gave me this name two years later; during that time, he only called me 'little brat.'"
"Then why did he start calling you Wine Kid?" Ye Tian asked again. From Wine Kid's words, he could imagine that Xuanyuan Changfeng was even more amiable and friendly than he had seen in person.
"Because during those two years, I always sneaked his wine to drink," Wine Kid said, bursting into laughter. His youthful face surprisingly bore a rugged and bold expression.
Hearing this, Ye Tian couldn't help but smile, but soon the face of Li Xun appeared in his mind, and he felt that this person was indeed a troublemaker. With him around, the harmonious atmosphere of Cloudscroll Pavilion must have been disrupted.
Unknowingly, the two had walked about five or six miles. Along the way, many disciples from Cloudscroll Pavilion took the initiative to greet Wine Kid, who responded with a smile each time, suggesting he was quite popular.
The ages of those disciples varied; the youngest seemed to be three or four years younger than Wine Kid, while the oldest looked to be around seventy or eighty years old, already quite frail.
"We're here," Wine Kid said, pointing to a place ahead called Fence Courtyard.
Ye Tian looked up and saw a cliff extending horizontally ahead. The Fence Courtyard was situated atop the cliff, appearing simple and unadorned. There were several bamboo trees in the courtyard, whether transplanted or originally grown there was unclear, followed by a thatched cottage. Overall, it resembled a secluded dwelling of an otherworldly hermit.
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