“What Are You Doing Here?!”
Spring in Canglan City always seemed to arrive a little later.
More than half of March had already passed, yet the peach grove outside the city had only just begun to reveal a few splashes of pale pink and white, timidly adorning the branches as though afraid of the cold and unwilling to bloom completely.
A light rain had fallen throughout the night, soaking the bluestone road until it gleamed. The fresh scent of damp earth filled the air.
An old man selling candied hawthorn pushed his wooden cart across the stone pavement, leaving behind a lingering sweetness that was carried far away by the spring breeze.
Meanwhile, the spiritual herb garden on the rear mountain of the Chu residence was currently in complete disarray.
“Little Junior Sister, that’s a hundred-year-old lingzhi! You can’t pull it out… Don’t pull it out like that!”
Chu Sui crouched beside the spiritual herb garden, still clutching half of the bright-red lingzhi root in her hand.
Her other hand was covered in black mud. Hearing this, she merely blinked and smiled innocently.
“Senior Brother, you’re too late.”
Chu Tinglan looked at the hundred-year-old lingzhi that had been pulled straight out by its roots and felt his heart ache terribly.
He took a deep breath and desperately reminded himself that she was his own junior sister. He couldn’t get angry.
“Little Junior Sister, why exactly did you come to the herb garden today?”
Chu Sui raised the hoe in her hand with righteous confidence.
“I came to help gather spiritual herbs!”
“The last time you came to help, you burned down half of the alchemy room.”
“That was an accident.”
“The time before that, you pulled up ten-year-old Frost Jade Grass thinking it was all weeds.”
“…That was also an accident.”
Chu Tinglan: “…”
Chu Sui was the young miss of the Chu family, a family of sword cultivators in Canglan City. The Chu family had guarded the barrier to the demon realm for generations, and held a highly respected position in Canglan City, with an illustrious reputation.
Yet this young miss had been judged to possess an extremely low-grade spiritual root ever since she underwent her spiritual-root assessment. Even after cultivating for several years, she remained at the bottom of the ranks.
The problem was that she was exceptionally energetic. Today she would study alchemy, tomorrow she would practice formations, and the day after that she would come meddle with spiritual herbs.
The Chu Sect Master had a child in his later years, and Chu Sui was also born sweet and well-behaved. The entire family cherished her like the apple of their eye.
“Forget it, forget it.”
Chu Tinglan was bending down to clean up the mess when he suddenly saw a young boy in blue robes hurrying up the mountain path.
The boy was panting heavily as he said urgently, “Senior Brother! Sect Master asks you to hurry to the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion. He says there’s an important matter to discuss.”
Chu Tinglan’s expression immediately became solemn. He put down his medicine basket and said to Chu Sui, “Stay here properly. Don’t go pulling out any more spiritual herbs.”
Then he hurried down the mountain.
Chu Sui remained crouched where she was, her almond-shaped eyes turning thoughtfully.
The Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion?
She had once heard her father mention it. It was where the elders discussed important matters and was not normally used unless something serious happened.
Could something have gone wrong?
She tossed aside her hoe and quietly followed him.
The Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion was built halfway up the rear mountain, with upturned eaves and towering ancient trees surrounding it.
Chu Sui circled around to the flower window at the back of the pavilion, crouched down among the bamboo, and pressed her ear against the window lattice.
Her father’s voice, Chu Zhongming, came from inside.
“…The barrier to the demon realm is weakening. A crack has appeared in the seal. I’m afraid the seven ancient demon beasts will gradually emerge into the world.”
Chu Sui’s heart suddenly jumped.
“The Qingyu Town by the Canglan River in the eastern region has already been affected. Villagers have gone missing, and after returning, they developed scales on their bodies and became obsessed with water and raw fish. More than half of them have transformed into half-human, half-fish monsters. It is highly likely that the ancient demon Jiaoren Linyu is causing trouble,” Chu Zhongming said gravely.
“Whatever you do, make sure Sui’er doesn’t find out about this. That girl is far too bold. If she learns about it, she’ll insist on coming along. Tinglan, you will lead the team. Be extremely careful.”
Chu Tinglan cupped his fists. “I will obey the Sect Master’s orders.”
Chu Sui heard every word clearly from outside the window and immediately pouted.
You don’t want me to know?
Then I’ll make sure I know.
Her eyes rolled, and a sly smile curled across her lips.
An hour later, beside the supply wagons in the Chu family’s rear courtyard.
Chu Sui had changed into an inconspicuous gray cloth outfit. She had messily stuffed her hair beneath a cap and smeared a couple of handfuls of stove ash across her face, making herself look just like a young servant boy.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, she slipped behind a wooden crate filled with dry rations and curled herself into a ball.
The carriage swayed as it slowly left the city.
Hidden inside, Chu Sui listened as the voices outside gradually faded into the distance, feeling rather pleased with herself.
Who could have expected that the carriage would suddenly jolt, sending a heavy object crashing inside with a loud thud?
Chu Sui was startled and instinctively opened her mouth to cry out, but a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth.
“Don’t make a sound!”
The voice was very low, with a lazy drawl at the end. It sounded strangely familiar.
Chu Sui took a closer look.
A face was right in front of hers—sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose, and disheveled strands of hair falling over his forehead.
It was none other than Yan Xu, the good-for-nothing young master of the Yan family.
Every time the annual tournament was held, Chu Sui would always compete against him. The two of them were constantly fighting over second-to-last place and could practically be called sworn enemies. Whenever they met, sparks flew.
The two stared at each other in stunned silence.
The next second, they spoke at exactly the same time—
“What are you doing here?!”
“What are you doing here?!”
Chu Sui slapped Yan Xu’s hand away and angrily lowered her voice.
“Yan Xu, are you crazy? Why are you hiding in my family’s carriage?”
“Your family’s carriage?” Yan Xu froze before realizing what was going on. “This is the Chu family’s supply wagon? I thought it was the Yan family’s. Wait a minute. You’re the Chu family’s young miss, yet you’re hiding in your own family’s carriage? You’re not exactly a respectable person yourself, are you?”
Chu Sui was momentarily speechless.
Seeing her expression, Yan Xu suddenly understood. He grinned, his smile unbearably smug.
“Oh? You sneaked out?”
“You did the same thing, didn’t you?” Chu Sui rolled her eyes. She shifted to the side to make room for him. “Did your Yan family send you? How come I didn’t know?”
“Send me?” Yan Xu scoffed. “They’d be thrilled if I stayed home and stopped embarrassing them. I followed behind the group and climbed onto this carriage while everyone was distracted.”
“So you sneaked along too?”
“Same as you.”
The two looked at each other’s ash-covered, disheveled appearances and suddenly found the whole situation rather amusing.
But neither of them laughed.
“I’ll warn you,” Chu Sui said, raising one finger. “Don’t expose me.”
“Funny. I was just about to say the same thing.” Yan Xu leaned against the wooden crate and crossed one leg over the other. “We mind our own business. You hide, I’ll hide.”
The carriage continued on for roughly another half an hour before suddenly coming to a stop.
Chu Tinglan’s voice came from outside.
“Check the supplies. We’re almost at the assembly point.”
Chu Sui and Yan Xu both stiffened.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Chu Tinglan leaned halfway inside.
His eyes swept over the wooden crates, then the sacks of grain, and finally settled on the two ash-covered figures.
“…Little Junior Sister?”
Chu Sui forced an innocent smile.
“Senior Brother, what a coincidence. I-I was inspecting the supplies.”
Chu Tinglan then looked at Yan Xu.
“Yan Xu?”
Yan Xu raised his hands in surrender.
“Would you believe me if I said I was just passing by?”
Chu Tinglan’s expression darkened.
At the same time, another cool voice came from outside.
“Tinglan, what’s going on?”
A moment later, a beautiful face appeared beside the carriage curtain.
It was Yan Guanshuang, the Yan family’s eldest senior sister. Dressed entirely in white, she had delicate, picturesque features.
The moment she saw Yan Xu, her gaze turned cold.
“Yan Xu.”
“Sister…” Yan Xu’s voice immediately softened, and he gave her an ingratiating smile.
Yan Guanshuang was a rare talisman prodigy who appeared only once in a century within the Yan family. She was meticulous and proper, and the thing she disliked most was seeing this younger cousin of hers behaving so carelessly.
Every year during the tournament, he gave her such a headache. Yet the fellow’s skin was thicker than a city wall. Scolding him didn’t work, and beating him didn’t change him.
Chu Tinglan, meanwhile, was widely recognized in Canglan City as a swordsmanship prodigy. He had comprehended sword intent at the age of seventeen and was steady and reliable, making him the Chu family’s chief senior disciple.
At this moment, he stared at Chu Sui and felt a headache coming on.
“Little Junior Sister, go back.”
“No.” Chu Sui lifted her chin defiantly.
“Stop fooling around. This journey is dangerous. This isn’t somewhere for you to play.”
“I’m not going to play. I’m going to help.”
Chu Tinglan took a deep breath.
He knew this little junior sister far too well. Reasoning with her was like trying to reason with the wind. You could spend half a day arguing, and the wind would still blow exactly as it pleased.
On the other side, Yan Guanshuang was also lecturing Yan Xu.
“Get out of the carriage right now. I’ll have someone send you back to the city.”
“No.” Yan Xu turned his head away, his posture exactly the same as Chu Sui’s.
“You can’t even draw a decent talisman. What are you going to do if you go?”
Just as the two sides reached an impasse, a clear, cheerful voice suddenly interrupted from nearby.
“Oh? There are two people hiding in this carriage?”
A young man walked over from the middle of the group. He wore green robes and had fair features with a pair of curved, peach-blossom eyes. He was idly playing with a small celadon bottle in his hand, and a faint medicinal fragrance surrounded him.
It was none other than Tang Yi, the eldest son of the Tang family.
The Tang family was the foremost family of medicine cultivators in Canglan City.
Tang Yi had studied alchemy from a young age and possessed extraordinary talent. Yet he had a lively, carefree personality, and his favorite pastime wasn’t refining medicine but dragging Yan Xu off to drink whatever medicinal wine he had newly concocted.
One was a spoiled young master, the other was a carefree troublemaker. They were kindred spirits and famous childhood friends.
Tang Yi poked his head into the carriage and saw Yan Xu. His eyes immediately lit up.
“Yan Shisan! What are you doing hiding here? I brought some newly brewed astragalus wine and was just looking for you!”
Before Yan Xu could answer, Tang Yi spotted Chu Sui, and his smile widened even further.
“Chu Qi is here too? What a coincidence! The three of us can have a drink tonight.”
Chu Sui winked at him.
“Tang Er, help me persuade my Senior Brother first.”
Tang Yi turned toward Chu Tinglan and said with a grin, “Brother Chu, let her go. Although Chu Qi isn’t very good at swordsmanship, she can at least run errands, deliver messages, serve tea, and carry things. Besides, with a great expert like you around, how could you possibly let her get hurt?”
Chu Tinglan remained expressionless.
“No.”
At that moment, a petite figure came bouncing over from the middle of the group, her skirt fluttering as she ran. Her bright, youthful voice rang out.
“I heard things were really lively over here. What happened? What happened?”
It was Yun Miaomiao, the youngest daughter of the Yun family.
The Yun family was renowned for their formation techniques. Although Yun Miaomiao was young, her talent for formations was exceptionally rare, appearing only once in a century, and the elders of her clan placed great hopes in her.
She was innocent and cheerful, and the person she was most attached to was Chu Sui. She called her “Sui Sui-jiejie” in an especially sweet voice.
When Yun Miaomiao saw Chu Sui, she first froze before letting out a delighted cheer.
“Sui Sui-jiejie! You came too! That’s wonderful! I was getting bored all by myself!”
She turned to Chu Tinglan and pleaded sweetly, “Big Brother Chu, let Sui Sui-jiejie stay! She can share a tent with me. I promise I’ll keep an eye on her!”
Chu Tinglan: “…Miaomiao, don’t make trouble.”
“I’m not making trouble! Sui Sui-jiejie knows so many stories. If she doesn’t tell me a story at night, I can’t fall asleep.” Yun Miaomiao spoke with complete confidence before turning to Yan Guanshuang. “Sister Yan, let that Yan Xu stay too. The more people we have, the more help we can provide!”
Yan Guanshuang fell silent.
Yan Xu, however, was deeply moved.
“Miaomiao, you’re the only one who understands me.”
Yun Miaomiao stuck out her tongue at him.
“I’m not helping you. I’m worried Sui Sui-jiejie will feel awkward staying here alone, so I’m bringing you along with her.”
Yan Xu’s smile froze on his face.
Tang Yi burst out laughing beside them, slapping his thigh.
“Hahaha! Yan Shisan, you’re just an extra!”
Chu Sui jumped down from the carriage, grabbed Yun Miaomiao’s arm, and raised an eyebrow at her Senior Brother.
“Senior Brother, look. Even Miaomiao says I should go. If you don’t let me go, she won’t be able to sleep tonight. That’ll affect her ability to set up formations. What if the demons attack while she’s distracted?”
Chu Tinglan: “…”
Yan Guanshuang rubbed her temples.
One of them was the Chu family’s cherished pearl, while the other was the Yun family’s beloved darling. They couldn’t bring themselves to scold or hit either of them, yet the two had joined forces and were shamelessly playing the victim to get their way.
Chu Tinglan and Yan Guanshuang exchanged a glance.
Author’s Note:
None.