Chapter 385: Night Market

Qilin finished speaking, mouth dry and tongue parched, drank several cups of tea to quench his thirst, and finally noticed the monk had not yet voiced an opinion. Anxiously, he nudged him: "Say something!"

"The monk is thinking, don't rush."

"He said he was thinking, but he was actually feasting."

"Qilin could only be patient."

"You don't even ask what gains this trip to the Black Sea brought?" the monk said while eating.

"If you had any gains, you'd have shown them off already." Qilin teased: "Do I still need to ask?"

"The monk's smile was noncommittal."

"After he had eaten and drunk his fill, then elegantly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, Qilin impatiently asked: 'You've finished eating, can you now share your lofty views?'"

"The monk lifted the plum blossom wine to drink, took a sip, then leisurely said: 'Please enter the vat, wait for Andluo to come to you on his own.'"

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Qilin laughed, patting the monk's shoulder, "These past two days I also sent people to secretly investigate Xiao Yichen's place of exile, but there's been no reply."

Monk: "It's been two days with no reply; perhaps they've already been discovered."

Qilin nodded: "Maybe Andluo's people intercepted them."

He glanced at Pei Si and Cao Cixiu without leaving a trace, almost squeezing out a faint voice from his throat: "What do you think of Pei Si and them?"

"You'll only know after getting along." The monk took another sip of wine, "Being careful is always good, especially for you, patron Qilin."

"What do you mean?"

"Just telling you to be careful."

"Cut it out." Qilin snorted, got up, and returned to his main seat.

After the banquet ended, Mu Yuanzhi and her family of four went for a post-meal walk to digest. Today is the first day of the lunar new year; everyone temporarily set aside their troubles to first enjoy the holiday properly.

The new emperor's greetings letter arrived together with the red envelopes; the two children received their red packets, overjoyed. The emperor's red packet was naturally a big one, containing money and snacks—more like a gift box than a red envelope. The children were naturally delighted, eating the capital's specialties, giving them a feeling of celebrating the festival in the capital itself.

"Dad, Mom, are we going to go downtown tonight to stroll the streets?" Gu Yutong asked excitedly.

Mu Yuanzhi pinched the children's little noses: "Yes, Dad and Mom haven't forgotten."

"Great! Then are we going to go downtown to eat?" Mu Yumo asked, tilting her little head.

Gu Rongjin asked amusedly: "How come, our little Mo just ate and wasn't full? How can you already be thinking about food again before you've even finished digesting?"

"What's done is done, and later is later!"

"Children full of energy is a good thing." Gu Rongjin nodded, "Later Dad will take you to eat something delicious."

"Good!"

Gu Rongjin was thinking that later he'd need to find someone to look after the kids, so that after the family finished eating he could have some alone time with his wife.

As for who that is, there's no doubt it's Qilin!

"That brat used to be a nuisance; now it's time for him to be useful!"

Qilin naturally was happy to eat together with Mu Yuanzhi and the kids, agreeing readily, unaware that he would soon be entrusted with an important task.

The monk present was also invited by Gu Rongjin; one more person meant one more assurance.

Yueyun originally wanted to invite Qilin to go downtown together to the night market, as she had done since joining the sect; although Qiao Chu was also there, they still celebrated the new year together as fellow disciples.

This year, however, it turned out fine—the master seems to hardly pay attention to them anymore!

"Senior sister."

Yueyun didn't turn to look at Qiao Chu, but spoke in a muffled voice: "Qiao Chu, is there a medicine one can take to become like you, to look like a normal person?"

"Senior sister, have you forgotten what the master said? He said you are already a normal person." Qiao Chu replied.

Those words again stirred Yueyun's heart.

Yes, it's precisely because of those words that she became wholeheartedly devoted to Juechen Valley and the master.

She is of the Dwarf people; there may be fewer than a hundred of them in the world, a group nearly extinct. They have hidden themselves in the mountains and forests, avoiding outsiders, but she refuses to spend her life cooped up in deep mountains and old forests; she wants to go out and adventure, to see the world.

Yet being such an oddity, she is destined to attract strange looks, fearing exclusion, mockery, even expulsion; she has tasted the world's cold and warmth, originally resigned to return in despair, until she met the master.

The master not only told her she was not an oddity, but also willingly taught her martial arts, taught her secret techniques, saying Juechen Valley is her home!

"Senior sister, your fondness for the master is not romantic love; don't confuse the two." Qiao Chu said.

"I…!" Yueyun's whole body nearly jumped up, she turned sharply to look at Qiao Chu with a strong reaction.

She didn't know whether to refute or what to do.

Because even she herself didn't know if she liked the master.

"What do you know!" Yueyun, after holding it in for a while, managed only this sentence; her whole face flushed, not knowing whether from anger or something else.

Qiao Chu: "You merely have a possessive desire toward the master; when I first entered the sect, didn't you also not like me much? You're just afraid someone will take away the master's attention from you—rest assured, in the master's heart, first place will always be his uncle."

"You!" Yueyun stamped her foot in anger, "You're just here to provoke me!"

"I'm just helping you see reality; you, me, and everyone in Juechen Valley hold the same position in the master's heart—you needn't worry about gains and losses." Qiao Chu said.

Yueyun stared at Qiao Chu with a grim face, said nothing, then turned and walked away.

"Senior sister, aren't you going to the night market?" Qiao Chu shouted at Yueyun's back.

Yueyun stopped her steps, turned to look at Qiao Chu, pressed her lips, remained silent for a long time, finally nodded, then added: "Invite a few familiar outer-discipline junior fellows along."

"Good."

They went down the mountain; Yueyun instinctively wanted to look for Qilin, but she didn't know where, gazing at the night just lit with lanterns, her eyes full of confusion.

"Maybe we'll run into the master while we're out and about." Qiao Chu said.

The other junior fellows nodded in agreement; Yueyun could only say: "Forget it, it's rare to go down the mountain with you all—let's just have fun to the fullest today!"

Actually, Qilin and company were just across the street looking at the lanterns; the dazzling array of lanterns had a southern style, the gentleness of rivers and lakes, differing from the lantern style of the Central Plains.

Mu Yuanzhi gripped the carp-shaped lantern Gu Rongjin had bought for her, happily strolling through the New Year's night market; it was her first time celebrating the year here, feeling fresh, everywhere were novel trinkets she'd never seen, and the local New Year customs differed greatly from those of the north, greatly broadening her horizons.

Gu Rongjin strolled leisurely beside her, wife and children at his side—nothing could be happier than this, year after year, age after age, let it always be so.

Qilin walked behind, knowing his place; he had long outgrown the age of finding this night market novel, having essentially spent every year since childhood in this way.