Chapter 501: Taozi Blossoms Bestowed Upon a Beauty

Jixia Academy was built against the mountain, and within the academy were three lakes, each independent and unconnected to the others.

Lian Lake, adjacent to the small building of Second Princess Xu Weixiong, had always been like a forbidden zone; after the building was vacated, it was even more neglected.

The banks of the largest and most vast Zhangdan Lake were tied full of small boats, densely packed, provided for students to row and enjoy the lake; cooking on a stove and admiring the snow on a small boat was naturally a delightful affair. It was just that everyone thought of this delightful affair, so the small boats were like pieces on a chessboard nearing the endgame, as numerous as the stars, and the beautiful experience was not quite as indescribable as one might hope.

Finally, there was the small and exquisite Fozhang Lake, as cold and desolate as Lian Lake, because this lake was privately owned, and within a hundred zhang of the shore, idlers were not allowed to trespass. By the side of Fozhang Lake stood an ancient stele, on which ten large characters were mottled and carved, using the small seal script of Great Qin.

——The palm of the Tathagata Buddha, the five fingers are the Five Sacred Mountains.

The spirit of it was indeed grand enough to swallow mountains and rivers.

In the pavilion within Fozhang Lake, Yu Liancheng wrapped his arms around Yu Meiren, and a faint floral fragrance lingered at his nose; with soft jade and warm fragrance, his heart was filled with joy.

Looking down at the smile before him that was like a hundred flowers blooming, his heart stirred, and amidst Yu Meiren's delicate cry, he lifted her up and spun her gently.

"Hmm, you've put on a little weight."

Yu Liancheng smiled.

A faint blush climbed onto Yu Meiren's pretty face, and she was just about to explain that it was the fox-fur coat she was wearing that was too heavy.

She saw that gaze, gentle as a spring breeze, fall upon that plump charm that could not be hidden, and a voice filled with laughter sounded: "But it's all in the places it should be."

"What nonsense are you spouting." Yu Meiren feigned anger, in the manner of a young girl, her powdered fist striking Yu Liancheng's chest lightly; no matter how one looked at it, she was just acting coquettishly.

Her gaze shifted, and she inadvertently caught sight of Qi Shence, who looked as if he had been struck by lightning, and the face of the little girl with braided pigtails, who was holding a snowball and preparing to ambush the uninvited guest Yu Liancheng; the latter was likewise looking dazed.

Thus, Yu Youwei hurriedly broke free from Yu Liancheng's embrace to smooth the wrinkles on her dress, the blush on her pretty face gradually fading as she returned to being the cold and indifferent Master Yu.

"Why are you pulling such a long face? You look better when you smile." Yu Liancheng reached out to pinch Yu Xuanji's smooth, tender cheeks and pulled them to both sides, forcing this Master Yu to reveal a strange smile.

"Are you trying to die? You've only just met me and you already know how to tease me."

Yu Xuanji slapped away Yu Liancheng's hand and gave him a coquettish glare.

"Master Yu, this... this brother, is he your older brother?"

Qi Shence finally came back to his senses; his heart was surging, yet he still refused to believe the reality before him.

"Not at all. Do you think siblings would act like this?"

Yu Liancheng took over the conversation and shook his finger. Then he leaned in and lightly tapped Yu Xuanji's lips, which were red without the need for rouge.

The little girl with braided pigtails let out a cry and covered her eyes with her hands, yet those dark, bright eyes were watching with great interest through the gaps in her fingers, not blinking even once.

As for Qi Shence, his tiger-like body shook once, twice, three times; his face was as pale as paper, and his figure was swaying, no longer possessing his previous elegant and dashing image.

"Since Master Yu has an appointment, I shall return and inform Libationer Zhang." Qi Shence bowed in a daze and left, staggering.

Having walked only two steps, he couldn't help but look back.

He saw that the two of them seemed not to have noticed him at all, not even sparing a glance; he didn't know what the man in black had said, but it made Master Yu giggle, her body trembling like a flower in the wind.

Thus, Qi Shence could only depart in gloom.

"Hee hee, that annoying pest is finally gone."

The braided girl nearby giggled; although she regarded Yu Liancheng as an uninvited guest, she had no good impression of that fellow Qi Shence, who looked human but acted like a dog. Her parents, who were both teachers at Jixia, often privately criticized him, disliking his habit of blindly worshipping the ancients and feigning high-mindedness.

Influenced by this, the little girl categorized Qi Shence as a sissy, and yet this sissy was infatuated with her most respected Sister Yu. Seeing that fellow get humiliated, the little girl was naturally very happy.

The braided girl first ran over to give Yu Liancheng a thumbs-up, then tilted her head and blinked those dark, bright eyes: "Hey, what exactly is your relationship with Sister Yu?"

Yu Liancheng patted the little girl's head, messing up the hair she had just tidied, and laughed: "You little girl look quite smart, why do you ask such a stupid question?"

"You're the stupid one, you're the stupid one." The braided girl gritted her teeth; so he was a bad guy too.

After saying this, she used her head to butt Yu Liancheng's stomach, but was caught by her little braid by Yu Liancheng, unable to advance an inch.

"Alright, you two stop messing around."

Yu Xuanji helplessly separated the two and gently pulled the braided girl into her arms, only to find the two still glaring at each other, neither willing to yield.

Yu Xuanji gave Yu Liancheng another glare with her beautiful eyes; you are already the number one Murong Shuang Kui in the world, why are you still bickering with a child?

Yu Liancheng laughed; a man is a youth until he dies.

The braided girl kicked her feet and said discontentedly: "Sister Yu is a world-renowned beauty, skilled in music and sword dancing; what right do you have to be a pair with her?"

Yu Liancheng smiled and leaned his face toward the braided girl, grinning: "Does this face count?!"

The little girl stared blankly at this face, and suddenly felt the thin mist that had always shrouded the other person disperse, revealing a face of peerless beauty. With a smile at the corners of his mouth and a grace that was unparalleled, those deep eyes seemed to hide a sea of stars, possessing a miraculous, demonic power that could see through the human heart.

"It... it counts..."

The little girl lowered her head shyly, her heart pounding like a deer.

If looks could be compared as intuitively as martial arts, then just by this face, one could say: "Life is truly as lonely as snow."

"Did you rush here from Taian City?" Yu Meiren looked at Yu Liancheng and smiled.

"Yes, but I was in a hurry this time and forgot to bring a gift." Yu Liancheng sighed.

"The fact that you could come to see me proves that you have me in your heart; Xuanji is already satisfied." Yu Xuanji said softly.

"Stop saying such things, aren't you afraid of the sourness." Yu Liancheng tugged at her smooth cheeks and turned to walk out of the pavilion: "Wait for me, today I'll also try borrowing flowers to present to a beauty."

Under the curious gazes of Yu Xuanji and the braided girl, Yu Liancheng arrived under a peach tree. It was currently the time when the Cold Plum was in full bloom, so naturally, there were neither peaches nor peach blossoms. The entire peach tree was bare, but the branches were gnarled, clearly having some years on them.

Yu Liancheng reached out and gently stroked the rough peach tree, sending strands of vitality through his fingertips into the tree.

In an instant, peach blossoms bloomed on a peach branch, glistening white, pink... swaying in the air, and a rich fragrance drifted out; the group of children nearby who had been made to cry by the little girl were all stunned.

Yu Liancheng plucked a peach blossom, returned to the pavilion, and smiled as he tucked it into Yu Xuanji's long hair.

Yu Xuanji pursed her lips in a sweet smile, a touch of shyness on her snowy face, her eyes filled with affection and tenderness. She was truly more beautiful than the flowers, a sight to behold.

The braided girl pouted, suddenly feeling a bit superfluous.

"A gift for you; Xuanji's temperament has always been a bit solitary, thank you for your company."

Yu Liancheng smiled again and spread his palm, magically producing a plump, juicy peach in front of the little girl, which was naturally also just plucked.

"I suppose you have a conscience; this heroine will forgive your previous disrespect."

The little girl took the peach with an air of indifference, but her voice trembled uncontrollably; eating a peach in winter could also be considered a great romantic feat.

After examining the peach for a moment, she looked at the peach blossom in Sister Yu's hair and hummed in her heart: What is this, such a stinky man who doesn't understand romance; I want peach blossoms too.

Yu Liancheng whispered into Yu Xuanji's ear: "Xuanji, if I had just given that little girl a Taozi Blossom, do you think she would remember me for a lifetime and refuse to marry anyone but me?"

Yu Xuanji giggled coquettishly and punched him in the chest.

"You're incorrigible."

That old monk named Liu Songtao traveled from the Western Regions to the Central Plains, heading east all the way.

Yet the old monk was no longer aging; as time passed, he appeared increasingly youthful. After crossing Western Shu, he looked like a man in his middle years, at the age of forty when one is free from doubt.

After another ten days of travel, his skin glowed with radiance, his gray hair turned black, and he had transformed into a young monk of about twenty years of age.

Yet the monk remained mad and foolish, his mouth chanting something that sounded neither like a song nor a sutra. Sometimes he would kill people who displeased him, and other times he would preach the Buddha's teachings face-to-face.

Such behavior was no different from a Great Demon.

Unlike Northern Mang where Great Demons ran rampant, the Demon Sect in the Central Plains had declined severely.

Back then, six Great Demons ascended the Golden Summit of Longhu Mountain and were all killed by Qi Xuanzheng alone.

After Xu Xiao trampled the pugilistic world with his cavalry, any sect with even a hint of suspicion of being the Demon Sect hurriedly changed their names and banners, keeping their heads down to survive.

Longhu Mountain, Liangchan Temple, and others were all clearly righteous sects.

Thus, a monk in white robes stood in his way.