Jiang Luofu frowned. “What kind of expression is that?”

“An expression of admiration, haha.” Zu An laughed awkwardly.

“Hmph, if it weren’t because my relationship with you isn’t bad, I would have already beaten you up if you looked at me like that,” Jiang Luofu said coldly.

Zu An became a bit gloomy. “Big sis, you didn’t even get mad when those students were talking about you. Why are you getting mad at me instead?”

Jiang Luofu gave him a look. “Those people only had pure admiration, but you were thinking about doing something.”

Zu An was stunned. “You can even tell such a thing?”

“Your eyes were weird.” Jiang Luofu harrumphed. Then, she walked forward and ignored him. Zu An had a bitter smile on his face as he quickly followed along.

The two of them continued up the mountain. When Zu An saw the scenery around them become more and more serene, he sighed in praise. “Sir Libationer’s tastes are quite fine. Every single tree and every single blade of grass seems to carry some sort of pattern, yet when you examine them closely, they look extremely natural and not out of place in any way.”

Jiang Luofu’s expression eased a bit. “This place is called Dong’e Peak, the highest peak of Mountain Yuquan. It’s the place the libationer personally selected as his place of secluded cultivation. What you see was arranged by the elder in his earlier years. They resonate with the great formation that protects the academy…”

The two continued to chat with each other. Soon, they arrived at the mountaintop. Zu An noticed the beautiful lotus pond, and he couldn’t resist the urge to get closer for a better look. The green lotus leaves in it refreshed the mind, as if they could instantly sweep away the fatigue of climbing the mountain. The lotus flowers of all sorts of different colors seemed to bring the whole place to life. Anyone would subconsciously want to pick one and fiddle around with it in their hands.

“I advise you not to pick any of the flowers.” Jiang Luofu seemed to have picked up on something and immediately cautioned Zu An, “Senior eleven picked a lotus flower many years ago, and he was whipped all the way from the mountaintop all the way to the bottom. His screams echoed throughout the entire academy.”

Zu An’s hand trembled and he quickly pulled it back. “Am I the type of person who would ruin such a beautiful scene? I merely felt a sense of realization when I saw these lotus flowers.”

Jiang Luofu wasn’t someone easily deceived. She quickly asked,“What kind of realization?”

“Lotus flowers are grown from sludge, yet they’re untainted. They float amid clear waters, yet will never seem garish.” Zu An had experienced nine years of compulsory education, for better or for worse. How could he be so easily stumped by this woman?

...

An elder voiced his surprise within the courtyard deep within the trees. The distinguished lady seated across from him was also surprised and asked, “Sir Libationer, is there something wrong?”

The elder smiled and said, “It’s nothing much. It’s just that it’s been a long time since I heard words that have stirred my heart.”

These two were precisely Libationer Chen Si and Crown Princess Bi Linglong.

The crown princess tactfully chose not to ask further when she saw that he didn’t have any intention of explaining himself. She returned to the previous topic. “Does the libationer have any guidance for us regarding the crown prince’s great exam this time?”

The libationer said indifferently, “The crown princess should be aware that this old one has never participated in the court’s politics.”

The crown princess was in distress. “The crown prince was harmed by a villain when he was young, causing his intellect to be damaged. This kind of great exam is unfair to begin with. That was why I braced myself to consult Sir Libationer for some guidance.”

“Harmed by a villain…” The libationer smiled and said, “There’s no need for the crown princess to be worried. Even though the crown prince seems a bit old fashioned and slow, he’s blessed with deep fortune. He’ll naturally be able to turn misfortune into blessing.”

The crown princess wasn’t happy with his ambiguous words. After all, she was already tired of hearing that all day back in the Eastern Palace.

Unfortunately, no matter how she asked, the libationer only smiled, but didn’t say anything. She sighed inwardly. She knew that the other party didn’t wish to participate in their struggle against King Qi. She could only ask to be excused out of helplessness.

…

On the other side, Jiang Luofu couldn’t help but reveal her surprise when she heard Zu An recite those words of poetry. “I didn’t expect you to have a bit of literary talent too. If third senior met you, he would definitely feel close to you.”

“Isn’t third senior the Drunken Sword Immortal? Why would he do something like that?” Zu An was curious. Even though he could drink, it wasn’t really a hobby. As for the sword, he was indeed a bit curious. This fellow was called a sword immortal, so Zu An didn’t think his own sword skills were worth mentioning here. But of course, if we were talking about shamelessness, then he didn’t believe he was beneath anyone.[1]

Jiang Luofu explained, “Third senior has always been a weirdo. He claims that he excels in poetry, alcohol, and the sword, with poetry first, alcohol second, and sword techniques third. But all of us know that his poetry is nothing more than some cheap tricks, yet he’s still so proud of himself. In our opinion, his knowledge is deepest in sword techniques, alcohol second, and his poetry… is trash. But he just loves poetry the most. That’s why if you ever met him, just those two lines alone would make him think of you as one of his own.”

“This third senior of yours sounds quite interesting.” Zu An pondered. The libationer’s disciples all sound like problem children! Tsk, I wonder how he even teaches them.

“Let’s go, we’ll meet teacher together.” Jiang Luofu gestured toward him. Then, she walked into the serene pine forest.

Zu An couldn’t help but ask along the way, “Right, the weather up here is a bit cold. It isn’t suitable for growing lotus flowers at all, is it?”

Jiang Luofu nodded. “Teacher personally set up a formation nearby that forcibly changed the climate in the area. That’s why such a beautiful pond of lotuses could be raised.” As she explained the situation, her tone was full of admiration. It was clear that she thought of the deed as a supernatural work of art.

Zu An asked out of curiosity, “Then why did he insist on raising lotus flowers that don’t suit the climate? Don’t tell me it was just to show off that he had the ability to?”

“Of course not.” Jiang Luofu frowned. “How can teacher be the type of person who cares about hypocritical fame? What does he have to prove? We’re quite close to teacher’s residence now, so you should watch your words, lest you offend teacher.”

Zu An could vaguely make out a courtyard within the pine trees. He asked with a smile, “What kind of person is Sir Libationer? He wouldn’t bicker with a junior like me over something so petty. Since you said that Sir Libationer isn’t the type to show off, then I reckon he probably did all of that in commemoration of an old friend.”

The crown princess saw that the libationer had already closed his eyes in rest. She sighed softly, and then bowed respectfully. “Linglong won’t disturb Sir Libationer anymore. I’ll bid my farewell here.”

“Please take care, crown princess.” The libationer still didn’t open his eyes.

The crown princess was full of anxiety and worry. She had no idea how the crown prince was going to pass the great exam. But just as she was about to leave, she saw the nearby libationer’s body tremble, and then he suddenly opened his eyes. She was overjoyed and thought that the libationer had changed his mind, that he had something to tell her.

However, she saw that the libationer didn’t have any intention of speaking. Instead, he no longer had his usual indifference that seemed to overlook the entire world, but rather carried some other sort of feeling. He slowly stood up, and then he walked toward a painting on the wall in a daze.

The crown princess was shocked. What is happening to the libationer? He seems to be out of it…? She quickly looked closely to see what was on that painting. Unfortunately, no matter how she tried, she only saw mist around the painting. She couldn’t see what was painted on it at all.

Suddenly, a familiar voice entered her ears. She couldn’t help but turn to look outside the window in pleasant surprise. “Zu An?”

She had never expected to meet him here. Hadn’t she told him to rest at home? What was he doing running all over the place when he was still injured? And who was that woman next to him? Her beautiful brows furrowed when she saw Jiang Luofu’s attire. Why is she dressed so provocatively? Is this someone who specializes in seducing men?

However, a thought passed through her mind. She remembered that there was someone who dressed quite unusually. Could this be the Jiang clan’s first miss? She had heard that back then, that person was the first choice to be the crown princess. However, she had suddenly gone missing to avoid the marriage, and that was why the royal family had chosen someone else.

This woman clearly hadn’t wished to become the crown princess, so what was she doing back in the capital, let alone dressed so seductively? Zu An was no good too. He clearly already had the Chu clan’s miss, yet he had immediately taken her bait.

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1. The character used for ‘shamelessness’ here sounds similar to ‘sword’.