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Edited on May 28, 2021.

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3 days later, inside the horse carriage.

Chu Zhu Yu lifted the curtain near her to look outside the carriage's window. She noticed that they were slowly getting closer to the city wall. There were two big words hanging above the city gates.

"Chang Ping" and not "Cong Zhou".

"Are you sure that coming to Chang Ping won't be a problem?" Chu Zhu Yu asked Xiao Zhi Zhi.

"When dealing with rebellions, sometimes it's better to arrive late rather than come early." Xiao Zhi Zhi replied while reading a book full of reports.

The fifty thousand soldiers were already sent to Cong Zhou under the leadership of Officer Liu, but Xiao Zhi Zhi's real intention is to use only the three thousand elite soldiers that were with him.

They won't go to Cong Zhou immediately. They wanted to pass through Chang Ping first, then go to Cong Zhou after a short stay so that they can investigate the mastermind behind the Cong Zhou rebellion.

Chu Zhu Yu didn't understand the military strategy. She just looked outside the carriage and chattered excitedly,

"When we arrive at Chang Ping, I want to shop around the tea stores. The best tea in Chang Ping is their black tea, so maybe I'll have a chance to buy it when I roam aroun-"

"Zhu Yu" Xiao Zhi Zhi closed the book, and looked at the outside scenery with Chu Zhu Yu, "Do you want to meet my Shi Fu?"

(E/R: Shi Fu - master/teacher)

"Your Shi Fu?" She pondered for a moment.

Since he is the big general Xiao Zhi Zhi, is his Shi Fu-?

"Do you mean the Zen Master, Hui Wu?"

"Yes. Shi Fu is currently in a temple located near the center of Chang Ping, since we are going there, we can stop by his place."

"I can see the Zen Master?" Chu Zhu Yu got excited.

She was thrilled because the person that she will meet is the Zen Master Hui Wu, who was known for being harder to see than even the emperor himself.

The Zen Master was practising isolation so he won't meet with anyone.

"Of course you can." He smiles, "Since you are the person that I have decided to spend my life with, introducing you to Shi Fu is something that I must do."

As they chatted, the horse carriage entered Chang Ping city.

———

On the second day, Chu Zhu Yu finally met the most well-known Zen Master, who was considered to be a living legend around the world.

Amiable-looking, is her first impression.

He had white hair and kind eyes filled with wisdom. Other than his thin physique, his appearance didn't stray far from her imagination.

As folks have said, Xiao Zhi Zhi truly is one of the Zen Master's favorite disciples. He taught everything to Xiao Zhi Zhi, not hiding any skill from him.

After he taught Xiao Zhi Zhi, the Zen Master no longer accepted any disciples and he retreated in seclusion. Now, it's even harder to see the Zen Master Hui Wu than the great general Xiao Zhi Zhi himself...

After hearing grand tales far and wide, she finally gets to meet the Zen Master!

———

"Is she?" Hui Wu stared intently at Chu Zhu Yu.

"Yes." Xiao Zhi Zhi answered with certainty.

"Have you decided?"

"Yes."

"Does she know?" The Zen Master still looked at Chu Zhu Yu, as if he doesn't want to miss her every movement.

"She doesn't know." Xiao Zhi Zhi shook his head, while Chu Zhu Yu felt awkward.

Wha-what are they talking about?

"Will you tell her someday?"

"Absolutely not, forever."

The Zen Master Hui Wu inhaled deeply and said with a firm tone, "Jue Qing, I have to speak with you privately, follow me."

Then, he went ahead first and entered the room at the center of the temple.

Xiao Zhi Zhi gave a signal to Chu Zhu Yu to wait for him, then he entered the room with his Shi Fu.

Hui Wu moved closer to Xiao Zhi Zhi when he entered the room, when they sat facing each other, he said,

"Since you have made your decision, I won't interfere. But as your Shi Fu, I want to remind you that in this life, people have their share of misfortune, and yours is called 'The Love Curse'. As long as you live, if you never fall in love, you will always be safe, but if you start to love someone, I'm afraid..."

"Will I die?" Xiao Zhi Zhi frowned, but did not show fear. "If I live, but can't be near the person that I cherish, then there is no difference whether I live or die."

"If you fall in love with that girl, she might become your misfortune, and you will end up dying because of her, will you not regret your choice?" Hui Wu explained.

"I don't mind, even if I die because of her."

"If she knows that she is your misfortune, and that she will harm you in the future, will she still stay beside you?" Hui Wu looked as if he saw right through his disciple.

In the past, he thought that his cold and aloof disciple won't ever fall in love. But now he knows that just because he didn't love before, doesn't mean he can't love. He knows that once his disciple falls in love, he falls hard.

"She will never know."

Xiao Zhi Zhi touched the bracelet beads, one by one. Fondling the bracelet on his wrist has been his habit since he was a child.

"And even if she learns about it someday, I will never let her go."

Hearing the clear sound of flowing water, Xiao Zhi Zhi stood up. It's now time for the Zen Master to meditate. While Hui Wu started to meditate, Xiao Zhi Zhi bowed to his Shi Fu and closed the door.

Love. A single word.

Some people could easily obtain it, but some might never truly understand it for the rest of their lives.

———

Chu Zhu Yu stood outside of the room while waiting for them. Since it is currently winter, the weather is cold. She trembled a little, so she rubbed her hands to create warmth.

Suddenly, she saw Xiao Zhi Zhi walk out of the room, but she didn't saw the Zen Master with him.

"What happened? Why is the Zen Master not with yo--"

In an instant, her body was plunged into his chest, warming her up. His strong arms tightly wrapped around her body, as if he wanted to break her bones. He hugged her to the point where she nearly can't breathe.

"It's uncomfortable, don't hug me this tight, I can't breathe." She protested.

He wanted to ingrain her scent to his mind. He hugged her less tightly, and he whispered to her ear,

"Whatever happens, I will never let you go."

"What happened? Can you release me?" His sudden act made her restless.

His body got stiff. He slowly lowered his head and looked at her in the eyes.

"Zhu Yu, in this life, I won't let you go."

Perhaps because of his serious demeanor, she looked at his earnest expression and replied,

"I don't understand, my appearance is so ordinary, and I can't do any martial arts. The only skill that I have... is brewing tea, that's all."

" I also don't know why. In the beginning, it was your tea scent that fascinated me. I was attracted to the tea that you brew because it was delicious, and hugging you to sleep felt so comfortable. After a while though, those tiny things became precious to me, to the point where I don't want to replace it with anything else. I just want to drink tea that you brew and sleep while hugging you, those trivial things make me happy. Before I knew it, I wanted to always hear your voice, your laugh. I hated seeing you with other men, and I came to realize, I have fallen for you. "

Xiao Zhi Zhi said with a sincere expression. Even if she really is his curse, he can't let her go.

"But... but there are a lot of women who desire you and are more worthy to be with you."

"But they are not the one that I want, even though they like me, I will never reciprocate their feelings."

Everything that he felt, belongs only to her. It's impossible for him to give even a little bit of his love to other women. So...

"Zhu Yu, you love me, right?"

Chu Zhu Yu stupidly stared at Xiao Zhi Zhi. The man in front of her is hailed by many people as a hero and a god of war, can she really love him?