TFOD Chapter 133

Lotus Pier, Yunmeng.

Outside the sword testing hall, cicadas buzzed in the summer heat. Inside the hall, a scene of sprawled bodies was unsightly.

A dozen or so shirtless young men lay flat on the wooden floor of the sword testing hall, occasionally flipping over like sizzling pancakes, letting out dying groans.

“Hot…”

“Gonna die…”

Wei Wuxian squinted his eyes, drowsily thinking, “If only it was as cool as Cloud Recesses.”

The wooden floor beneath him had become saturated with his body heat, so he flipped over again. Coincidentally, Jiang Cheng also flipped over, and the two brushed against each other, their arms touching legs. Wei Wuxian immediately said, “Jiang Cheng, move your arm, you’re like a hot coal.”

Jiang Cheng said, “You move your leg.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Arms are lighter than legs. It’s harder for me to move my leg. You move your arm.”

Jiang Cheng angrily said, “Wei Wuxian, I’m warning you, don’t go too far. Shut up and don’t talk. The more you talk, the hotter it gets!”

The sixth disciple said, “Can you two stop arguing? I feel hotter just listening to you, and I’m sweating even more.”

Over there, a palm strike came and a foot was kicked out, “Get lost!” “You get lost!” “No, no, no, please get lost!” “Don’t be polite, you get lost first!”

The other disciples complained, “If you want to fight, go fight outside!” “Why don’t you all get lost together, please!”

Wei Wuxian said, “Did you hear that? Everyone wants you to leave. You… let go of my leg, it’s going to break, bro!”

Jiang Cheng’s forehead veins bulged, and he said, “It’s obviously you who should leave… You let go of my arm first!”

At this time, the rustling sound of skirts brushing against the wooden corridor outside came, and the two of them instantly separated like lightning. Immediately, the bamboo curtain was lifted, and Jiang Yanli peeked her head inside, saying, “Oh, so you’re all hiding here.”

Everyone said in unison, “Senior Sister!” “Hello, Senior Sister.” Some, easily embarrassed, couldn’t help but fold their hands over their chests and hide in the corner.

Jiang Yanli said, “Why are you being lazy and not practicing swords today?”

Wei Wuxian complained, “The sun is so strong, it’s like dying on the training grounds. Practicing swords would take off a layer of skin. Senior sister, don’t tell anyone.”

Jiang Yanli carefully examined him and Jiang Cheng, and said, “Did you two fight again?”

Wei Wuxian said, “No way!”

Jiang Yanli’s body also squeezed in, holding a plate of something, and said, “Then who kicked the footprint on A-Cheng’s chest?”

Upon hearing that, Wei Wuxian knew there was evidence left behind and quickly went to look. Sure enough, there was. But no one cared if they fought anymore. What Jiang Yanli held in her hand was a large plate of sliced watermelon. A group of young men swarmed forward and finished it in a few bites, sitting on the ground, eating the watermelon. In a short while, the watermelon rinds piled up into a small hill on the plate.

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng always had to compete, even while eating watermelon, snatching each other’s pieces and trying to trick each other, fighting so hard that others avoided them, quickly clearing a space for them. Wei Wuxian ate with vigor at first, but as he ate, he suddenly “pfft” laughed.

Jiang Cheng warily said, “What do you want to do again?”

Wei Wuxian picked up another piece, saying, “Nothing! Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t want to do anything, I just remembered someone.”

Jiang Cheng said, “Who?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Lan Zhan.”

Jiang Cheng said, “Why are you thinking about him for no reason? Do you miss being punished to copy scriptures?”

Wei Wuxian spat out the seeds, saying, “I just think he’s funny. You don’t know, he’s really interesting. I told him, your family’s food is too awful, I’d rather eat stir-fried watermelon rinds than eat your family’s food, you should come to Lotus Pier to play when you’re free…”

Before his voice fell, Jiang Cheng slapped his watermelon away, “Are you crazy, asking him to come to Lotus Pier? Are you asking for trouble?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Why are you so anxious, my watermelon almost flew away! I’m just saying it. Of course, he won’t come. When have you ever heard of him going out to play by himself?”

Jiang Cheng righteously said, “Let’s get this straight, I refuse to let him come, don’t invite him recklessly.”

Wei Wuxian said, “I didn’t realize you hated him so much?”

Jiang Cheng said, “I have no problem with Lan Wangji, but if he really comes, and my mom has something to say after seeing someone else’s child, you won’t have a good time either.”

Wei Wuxian said, “It’s fine, I’m not afraid if he comes. If he really comes, you can tell Uncle Jiang to let him sleep with me, and I guarantee I’ll drive him crazy within a month.”

Jiang Cheng scoffed, “You want to sleep with him for a month? I don’t think you’ll last seven days before he stabs you to death.”

Wei Wuxian said dismissively, “Afraid of him? If we really fought, he wouldn’t necessarily be my match.”

The others echoed in agreement and cheered him on. Jiang Cheng mocked his shamelessness, but in his heart, he actually knew that Wei Wuxian was not boasting and was speaking the truth. Jiang Yanli sat between the two of them, and asked, “Who are you talking about? A friend you made in Gusu?”

Wei Wuxian happily said, “Yes!”

Jiang Cheng said, “You’re using the word ‘friend’ too casually. Go ask Lan Wangji, see if he acknowledges you.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Get lost. If he doesn’t want me, I’ll pester him to death, see if he will want me then.” Turning to Jiang Yanli, he asked, “Senior Sister, do you know Lan Wangji?”

Jiang Yanli said, “Yes, isn’t he the second young master Lan that everyone says is very handsome and capable? Is he really that handsome?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Very handsome!”

Jiang Yanli said, “More than you?”

Wei Wuxian thought for a moment, and said, “Maybe a little bit more handsome than me.”

He used two fingers to show a very, very small distance. Jiang Yanli tidied up the plate while smiling, saying, “Then he must be really handsome. It’s a good thing you made a new friend. You can visit each other when you have free time.”

Hearing that, Jiang Cheng spat out the watermelon, and Wei Wuxian waved his hands repeatedly saying, “Forget it, forget it. Their place has awful food and so many rules, I’m not going there.”

Jiang Yanli said, “Then you can bring him over to play. This is a good opportunity, why not invite your friend to stay in Lotus Pier for a while?”

Jiang Cheng said, “Older sister, don’t listen to his nonsense. He’s hated in Gusu, how could Lan Wangji be willing to come back with him?”

Wei Wuxian said, “What nonsense! He’s willing.”

Jiang Cheng said, “Wake up, Lan Wangji told you to get lost, remember? Do you remember?”

Wei Wuxian said, “What do you know! Even though he tells me to get lost on the surface, I know that in his heart, he really wants to come to Yunmeng to play. He wants it so badly.”

Jiang Cheng said, “I think about one question every day. Where did you get so much confidence?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Don’t think about it anymore. You’ve been thinking about the same question for so many years without an answer. If it were me, I’d have given up a long time ago.”

Jiang Cheng shook his head, just as he was about to throw his watermelon, when they suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps and a chilling female voice came from afar, “I was wondering where everyone was hiding, I knew it…”

The young men’s expressions changed drastically, and they scrambled out of the curtain. They bumped right into Madam Yu, who turned around from the long corridor, her purple robes fluttering and an angry look in her eyes. Seeing this group of young men shirtless and barefoot, looking unseemly and unsightly, Madam Yu’s face twisted for a moment, and her thin eyebrows seemed to fly up.

Everyone thought, “Oh no!”, their souls scattering, and they ran for their lives. Upon seeing this, Madam Yu finally realized what was happening and angrily said, “Jiang Cheng! Put on your clothes! You look like a naked savage, what kind of appearance is that! Where do you want me to put my face if people see this?!”

Jiang Cheng’s clothes were tied around his waist. Hearing his mother’s scolding, he hurriedly put them on. Madam Yu then scolded, “And you all! Didn’t you see A-Li here? You bunch of dead boys are stripping in front of a young lady, who taught you that!”

Of course, without even needing to think, everyone knew who was the ringleader. So, Madam Yu’s next sentence was still the same as always, “Wei Ying! It looks like you want to die!”

Wei Wuxian loudly said, “I’m sorry! I didn’t know Senior Sister would come! I’m going to go get clothes now!”

Madam Yu was even angrier, “You dare run, get back here and kneel down!” Saying this, a whip lashed out. Wei Wuxian felt a burning pain on his back, and cried “Ouch”, nearly falling. Just then, someone suddenly said softly in Madam Yu’s ear, “Mother, do you want to eat watermelon…”

Madam Yu was startled by Jiang Yanli who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and in this moment, all the little rascals were gone without a trace. This angered her so much that she turned around to pinch Jiang Yanli’s face, saying, “Eat, eat, all you know is eat!”

Jiang Yanli’s eyes teared up a little from her mother’s pinching, and mumbled, “Mother, A-Xian and them are hiding here to cool off, I came here myself, don’t blame them… you… you eat watermelon?… I don’t know who sent it, but it’s very sweet. Eating watermelon in the summer is good for cooling and quenching thirst, it’s sweet and juicy, I’ll cut it for you…”

The more Madam Yu thought about it, the angrier she became. Plus, she was hot and thirsty, and she was actually tempted by what she heard. As a result… she was even angrier.

The group of people finally escaped Lotus Pier and ran to the docks, leaping onto small boats. After a long time with no one chasing after them, Wei Wuxian was finally relieved. He shook the oars hard twice, feeling pain on his back, then threw down the oars to others, sitting down to touch his sore skin, and saying, “I’ve been wronged in broad daylight. Let’s talk some sense, everyone was obviously not wearing clothes, so why are you only scolding me, and only hitting me?”

Jiang Cheng said, “It must be because you look the most offensive without clothes.”

Wei Wuxian glanced at him, then suddenly leapt into the water. The others also responded to his call and went into the water. In an instant, only Jiang Cheng was left on the boat.

Jiang Cheng realized the situation was odd, and said, “What are you up to?!”

Wei Wuxian swam to the side of the boat and suddenly slapped it. The entire boat flipped over, bobbing up and down in the water. Wei Wuxian laughed loudly, jumping onto the bottom of the boat and sitting cross-legged, shouting at the water where Jiang Cheng fell, “Are my eyes still offensive, Jiang Cheng? Say something! Hey, hey!”

He called out a few times, but no one answered, only a series of bubbles floated to the surface. Wei Wuxian wiped his face, and curiously said, “Why hasn’t he come up yet?”

The sixth disciple also swam over, and was shocked, saying, “He wouldn’t have drowned, right!”

Wei Wuxian said, “How is that possible!” Just as he was about to go into the water to pull Jiang Cheng up, he suddenly heard a loud shout from behind. He cried “Ouch!” and was pushed into the water from behind, the boat flipping again. It turned out Jiang Cheng had submerged underwater and circled around, appearing behind Wei Wuxian.

The two had successfully ambushed each other once, and began circling the boat warily, while the others were splashing in the lake, watching the commotion. Wei Wuxian called across the boat, “What’s it called using weapons? If you have the guts, put down the oar and let’s fight barehanded.”

Jiang Cheng grinned, “Do you think I’m stupid? The moment I let go, you’d steal it!” He wielded the oar with a flurry, forcing Wei Wuxian to retreat repeatedly. The other disciples cheered loudly. Wei Wuxian was dodging left and right, taking time to defend himself, saying, “Where am I that shameless?”

The others booed, “Senior Brother, how can you even say that?!”

Then, everyone fell into a chaotic water battle, with everything from the great merciful club, the poisonous snake and scorpion grass, and deadly water arrows. Wei Wuxian kicked Jiang Cheng, barely managing to climb onto the boat, and spitting out the lake water, said, “I’m not fighting, not fighting, let’s call a truce!”

Everyone was covered in green seaweed, and was in the middle of a heated fight. They hurriedly said, “Why aren’t we fighting? Fight! Fight! You’re begging for mercy because you’re losing?!”

Wei Wuxian said, “Who said I was begging for mercy, we can fight again later. I’m too hungry to fight, I’ll go get something to eat first.”

The sixth disciple said, “Then should we go back? We can still eat a few watermelons before dinner.”

Jiang Cheng said, “If we go back now, you’ll have nothing to eat but the whip.”

Wei Wuxian already had a plan, announcing, “We’re not going back. We’re going to pick lotus pods!”

Jiang Cheng mocked, “You mean ‘steal’.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Every time we pay for them after!”

The Yunmeng Jiang Clan often took care of people nearby. They got rid of water demons without compensation, and within a radius of dozens of miles, it wasn’t just about some lotus pods. Even if they wanted to section off a lake specifically to grow them, the people would be more than happy to do so. Every time the young men of the house went out and ate someone’s melons, caught someone’s chickens, or drugged someone’s dog, afterwards, Jiang Fengmian would send someone to pay them back one by one. As for why they were so persistent on stealing them to eat, it wasn’t because they were hooligans or spoiled brats, it was just that the young men were playful, enjoying the fun of being chased while being laughed and scolded.

Everyone got on the boat, and after rowing for a long time, they reached a lotus pond.

It was such a big lotus pond, verdant and green. The leaves overlapped, the small ones like plates, the big ones like umbrellas. The ones on the outside were lower and sparse, lying flat on the water. The ones inside were higher and more crowded, enough to conceal a boat, but if one saw a group of lotus leaves swaying together, one would know there were people hiding inside doing sneaky things.

The small boat of Lotus Pier slid into this verdant world. The surroundings were full of bulging, large green lotus pods. One person steered the boat, while the others began to reach for the pods. The big-headed lotus pods grew on thin, long lotus stems. The smooth green stem was full of small thorns, but they didn’t prick people. With a quick snap, it would break with a crisp sound. They all snapped them off with a long stem, so they could find a bottle and stick them in water, hoping it would stay fresher for longer. Wei Wuxian had only heard about it, not knowing if it was true, but he confidently told others as if it was.

He snapped a few, and peeled one open, the kernels full, throwing it into his mouth. Juicy and tender, he ate, humming random tunes like “I’ll treat you to lotus pods, what will you treat me to”, which Jiang Cheng heard, and asked, “Who will you treat?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Haha, definitely not you!” Just as he was about to throw a lotus pod at his face, he suddenly “shhh”ed, saying, “Damn, the old man is here today!”

The old man was the old farmer who grew the lotus pods in this water. How old he was, Wei Wuxian didn’t know, but in his eyes, Jiang Fengmian was an uncle, so anyone older than Jiang Fengmian could be called an old man. Since Wei Wuxian could remember, he had been in this lotus pond. Whenever they came to steal lotus pods, they would get beaten. Wei Wuxian often suspected that the old man was a lotus pod spirit reincarnated, because he knew how many lotus pods were missing in his lake, and would beat them based on the missing number. The bamboo poles used for boating in the lotus pond were more effective than oars, hitting them with a “bang, bang, bang!”, making it extremely painful.

The other young men had all been hit by it a few times, and all went “shhh, shhh”, saying, “Run, run!”, hurriedly taking the oars and fleeing. In a panic, they rowed out of the lotus pond, and turned back with the guilt of thieves, seeing the old man’s boat coming out from the lotus leaves, gliding on the open water. Wei Wuxian tilted his head, and after watching for a while, suddenly said, “Strange!”

Jiang Cheng also stood up, and asked, “Why is that boat moving so fast?”

Everyone looked, and the old man had his back to them, counting the lotus pods on his boat one by one. The bamboo pole was on the side, not moving, but the boat was moving steadily and fast, even faster than Wei Wuxian’s.

Everyone became alert. Wei Wuxian urged, “Row over there, row over there.”

The two boats got closer, and everyone could see clearly that, next to the old man’s boat, there was a faint white shadow wandering in the water!

Wei Wuxian turned back, and put a finger to his lips, signaling everyone to be careful, not to startle the old man and the water ghost underneath. Jiang Cheng nodded, and rowed the boat, creating soundless ripples, with nearly no movement. When the two boats were about three yards apart, a pale blue-white hand rose wetly from the bottom of the boat, secretly stealing a lotus pod from the lotus pods piled up on the old man’s boat, silently disappearing under the water.

A moment later, two lotus seed shells floated on the surface of the water.

A group of young men were stunned, “Unbelievable, this water ghost is stealing lotus pods too!”

The old man finally noticed the people behind him, grabbed a big lotus pod with one hand, and grabbed the bamboo pole with the other and turned around. This action startled the water ghost, and the white shadow disappeared with a “swoosh”. The others hurriedly shouted, “Where are you going?!”

Wei Wuxian jumped into the water, diving down, and a moment later, came out dragging something, saying, “Caught it!”

He was holding a small water ghost in his hand. Its skin was pale blue-white, it looked like a child of twelve or thirteen years old, very scared, and looked like it was going to curl up into a ball under the gaze of the group of young men.

Just then, the old man hit him with his pole, scolding, “Here to cause trouble again!”

Wei Wuxian had just been whipped on his back, and now got hit with a pole, crying “Ouch”, and almost dropping the water ghost. Jiang Cheng angrily said, “Speak nicely, why are you hitting people, treating good intentions like a donkey’s liver and lungs!”

Wei Wuxian hurriedly said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Old… Old man, look clearly, we’re not ghosts, this one is a ghost.”

The old man said, “Nonsense, I’m just old, not blind. Let it go now!”

Wei Wuxian was stunned, but seeing the small water ghost he was holding, making repeated bows, and its black eyes wet, looking very pitiful, and still holding the big lotus pod it had just stolen, unwilling to let go, he was touched. The lotus pod was opened, and it looked like it hadn’t had time to eat many kernels before being caught by Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Cheng thought that this old man was unreasonable, and said to Wei Wuxian, “Don’t let it go. Let’s take this water ghost back.”

Upon hearing that, the old man raised the bamboo pole again. Wei Wuxian hurriedly said, “Don’t hit me, don’t hit me, I’ll release it.”

Jiang Cheng said, “Don’t let it go, what if this water ghost kills someone to replace itself!”

Wei Wuxian said, “This water ghost doesn’t have any bloody smell, it’s too young to swim out of this water, and no one has been reported to have died in this water recently, so it probably hasn’t harmed anyone.”

Jiang Cheng said, “Even if it hasn’t harmed anyone before, it doesn’t mean it won’t in the future…”

Before his voice fell, the bamboo pole flew towards him. Jiang Cheng took a hit, angrily saying, “You old man don’t know right from wrong?! You know it’s a ghost, aren’t you afraid of being harmed by it?!”

The old man also said righteously, “A man with one foot in the coffin, what is there to be afraid of ghosts for?”

Wei Wuxian thought that the water ghost couldn’t run far anyway, and said, “Don’t fight, don’t fight, I’m letting it go!”

He really let it go, and the water ghost “swished” and rushed behind the old man’s boat, as if it didn’t dare to come out.

Wei Wuxian climbed back onto the boat, all wet, and the old man picked a lotus pod from the boat and threw it into the water. The water ghost ignored it. The old man picked a bigger one, and threw it into the water again. The lotus pod floated a few times, then suddenly, a white head emerged from the water, like a big white fish, picking up two green lotus pods, and disappearing under the water. After a while, a bit of white reappeared on the surface, the water ghost revealing its shoulder and hand, hiding behind the boat, and eating with its head down and a “crunch, crunch, crunch” sound.

Everyone watched it eat happily, and couldn’t help but wonder.

Watching the old man throw another lotus pod into the water, Wei Wuxian rubbed his chin, feeling somewhat unfair, and asked, “Old man, why is it that when it steals your lotus pods, you let it steal, and even give it some to eat? But when we steal yours, you hit us?”

The old man said, “It helps me push the boat, why not give it a few lotus pods to eat? And you little devils? How many did you steal today?”

Everyone was embarrassed. Wei Wuxian glanced at the boat and saw that there were more than a dozen lotus pods piled up in the hull, feeling something was wrong. He hurriedly said, “Let’s go!”

The few of them immediately took the oars. The old man waved his bamboo pole, chasing them, the boat like the wind, their scalps numbing, feeling the pole was about to hit them, and they hurriedly started rowing for their lives. The two boats circled around the lotus lake twice, and as they were being chased closer, Wei Wuxian had already been hit many times. He discovered that the pole was only aimed at him, and hugged his head, yelling, “It’s not fair! Why are you only hitting me! Why are you always only hitting me!”

The other disciples said, “Senior Brother, hold on! We’re all depending on you!”

Jiang Cheng also said, “Yes, you hold on.”

Wei Wuxian was furious, “Bah! I can’t hold on anymore!” He grabbed a lotus pod from the boat and threw it, saying, “Catch!”

It was a very large lotus pod, and when it fell into the water, it splashed, with a “thump”. The old man’s boat indeed paused, and the water ghost happily swam over, and grabbed the lotus pod to eat.

Taking advantage of the chance, Lotus Pier’s boat finally escaped.

On the way back, one of the disciples said, “Senior Brother, can a ghost taste things?”

Wei Wuxian said, “They usually can’t, right? But I think this little ghost, is probably… is… Ah… Achoo!”

The sun had set, the wind came, and with a gentle blow, a chill came, a coldness. Wei Wuxian sneezed, rubbed his face, and continued, “Probably because in life, it wanted to eat lotus pods but couldn’t, and it fell into the lake and drowned when trying to steal them. So… Ah… Ah…”

Jiang Cheng said, “So eating lotus pods is just fulfilling a lingering obsession, it gives them a sense of satisfaction.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Uh, yeah.”

He touched his back, where there were both new and old wounds, and couldn’t help but ask what was in his heart, “This is really an injustice, why is it that every time something happens, I’m always the only one who gets hit?”

One disciple said, “You’re the most handsome.”

Another said, “You have the highest cultivation.”

Yet another said, “You look the best without clothes.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Wei Wuxian said, “Thank you for the praise, I’m getting goosebumps from hearing it.”

A disciple said, “You’re welcome, Senior Brother. You’re always the one in front, you deserve more!”

Wei Wuxian said in surprise, “Oh? There’s more, tell me.”

Jiang Cheng couldn’t take it anymore, and said, “Shut up! If you don’t talk properly, I’ll poke a hole in the bottom of the boat, and we’ll all die together!”

At this time, passing through a body of water, the banks of which were farmland, a few petite farm girls were working in the fields. When they saw the boat passing by, they ran to the water’s edge and shouted from afar, “Hey–!”

The others also shouted “Hey” in response, and all poked at Wei Wuxian, saying, “Senior Brother, they’re calling you! They’re calling you!”

Wei Wuxian took a closer look, and sure enough, they were the ones he had taken the lead in interacting with before. In his heart, the dark clouds instantly disappeared, and the sky became clear again. He also stood up, waved and called back, laughing, “What is it!”

The boat drifted with the current, and the farm girls followed along the bank, walking and saying, “Did you all go steal lotus pods again!”

“Tell us quickly, how many times did you get hit!”

“Or did you go drug someone’s dog again?”

After listening to a few sentences, Jiang Cheng wished he could kick him off the boat, and said with grief and indignation, “You’re famous for being stinky, and are really bringing shame to our family.”

Wei Wuxian defended himself, saying, “They said ‘you all’, we’re all in the same boat, if it’s shameful, then we’re all shameful.”

While the two were arguing, one of the farm girls called out, “Is it delicious!”

Wei Wuxian took time to say, “What?”

The farm girl said, “The watermelon we gave you, is it delicious!”

Wei Wuxian suddenly understood, “So the watermelon was sent by you all! It was very delicious! Why don’t you come in and sit a while, we’ll treat you to tea!”

The farm girl smiled sweetly and said, “When we sent it over you were not there, we just left it there, and didn’t dare to stay. It’s good that it was delicious!”

Wei Wuxian said, “Thank you!” He pulled out a few big lotus pods from the bottom of the boat, saying, “Please eat some lotus pods, come to see me practice my sword next time!”

Jiang Cheng scoffed, “Is your sword practice fun to watch?”

Wei Wuxian threw the lotus pods towards the shore, throwing them far, but they landed lightly in the girls’ hands. He grabbed a few and stuffed them into Jiang Cheng’s chest, pushing him, “What are you standing there for, you quickly give some too.”

Jiang Cheng was pushed twice, and had no choice but to take them, saying, “What’s the rush?”

Wei Wuxian said, “You also ate watermelon, so you have to give them something back. Come on, don’t be shy, start throwing them, start throwing them.”

Jiang Cheng scoffed, “What a joke, why would I be shy about this.” That’s what he said, but a boat full of disciples had already started throwing the lotus pods, while he hadn’t started yet. Wei Wuxian said again, “Then you throw some. If you throw them this time, then next time, you can ask them if the lotus pods are delicious, and you can talk to them!”

The other disciples suddenly understood, “So that’s it, we’ve learned a lot, Senior Brother is really experienced!”

“Looks like someone who does this sort of thing often!”

“Not really, hahaha…”

Jiang Cheng was originally going to throw some, but after hearing those words, he instantly sobered up, and felt like he was losing face, peeling open a lotus pod and eating it himself.

The boat drifted along in the water, the girls ran along the shore, catching the emerald green lotus pods thrown by the young men from the boat, laughing as they ran. Wei Wuxian put his right hand on his forehead, looking at the scenery along the way, laughing and sighing. The others asked, “Senior Brother, what’s wrong?” “The girls are chasing after you, and you’re still sighing?”

Wei Wuxian put the oar on his shoulder, and said with a laugh, “Nothing, it’s just that I was thinking about how I sincerely invited Lan Zhan to come to Yunmeng to play, and he actually dared to reject me.”

The other disciples gave him a thumbs up, “Wow, that’s Lan Wangji for you!”

Wei Wuxian said spiritedly, “Shut up! One day, I’ll drag him over, and then kick him off the boat, trick him into stealing lotus pods, let the old man hit him with the bamboo pole, and let him run behind me, hahaha…”

After laughing for a while, he turned back and looked at Jiang Cheng, sitting alone at the front of the boat, eating lotus pods with a straight face. His smile gradually disappeared, and he sighed, “Ah, he really can’t be taught.”

Jiang Cheng angrily said, “What’s wrong with me wanting to eat by myself?”

Wei Wuxian said, “It’s you, Jiang Cheng. Never mind, you’re hopeless, just eat by yourself for the rest of your life!”

In any case, the boat carrying the stolen lotus pods returned once again, fully loaded.

Cloud Recesses.

Outside the deep mountains, it was the blazing hot month of June. Within the deep mountains, it was a tranquil and cool world.

Outside the Orchid Room, two figures in white robes stood on the corridor. The wind passed, and the white robes moved slightly, but the people didn’t move an inch.

Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji were standing.

Upside down.

Neither of them said anything, seemingly having entered a state of meditation. The murmuring of the stream, the flapping of birds’ wings, were the only sounds there, further emphasizing the surrounding silence.

After a long while, Lan Wangji suddenly said, “Brother.”

Lan Xichen slowly withdrew from his meditation, his eyes not moving, and said, “What is it?”

After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji said, “Have you ever picked lotus pods?”

Lan Xichen turned his head, and said, “…No.”

The disciples of the Gusu Lan Clan did not need to pick lotus pods themselves if they wanted to eat them.

Lan Wangji nodded and said, “Brother, do you know?”

Lan Xichen said, “Know what?”

Lan Wangji said, “Lotus pods with stems are more delicious than ones without stems.”

Lan Xichen said, “Oh? I haven’t heard of that. Why, why do you suddenly mention this?”

Lan Wangji said, “Nothing. Time’s up, switch hands.”

The two of them switched the hand they were using to support themselves from the right hand to the left hand. Their movements were neat and synchronized, silent and still.

Lan Xichen wanted to ask again, but after looking more closely, he smiled, saying, “Wangji, you have a guest.”

On the edge of the wooden corridor, a fluffy white rabbit slowly crawled over, nuzzling against Lan Wangji’s left hand, twitching its pink nose.

Lan Xichen said, “How did it find its way here?”

Lan Wangji said to it, “Go back.”

The white rabbit ignored him and bit the end of Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon, tugging hard as if trying to drag Lan Wangji away.

Lan Xichen slowly said, “It wants you to play with it.”

The rabbit that was unable to drag him away hopped around the two of them anxiously. Lan Xichen found this interesting, saying, “Is this the naughty one?”

Lan Wangji said, “Too naughty.”

Lan Xichen said, “It doesn’t matter if it’s naughty, it’s cute after all. I remember there being two of them. Aren’t the two of them usually together? Why is only one here? Is the other one quiet and doesn’t want to come out?”

Lan Wangji said, “It will come.”

Sure enough, after a while, another snow white head appeared on the edge of the wooden corridor. The other white rabbit had come looking for its companion.

The two fluffy balls chased each other for a while, then finally settled on a spot, which was next to Lan Wangji’s left hand, and squeezed together.

Two white rabbits snuggling together, even seen upside down, it was an extremely cute scene. Lan Xichen said, “What are their names?”

Lan Wangji shook his head, whether saying that they had no names, or not wanting to say.

Lan Xichen said, “I heard you call them last time.”

“…”

Lan Xichen sincerely said, “They’re very good names.”

Lan Wangji switched hands. Lan Xichen said, “It’s not time yet.”

Lan Wangji silently switched his hand back.

After an incense stick’s time, the time came and the handstand ended. The two returned to the elegant room to sit quietly.

A servant brought over chilled fruits to ward off the heat. The watermelon had its skin removed, and the fruit was cut into neat slices, placed on a jade plate. It was red and transparent, truly beautiful to look at. The two brothers sat on their knees on the mat, exchanged a few words, talked about their learning experiences from yesterday, and then began to eat.

Lan Xichen picked up a slice of watermelon, but seeing Lan Wangji staring at the jade plate with an ambiguous expression, he instinctively stopped.

Sure enough, Lan Wangji spoke. He said, “Brother.”

Lan Xichen said, “What is it?”

Lan Wangji said, “Have you ever eaten watermelon rind?”

“…” Lan Xichen said, “Can you eat watermelon rind?”

After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji said, “I heard it can be stir-fried.”

Lan Xichen said, “Maybe.”