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The next day, Bai Shaoqing left some money to thank the farmer for allowing him to stay the night, and his mood was more excited than ever.

In the following days after this, he kept testing whether anyone was spying on his whereabouts, and deliberately found a few secluded places to purposefully provoke the sons of wealthy families. Sure enough, as he expected, as soon as someone mistreated him or tried to take advantage of him, there would always be someone else secretly helping him.

Those who were rude to him either had their hands or feet broken or took a cold arrow to the face. During one incident, the perpetrator was tragically killed by a bamboo stick that was impaled directly through his heart. It seemed that the hidden master was so angry that he had forgotten the severity of his attack.

Bai Shaoqing’s heart was feeling slightly sweetened, but every time he would look panicked, he bowed to the air around him boldly: “Please could the Gods’ testify, this was none of my business. These people have done too many bad deeds, and the Gods have punished them.” Before quickly heading back on the road. 

After another seven days of wandering around, the money he had earned that day by playing the zither in the br*thel had been almost used up. Although Bai Shaoqing was skilled in martial arts, he was very noble and virtuous, he abhorred theft and robbery aside from of course stealing martial arts techniques.

He weighed the light money pouch in his hand, and then bought a steamed bun, and sighed, “I don’t have any more money. I won’t rent a room tonight. I will go to the suburbs to find a family who might let me stay over for the night.”

After leaving the city centre, he found that he was surrounded by the romantic scenery of the mountains and flower blossoms.

Although Bai Shaoqing was cold and arrogant, there was also a kind of soft-heartedness in his bones. Seeing the wildflowers blooming in the mountains, he was actually like a child, wandering around the mountains for a long time in wonder. By the time it was necessary to go ask a family if he could stay over for the night, he had already passed all of the villages and would have been unable to find anyone.

“There’s no place to stay.” Originally with his qinggong, he could find the next village in about half a shichen. But he knew that someone was secretly stalking him. How could he be willing to reveal his identity, he said to himself with a smile, “I’ll use the heavens as my blanket.”

He looked for a clean section of the grass next to the stream, and really laid down and slept all night.

The next day Bai Shaoqing woke up to the fragrance of flowers and the song of the birds, and suddenly felt different. When he got up, he saw that the money pouch around his waist was heavy, and there was a paper bag on the grass beside him. 

Bai Shaoqing opened it. There were two steamed buns and a half a roast chicken inside. They were all steaming hot. It was obvious that someone was afraid that he would not be able to eat breakfast, so they had bought it specially for him from the city. 　　

Bai Shaoqing knew very well what had happened, but deliberately feigned suspicion: “Why is there food here? Huh? Why is my money pouch so full? Oh gosh, have I bumped into the Mountain Gods.”

Whilst he was smiling internally, he bowed all around him and said: “Last night, Shaoqing disturbed the Great Mountain Gods’ cultivation, please forgive me. I dare not accept these things. There are many people in this world who are worse off than I. If the Great Immortals wish to do good deeds and accumulate virtue, I will help carry it out on your behalf.”

He picked up the food and the money pouch, and headed all the way back into the city, and unexpectedly, he gave everything to the little beggars at the city gates. The little beggars cheered for a moment, before immediately gathering together to divide the half of the cold roast chicken. Bai Shaoqing watched them gobbling down the food, he smiled slightly and then turned to leave.

He had given everything away and he had spent everything that he had earned. Not to mention paying for accommodation, he didn’t even have enough to buy food. When Bai Shaoqing passed by the restaurants, he couldn’t help but think of the good wine and food in Luoyang’s Tan Xiao Pavilion, he laughed bitterly inside: This joke had gone too far.

He shook his head a few times, looked at the restaurant’s wooden signboard, held back his drool and was just about to turn around, when he suddenly heard a hearty laugh: “Isn’t this Bai xiongdi?” 　　

Bai Shaoqing turned his head in amazement and saw Feng Long rushing out of the restaurant. Feng Long grabbed his hand and said with delight: “Xiongdi left without saying goodbye and for some reason left behind the gift I offered. Da-ge has been chasing you all this way and has finally found you.” He thrust the Bilu sword into Bai Shaoqing’s hands and then pulled him into the restaurant.

“Why is da-ge here?”

“I have a matter to deal with around these parts, I knew that you travel around a lot, and thought that I might bump into you, so I brought the Bilu Sword with me. Unexpectedly, I managed to really bump into you.”

Feng Long asked Bai Shaoqing to sit down at the table with many delicious plates upon it and then hurriedly called the waiter over to order some more delicacies and good wine.

Bai Shaoqing stopped him: “There are enough dishes here, no need to add more.” He paused, and then asked, “Da-ge is alone?”

“En.”

“You ordered this much for yourself?”

“I got used to it at Mo Tianya. Without a table full of food, I have no appetite.”

Bai Shaoqing smiled and said, “Da-ge must also be used to having someone eat with him.”

“Huh?” Feng Long looked at him curiously. 　　

“Otherwise, why has da-ge prepared two sets of chopsticks?” Bai Shaoqing glanced at the table: “Don’t tell me that da-ge thought he’d specifically bump into me today and especially prepared this for me.”

“Haha,” Feng Long smiled without even a hint of embarrassment: “I’m always thinking that I might see you again, so I’m always prepared. Well, didn’t it work out well today?”

Bai Shaoqing did not expect Feng Long in such a way, his words were cheerful and his affections ran deep, making Bai Shaoqing feel slightly startled.

After eating a few things silently, Bai Shaoqing suddenly said, “These past few days, Shaoqing has encountered many bad people on the road and almost had an accident.”

Feng Long replied with an “en” a few times, but didn’t answer and just pointed at the table and said, “Eat, eat, you are hungry, eat more.”

“How did you know that I was hungry?”

“You’re thin, anyone with a keen eye will know that you are hungry.”

Bai Shaoqing looked at him quietly, but for some reason he suddenly couldn’t control his anger. He put the chopsticks on the table and said coldly: “I just mentioned that I almost had an accident. Why is da-ge not concerned at all?”

“Well you seem fine now right?”

Bai Shaoqing was even more angry. He had always been calm and collected, but today he seemed in competition with Feng Long. He said coldly: “Why don’t you ask who was bullying me? Da-ge once said that you would teach a lesson to all those who bully me, are you going back on your word?”

*Bang*! Feng Long smacked his chopsticks on the table.

His handsome face was dark, he brooded for a long time before he said coldly: “How could I not know? These last few days, I have been following you. Watching you play the zither in the br*thel, watching you fearlessly provoke that hedonistic son of the Prefectural Magistrate, watching you dare to sleep outside alone in the middle of nowhere, Shaoqing, you have too much courage.”

“Why did da-ge follow me?” Bai Shaoqing straightened his neck: “Does the Wulin Alliance Leader like to sneak around?”

“You left without saying goodbye, wasn’t it because you didn’t want to see me?” Feng Long said angrily: “If I jumped out to save you, would you be happy? I wanted to give you the Bilu Sword back and leave, but seeing your troublesome appearance, how could I not worry about you?”

Bai Shaoqing shook slightly, his eyes sparkled suddenly, and he lowered his head hurriedly.

“If you knew that I didn’t want to see you, then why did you suddenly come out and pretend to invite me to dinner?” 　　

“You…” Feng Long seemed unable to hold back any longer, and he shot a fierce gaze over at Bai Shaoqing, staring for a long time before slowly calming down, saying, “You don’t have any more money right? You don’t want to eat the things that I gave you.”

He frowned and patted on the table: “If you dislike da-ge, then I will leave immediately.”

His martial arts were extraordinary. With a single shot, the table and the dishes on it were smashed into pieces and fell to the ground. It had all been turned to dust. Although it happened in silence, it was scarier than if he had made a loud ruckus.　　

The customers in the restaurant were gravely affected, and they all left one after the other, and the waiters in the restaurant tried to distance themselves as far as possible, peeping out from behind the door.

Bai Shaoqing’s face was expressionless, as he held onto Feng Long.

“What is it?”

“Isn’t da-ge going to give me the Bilu Sword?”

It turned out that when Feng Long slapped the table angrily, he had not completely lost his head, and had picked up the Bilu Sword before smashing the table.

Feng Long handed the Bilu Sword to Bai Shaoqing without saying a word and then turned to leave but was stopped by Bai Shaoqing once more. 　　

“What is it now?”

“Da-ge, Shaoqing is still hungry.”

Feng Long was stunned, and took out the purse from his arms: “Take it, we were at least sworn brothers for a short moment.”

Seeing him so angry made Bai Shaoqing feel that Feng Long was super cute. He smiled slightly and said, “Well if someone bullies me again, will there be someone to protect me?”

Feng Long glanced at him fiercely and then smiled softly at Bai Shaoqing’s face, as if he was truly unable to be cruel. After a short moment, he sighed, “You really are a troublemaker.” He then shook his head.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then suddenly laughed at the same time, joined hands again, and ordered some more good wine and good food, and then started eating and drinking again.　

With Feng Long by his side, his food, clothing and lodgings were all taken care of, and he never felt bored or lonely. Bai Shaoqing was free and cheerful the whole time. He chatted to Fenglong about the scenery and the people he had encountered in various places, and was surprised to find out that although Feng Long was a martial arts master, he was also a talented scholar, surprisingly he knew pretty much all the most popular ancient poetry and classical literature.

“Da-ge, where are you going today?” 　　

The two of them walked leisurely. In the beginning, it was Feng Long who was following Bai Shaoqing, but unconsciously, it gradually turned into Bai Shaoqing who was following Feng Long around visiting the sights and scenery everywhere.

Feng Long enjoyed seeing wonderful scenery, and the places he yearned to see were either deep in the mountains or over steep cliffs.

“There is Yuzhi Mountain1 nearby. On the 20th of every month, on the peak of the mountain, the spring water flowing down reflects perfectly the moonlight from the heavens. It is a truly beautiful sight.” Feng Long pointed to a spot not too far away

Bai Shaoqing turned his head, the mountain really did look like a finger, although it was thin and long, it stood very much upright.

“Shaoqing, today is the 20th of the month, we will go after dinner.”　　　　

After dinner, the two of them arrived at the foot of the mountain hand in hand and looked up. There were only cliffs and no road up the mountain.

Feng Long smiled: “Shaoqing, close your eyes.”

Bai Shaoqing understood, his eyes closed, and his body suddenly lightened, as he was already in Feng Long’s arms.

“Da-ge……” 　　

“Don’t be afraid.” Feng Long lowered his head, a warm breath touched Bai Shaoqing’s face: “Da-ge has qinggong, so it’s easy to carry you up there. Shaoqing, don’t open your eyes”, he then leapt up into the sky.

Performing qinggong by himself was completely different from being held by someone who was performing qinggong. Whilst Bai Shaoqing was soaring in Feng Long’s arms, his heart tightened, almost forgetting that he was also a master of qinggong, unknowingly, his hands clasped more tightly around Feng Long’s neck, only to hear his incessant heartbeat.

As if in a dream, Feng Long’s deep voice seemed to come out from a distance.

“Shaoqing, we’ve arrived.”

When he felt the ground under his feet, Bai Shaoqing opened his eyes. There was a very tall waterfall which was splashing down from above, and the moonlight shone obliquely, making the splashing water droplets drop look like hundreds of thousands of luminous blooming snow lotuses.

He would never have expected to see such a beautiful sight in the mortal world.

After being tapped on the shoulder twice, Bai Shaoqing turned his head.

“Does it look like the Milky Way in the sky?”

“Yes.” 　　

Feng Long watched Bai Shaoqing for a moment, then suddenly twitched his lips: “Shaoqing, come.” He pulled Bai Shaoqing to the water’s edge and stepped into the water step by step.

“Da-ge?”

“Let’s go into the Milky Way.”

Near the waterfall, Feng Long held Bai Shaoqing to prevent him from being hit by the water. The sound of the waterfall roared, the bright moon was still in the sky, the water splashed in front of him, and the other’s warm chest was leaning up against him. Although Feng Long had blocked the flow of water from hitting him, he couldn’t stop the force of the thunder sound from hitting his heart.

Under the loud noise of the waterfall beating down, Bai Shaoqing sighed softly but it was actually heard by Feng Long.

“Why are you sighing?” Feng Long’s martial arts was profound. Although he whispered, each word penetrated directly into Bai Shaoqing’s ears.

Bai Shaoqing was startled: “Sigh?” His bright eyes looked at the waterfall in front of him. “Because the scenery is so beautiful, so I sighed.”

Feng Long seemed to feel that he had been standing in the water for too long, he protected Bai Shaoqing when taking him back to the shore and then sat upon a cold rock.

“Really only for this?” Feng Long asked, “Nothing else?”

Bai Shaoqing smiled and said nothing.

Feng Long’s gaze suddenly froze. His eyes were always deep and astute, at this moment they looked a little disoriented, after looking at Bai Shaoqing for a long while, there seemed to be an additional gleaming ray of light in his eyes.

A calm hand came slowly as if breaking through layers of obstacles, gently pressing on Bai Shaoqing’s thin shoulders.

Bai Shaoqing was feeling a little numb, as if his shoulder had been touched gently by someone for the first time, as if this was the first time that someone had looked at him in this way. In his haziness, he seemed to have an urge to deliver himself.

He had delivered himself quite a few times, only this time, he was actually very nervous.

Under the moonlight, Feng Long was incredibly handsome with his slightly tanned skin and thick eyebrows which revealed a strong personality; it was as if he had been meticulously sculpted by the heavens.

His throat felt dry, Bai Shaoqing moved his lips, suddenly he felt that he didn’t want to wait any longer.

“Da-ge…….”

An indistinct noise, it was like a pebble skimming on the surface of a calm lake, as if disturbing the impeccable reflection cast by the moonlight. Feng Long suddenly shook, as if he’d suddenly come back to his senses, his face looked panicked and ashamed, but all this quickly faded away, and then he smiled: “Shaoqing, your clothes are all wet, although the weather is warm, you will still catch a cold like this.” With his hands still pressed on Bai Shaoqing’s shoulders, he quietly used his martial arts to dry the other’s clothing.

A burst of warmth came over him, and Bai Shaoqing stared at Feng Long: Although he likes me, he doesn’t dare to tell me. Oh right, he believes me to be of noble character and unquestionable integrity, someone of pure innocence, how could he know that I’ve been sullied long ago?

A night of unparalleled scenery, with the addition of some unspeakable thoughts between the two of them. The sky was gradually getting brighter, Feng Long glanced at Bai Shaoqing and said softly, “Shaoqing, close your eyes.” His words were not as clear as yesterday evening.

Bai Shaoqing secretly smiled internally and opened his eyes: “Da-ge, although I don’t know martial arts, I have always longed to be like the people of Wulin flying here and there. If you hold me and perform qinggong, I won’t be afraid.”

“Do you like qinggong?” Feng Long asked, “I will teach you.”

“It’s too late to learn now, such a pity.” Bai Shaoqing sighed, “As long as someone is willing to show me a taste of qingqong that’s enough.”

Feng Long’s eyes flickered again, then he lowered his head and smiled for a long time: “Then I’ll carry you up the mountain everyday.”

“Great, We saw Yuzhi Mountain last night, where are we going tonight?” 　　

Feng Long frowned, then his eyes lit up suddenly, and he said excitedly: “I’ll take you to a place. There is a place where no one is allowed to go, the scenery there is very unique.”

“Where?”

“Don’t ask, just follow me.”

He stretched out both his hands, grabbed Bai Shaoqing and headed down the mountain.