The Elder Brother

Xi Cui accepted the box of crispy pastries and looked toward Wei Dansheng.

"Go on." He withdrew his hand, suppressing the desire in his heart, and calmly ordered her to leave with a distant air. "It is late. I will escort the lady back to her room."

Xi Cui did not object; she still had to return and think carefully about today's events.

Although he said he was escorting her back, Wei Dansheng walked behind her, maintaining a distance that was neither too far nor too close.

One in front, one behind.

He watched her back in the darkness.

He raised his sleeve, revealing a wrist as white as snow.

However, Xi Cui did not see the monk's gaze gradually darkening.

Wei Dansheng escorted her to the door of the guest quarters.

Closing the door, Xi Cui leaned against it and thought for a moment.

Wei Dansheng had told her to leave. For her to stubbornly stay was clearly inappropriate, but she didn't want to yield so easily, as if she were fleeing in panic.

If she were to leave, she must at least wait for Gao Qian to come find her.

Outside the door, Wei Dansheng stood silently for a moment, the moonlight draping over his shoulders.

Under the moonlight, the handsome young monk looked like a gorgeous statue of Guanyin.

Wei Dansheng slowly lowered his eyes, thinking with regret.

It had taken him so much effort to find someone he liked this much, yet now he was forced to let her go down the mountain.

***

The next day, Xi Cui went to the dining hall as usual, where she met Wei Dansheng and Wu Huaifei again.

Seeing her appear in the dining hall, Wei Dansheng did not get angry because she hadn't listened to him. He even nodded to her very politely, as if the cold person from yesterday was not him at all. The mockery in his eyes had vanished completely, leaving his eyes as clear as glass.

Wu Huaifei was slightly embarrassed. "Would the young master like to dine with us?"

Xi Cui happily agreed, and the three of them sat down at a table.

In front of them was a bowl of porridge and a baked flatbread.

Xi Cui slowly ate her porridge and flatbread.

Wu Huaifei's hand holding her chopsticks paused slightly.

She wondered if it was her imagination, but she felt the atmosphere between Little Master Wei and Young Master Gao was somewhat strange.

After finishing breakfast and clearing the dishes, Xi Cui bid them farewell.

Wei Dansheng and Wu Huaifei had been going in and out together these past few days. As Xi Cui left the dining hall alone, she ran into Hui Ru.

Usually, when Hui Ru saw her, he would actively greet her, but today, he looked her up and down as if he had seen a ghost, stammering when he spoke.

"Gao... Benefactor Gao... Why... why are you here?"

Xi Cui was puzzled. "If I'm not here, where would I be? I came to eat!"

Hui Ru assessed her from head to toe once more, his expression showing a crisis of belief. "But... but I clearly just saw you at the mountain gate!"

"The mountain gate? I didn't go to the mountain gate."

"That's not right, that's not right." Hui Ru scratched his bald head. "I really saw you at the mountain gate. It's so far from the mountain gate to the dining hall. Could you really walk that fast?"

"Could I have seen wrong?" the little monk murmured softly. "But there is no such thing as riding the wind to travel a thousand miles in a day in this world!"

While Hui Ru was still lamenting, Xi Cui suddenly realized.

Could the person he saw have been Gao Qian?

Who else could it be but Gao Qian?

Did Gao Qian arrive so quickly?

Xi Cui thought with uncertainty, though this did fit his swift and decisive style.

Thinking of this, Xi Cui didn't dare linger. She quickly made an excuse and bid farewell to Hui Ru.

When she ran to the mountain gate and saw the tall, cold young man in black robes, everything became clear.

Thinking of how she had posed as him and stayed in the temple for so many days, Xi Cui felt a bit embarrassed. She adjusted her clothes and hair before approaching him.

"Second Brother."

Gao Qian turned his head to look at her, naturally seeing her current attire.

He didn't show any surprise, only assessing her from head to toe before frowning.

"When Sister-in-law mentioned it yesterday, I suspected you. I didn't expect to actually meet you here today."

She had prepared herself to be lectured by Gao Qian, but to her surprise, what awaited her was not a scolding.

"What happened to your hand? How did it become like this?"

Before Xi Cui could react, Gao Qian grabbed her wrist and frowned.

The day before yesterday, because she had held onto Wu Huaifei tightly, her wrist had been scraped by sharp stones. After two days, the wound had become less noticeable.

No one else had noticed, but Gao Qian spotted it with a single glance.

Xi Cui was slightly surprised.

"It's nothing," she pulled her hand back. "I fell. It's just a minor injury."

Gao Qian didn't believe her.

His style had always been tough and direct. He immediately rolled up her sleeve.

The scraped skin on her wrist was a large patch of reddish-black.

Gao Qian fell silent for a long moment. "Come back to my place to get some ointment."

Xi Cui pulled her sleeve down.

Gao Qian finally mentioned the purpose of his trip. "A few days ago, I heard you went to your foster parents' house? Why did you run to the temple?"

Speaking of this, Gao Qian was also very tired.

He had finally finished his shift yesterday, only to return home and hear Lady Li mention this matter.

He immediately took note and went to the Dian family early the next morning, only for the Dian family to say that Diyu had returned home many days ago.

He then rushed to Kongshan Temple, where he finally found his younger sister.

Xi Cui coughed. "I... I came to the temple to copy scriptures for Grandmother."

She used the same excuse she had used for others on Gao Qian.

This excuse was too clumsy, and Xi Cui couldn't guarantee whether Gao Qian would believe it.

To her surprise, Gao Qian actually believed it.

Not only did he believe it, but he also grunted in agreement. "It has been hard on you."

Xi Cui: ... *Is this really the male lead? Why is he so easy to fool?*

"After all, you are a woman, and staying in a temple is not appropriate. It was fine that Sister-in-law saw you yesterday, but if it were anyone else, it wouldn't be easy to explain. Come home with Second Brother today. Grandmother's birthday gift values filial piety. Since you have this heart, you can copy the scriptures anywhere." Gao Qian spoke seriously, advising her earnestly.