[Year 236, I woke up again. This time I slept a bit longer than last time. Maybe it was because of the wine he brought?
At first, I thought that green stuff was pretty gross, but thinking about it now, it was actually pretty good. At least it was better than the stuff from before.]
[Year 268, to be honest, I kind of miss those little guys. Even though they were a bit annoying, some of the books they brought me were quite interesting.
They helped pass the time. But I traded them for my branches, after all. It takes me quite a while to grow these wooden branches, so trading with them shouldn’t be a loss.]
[Year 325, I was just reading a book today when some noise suddenly came from somewhere, kind of annoying.
Sounded like three little guys muttering near my ear, chanting something about ‘same day birth, same day death.’
Pretty interesting. Not sure where they found my branch, but they actually swore their oath right under my nose.]
[Year 420, another little guy wandered into my little nest today. I was bored and playing chess against myself.
He came over and just watched me play for half the day. I really don’t know what he was thinking, so I just let him be. I hope he can find his way back home.]
“Stop, stop, stop! Don’t read anymore!”
Liu Yao slammed shut the tattered book in her hands, interrupting Zhao Yi’an, who had been reading with great enthusiasm.
The young woman’s heart was pounding.
After Zhao Yi’an read the diary’s contents, Liu Yao became even more certain—this tattered book’s contents changed depending on who was reading it.
That old geezer… actually kept a diary?
I thought a deity like Him wouldn’t bother recording such things.
Hiss… No way? He wouldn’t have written about that time I entered the ‘peach blossom spring’ in his diary, would he?
No! If this cheap apprentice of mine finds out his Master used to be a man and is now a woman, where would I put my face?!
“Master?”
Liu Yao grabbed his shoulders, her expression serious.
“Yi’an, let me ask you something.”
Zhao Yi’an was startled by the girl’s sudden action, looking utterly confused.
“Huh?”
“What do you think of me… as a person?”
“Y-you’re… pretty good. Powerful, righteous, and good to me…” Zhao Yi’an, hearing Liu Yao’s words, grew even more bewildered.
“N-no, Master, what’s wrong? Weren’t you the one who told me to read it just now? Why suddenly ask this?”
“It’s nothing.” Liu Yao let go of his shoulders and patted him. “Just remember what you said today.”
“Ahem, anyway! I now think it’s not appropriate to give this thing to you!” Liu Yao snatched the somewhat tattered book and stuffed it into her own robes, speaking earnestly.
“Snooping on someone’s privacy like this is too shameful. You can’t handle it, let your Master handle it for you.”
“As for that martial arts stuff, hmm… I’ll definitely teach you later!”
Looking at the girl before him who seemed to be desperately hiding something, Zhao Yi’an twitched the corner of his mouth but ultimately didn’t press further.
Fine, whatever Master says.
It’s not like it’s some secret martial arts manual anyway. At best, it’s just a diary, and a messy one at that.
Seeing the boy nod and not pursue the matter, Liu Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief internally.
She knew her own excuse was really lame, but for the sake of her male dignity—which she wasn’t even sure she could still find—she had forced herself to say it.
Hmm.
Perhaps because Zhao Yi’an was being so understanding, a wave of guilt washed over Liu Yao.
But she didn’t have a better solution. She couldn’t just give him this diary that could potentially cause social suicide.
“Ahem! Since things have come to this, let’s eat first?” Liu Yao pointed awkwardly at the wine and meat on the table. “You brought back all this wine and stuff, and we haven’t eaten much.”
Zhao Yi’an was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and sat down by the stone table.
The two ate in silence for a while, the atmosphere strangely awkward.
No, no. Why does the atmosphere always get so weird every time I drink with this guy?
I have to say something!
To ease the tension, Liu Yao racked her brains for conversation topics, but it seemed like everything that could be said had already been said, leaving her drawing a blank.
In the end, the young woman could only resort to topics as lame as ‘How’s the weather today?’ or ‘Have you eaten?’
“Uh… Yi’an, speaking of which, when you went out this morning, I saw the horse gang disciples all running back, muttering some strange things. Stuff like ‘They’re fighting’ or ‘So explosive.’ Do you know what they were talking about?”
Zhao Yi’an froze, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air, his expression slowly turning complicated.
“Master, so you really didn’t know.”
“Huh?” Liu Yao felt a bit baffled, confused. “What could I know? I’m not a horse gang disciple. I’m just a passerby who fell and got kept by your Second-in-command to fix the roof. How would I know what’s going on?”
“Besides, didn’t they say yesterday they were going to attend your first love’s wedding? How…”
As she spoke, she seemed to realize something and quickly covered her mouth before finishing the sentence.
“Holy crap, no way? Did something happen at that wealthy Wang family’s wedding banquet?”
“Yeah.” Zhao Yi’an put down his chopsticks, his expression odd. “I heard it from the newspaper boy when I was at the tavern this morning.”
“Whoa! Tell me about it!”
Hearing the news came from the tavern, Liu Yao’s eyes immediately lit up.
Taverns and teahouses, places always bustling with people, were the most mixed bags. The first step for many rumors and gossip from the Jianghu often started in these places.
While many of these hearsay stories might not be true, for those idle folks of the Jianghu, whether they were true or false didn’t matter much. It was like no one cared how many bowls of cold noodles you’d eaten.
Looking at the inexplicably excited girl before him, Zhao Yi’an’s expression was somewhat taken aback.
“Master, is there a need to be so excited? This isn’t a good thing. No need to take such delight in others’ misfortune, right?”
“What do you know?” Liu Yao curled her lip, somewhat disdainful of Zhao Yi’an’s confusion.
“If, and I’m saying if, the wealthy Wang family encountered some major robbery or banditry, we righteous martial artists can’t just stand by and do nothing, right?”
“Besides, maybe your Master here can earn a little wine money by helping the wealthy Wang family solve their troubles.”
As she spoke, Liu Yao poured herself another full cup of wine and downed it in one gulp.
The girl held up a finger between her eyes for Zhao Yi’an to see, then let out a little burp, looking somewhat silly.
“To be honest, your Master has been… broke lately!”
“Do you know how much I’ve been spending recently?! Your medical fees, the roof repair costs, my lodging fees… I’m worried about where I’m going to get the money!”
“Before, I could go bandit-hunting and earn some bounties. But now! Who knew there wouldn’t be a single bandit within ten miles of this damn place?!”
Looking at the girl who had suddenly started complaining, Zhao Yi’an felt his eyelids twitching and began to question himself.
Master was fine just a moment ago, why is she getting so emotional all of a sudden?
…Was choosing to become her apprentice really a good decision?
But come to think of it, why does Master’s face look so red?
Huh?
Could it be that Master is… drunk?