Chapter 68

Listening to Li Yi's last few words, Lu Zheng did not fully understand them and for a moment did not know whether he should respond. Then he heard his teacher say, "Lu Zheng, stand up!" and he stood up.

Lu Zheng asked, "Teacher, are you not going to punish me with the戒方 for breaking the rules of conduct?"

Li Yi glared at him and said irritably, "Is your skin that itchy? Go, take the rest of the afternoon off."

Lu Zheng exclaimed, "Oh, great! I can go flower hunting with Xin'er!... Ouch, that hurts!" He was shouting happily when the戒方 suddenly struck his head hard.

Lu Zheng, holding his head, called out in a委屈 voice, "Teacher?"

Li Yi said coldly, "Shouting in front of your teacher, is this the respect a disciple should show?"

Lu Zheng was taken aback and quickly stood properly. His teacher's temper was indeed unpredictable. He didn't know why he wasn't punished for breaking the rules of conduct just now. He was happy, but then he got hit and was taught a lesson about respect. He glanced at the dark戒方 and thought, "One day, I'll chop you up for firewood!"

Thinking about it made him smile, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face. Li Yi saw this and said, "What are you still standing there for? Are there flower seeds here?"

Fortunately, the teacher didn't know what he was thinking. Lu Zheng quickly said, "Student takes his leave." He bowed to Yue Zhongping and slowly backed up three steps before turning and walking away. When he entered the Heavenly Circle and Earthly Square Pavilion, he couldn't help but cheer, "Xin'er, the teacher let you off class, let's go flower hunting!"

Hearing Lu Zheng's cheer from the Heavenly Circle and Earthly Square Pavilion, and comparing it to the solemnity he showed when answering Teacher Li Yi's questions after archery, it seemed like two different people. Yue Zhongping smiled, "This child is becoming more and more open!"

Li Yi, however, seemed dissatisfied and said, "Shouting and making a fuss, he's becoming more and more unruly. Where did he learn these manners?"

Yue Zhongping laughed, "You say that, but I don't think you really mean it! What was that saying? Oh, right, speaking without restraint is a violation of speech. Yes, a disciple who violates speech should be hit three times with the戒方. If a teacher violates speech, should they be hit thirty times?"

Li Yi snorted, "It's rare for you to be so attentive today, even bothering to guide Lu Zheng."

Yue Zhongping said, "Lu Zheng is indeed insightful, he truly has a background... By the way, should we start teaching him horse riding and chariot driving next? It's not easy to find good horses. I'm going out anyway, so I'll find some good horses for you!"

Li Yi asked, "Where do you plan to go?"

Yue Zhongping said, "That's none of your business. Do I need your approval for where I go?"

Li Yi looked at Yue Zhongping, noticing his tight-fitting clothes, and asked, "Did you change for archery?"

Yue Zhongping immediately smiled, "Yes, you rarely pay attention to my clothes. How do they look?"

Li Yi nodded, "The clothes are nice..." Yue Zhongping laughed, but then Li Yi added, "But the person is average." He turned and walked away.

Yue Zhongping was so angry that he puffed out his cheeks, blowing a few strands of hair, and pointed at Li Yi's back, saying, "Li Zhonggui, you're such an annoying person!"

At dinner, Yue Zhongping was not there. Xin'er asked the teacher and learned that Yue Zhongping had gone to find herbs for Lu Zheng. Xin'er immediately said, "Little brother, Uncle Yue is working so hard for you!"

"Ah, it seems Xin'er cares about me the most, knowing how hard Uncle Yue is working for this silly boy!" Before Xin'er could finish, a laugh sounded, and Yue Zhongping appeared outside the pavilion, with a white horse beside him.

The horse was entirely white as snow, with not a single blemish, and in the moonlight, it looked as if it was covered in silver frost, illuminating the night. Its head was narrow and square, with wide, bright eyes, a long neck, and long mane on one side. Its hooves were like bowls, its nose like a golden cup, and its ears like willow leaves. Its tail hung loosely, and it stood quietly without even a snort, making people feel a bit shy.

If the teacher wasn't there, Xin'er would have exclaimed, "What a beautiful horse!" Lu Zheng also tried hard to resist the urge to examine it closely.

Before the two could look any longer, Yue Zhongping laughed, "Don't stare like fools, it's been a long journey, she needs to rest." With a wave of his sleeve, the white horse disappeared, and he walked into the pavilion.

Seeing Yue Zhongping, Li Yi had already added a table in the pavilion. Yue Zhongping sat down, and just as Li Yi was about to move, he quickly said, "No need, I've already eaten."

As Yue Zhongping sat down, a strange fragrance wafted from his clothes. Li Yi's nose twitched, and he paused, putting down his chopsticks that were about to pick up fish, and said, "You actually went to the Hundred Flowers Valley?"

Yue Zhongping leaned against the table, took out a wine flask from the air, and took a sip, then smiled, "Did you smell the fragrance of the Hundred Flowers Brew? Yes, I just came back from the Hundred Flowers Valley!"

Xin'er asked curiously, "Uncle Yue, what is the Hundred Flowers Valley?"

Just as Yue Zhongping was about to answer, Li Yi suddenly scolded, "Xin'er, no talking during meals." His tone was unusually stern, scaring Xin'er into silence.

Yue Zhongping couldn't stand it and called out to Li Yi, "Hey, Li Zhonggui, you tell Xin'er not to talk during meals, but why don't you tell yourself? You're eating too, and you spoke first!"

Li Yi snorted and said nothing. Yue Zhongping, sitting next to Xin'er, shouted, "Xin'er, do you want to know what the Hundred Flowers Valley is? Uncle Yue will tell you. The Hundred Flowers Valley is very beautiful, with all kinds of magical trees and flowers. By the way, the flowers in our thatched cottage are all from the Hundred Flowers Valley. The Golden Wave flowers in the garden are only found in the Hundred Flowers Valley and the Sun and Moon Cottage!"

Xin'er was excited but didn't dare to speak, only blinking her eyes, her heart already flying to the Hundred Flowers Valley with Mr. Yue's description.

Mr. Yue looked at Li Yi, smiled, and continued, "Xin'er, do you know why the Sun and Moon Cottage has flowers from the Hundred Flowers Valley? It's because there's a very special person living in the Hundred Flowers Valley. If you ever go there, you must show proper respect, because that person is your teacher's wife!"

Teacher's wife! Xin'er was shocked, her little mouth wide open. Lu Zheng was also surprised, and seeing Xin'er's expression, he realized she had just learned this too.

Xin'er couldn't help but sneak a glance at the teacher, but Li Yi calmly picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of fish, as if he hadn't heard Mr. Yue's words.

Yue Zhongping directly pointed out, "Zhonggui, your chopsticks are steady, but you're holding them upside down!"

Lu Zheng and Xin'er looked closely and indeed, the teacher's chopsticks were upside down.

Under the gaze of the three, Li Yi gently put down his chopsticks, turned them around, wiped them with a white cloth, picked up the piece of fish again, and started chewing, without saying a word.

Li Yi's actions left Yue Zhongping speechless, and he could only drink in silence, unable to make any more jokes. Lu Zheng and Xin'er quickly lowered their heads and continued eating, secretly worried. The teacher's calm demeanor was terrifying, and this was going to be bad!

All three hoped the meal would end quickly. Li Yi's silence made the atmosphere in the pavilion tense and oppressive. Lu Zheng and Xin'er were already full, but they couldn't leave before the teacher finished, so they continued eating aimlessly.

Li Yi usually ate slowly, but not as slowly and deliberately as today. Every movement was slow and gentle, showing no sign of anger.

Finally, Li Yi took out a white cloth, carefully wiped his mouth, and said, "The fish today is good!" Then he got up and left the pavilion.

As soon as Li Yi left, all three breathed a sigh of relief. Xin'er couldn't help but lower her voice and ask, "Uncle Yue, is the teacher angry?"

Yue Zhongping said, "Shouldn't... be!"

Hearing Yue Zhongping's unconvincing words, Xin'er lowered her voice even more, "Uncle Yue, who is the teacher's wife...?" As she spoke, Lu Zheng kept pulling her sleeve, signaling her not to ask. She was puzzled, "Little brother, what's wrong? The teacher is gone, right?"

Turning around, she saw Lu Zheng's right index finger pointing at the teacher's seat. Xin'er's heart skipped a beat. Had the teacher come back? She steeled herself and looked at the teacher's seat, but the teacher wasn't there. She sighed in relief, "Little brother, what are you pointing at?"

Lu Zheng pointed at Li Yi's table and whispered, "Look at the teacher's table!"

Lu Zheng's strange behavior made Yue Zhongping and Xin'er curious. They followed his finger and saw the plate. Both swallowed hard, then looked at each other, their faces full of surprise.

On Li Yi's table, a white porcelain plate held a fish skeleton, perfectly arranged, with not a trace of meat. This was the steamed fish Li Yi had eaten, and after finishing, he had meticulously put the bones back together and placed them on the plate, then left without a word.

The three looked at the fish skeleton, feeling it was bizarre and awkward. Suddenly, Xin'er and Lu Zheng turned to Yue Zhongping, their faces sad, and said, "Mr. Yue, we will miss you." Then the two quickly slipped out of the pavilion.

Mr. Yue looked at the fish skeleton and shuddered.