Chapter 69

Standing at the entrance of the classroom, Xiaoming took a deep breath and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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"Didn't you treat that person like that, Inner Head?"

"Yes. If it were a matter of the family, why would the Outer Head, who would stake his life, silently welcome Lady Wei? She was an orphan, with nothing but herself as her dowry, and even before she gave birth to her first child, she was considered a temporary addition."

It was hard to believe that she would be the wife of the heir of a prestigious family.

"He thought she was trying to make her child the next heir of the family."

"She was a person who firmly believed that her brother would become the best in the world and revive the family, wasn't she?"

"Isn't human greed more complicated than that?"

"But the only person who didn't worship him, didn't try to harm him, and didn't feel inferior to him was his own family, right?"

Song Yinglang fiddled with her hairpin and chattered.

"Moreover, he is the person who knows his own abilities the best..."

Among those who endlessly compared and gauged their own abilities against her talented older brother and younger brother, few knew their own abilities as well as she did.

Song Yinglang almost said, "If I could have died in place of my brother, I would have," but stopped herself.

"Anyway, to that person, Lady Wei must be both family and the only friend. If Lady Wei tries to be gentle, there's no need to worry, right?"

"If they are friends, wouldn't the Inner Head follow the Outer Head's words when he says no...?"

"Well, that might be the case. But if it comes to a war, it would be a situation where a war is necessary, wouldn't it? For us, for them."

Song Yinglang's conclusion made Jin Dege quietly nod her head.

* * *

A small boy sitting next to a small lantern in front of the Yueling Pavilion stood up and brushed off the dirt from his clothes when he sensed someone approaching.

"Hey? Yun, were you waiting here?"

"I was out for a bit."

On the way to the Jin Family Manor today, Huayun did not go with him. When he asked if he wanted to go, he expected him to say yes, but instead, he asked if he could stay behind, leaving Huayun no choice but to say, "Eh? Oh... okay."

As Lian approached, Huayun stretched lazily but stopped and tilted his head to look at Dan Muxing, who was standing behind Lian.

"Xing is here to take me back."

Dan Muxing hesitated for a moment and then said quickly to Lian,

"Today... you did a great job. I'm going back."

He nodded to Huayun and then walked away briskly.

"It seemed like you had something to talk about with your sister?"

It seemed that Dan Muxing was still a bit shy around Huayun.

'Lian is shy around everyone else, too.'

She hardly tried to meet anyone except for her mother, Wei Qing, and her nanny, Aunt Zhang.

Of course, Dan Muxing was always avoided, and she had also tried to avoid Dan Hansuo.

"Right? Will Xing come again tomorrow?"

"How did it go at the Jin Family Manor?"

"Yeah, we tied! That was pretty good. It was amazing!"

Lian waved her arms as she described the match between Dan Muxing and Jin Zongxia that she had seen today.

Huayun, who had been listening quietly to her vivid recounting, nodded.

"He's only been training for a month, so it definitely shows he has talent."

"Right? I hope he continues, but Auntie seems to want Xing to focus on the sword, so I'm not sure what will happen."

"What about you?"

"Me? Sword?"

"Dao. Are you going to continue?"

"I... I don't know..."

Lian trailed off and scratched her cheek. When they returned from the match at the Jin Family Manor, Dan Hansuo had said to her,

"Just do whatever you want... That's what he said."

For some reason, the look in his eyes when he saw her seemed a bit repulsed.

"I might keep practicing with the sword."

"Why? Don't you have talent for the dao too?"

"How do you know that, little one?"

Lian stroked Huayun's cheek and then opened her eyes wide when she felt it was a bit cold.

"How would I know? Other people...?"

"How many others were there?"

"What? Just a moment ago..."

"Why is your cheek so cold!"

"It's because I was thinking."

"What are you thinking with that little head of yours! Or, what did you do at home alone today?"

"I was just there..."

Lian grabbed Huayun's hand and pulled her into the residence.

The nanny, who was tidying up Lian's bedroom, was startled by Lian's sudden appearance, but Lian quickly said,

"Nanny! Bring the brazier and the bellflower tea. Remember the herbal tea I made a while ago? Mix it with hot water."

"Um?"

"Lian might catch a cold. She must have been outside for a long time."

"Oh... the one you made, that one?"

"Yeah, that one. I left a few bottles at home."

On the day she met Jin Zongxia, she had made bellflower tea from the bellflowers she had collected and sent it to the Mansong Trading Company. The rest she had kept and was giving to the household members.

The nanny, who had been pushed outside by Lian's urging, brought the herbal tea mixed with hot water as Lian had instructed.

"Oh..."

She looked at Huayun with a sympathetic expression.

Huayun, wrapped in a blanket from head to toe, tilted her head at the nanny's expression, took a sip of the bellflower tea, and then paused.

"Oh... it's good for the body, right? Yes, it's good... drink it quickly."

The nanny's voice was filled with deep concern, which made Lian a bit flustered.

"Why, why are you like that?"

Huayun, with a slight tear in her eye, swallowed the contents of her mouth with difficulty and then took a shallow breath.

"I thought it was almost a poison..."

"Wow! What are you saying!"

"Have you tried this before?"

"Uncle tried it."

"He didn't faint?"

Lian swallowed hard. At that time, Dan Xianwu's expression was a bit pale.

"Well... but it's good for the body."

Lian added softly, "Really." Huayun, with a look of seven years of regret, stared at the cup and then wiped her eyes and finished the remaining bellflower tea.

* * *

The next morning, when Lian went out to fetch water from the Yueling Pavilion, she found Dan Muxing standing outside the gate with an excited look on his face.

Dan Muxing's nanny was trying to get him to wear a windbreaker, but he had walked so energetically that she hadn't had the chance and was now standing a bit behind, fidgeting.

"Xing, did you sleep well?"

Lian, surprised, asked, but Dan Muxing answered as if he was talking to himself.

"I've decided to walk the path of the dao."

Are you telling me this now?

Lian was surprised but didn't show it and only congratulated him.

"Wow... really? That's great! But did you sleep well?"

"I stayed up all night thinking. I decided I want to learn the dao, so I told my mother. I have talent, so I can quickly reach the pinnacle of the dao and then pick up the sword to follow in my uncle's footsteps."

'Spent the whole night thinking and then told your aunt and came here? It's just dawn now?'

Was this Dan Muxing's plan to pressure Dan Xianyao while she was half-asleep? Lian had a brief suspicion.

"You didn't sleep?"

At first, Dan Muxing only wanted to calmly tell Lian that he had decided to walk the path of the dao and then leave, but when he saw Lian's star-like eyes listening intently, he couldn't help but ramble on.

He recounted how he had talked to his mother, Dan Xianyao, and what her response was, while his nanny kept making a worried face.

Lian led the excited girl back into the residence and listened to her quietly.

"Right, right. I told you you have talent for the dao."

Dan Muxing proudly tapped the practice dao at his waist, which he had used in yesterday's match.

"Right. So I swore to my mother that I will become the best in the world with this one dao."

"..."

Suddenly, the best in the world? But Lian didn't hesitate and quickly boosted his morale.

"Right, let's do our best! You will be the only one in the Dan family to rise to the top with the dao!"

Dan Hansuo is a great master, but he is not the best in the world.

"Right. When I become the best in the world, I will take good care of you, Lian. Just believe in me, Lian."

Dan Muxing's eyes were serious but also a bit shy.

He was usually so aloof that it seemed embarrassing for him to say such things.

Lian, without a hint of embarrassment, nodded and pulled Dan Muxing.

"To do that, you need to drink this bellflower tea, get some strength, and go to sleep."

"Huh? No, I want to start training right away..."

"You need to sleep well to train well."

Lian naturally led Dan Muxing to her bed, gave him the bellflower tea diluted with water—Dan Muxing was so surprised by the taste that he even coughed—laid him down, covered him with a blanket, and patted him, saying, "Sleep well and wake up as the best in the world."

Before long, Dan Muxing, who had been up all night, fell asleep easily.