Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 150 Madam Ye Appears Again

The Pei siblings found a quiet private room in a restaurant and invited Lu Xingzhou to sit down.

Actually, Lu Xingzhou really wanted to tell Pei Yu, "Please do as you please. I'll talk to your sister; the topics are much more in-depth than what we'd discuss with you..."

Unfortunately, she couldn't say such things now. Pei Chuyun's word in the Pei family was that her time as a maid was a lie; they were just friends, and she was helping to find relatives... So now she had to pretend to be a gentleman in front of Pei Yu, that their friendship was pure and innocent, and that having a few children would be a matter of time.

"Um, what brings you here, my dear brother and sister?"

"Brother Lu, there's no need to be so polite. My sister is grateful for your care. We're all friends."

Yes, I'd like to take care of you a little more tonight... Lu Xingzhou glanced at Pei Chuyun, who was trying to appear elegant, and coughed, "You're too kind, Brother Pei. Since you know that Miss Pei and I are friends, you might as well just say what you're here for; there's no need for formalities."

Pei Yu smiled and said, "Brother Lu may think that I came to your door about the alchemist, but that's a misunderstanding. I simply want to make friends with you, and my sister is just there to help us make the connection."

Pei Chuyun finally spoke, her tone calm and indifferent: "You saved Sheng Yuanyao and killed Ye Wufeng. My brother is doing you a favor, so he asked me to act as a go-between. Actually, I think it's unnecessary. You two have known each other for a long time. It was my brother who invited you to bring me into the Pei family... It's only today that you're talking about making friends. It makes it seem like all your previous kindness was insincere. Isn't that awkward?"

Pei Yu laughed heartily, "It was all pretense before, just admit it. Back then, Brother Lu was a pawn to deal with the Huo family, but now Brother Lu is just Brother Lu. Come, let me toast Brother Lu, congratulations on becoming the top scholar."

Lu Xingzhou then raised his cup and drank, saying, "Brother Pei is a man of integrity; I'll make him my friend."

Actually, Pei Yu was quite loyal to his friend Chu Qingchen in helping him pick up girls; he had a real-life brotherly vibe. It was just that he was unhappy about his ambiguous relationship with Sheng Yuanyao. Of course, Pei Chuyun found this incredibly satisfying; she wished Sheng Yuanyao would just disappear.

Pei Yu finished his wine and laughed, "Speaking of which, Brother Lu, you're a guest elder in the Heavenly Sword Sect, right? A guest elder is free to come and go. After your advanced studies at the Pill Academy, Brother Lu, are you planning to find a position or return to the Heavenly Sword Sect?"

"This depends on the sect leader's arrangements, as well as the development of the Heavenly Sword Sect over the past year and its future development direction."

Pei Yu nodded: "Whether it's for the development of the sect or if you want a position, Brother Lu, please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything from the Pei family."

This is quite interesting... Even Sheng Qingfeng knows Shen Tang's identity, so it's impossible for Pei Yu to be completely unaware. This statement almost implies a willingness to invest in Shen Tang. It's possible that this is Pei Qingyan's indication, which is why Pei Chuyun can't represent him, but Pei Yu can.

But we can only skirt around it, using the guise of making friends, so that no one can find fault with us.

Lu Xingzhou remained calm and said, "Then I, Lu, will thank Brother Pei on behalf of the sect leader. Perhaps in the future, I will need Brother Pei's help with some things."

Pei Yu laughed heartily and said, "Of course, of course. Hmm... Brother Lu, is there anything you need help with after you enter the Pill Academy? We know many people there."

"Nothing else..." Lu Xingzhou pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Is there a female teacher named Madam Ye at the Pill Academy?"

Ye Tinglan called herself Madam Ye and traveled incognito, so of course she couldn't let the whole world know that Madam Ye was the Imperial Advisor. She trusted a very few "upright officials" like Meng Li, but she absolutely did not trust aristocratic families, so the Pei family actually didn't know who Madam Ye was.

Pei Yu thought for a moment: "I've vaguely heard of this person... She's not a teacher at the Alchemy Academy, but I've heard that she's occasionally invited to give public lectures, which is extremely rare. She's quite mysterious. She must be related to someone in the Alchemy Academy's upper echelons, right?"

"A guest expert, right?" Lu Xingzhou pressed, "What's her background? She seems very impressive."

Pei Yu asked curiously, "Brother Lu, have you had some interaction with her?"

“We met once before… I was looking at the list just now, and since Anuo and I were late, we ran into her in the alley next door and chatted for a bit.”

"I truly don't know this person; I haven't paid any attention to him before... Perhaps I should go back and ask my father, and then inform Brother Lu if I have any information?"

"Then thank you very much, Brother Pei." Lu Xingzhou sipped his wine, his thoughts drifting back to the scene of encountering Madam Ye in the alley earlier.

She appeared abruptly in the twilight, wearing a veil, like a goddess descending to earth with the glow of the sunset. The tremor in my heart at that first glance has yet to fully subside.

Her topic was also very direct: "Your level has already surpassed that of the average student at the Dan Academy... Finding a suitable master would be more valuable than studying at the Dan Academy."

Lu Xingzhou replied, "I simply don't have a master. Finding a truly powerful alchemist to wholeheartedly impart knowledge to me is no easy task. The Alchemy Academy is the most suitable place for me to further my studies."

"It won't be difficult for you. Whether you return to the Huo family or ask the Pei family and the Demon Suppression Division for help, it's easy to find a first-grade alchemist to be your apprentice."

"But that would inevitably leave a factional mark, wouldn't it?" Lu Xingzhou asked curiously, "I wonder what Madam meant by asking me to say this? Can you explain it to me?"

Ye Tinglan said calmly, "I'm just confused. With your level of expertise, did you enter the Pill Academy for further studies, or for Shen Tang... or perhaps for..."

She paused, then said, word by word, "The Hall of Yama?"

Lu Xingzhou chuckled: "It has nothing to do with the Underworld, why does Madam think that way?"

"You're still in contact with the Underworld, using the mirror they gave you to frame Huo Jin and get him imprisoned. It's going to be hard for people to believe you have nothing to do with the Underworld."

“Even His Majesty doesn’t think that way, so why should Madam be so suspicious?” Ye Tinglan didn’t reply, thinking to herself that Gu Zhanting only cared about alchemy now… and was inexplicably confident. Did he really think that the Underworld couldn’t cause any trouble?

She paused for a moment, then slowly said, "If it's about teaching you... I think anyone would choose to teach Lu Nuonuo."

Ah Nuo immediately replied, "I won't switch allegiance, you old woman!"

Ye Tinglan: "?"

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Ye Tinglan had probably never been scolded in her life. She was stunned for a long time before saying, "It's not that I can't teach you, as long as you prove that you are trustworthy... See you at Dan Academy."

After saying that, he disappeared without a trace, as if he had been scolded and driven away.

But it's pointless to say these warnings. You can just keep questioning and observing from the sidelines. What's the point of directly confronting them with these words? If Lu Xingzhou really is a spy from the Underworld infiltrated into the court, wouldn't this just raise our vigilance and make it even harder to find flaws in the future?

Lu Xingzhou thought and thought but couldn't figure it out. Her appearance seemed to be specifically designed to express her desire to take A Nuo as her apprentice, and she was even willing to teach him, Lu Xingzhou, for this purpose.

But who are you?
This distracted Lu Xingzhou so much that he didn't snap out of it until Sheng Yuanyao had taken the child away.

He chatted casually with Pei Yu, who was only trying to make friends and build relationships. They didn't have much to talk about, and after a few words, he got up to say goodbye.

Pei Chuyun did not deliberately stay, but bid farewell with impeccable aristocratic etiquette, which pleased Pei Yu, who was observing.

Everyone guessed that my sister and Lu Xingzhou had that kind of relationship, but now it seems that they didn't. There's really nothing wrong with being friends, and Lu Xingzhou is still worth befriending.

On the way, he asked his sister, "Lu Xingzhou has been kind to you, so isn't your reaction too indifferent? You were trying to find him in the crowd earlier."

Pei Chuyun looked bewildered: "Huh? I was squeezing into the crowd to see the list, who said it was to find him? I may have been kind to him, but I still have to consider the Pei family's reputation. It's never good for an unmarried girl to be too close to a man..."

The siblings didn't try to hide their conversation, and many passersby heard it. Pei Yu was very satisfied: "As expected of a daughter of the Pei family."

Pei Yu never expected that her younger sister, who had just been cultivating an image of purity and innocence, would run away through the window and disappear without a trace, barely having had a moment to finish drinking a cup of tea after arriving home and returning to her small house.

The next time they appeared was in Lu Xingzhou's secret room: "Hehe, as expected, A'nuo was taken out to play by that silly girl and hasn't come back yet. Is it my turn?"

Lu Xingzhou had anticipated her return, and with a smile, he pulled her onto his lap: "What's wrong? Not cold anymore? Not avoiding suspicion?"

"Isn't this what you like..." Pei Chuyun bit her lower lip: "I was cold just now, I'm sorry, young master. How will you punish Ayi?"

Lu Xingzhou gently stroked her red lips: "I heard that the day before yesterday, during our civil service exam, you went to the park with someone and your performance of the xiao (vertical bamboo flute) was stunning."

"That's right." Pei Chuyun's eyes sparkled. "Is the young master unhappy that A-Yi didn't play the flute for you? But I didn't bring my flute with me..."

"As for the flute, just replace it with another one. Your young master always carries one."

He didn't even need to hint at it; the little vixen knew better than him what she was flirting with when she started the conversation. But when she heard him so bluntly say he wanted it, she became somewhat resentful: "Is that all you value me in your eyes now?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Isn't it because my master sees me as more valuable now? If that's the case, I should at least make use of that value..."

Pei Chuyun's expression changed slightly, and she asked cautiously, "You know?"

"I could guess. My master saw that Ah Nuo and I took the top two spots. It would be strange if he didn't ask you to take advantage of our friendship to work harder. He might have already secretly ordered you to use your primordial yin."

Pei Chuyun was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Yes."

But my coming to see you really has nothing to do with her...

Pei Chuyun thought these words to herself, but ultimately didn't say them aloud. He was too smart... Whether someone believes in themselves or not isn't something that can be determined by words.

"Alright, little girl." Lu Xingzhou rubbed her head. "I've been taking exams for three days straight and I'm exhausted. All I want to do right now is take a hot bath."

Pei Chuyun sensed that he didn't seem to have any reservations, so she happily said, "I'll go get you some water."

"Do you really think you're my little maid?" Lu Xingzhou grabbed her arm. "No need to fetch water. Since you're a maid, come and help the young master scrub his body?"

(End of this chapter)