Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 159 Afternoon at the Imperial Academy
Qi Tuizhi was so embarrassed by the questioning that he could only say, "I was looking for him at the time, but I couldn't find him."

After saying that, he hurriedly made an excuse that he had something important to do and left.

Otherwise, he feared the mocking gazes around him would burn him to the core.

If this were outside, the students watching might have praised him a bit, after all, he's a minor celebrity. Unfortunately, no one here would praise him; he'd be lucky if his malicious stares didn't pierce him a hundred times over.

Because they're rivals in love here!

Even after Qi Tuizhi had reached the door, they could still hear voices coming from inside: "Miss Pei, that's a good question. I've disliked this Qi fellow for a long time. When Ye Wufeng was around, he was like a quail, and we never heard his name mentioned anywhere. Now that Ye Wufeng is dead, he's suddenly showing off."

"Exactly, he always boasts about being the number one rookie. What's with all the arrogance he has after being replaced? Anyone who didn't know better would think he killed Ye Wufeng."

Pei Chuyun replied gently, "Don't say that, I've never killed anyone..."

"How could Miss Pei be like those江湖人 (jianghu people)? Miss Pei's hands are for writing poetry!"

Qi Tuizhi swallowed a mouthful of blood and quickly ran away, disappearing from sight.

Pei Chuyun dealt with the flies half-heartedly. Even though she had finished eating and could have left long ago, she acted as if she was trapped there, her beautiful eyes constantly glancing in Lu Xingzhou's direction.

Those eyes seemed to speak volumes, clearly conveying: "You promised to chase me here! I've given you a chance, why are you only focused on eating?"

She couldn't hold back any longer and finally parted the crowd, gracefully walking towards Lu Xingzhou: "Young Master Lu, I have something to discuss with you."

Lu Xingzhou looked up: "Ah, Miss Pei, please wait a moment, I'll talk to you after I finish eating."

With a slight tilt of her head, Ah Nuo stole the chicken leg from her rice plate.

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Ah Nuo smiled apologetically, "Master, you've finished eating."

Pei Chuyun secretly gave A Nuo a thumbs-up, her slender hand hidden in her sleeve.

Lu Xingzhou had no choice but to say, "Miss Pei, the spring breeze is just right today, would you like to go for a walk?"

Everyone: "?"

Pei Chuyun said calmly, "There's nothing that can't be said to others, so let's talk about it here."

The onlookers breathed a long sigh of relief, they were practically thrilled. Look, not only did the rookie suffer a setback, but even Lu Xingzhou, who had a past relationship with one of them, suffered a setback.

Miss Pei is indeed a high-class beauty, pure and immaculate!
Lu Xingzhou was both amused and exasperated, and could only say, "Then Miss Pei, please speak."

Pei Chuyun said, "On Qingdai Mountain in Qingyao Garden, there is a stone tablet between two ancient pine trees, inscribed with a poem called 'Jian Zi Mu Lan Hua'. It has been circulating wildly in the capital recently, and countless people have flocked to the garden just to see the poem. Everyone is guessing who the author is. Does the young master know anything about it?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Why are you asking me this? Wouldn't the owner of the garden know better than anyone else?"

“This garden belongs to Editor-in-Chief Sheng of the Heroes List. Many people have asked about it, but Editor-in-Chief Sheng only said that the author does not want to be in the limelight.” Pei Chuyun stared at him and slowly said, “As everyone knows, Young Master Lu and Editor-in-Chief Sheng have a close relationship. Editor-in-Chief Sheng usually does not know any literary figures.”

Everyone looked at each other.

Does Pei Chuyun suspect that the poem was written by Lu Xingzhou?
If it really is Lu Xingzhou, who wrote such a masterpiece but "didn't want to show off," compared to Qi Tuizhi's earlier claim of "being both a scholar and a warrior," that's simply...

Lu Xingzhou found it quite amusing. The little vixen knew perfectly well that he had written the lyrics, yet she deliberately asked him that question in public to make him famous. She said "Come and pursue me," but her actions were completely the opposite.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "If it were me, would Miss Pei be willing to go outside and talk? There are too many people here, and I don't like to discuss matters in front of a crowd."

Pei Chuyun stared wide-eyed innocently: "Is it really you?"

"Yes."

The crowd was in an uproar.

Pei Chuyun bit her lower lip, seemingly troubled by accepting a man's invitation in public, but finally made up her mind with difficulty: "Okay, let's talk outside, but not too far away."

After finishing the chicken leg, Ah Nuo pushed her master out the door with satisfaction, and Pei Chuyun followed hesitantly.

The onlookers looked at each other, unsure of what to feel.

How could Lu Xingzhou be so wicked!

He actually managed to lure the goddess away!
However, if he really wrote those words, he's a true all-around genius in literature, martial arts, and medicine, making him a formidable competitor...

Fortunately, he has a limp, so he always needs someone to push his wheelchair, at least he's not alone.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the adulterous couple walked out the door in a dignified manner, rounded the corner, turned the corridor, and arrived at the back of an old house. Lu Xingzhou stood up and shoved Pei Chuyun against the wall, pinning her against it: "Miss Pei, there's nothing you can't say to others. You want to speak in public, but you refuse to come out with me?"

Pei Chuyun smiled apologetically: "I came out with you obediently... I made up an excuse for you! I even helped you promote your reputation!"

Lu Xingzhou looked her over, noting her small and timid appearance, and chuckled, "Why are you being so nice?"

"You seemed a bit unhappy just now, shoving your food in your mouth with a sour look on your face... when Qi Tuizhi showed up?" Pei Chuyun grabbed his hand and shook it: "How could I possibly be lured away by someone like that? Don't worry~"

"To be honest, I don't have much of a problem with Qi Tuizhi." Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "Miss Pei is so beautiful, it's normal for a gentleman to pursue her. He was just maintaining his composure and didn't say anything stupid."

Pei Chuyun asked cautiously, "Then what are you unhappy about?"

Lu Xingzhou didn't say anything. Actually, it was a small worry that flashed through his mind. Because Pei Chuyun came from the Hehuan Sect, this kind of scene where men surrounded her and she could catch a large group of sycophants was the life she had pursued since childhood. Choosing to control a puppet or drain her of her essence was also a very common practice for her.

Pei Chuyun herself didn't come here for this reason; it was just that as a daughter of the Pei family, she openly appeared in public, and given her circumstances, this naturally led to this situation. But this wasn't her intention; it was her master's. This was precisely one of the reasons why the Joyful Union Sect wanted her to return to the Pei family. Using her Pei family identity to attract wealthy men was far more useful than using her identity as the Holy Maiden of Joyful Union.

Lu Xingzhou knew that Pei Chuyun didn't think that way. If he said he was afraid that she would actually try to seduce men for sexual enhancement, it would only hurt Pei Chuyun's feelings.

But men inevitably feel jealous, and their emotions don't quite align.

After a long pause, she whispered, "It's not your fault... I'm just jealous. So many men are surrounding you..."

Pei Chuyun blinked: "Are you really jealous?"

"I'm really jealous."

Pei Chuyun smiled, her eyes crinkling, but she was secretly quite pleased.

Jealousy means you like something, right? Who would be jealous of something they don't like?

At the very least, I do have a possessive streak.

"You said it yourself, you'd chase me away, and keep all the flies away. This was exactly what you expected, young master. You were supposed to protect A-Yi..."

Indeed, as mentioned before, Lu Xingzhou was in the wrong and could only sneer: "It's just that someone has attracted too much attention, exceeding expectations. You have no idea, there are other girls in the cafeteria, and their eyes are practically spitting fire when they look at you."

"Alright, alright, it's all A-Yi's fault for being too beautiful." Pei Chuyun wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "If A-Yi doesn't attract attention, then A-Yi will attract Young Master, okay..."

Ah Nuo shuddered and turned her head away from looking.

too disgusting.

The master's response was equally disgusting: "Isn't Miss Pei supposed to be pure and innocent? How come she's already getting involved with men?"

Pei Chuyun's eyelashes trembled slightly: "Then please punish me, young master..."

The next moment, the man kissed her, a brutal punishment fueled by a hint of jealousy.

Pei Chuyun was actually quite happy and tactfully went along with it.

It was a quiet, slightly damp afternoon in late spring. A small pond lay beyond the covered walkway, dragonflies flitting among the tender lotus leaves, rippling the water. The occasional soft chirping of insects and cicadas further enhanced the elegant tranquility of the setting.

Voices could be faintly heard outside the house, adding to the excitement for the adulterous couple.

"Oh, Miss Pei is so beautiful... I can't eat or drink anything."

"Yes, if I could just hold your little hand, I'd be willing to shorten my life by ten years."

Lu Xingzhou's hand reached under Pei Chuyun's clothes.

"Forget about it. Miss Pei comes from a strict family and is very self-respecting. Someone like her can only be married into a powerful clan in the future; she's not a chance for an ordinary person. And touching her hands? Just look at her hands and forget about it."

Pei Chuyun, panting, gently stroked the oars with her small hand.

"That Lu Xingzhou?"

"Lu Xingzhou is unlikely to be the one, after all, he doesn't have a good family background, and the Pei family wouldn't be interested in him."

"Wasn't he supposed to be Huo Shang? Isn't the Huo family considered a good family background?"

"His relationship with the Huo family... even if he were to acknowledge his ancestry one day, the Pei and Huo families would still be enemies, so there's even less chance."

Lu Xingzhou also began to descend, and Pei Chuyun gritted her teeth, unable to contain herself any longer.

"what sound?"

Someone peeked over and saw Ah Nuo standing blankly behind the wall, her hand still on the handle of her wheelchair; the rest of her body was hidden behind the wall and could not be seen.

"Oh, it must be Lu Xingzhou and Miss Pei talking by the pool over there. The child is just standing there watching. Nothing will happen."

In reality, Ah Nuo had already been kicked out and was not allowed to watch. This was actually her holding an empty wheelchair on the other side of the wall, making a human-shaped "under repair" sign.

The intense affair left Pei Chuyun with far less stamina than usual. She quickly slumped against the wall, her eyes vacant, and only managed to stay upright thanks to Lu Xingzhou's strength.

Lu Xingzhou placed his fingers on her lips; they were slightly moist.

Pei Chuyun took a breath and her eyes came to their senses. She gave him a reproachful look before slowly putting her finger in her mouth.

"Are you satisfied now...? Your secret tryst at the Imperial Academy, young master." Pei Chuyun mumbled, her eyes filled with seductive allure.

This was quite a shock to Lu Xingzhou as well; his heart was still pounding: "It's not enough yet. We've only just reached the school building and the pond. We've only scratched the surface..."

Pei Chuyun chuckled: "Then, young master, put in a little more effort. Ayi not only waits for you to have an affair, but also needs your protection... If you can't stand having so many flies around Ayi, please come and shoo them away yourself."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: I'm so tired of reviewing this!
(End of this chapter)