If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

Su Mingli was accompanied by two servants, one carrying his zither and the other carrying his birdcage.

The birdcage was gilded, and a parrot with emerald feathers and a red beak was hopping around inside.

Zhou Ming noticed that there were already quite a few onlookers peeking out from across the street, pointing and whispering about the young master's outfit.

Su Mingli was completely unaware, or more accurately, he clearly enjoyed the gaze, and even casually tapped his palm with his fan.

Just then, Su Mingyue stepped out of the threshold.

Su Mingli's eyes lit up, and with a "snap," he closed the folding fan, pinched the fan ribs with two fingers, and whistled loudly at Su Mingyue.

At the main gate of the Marquis's mansion, in front of the steward, the commander of the guards, a group of maids and servants, and dozens of commoners across the street, the dignified young master of the Yongning Marquis's mansion whistled.

Su Mingyue's expression immediately darkened.

"Mingyue!" Su Mingli, completely oblivious to his own lapse in judgment, tucked his folding fan into his waistband, leaned back in his saddle, propped his chin on one hand, and gave Su Mingyue a smug, up-and-down look.

"Tsk tsk tsk, your outfit is too plain. Don't you have any nice clothes? I'll have my mother send a few more bolts of cloth to your Begonia Garden later."

Before Su Mingyue could answer, he patted the silver bell on the white horse's neck again.

"How about it? Want to ride a horse like your brother? My big black horse was just washed today and is still in its pen. If you want to ride me, have someone bring it out. It's much more comfortable than your suffocating carriage."

Su Mingyue glanced at him expressionlessly and said indifferently:

"No need."

He then walked directly to his carriage, where his maid had already lifted the curtain and was waiting.

Su Mingli, left standing there, wasn't annoyed. Instead, he laughed and turned to his parrot, saying:

"See? My sister's giving me the cold shoulder again."

The parrot hopped around in its cage twice, mimicking in a shrill voice, "Show your face! Show your face!"

The people across the street burst into laughter.

Su Mingli nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly jerked the reins, and the white horse raised its head and neighed, its silver bells jingling.

He waved his fan in one hand at the crowd behind him and called out, "Alright, alright, everyone's here, let's go!"

The group marched through the streets in a grand procession, heading west into the city.

As soon as the Yongning Marquis's entourage entered the street, the merchants and pedestrians along the street quickly made way for them.

The old man selling sugar paintings hurriedly dragged his stall back three feet, the peasant woman carrying a vegetable basket shrank into the alley entrance, and even the tea drinkers on the second floor of the teahouse leaned out halfway to see whose entourage this was.

Zhou Ming followed behind Su Mingyue's carriage, keeping his head down and walking silently.

Behind them followed a group of guards with long swords at their waists and several horse-drawn carts carrying supplies, their wheels making a dull rumbling sound as they rolled over the bluestone slabs.

After leaving the city, the view suddenly opened up.

On both sides of the official road were large tracts of newly turned farmland, with wheat seedlings that had just grown to about half a foot tall, stretching lush green to the horizon.

Zhou Ming looked up and saw that they were not the only family on the official road.

The young masters and ladies from each household also set off from their respective residences.

The convoy slowly gathered outside the city gate, gradually forming a long, winding dragon, and slowly headed west along the official road towards the western mountains.

With more people, the pace of travel naturally slows down.

If the carriage in front slows down a little, the rest of the procession has to stop.

We walked and stopped, stopped and walked, until we finally reached the top of West Mountain, when the sun had already climbed halfway up the sky.

A row of sunshades had already been set up on the top of West Mountain as arranged yesterday.

The sheds of each household are spaced at just the right distance, neither too far apart nor too crowded.

The maids and servants moved among them, opening the food boxes they had brought and placing all sorts of preserved fruits and pastries on the table.

The mountain breeze, which had been sprinkled with realgar and sulfur around the pergola, blew away all traces of mosquitoes.

Zhou Ming and several followers stood behind the shed, facing the cliff, looking down at the western mountains.

The entire city of Yuyang can be seen in its entirety. The bluish-gray city walls gleam faintly in the sunlight, and the moat winds around the city like a silver ribbon.

Further away are layers upon layers of mountains, their pale blue outlines gradually merging into the horizon.

A mountain breeze, carrying the fragrance of flowers, caresses the face, making one feel refreshed and relaxed.

The sounds of poetry and prose from the young masters and ladies of various families drifted over intermittently from behind.

The first to speak was a young lady from an unknown family in the shed on the east side. Her voice was soft and gentle as she recited a seven-character poem about peach blossoms.

Zhou Ming listened carefully. The rhymes were neat and the allusions were appropriate. Although it could not be considered a masterpiece, it would at least not embarrass his family in this kind of situation.

Zhou Ming had some knowledge of these ancient poems. He had memorized a lot of ancient poems during his nine years of compulsory education in his previous life, and with his major in college, he was quite knowledgeable about them.

Then several young masters and ladies recited poems one after another, their skill levels varied, but most were quite decent.

Su Mingyue also composed a poem. When she recited it, her voice was low, her tone was flat, and her words were cold and detached, which was quite like her personality.

The young ladies nearby nodded slightly and exchanged a few words in hushed tones.

Then, Su Mingli stood up.

He snapped open his folding fan and strolled to the front of the pergola, clearing his throat.

Zhou Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he inexplicably felt that something bad was about to happen.

A young gentleman admires peach and apricot blossoms in spring.

The spring breeze warms the flowers and they bloom.

The young master came for a leisurely stroll and spring outing.

The peach blossoms are so beautiful and lovely.

The apricot blossoms are simple and pure, behaving like innocent children.

A group of young ladies lined up in a row.

They vied to praise the flower's color, comparing it to her delicate cheeks.

The young master stared in disbelief.

Looking at flowers is not as good as looking at women's skirts and hairpins.

The entire room fell silent.

Then, someone burst out laughing, and soon the laughter seemed to spread like wildfire, one after another.

The young masters in the shed on the east side were laughing so hard they were doubled over, and they could barely hold their fans.

The young ladies in the western shed covered their faces with round fans, their shoulders trembling as they tried to suppress their laughter, and every now and then a sound could be heard:

"Dirty."

"lecher"

Even some of the attendants and guards couldn't help but cover their mouths and turn their heads away.

Su Mingli, however, was completely unaware. Instead, he quickly closed his folding fan and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the side where the laughter was loudest.

He had a smug look on his face, as if to say, "Please excuse my poor writing skills. You've certainly seen my talent."

Zhou Ming noticed that Su Mingyue's head had been lowered at some point, and the wisps of hair on her forehead covered half of her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

The hand she placed on her lap was tapping lightly with her fingertips, as if she were counting a beat, or as if she was enduring something.

Just as Zhou Ming was mourning for the young lady, an arrow pierced the sky and struck the center of the field.

"Buzz..."

The arrow's tail trembled incessantly, and the once bustling scene instantly fell silent.

All eyes were immediately fixed on the arrow that had suddenly appeared.