Luo Ren helped Mu Dai off the bed and assisted her in putting on her outer garment. She clutched her collar and stood for a moment before saying softly, “I’ll go back first, then.”

As she spoke, the dim yellow light from above cast a glow over her entire body. With her eyes downcast, her figure appeared even more slender, giving her an obedient and delicate appearance.

Luo Ren reached out to hold her back. “Wait, let me embrace you.”

Pulling her into his arms, after their earlier intimacy, holding her now felt somewhat unrestrained. Both physically and emotionally, he wanted to be closer to her. Such a lovable person—he truly wanted to absorb her into his own body.

Mu Dai said softly, “You’re different today.”

Luo Ren chuckled lightly, looking down at her. “Is that so? Different how?”

How was he different?

Previously, she had told him that “between two people, it always feels like something is missing.” What exactly was missing, she couldn’t explain clearly at the time. She found it strange: they seemed like the perfect couple, never arguing or fighting, so what was there to be unsatisfied about?

Now she suddenly understood. Perhaps it was because, from the beginning, he had always kept a layer of distance between them, hiding his true self.

The two never had an equal emotional collision. Perhaps Luo Ren thought she was young and inexperienced, so when dealing with their relationship, he habitually protected her, solved problems for her, let her depend on him, taught her, and guided her.

But he avoided discussing his problems. In front of her, just as with Cao Yanhua and the others, he remained calm, steady, unhurried. He was often affectionate with her, like all couples—embracing, kissing, proper in a way that no one could find fault with.

Yet this evening, due to various triggers, he suddenly lost his composure, seeking from her, finding solace in her. All his emotions—roughness, regret, conflict, self-blame, and love—poured out in this fierce, unexpected collision.

This Luo Ren made her like him, wholeheartedly like him, even more than the previous Luo Xiaodao.

Who wants a perfectly drawn boyfriend who maintains perfect courtesy? She loved how he had been moments ago, with a hint of moisture at the corner of his eyes, wanting her fiercely yet being gentle with her, respecting her, so real it made her heart ache.

She said softly, “But this different Luo Xiaodao—I like him terribly.”

The softest part of Luo Ren’s heart was struck hard.

Before, he had deeply liked Mu Dai, but at this moment—no, from the moment earlier when she closed her eyes and said, “It’s my first time, please be gentle”—he had completely fallen in love with her.

If she were a flower, he would willingly transform his bone marrow and flesh into soil for her to bloom.

Luo Ren lowered his head to kiss her brow and eyes, his tongue tip tracing the contours of her eyes. Mu Dai could barely stand, and as her body softened, his arm supported her waist, pulling her body tighter against his own.

How strange men and women were—he grew hard with desire while she became increasingly soft, dissolving him like water.

This was a girl born just for him.

After their intimate whispers, he couldn’t help but remind her, “If you don’t leave now, you won’t be able to leave tonight.”

Mu Dai laughed lightly, looked up at him, and said, “Which is the real Luo Xiaodao? Actually, in your heart, you’re not that polite to my Senior Brother, are you?”

Luo Ren leaned down to her ear, whispering, “I’ll tell only you I can’t stand how cocky he is. I want to knock out two of his teeth.”

Mu Dai refused to let Luo Ren escort her, insisting on returning to her room alone. That night, with clear winds and a quiet night, she walked very slowly. Sometimes, she would suddenly stop, placing her bare feet to brush against the green grass. The supple grass tips tickled her soles, creating a tingling sensation like those sweet secrets too embarrassing to speak of.

Passing by the triangular waterside pavilion in the back courtyard, she saw Zheng Mingshan still there with an open bottle of white liquor beside him. The subtle scent of alcohol floated in the cold air.

Mu Dai walked over and sat on the steps by the water. She casually picked up a leftover steamed bun, broke off a small piece, dipped it in the alcohol, and tossed it into the water.

The fish in the pond were foolish creatures, rushing forward whenever there was food, mouths moving as they fought over it.

She wondered if they would get drunk. Imagining the next morning with a pond full of intoxicated fish, swaying and bumping into each other as they swam—how amusing that would be.

Zheng Mingshan didn’t stop her mischief, watching the ripples in the water as he softly recited, “One plum blossom, one jar of wine; one lifetime of empty hopes, one moment of drunkenness.”

Mu Dai turned to look at him. “Senior Brother, why does Master always like to recite these two lines?”

“I don’t know.”

“On the way here, Master told me she wanted to drink the Shaodaozi liquor from that distillery at the crossroads in Baoding City from many years ago.”

Zheng Mingshan smiled, though with some helplessness. “When Master traveled around Baoding, she was even younger than you. The crossroads and the distillery are long gone. Where would we find it to buy?”

He continued, “Master has been frequently recalling people and events from the past these days, talking about martial arts training on plum blossom stakes, getting into conflicts with escort guards, and cutting an escort flag pole with one slash—all things from very long ago. She says her time is near. Mu Dai, you need to be mentally prepared. Don’t go around with a mournful face; Master doesn’t like people crying.”

Mu Dai softly responded, “I understand.”

Splash, splash—the water surface bubbled as a fish rose to the surface, searched around, then swam away with a hopeless flick of its tail. The ripples extended into long undulations, like unresolvable melancholy.

“Senior Brother, are there such evil people in this world? Evil beyond imagination?”

“Of course there are. Otherwise, who do you think is locked up in high-security prisons?”

“Have you ever encountered one?”

Zheng Mingshan glanced at her. “I have. Master also encountered some in her early days of wandering. Only you haven’t—in your words, your Auntie Hong cherished you to no end.”

Mu Dai smiled. That was all in the past.

Zheng Mingshan suddenly seemed to recall something, his tone becoming wistful. One year, I met a girl who ran a wonton shop. She was very beautiful. The following year, I passed by that place again and deliberately went back, wanting to eat there again.”

Rarely did her Senior Brother talk about his past. Mu Dai hugged her knees, smiling with deep meaning. “You fell for her?”

“The wonton shop had changed hands. The owner said something had happened to that girl.”

“What happened?”

“After asking around, I learned that the wonton shop had become too busy for her to manage alone, so she brought her younger sister from the countryside. The two sisters fell in love with the same man, but that man was only interested in the older sister. He only invited the older sister to watch movies, eat at restaurants, and stroll the streets.”

Mu Dai grew tense. “Did the younger sister harm her sister out of jealousy?”

Zheng Mingshan nodded. “Do you know what she did?”

“Did she… kill her sister?”

That was the worst conjecture Mu Dai could imagine.

Zheng Mingshan remained silent for a moment.

“The younger sister bought pig feed laced with strong hormones for fattening. For several months, she slowly mixed it into her sister’s food. That girl began to swell up like an inflating balloon, becoming uncontrollably fat.”

“They ate at the same table. Others were fine, so she didn’t think it was a problem with the food. She didn’t think she was sick either; she just thought she was eating too much. So she dieted and tried to lose weight, but it was useless.”

“She became self-conscious about her appearance and cried in her sister’s arms. After comforting her, the sister would serve her food, saying, ‘You still need to eat no matter what.'”

Mu Dai listened, feeling chilled to the bone.

“The man visited less frequently, until finally he stopped coming altogether. Later, the older sister finally grew suspicious and went to the hospital for an examination. They discovered abnormal substances in her body, so she reported it to the police, and the whole matter came to light.”

Mu Dai was stunned. “Could she recover?”

“No recovery was possible. It wasn’t ordinary pig feed—the strong hormones had altered her bone structure and damaged her internal organs. They say when the younger sister was arrested, she shouted at her, ‘We’re sisters by blood, how could you be so heartless as to call the police on me…'”

He patted Mu Dai’s shoulder. “You see, Mu Dai, you never know how the human heart forms. The same water and rice nurture a hundred different kinds of people.”

“This world is like a taiji symbol with the bagua. As much light as there is darkness, as much white as black, as much cleanliness as filth. Don’t think too well of it, but don’t despair either. Where there’s evil, there’s retribution, otherwise, the world would have fallen into chaos long ago.”

He stood up to return to his room. “Sleep early. Tomorrow morning, you need to be at Master’s door to offer the disciple’s tea.”

The next day, Luo Ren woke up early, fully expecting to see “fog,” but surprisingly, there was none. Out of 365 days, it was rare for him to encounter such a clear morning in this town.

Cao Yanhua had risen even earlier and was washing up at the water basin. After a while, he came over with his toothbrush case, his face still wet and not yet dried.

Luo Ren greeted him. “Up so early?”

While answering, he entered his room. “Meeting Grand Master today, need to prepare a bit. First impressions are important…”

Before finishing his sentence, he had already gone inside, but suddenly his head poked out again. “Brother Luo, aren’t you going to spruce yourself up a bit?”

Luo Ren replied, “What’s there to spruce up? Just let things be natural.”

Despite saying this, when washing his face, he couldn’t help but wet his hair to smooth it out. When returning to his room, Cao Yanhua had somehow found a small wooden comb and was standing under the eaves, combing the left and right sides of his hair while looking at his phone’s mirror. He even stretched his head toward Luo Ren, asking, “Brother Luo, check if the part in my hair is straight?”

Luo Ren pushed his head away with one hand.

There seemed to be activity in the back courtyard. Luo Ren strolled over, passed the triangular waterside pavilion, and arrived at the moon gate. Suddenly, his eyes brightened.

He saw Mu Dai dressed in plain white training clothes, modified women’s white satin soft boots, a bright red silk sash around her waist, and her long hair tied high in a ponytail. She was half-kneeling in the center of the courtyard next to a small stove, fanning the fire with a fan in her hand. Water was boiling and bubbling on the stove top as she prepared the disciple’s tea.

She truly looked like a painting—late Qing Dynasty, or perhaps Republican era—spirited and valiant, yet not lacking in gentleness. Luo Ren watched for a long time, seeing her use a cloth to wrap the teapot handle, pour hot water into tea cups and bowls, carefully blow on them, cover them, and place them on saucers. With both hands holding the tray, she walked to the door of the main hall, knelt on a prepared yellow silk cushion, slightly lowered her head, raised the tea bowl to her brow, and kept her back straight, motionless.

Little girl, performing with such precision—isn’t she tired? Luo Ren felt somewhat concerned. Behind him came footsteps; it was Cao Yanhua, unable to contain his curiosity, coming to check the activity. Fearing he might disturb, Luo Ren pushed him back with a circular motion. “Go back, wait until someone calls for you.”

……

It felt like a long wait until the sun had risen high when Zheng Mingshan finally came to summon them.

At last, they met Meihua Jiuniang.

According to Mu Dai, she was already in her eighties, but she looked more than a decade younger. Her white hair was neatly coiled into a bun with a plum blossom hairpin inserted at an angle. With kind eyes and a gentle smile, she sat in a wooden wheelchair with a blue brocade embroidered with phoenixes covering her knees, reaching down to the edge of the wheelchair.

She was lowering her head to gently pour tea from a covered bowl. Mu Dai stood beside her, her expression a mix of sweetness and playfulness. If one didn’t know beforehand, they would truly look like a harmonious grandmother and granddaughter.

Zheng Mingshan lazily walked over, his footsteps tap-tapping, and stood on the other side of the wheelchair.

Mu Dai winked at Luo Ren, then looked at Cao Yanhua. Her fingers at her side were lightly curled, gesturing for him to come forward first.

Me? Cao Yanhua became inexplicably nervous, trembling, barely daring to breathe. He practically shuffled over.

Meihua Jiuniang slightly raised her eyelids, scanning Cao Yanhua from top to bottom, and asked, “Who is this?”

Mu Dai quickly responded, “This is Cao Yanhua, Master. I’ve taken him as my disciple and ask you to review him. If Master doesn’t approve, I won’t mention it again.”

Meihua Jiuniang let out an “oh” sound, placing the tea bowl on the wheelchair tray, and asked, “What are his good qualities?”

Mu Dai had already prepared her answer: “He is honest and lovable, knows how to correct his mistakes, is chivalrous, and has a true man’s passion…”

Is Little Master talking about him? Cao Yanhua was stunned—was he really that good?

Meihua Jiuniang cleared her throat lightly. “Come here.”

Cao Yanhua quickly ascended a few steps, his hands pressed against his sides, standing respectfully.

“Have you ever done anything unconscionable?”

The Master had taught him to be honest, to answer whatever the Grand Master asked.

He gathered his courage: “I used to be a thief… in Chongqing, at Liberation Monument…”

Meihua Jiuniang’s eyelids suddenly flashed, just one glance, but it radiated such intensity that even Luo Ren at the bottom of the steps felt a chill.

Cao Yanhua’s body shuddered, his mind immediately thrown into confusion. Suddenly incoherent, he began to stutter: “But Grand Master, I… I’ve long since reformed and started anew. Master said you hate thieves the most, and that Senior Brother was once a thief and you broke his leg…”

I was a thief? And had my leg been broken?

Zheng Mingshan irritably turned to look at Mu Dai, who turned her face away, pretending not to understand.

Cao Yanhua continued rambling: “But I, I’ve always… aspired toward goodness. After meeting Little Master, I was influenced by that… that quality of the martial lineage, and I never again… Grand Master, you can call the Railway Department to verify, just the other day, I caught a thief on the train, saving dozens of… citizens from losses…”

Meihua Jiuniang made an “mm” sound, then asked, “Times are different now, and martial arts inevitably decline. Why do you want to learn martial arts?”

Tell the truth, the whole truth. Little Master had said Grand Master had piercing insight; if he lied, he’d be thrown out in an instant.

Cao Yanhua fidgeted. “I… I want to be a star, a martial arts star.”

He hurriedly explained: “I’ve wanted to be a hero since I was little, because I thought it was so impressive. I… wanted to learn. The first time I watched a video disc, rented by the villagers, all the children in the village went to see it—a Jackie Chan kung fu movie. There was a scene where he jumped over a wall, so I tried to jump over a wall too, and ended up limping for days…”

Mu Dai smiled at Cao Yanhua. These were things she was hearing for the first time, but she knew they were true. His face was red with embarrassment, but he still tried his best to express himself.

“I thought, if I learned kung fu, I could also become a martial arts star, make big money, gain fame, and promote Chinese martial arts to the world. Little did I know that later, I would stray from the right path. I had forgotten about all this. I never expected to meet my Little Master. I feel this might be what people call destiny, heaven fulfilling my wish…”

His expression was halting, and his heart anxious: he’d heard martial artists were very principled. Would Grand Master find him vulgar for wanting to be a star and make big money?

After a moment of silence, Meihua Jiuniang said, “Come here.”

Come closer? He was already so close—how much closer could he get? Cao Yanhua, confused, climbed two more steps. Suddenly, Meihua Jiuniang extended her hand toward his face. Cao Yanhua instinctively blocked—but her move was only a feint. Abruptly, she grabbed his shoulder, twisted, pushed, and guided him. Cao Yanhua couldn’t stop himself and fell directly down the steps.

Luo Ren watched, unsure of Meihua Jiuniang’s intentions, and didn’t dare extend a hand to help.

Cao Yanhua fell to the ground, opened his mouth, feeling so miserable he almost cried.

Was this a sign of rejection? He had been completely honest.

Meihua Jiuniang’s expression darkened. “Mu Dai has done poorly.”

Mu Dai immediately descended two steps, turned to face Meihua Jiuniang, clasped her hands behind her back, and lowered her head to accept punishment.

“You haven’t taught him any martial arts? How does he not even know the most basic moves?”

Mu Dai replied, “Disciple has been… busy with other matters and neglected this.”

“Being busy allows for neglect? Have you neglected eating and sleeping as well?”

Mu Dai paused before answering, “No.”

“A disciple must understand a disciple’s duties, and a master must know a master’s responsibilities. If you’re busy, you can choose not to take disciples, but once you do, you must teach wholeheartedly. Heaven, earth, sovereign, parent, teacher—ranked fifth among the respected, do you think that’s just for show?”

Why was she scolding Little Master now?

Cao Yanhua quickly got up from the ground. “No, Grand Master, my Little Master did teach me, I’ve been busy too… I… I opened a restaurant, I’ve been busy…”

Meihua Jiuniang smiled.

Her gaze fell on Luo Ren, and she asked, “Who is this?”

Mu Dai blushed, then softly said after a moment, “He’s… my boyfriend.”

With Master, Senior Brother, and disciple all present, saying these words felt quite awkward.

Meihua Jiuniang asked, expressionless, “What are his good qualities?”

What?

Mu Dai hadn’t expected Master to ask this. Should she praise Luo Ren now? Wouldn’t that seem too exaggerated?

She bit her lip, hesitating for a long time before saying, “He… doesn’t have any special qualities. I just… like him, that’s all.”