A raincoat wind and snow to the small garden

Chapter 20 Snowy Villa (Part )

Chapter 20
In the evening, Xiang Xiaoyuan had dinner in the flower hall.

Perhaps because they knew that this young lady was very good at solving cases, which was even recognized by old Mr. Chu Daofu, the servants of the Zheng family unconsciously became more attentive to her.

When Xiang Xiaoyuan came to eat, he found that there were a few more meat dishes on his table that were not usually there. In addition, there was a bowl of sweet and delicious walnut cheese and a plate of soft, glutinous and sweet lotus seed paste rice cake.

Xiang Xiaoyuan accepted the Zheng family's kindness. She took a bite of the soft and fluffy rice cake. Her thoughts drifted away and her eyes were unfocused. She was obviously in a trance.

"Xiang Xiaoyou." Someone suddenly called her.

I turned my head towards the small garden and saw Chu Daofu.

She put down the snack, stood up and saluted: "Junior greets Mr. Chu."

Chu Daofu stroked his goatee and, smiling, lifted himself up and walked towards Xiaoyuan. "Why are you being so polite, young friend? During the examination of the corpse just now, you seemed to be quite skilled. I think you have great skills. I wonder where you learned them from?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan was stunned for a moment, then she thought for a moment and said, "Did he learn books like 'Records of Settling Wrongs', 'Criminal Code', and 'Prescriptions for Eliminating Filth and Saving Life'?"

Seeing her racking her brains with such sincerity on her face, Chu Daofu couldn't help but laugh out loud: "So you're a self-taught young friend, that's really great."

"Senior, your praise is too great. I feel so ashamed to accept it."

Seeing that she was only fourteen or fifteen years old, Chu Daofu saw that she had remained steadfast despite humiliation and remained unfazed by bullying. She possessed a strong character at such a young age. His eyes showed admiration, and his heart rekindled with a sense of cherishing her talent. He said, "The volume 'Plaintiff's Record' you are studying was actually written by me."

Xiang Xiaoyuan was shocked. When she was reading, she was often inspired by the corpse-examination methods in the books. Now that she knew the author of the book was right in front of her, she could hardly hide her excitement. No wonder everyone praised Chu Daofu so much. If his talent and knowledge were so outstanding, he should indeed be admired by the world.

Bowing even deeper to Xiaoyuan, she said shyly, "I'm showing off my skills in front of an old gentleman."

Chu Daofu patted his friend on the shoulder and sighed, "How could it be! When I was your age, I was just a beginner, but you've already achieved so much. It really makes me sigh at the young's achievements."

He hesitated for a moment, then finally got to the point: "Since you are my disciple, I can be considered your half-student. I see that you are truly intelligent, and I would like to take you on as my apprentice. I wonder if you are interested?"

Generally, only apprentices without foundation are brought in by a master. Now that Xiang Xiaoyuan is already capable of standing on his own, Chu Daofu still wants to recruit him as a disciple, which is quite shameless. This is why he hesitated for so long before daring to speak to Xiang Xiaoyuan.

But Xiang Xiaoyuan was a studious child. Now that she heard that a big name among the coroners wanted to take her in as an apprentice, how could she have any reason to refuse?

He poured a cup of tea for Xiaoyuan, lifted his robe and knelt down, then raised the tea bowl above his head and respectfully presented it to Chu Daofu: "Disciple Xiang Xiaoyuan, I pay my respects to the master. The master invites you to have some tea."

Chu Daofu seemed surprised by Xiang Xiaoyuan's decisiveness and efficiency. He was overjoyed to see his favored apprentice become his disciple in the blink of an eye. He also felt a sense of pride in his years of autopsy experience. Without his experience and accomplishments, Xiang Xiaoyuan probably wouldn't have been so convinced of his mastership.

Chu Daofu took the tea and drank it all in one gulp.

He sighed repeatedly, "Great, truly great. Right now, we're at the Zheng family mansion, so it's inconvenient for you and me to open a jar and drink freely. When we get down the mountain tomorrow, I'll definitely invite you over for a drink, and I'll also ask your master's wife to cook you some home-cooked food. My wife is a superb cook, and her tofu and fish soup is truly exceptional. Even my taciturn eldest disciple praises it highly."

Xiang Xiaoyuan nodded repeatedly. After hearing him talk about his eldest disciple, he became curious: "Master, do you have other disciples?"

Chu Daofu smiled and said, "I have only accepted two disciples in my life. One was your senior brother, and the other was you. However, my eldest disciple did not like the art of examining corpses. When he first started, he followed my wife. He learned swordsmanship from your senior sister."

When Chu Daofu was young, he also had a romantic past. His wife was the famous Lady Duanxue.

Madam Duanxue learned from the Feixue Palace in Tianshan. She wields the Mingyue Sword to perfection. She is as graceful as a startled swan and as elegant as a swimming dragon. When the sword strikes, it can break rain and snow. Its speed and power are so strong that it is unstoppable.

According to legend, Lady Duanxue died in a battle to support the border threat of Wei State, but in fact she was saved by Chu Daofu. In order to avoid being hunted down by her enemies, Lady Duanxue changed her name to Duan Xue. She married Chu Daofu and lived in the capital for forty years.

Chu Daofu naturally would not reveal his wife's background, but he was sincere in accepting disciples, and he also hoped that his only two disciples could get close to each other, support each other, and take care of each other.

Chu Daofu waved to Xiaoyuan and said, "Xiaoyuan, come here. I will take you to meet some people."

Xiang Xiaoyuan thought her master was taking her to meet colleagues from the Ministry of Justice, so she brushed the dirt off her knees and followed obediently.

The news that Chu Daofu accepted a disciple in public spread like wildfire.

While everyone envied Xiang Xiaoyuan for having such good fortune, they couldn't help but feel that Chu Daofu was indeed protective of his own people. He deliberately accepted disciples in the crowded dining hall, clearly wanting to tell those officials that Xiang the coroner of Xuanqisi would be his last disciple in the future, and that the officials of the Three Law Departments who respected Mr. Chu would have to give him some face and treat Xiang Xiaoyuan well.

Xiang Xiaoyuan followed Chu Daofu all the way to the side courtyard.

She saw Chu Daofu take out a silver whistle and blow it into the air. Soon, a night owl flew over in the wind and snow.

The black owl is also called a night owl because its head resembles a raccoon. This bird has a loud voice, and its cries at night sound like the howling of a ghost. When Xiang Xiaoyuan lived in the countryside, he was often woken up by night owls in the middle of the night, which was very annoying.

Unexpectedly, Chu Daofu had tamed a black owl as a falcon. On second thought, Xiang Xiaoyuan felt it was a good idea. An owl was much smaller, and its claws wouldn't pierce the flesh. It was better than the falcon that had injured Huaiyu last time.

She should find time to raise one too.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was thinking about Huaiyu, but when he looked up, he saw him standing in the corridor more than ten feet away.

Before Xiang Xiaoyuan could even open her mouth, Chu Daofu called out with a smile, "Huai Yu, come and meet Junior Sister."

Xiang Xiaoyuan widened her eyes in surprise. Huaiyu was the eldest disciple?

When the young man heard the cry, he turned the green ghost mask to look at the little girl. His pair of phoenix eyes were black and clear, looking at her from afar through the misty snowy sky.

He moved his body as the sound came, but with the strength of his toes, his thin and slender figure flew up lightly and leaped in front of Xiaoyuan.

Along with it came the unique orchid fragrance of Huaiyu.

The young man stood up and his tall figure approached Xiaoyuan.

The ends of Huaiyu's thick black hair were stained with a little snow, flowing over her shoulders and slightly drooping, almost touching Xiang Xiaoyuan's long eyelashes.

He had a very cold air about him, and there was no smile at the corners of his eyes, which made him look even more aloof and inoffensive.

Xiang Xiaoyuan wasn't afraid of him, she just smiled with her beautiful eyes and called him, "Big Brother."

Huai Yu was stunned.

He didn't expect that Xiang Xiaoyuan was so good at climbing up the pole.

The young man was silent for a moment, but still responded softly: "Junior Sister."

Seeing that they were all familiar with each other, Chu Daofu said with a smile, "Huai Yu is a secret guard of the Xuan Qi Division. I believe he has met Xiao Yuan several times. I still need to re-examine the body of Zheng Jia Silang, so I won't tell you now."

"Huai Yu, when you come down the mountain someday, remember to bring your junior sister home for dinner. I'll ask your junior sister to make tofu and fish soup."

Huaiyu readily answered, "Yes."

After Chu Daofu left, he asked Xiaoyuan, "Brother, did you learn swordsmanship from your master's wife?"

Huai Yu raised his eyelids slightly and said coldly: "Master even told you this?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan didn't care about her senior's cold reception. She asked again noisily, "Can I learn?"

"Why do you want to learn swordsmanship?" "I want to use it for self-defense." Xiang Xiaoyuan touched the tip of his nose. "Back on the ferry, I was held hostage and in imminent danger. If I had some martial arts skills, perhaps I wouldn't be so vulnerable."

The most important thing is, if she wants to assassinate the emperor in the future, how can she succeed without martial arts? She must learn some. Even if she can't be as strong as Huai Yu, at least she won't have to struggle to kill a person.

Huaiyu didn't know what she was planning, she just thought Xiang Xiaoyuan was ambitious.

He remained silent for a long time before saying, "Master's swordsmanship cannot be passed on to outsiders. If you want to learn, go ask her for guidance."

He bowed his head in disappointment to Xiaoyuan.

Huai Yu pursed his lips and continued, "But I can teach you a few basic techniques, such as how to cultivate a martial artist's inner strength and accumulate internal energy. With this internal energy, you can boost your swordsmanship and sword moves, and when you fight, you will be unstoppable and your sword moves will be sharp."

Xiang Xiaoyuan suddenly understood: "No wonder when I wield a knife, I rely solely on my skillful strength, without any of the sharp sword wind of a swordsman's attack. It turns out that you all have internal energy to assist you, so you can even use the soft sword with ease, using it to kill and defend yourself."

Huai Yu looked at her body and bones and thought she was not of extraordinary physique, but could only be called mediocre. However, she had a clear mind and did not worry too much while practicing martial arts, which would cause her to suffer from nightmares. She was a suitable body for practicing martial arts.

Huaiyu didn't stop him. He took a step into the house and tacitly allowed Xiaoyuan to enter the guest room where he was staying.

When Xiang Xiaoyuan saw this, she knew that Huaiyu could introduce her to the sect today.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was eager to try. She affectionately called him "Senior Brother" and kept saying, "What should we do? Should we meditate? Will you give me Qi? Or like in the storybooks, will you open up my Ren and Du meridians for me and pass on your martial arts to me..."

Huai Yu was stunned by her question. He hesitated for a long time before speaking slowly, "What are you talking about? Practicing martial arts is not cultivating immortality, so how can it be passed on to you? At most, I can teach you how to concentrate your internal energy and how to circulate the skills through your meridians. Only then can you hold the knife more steadily and use your sword power more effectively."

Xiang Xiaoyuan didn't expect that people who practiced martial arts would be so mediocre, and his face was full of disappointment.

Huaiyu was a little depressed and didn't bother to pay attention to her.

The young man taught him to sit in meditation and regulate his breathing in the small garden.

Because he was teaching Xiang Xiaoyuan martial arts, Huai Yu did not practice. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the ground, face to face with Xiang Xiaoyuan, and taught her orally and mentally how to control her luck.

"Heaven and earth merge into one, all paths trace back to the body, Qi flows through the Dantian on the sea of ​​marrow, and then through the Dantian in the heart fire..."

When Xiang Xiaoyuan heard this, she slowly opened her eyes. She looked confused and asked in a low voice, "Brother, where is the Dantian?"

Huai Yu was speechless for a moment.

He thought for a while, then stood up and walked behind Xiang Xiaoyuan.

The young man knelt on one knee, his knuckles lightly touching the back of Xiang Xiaoyuan's head, and whispered a warning: "Close your eyes and concentrate. Don't be distracted when regulating your breathing, or you may become confused and go astray."

Xiang Xiaoyuan closed her eyes as advised, and the surroundings fell into darkness and chaos. She listened to Huaiyu's whispers and followed his guidance to meditate. She seemed to really see a ball of burning fire pouring from her brain and wandering along her limbs. A surging air flow started from the back of her neck and went all the way down.

What Xiang Xiaoyuan didn't know was that Huai Yu was indeed mobilizing his internal energy and teaching her how to regulate her breathing.

The boy's fingertips were no longer as cold as snow, but were slightly warm. His rough, calloused fingers pressed against the back of her head, brushing through her hair and causing a subtle itch.

Xiang Xiaoyuan understood that Huaiyu's mistake was unintentional. He was concentrating on teaching her how to accumulate internal strength and learn martial arts. But when Huaiyu pressed his fingers on her tailbone and pressed her sensitive area with a little more force, Xiang Xiaoyuan still shuddered uncontrollably.

She suddenly trembled, her waist shrank forward, and she dodged Huai Yu's touch in embarrassment.

The young man realized that Xiang Xiaoyuan was feeling uncomfortable, and he quickly withdrew his hand as if he had just woken up from a dream.

Huaiyu was about to stand up when Xiang Xiaoyuan suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Senior brother."

The girl called him, and her soft palm wrapped around his wrist, covering Huaiyu's well-proportioned arm bone.

Xiang Xiaoyuan pulled him forward and taught him to put his palms back on his back.

This time, the warm palm pressed against the girl's slender waist.

Huai Yufeng's eyes suddenly shrank, her cervical vertebrae tensed into a pale line, and even her knuckles were curled stiffly.

He was always aloof and reserved, but at this moment, he couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes: "Xiang Xiaoyuan..."

Before Huaiyu could speak, Xiang Xiaoyuan blinked innocently and said gently, "I was hiding from you just now, but it was just a subconscious desire to avoid you, not because I was uncomfortable. If you want to teach me more, you can do it again. I promise I won't move."

She spoke with conviction and was resolute in her vows.

But Huaiyu's hand was pinned behind her back, unable to be pulled away. Her palm pressed against hers, a gentle warmth rising from her, like a simmering charcoal fire, or like a red lotus from hell, incredibly hot.

Huai Yu pulled his hand back with all his strength. He lowered his eyes, suppressed his surprise, and said calmly, "I have already taught you the method of gathering energy and regulating your breathing. Just meditate for an incense stick every day before going to bed. Later, if I see a suitable sword technique, I will teach you other techniques."

"Okay." Xiang Xiaoyuan said happily.

"Also..." Huai Yu said to her before leaving, "The world doesn't know the relationship between my master and me. Unless forced by the situation, don't tell outsiders about this."

Xiang Xiaoyuan asked, "So, can I not call you 'Senior Brother' when we're out in public?"

Huai Yu thought carefully and said, "As for 'Senior Brother', fellow disciples of Xuanqi Division already call each other Brothers and Sisters. It's up to you to call them that."

Xiang Xiaoyuan heard this and immediately shouted, "Okay, Senior Brother Huaiyu!"

Huai Yu: “…”

If she wanted to shout, she should at least not in his room. If someone heard it, although Huaiyu's secret keeping of a woman would not lead to any dire consequences, he would still be criticized and ridiculed behind his back.

He ignored Xiang Xiaoyuan, opened the door and pushed her back.

Xiang Xiaoyuan left reluctantly.

Huai Yu stepped onto the roof and walked all the way to the crown prince's courtyard.

With Huai Yu's identity, he should have been free from all worries and not recognize any relatives. Now he has a fellow sister, and he doesn't know what to do with her.

For some reason, he suddenly thought of Xiang Xiaoyuan's face and her bright and clear almond eyes.

Xiang Xiaoyuan trusted Huaiyu and was not on guard against him.

If one day Huaiyu disappears, will Xiang Xiaoyuan cry?

Huaiyu was distracted for a while.

He thought, probably.

(End of this chapter)