Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

The master and apprentice sat side by side on the rooftop watching the snow.

Snowflakes landed on the shoulders and hair of the master and apprentice, melting into tiny water droplets from their body heat.

Qin Ji exhaled, watching the white mist dissipate in the cold wind, and casually asked, "Aren't you going to give me a lesson today?"

Jiang Jibai was surprisingly easy to talk to. "Look at you, you're the birthday boy, so you're in charge today."

If only this poison master were always this easy to talk to.

"Will you agree to whatever I say today?"

Jiang Jibai turned his head to the side. A crystal snowflake clung to the boy's eyelashes. His face held a mix of casualness, ease, and ambiguity, making it impossible to tell whether he was joking or serious. "Tell me about it."

"On every birthday from now on..." The moment their eyes met, Qin Ji suddenly didn't want to say the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

No matter how many promises are made under false pretenses, they can never put his mind at ease; and no matter how beautiful the scenery built on a mirage is, it is just an illusion.

Rather than pinning your hopes on empty vows, it's better to weave a tight net with a burning heart, so that Jiang Jibai will remember his goodness, unable to break free or let go.

Qin Ji lifted the tightly closed cloak slightly, grabbed Jiang Jibai's somewhat stiff fingers, and generously placed them on the warm hand warmer.

The warmth from the hand warmer flowed continuously from his palms, and the little disciple's expression was like that of a wealthy landowner who had generously given away a few plots of land, his face practically screaming, "You've made a fortune, aren't you grateful?"

A smile had appeared on Jiang Jibai's face without him noticing, and he seemed to want to pat his youngest disciple's head. "For every birthday from now on... how about it?"

Qin Ji stammered, "Could you perform #￥@% for me?"

Jiang Jibai didn't hear him clearly, "Perform what?"

"Breaking bricks with bare hands." Qin Ji repeated clearly, and fearing that he might not have heard clearly, he added an explanation, "You are so strong, you must be very good at breaking bricks, right? It just so happens that I don't need to hire a troupe of acrobats for my birthday banquet."

Jiang Jibai: "..."

Qin Ji continued his rambling, "I'd rather go through fire and water, or break rocks on my chest, I'm not picky."

After being teased by his junior disciple, Jiang Jibai didn't press the matter further. He suddenly smiled and said, "You do have a skill that I can demonstrate for you."

"What?" Qin Ji sat up straight, alert.

"Iron Palm".

"There's nothing much to see in this snow, I'm leaving now." Qin Ji patted his backside, preparing to slip away.

Jiang Jibai took the opportunity to grab his wrist, "Accompany your teacher to watch the snow for a while longer."

Qin Ji and Jiang Jibai stared at each other for a few seconds, and after a moment, Qin Ji gave in and sat down next to Jiang Jibai again, carrying a hand warmer.

The snow was quite heavy; in just a short while, the tiles of the neighboring houses were covered with a thin layer of white, and the hair of the master and apprentice was also covered with many glistening snowflakes.

Jiang Jibai's voice was like a wisp of wine fragrance in the snow, clear and cool with a hint of warmth. "You're not in a good mood today. If you'd like, you can talk to me about what's on your mind. Maybe it will make you feel better."

When sadness accumulates to a certain degree, often just a word of concern is enough to make the emotions overflow.

Over the years, Qin Ji built a long dike and reinforced his heart, thinking that he had been able to keep the tide of emotions completely contained and cultivate the ability to not show his joy, anger, sorrow and happiness. However, a single sentence from the Poison Master opened a crack in his heart.

The tide seeped through the cracks, turning into mist that lingered persistently in my eyes.

Qin Ji blinked hard, trying to clear the mist from his eyes, surprise on his face. "Why would you say that?"

Even though it was his birthday, the person who was most afraid of rattan canes entered the room and silently slammed a rattan cane on his table.

Normally, even if a junior disciple makes a mistake, he will try to explain it in detail.

Today, however, he didn't offer a single word of explanation, but directly admitted his mistake and asked for punishment.

If he wasn't filled with remorse, how could he have done such a thing?

Later, he deliberately picked fights time and time again, making nonsensical jokes. The apprentice tried his best to hide his unusual emotions, but the more he did so, the more strange he seemed, and the deeper Jiang Jibai's pity for him became.

He had already heard a little about his young disciple's family situation, and he had also heard his young disciple recite the memorial from the Sichuan Provincial Governor to His Majesty word for word.

Bian Feibai's mother died in childbirth, and his birthday is also the anniversary of his mother's death.

"Feibai, your mother's departure wasn't your fault. She loved you so much, she certainly wouldn't want you to live with self-blame and guilt forever." Jiang Jibai gently brushed the snow off Qin Ji's hair, then placed it on his head. The warmth of his palm was even greater than a hand warmer. "If she were alive, she would be so pleased to see you grow up like this."

Qin Ji then realized what Jiang Jibai had misunderstood, but this misunderstanding inadvertently provided the perfect explanation for his somewhat unusual behavior today.

Because of his guilt towards his mother, he went to Jiang Jibai on his birthday and asked to be beaten.

Because it was the anniversary of his mother's death, he still felt somewhat down despite receiving Jiang Jibai's birthday gift and couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

Because it was the anniversary of his mother's death, he no longer needed to pretend and could let himself show his guilt and sadness.

Qin Ji lowered his eyes, avoiding Jiang Jibai's gaze, his voice low and hoarse, "But I didn't even say hello, and I made you wait for three hours."

"It's perfectly fine to do it occasionally."

"That's not what you said at the beginning."

"I didn't understand you well enough back then, and I was too arbitrary. I apologize to you, teacher." Jiang Jibai looked at the boy with his head down and said in a gentle voice, "You've been quite self-disciplined. There must have been another reason why you didn't send a message to me in time when you were in the palace."

Jiang Jibai sighed, "If you don't want to tell me the truth, you can just say so. There's no need to say something irrelevant to confuse the issue and make the teacher feel wronged."

You'll understand once you get to know them.

Bian Feibai always listened attentively to his lectures, never even letting his mind wander. He was also incredibly dedicated to his work, working tirelessly day and night, and his demands on himself were almost harsh.

How could such a self-disciplined person skip class for no reason?

This morning, things mostly happened for a reason.

The reason he didn't send a message back then was because he only saw Jiang Jibai as a henchman and didn't take him seriously. There was no hidden reason that Jiang Jibai mentioned. Qin Ji's throat moved, feeling a little choked up. "I was in a bad mood today and took it out on Xiaozao, who kindly wished me a happy birthday. I made him suffer again. I'm an incompetent older brother."

"If you've wronged him, apologize properly and make amends. Xiaozao is a good child; he'll understand."

"You're thinking about Xiaozao's future, hoping he'll become my apprentice; knowing he likes mechanics and divination, you'll build him a workshop. Compared to many others, you've done a great job as an older brother." Jiang Jibai sighed. "No one is perfect. Everyone has moments when they're swayed by their emotions. Even I, when teaching you all, constantly make mistakes and occasionally make you feel wronged. Past mistakes are already made; the important thing is to correct them in time and not perpetuate them."

"Feibai, aren't you being a little too hard on yourself?"