Zheng Xiao Mistake: The Mistake of Rebirth Provoked the Cold Master

Ji Ying took Zhu Zheng to the side room, and Li Shu followed behind in silence all the way.

Although Yutian Temple is on the top of Chengxu Mountain, it does not feel cold and there is no trace of snow along the way.

Zhu Zheng found it strange, "Why is there no snow here?"

"There is a large hot spring flowing through the back mountain, and the rock slabs on the top of the mountain have been scalded to a temperature." Ji Ying said proudly, "The temple is blessed with the energy of the heaven, and it is like spring all year round, so it is named Yutian Temple."

It is indeed a place of great blessings.

Not to mention the snow-capped mountains in the northern border, I haven't seen such spring scenery in Shengjing for a long time. The bluestone-paved path is full of flowers, and the breeze brings bursts of rich fragrance.

Amid the dazzling array of flowers, a withered tree stands out.

Ji Ying saw Zhu Zheng stop in front of the tree and took the initiative to explain, "All the flowers in the temple were transplanted by Senior Brother. Only this red sand plum tree did not survive. Perhaps it was because the temple was too warm."

"Then why didn't you cut it down?" Zhu Zheng asked.

After all, they are all dry.

"My senior brother loves plum blossoms the most, and he spent a lot of effort to replant this tree." Ji Ying explained, "This plum tree became lively at one point, and even had a few flower buds. My senior brother regarded it as very precious. One day when I was on night duty, I came out of the dormitory in the middle of the night and saw my senior brother guarding here."

"Did the flowers bloom in the end?" Zhu Zheng asked.

"No." Jiying shook her head, "The bud has fallen off."

The withered plum tree stood quietly among the flowers, all alone.

Zhu Zheng stood in front of the tree, and a young man who was guarding all night and waiting for the flowers to bloom seemed to appear before her eyes.

How did he feel at that time? Lost, sad, or accepting that things didn't go as planned...

Zhu Zheng stood there for a long while before moving away and continuing to move forward.

At the corner, there stands a huge bluestone slab with a picture of two cranes holding plum blossoms engraved on it.

Two cranes, one in front and one behind, are sketched with just a few freehand strokes, and their light and graceful postures come to life.

Zhu Zheng felt that the brushstrokes looked familiar. "Is this slate painting from the hand of your senior brother?"

"Miss Zheng has a good eye." Ji Ying smiled and pointed forward, "This was carved by my senior brother when he was chiseling the stone steps for the renovation of Yutian Temple. We thought it would be a pity to step on them, so we stood them up and placed them on the side of the road."

Zhu Zheng raised her head and looked forward, and sure enough, she saw a row of bluestone slabs standing on the roadside on both sides. It was obvious that they were carefully cared for, and there was not a speck of moss on them.

Someone discovered his senior brother's masterpiece, and Ji Ying was so happy that he introduced it along the way like a treasure.

The paintings on the slate are varied, ranging from sparrows and butterflies to tigers, leopards and blue dragons. The brushstrokes are vigorous and elegant, and they reflect the style of the people who painted them.

Walking along this unpaved stone road, you will reach the bamboo hut where the wing rooms are located.

As soon as she pushed the door open and walked into the yard, a snow-white bird flew towards her, flapping its wings and scaring Zhu Zheng.

"Xiaoxiao, don't be rude." Ji Ying shouted.

The bird named Xiaoxiao chirped, pecked Zhu Zheng's earring, and then snuggled into Zhu Zheng's arms.

"You are quite good at recognizing people." Ji Ying patted its head. "This is what our senior brother found in the cave. He saved it and gave it a name."

As expected, it’s the eldest senior brother again.

Zhu Zheng touched the soft neck feathers of the snow swan and asked, "He named it Xiaoxiao?"

Ji Ying nodded. "Yes, Xiaoxiao used to follow my brother when eating and sleeping. After my brother went down the mountain, he entrusted me to take care of him. But he didn't eat or drink for quite a while."

The sun had almost set, and the bamboo hut was immersed in the hazy twilight.

Zhu Zheng held the sleeping snow swan in her arms and even felt like she was in a dream.

In the dream, the Grand Tutor would wait for the red sand plum to bloom, draw cats and tigers on the bluestone slabs, and name the little snow swan Xiaoxiao...

A little strange, yet a little elusive in its familiarity...

The short journey to the wing room, step by step, seemed to accompany the little boy as he grew up, showing how deeply he loved this place.

It turns out that he was not born to be so calm and indifferent.

This sense of being a bystander made Zhu Zheng suddenly feel inexplicably painful. She stood here and looked back for him, imagining how he slowly walked away from here, until he was so far away that there was no familiar person around him anymore.

"When did he leave here?" Zhu Zheng asked softly.

"Ten years ago." Ji Ying replied, "Since the eldest brother left the mountain, he has never come back. Uncle Shi misses him every day."

Ten years is enough to erase any trace.

But here it seems as if time has stopped.

Zhu Zheng lowered her eyelashes, "Do you all miss him very much?"

"Of course! The eldest brother is the first disciple of Yutian Temple. He personally rebuilt every brick and every tile, every blade of grass and every tree here, which led to the establishment of us later." Ji Ying said sincerely and emotionally, "I'm not afraid of Miss Zheng laughing at me. We are all orphans picked up by the master. We all regard the temple as our home."

"Without the eldest brother, there would be no family."

"It's a pity that Senior Brother is so heartless." Ji Ying's tone became low, "He left for ten years without any news, and he never thought about us."

The night is gathering and the waxing moon is rising.

Zhu Zheng looked at the Yutian Temple with its white walls and green eaves, and thought of a place called "Chengyi Hall" in the palace, where there was a piece of green tile in the incense niche.

Turns out it came from here.

"Yes." Zhu Zheng was silent for a moment, "Of course he misses you too."

"Did Senior Brother tell you this in person?"

Ji Ying immediately asked, and even Li Shu who was standing beside him came over.

Zhu Zheng looked at the two expectant faces, as if waiting for a very important answer.

She nodded.

The two of them were indeed happy, even Li Shu, who had been silent all the way, laughed so hard that only a slit remained in his eyes.

Zhu Zheng also started laughing.

In Shengjing, he is Rong Yan, who can call the wind and rain, the Grand Tutor who can cover the sky with one hand, and the star of fortune-telling who is praised in the streets and alleys. But here, he is just a mortal, just a senior brother called Cheng Yi.

There are so many people looking forward to the return of our senior brother.

How could he not think about it? He is not made of stone.

Then why did he leave this place...

Before Zhu Zheng could continue asking, Li Shu's expression suddenly changed.

"Why is He Ling here with you?"

What is Crane Bell?

Zhu Zheng followed his gaze and looked down at her waist, and saw the silver bell with a crane pattern that Rong Yan had given her, which she had casually hung on the jade pendant.

"This was given to me by your senior brother." Zhu Zheng answered honestly, "I forgot to return it to him."

Li Shu said with a straight face, "Then return it quickly."

Ji Ying pushed Li Shu vigorously, "What does this have to do with you?"

Although Li Shu spoke very little, he never concealed his hostility towards her.

Zhu Zheng didn't take it seriously, she just thought it was funny and asked, "Is this bell important?"

"Very important!" Li Shu raised his voice.

Ji Ying was so anxious that she stood on tiptoe to cover his mouth and smiled at Zhu Zheng with a guilty look on her face.

"This is what Uncle Chongming left for me, so of course I'll let you do whatever you want with it."

Rong Yan gave it casually at the time, and Zhu Zheng thought it was just an ordinary beautiful object, but she didn't expect it to be an important gift.

"Who is Master Chongming?" Zhu Zheng asked.

"He is Master's senior brother, and Senior Brother's master." Ji Ying replied.

Zhu Zheng was nearly confused and had to go over it in her mind for several times before she finally figured it out.

"Where is Master Chongming now?"

Why didn’t you come out to greet your disciple who I haven’t seen for ten years?