Indeed, Wu Tong opened the notice and, clutching the drawing of Little Silver Flower that Yu Sifeng had given him, set off confidently with his sleeves filled with the Rice Cakes that Little Silver Flower adored.
Yu Sifeng and Zhong Minyan watched him go off into the distance, immediately shut the door, and stealthily took a shortcut to the back mountain.
Linglong and Xuanji had been hiding in the bushes waiting to watch the action unfold and, seeing the two arriving, quickly waved to signal them to keep quiet.
The four squeezed into the bushes, their eyes peeking out, intently watching the trap.
After a short while, a glint of silver flashed in front of them, and Little Silver Flower, quick as lightning, dived down from the tip of the grass and roamed tirelessly around the trap.
Soon after, Wu Tong ambled over. Spotting Little Silver Flower moving on the ground, he delightedly pulled out the drawing from his bosom, comparing it intently for a long time as though to confirm it was indeed Little Silver Flower. He then crouched down and slowly took out some Rice Cakes from his sleeve, tossing two towards it.
When Little Silver Flower smelled the aroma of its favorite Rice Cakes, it swam over without hesitation and unceremoniously swallowed them whole. Wu Tong, overjoyed, threw another couple, this time a bit nearer.
Without suspecting anything, Little Silver Flower swam over and gulped them down again.
Wu Tong tossed another two.
"So he's trying to lure Little Silver Flower over there..." Linglong whispered into Zhong Minyan's ear.
He nodded, "Too cunning... What if it doesn't go over there?"
Yu Sifeng shook his head, "It won't, don't worry."
True enough, this time the Rice Cakes Wu Tong tossed received a cold reception. Little Silver Flower seemed to sense someone's presence, becoming alert suddenly and retreating back swiftly like an arrow, only circling around the trap. Despite Wu Tong's attempts to throw more Rice Cakes, it was no longer fooled.
"Stupid beast..." Wu Tong cursed softly, resigned to pocket the remaining Rice Cakes and quietly stood up.
Looking around to ensure no one was around, he gently powered himself up with a light tap of his right foot on the ground and spread his arms, his whole body floating up, flying up like a startled wild goose.
Seeing his graceful form, Yu Sifeng couldn't help but praise, "Great skills!"
As the words left his mouth, Wu Tong lightly landed at the edge of the trap, stepping forward quickly with lightning-fast movements, seemingly about to capture Little Silver Flower.
But though he was fast, Little Silver Flower was faster. With a shiver of its body, it retreated sharply by four or five feet. Wu Tong's attempt missed, forcing him to move forward two steps. Right then, he stepped onto the center of the trap, unaware of it, and as he reached out to capture again, suddenly felt a void under his foot, plunging downward involuntarily.
Startled, his left hand quickly grabbed a handful of grass, and his feet pushed off against the trap's walls, allowing him to float up lightly once again, miraculously avoiding falling in!
"Too bad!" Zhong Minyan let out softly.
Xuanji slightly smiled, "Not necessarily, look, he's caught!"
Before her words finished, a cry of alarm came from Wu Tong as he was suddenly yanked up by something, hanging upside down between the branches, flailing his arms wildly, his sleeve's Rice Cakes scattering all over the ground, delightedly eaten by Little Silver Flower below.
"There's a trap?! There's a trap!" he shouted.
It turned out that Yu Sifeng, fearing one trap was insufficient to contain him, had hidden ropes around the trap area. Once Wu Tong jumped as the trap collapsed, he was bound to step into the concealed ropes, promptly getting his feet tied and suspended from a tree, making it not so easy for him to come down.
"Haha, it worked! It worked!" Linglong's face flushed with excitement, unable to contain herself, really wanting to rush over and scold him to vent her anger.
Zhong Minyan quickly grabbed her, "Going out now would spoil all our efforts! We absolutely can't let him know it was us! Come on, let's go back!"
Linglong laughed heartily at Wu Tong's disheveled appearance, elated, hooking onto Zhong Minyan's neck, clinging onto him as she repeatedly exclaimed, "We are geniuses! Geniuses!"
"Yes, yes, Miss Genius." Zhong Minyan was momentarily spirited, hoisting Linglong onto his back and running back swiftly, which made Linglong chuckle gleefully, and soon they had run off into the distance.
Xuanji squatted by Yu Sifeng, speaking softly, "Little Silver Flower is fine, right? Will it come back?"
He nodded with a smile, and they both walked back, saying, "Tonight, it will, on its own, come back, don't worry, ordinary people, can't capture, it."
Xuanji smiled, "Si Feng is really amazing, seems to know a lot, and understands tactics too."
His face reddened, he muttered, "Not, not really!"
Xuanji, scraping his face playfully, chuckled, "Just like the Central Plains speech, not really good at it! Not, not really!"
She mimicked his tone, and it was quite similar.
Yu Sifeng's face reddened even more. After a while, he suddenly sighed softly and whispered, "After the Flower Pinning Conference ends, I have to go back."
"Can't you come out again in the future? By the way, is your master still going to punish you?" Xuanji remembered that quirky Palace Master and felt uneasy.
He softly said, "I can still come out. But it will be a long time. My master hasn't punished me. And he won't in the future either. Don't worry."
Xuanji nodded, "That's good. Si Feng, you should come and visit us more often. You're welcome anytime."
His lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't speak. He just smiled softly and nodded in agreement.
"As long as you don't forget me," he raised his hand, gently removing a stray blade of grass tangled in her hair, "we will definitely see each other again in the future."
How far in the future? They had said they wanted to be lifelong friends. Was lifetime meant to be a time for parting?
Xuanji silently watched him. Under the sunlight, the young man's face was as pale as fresh snow, his eyes narrow and deep, quietly looking at her, only at her.
The whispering wind, the swaying grass, the dazzling blue sky and white clouds, he looked at none of these.
His whole world was focused only on her.
A tremor involuntarily ran through her heart, and she forgot what she wanted to say.
Yet the young man simply smiled softly and said, "Let's go back. The Flower Pinning Conference still has several days to go."
She silently nodded, but a corner of her heart softly sighed, light as raindrops on peach blossoms, quickly disappearing.
Xuanji held on to his sleeve, not wanting to let go, and they slowly walked back together.
Suddenly, a gust of wind pushed her forward involuntarily, scattering wild grass and leaves all around.
She turned and laughed, "Look, it's like it's raining!"
As her words fell, she suddenly saw a large rock behind her and what seemed to be someone standing next to it, dressed in white with black hair, wearing a white veil over their head.
She paused, feeling a sense of familiarity but couldn't remember where she had seen this person.
That person seemed to be saying something, but the person across from them was blocked by the large rock, so she couldn't see.
She seemed to be saying something exciting, trembling all over, and suddenly couldn't help herself, spreading her arms to embrace the person across from her tightly. Another gust of wind came, blowing her white veil open to reveal lips red and luscious and a chin smooth as jade.
Xuanji felt as if electrocuted, suddenly recalling this person as Lady Dongfang, the great beauty Linglong had talked about.
Who was she talking to? Who was she embracing?
Could it be that Lady Dongfang and her husband were hiding here to have a romantic affair?
Xuanji thought it inappropriate to look any longer and was about to turn around when suddenly both people emerged from behind the rock, both in white, one delicate and the other tall. The two were intertwined when Lady Dongfang suddenly tilted her head back, gently lifted her veil, and softly pressed her lips against those of the person across from her.
"Ah!" Xuanji couldn't help but exclaim.
It wasn't the Dongfang Island Master! She was kissing the housekeeper from Fuyu Island!
She was stunned, her mind in chaos, temporarily unable to recall whether to call it an affair or adultery.
Yu Sifeng, seeing her shock, couldn't help but smile and said, "What did you see?"
He turned around and naturally saw the two intimate figures. His expression changed drastically immediately, and he hurriedly pulled Xuanji to turn around and walk away, whispering, "Don't look! Let's go quickly! Otherwise, it'll be troublesome!"
He kept pulling her until they reached his room. Zhong Minyan and Linglong had arrived earlier and seeing them run in breathlessly as if chased by a ghost, Linglong couldn't help but clap her hands and laugh, "Wow, where did you two go for a secret talk? You came back so late! Look at you, all sweaty!"
Xuanji shook her head, still shocked by what she had seen.
Yu Sifeng, however, gave a bitter smile and said, "Nothing… I'm hungry. Shall we go eat?"