[Childhood Sweethearts Have an End] (01-20) Author: No Cat Under Heaven

Author: Tianxia Wumao
Word Count: 83289

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Chapter 1

In May, after the rain, the evening air was fresh and the night was cool as water.

The Lin family mansion was bustling with noise; the Lin couple were celebrating their daughter's 100-day celebration.

It was rare for someone to hold a celebration for their daughter, unlike the grand celebration for a son .

Because Madam Lin was frail and sickly, it took her over ten years of marriage to give birth to this precious daughter, whom they named Lin Ling, and thus they
doted on her especially.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

A small figure secretly slipped out of the main hall and headed towards the back room. The servants were mostly busy in the front hall,
and no one paid him any attention.

After feeling around, he finally pushed open a door. Three-year-old Sun Yiyang's bright eyes darted around, and
he spotted the protagonist of the day—Uncle Lin's child—sleeping quietly in bed.

He approached and saw a chubby little face, long eyelashes, and soft, sparse hair.
He was sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling gently.

So cute! Li Yiyang flashed a big smile and, without hesitation, reached out and
pinched the baby's cheek hard.

The baby opened its eyes, looked at Li Yiyang, and Li Yiyang's heart skipped a beat. Such dark, bright eyes, shimmering with
a faint light… oh, it was crying.

The earth-shattering cry startled Li Yiyang, and he released his grip. The baby persisted, continuing to cry.

Li Yiyang pursed his lips. So useless, not brave at all. Still crying?! Mother will scold him. He
covered the baby's wide-open mouth with his hand. How could such a small face open its mouth so wide?

The baby stopped crying, but it… it bit one of his fingers.

The baby looked at him with bright eyes, and Li Yiyang looked back at it.

A standoff, a standoff, a standoff…

A faint light also appeared in Li Yiyang's eyes. He tried to pull his finger back, but the baby held on tightly, and he
couldn't pull it out. He tried again, but still couldn't pull it out.

Li Yiyang panicked and burst into tears himself. He cried as he used his free hand to
pinch the baby's face again.

The baby, in pain, opened his mouth and released his finger, continuing to cry.

Li Yiyang touched his finger, which was covered in saliva and had a red mark around it, and gently shushed it, saying it didn't
hurt.

"Yangyang, what are you doing?" Madam Lin and Madam Sun stood at the door.

It turned out that Madam Li, unable to find her son, knew that Li Yiyang was being naughty and must have run off to the Lin family home, so
she asked Madam Lin to lead the way. Following the sound of crying, they arrived here.

Madam Lin hurried over and picked up her daughter, comforting her while asking Li Yiyang, "Yangyang

, what happened to you and your sister?" Li Yiyang said with a mournful face, "Auntie, it bit me, what is it?"

Madam Li walked over and lightly tapped Li Yiyang on the head, "What what! This is your sister. Your sister
bit you? How did you bully her?"

Li Yiyang glared at Lin Ling, "Sister? She's not a sister, she bites people."

Madam Lin laughed. Trying to coax Lin Ling, he said, "Your teeth haven't all grown in yet, how could you bite? Give your brother a smile, okay? Lingling, give me
a smile, okay? Then your brother will like you."

Lin Ling completely ignored him and continued crying. Li Yiyang clung to Madam Li's leg, not even glancing at Lin Ling, thinking to himself
: Even if you smile, I still won't like you, you little thing that bit my finger.

After settling Lin Ling, the two ladies took Li Yiyang back to the main room, still laughing and talking about the funny incident. Could
it be that these two little devils are destined for each other? The two gentlemen were also delighted to hear this.

Master Li laughed and said, "If I were to arrange a marriage between my good-for-nothing son and your daughter, it would be a good deal for him."

Master Lin also joked, "My daughter is actually quite fierce, Yiyang might not want her, right?"

Madam Lin squatted down and pinched Li Yiyang's cheek: "Yiyang, would you like to marry your little sister and bring her home to keep you company?"

The little thing from earlier? Bring her home to keep me company?

Sun Yiyang thought for a moment and replied, "Okay, I'll take it home! Give it to me!" He could pinch its cheeks,
look at its beautiful eyes, and it wasn't allowed to cry or bite him.

The adults burst into laughter, and the conversation ended there.

When his parents took Li Yiyang away, Li Yiyang was still thinking, "Where's my little sister? Take her with me!"

Old Master Lin laughed, "My newly adopted daughter, you want her now? Wait a while. If you miss your little sister, come play at
Uncle Lin's house."

Li Yiyang was displeased. Humph, lying. They said they'd give it to me, but they won't. Adults always lie.

The arranged marriage was just a joke. Both the Li and Lin families were wealthy merchants, but also men of character. They had lived next door for nearly
ten years , and their relationship had only grown stronger. While ordinary moderately wealthy families often had three or four wives and concubines, these two families never took concubines,
and their husbands and wives were very loving. Both families wanted their children to find someone they loved in the future, so the parents'
decision was rather hasty. However, given the close relationship between the two families and the similar ages of the two children,
it would be even more welcome if they grew closer in the future.

Chapter Two: Childhood Sweethearts

Five years passed in a flash.

It was a bright and beautiful spring day. A chubby, pink-cheeked little girl was
playing in the backyard of the Lin family. She touched a newly blooming orchid and said to herself, "Little flower, you're so good. I'll
water ." She turned to find a watering can, but before she could find it, a large butterfly fluttered past her eyes,
and she hurriedly chased after it. It was none other than Miss Lin Ling of the Lin family.

She chased it to the end of the garden, but lost sight of the butterfly. Then she heard a boy's clear
voice . "Watch me!" Lin Ling's eyes lit up. Brother Yang! She struggled
to push open the heavy back door of the Lin family a crack with her short arms.

Suddenly, she heard two barks, and a large yellow dog rushed towards her. The yellow dog wasn't much shorter than Lin Ling, its
jaws agape, baring sharp teeth, and it charged forward menacingly. Lin Ling was terrified and plopped down on the doorstep. Just as
the dog was about to pounce on her, it suddenly stopped, let out a pained yelp, and turned around.

A boy of about eight or nine years old, holding a slingshot, had just fired a pebble at the large yellow dog. He
had delicate features, a long face, and while not tall, he stood upright with an imposing air. His face
was a little dirty, but it shone brightly in the sunlight.

He watched the dog turn its head, a slight smile curving his lips. He dropped the slingshot and picked up a piece of wood from beside him .
The stick shot forward. The big yellow dog shifted its weight backward, growling, and assumed a fighting stance.
The boy, unfazed, charged forward with wide eyes.

The boy and dog clashed. The boy was agile, dodging the dog's several lunges, though
the dog took several solid hits, whimpering in pain. Two of the boy's
friends, who had been watching impatiently from the sidelines, also charged in, yelling. Seeing it was outmatched, the big yellow dog
turned and retreated with a howl. The boy, the leader, swung his stick and shouted at the retreating dog, "See if you dare
bark at us again!"

Before he finished speaking, a chubby little figure pounced on him.

Lin Ling wrapped her arms around the boy's waist, tilted her head back, and her dark eyes shone like stars. "Brother Yang, you're
so amazing ! You chased away the big dog!" Needless to say, this was Lin Ling's childhood sweetheart, Li Yiyang.

However, the title of "childhood sweetheart" bothered Li Yiyang. Just then, a
sturdy rolled his eyes impatiently. "You little tagalong is here again!" This was Jiang Lei,
the young master of Tiansheng Martial Arts School.

Another boy spoke up, "Li Yiyang, I don't play with girls!" This was a
boy with rosy lips and white teeth; for a boy, his features were delicate, and his skin was almost too fair. He was Cheng Haoran, the young master of Ren'an Medical Clinic
.

Li Yiyang's handsome face flushed slightly; at his age, he was very sensitive about being told he liked playing with girls. He
pinched Lin Ling's cheeks hard. Lin Ling cried out, released her grip on Li Yiyang, and backed away. He, having achieved
his goal, readily let go.

Li Yiyang rubbed his nose and said to Lin Ling, who was covering her cheeks with an innocent expression, "Go home! We
were fighting that dog! How did you get out here? Go back, I want to play!"

"I want to play with you guys," Lin Ling said eagerly.

Cheng Haoran flatly refused, "I absolutely don't play with girls!" He even clenched his fist at Lin Ling as a
warning .

This was the first time Lin Ling and Cheng Haoran had met. She stared wide-eyed at Cheng Haoran's long, curled eyelashes and
fair skin, saying with a puzzled look, "Big brother, you're so pretty, like a big sister."

Cheng Haoran flew into a rage, yelling at Li Yiyang, "Are you leaving or not? If you're not leaving, I'm leaving!"

Seeing Cheng Haoran's anger, Li Yiyang quickly said to Lin Ling, "I'm leaving, don't follow me, go back!" He
then turned and left with his two friends.

Although Li Yiyang didn't turn around, he could hear Lin Ling's footsteps persistently following him. "That little
girl is so clingy!" Li Yiyang thought, a little annoyed, and quickened his pace. After walking a while longer, they reached the outskirts of the city, and when he turned around,
Lin Ling was nowhere to be seen. Before he could even feel happy about escaping this trouble, he immediately started to worry again,
muttering a curse under his breath as he turned to look for her.

Jiang Lei and Cheng Haoran had no choice but to follow. They hadn't gone far when they saw Lin Ling walking unhurriedly,
humming a song indistinctly. Seeing Li Yiyang, Lin Ling's eyes lit up, "Brother Yang!"

Li Yiyang frowned. Before he could say anything, Jiang Lei rushed over and gave Lin Ling a light shove.
Lin Ling landed on her bottom on the grass. Jiang Lei leaned down and said in a menacing tone, "See if you dare
follow us again!"

Lin Ling was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Li Yiyang. Li Yiyang didn't react. Lin Ling burst
into . When Jiang Lei saw the little girl crying, his imposing manner softened, and he stammered, "I only pushed you lightly
, why are you crying!"

Li Yiyang sighed, "I knew you'd cry!" This little girl had always had a special fondness for him since she was little. Every time
she visited the Lin family with her parents, she would always cling to him immediately. Actually, she was soft and tender, which was
quite fun, but she would cry after playing with him for a while, which he found boring. If he didn't say that he was naughty and always bullying her,
what else could five-year-old Lin Ling do but cry?

Li Yiyang squatted down and helped Lin Ling up. While wiping away his tears, she patiently explained, "Ling'er,
I'm a boy, and you're a girl. So you can't always play with me. You can go play with other little girls."

Lin Ling shook her head with tears in her eyes, "Why not? I just like playing with you."

Seeing that there was no other way, Li Yiyang said to his two friends, "I'm going to take her home. You two can play by yourselves for now."

Cheng Haoran thought for a moment and said, "We'll take her home together. But Li Yiyang, let me tell you, I don't play with
girls ."

Li Yiyang took Lin Ling's chubby little hand and took her home.

When Madam Lin saw that they had brought Lin Ling back, she quickly prepared some pastries and tea in the pavilion in the backyard and invited
the three young masters to come and play at the Lin family home. After the three little boys finished eating the pastries, they started playing horseback riding and fighting in the backyard. Lin
Ling didn't care that they didn't like her. She took a small stick and followed behind Li Yiyang,
shouting, "Go, Brother Yang! Go, Brother Yang!" A

gentle breeze blew, and the garden was filled with the fragrance of flowers. The four small figures were carefree.

Chapter Three:

The Scene Changes Five Years Later. Tiansheng Martial Arts Academy.

More than twenty teenagers are practicing their stances in the spacious training hall, while a middle-aged
man supervises and instructs them. The middle-aged man, with a handsome and resolute appearance, is Jiang Jie, the head of the academy.

Although these children are young, they are all very serious about practicing martial arts.

However, there is always an exception. In this otherwise beautiful picture of young talents practicing martial arts, there is one figure
moving around like a caterpillar, unable to maintain a stable stance, which is a major eyesore. This boy
looks to be , wearing a white martial arts uniform with blue trim, and a blue ribbon tied in a small bun on his head. The boy has fair skin,
and his large eyes are particularly bright on his slightly round face. He seems to be trying hard to maintain a stable stance, but his legs tremble
slightly, and his upper body shakes pitifully like a leaf in the wind. Finally, the Leaning Tower of Pisa collapses. He feels a sharp pain in
his calf , his lower body goes weak, and he kneels on the ground.

Hearing the sound, the boys all turned to look, and the previously meticulous formation became slightly disordered. However, the boy
standing directly in front of him, with his back straight and his stance impeccably perfect, didn't turn around. Hearing
the commotion behind him, his expression darkened slightly. The boy was probably thirteen or fourteen years old, with a fair complexion, refined and handsome
features, and a
subtle made him stand out. Even though everyone else was wearing the same white and blue-trimmed martial arts uniform, he exuded a
particularly sharp and upright presence, truly a beautiful young man.

However, in terms of looks, he couldn't compare to the boy standing to his right. This boy, hearing the sound behind him
, didn't turn around, but simply said slowly, "Hmph, just like that!" The boy's beauty was almost
a joke played by the Creator. His skin was fair and delicate, his eyebrows were jet black, and his slender eyes seemed veiled in
mist, drawing the eye in. His nose was straight and beautifully shaped, and his thin lips curved slightly upwards,
giving the illusion of a half-smile. This face possessed neither masculine strength nor feminine charm, but
rather a unique and captivating allure. He was only twelve or thirteen years old; let's see how he will captivate the world in the future.

The boy at the head of the line turned around and saw the boy sitting on the ground rubbing his legs. He abandoned his horse stance,
put his hands on his hips , and burst into laughter: "Hahaha, I told you you couldn't do it. You insisted on coming! Only half an hour, and you're already sitting on the ground.
Hahahahaha!" He didn't care how unpleasant his croaking voice was during puberty; his laughter was full of energy. The
boy was taller and more robust than the other boys in the group. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes; while not exceptionally handsome, he possessed a dignified bearing
and a certain air of young manliness.

Jiang Jie's face darkened, and he shouted, "Jiang Lei, get into your horse stance!"

The boy leading the group was Jiang Lei, the young master of the Jiang family. Seeing his father's anger, he dared not say a word, turned around, and
resumed his stance.

Seeing this, the other boys quickly turned back and continued their horse stance. Only
the two boys standing in front of the young boy never turned around, remaining calm and maintaining their stances.

The young boy tried to stand up, but his calves felt numb. He squatted down halfway up, unable to resist
letting out a soft "Ouch!

" Jiang Jie walked over to the young boy, his tone still gentle. "Go rest for a bit. Do you need help?"

The young boy's face flushed slightly. He shook his head, supporting his calf with one hand, and shuffled to a nearby seat to rest.

The little incident ended there.

The boys continued their horse stance. As noon approached, the martial arts training hall was deathly silent, save for the chirping of cicadas in the courtyard.

A small figure in crimson quietly slipped into the hall. It was a little girl, about ten years old
, pretty and charming, with her hair in two round buns. She was carrying a rag, wiping here and there, but her attention
was clearly not on what she was cleaning. She wiped from the windowsill all the way to the bench where the young boy sat, her eyes constantly fixed
on the group of boys.

Who was she looking at? Needless to say, the most handsome one.

The young boy sitting on the bench, rubbing his calves, watched as the girl's rag moved straight towards him
. Finally, before the rag touched his face, he couldn't resist grabbing the girl's wrist.
This startled the girl back to reality.

The girl didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with her actions. Seeing the young boy stop her, she simply stopped
pretending to wipe things. She shoved down the rag and sat down next to the boy. "Sorry, I didn't see you.
What's the name of that handsome boy?"

The boy pouted. "Handsome? No, not handsome, pretty. Pretty like a girl."

The boy's voice wasn't loud, but as soon as he finished speaking, the handsome boy being commented on stiffened,
clearly having heard him.

He turned around, his handsome face radiating a stormy aura. The boy, seeing him glaring at him, made
a face dismissively. He mouthed, "What are you glaring at? Come over here if you dare." He looked smug.

The girl excitedly clasped her hands to her chest. "He's looking at us! He's looking at us!"

The boy chuckled and asked the girl, "What's your name?"

The handsome boy had already angrily turned back to his horse stance, but the
girl . Hearing the boy ask her, she finally answered, "My name is Gu Xiaomi."

The boy looked amused. Xiaomi, I'm still eating rice.

Jiang Jie glanced at the sun outside; it was already noon. He walked to the front of the group of boys. "That's all for today. Come back for practice on time the day after tomorrow
morning ."

The boys stood up straight and bowed respectfully. The younger boy sitting on the bench also quickly stood up and bowed.
Jiang Jie nodded in return and turned to go into the back hall. Seeing their master leave, the boys relaxed and
started stretching their legs and waists. After all, an hour of horse stance wasn't easy.

Suddenly, a figure darted in front of the younger boy who was chatting with the girl in red. The younger boy reacted quickly.
Seeing that it was the handsome boy, he didn't wait for him to make a move. He pushed the girl in red away and ran out
. His legs, which had gone numb from squatting, were now perfectly fine.

The handsome boy helplessly caught her, steadied the girl, and then, without looking back, pushed her towards the people behind
him and chased after her.

The boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who had been following the handsome boy, had just seen the younger boy turn and run away
when a small figure in crimson was pushed into his arms.

He looked down and saw the little girl with her hands clasped to her chest, her eyes forming hearts. She was clearly still reeling from the shock of
her close , muttering, "She looks even better up close!"

He released her, saying disapprovingly, "Where did you come from?!"

The little girl, however, didn't even see him, her eyes still sparkling with hearts. The

young boy ran into the courtyard, his hand just touching the bamboo-lacquered, gold-studded gate of the Tiansheng Martial Arts School when
someone grabbed his shirt from behind.

He turned around, chuckling dryly, "Why are you so petty? Just kidding."

The handsome young man's face was frosty; he didn't answer, but twisted the boy around, gripping his shoulders tightly.

The boy winced slightly, his face darkening. "I fell to the ground, and people laughed at me, but you laughed too!
You say I can, but I say you can't?"

The handsome young man gritted his teeth. "You know I hate this the most. You're asking for it!"

The little boy glanced at him sideways. "Then hit me!" he said, raising his chin as if to be hit.

The handsome young man stared at him through gritted teeth for a few seconds, then grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him
out of the Tiansheng Martial Arts School.

The boy, who had been resisting fiercely all the way, finally
understood . He wanted to throw him into the river!

The boy's face paled slightly. "No, no, I can't swim."

The handsome young man brought his face closer and said, word by word, "It's okay, once you've swallowed enough water, I'll pull you
out ."

The boy struggled violently. "You can't do this! I'm scared!" Although the handsome young man was only two years older than him,
he could n't break free from the hand holding his collar.

Watching the handsome young man lift him up and slowly carry him across the bridge, the boy desperately clung to the stone lion on the bridge railing.
With a sudden, excessive force, he broke off half an ear from the already weathered lion's head
. He heard a snap, his grip loosened, and thinking he was about to fall, he closed his eyes tightly in terror, screaming,
"Brother Yang, save me! Brother Yang, save me!"

At that moment, a clear male voice rang out behind them, "Haoran, are you really going to throw her down?"

It was the tall, handsome young man from the Tiansheng Martial Arts Academy. He looked helpless, but a hint of
a smile . The midday sun was scorching, yet he stood beneath it, clean and refreshing, as if untouched by any
dust.

The scene shifts five years later. Tiansheng Martial Arts Academy.

More than twenty teenagers were practicing horse stance in the spacious training hall, while a middle-aged man supervised and instructed
them . The middle-aged man, with a heroic and resolute appearance, was none other than Jiang Jie, the head of the martial arts academy.

Although the children were young, they practiced martial arts very seriously.

However, there was always an exception. A perfectly good picture of young talents practicing martial arts was marred by one figure
shifting like a caterpillar, unable to maintain a stable stance, completely spoiling the scene. This boy
looked , dressed in a white martial arts uniform with blue trim, a blue ribbon tied in a small bun on his head. The young boy had fair skin,
and his large, bright eyes were particularly lively on his slightly round face. He seemed to be trying hard to maintain a stable stance, but his legs trembled
slightly, and his upper body shook pitifully like a leaf in the wind. Finally, the Leaning Tower of Pisa collapsed. He felt a sharp pain
in his calf , his lower body went weak, and he knelt on the ground.

Hearing the sound, the boys all turned to look, and the previously meticulous formation became slightly disordered. But the boy
standing directly in front of him, with a straight back and a beautifully executed stance, did not turn around. Hearing
the commotion behind him, his expression darkened slightly. The boy was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a fair face,
refined and handsome features, and a faint scholarly air. His eyes still held a touch of youthful naiveté, and his sunny disposition, tinged with a hint of arrogance, made him
dazzlingly eye-catching. Even though everyone else was wearing white martial arts uniforms with blue trim, he stood out with a
sharp and upright air, truly a handsome young man.

However, in terms of looks, he couldn't compare to the boy standing to his right. This boy
didn't turn around when he heard the sound behind him, but simply said slowly, "Hmph, that's it!" The man's beauty was almost
a joke played by the Creator. This boy had fair and delicate skin, jet-black eyebrows, and slender eyes that seemed veiled in
mist, drawing the eye in. His nose was straight and beautifully shaped, and his thin lips curved slightly upwards,
giving the illusion of a half-smile. This face possessed neither masculine strength nor feminine charm,
but rather a unique and captivating allure. At only twelve or thirteen years old, one could only imagine how he would captivate the world in the future.

The boy leading the group turned around and saw the boy sitting on the ground rubbing his legs. He abandoned his horse stance,
put his hands on his hips , and burst into laughter: "Hahaha, I told you you couldn't do it. You insisted on coming! Only half an hour, and you're already sitting on the ground.
Hahahaha!" He didn't care how unpleasant his raspy voice was during puberty; his laughter was full of energy. This
boy was taller and more robust than the other boys in the group. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes; while not exceptionally handsome, he had a dignified appearance
and a certain air of a young man.

Jiang Jie's face darkened, and he shouted, "Jiang Lei, get into your horse stance!"

The leading boy was none other than Jiang Lei, the young master of the Jiang family. Seeing his father's anger, he dared not say a word, turned around,
and resumed his stance.

Seeing this, the other boys quickly turned back and continued their horse stances. Only the two boys standing in front of the young boy
never turned around, maintaining their composed postures.

The young boy tried to stand up, but his calves felt numb, so he squatted down halfway up, letting out
a soft "Ouch!"

Jiang Jie walked over to the young boy, his tone gentle. "Go rest for a bit, do you need help?"

The young boy's face flushed slightly, he shook his head, supporting his calf with one hand, and shuffled to a nearby chair to rest.

The little incident ended.

The boys continued practicing their stances. Near noon, the training hall was completely silent, save for the chirping of cicadas in the courtyard.

A small figure in crimson quietly slipped into the training hall. It was a little girl, about ten years old
, pretty and charming, with two round buns in her hair. She was wiping here and there with a rag, but her attention
was clearly not on what she was wiping. She wiped from the windowsill all the way to the long bench where the young boy was sitting, her eyes constantly fixed on
the group of boys.

Who was she looking at? Needless to say, the best-looking one.

The young boy sitting on the bench, rubbing his calves, watched as the girl's rag approached him .
Just before it touched his face, he couldn't resist grabbing her wrist, snapping her
out of her daze .

The girl seemed completely oblivious to the
inappropriateness things, put down the rag, and sat down next to him. "Sorry, I didn't see you.
What's the name of the most handsome boy?"

The boy scoffed. "Handsome? No, not handsome, pretty. Pretty like a girl."

His voice wasn't loud, but as soon as he finished speaking, the handsome boy's back stiffened,
clearly having heard him.

He turned around, his handsome face radiating anger. Seeing him glare at her, the boy made
a face, mouthing, "What are you glaring at? Come here if you dare." He looked smug.

The little girl excitedly clasped her hands to her chest, "He's watching us! He's watching us!"

The young man chuckled and asked the girl, "What's your name?"

The handsome young man had already turned away angrily and continued practicing his horse stance, but the little
girl . Hearing the young man ask her, she finally answered, "My name is Gu Xiaomi."

The young man looked amused. Xiaomi, I'm still eating rice.

Jiang Jie looked at the sun outside and saw that it was already noon. He walked to the front of the group of young men, "That's all for today. Come back to practice on time the day after tomorrow
morning ."

The young men stood up and bowed respectfully. The young man sitting on the bench also quickly stood up and bowed.
Jiang Jie nodded in return and turned to go into the back hall. Seeing that their master had left, the young men relaxed and
started to stretch and twist their waists. After all, an hour of horse stance was not easy.

A figure suddenly darted in front of the young man who was chatting with the girl in red. The young man reacted quickly, one
Seeing that it was the handsome young man, without waiting for him to make a move, she shoved the girl in red aside and ran away.
Her legs, which had gone numb from squatting, were now perfectly fine.

The handsome young man reluctantly caught her, steadied the girl, and then, without looking back, pushed her towards the people behind
him and chased after her.

The boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who had been following the handsome young man, had just seen the boy turn and run away
when a small figure in crimson was pushed into his arms.

He looked down and saw the girl with her hands clasped to her chest, her eyes forming hearts. She was clearly still in shock from
the close , muttering, "She's even more beautiful up close!"

He released her, saying with displeasure, "Where did you come from!"

The girl, however, didn't even see him, her eyes still sparkling with hearts.

The young man ran into the courtyard, and just as his hand touched the bamboo-lacquered, gold-studded gate of the Tiansheng Martial Arts School, someone grabbed the back of his clothes
.

He turned around, chuckled dryly, "Why are you so petty? Just kidding."

The handsome young man's face was frosty, he didn't answer, but twisted the younger boy around and gripped his shoulders tightly.

The younger boy winced slightly, his face darkening, "I fell to the ground, and it's one thing for others to laugh at me, but you laugh too!
You can say it's okay, but I can't?"

The handsome young man gritted his teeth, "You know I hate this the most. You're asking for it!"

The younger boy glanced at him sideways, "Then hit me!" He said, raising his chin as if to let him hit him.

The handsome young man stared at him for a few seconds, then grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him
out the Tiansheng Martial Arts School.

The younger boy, who had resisted fiercely all the way, only
understood . He wanted to throw him into the river!

The young boy's face was a little pale. "No, no, I can't swim."

The handsome boy brought his face closer and said, word by word, "It's okay, I'll pull you
out ."

The young boy struggled fiercely. "Don't play like this, I'm scared!" Although the handsome boy was only two years older than him, he
could break free from the hand on the back of his collar.

Watching the handsome boy lift him up and slowly raise him over the bridge, the young boy desperately grabbed the stone lion on the bridge railing.
With too much force, he broke off half an ear from the already ancient and blurred lion's head. The young
boy heard a snap, his grip loosened, and thinking he was about to fall, he closed his eyes tightly in fright and shouted,
"Brother Yang, save me! Brother Yang, save me!"

At this moment, a clear male voice rang out behind them, "Haoran, are you really going to throw her down?"

It was the tall and handsome boy from the Tiansheng Martial Arts Hall earlier. He looked helpless, but there was a hint of
a smile . The midday sun was scorching, yet he stood beneath it, clean and refreshed as if untouched by a speck
of dust .

Chapter Four: That's the Girl,

the Handsome Boy—it was Cheng Haoran.

His handsome face showed a slight displeasure. He said to Li Yiyang, "You came quickly! Even if I were really going to throw her in,
with you here, who can scare her?"

The readers have surely already guessed that the little boy Cheng Haoran was holding was none other than Lin Ling.
Seeing her get-out-of-jail-free card arrive, she immediately broke free from the hand on her collar, leaped down from the bridge railing, and
pounced on Li Yiyang. Arms around her waist, she raised her small face, "He's going to throw me into the water!"

Li Yiyang, however, put on a stern face and pinched her chubby little face. "With that mouth of yours, it's only
right that ." He then winked at her.

Lin Ling understood, turned around, and smiled sweetly at Cheng Haoran, "Brother Cheng, I was wrong!"

Cheng Haoran snorted coldly.

Lin Ling started to play the victim, "I boasted to Uncle Jiang that I would definitely learn martial arts well, but you all hold
your stances so steadily, while I'm the only one who falls to the ground. Everyone else laughs at me, and you laugh at me too, how can I not be angry?"
By the end, she was clinging to Cheng Haoran's arm like a lapdog.

Cheng Haoran couldn't scold her anymore, so he just tapped her on the head, "You insisted on following us,
even begging Uncle Jiang. You can't even do the simplest stance properly, I'm ashamed of you! You have to act like a boy.
And you even dare to say I'm pretty!" Cheng Haoran emphasized the word "pretty," "I'm a dignified man, do you
think I don't know how to get angry?" His expression grew worse with each word. Because of his pretty face,
a large part of Cheng Haoran's short twelve years of life had been spent maintaining his masculine dignity.

Seeing this, Lin Ling could only continue to put on a smiling face, "I was just talking nonsense, Brother Cheng, you are exceptionally handsome, extremely
handsome, incredibly handsome." Lin Ling was too young, and the only adjective she could think of was "handsome."

Cheng Haoran ignored her, only glaring at Li Yiyang, "You just protect her!"

Li Yiyang said with a forced smile.

Just as the three were locked in a stalemate, Jiang Lei arrived.

Jiang Lei raised an eyebrow at Lin Ling, who was clinging to Cheng Haoran's arm, "You've got the wrong person, haven't you?"

Lin Ling snorted and ignored him. She continued to fawn over Cheng Haoran, "Brother Cheng is the most handsome
boy I've ever seen."

At this moment, a voice interrupted, "Also the most handsome boy I've ever seen." It turned out that the little girl with the heart shape
had also come over.

Cheng Haoran didn't react much. From infancy, he had had a huge attraction to females and had long
been spoiled.

He ignored Gu Xiaomi, merely flicked his sleeves, and said to Lin Ling, "Stop flattering me! If there's a next time, I'll
definitely throw you into the river."

Lin Ling giggled, let go of his hand, and stood next to Li Yiyang.

Seeing that her idol seemed oblivious to her presence, Gu Xiaomi greeted them again, "Hello. My name is Gu
Xiaomi ."

Jiang Lei laughed heartily, "Xiaomi, I'm more like rice."

Lin Ling chuckled; she and Brother Lei were so in sync!

Gu Xiaomi glared at Jiang Lei, who was much taller than her, "You're so old, and you have no manners!"

Jiang Lei was straightforward and frank; although he was the oldest among them, he wasn't exactly composed or mature.

Jiang Lei sized up Gu Xiaomi. She wore slightly worn clothes, had a rosy complexion, bright eyes, and
a smiling face like a New Year's picture doll.

Jiang Lei asked her, "Who are you? What are you doing at the martial arts gym?"

Gu Xiaomi glanced at him again, "Young Master Jiang. I'm a new servant!"

Jiang Lei frowned, "What can a servant as young as you do in our family?"

Lin Ling chuckled again, remembering how Gu Xiaomi had almost rubbed her face while wiping something.

Li Yiyang lightly flicked her forehead: "What are you grinning about!"

Gu Xiaomi replied to Jiang Lei, "I came with my grandfather. He cleans the yard and guards the gate at your house. I'm
helping him with the chores." Actually, her grandfather hadn't asked her to help with the chores; she had only taken
the rag to the martial arts hall to wipe things down because she wanted to see handsome men.

Jiang Lei thought for a moment, "I don't remember."

Gu Xiaomi said dismissively, "Grandpa said important people have bad memories. Of course you don't remember, are you
the young master !" After answering Jiang Lei, Gu Xiaomi continued towards her target. She smiled broadly at Cheng Haoran and said,
"Hello, my name is Gu Xiaomi." Although she wanted to strike up a conversation, she could only say this one sentence over and over again.

Although Cheng Haoran was young, he already loved to act cool, but one can't refuse a smiling face, so he could only answer,
"My name is Cheng Haoran."

Gu Xiaomi stared at Cheng Haoran with her hands clasped together, "Up close, your eyelashes are so long."

Cheng Haoran was a little impatient, looking at Li Yiyang and Lin Ling with strange smiles beside him, and said, "I should go back!
You guys chat!" After saying that, he went down the bridge.

Gu Xiaomi continued to ask Cheng Haoran's back, "Where do you live? Can I come to your house to play?"

Cheng Haoran ignored her and kept walking. Gu Xiaomi could only wave to his back, "Then goodbye!"

Cheng Haoran had already walked far away, and Gu Xiaomi was still staring blankly in the direction he left, when suddenly she felt someone
grab her arm. She turned around and saw Jiang Lei.

Jiang Lei looked disdainful, "How can our Jiang family have such an unruly child like you? Stop looking, go back to eat!"

Seeing Gu Xiaomi being pulled away by Jiang Lei, Li Yiyang also went back. Lin Ling insisted on wandering around, so Li Yiyang
had no choice but to accompany her. The two strolled aimlessly around the city.

After walking for a while, Lin Ling saw some steaming hot meat buns on the street and wanted to eat them. Li Yiyang bought a few,
wrapped them in a paper bag, and the two ate them as they walked. After finishing the buns, Li Yiyang bought Lin Ling a candied hawthorn, and
after that , he bought some roasted chestnuts. Lin Ling was actually already full, but seeing the bright red and cute roasted chestnuts, she ate
two and didn't want to eat any more. She felt it would be wasteful to throw them away, so she peeled them one by one and fed them to Li Yiyang, who had no choice but to eat them
.

Zhang, the dough figurine maker, sold dough figurines on West Street year-round. Because his dough figurines were so lifelike and expressive, everyone loved them, and he had a
well-established reputation. Li Yiyang immediately noticed a cute little pig on his stall, with round cheeks, its head
rubbing against its body, and its wide, dark eyes—it was very endearing. Zhang, the dough figurine maker, chuckled and handed the little pig
to Li Yiyang. "Bought it for your little sister?" Li Yiyang nodded in agreement. Lin Ling loved it dearly and couldn't bear to eat it,
simply clutching it in her hand. Li Yiyang pinched the tip of Lin Ling's nose. "I spotted this little pig at first glance; it looks just like you!"

In this peaceful and prosperous era, the capital city was bustling with people. The streets were teeming with people and carriages. The two strolled around for a while,
feeling a bit tired, before wandering towards a less crowded area.

Lin Ling said, "Gu Xiaomi is so funny!" As she spoke, she imitated Gu Xiaomi's gesture of clasping her hands in front of her chest.

Li Yiyang shook his head. "A silly little girl."

As they were talking, a melodious zither tune drifted over.

Lin Ling said, "Brother Yang, listen! Where is that music coming from?"

Li Yiyang pointed to a courtyard wall not far away. "It's coming from over there."

Lin Ling looked at the high wall. "Brother Yang, I want to see who's playing the zither."

Li Yiyang said, "It's well-played, but nothing special. Do you really want to see?" He looked around,
thinking that this seemed to be the residence of Minister Cui. "Could it be the daughter of the Cui family? Minister Cui was a top scholar in the imperial examination. I heard he has
a daughter who, despite her young age, is well-educated and virtuous, proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

Hearing this, Lin Ling was even more determined to see. Li Yiyang was also curious about the true appearance of this talented young lady from the capital. Everyone
said she was a beauty.

Li Yiyang said seriously, "Since you insist on seeing, then let's take a look."

He walked to a tall, thick willow tree. "Wait here, let me see if it's really
Miss ."

Li Yiyang had practiced martial arts since childhood and was agile. In a few moments, he climbed to the top of the large willow tree.

Lin Ling looked up and asked, "Did you see that?"

Li Yiyang didn't answer.

Lin Ling raised her voice, "Brother Yang! Brother Yang! What did you see? Is it Miss Liao playing the zither?"

Li Yiyang still didn't answer.

Lin Ling stood on tiptoe and looked up. The old willow tree was lush and leafy, and she could only vaguely see Li Yiyang's figure
looking into the wall. The sunlight was dazzling, and Lin Ling felt her eyes sting, so she had to lower her head.
A . There had never been a time when she called Brother Yang more than twice and he didn't respond.
Was that Miss Cui really that beautiful? Li Yiyang seemed to have forgotten about her.

Lin Ling stopped calling him and sat down under the tree with her head down.

After a while, Lin Ling saw Li Yiyang's feet land in front of her, but she didn't speak.

Li Yiyang said, "It should be Miss Cui. Her zither playing is good, but it still lacks refinement; her appearance is beautiful,
but she's only twelve or thirteen years old. Everyone says she's exceptionally talented and incomparably beautiful, but it's clear that her reputation doesn't
live up to it."

Lin Ling remained silent. "You're not living up to your reputation, yet you've been staring for so long! I called you, but you didn't hear me!

" Li Yiyang raised an eyebrow and pinched Lin Ling's cheek. "So our Ling'er is petty too."

Lin Ling pulled her hand away. "I called you, but you didn't answer!"

Li Yiyang said, "It's too high, I can't hear you clearly. I'm coming down right now. Do you still want to go up and take a look?"

Lin Ling said stubbornly, "It's so high, how can I go up? I'm not as smart and capable as you. My martial arts are terrible
; I can't even hold a horse stance properly. What's there to see!" Saying this, she started walking forward.

Li Yiyang followed, smiling, "You're a girl too, I almost forgot. But Ling'er, that's
what girls should look like. If you keep acting like this, you might end up with a boyish personality."

Lin Ling felt wronged. What are you telling me about what girls should look like! It's because you always say it
's troublesome . The school doesn't accept girls, and the martial arts school doesn't accept girls either. Although I like to play outside, the main
reason I dress up as a boy is to follow you. The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and she walked faster with her head down.

Li Yiyang looked down at her closely, "Oh, you're really angry!" He put his arm around Lin Ling's shoulder, "My
Lin Ling may not be able to play the zither like that Miss Liao, but she's cute and brave. She also knows martial arts, which Miss Liao
definitely doesn't. She even dared to pull the tiger's hair out of its mouth, saying that Cheng Haoran is as beautiful as a girl. What a magnanimous heart! I
wouldn't dare to do that."

Lin Ling couldn't help but laugh, "Nonsense! You used to say it wasn't good to bring girls along, and now you're saying I
don't act like a girl. Basically, you just think I'm no good. Since I'm no good either way, let's just go our separate ways!"

Li Yiyang smiled indulgently, ruffling her hair. "Little girl, you've got quite a few ideas! I
like your lack of girlishness! Alright, it's time to go home."

The sunset was like brocade. In a small alley, two figures, one tall and one short, moved slowly along the bluestone pavement. The
shorter boy held a dough figurine in his hand. The two walked forward playfully, as if
they could walk like this forever.

Chapter Five:

Midsummer Night, Lin Ling's Tenth Birthday.

Madam Lin specially prepared a table of food and wine, inviting Li Yiyang and his entourage. After dinner, the friends
went to the pavilion in the backyard to cool off and chat. Fruits, pears, peaches, and various teas were laid out on the table.

Gu Xiaomi, cracking sunflower seeds rapidly, said to Lin Ling, "If I hadn't come today, how would I
have known you were a girl too?"

Lin Ling smiled, "You have to keep it a secret!"

Gu Xiaomi replied heartily, "Don't worry, I, Gu Xiaomi, keep my word! Today is your birthday, I wish you
become a martial arts master soon!" She then downed her cup of rice wine in one gulp with great flair.

Seeing this, Lin Ling instinctively picked up her cup and downed it in one go as well. Only then did she remember that her homemade plum juice was very sour
, and she quickly put down her cup. Her mouth felt bitter and sour, and she blinked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Li Yiyang quickly handed her a cup of black tea.

Lin Ling finished hers in one gulp and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Gu Xiaomi chuckled, "Your plum juice is too sour, I just didn't dare to drink it. I thought you
weren't afraid of sourness, but it turns out you are too."

Lin Ling took a few more sips of water before replying, "That's because you don't understand. My cook makes the plum juice
perfectly. It tastes sour at first, but a sweet aftertaste slowly rises after swallowing. It cools you down completely and makes you feel very
refreshed . You should try it."

Gu Xiaomi poured herself a glass, squinted, took a sip, and nodded. "It really is as you say.
Lin Ling, your house is so comfortable, I really like it!"

Jiang Lei snorted, "You like it! Nobody invited you, you shamelessly followed me here."

Gu Xiaomi didn't mind being called shameless at all, "Young Master Jiang, I'm your personal maid. If I don't
shamelessly follow you, who should I shamelessly follow?"

Jiang Lei was even more annoyed upon hearing this.

This little brat not only covets Cheng Haoran's good looks, but she even dares to drag him down with her. Back then, her father
took pity on her grandfather, who was quite old and had a poor little orphan girl, and since they needed someone to clean the yard, he let them into
the Jiang family. Her grandfather was indeed quiet and honest, but how did he raise such a sharp-tongued granddaughter!
This little brat ran to her parents and vowed that since she was part of the Jiang family, she couldn't freeload;
she could be a personal maid, serving the young master tea and food, and most importantly, she could
stay by his side every day, putting the master and mistress at ease. This ten-year-old brat dares to call me unruly! Whenever I
go out , she follows me everywhere; I can't hit her, and I can't scold her away. I always tease Li Yiyang about having a little shadow, and
now look what happened—the pot calling the kettle black. Besides, she's nowhere near as cute as Lin Ling; she's a chatterbox and a lovesick fool. Thinking of this,
he couldn't help but glare at her fiercely again.

Unfortunately, she didn't notice his disgusted look at all, and instead poured herself a cup of rice wine and handed it to Cheng Haoran with a smile,
"Brother Ran, Lin Ling's rice wine is also very delicious."

Cheng Haoran felt annoyed when he heard this address.

Jiang Lei slammed his hand on the table. "Gu Xiaomi! Aren't you my personal maid who serves me tea and water?
Where ?"

Gu Xiaomi slammed her hand on the table as well. "Young Master Jiang! Yesterday you beat the young master of the Zhang family black and blue, and even
threatened him, saying that if he dared to complain, you'd beat him up every day! I'm going to tell the master."

Jiang Lei gritted his teeth. "Woman... you scoundrel..."

Gu Xiaomi completely ignored his presence. The forced smile she gave Jiang Lei
automatically , her eyes curving into crescent moons. "Brother Ran, you don't like rice wine.
What do you like to drink then?"

Jiang Lei's face darkened, and he said rudely, "Gu Xiaomi, are you a lovesick fool?"

Gu Xiaomi rolled her eyes at him. "Everyone has a love for beauty. What lovesick fool? Brother Ran is more
handsome !"

More handsome than a flower... Cheng Haoran's face darkened again.

Watching Jiang Lei and Gu Xiaomi's back-and-forth banter, Lin Ling burst into laughter, nestled in Li Yiyang's arms, and pointed at
them saying, "You two are such a pair of clowns!"

"Don't compare me to her!" Jiang Lei retorted dismissively.

"I'm the clown, he's the rude guy!" Gu Xiaomi countered with even more disdain.

Jiang Lei's face darkened further.

Lin Ling rubbed her face against Li Yiyang's arm, just giggling.

Li Yiyang pinched her rosy cheeks, "Be careful not to laugh too hard! Just keep laughing. Today's your
birthday , do you have any wishes?"

Lin Ling, who had been half-lying on Li Yiyang's lap, looked up at him, "I have a wish,
can you help me fulfill it?"

Li Yiyang laughed, "You silly girl, what wishes could you have besides eating and playing? Tell me!"

Lin Ling sat up straight, her smile fading, and said seriously, "I have a very big wish!" She cleared
her throat, looked around, and, satisfied to see everyone's attention on her,
said, word by word, "My wish is to establish a gang, rule the mountains, and uphold justice!" An

awkward silence followed.

Jiang Lei continued to have a dark expression, Gu Xiaomi continued to smile at Cheng Haoran, and Cheng Haoran continued to act cool.

Only Li Yiyang looked at Lin Ling with worry. "Ling'er, what are you thinking about all day?"

Seeing that everyone was indifferent, Lin Ling couldn't help but raise her voice. "I'm serious! This is my
wish !"

Cheng Haoran leisurely sipped his dogwood tea and judged, "Your wish is hard to fulfill."

Lin Ling's eyes lit up. "That's not true. I already have a plan, as long as you are willing to help!"

Gu Xiaomi was a little interested and leaned over. "What plan?"

"I've thought about it. Becoming a bandit leader is still a bit difficult for now. My family's money is definitely not enough, but your parents
will definitely be willing to give you money." Everyone thought to themselves, even if my parents give me money, I'm not willing to use it to build a bandit stronghold.

"Should we be chivalrous? We're all martial artists. Except for Xiaomi, who doesn't know martial arts, that can be trained,
so that's not a problem. The only thing missing is to establish a sect! I've thought it over carefully, and if we're willing, we
can establish a sect right now."

Li Yiyang raised an eyebrow. "You mean you want to be a mountain king and have us all join your sect as bandits?"

Lin Ling shook her head. "No! What mountain king? We'll be a sect, the kind in the martial arts world, built deep in
a lush, majestic mountain forest. We can travel the world, uphold justice, and return to the sect to rest when we're tired.
We can build everyone a house they like in the mountains, with all kinds of flowers that bloom in all four seasons planted in front of the door.
I'll also raise a kitten. We can be together for a lifetime, free and unrestrained, doing whatever we want. No one
outside can control us; we're the boss in the mountains. Just like the poem says, 'Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely gaze at
the southern mountains.'"

Another awkward silence followed.

It wasn't that people were cold-hearted, it was just that everyone was too embarrassed to discourage her. Even Gu Xiaomi
, who was the same age as Lin Ling, didn't think much of it. She'd lived in the mountains before; it wasn't that beautiful

. After a long while, Li Yiyang finally said, "There's nothing wrong with thinking that way." Jiang Lei shook his head.

"No matter what, I don't want to be your subordinate."

Gu Xiaomi, unusually agreeing with Jiang Lei, said, "I don't really want to be a bandit either." After thinking for a moment, she added, "
But if Brother Ran is willing, I'll consider it!"

Jiang Lei snorted, "Consider what! Your character and temperament are very compatible with bandits. You can't use your
talents in the Jiang family. Go find a mountain stronghold!"

Gu Xiaomi ignored him and asked Cheng Haoran, "Brother Ran, do you want to be a bandit?"

Cheng Haoran said seriously, "No."

Lin Ling said anxiously, "I already said I'm not going to be a bandit! I'm going to establish a sect! I didn't say I wanted you all to be my
subordinates. " "The sect leader has to manage a lot of things, and I don't like that. Anyone who wants to be the leader can be. I just want to live
a carefree and happy life." She looked at everyone with longing, but they all seemed oblivious.
Lin Ling's disappointment was palpable. "You all think I'm daydreaming, but I've actually considered it very seriously.
But since none of you like it, then forget it."

Li Yiyang said, "Who says I don't like it? I do! Of course I want to join Ling'er's sect."

Jiang Lei also said, "That's right, today is Ling'er's birthday. If you like it, anything is possible.
Let's have a competition, and whoever wins becomes the sect leader." They were already rubbing their hands together, eager to try.

Gu Xiaomi clapped her hands excitedly, "Let's make friends through martial arts!"

Jiang Lei scoffed, "What's it to you? You're as skinny as a chick. Making friends through martial arts? You're not allowed to participate."

Gu Xiaomi pouted, "You've got the young master of the Zhang family..."

Jiang Lei suddenly leaned over, staring intently at Gu Xiaomi, his eyes icy cold. "Think carefully, don't really mess with me!"

Gu Xiaomi froze, blinking, her eyes welling up with tears.

Jiang Lei was also taken aback, the coldness in his eyes vanished, he turned his head to the side, continuing to grit his teeth, "Lady
...you scoundrel..."

Cheng Haoran spoke up, "Don't worry, Xiaomi, making friends through martial arts is definitely
incomplete !"

The tears in Gu Xiaomi's eyes evaporated instantly, and she excitedly tried to hug Cheng Haoran.

Cheng Haoran tried to dodge, but couldn't.

Gu Xiaomi hugged Cheng Haoran's neck, "Brother Ran, I knew you were a good person. You just pretended not to care
about me."

Cheng Haoran struggled to pull Gu Xiaomi off him, then turned to Lin Ling and said, "It's late,
we should go back. Let's talk about the martial arts competition tomorrow!"

Lin Ling laughed, "What's the rush? It's still early, Brother Ran!" She winked twice.

The group laughed and joked for a while before saying goodbye and leaving.

Li Yiyang didn't go with the others. Lin Ling asked, "Brother Yang, aren't you going home?"

Li Yiyang tapped her on the head, "Forgot?"

Lin Ling rolled her eyes, "Oh! Right. I played all night, of course I forgot!" In

the quiet moonlight, Lin Ling, dressed in a light green gauze robe, held a bamboo stick, pointing it at the sky. Her sword-wielding stance was
beautiful, but it was just a showy display; her stance was far from stable. Li Yiyang sat upright in the pavilion,
drawing something on rice paper.

It turned out that when Lin Ling turned one year old, Madam Li had prepared a longevity lock and brought Li Yiyang to the Lin family home for a visit.
The two ladies exchanged pleasantries, and Li Yiyang slipped away to check on Lin Ling. When the two ladies came looking for him again, Lin
Ling was sleeping soundly in bed, while Li Yiyang's little hands were waving a brush across paper, his face covered in ink.

Madam Li took his scribbles and frowned, "Yangyang, what are you drawing?" Four-year-old Li Yiyang
proudly explained that it was a portrait of his little sister.

For this, Li Yiyang was teased by the adults again. Before leaving, Madam Lin folded the "portrait" and gave it to
Li Yiyang , saying that when his sister grew up, Yangyang could give it to her himself, and also told him to keep it safe, otherwise his sister
wouldn't know what she looked like at one year old.

Madam Lin's words were just a joke, but Li Yiyang remembered them. On Lin Ling's second birthday, he
brought his own brush and paper to the Lin family home.

Master Lin asked him curiously what he was doing, and Li Yiyang answered crisply, "Painting a portrait of my little sister, otherwise
how will she remember what she looked like when she was two years old?"

This became a habit year after year.

On Lin Ling's third birthday, Li Yiyang painted a portrait of her holding a big red apple and giggling.
Although it wasn't clearly Lin Ling, it was at least recognizable as a person.

On Lin Ling's fourth birthday, Li Yiyang made her cry loudly because he said it wasn't good to just paint her laughing;
he had to paint her crying too.

On Lin Ling's fifth birthday, she draped a bed sheet over herself and stood in the backyard pond, as if about to take flight, because Li Yiyang
wanted to paint a crane.

On Lin Ling's sixth birthday, Li Yiyang secretly brought Madam Li's rouge and powder from home and gave Lin Ling
a brightly colored, heavy makeup, dressing her up before solemnly painting her.

On Lin Ling's seventh birthday, he painted a portrait of her at her birthday banquet, gnawing on a pig's trotter and giggling foolishly.

The Lin couple were already used to Li Yiyang's annual provocations, but they were still somewhat surprised to see this portrait.
The gluttonous look in the painting bore a striking resemblance to Lin Ling, clearly not a child's playful creation.

Ten-year-old Li Yiyang said earnestly, "I've been studying painting with Mr. Guan for half a year now, because when I painted
Ling'er's portrait last year, I felt it didn't resemble her." Mr. Guan was one of the top painters in the capital.

Li Yiyang examined the portrait in front of him with satisfaction, put down his brush, and said, "Done!"

Lin Ling also threw down her bamboo stick, "I'm exhausted!" she complained as she came over to look at the painting.

In the painting, the bamboo stick in Lin Ling's hand had been replaced by a gleaming longsword. Lin Ling looked at herself, her clothes fluttering, her posture
graceful, her sword pointing to the moon, and then saw the elegant and refined inscription beside the painting, "Lin Ling, a Heroine of Her Generation," and couldn't help but
smile and call out, "Brother Yang!"

Li Yiyang asked, "Do you like it?"

Lin Ling didn't answer, but just looked down at the painting carefully, finding it more and more beautiful the more she looked. "You know what, I do have
the air . Brother Yang, give me the painting. You always say you'll paint for me, but you always take it yourself!"

Li Yiyang refused, "You're so forgetful, I'll just lose it if I give it to you. I'll give it to you when you grow up, I
'll keep it for you for now." "

Brother Yang!" Lin Ling pouted, refusing to give up.

Li Yiyang pinched her cheek. "Don't be angry, I have a gift for you!"

Li Yiyang took out a brocade box from his pocket and handed it to Lin Ling.

Lin Ling opened the box, and by the moonlight, she saw a pale blue jade lying inside. Lin Ling held it in her hand,
feeling the jade's warm and lustrous texture. The jade was not carved into any pattern, but simply polished into an oval shape. The blue
was extremely pale, like the sky just before sunrise, a pale blue with a hazy glow, quite unique. In
the lower center of the jade was a bright green spot, particularly eye-catching due to the high color contrast, a green that
was captivating.

Although Lin Ling didn't know how to appreciate jade, she instinctively knew it was a good piece, and simply held it in her hand, gently caressing it.

Li Yiyang said, "This jade has quite a history. On his way back from transporting silk from the northwest border, my father
encountered a barbarian who was dying in the desert. My father rescued him. After regaining consciousness, the barbarian
refused to say anything and left the next day, leaving only a letter saying that he had no way to repay the life-saving grace and had
nothing of value, so he could only express his gratitude with this jade. My father said that this jade was probably very valuable, but since the person was gone, there was no way to find him in
the vast sea of people, so he had to keep it safe and bring it home. I liked this jade as soon as I saw it, so I asked my father to give
it to me. Come, Ling'er, let me put it on you."

Lin Ling turned around as instructed, and Li Yiyang wrapped the green cord around Lin Ling's lowered neck and tied it into a
knot .

Lin Ling turned back to look at Li Yiyang, who showed a doting smile.

Li Yiyang's smile was always as clean and bright as the sun, but under the moonlight, it carried an incredible gentleness.
That gentleness warmed Lin Ling's heart, and a feeling of attachment arose instantly.

Lin Ling took Li Yiyang's hand and showed a big smile, "Brother Yang, I will wear this jade
for the rest of my life ."

Li Yiyang didn't speak, but simply stroked her rosy cheek.

(One chapter updated daily, hope everyone supports me~

Chapter Six: The Mysterious Origin of a Sect

) The next evening, Li Yiyang and his group arrived at the Birdsong Forest on the outskirts of the city.

People say that this forest isn't large, but it has all kinds of birds, hence the name Birdsong Forest. In the Birdsong Forest, one can hear
all kinds of clear and melodious bird calls, and occasionally see many birds flitting among the branches and leaves. But now
it was night, and the birds were resting. The forest, which should have been quiet, could only be heard with
the laughter of several young men and women.

Lin Ling sat on the grass, hands behind her back, taking a deep breath of the air filled with the scent of grass and earth,
her face beaming with excitement. "We've never had a proper fight before!"

Gu Xiaomi said. "What's the rush? Your gang doesn't even have a name yet,"

Lin Ling said. "Then let's all discuss a name together,"

Li Yiyang said. "This is the gang you've been longing for, you can name it."

Lin Ling said happily, "Then I won't stand on ceremony!" Saying that, she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. "I've
already thought of a name, I've practiced it many times at home, this one is the best written."

Jiang Lei laughed, "Then why are you pretending to discuss it?"

Lin Ling smiled and shook the paper in her hand.

The black words on the white paper came into view, and everyone seemed to see a cold wind sweeping through the fallen leaves, and they were all in a semi-petrified state.

After a long pause, Jiang Lei exclaimed, "How did you even come up with this? No way!"

Cheng Haoran snorted, "It's ridiculous!"

Lin Ling was displeased. "How is it ridiculous? I put a lot of thought into it, I don't think it's ridiculous. If you
don't like it, then each of you can think of one, let's draw lots."

Everyone had no choice but to agree and each came up with a new gang name. Li Yiyang picked up a twig from the ground, broke it into
five pieces of varying lengths, and each person drew one.

Everyone opened their palms.

In the end, Lin Ling's twig was the longest.

Gu Xiaomi said, "Could it be fate? Haha, let's go with this then, it'll scare people if they hear about it!"

Li Yiyang said, "Let's do whatever makes us happy, just to keep Ling'er entertained."

So Lin Ling happily announced, "Alright, the sect name is decided, now let's move on to the next agenda.
There are five of us, so let's decide on five positions first, then we'll have a martial arts contest, and whoever wins gets to choose first. That's fair, right?
I'll go first, um, naturally we need a sect leader."

Li Yiyang thought for a moment, "Left Protector!"

Cheng Haoran didn't even hesitate, "Right Protector!"

Gu Xiaomi was confused, "Protect what?"

Li Yiyang said seriously, "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the law that can be law is not the eternal law. You can protect whatever you want
!"

Jiang Lei grinned mischievously, "The lowest-ranking subordinate."

Lin Ling was puzzled, "We are all the founders of the sect, the elders. We'll recruit more people later,
then we'll have subordinates."

Li Yiyang raised an eyebrow, "So you're hoping to recruit more people."

Jiang Lei said, "That won't do! Since it's a sect, and everyone is an elder, who will run errands? There must be a lowest-
ranking person. As for who will be it, that's hard to say. We'll see who loses the martial arts competition later." He glanced at
Gu Xiaomi as he spoke.

Gu Xiaomi didn't care, "Why are you looking at me! I don't care. Aren't I just running
errands ? Besides, who will lose is still uncertain!"

Jiang Lei said with a bullying expression, "If you just admit defeat, you'll suffer less. Otherwise..."
He cracked his knuckles as he spoke.

Gu Xiaomi ignored him. "You've all made your choices, now it's my turn. The Gang Leader's Wife!"

Lin Ling asked, puzzled, "Is the Gang Leader's Wife a position?"

Gu Xiaomi replied, "Of course. Come on, let's get started! Whoever wins goes first!"

After speaking, Gu Xiaomi leaped onto the open ground in front of her, turned around, and assumed a fighting stance.

Jiang Lei exclaimed, "Hey, you little brat. You learned this in the martial arts arena, didn't you?

You're quite the fighter!" He then stepped forward, saying, "I'll test your skills. Let's be clear, in a sparring match,
someone might accidentally get hurt, let alone leave you with a black eye and a swollen face. If that happens, you can only blame yourself for being less skilled, and don't
cry ."

Gu Xiaomi's lips curled slightly as she tilted her head back and gently hooked her right hand, which was extended in front of her chest, twice.

Jiang Lei's nonchalant smile vanished. "You brat, you think I won't do anything to you? I'll teach you
a lesson!" He said, extending his leg to sweep Gu Xiaomi's lower body, intending to send her sprawling face-first into the mud. However, although he intended to embarrass Gu
Xiaomi , he only used a fraction of his strength, afraid of actually hurting her.

Gu Xiaomi twisted her body and dodged the kick.

Jiang Lei strode to where Gu Xiaomi had just stood, regaining his balance, and reached out to grab her from behind.

His fingertips touched the fabric of her back, but Gu Xiaomi simply lowered her head and vanished.

Jiang Lei was startled, feeling a sharp pain in his back and his vision blurred. He staggered,
almost falling to the ground, but managed to pull himself up and land awkwardly on his back.

Gu Xiaomi stood smiling before him.

Enraged, Jiang Lei ignored the pain in his back and stood up, throwing a punch at Gu Xiaomi. Jiang Lei's punch was delivered
with all his might, its power comparable to that of an adult man; it was a powerful, swift, and deadly strike.

Lin Ling, seeing Jiang Lei's fist about to hit Gu Xiaomi's face, gasped, involuntarily closed her eyes,
and dropped the papers she was holding.

A loud "bang" echoed as a fist struck flesh.

Lin Ling opened her eyes and saw Gu Xiaomi standing there as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Lei covered his left eye and took a few steps back, lowering his hand. A faint bluish tinge appeared around his eye; he feared he
'd have dark circles under his eyes tomorrow.

Jiang Lei's eyes widened, and he was about to rush forward again. Li Yiyang grabbed his arm, but Jiang Lei slapped him away. Li Yiyang
stepped to stand directly opposite Jiang Lei and said, "Something's strange! Watch this!"

With that, he reached out a palm towards Gu Xiaomi.

Gu Xiaomi gently stepped back half a step, dodging the palm strike, then bent down and punched Li Yiyang
in the waist with her left fist.

Li Yiyang clearly sensed her attack, but couldn't dodge it. He felt a numbness in his waist and staggered two steps
before barely regaining his balance.

Gu Xiaomi leaned forward, her right hand forming a sword-like finger, aimed directly at Li Yiyang's throat.

Gu Xiaomi said, "Brother Li, you've lost." With that, she stepped back and stood still.

Li Yiyang asked, "Who exactly are you?"

Gu Xiaomi didn't answer, tilting her head to look at Cheng Haoran, "Brother Ran, won't you have a match with me?"

Cheng Haoran walked to the open space, concentrating on his preparation, "Please show me your moves!"

Gu Xiaomi smiled and kicked out, but even Lin Ling could see that she was holding back, not using any force at all.

Cheng Haoran's expression darkened slightly, and he easily dodged. He threw a punch, and Gu Xiaomi dodged to the side. Cheng Haoran then bent his elbow
to attack her chest, and Gu Xiaomi dodged to the side.

Cheng Haoran launched several attacks in succession, which Gu Xiaomi easily dodged, but she refused to retaliate.

Cheng Haoran stopped. "Why didn't you fight back!"

Gu Xiaomi said with a grin. "I admit defeat. They can't beat me, and I lost to you, so Brother Ran, you
choose first!"

Cheng Haoran said angrily, "Gu Xiaomi, you're going too far!"

Gu Xiaomi was young and simple-minded, and she hadn't expected to anger Cheng Haoran. She was at a loss and couldn't
help but complain, "You all say it's about making friends through martial arts, but you're all unhappy about losing to me. You're all so petty!"

Jiang Lei snorted, "I don't believe it, Gu Xiaomi, I'm going to take you down!"

He then charged forward again. Gu Xiaomi felt a faint pain on her cheek where Jiang Lei's palm struck. Impatient, she
punched Jiang Lei in the right eye. Just as Jiang Lei's panda eye was about to become a double eyelid, a deep, old voice suddenly came

from behind Gu Xiaomi , "Xiaomi, stop!" Gu Xiaomi froze, the fist that was about to strike Jiang Lei falling back down. She turned around and called out, "Grandpa." The person who came was Gu Xiaomi's grandfather, Uncle Gu, who cleaned the Jiang family's courtyard. Uncle Gu was dressed in his usual coarse blue cloth clothes and carried a white paper lantern with the character "Jiang" printed on it. However, he was no longer dull and honest man he usually was. Although his face was weathered, he was vigorous and energetic, with a serious expression and an innate air of authority . Jiang Lei was secretly alarmed. Gu Xiaomi's strange skills must have been taught by Uncle Gu. How could such a person be in his own home without him noticing? If Uncle Gu wanted to harm the Jiang family... Thinking of this, Jiang Lei's face darkened. Uncle Gu saw Jiang Lei's unfriendly expression and knew that he harbored resentment. He couldn't help but sigh. If this matter wasn't handled well, the Jiang family might not be able to stay. Gu Xiaomi lowered her head shyly. "Grandpa, I'm sorry." Uncle Gu said, "You knowingly did wrong." Gu Xiaomi stammered, "They are all my friends..." Uncle Gu walked up to Jiang Lei. "Young Master, Xiaomi is still young and doesn't understand. Please don't hold it against her." Jiang Lei asked, "Who are you people? What are your intentions in staying in my house?" Uncle Gu said, "Your father took me and Xiaomi in out of kindness. I've worked hard all my life and left nothing behind but this little granddaughter. I just want a place to raise Xiaomi and live out my old age in peace. I 've never had any intention of harming the Jiang family. If you don't believe me, Young Master, I have no choice but to leave with Xiaomi." After saying this, he looked intently at Jiang Lei. Gu Xiaomi walked over to Uncle Gu and said to Jiang Lei, "If you're angry that I hit your eye, then hit ." Jiang Lei, hearing Gu Xiaomi's words, remembered he had a dark circle under his left eye and realized he must look ridiculous face flushed red. "I was blind! I didn't know you were so capable! I don't need you to go easy on me!" Gu Xiaomi looked up, pitifully saying, "I've been traveling with Grandpa all the time. In the past six months at the Jiang family, you've all treated me very well. It's just that I always make you angry. I promise I won't tell Master and Madam about your affairs anymore. You… please don't tell anyone about today's incident." Gu Xiaomi's pitiful, wronged demeanor left Jiang Lei speechless, unsure how to express himself. After a long pause, he awkwardly said, "Usually so sharp-tongued, now you're playing the victim in front of me. Do you think I'm holding a grudge because I lost to you and deliberately making things difficult for you? What kind of person do you take me, Jiang Lei, for?!"

Uncle Gu smiled slightly, "I often see you practicing martial arts in the hall. All three of you children are quite
accomplished in martial arts. If you were to learn some skills from me, you would certainly be no less than Xiao Mi."

As he spoke, he walked to Cheng Haoran's side, reached out and pinched Cheng Haoran's shoulder and neck, which Cheng Haoran dodged. Uncle Gu withdrew his hand, but his eyes remained fixed on Cheng Haoran's face, his probing gaze as if trying to find something

on his face .
Uncle Gu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Child, who are your parents?"

Cheng Haoran hadn't expected Uncle Gu to ask such a question and paused before answering, "My father is
Doctor Cheng . My mother passed away long ago. Do you know my parents?"

Uncle Gu paused before replying, "Your father is a benevolent and skilled doctor, renowned throughout the capital. Everyone knows him."

Jiang Lei said, "Then who are you? You won't even tell us your true identity, so how can we
believe you?"

Uncle Gu said, "I'm just an old man. What's the point of talking about the past? Even if I told you, you little
kids wouldn't know."

Lin Ling, who hadn't dared to speak because she wasn't quite sure of the situation, couldn't help but speak up now, "Grandpa,
you said they're all good at martial arts, why didn't you mention me? What about me?"

Uncle Gu smiled, "Isn't this the young master who can't even stand properly? If you like, you can come and learn a few moves
from this old man ."

Lin Ling was a little excited, "Really? I can be as good as Xiaomi?"

Li Yiyang grabbed Lin Ling's hand, signaling her to stop talking nonsense.

Uncle Gu bowed to Xiao Mi and said, "It's getting late, come home with Grandpa. You children shouldn't stay out too late either."

Jiang Lei watched Uncle Gu and Xiao Mi's figures gradually disappear beyond the woods, still feeling uncertain.

On the way back to the Jiang residence, Uncle Gu carried a lantern to light the way, with Xiao Mi following behind.

Uncle Gu sighed, "Xiao Mi, although I haven't seriously told you this, you should know that Grandpa's affairs are
not to be discussed lightly. You're already ten years old, don't you understand? If something happens to Grandpa, who will take care of you?"

Xiao Mi said, "Grandpa, I know I was wrong. I was just anxious..." Although Xiao Mi was usually quite open , she was still embarrassed to admit to her grandfather that she was eager to become the "leader's wife," so she used the skills
her grandfather had taught her . Uncle Gu said, "If anything happens in the future, you can usually handle it with the skills taught at the martial arts school. Don't make me use the skills I taught you. Remember that." Gu Xiaomi pouted and said, "Grandpa, I already said I know I was wrong, but you keep saying it! Okay, we let's go inside!" Back in the small house where Gu Xiaomi and her grandfather lived, Gu Xiaomi rubbed her eyes and threw herself onto the bed. Uncle Gu picked her up and said, "Want to sleep? Didn't you volunteer to be the young master's maid? The master has already given you your allowance. You want to sleep without waiting for the young master to come back and help you wash up? Go finish your duties before you sleep." Gu Xiaomi yawned, "Who knows when he'll come back? I can wash up myself. I'm not a child ." Gu Xiaomi's "service" to Jiang Lei always depended on her mood. Although Jiang Lei often made sarcastic remarks, he never really demanded that she "serve" him in any particular way, so she never took these "duties" to heart. Uncle Gu pulled Gu Xiaomi, who had just lain back down on the bed, up. "These three children are all exceptional individuals, not to be underestimated . You dared to hit the young master of the Jiang family in the eye, taking advantage of the kung fu I taught you. He's arrogant and proud; what if something happens to him after you bully him like that? Go apologize properly before coming back to sleep." Gu Xiaomi squirmed. "Grandpa, I hit him because he always bullies me!" Uncle Gu said, "If he really bullied you, would you still follow him around every day? Apologize before coming back to sleep." With that, he dragged Gu Xiaomi out of the room and closed the door. Uncle Gu sat down at the table and took a sip of tea. He thought to himself that these children were still young and didn't understand the unpredictability of human nature; most likely they wouldn't tell their parents about what he had done. They were all agile and intelligent; leaving them unattended would be a waste of their talents. He had been away from the martial world for a long time; teaching a few children wouldn't cause any trouble. But Xiaomi was still too immature; he had to be strict with her to prevent her from causing trouble. Cheng Haoran, with his exceptionally good physique, bore a striking resemblance to Yue Xin upon closer inspection. Ah, it was all so many years ago, and yet he was a man. It turns out such people still exist in the world… Gu Xiaomi's deep sleepiness was dispelled by the cool breeze outside. An apology? Hmph, dream on. But would he really kick Grandpa and her out? It's hard to say; having dark circles under her eyes is quite embarrassing. Gu Xiaomi muttered to herself as she walked towards Jiang Lei's bedroom. Lin Ling carefully examined Jiang Lei's eye injury. "Brother Lei, does your eye hurt? Go home and apply a cold compress. But how are you going to explain this to your dad?" Jiang Lei said nonchalantly, "No need to explain, I get into fights all the time anyway." Li Yiyang asked Jiang Lei, "Do you believe what he said?" Before Jiang Lei could answer, Lin Ling interjected, "I believe him! I don't think that Grandpa Gu is a bad person, he's Xiaomi's grandfather. He even said we could learn kung fu from him if we wanted." Li Yiyang said, "Who knows what his intentions are? It's better not to go." Lin Ling looked longingly at him, "But Xiaomi is so amazing, aren't you all envious? I really want to learn." The three boys had different expressions. Li Yiyang said worriedly, "Ling'er, don't secretly go to see this Uncle Gu behind our backs." Lin Ling nodded in agreement, "I know. But it's really interesting, Gu Xiaomi likes Brother Cheng, and Grandpa Gu also likes , saying he looks familiar." Cheng Haoran said, "I've never seen him before." The group discussed it for a few moments, but still couldn't reach a conclusion. They had no choice but to go home first, and discuss things tomorrow. A half-moon hung in the sky, the night was deep, and after the group left, the Birdsong Forest became even more silent. A night breeze blew, and a piece fluttered, revealing three large characters: "Spiritual Sect." It was as if another cool breeze swept through the fallen leaves—what an eerie sect name... This was the origin . Chapter Seven: Horror Film Five years later. A dark night, a high wind, a night for murder. The young master Yang Ji, dressed in a royal blue silk robe, was completely unaffected by the gloomy atmosphere. He fanned himself with a folding fan, humming a tune, "Reaching out to touch the hair on my sister's face, dark clouds have flown across the sky; reaching out to touch the corner of my sister's eye, her eyes and brows are to my liking..." He walked towards the Birdsong Forest, elated and self-satisfied.

What was he so happy about? It turned out that Yang Ji had spent a fortune yesterday to have Liang Sisi from Chu Honglou play
a piece for him. Yang Ji thought to himself, "So much money gone, and I didn't even get to touch a shred of Liang Sisi's clothes, just
heard a broken zither, and it was worth so much!" But then again, just seeing that glimpse of her fair arm
and that delicate figure while she played, it was worth it, worth any price. When he left, he finally took her hand. She
smiled and pushed him away, turning and walking off with a seductive smile. "I knew she was interested in me," he thought. "Hmph, I,
Yang Ji, am powerful, influential, and dashing; naturally, she'd fall for me at first sight." He just hadn't expected that after meeting her yesterday, she would secretly send him a message
today , arranging to meet him at the Birdsong Forest on the outskirts of the city at 9 PM. Wasn't she the most sought-after courtesan, worth a fortune for a night?
She'd actually been having an affair with me; it must be because I'm too charming. I got my hands on her today, hehe. Yang Ji grew increasingly disgusted,
a lewd grin spreading across his face as he fanned himself even more vigorously.

He entered the Birdsong Forest, where the dense shadows and gusts of cold wind sent shivers down his spine. He cursed
Liang Sisi for always acting so high

and mighty; it turned out she only liked this kind of thing, in the middle of nowhere, wasn't she afraid of being creeped out? The forest was silent. Yang Ji tightened his collar, wondering if he'd arrived too early. Lost in thought,
he faintly heard a sobbing sound drifting towards him, seemingly from afar. A chill ran

down Yang Ji's spine. His eyes widened as he looked around.

Not far ahead, beside a large tree, sat a deathly pale figure, hunched over, shoulders trembling slightly.
Long hair obscured the figure's face and shoulders.

Yang Ji's hair stood on end. He silently prayed, then turned and ran.

He stumbled around like a headless fly for a few steps, then suddenly noticed he was stepping on a strand of black hair.
Following looked up and saw the female ghost, who should have been behind him, was now right in front of him! She was still sitting under the tree, her back to
him, her long hair flowing down to the ground.

Yang Ji's face turned deathly pale, and he knelt down with a thud, thinking, "This is a ghost wall, this is a ghost wall!" His
throat was dry, and he couldn't utter a single word.

The female ghost slowly turned her head, her pale hands covering her face, blood seeping from between her fingers.
Yang Ji's mouth gaped open, the veins in his neck bulging, but he couldn't scream.

A cold wind blew, scattering leaves from the ancient tree.
A leaf landed on Yang Ji's face, icy and smelling of blood. He shivered and grabbed it; the leaf was bright red, stained with blood!

Yang Ji's pants were wet, and he wiped them with his hands, backing away.

Another leaf landed on his face—it hurt so much! The leaves were like sharp blades, cutting
a gash in Yang Ji's cheek.

The female ghost continued to weep softly, the blade-like leaves falling incessantly, landing on Yang Ji's head and body.

Yang Ji felt a chill run through him; his silk robe was torn in many places, and blood
flowed from all over his body. Yang Ji gritted his teeth, his mind blank, and he could only curl up stiffly.

After an unknown amount of time, the leaves finally stopped falling, but the female ghost slowly crawled towards him from the ground. Yang Ji
watched helplessly as she crawled to his face, face to face. The female ghost's pale fingers contrasted
sharply . She slowly removed her hands from his face.

She... she had no face! What could barely be called a face was just
a small dent where facial features should have been.

Blood continued to drip from the female ghost's face, drip, drip, onto Yang Ji's face.

Yang Ji gasped, and from somewhere, he mustered his strength and stumbled away, running on all fours.

The female ghost stopped her eerie sobs and whispered, "I've been alone in this forest for so many years. Don't
go, stay with me, stay with me..."

Yang Ji was so frightened he couldn't move. The voice was practically whispering in his neck. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his left arm.
Yang Ji heard the sound of his bones breaking. He screamed, clutching his left arm, and with all his might, he darted away
without looking .

The female ghost continued to murmur, "Don't go, stay with me, stay with me..."

Yang Ji's footsteps faded into the distance, and the female ghost, who had been crawling forward, stood up.

She cupped her face, devoid of features, in her hands, looked around, pinched her face a couple of times, and tentatively
took a few steps forward before stopping.

Even the moon, hidden deep in the clouds, couldn't resist its curiosity and peeked out to look at her. Her face was covered in blood, her long hair
lay on the ground , and bloodstains stained her clothes—white clothes and red blood, a truly gruesome sight.

She turned and took two more steps, then tripped over her own long hair and fell to the ground. She
stood up somewhat disheveled, angrily trying to untangle the hair from her foot, but her long, black hair was now a tangled mess. With a thud,
she fell to the ground again.

A few soft laughs came from the tree beside her.

The female ghost sat up and angrily said, "What are you laughing at? Whoever laughs again, I'll take their life!"

The laughter from the tree intensified.

A man in black jumped down from the tree and tapped her on the head. "You really think you're a vengeful ghost? Who are you going to
take your life from?"

The man was tall and handsome, with strong, resolute eyebrows and clear, bright eyes
. He was refined yet possessed a free and easy air. Even dressed in night clothes, he was still strikingly handsome, with an extraordinary air—truly a refined gentleman.

The female ghost scolded, "Boss, you hit my head again! Quickly get rid of this suffocating thing!"

A slender and pretty black figure also fell from the tree. She smiled and
wiped the "female ghost's" face twice with a wet wipe, then with a flick of her fingernail, peeled off the mask, revealing a small face flushed red from suffocation. She let out a big
breath, her clear black and white eyes darting around, and asked, "Xiaomi, how did you remove it so easily?"

The woman in black was Gu Xiaomi. As she untied the hairpin holding the wig in the "female ghost's" head, she said,
"Of course, Grandpa didn't teach me to fake it when he taught me disguise."

The fifteen-year-old girl, Gu Xiaomi, had a round face, curved eyes, and a sweet and lovely appearance. When she smiled, two
deep dimples appeared, but her overly lively personality hadn't changed much.

After Gu Xiaomi removed the "female ghost's" wig, the "female ghost," who was actually Lin Lingcai, stood up easily.

This "ghost face" was constructed by gluing together two uncarved facial skins, with a layer of chicken blood between them, and
a waterproof material underneath. If the "ghost" gently pressed her finger against the face, blood would seep out. This
was Gu Xiaomi's brilliant idea, and she was extremely proud of it, quite satisfied with the effect just now. However,
her excitement faded, and remembering how much effort her grandfather had put into making this human skin mask, she realized that secretly taking it would inevitably lead
to punishment, and her face fell.

Another man in black leaped down from the tree, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice. "Tsk tsk, these are
two human skin masks! It'll probably take Master three months to make them. Let
's see how some people explain themselves when they get back!" The human skin masks were made from rare materials, and the process of meticulous craftsmanship was incredibly complex.

The speaker was Jiang Lei, who had always been at odds with Gu Xiaomi. Jiang Lei was a nineteen-year-old youth,
tall and , with slightly tanned skin, clear features, deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and an imposing presence.

He and Gu Xiaomi had been bickering for five years, their conflict escalating until they would fight at the slightest provocation. Initially
, Jiang Lei was no match for Gu Xiaomi. But since they started learning martial arts from Uncle Gu, Jiang Lei
had worked doubly hard to avenge his previous defeats, while Gu Xiaomi, impatient and restless, had been learning disguise and formations constantly, neglecting her training.
In the past two years, she and Jiang Lei had become evenly matched. Seeing that she hadn't gained
anything from all the sweat she'd shed, Gu Xiaomi became less enthusiastic about fighting. Jiang Lei, being a man, was naturally embarrassed to strike first, so
the two had gradually become more amicable lately, no longer fighting like cats and dogs whenever they met.

Gu Xiaomi glared at Jiang Lei, "You traitor! We're helping the weak and oppressed, and you not only don't help but also make
sarcastic remarks , you're shameless!"

Jiang Lei snorted, "That useless Yang Ji, we could just grab him, put him in a sack, and beat him up, but
he insisted on playing tricks."

Lin Ling chimed in, "What do you mean by playing tricks? We're from the Supernatural Sect, of course we have to have our own unique characteristics. Is
beating him up unusual? This is how we ensure he never forgets it! Don't be afraid, Xiaomi, I'll talk to our master for you
." Jiang Lei rubbed his nose, "Fine, I can't argue with you two. It's pitiful that the three of us young talents have to follow you two

around all day."
"Girl, you're doing all this nonsense."

Li Yiyang wiped a small bloodstain from Lin Ling's face, looked up at the tree and called out, "Haoran, aren't you coming down?
If Yang Ji runs back and his family doesn't believe in ghosts and comes looking for him, it'll be troublesome. Let's pack up and leave."

A clear laugh came from the tree. "I'm afraid of seeing a female ghost if I go down. Lying up in the tree like this is quite
comfortable ."

Lin Ling pouted. "Then look at the stars. We're leaving. Let's see if a female ghost really comes looking for you! But you
're so beautiful, a female ghost probably wouldn't be willing to harm you."

After Lin Ling finished speaking, a figure in black descended from the tree. He had a pair of dreamy, misty eyes with a charming and romantic
air , a smile on his lips full of affection, emerald eyebrows and red lips, excellent skin, delicate and elegant features, a face
more beautiful than a woman's, and a cold and ethereal temperament. He was truly a man of beauty and grace, like autumn water and jade. This man was Cheng Haoran.

He frowned slightly, his long, handsome eyebrows furrowing. "Lin Ling, don't use the word 'pretty' to describe me."

Lin Ling just clung to Li Yiyang's arm and giggled.

The group cleaned up the "props" and then went home.

Li Yiyang and Lin Ling walked along a relatively secluded bluestone path behind the Lin residence, the moonlight casting
long shadows.

Lin Ling wore a moon-white dress with a sky-blue vest over it, and her height only reached Li Yiyang's shoulder. She
was rather thin, and although she was over fifteen, she still looked like a child, her demeanor and mannerisms still immature, quite unlike
the tall, elegant, and distinguished Li Yiyang beside her.

Lin Ling was clearly still caught up in the role-playing, excitedly gesturing with her hands as she shared her performance experience
, while Li Yiyang simply smiled.

Lin Ling said, "You don't know, I got really into character. For a moment, I felt like I was a female ghost,
wandering in the woods for years, truly lonely and desolate. Sigh... you wouldn't understand even if I told you. By the way,
boss, who hit Yang Ji when he screamed so pitifully at the end?"

Li Yiyang said, "Jiang Lei hit him with a small stone. Yang Ji broke Xiao Hu's arm, so naturally
he had to retaliate. But Ling'er, we should do less of this kind of supernatural stuff in the future."

Lin Ling objected, "This is a specialty of our sect, we must carry it forward!"

Li Yiyang smiled wryly, "Yang Ji thought..." "It really was a ghost sighting! How could I possibly know anything about the 'Spiritual Sect'
? How

are we supposed to make our sect famous?" Lin Ling stopped. "That's right! How could I forget? Let's go back now and carve
the words 'Spiritual Sect' on the tree," she said, turning to walk back. "I'll make some name tags later. After the operation, we'll leave a tag so
our Spiritual Sect can make a name for itself."

Li Yiyang grabbed her arm. "Wait a minute. Yang Ji was probably scared after seeing a ghost, so he
'll probably . If you do this, won't all our efforts be wasted?" Li Yiyang said this, but he really just
thought it was too embarrassing to play the ghost game.

Lin Ling, however, believed him. "Boss is so thoughtful. That Yang Ji is just a distant
relative of Empress Wang's family, yet he's so arrogant and domineering. It's no wonder he was scared to death!"

Back then, Lin Ling had a sudden inspiration to establish a sect. She secluded herself and pondered for a whole day, determined to give the sect
a resounding name. Her first thought was to recruit Yang-gege (Brother Yang). She considered taking
one character from each of her and Li Yiyang's names: Lingyi Sect? Yiling Gate? Both seemed good. After much deliberation, the name Lingyi Gate finally
came to mind. The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was truly unique, profound, and
unforgettable. After deciding on the name, she decided to gather her friends to strengthen the sect. Later, by chance,
they began learning martial arts from Uncle Gu.

Because of Gu Xiaomi's unexpected performance, the Lingyi Gate's first election for sect positions ended in failure.
Three months later, the second sect election was held. Gu Xiaomi, without hesitation, took first place; she wanted to be the sect leader's
wife.

Fourteen-year-old Jiang Lei was already tall and strong, and Cheng Haoran, two years younger than him, always suffered losses.
After , Jiang Lei won. Jiang Lei said that he and Li Yiyang were the left and right protectors, respectively, and there was nothing to fight over, so the two
didn't fight again. Although Cheng Haoran wasn't interested in the position of sect leader, it would be undignified for him to leave after losing
. Gu Xiaomi, with a forced smile, kept saying that the position of sect leader's wife was just a nominal title and
would Cheng Haoran agreed. Jiang Lei jokingly
warned Cheng Haoran that she might cling to him for life, but Cheng Haoran just laughed it off, thinking that the so-called "sect" was just a joke and he didn't take it seriously.

Lin Ling was frustrated, realizing she was the lowest-ranking disciple after all. Gu Xiaomi comforted her, saying that since things had come to this,
she could become Li Yiyang's direct subordinate. Lin Ling thought that Brother Yang had always been good to her, and this was better than having anyone else
to boss her around, so she agreed. Thus, Lin Ling, the initial founder of the sect, became the lowest-ranking disciple in the Supernatural Sect.
Lin Ling was a low-ranking disciple. Because she was Li Yiyang's direct subordinate, whenever Lin Ling saw Li Yiyang, she would chase after him and call him "boss."
Li Yiyang said, "What's with calling me 'boss'? It's so rude!" But Lin Ling had gotten used to it.

From then on, whenever everyone got together and wanted to eat sunflower seeds, they would naturally send the lowest-ranking disciple
to do it. Lin Ling ran errands while her heart bled. Was this a case of shooting herself in the foot? Making bad friends was really
harmful. Fortunately, Li Yiyang always accompanied her, never putting on airs, and even comforted her, saying that once the sect recruited again
, he would promote her to middle protector. However, five years passed, and Lin Ling was still the lowest-ranking disciple.

The two walked to the backyard of the Lin residence. Li Yiyang said softly, "Be careful, don't let your father find out."

Lin Ling nodded, jumped onto the wall, and flipped over rather awkwardly. She turned around, revealing a bright smile with seven teeth
, waved, and jumped down.

Li Yiyang recalled that the place he frequented most in the Lin family mansion since childhood was the backyard, filled with the rich
fragrance of locust blossoms. Two locust trees, planted for many years, stood there in the backyard. Smelling this familiar scent, a bittersweet
warmth welled up in his heart. No matter where he smelled this fragrance, he could always reflexively recall Lin Ling as a child,
peeking her little head over the courtyard wall—her dark eyes, her happy and innocent expression, the excitement of a bird released from its cage.

Before, when she came home late, she would have to use his shoulders to wrestle over the wall. Once, she
even broke her leg while jumping down, and her father was furious and gave her a good beating. I felt incredibly guilty and didn't sleep well all night.
The next morning, I rushed to the Lin residence at dawn. As soon as she saw me, she burst into tears, pulling her leg, which was splinted in place
, out of the blanket. "Brother Yang," she said, "it hurts so much! Blow on it for me." My heart ached terribly. I gently touched
the bandage on her leg and mumbled, "Ling'er, be good, it won't hurt anymore soon." Between sobs,
she said intermittently, "Next time I go home, I'll ask Xiaoya to catch me downstairs."

Now she can at least roll over by herself, even if her posture is a bit awkward; it's already quite an achievement.

Thinking of this, Li Yiyang chuckled and shook his head, then turned and went home.

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