Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword

Lin Weirui was dragged to the ancestral hall by Lin Minzhi and received ten full lashes.

In this family, she was the one that was beaten the most. As a child, she often quietly slipped away while carrying Lin Rufei; if he didn’t return sick, all was fine. But as soon as Lin Rufei returned home sick, she got a beating. Later, Lin Rufei did not want to involve her again but she still dragged Lin Rufei out with her. She would wink and say that elder brother never put too much force on the whip. It didn’t hurt when he lashed at her at all, he was just trying to scare her. 

“Besides, it’s boring for you to stay in the garden alone.” Lin Weirui said, “Even if Xiao Jiu does not want to see people, seeing the other sceneries on the mountain is also good.”

She acted like that from young to old. It wasn’t until a few years ago when Lin Weirui went out to travel that there was a lot of silence in Lin Rufei’s garden.

Lin Minzhi soon came back with Lin Weirui, who was limping. She was screaming with tears in her eyes and flung herself at Lin Rufei’s side. She hugged her beloved brother and cried, “Big brother, you are so cruel, I just came back and you’re already going to beat me up.”

Lin Minzhi said coldly, “Otherwise, should I give you ten more lashes to help you fulfill this wish of being crippled?”

Lin Weirui immediately stood up straight and said righteously, “It doesn’t seem to be that serious.”

Lin Bianyu and Lin Rufei chuckled lowly. Once Lin Weirui came back, the courtyard was indeed quite lively.

“Xiao Jiu, when do you plan to leave?” Lin Weirui turned around and hugged Lin Rufei, who was sitting in a chair, from behind. She noticed the unique, faint medicinal fragrance on him and said brokenly, “I just came back, you can’t leave right away. Jianghu is dangerous, there will always be some nasty people. Before you leave, ask them to prepare you some more talismans and spiritual treasures. Even if we can’t beat them, we can at least use the treasures and smash them to death!” 

Lin Bianyu, who stood by and listened, had actually nodded in agreement.

Lin Rufei was crying and laughing.

The four siblings had dinner together before they dispersed. Lin Rufei was also a bit tired and after bathing, he sat by the window and looked at the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard that was starting to draw leaves. The tree was thin and small, with a few sparse leaves on its branches, making it even more pitiful. It was like a child with tattered clothes, trembling pitifully with the night breeze.

Lin Rufei sent Fu Hua and Yu Rui to rest, leaving him alone in the room. He looked at the cherry blossoms in the courtyard hidden in the night, and softly opened his mouth: “Is senior Gu here?”

No one answered.

Lin Rufei was slightly disappointed, he knew that only he could see Gu Xuandu. This person’s origin was a mystery, but he seemed to have an inseparable relationship with the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard. He was still deep in thought. When he turned around, he saw Gu Xuandu dressed in red and sitting at the head of his bed. He was staring at the wooden rack that was placed next to the bed. The wooden rack had a bunch of peony flowers that Fu Hua had gotten—they were very flashy.

Lin Rufei took a look at the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard and gave birth to some guilty conscience

Gu Xuandu said, “Although the peonies are beautiful, they are too gaudy.”

Lin Rufei could only echo: “You have a point.”

Gu Xuandu’s phoenix eyes turned and landed on his body, saying, “Nevertheless, cherry blossoms are more beautiful.”

Lin Rufei didn’t dare brush off the beauty’s thoughts: “Right.”

Who knew that Gu Xuandu’s next words would be, “Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to bloom them either.”

Lin Rufei almost choked on those words.

Gu Xuandu sighed and frowned: “It took several years to squeeze out such a bud, but it was blown away by the wind.” He suddenly got up and walked to Lin Rufei. He reached out and lifted his chin, gazing into his eyes, “The good thing is that there is still one left.” Lin Rufei couldn’t help but close his eyes, feeling the cold fingers gently brushing over his right eye.

“It’s also enough.” Gu Xuandu smiled and said.

Lin Rufei said, “Senior ……”

Gu Xuandu said, “What?”

Lin Rufei called again, “Senior.”

Gu Xuandu gave a subtle look: “Senior what……”

Lin Rufei felt his hair stand up due to Gu Xuandu’s stare as if the word “senior” provoked a certain kind of unspeakable interest of Gu Xuandu. His lips mumbled for a moment and he said in a low voice: “Senior Xuandu, what is wrong?”

Gu Xuandu smiled and said, “Nothing, call me senior again.”

Lin Rufei: “……” Why did he get a feeling that he was being taken advantage of?

Lin Rufei hesitated for a moment and whispered, “May I ask how old senior Xuandu is this year?”

Gu Xuandu’s expression did not change: “Not too much older than you.”

Lin Rufei said, “How much is that?”

Gu Xuandu said, “Asking someone’s age as soon as they arrive, is that not inappropriate?”

Lin Rufei thought about it and felt that there seemed to be some truth to it, but obviously, Gu Xuandu’s statement that he was not much older was not very credible.

However, since he was willing to be a senior, Lin Rufei complied with his wishes: “A few days ago, I had a sword competition with Wang Teng. Thank you senior for helping.”

Gu Xuandu lazily said, “I didn’t help much. I just picked up a cherry blossom branch that was broken off by your second brother and sent it to you.”

This Gu Xuandu tone of voice was light and breezy, but the way he talked was like a child complaining. How could Lin Rufei not hear it? He was crying and laughing and said tomorrow he will go talk with his second brother.

“These days my brothers have agreed to allow me down the mountain to travel. I wonder if senior Xuandu is willing to go with me?” He knew that such a request was a bit too much. Lin Rufei’s pale cheeks floated with a sweet red from nervousness. He slightly pursed his lips and whispered, “Of course, if senior is unwilling, I will not force you. Before I leave, I will instruct second brother, and will not let him touch the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard.”

Who knew that after Gu Xuandu heard his words, he let out a faint smile: “Naturally, I want to leave the mountain with you. My only petal has fallen onto your body, if I don’t follow you, who do I follow. Furthermore……”

Lin Rufei said: “Furthermore?”

Gu Xuandu’s tone became slightly more serious: “Furthermore, I also have a favor to ask.”

Lin Rufei said: “May I know what it is?”

Gu Xuandu said, “My soul is currently weak and I can’t show up often. I want to retrieve some old items that I have lost in various places. I’ll have to inconvenience Xiao Jiu.”

Lin Rufei was surprised, “Old items? Do you know where you have lost them?”

“I can vaguely sense them, but it’s been too long, so it’s become somewhat fuzzy. I need to get closer to know.” Gu Xuandu said, “But since you’re going to travel down the mountain, it’s still considered along the way.”

Lin Rufei smiled, “Then senior Xuandu has accepted my invitation to travel? I just don’t know if I need to bring the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard with me?”

Gu Xuandu smiled lightly, “That won’t be necessary, I have other ways.”

Lin Rufei was slightly happy in his heart. On this trip, he was most worried that he would not be able to protect himself and cause his brothers and sister to worry. Although this Gu Xuandu had appeared abruptly and his origin was a mystery, in the end, he still helped him out in every way. According to his current life expectancy, if he stays on Kunlun Mountain he would not live past thirty and be left with a body that had no use. Being able to leave Kunlun Mountain and traveling around had been his life’s greatest wish.

If in the morning he were to gain knowledge of the correct path in life, he would be able to die at sunset without regrets[1]. That’s probably about it.

The night was getting darker.

Lin Rufei lay down on the bed and Gu Xuandu sat on the edge of the bed, leaning against the wooden chair looking at something. Lin Rufei looked at him for a while then drowsiness started to envelop him. He lowered his eyes to the halfway mark. In his daze, he seemed to have heard Gu Xuandu whisper: “Watching this scenery for a hundred years definitely gets tiresome.”

A hundred years? Lin Rufei thought confusedly. He seemed to have remembered his mother saying that the cherry blossom grove at the foot of the mountain had appeared a hundred years ago. No one knew who planted them, nor did they know when they grew. But when people found out about it, it was already in the prime of Spring and there were already a dozen miles of cherry blossom. It made the mountain cliff red. 

The next day, it was sunny.

Fu Hua washed the pagoda tree blossoms they had picked yesterday, grabbed some white flour, and decided to make pagoda tree blossom dumplings. Lin Weirui had just returned and the entire Kunlun Mountain knew. Last night she ran to the front mountain and found Lin Minzhi’s disciples. She drank with them until dawn only to have Lin Minzhi seize her and throw her back into her room. This almost earned her another lash. Lin Minzhi’s calm and steady personality was useless in front of Lin Weirui, and he almost wanted to grab the whip from the ancestral hall so he could lash out whenever. 

However, Lin Weirui also knows that Lin Minzhi was a lot of talk, but no action. When the whip strikes with a whooshing sound, it was as if her body was scratched to relieve an itch. But she was also smart, even though it did not hurt the slightest, she would still scream and even fake a limp for a few days. It was considered giving face to her elder brother. 

The dumplings stuffed with pagoda tree blossoms were a bit plain, so Yu Rui went to the kitchen to fetch a piece of pork. She also picked up two fresh cabbages, intending to make some pork with cabbage filling. 

The courtyard was very lively, Lin Rufei had nothing to do so he played chess[2] with his sullen second brother.

Lin Bianyu was as good at chess as he was at swordsmanship, but today he was obviously not thinking about the match in front of him and lost three games in a row.

Lin Rufei said, “What is second brother thinking about?”

Lin Bianyu said, “In a few days, it will rain.”

Lin Rufei was puzzled: “So what if it rains?”

Lin Bianyu said, “After the rain, the mountain road is slippery and unsafe, so you’d better go down on another day.”

Lin Rufei laughed, “Second brother, I am not made of sugar, will I melt if I stand in the rain? This trip down the mountains won’t take too long. I’ll be back after I deliver the invitations.”

Lin Bianyu was still sullen and unconsciously glanced towards the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard.

Lin Rufei hurriedly warned Lin Bianyu to not touch anything in his courtyard after he left, especially that cherry blossom tree—

Lin Bianyu said in a deep voice: “Xiao Jiu, did you know that that tree isn’t a good thing. It even made a move against me!” 

Lin Rufei’s heart was shocked: “Made a move?”

Yesterday, it was Gu Xuandu who complained, but today it was Lin Bianyu who complained. The two who were originally calm and steady seemed to have turned into childish children: “He deliberately tripped me and caused me to fall.” He felt that saying it this way didn’t make the situation serious enough so Lin Bianyu exaggeratedly added a sentence. “Even now my leg still hurts badly.” 

Lin Rufei did not believe it. It was only a fall, at most, it would just be a little humiliating, and wouldn’t be a serious problem at all. But he still patiently pacified Lin Bianyu. Only until the dumplings were cooked did Lin Bianyu’s depressed look disappear a little.

When the hot dumplings were served, the hungover Lin Weirui was dragged to the table by Lin Minzhi. The four of them sat down and raised their porcelain cups first.

Lin Rufei toasted with tea instead of wine, and all of them laughed and raised their cups to celebrate.

At this time, the Spring color outside the window was very apparent, and the cherry blossom branches were trembling slightly in the wind, as if in harmony.

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