Xiuyue's hand swayed, causing half of the ginger tea to spill. Xiugu? Was this merely a coincidence, or did Miss Luo know her real name?
"You don't like it?" Luo Sheng asked lightly.
Xiuyue regained her composure and tried to hide her complicated feelings. "It's my honor to be named by Miss. There's no reason not to like it. It's just that I'm ugly, so I don't deserve the word 'xiu' (beautiful)."
Luo Sheng smiled. "'Xiu[1]' doesn't only refer to appearance. I believe 'Xiugu' suits you very well."
Xiuyue's lips twitched, but before she could respond, Hongdou chimed in, "Come on, it's just a name. Why make such a fuss? Miss can call you whatever she likes." When she first met Miss, Miss was eating red bean soup and casually named her Hongdou. Did she complain? No!
"Hongdou, Xiugu is much older than you. Mind your words," Luo Sheng reprimanded. "Understood," Hongdou replied resentfully, holding her tea bowl and drinking it sullenly.
The pot of ginger tea was quickly finished, and its soothing aroma lingered in the dimly lit ruined temple, warming their hearts amidst the heavy rain outside.
Outside, black clouds rolled, and the rain poured down heavily. A young guard picked up the pot diligently, saying, "I'm going to wash the pots and bowls." Rainwater is the cleanest, making it convenient for washing. If he washed the pot now, they could enjoy a hot meal later.
Ugly popo, uh, no, Xiugu was not only skilled at making delicious barbecue but also excelled in preparing soup and porridge that were so good they could make people's taste buds dance with delight. The young guards carried the pots out with anticipation while the others chatted enthusiastically around the fire.
After a while, Sheng Sanlang, who was most concerned about lunch, looked towards the temple's entrance and wondered, "Why hasn't Xiaochuan come back yet? It doesn't take that long to wash the pots and pans, does it?"
A guard in his thirties smiled and said, "Perhaps he's just relieving himself." "Where could he go to relieve himself in such heavy rain?" Sheng Sanlang stood up, "I'll go and have a look."
As Sheng Sanlang strode towards the temple entrance, Luo Sheng suddenly spoke, "Biaoge, be careful."
Startled, Sheng Sanlang turned his head to meet Luo Sheng's serious expression. He was about to brush off the concern, but at that very moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the temple, followed by thunder reverberating through the ruined temple, making it feel like the entire place was trembling.
Subconsciously, Sheng Sanlang glanced at the door. Outside, the dark sky and endless rain formed a curtain, the door seemingly dividing the inside and outside of the temple into two entirely different worlds. Inside the temple, there was a warm atmosphere due to the lingering aroma of ginger tea, while outside, an aura of unknown darkness prevailed.
Despite his typically fearless nature, Sheng Sanlang felt a twinge of nervousness. Upon reaching the temple door, he stood at the threshold instead of stepping out directly and cautiously poked his head outside.
Another bolt of lightning pierced the sky, and in that brief illumination, Sheng Sanlang saw the young guard who had gone out earlier lying on his back, motionless not far away. The pot he had taken with him had fallen to his side, now filled with rainwater.
With sharp eyes, Sheng Sanlang noticed the blood dripping from the guard's body. Before he could cry out in surprise, he saw a dazzling gleam of a sword coming down from above. Reacting swiftly, he closed the temple door with lightning speed, pressing against it and shouting, "There are assailants!"
Several guards, who had sensed something amiss, rushed over with their swords in hand.
Bang bang bang, the door plank trembled violently as it was being smashed from the outside.
Sheng Sanlang's face turned grim. "Xiaochuan is dead!" Several guards tightened their grip on their swords. "Gongzi, you go inside. Leave this to us."
"No," Luo Sheng suddenly said.
[1] 秀 (xiù) means beautiful, elegant. Luo Sheng used a line from a poem to describe this word.
精理為文，秀氣成采 (jīng lǐ wéi wén, xiù qì chéng cǎi)
"Refined principles become the foundation of the writing."
"Elegant spirit forms the grace."
Xiuyue's hand swayed, causing half of the ginger tea to spill. Xiugu? Was this merely a coincidence, or did Miss Luo know her real name?
"You don't like it?" Luo Sheng asked lightly.
Xiuyue regained her composure and tried to hide her complicated feelings. "It's my honor to be named by Miss. There's no reason not to like it. It's just that I'm ugly, so I don't deserve the word 'xiu' (beautiful)."
Luo Sheng smiled. "'Xiu[1]' doesn't only refer to appearance. I believe 'Xiugu' suits you very well."
Xiuyue's lips twitched, but before she could respond, Hongdou chimed in, "Come on, it's just a name. Why make such a fuss? Miss can call you whatever she likes." When she first met Miss, Miss was eating red bean soup and casually named her Hongdou. Did she complain? No!
"Hongdou, Xiugu is much older than you. Mind your words," Luo Sheng reprimanded. "Understood," Hongdou replied resentfully, holding her tea bowl and drinking it sullenly.
The pot of ginger tea was quickly finished, and its soothing aroma lingered in the dimly lit ruined temple, warming their hearts amidst the heavy rain outside.
Outside, black clouds rolled, and the rain poured down heavily. A young guard picked up the pot diligently, saying, "I'm going to wash the pots and bowls." Rainwater is the cleanest, making it convenient for washing. If he washed the pot now, they could enjoy a hot meal later.
Ugly popo, uh, no, Xiugu was not only skilled at making delicious barbecue but also excelled in preparing soup and porridge that were so good they could make people's taste buds dance with delight. The young guards carried the pots out with anticipation while the others chatted enthusiastically around the fire.
After a while, Sheng Sanlang, who was most concerned about lunch, looked towards the temple's entrance and wondered, "Why hasn't Xiaochuan come back yet? It doesn't take that long to wash the pots and pans, does it?"
A guard in his thirties smiled and said, "Perhaps he's just relieving himself." "Where could he go to relieve himself in such heavy rain?" Sheng Sanlang stood up, "I'll go and have a look."
As Sheng Sanlang strode towards the temple entrance, Luo Sheng suddenly spoke, "Biaoge, be careful."
Startled, Sheng Sanlang turned his head to meet Luo Sheng's serious expression. He was about to brush off the concern, but at that very moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the temple, followed by thunder reverberating through the ruined temple, making it feel like the entire place was trembling.
Subconsciously, Sheng Sanlang glanced at the door. Outside, the dark sky and endless rain formed a curtain, the door seemingly dividing the inside and outside of the temple into two entirely different worlds. Inside the temple, there was a warm atmosphere due to the lingering aroma of ginger tea, while outside, an aura of unknown darkness prevailed.
Despite his typically fearless nature, Sheng Sanlang felt a twinge of nervousness. Upon reaching the temple door, he stood at the threshold instead of stepping out directly and cautiously poked his head outside.
Another bolt of lightning pierced the sky, and in that brief illumination, Sheng Sanlang saw the young guard who had gone out earlier lying on his back, motionless not far away. The pot he had taken with him had fallen to his side, now filled with rainwater.
With sharp eyes, Sheng Sanlang noticed the blood dripping from the guard's body. Before he could cry out in surprise, he saw a dazzling gleam of a sword coming down from above. Reacting swiftly, he closed the temple door with lightning speed, pressing against it and shouting, "There are assailants!"
Several guards, who had sensed something amiss, rushed over with their swords in hand.
Bang bang bang, the door plank trembled violently as it was being smashed from the outside.
Sheng Sanlang's face turned grim. "Xiaochuan is dead!" Several guards tightened their grip on their swords. "Gongzi, you go inside. Leave this to us."
"No," Luo Sheng suddenly said.
[1] 秀 (xiù) means beautiful, elegant. Luo Sheng used a line from a poem to describe this word.
精理為文，秀氣成采 (jīng lǐ wéi wén, xiù qì chéng cǎi)
"Refined principles become the foundation of the writing."
"Elegant spirit forms the grace."
