The steps led to a small platform, forming a tiny courtyard surrounded by small, single-story houses on three sides.
Quan Zhisui explained, "This is where my master practices his ditation. There's his tea room, and this is where I grew up."
She had lived here for 17 years.
With that, she opened the door to a room in the east wing and invited the three of them in. "This is my room!"
The room wasn't large, and it felt a bit cramped with four people inside, but it was well-lit. The bed and furniture were all made of wood, old and worn.
There were two single beds, both bare without any sheets.
Quan Zhisui said cheerfully, "I used to live here with Senior Brother Zi Yin for many, many years. After he got married, I lived alone for a few years."
Then she turned to Zhuge Ying, "There are two beds here. Would you like to share the room with ?"
Zhuge Ying replied, "Sure!"
At that mont, Kong Mingze pointed to a cardboard box in the corner. "Is this the box with the toys you collected?"
Quan Zhisui walked over and opened it, revealing a pile of broken and worn-out items. They hadn't started out that way, but her destructive tendencies had turned them into a ss. Despite their condition, everything was clean and free of dust, neatly stored in the box.
Among the items was a basketball that was barely recognizable, its surface worn and patched up in places.
Wei Shixu picked up the basketball, cradling it in his hands and running his fingers over its surface.
Kong Mingze was shocked. "No way! Is this a basketball? How did it end up like this? I couldn't even tell it was a basketball!"
Quan Zhisui looked out the window, a guilty expression on her face. "Ah, I didn't know how to control my strength when I was little."
The basketball had actually burst once, been repaired, and then burst again.
In short...
It was a basketball with a tragic fate!
Wei Shixu looked at her. "Can you give this basketball to ?"
Quan Zhisui was surprised. "It's broken. You can't play with it anymore."
Wei Shixu's expression was serious. "I know, but I still want it."
Then, as if worried she might refuse, he added another reason, "I gave you so many gifts for your birthday, and you didn't prepare anything for ."
Quan Zhisui's eye twitched. "Fine, take it, take it. Here, it's yours."
She was truly speechless!
The room didn't have much in it, just old items, each representing a part of Quan Zhisui's past and her 17 years of growth.
She was soone with a destructive streak, yet she was also sentintal and grateful.
Quan Zhisui then led the three of them to the opposite side of the courtyard and opened a door. "There's an empty room here with two single beds. Kong Mingze and Wei Shixu, will you two stay here?"
Kong Mingze said, "No problem for ."
He wasn't picky about these things.
"I'm fine with it too," Wei Shixu said.
He was still holding the broken basketball. Back in Liangxi, he was particular about cleanliness and had a bit of a phobia, but here, he felt no discomfort at all.
He wouldn't mind sleeping on the floor; there was a strange sense of peace here.
No wonder Quan Zhisui had been so eager to return.
After settling the three of them, Quan Zhisui excitedly took them to a nearby grassy area. "I planted all of this!"
A large patch of golden sedum was thriving, almost to the point of overgrowing, spilling out beyond its intended area.
"It's so beautiful!" Zhuge Ying exclaid, taking out her phone to take pictures.
At that mont, Zi Ling arrived carrying a set of tea utensils, charcoal, and nuts for a traditional tea-boiling setup, placing them on the stone table in the courtyard.
"Zhisui, you can entertain your friends yourself. I'm leaving now," he said, keeping his distance.
Quan Zhisui turned around and asked, "Alright, where's Master?"
Zi Ling replied, "He'll be back soon. Just wait!"
With that, he hurried down the steps.
Zhuge Ying couldn't help but laugh. "He seems much older than you. Why is he so afraid of you?"
Quan Zhisui gestured for the three of them to sit down. "Senior Brother Zi Ling is five years older than . When I was little, Master made him my sparring partner, but he couldn't beat ."
Wei Shixu chuckled. "That's hard to imagine."
Kong Mingze was astonished. "I can't believe it either! Five years older and he couldn't beat you when you were a kid?"
Quan Zhisui touched her ear. "Well, before I turned ten, Zi Ling was my sparring partner. He started with routine martial arts, but I practiced combat. Because of our sparring, he eventually switched to combat too and beca a national-level martial artist by the ti he was 18."
Kong Mingze exclaid, "What?!"
Zhuge Ying was equally stunned.
Who would have thought such a thing could happen!
Wei Shixu then asked, "What happened after you turned ten?"
Quan Zhisui replied, "After I turned ten, Zi Ling refused to spar with , and so did the other senior brothers. I couldn't get enough of just one match a day, so Master sent to challenge other martial arts schools instead of causing trouble at ho."
Wei Shixu laughed softly. No wonder there was that rule in the martial arts school's guidelines.
Zhuge Ying asked, "Are there other martial arts schools around here?"
"Plenty!" Quan Zhisui pointed in a direction. "From the back of Wudang Mountain all the way up, there are dozens of martial arts schools. Master has over twenty senior brothers, and each of them runs their own school."
Wei Shixu asked again, "You must have gotten beaten a lot as a kid, huh?"
She was so mischievous that she was sent out to cause trouble elsewhere.
"Yep!" Quan Zhisui nodded, thinking back. "Getting beaten was normal. Everyone got beaten, but I got it more often—three days a light beating, five days a heavy one."
Zhuge Ying was extrely curious. "What did you do to get beaten so many tis?"
Quan Zhisui explained, "It wasn't anything major. I was hungry in the middle of the night and almost burned down the kitchen; I overslept and missed martial arts assessnts; I chased chickens, ducks, and geese for fun..."
Kong Mingze gave her a thumbs-up. "You're quite the troublemaker!"
Quan Zhisui added, "Those were minor. For serious mistakes, the punishnt was harsher—like being whipped with a cane! On my bottom!"
Wei Shixu looked at her and asked, "What kind of serious mistakes did you make?"
"Hmm..." Quan Zhisui gazed at a distant building, her eyes unfocused. "When I was little, Master forbade from going deep into the mountains, but I sneaked in anyway. Once, I even took so senior brothers with . They got lost, and Master had to go into the mountains to find them. It was almost dark by the ti he brought everyone back."
Zhuge Ying interjected, "Wait, what about you?"
Quan Zhisui continued, her gaze still distant. "Oh, I ca back in the afternoon and had a full dinner."
Kong Mingze burst out laughing. "Hahaha!"
Wei Shixu also chuckled. "How bad was the beating that ti?"
Quan Zhisui's focus returned. "I got twenty lashes with the cane! It was the worst beating I ever got!"
Wei Shixu nodded. "That explains why there's that rule in the guidelines."
Kong Mingze said, "You're not just mischievous, you're downright naughty!"
Quan Zhisui slamd the table in protest. "I was just a kid back then! I didn't know any better! And I never did it again after that!"
Wei Shixu comnted, "Your master is amazing for turning such a troublemaker into soone so well-behaved."
Zhuge Ying asked, "Why did they get separated? Didn't you lead them out?"
Quan Zhisui was also puzzled. "It's strange. Why couldn't they keep up with ? They were all older than !"
Zhuge Ying was speechless.
Wei Shixu sipped his tea, glancing at the tendons on her calves.
Kong Mingze urged, "Any more stories? Tell us one or two more! Your childhood sounds so fun!"
Quan Zhisui pointed to a steep slope in the distance. "Once, one of my master's senior brothers ca to visit. He jumped down from a 20-ter height in three stages and landed unhard. It was so impressive! I thought, 'I can do that too,' and I jumped after him."
Zhuge Ying asked, "Did you get beaten even worse that ti?"
Quan Zhisui replied, "Oh, no."
Kong Mingze asked, "Why not?"
Quan Zhisui said, "Because I broke my leg."
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