Chapter 364

She had thought He Zhizhou would recite something like “A thousand trees bloom like pear blossoms” or “Snow, though beautiful, loses to the scent of plum blossoms.”

But instead, he let out a soft chuckle, flipped his hair dramatically, and began aloud:

“From afar, it’s white; up close, still white.
It’s water you can’t drink, ash you can’t warm.”

Ning Ning: “Huh?”

“And Ning Ning walks hand in hand with Pei Ji,
While I trail behind like a dog.”

He Zhizhou’s poetic inspiration surged, his words becoming more animated:
“Two little friends came along,
Named Xiao Gu and Xiao Qiu.”

Hearing her name in the poem, Qiu Qiu felt deeply honored.

She clapped her chubby hands enthusiastically and exclaimed, “Big Brother is amazing!”

“Heh, you’re too kind!”

He Zhizhou laughed and said, “With hard work and practice, you’ll be just as good as me someday.”

In her heart, Ning Ning frantically shook her head on Qiu Qiu’s behalf.

No, no, no, please don’t turn out like Senior Brother He!

Children’s enthusiasm knows no bounds.

Fired up by He Zhizhou’s performance, Qiu Qiu announced, “I’m not building a snowman anymore… I want to write poetry!”

She looked up with excitement and anticipation, her soft voice rising involuntarily: “Big Brother He, do you have poetry books in your room?”

Of course, the answer was no—he only had a pile of peculiar sword manuals.

Having been tormented by classical Chinese and poetry throughout his nine years of compulsory education, He Zhizhou had gladly left all that literary “flowers and moonlight” nonsense behind when he entered the cultivation world.

But he couldn’t bear to dampen the little girl’s enthusiasm.

After a moment of thought, he clapped his hands as if he had a sudden revelation: “Let’s go! Big Brother will take you to learn poetry!”

Ning Ning, ever skeptical of He Zhizhou’s bookishness, chuckled, “You really bought a lot of poetry books?”

“Not at all.”

Scooping up Qiu Qiu, he grinned.

“We’re going to Lin Xun’s place—he’s all about that poetic and artistic stuff, isn’t he?”

As he spoke, he turned to the timid boy not far away.

“Gu Lu, do you want to come along?”

Gu Lu shook his head.

He wanted to keep building his snowman.

“Alright then, we’ll be off!”

He Zhizhou, with his childlike personality, always got along well with children.

Lifting Qiu Qiu higher, he jogged through the snow, his voice rising joyfully: “Hold on tight—we’re taking off! Fly, fly, fly!”

“Junior Brother He,” watching him run off, Zheng Weiqi sighed, clicking her tongue, “Young people really are full of energy.”

After her remark, she instinctively glanced at Gu Lu beside her.

Unlike his lively sister, this little boy was much more reserved.

His gentle and excessively shy nature was quite unlike his parents, and he was especially afraid of strangers—even Zheng Weiqi hadn’t managed to get close to him yet.

At the moment, he was fully absorbed in rolling snowballs.

Beside him, Ning Ning squatted on the ground, resting her cheek on one hand as she smiled and asked, “Gu Lu, what kind of snowman do you want to build? Let me help you.”

The boy glanced at her hesitantly, his black eyes as round as grapes.

Having been out in the cold, his baby-fat cheeks were tinged pink, looking like soft, fluffy buns that begged to be pinched.

Too cute.

Ning Ning resisted the urge to hug him and involuntarily grinned, feeling like she probably looked like some sketchy auntie.

After a moment’s pause, Gu Lu lowered his head nervously, then slowly reached out his right hand toward Ning Ning.

In his hand was a small lump of pure white snow, molded into a strange shape.

As Ning Ning tried to figure out what it was, he whispered, “A flower, for you.”

Ning Ning froze for a second.

His voice was so soft and gentle, like falling onto cotton.

It made her heart melt.

“Pei Ji, come here.”

After thanking the boy and taking the little snow flower, she beckoned Pei Ji with a smile before saying to Gu Lu, “This big brother is really good at building snowmen. He can teach you.”

Thus, the seemingly cold and stern big brother, alongside the pretty and gentle big sister, began helping the little boy build a snowman.

Pei Ji always had a cold demeanor.

Even when interacting with children, he wasn’t very talkative, but his gaze softened noticeably.

Zheng Weiqi had thought Gu Lu might be scared of him.

To her surprise, Pei Ji restrained his sword energy and squatted down gently.

When his clear, youthful voice rang out, the little boy showed no signs of fear.

Ah, right.

Back in Goose City, the children had taken a liking to him too.

He seemed to have a natural charm that drew kids in, even though he looked so intimidating that even some adults avoided him.

As Zheng Weiqi joined Ning Ning in playing with the snow, her wandering thoughts were interrupted when Ning Ning gently asked, “Senior Sister Zheng, what are you thinking about?”

Her frozen brain blurted out the truth: “Oh, I was thinking… if you two ever have kids, they’d probably look just like this.”

Oops.

It finally dawned on Zheng Weiqi what she had just said.

She hastily looked up and saw two faces flushing bright red.

Ning Ning recovered first, glancing at Pei Ji for a moment before smiling, “Probably.”

Pei Ji, who was still blushing, looked even more embarrassed than Ning Ning.

He didn’t reply, instead focusing on guiding the little boy’s hands to shape the snowball.

Though his expression remained calm, his heart was racing chaotically.

If he and Ning Ning ever had children—

It would feel like a dream come true.

But he’d heard childbirth was painful, and he didn’t want her to suffer.

If there were a way, he’d rather endure all the pain himself.

The snowman they worked on together was quickly finished.

Since Gu Lu was young and frail, he couldn’t stay out in the cold for too long.

Seeing him yawn, Ning Ning suggested, “Why don’t we go to the kitchen and make him some hot food or snacks?”

The little boy’s eyes sparkled like stars at the mention of food, lighting up instantly.

“The snow is too thick,” she said, patting his head.

“How about letting Brother Pei Ji carry you, okay?”

Gu Lu disliked being touched and usually refused.

Zheng Weiqi was about to explain this when she saw her nephew stretch out his arms obediently.

“Carry me.”

—Unbelievable! She’d spent seven days bribing him with snacks just to get a single hug! Pei Ji, you despicable man!

Pei Ji had never carried a child before, so he mimicked He Zhizhou’s earlier posture.

His movements were clumsy, but when his hands held the boy, it felt like carrying a warm, fluffy cloud.

Ning Ning chuckled as she taught him, “You hold him like this—hands here. Alright, stand up now.”

Pei Ji carried the boy, who buried his chubby face into Pei Ji’s neck, rubbing against it as if thoroughly enjoying the clean, mild scent of soap on him.

“If he gets bored, you could tell him a story.”

Noticing the faint redness on the young man’s ears, Ning Ning added teasingly, “Aren’t you great at telling stories?”

“…Alright.”

Pei Ji awkwardly adjusted his hold, his right hand gently stroking the boy’s soft black hair.

“Let’s tell a story. Want to hear one?”

Gu Lu nodded obediently.

Zheng Weiqi: …

She remembered He Zhizhou’s ridiculous poem.

Ning Ning and Pei Ji walked side by side, carrying little Gu in their arms, with a dog trailing behind.

Clearly, this was no place for her anymore.

***

He Zhizhou never expected someone to actually be in Lin Xun’s room.

The reserved Little White Dragon rarely interacted with anyone outside a few of Tian Xianzi’s direct disciples.

But as He Zhizhou and Qiu Qiu approached the room, they heard a gentle woman’s voice inside.

A woman? In Lin Xun’s room? It was like Mars colliding with Earth! Like Guan Yu fighting aliens!

(T/N: Guan Yu, courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.)

This scene was simply too surreal.

Knocking on the door, He Zhizhou cut off the conversation inside.

Lin Xun’s voice carried a trace of tension.

“Come in.”

When the pair entered, He Zhizhou finally took in the sight before him.

Lin Xun sat at a table, looking awkward and uneasy.

Across from him was a vaguely familiar young woman, who seemed calm and gentle.

When their eyes met, she blushed and murmured, “Hello.”

Her shyness made her look like a female version of Lin Xun.

Finally, He Zhizhou remembered her identity—she was Yun Duanyue of Liuming Mountain.