Winter Blazing Wild

After Xu Li had enough fun with Xiao Ye, she let it go and turned to ask Yu Tang, "Sister Yu Tang, do you have something to talk to me about?"

"Well, you come with me."

Yu Tang took Xu Li upstairs and into the study.

She first walked to the window and pulled the curtains, and the room suddenly became dark.

The mystery startled Xu Li, "This is..."

"Sit down," Yu Tang pointed to a chair in the study, his tone serious. "Last time when you were drinking at my house, the wine spilled on your pants. The fabric of the pants and the wine produced a chemical reaction, reflecting a picture."

"Well, what happened?"

"I asked Han Cheng, and he said that the idea was yours, and he was just responsible for drawing a picture for you."

Xu Li answered truthfully, "Yes, Sister Yu Tang is also interested in this? If you like, I can make one for you. If the clothes are soaked in water, it can turn bad things into good things. It's quite interesting."

After receiving a clear answer, Yu Tang's voice trembled uncontrollably, "Help me take a look at this."

She stood up and closed the study door.

The room became a dark chamber.

Xu Li was so scared that she shrank back on the stool.

Until Yu Tang took out a box and took out the things in the box.

With the dim light from the study lamp, Xu Li saw the thing clearly.

It is two pieces of embroidered cloth.

The moment she saw it clearly, her body trembled and she looked up at Yu Tang, "You...how did you get this?"

Yu Tang was even more surprised than her, no, panicked, "You also know about this thing?"

Xu Li kept shaking her head. "I didn't know this thing existed, but I recognize the logo on this piece of cloth. This cloth is called Yunxiu, and I recognize it too!"

Finally getting a clear answer, Yu Tang didn't know whether to be excited or anxious, and his breathing suddenly became rapid. "Are you also Dong Xiao's apprentice?"

Xu Li took a deep breath and looked at Yu Tang in disbelief, "Could it be that you also..."

She immediately understood. "No wonder we first met in that neighborhood in T City. That's Master's neighborhood. Did you also go to Master's house at that time?"

"Yes," Yu Tang nodded, "I went to get these two pieces of embroidery."

Xu Li's heartbeat quickened. "How could it be such a coincidence..."

Her eyes were dazed. "I only know that Master has other disciples, but he never told me. How could it be... What a coincidence, what a coincidence..."

It's such a coincidence, so coincidental that even if you tell it directly, it's hard to believe.

But that's what happened.

After receiving a definitive answer, Yu Tang quickly adjusted his mood and brought the topic back to its main point. "Since we are from the same sect, I won't hide it from you. These two pieces of embroidery were left by our master, but he hasn't been fully conscious since the accident. I only know that there is a secret hidden in these embroidery pieces."

"Have you found out what the secret is?" Xu Li perked up.

Yu Tang shook his head. "I've been researching it ever since I got the two complete pieces of embroidery, but I couldn't figure it out. It wasn't until the other day when you told me that the fabric could be dyed with chemical elements to create a pattern that I suddenly remembered that Master had also been researching dyeing in addition to cloud embroidery."

"Yes," Xu Li nodded. "That's what my master told me. I just thought it was interesting at the time, so I took note. I tried it on my pants just for fun. I didn't expect..."

"Master didn't allow us disciples to know each other. He did it to protect us. He also taught us different techniques. He anticipated that someone would attack him for the legendary secret. Only by using this dispersed method could we ensure that the secret remained in our own hands."

Xu Li understood and picked up the two pieces of embroidery, examining them carefully. "So you think these two pieces of embroidery also need to be made of something else to reveal their meaning?"

She held up one of the pieces and looked at it against the overhead light, her brow furrowed as she saw nothing.

Yu Tang then looked at the embroidery. "When I came up with this idea the other day, I immediately tested it with clean water, but nothing happened. You know the silk thread used in this embroidery is very precious and fragile. If it gets stained with liquid, there's no guarantee it will remain intact. We must succeed on the first try; there's no room for error."

Xu Li was almost dying of nervousness. "I know of no other method besides wine and water. If we really want to try it, we have to think carefully."

"That's why I asked you to come here," Yu Tang grabbed her hand, "You are the only key that can unlock this secret."

Xu Li took a deep breath, his eyes dull as he muttered, "Master always says I don't work hard enough. I really didn't know I could still be of such use..."

Yu Tang couldn't put too much pressure on her, so he softened his tone and said, "Let's think about it together. Has Master revealed anything to you before?"

"Let me think...let me think."

Xu Li paced back and forth in the dimly lit study. After a few minutes, she stopped and looked at Yu Tang, as if she had made a great decision. "Let's try using rice wine!"

"Yellow wine?"

"I can't guess what it means, but the last time Master called me to his house alone, he was drinking rice wine and asked if I wanted to try it."

"As far as I know, Master never drinks."

"Yes," Xu Li nodded, becoming more and more determined. "So I suspect this is a hint. Master is such a smart person, he must have guessed that something bad would happen to me. He made arrangements in advance and distributed the answer to the secret to several disciples to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of others."

Are there other disciples besides Yu Tang and Xu Li?

Neither of them knew.

At this point, there is no time to slowly look for other possibilities.

Yu Tang made a quick decision, "Okay, let's try it with rice wine."

Yu Tang’s family didn’t have this kind of thing before. Fortunately, Zhou Shenye bought a bottle and kept it at home to make cooking more convenient.

I only opened it once and made sweet and sour fish, and never used it again.

I didn't see it being used again, and it was actually spilled on a piece of embroidery.

The study was suddenly filled with the smell of rice wine.

Yu Tang and Xu Li held their breath and stared at the two pieces of embroidery.

They both knew that this was an attempt that could not fail.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

The silk thread on the embroidery gradually changed color, and the original picture of autumn leaves began to look different.

Is it going to succeed? Xu Li couldn't wait any longer.

"Look, there really are changes!"

She couldn't wait any longer and held up the embroidery. "It seems like... a few strange lines?"

Yu Tang also noticed it, his eyes darkened, "This should be a simple map."