He Lan Tianxia

They ate a meal in a strange yet peaceful manner. The mischievous monkey, rubbing its bloated belly, left without a care in the world, leaving everyone with expressionless faces. Murong Junlan expected the Pavilion Master to make some move or show any impatience, but nothing happened. It was as if the mischievous monkey had never been there at all, which greatly displeased Prince Murong.

Prince Murong suddenly didn't want to leave. He wanted to see what secrets were hidden in the Lihentian Pavilion, and what kind of relationship it had with his beloved concubine. Or perhaps he could take the opportunity to overturn the entire Lihentian Pavilion.

With that thought in mind, Murong Junlan spoke to Yan'er, who was enjoying her meal: "My dear consort, this food seems to suit your taste. Why don't we settle down quietly and try all of the Pavilion Master's delicacies, and perhaps take a stroll through the Xuanmo Cave and Lihentian while we're at it? What do you think, my dear consort?"

"Ha, settle down quietly? You think you can stay quietly? Many of these dishes are to your liking, but I don't see you touching a single bite." Yan'er smiled as she looked at the jealous prince, and used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of the original-flavored grilled fish that Prince Murong usually loved and put it in his bowl.

"Come, Your Highness, try this. Compared to the usual grilled fish, it has added snow lotus flowers. It's crispy and fragrant with a subtle floral aroma. It's a truly excellent dish."

Murong Junlan knew perfectly well. He had long wondered who this Pavilion Master was. Every dish he made was either something he liked or something Yan'er preferred. In particular, every dish was topped with the local snow lotus, which undoubtedly elevated all the delicacies he had ever eaten to a whole new level. It seemed that this Pavilion Master not only had a story with his beloved concubine Yan'er, but also with him.

Only the Pavilion Master knows that ten thousand years ago, although he was just a bodyguard, Murong Junlan treated him like a brother. When he had nothing to do, he would often bring Princess Yan'er to his thatched hut as a guest. He knew exactly what everyone liked to eat. However, what the Pavilion Master did not expect was that after ten thousand years, the tastes of the Lord and Princess Yan'er had not changed. Did they have some impression of him at all?

He chose to wear a mask today because he didn't want more outsiders to see him. Perhaps wearing a mask could conceal the secrets in his heart. In the eyes of such a powerful Prince Murong, this mask could at least cover up his naked expression. In addition, as a secret guard, he could only show his master with a mask.

Who exactly is the Pavilion Master?

Murong Junlan finally put a piece of grilled fish with ice lotus flowers into his mouth. As he savored it, he searched his mind a thousand times, but he couldn't find any trace of the Pavilion Master. So he began to loathe the mask on the Pavilion Master's face.

"My beloved concubine, if I were to wear a mask, would you consider me a handsome man?"

"Wearing a mask?" What's wrong with the prince? Why does he suddenly want to wear a mask? When she caught a glimpse of the mask on the pavilion master's face, she smiled. Just as she was about to ask the pavilion master to borrow the mask, Murong Junlan raised his chopsticks and threw one of them at the pavilion master like a dart.

The pavilion master moved his right hand, picking up a chopstick to meet the challenge. The two chopsticks went back and forth, the two men simply moving their hands on their respective tables, neither able to determine a winner for the time being.

Yan'er took a look and laughed. She stopped using her chopsticks and watched intently as the two chopsticks battled in front of her, her face lighting up with excitement. Suddenly, she blurted out:

"It would be great if we could eat our vegetables while we were playing."

These words acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the two men. In the blink of an eye, another pair of chopsticks appeared in front of them, and the two chopsticks started clashing again. Not only did they clash, but they also kept picking up food from each other's mouths. Yet, the two men ate with great poise and refinement.

Hey, Yan'er was even more excited now. She put down her chopsticks and clapped her hands, saying, "Great job! It would be even better if you drank the wine too."

Upon hearing this, both men frowned in unison. It seemed like only yesterday that two men had shared a drink in a thatched hut, and a woman had said the same thing. They had frowned then as well. This "sharing a cup with chopsticks" technique, they thought, was something they hadn't mastered ten thousand years ago, but could try again today.

The Pavilion Master glanced at Prince Murong across from him, and Prince Murong happened to look over as well. The two of them were momentarily stunned as if they were of one mind, but the familiarity of the past was gone, leaving only the estrangement of millennia. They immediately turned into two cold gazes.

The two men held their breath, then suddenly moved their right hands, and the two pairs of chopsticks sprang up. Then, with a flick of their left hands, two wine glasses filled with liquor were suspended in mid-air, and slowly pushed forward. With a clang, they actually clinked glasses in mid-air.

At this moment, Yan'er was so excited that she danced around, shouting nervously and excitedly, "Can we have a drink? Can we have a drink? Can we have a drink?"

The two glasses were passed back and forth in mid-air several times before finally reaching the lips of the two men amidst Yan'er's delighted cry. The two men tilted their heads back and drank both glasses of iced lotus wine in one gulp.

"Super powerful!" Yan'er gave the two men a thumbs up.

What does this mean? The two men looked at each other, their cups hanging in mid-air.

Yan'er paid no attention to the two men, only wanting to watch the excitement. Seeing the two cups hanging motionless in the air, she curiously reached out with both hands, one in each hand, to touch the cups and see if they would fall.

This was bad news. The two men were each holding a chopstick and a cup in their hands. When she touched them, the tension they had been holding in was released. But what they hadn't expected was that Yan'er hadn't actually taken them; she had only touched them. With a crash, the two cups fell to the ground. The two self-important men were instantly mortified and stood there dumbfounded.

What are you doing? You've ruined those two perfectly good cups. Now look what's happened! You've ruined what only happens once in ten thousand years. Now there's no joy left. Murong Junlan was furious and had nowhere to vent his anger. With a flick of his right hand, his chopsticks swiftly picked up more than a dozen dishes and placed them into Yan'er's bowl.

Yan'er stared at him with a bewildered look, and uttered a silly sentence: "Your Highness, I'm full."

The pavilion master couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.