What to do if you receive the wrong package?

Although they knew that Hua Yin was in the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence, she was always surrounded by a group of annoying old nannies. Even when Gu Yan and the others went to visit Hua Yin, they could only sit properly in the hall and talk about official topics under the watchful eyes of the nannies.

Fortunately, Shen Mujin had given Hua Yin a mechanical wooden bird. With the bird's help, the group was finally able to get rid of the annoying old ladies and communicate through letters.

The only downside is that it's a bit of a mechanical bird.

But Shen Mujin said generously that it was fine, she had Xuan Yi, and if the mechanical bird broke, she would ask Xuan Yi for another one.

On this day, Gu Yan returned from the Chu Prince's mansion as usual. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Jiang Si holding a familiar little thrush.

"Something has come up at the sect, and I need to go back."

"You're not leaving again, are you?"

The two looked at each other and spoke in unison.

After speaking, Gu Yan pursed his lips, feeling somewhat complicated. What if, after Jiang Si left, the same situation that happened at Kunlun Ruins occurred again?

Yes, it's because I'm worried about things changing, it's definitely not because I'm reluctant to part with Jiang Si.

"Now that the young master and Xuan Yi are both here, and with the help of His Highness the Prince of Chu and the heir of the Marquis of Dingyuan, you will be very safe."

For a moment, Gu Yan thought she had spoken her mind, otherwise how could Jiang Si have guessed so accurately?

"How long are you going back? Will you... come back again?"

Gu Yan walked up to Jiang Si, took the little thrush from his hand, and gently stroked its fur.

"Three or four days, don't worry, I'll be back soon."

"Okay, go early and come back early, be careful on the road."

Jiang Si saw Gu Yan looking down with a sullen expression, so he rubbed her head and said softly, "Don't worry. I'm leaving Little Thrush with you. You can use it to contact me if anything happens."

"Really?!" Gu Yan didn't even have time to tidy her messy bangs before looking up happily. "Don't worry, I'll definitely take good care of this little guy."

"Don't forget to take good care of yourself too."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yan nodded somewhat shyly.

"Take good care of yourself too."

After saying that, Gu Yan ran away with Xiao Huamei in his arms without looking back.

Leaning against a pillar in the connecting corridor, Yu Zechuan, who had witnessed everything, said in a mocking tone, "Young Master Jiang, you should take good care of yourself too~"

Jiang Si ignored him completely, turned around and left, paying no heed to Yu Zechuan's teasing.

Jiang Si returned to his room and looked at the bulging bags of snacks on the table, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.

This was a gift from Gu Yan. He gently stroked the small embroidery on the pastry bag, feeling Gu Yan's thoughtfulness.

He recalled the early days when they first met, the little girl's cheeks chubby from eating, holding up her snacks, her bright eyes gazing at him. At that moment, he felt his heart flutter slightly.

Thinking of the message from the sect, Jiang Si quickly packed his things, intending to return as soon as possible. The next day, after saying goodbye to everyone, Jiang Si left Zhongjing and headed straight for the Qingfeng Sword Sect.

After seeing Jiang Si off, Gu Yan squatted alone in the corner of the backyard, looking at the few fluffy chicks in the enclosure, and muttered to himself, "The time hasn't come yet, and the person who made the bet has disappeared. If I secretly raise you to death, I can just buy a few more and no one will find out, right?"

"You all need to behave and eat, drink, and rest properly. When Jiang Si comes back, I'll definitely show him whether you can even keep us alive!"

The little thrush next to Gu Yan, which was locked in a birdcage, chirped and chirped.

It seemed to be accusing and complaining that Gu Yan had locked it in a birdcage, and it also seemed to be disgusted that Gu Yan had tried to switch it out.

Gu Yan raised his hand and gently patted the birdcage. "Be quiet, don't disturb me while I'm contemplating life."

"Squeak squeak squeak!" Thinking my ass! Let me out of here!

"Alright, alright, I'll let you out." Gu Yan's head was throbbing from the little thrush's noise, so he simply opened the cage and released the little thrush.

The little thrush finally quieted down, flew to the fence in front of Gu Yan, tilted its little head and stared at the fluffy, golden chicks inside.

I don't know what's so interesting about these little things. No matter how you look at it, I'm always the one who looks better!

Gu Yan watched as the little thrush in front of him stood up straighter and straighter, almost falling off the fence, and quickly reached out to catch it.

She poked the little thrush's head, her heart still unsettled. Finally, she said to the little thrush in despair, "Suddenly, I feel like keeping you here was a mistake."

Little Thrush: ? ? ?

Heaven knows that when Gu Yan saw Xiao Huamei, his mind was filled with all sorts of images of him with Jiang Si, and these images kept playing on a loop in his mind.

She recalled that a few days ago, Shen Mujin and Xuan Yi were dating, Su Huaiqi was learning swordsmanship from Yu Zechuan, and she was left alone, wandering around the courtyard bored, when she finally ran into Jiang Si practicing swordsmanship.

Seeing his own listless expression, Jiang Si stopped what he was doing and asked, "You seem very bored?"

"Yes, Young Master Jiang. Qiqi and the others have all gone to keep others company, leaving me all alone wandering around this courtyard."

"What do you want to do? I'll go with you." Jiang Si smiled slightly upon hearing this and immediately sheathed his longsword.

Gu Yan looked at Jiang Si with great gratitude and quickly pointed outside happily.

"Young Master Jiang, how about we go to the market and buy some groceries so we can have a proper lunch?" Gu Yan was planning the lunch menu, intending to prepare a sumptuous meal to thank Jiang Si.

It wasn't until Gu Yan took Jiang Si for a walk around the market that he realized with surprise that bringing Jiang Si along was a wise move.

With his expressionless face and years of martial arts training, Jiang Si appeared somewhat fierce to the elderly vegetable vendors. Even Gu Yan, who was trying to bargain, didn't bother to haggle and readily agreed to the deal.

This made Gu Yan very happy, and he immediately used the money he had saved to buy candied hawthorns for Jiang Si and himself as a token of his gratitude.

However, seeing the stark contrast between Jiang Si and the candied hawthorn in his hand, Gu Yan chuckled to himself as he ate.

Just as Gu Yan was happily walking back, she suddenly spotted a bamboo basket by the roadside with seven or eight fluffy little yellow chicks inside.

Gu Yan happily picked up one of the chicks and played with it in his hands; its fluffy texture was simply soothing. Holding the chick, Gu Yan turned around and asked, "Young Master Jiang, shall we take these chicks home and raise them?"

Jiang Si looked at the chicks in the bamboo basket, some of whom couldn't even stand up, but seeing Gu Yan's expectant face, he didn't want to dampen their spirits.

“Chicks are inherently difficult to raise, and these chicks were clearly abandoned because of physical defects. I’m afraid they won’t live long even if we take them back.”

Although Gu Yan knew Jiang Si was right, she still felt a pang of guilt. Since she had discovered the chicks, it meant they were destined to be together.

Gu Yan held the chick up to Jiang Si, a glint of intelligence in his eyes. "Young Master Jiang, shall we make a bet?"

"Huh? What are you calling?"

"I'll bet on these chicks. I'll see if they're still alive under my care a month from now."

“Okay, but what’s the stakes?” Jiang Si nodded and followed Gu Yan’s suggestion.

"A bet..." Gu Yan's eyes lit up, and a brilliant idea suddenly appeared. "Qiqi gave me an adorable little pony. If I win, Young Master Jiang, you'll teach me how to ride a horse. If I lose, I'll give you the pony."

Jiang Si knew that Yu Zechuan had lost to Su Huaiqi's ponies, and he also saw how much the girls loved the ponies.

Now, hearing that Gu Yan used the foals as a wager, she realized that Gu Yan really wanted to win and wanted to raise the chicks.

"Alright, we'll see in a month."

Thinking of this, Gu Yan stood up, supporting himself on his knees, looked at the somewhat gloomy sky, and sighed.

In less than half a month, the person who made the bet disappeared. Hmph, with so many people in the Qingfeng Sword Sect, why do they always send Jiang Si back?

Last time I sent him back, I spread a false rumor that Brother Li was getting married.

Could Jiang Si's reason for going back this time be another wedding?

Wait! Could it be... Jiang Si is getting married?

No, no, Gu Yan quickly shook his head, silently trying to convince himself. Jiang Si's expression was quite calm when he saw the news; it shouldn't be this shocking information.

But... Jiang Si is a cold person by nature. Even if he sees the shocking news, will he show any expression on his face?

Gu Yan became increasingly agitated and irritable, ignoring even the little thrush, and turned to leave the courtyard.

No, she needs to find something to do. It's just that she's been too idle lately, with nothing to do, which is why she's been overthinking things.

It's unclear whether it was Heaven that heard Gu Yan's complaints.

Just four days after Jiang Si left, something happened.

Since Jiang Si left, the sky over Zhongjing has become increasingly gloomy, as if it were holding back a heavy rain. Not only was the weather gloomy, but the atmosphere on the streets of Zhongjing had also become somber.

It is unknown when the legend of the "Sea and Moon" painting began to circulate in the martial arts world, and it is said that possessing the "Sea and Moon" painting is equivalent to knowing the location of the Tian Shu Stone among the Seven Star Stones.

The Anping Marquis's mansion, possessing the "Peaceful Sea and Bright Moon" painting, was suddenly thrust into the eye of the storm. The Marquis of Anping, however, was not afraid; instead, he saw it as an opportunity. He immediately mobilized a large force to protect the mansion in layers upon layers, and took this opportunity to declare that he intended to present the painting to the Emperor, urging the martial arts heroes of the Jianghu not to jeopardize the greater good and oppose the court for the sake of this painting.

The Emperor of Daqi was speechless. He thought, "You just handed me this hot potato without even asking what I thought!"

But since they had already spoken, refusing now would only make others think that the Great Qi imperial family was afraid of people from the martial arts world. Therefore, the emperor had no choice but to order the city's guards to protect the Marquis of Anping's residence in case of any unforeseen events.

The once bustling streets suddenly became deserted due to the weather and the patrols of the Imperial Guard. Many people stayed at home, keeping their doors tightly closed to avoid being affected.

On the third day, dark, thick clouds pressed down on the sky, a sudden gust of wind arose, and deafening thunder and blinding lightning struck from time to time, making it hard to breathe.

Gu Yan shrank his neck as the wind blew, and quickly moved away from the window.

"It's so cold, how about we have hot pot?"

“Great! Rainy days and hot pot go perfectly together.” Su Huaiqi was the first to agree.

"Okay, I'll go prepare first. I'm afraid..." Gu Yan's voice was drowned out by the loud rain outside the window before he could finish speaking.

"Good heavens, the rain is really heavy." Gu Yan heard the sound of rain and quickly turned to look out the window. The sky seemed to have been cracked open with countless gaps, and the torrential rain was pouring down on the earth like a waterfall. Large raindrops pounded the ground, splashing up a layer of white mist that made it difficult to see clearly.

----------------

I thought the heavy rain would last a long time, but it stopped as soon as it got light the next day.

The sun peeked out from behind the white clouds, quietly showering the earth with rays that reflected off the puddles, creating a dazzling patchwork of light.

Gu Yan stood in the courtyard, stretching his body briefly. The damp earth exuded a fresh scent, and a gentle breeze made him feel relaxed and happy.

"The rain was so heavy yesterday, it kept me up all night." Su Huaiqi walked over from the courtyard gate looking exhausted.

"Stop chatting, let's eat." Shen Mujin poked her head out of the window and waved to the two people outside.

"Coming."

The group had barely started eating when they saw Feng Ting hurry in from outside, his expression somewhat grave.

"What's wrong?" Xuan Yi asked.

"My lord, the Marquis of Anping's entire household was wiped out last night."

"What?" Su Huaiqi exclaimed in surprise. She quickly exchanged a glance with Gu Yan beside her. "Isn't the Marquis of Anping's residence heavily guarded? Not even a mosquito could fly in. How could this be?"

"The entire Anping Marquis's mansion, numbering in the hundreds, was brutally massacred last night. Even the livestock in the mansion were not spared. Blood flowed like a river overnight, and the painting 'Sea Calm and Moon Bright' has disappeared without a trace."

"Do you know who the murderer is?" After asking the question, Shen Mujin realized that there was no answer to this question.

"It was raining heavily last night, and even the watchman didn't come out, so no one saw anything. It was only discovered this morning."

"It rained all night, so even if there was evidence, it would have been washed away. It seems the murderer is very clever," Su Huaiqi remarked, puffing on his chopsticks.

"Yes, I'm afraid this matter will cause quite a stir again." Gu Yan casually handed a steamed bun to Su Huaiqi while listening to Su Huaiqi's analysis.

"Dare to destroy the Marquis of Anping's mansion right under the Emperor's nose in Zhongjing? Whether it's the imperial court or the martial arts world, they will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly, and there might even be a conflict between the two."

"The Marquis of Anping's family is also quite pitiful. A gentleman is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. In the end, it was Haiyan Yuemingtu that harmed them."

Shen Mujin invited Feng Ting to join them at the dinner table, and the group discussed the situation of the Marquis of Anping's residence while eating.