Zijing didn’t respond immediately but let me stew in silence for a moment. Finally, he turned to Jin Xiaonian and said, “You don’t need to meddle in my affairs.”
Jin Xiaonian seemed reluctant, but she nodded and fell quiet. I wanted to speak up, but Zijing waved a hand dismissively. “Today, you’d better figure out how to make yourself useful. You’ll need to report back to the tribe about their plans.”
Before I could say anything, a loud crashing sound interrupted us, coming from above. The noise was so sudden and sharp that it felt as though the rooftop itself had been torn apart. Even Jin Xiaonian shrieked, clutching at her sleeves nervously.
Was the roof collapsing?
I froze, looking up at the kitchen ceiling, but soon realized that the guests and inn staff were all rushing out in a panic. Everyone gathered outside, staring up at the sky. I followed their gazes, only to see a piece of the roof flying off, carried by the wind.
Was there someone on the roof challenging Zijing?
There was no one. The clear, blue sky stretched endlessly, and Zijing stood there unmoved, his clothes billowing in the breeze. His calm, unbothered expression made it clear that the disruption hadn’t fazed him at all. Someone from the inn murmured in awe, pointing to the roof: “Your master went to deal with something in the east courtyard. He’s incredible!”
“…”
I watched in silence as Zijing stepped back into the inn, appearing utterly unaffected. However, I stayed rooted in place, reflecting on the chaos. I couldn’t help but feel the weight of the tribe’s expectations pressing down on me. The elder had sent me here for a reason, and I knew it wasn’t just about making myself useful—I had to do more than that.
In the West Jiang Tribe, there weren’t many young women like me. But that didn’t mean I could shirk my duties. If I didn’t step up, the elder would never let me forget it. As for Zijing, even if he hadn’t said it outright, I could tell he wasn’t about to give me any easy answers.
And yet, for some reason, I believed Zijing would come back safely.
I waited an entire day, but Zijing didn’t return. He was a wanderer, a free spirit, and I knew that. Across the four seasons, he came and went as he pleased. Even though he had agreed to take me as his temporary disciple, he certainly wasn’t about to put me at the center of his world.
If things didn’t go as planned… three months later, when my cousin came to check on me, I would still be here washing dishes in the inn.
The next day, I decided to ease my worries by focusing on my work. I began washing dishes for the innkeeper while thinking about how to resolve my situation. The more I thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed. I couldn’t find a solution. I couldn’t even find Zijing!
“I’ll go find him myself!” I muttered.
“Find me?”
Zijing’s voice suddenly echoed behind me, calm yet sharp. I froze in place, sensing his gaze before I even turned around. For a moment, I felt the height of his presence towering over me.
He had come back to find me himself.
“What are you doing?” he asked, a look of disdain flashing across his face.
I instinctively turned to him and said, “Master, I’ve taken on some extra work to help pay off your debts at the inn.”
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