Going Home

Warmly entertained by the local villagers, Gu Shenyu spent the most comfortable day he had experienced in months! It was truly hard to decline such generous hospitality! Gu Shenyu beamed from ear to ear, completely forgetting about his unreliable master...

That night, the master and disciple squeezed into the same room. Gu Shenyu had already set up his pallet on the floor, showing utmost self-awareness without needing the old beggar to utter a single word.

Seeing Gu Shenyu's behavior, the old beggar nodded with deep satisfaction. It seemed this disciple still understood a bit of respect and etiquette toward his master! Ah, he didn't pick the wrong person after all~

"Master, where are you taking me? I feel like you've led me down many detours. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I always see you getting up, drinking away your intoxication, and gazing into the distance with a hard-to-read expression. I know I might be talking too much. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to answer. Just treat it like I'm talking nonsense~ Hehe~"

Gu Shenyu lay diagonally on his floor bed, looking through the window at the starry night sky outside, speaking slowly. Toward the end, fearing that the old beggar wouldn't want to talk, he shrugged with feigned nonchalance.

Facing the ceiling, the old beggar crossed his hands behind his head and crossed his legs, moving with casual ease. Hearing the brat's voice, he tilted his head and glanced at him, only to see the brat lying with his back turned.

"That place is your master's hometown~ This time, I am taking you to my hometown to have a look and show you the world by the way. Come to think of it, I haven't been home in quite a while, and it's about time I made a trip back. Brat, I'm telling you, behave yourself when we get there and don't disgrace your master. Otherwise, don't you dare say you're my disciple, because I won't know you!"

The old beggar fixed his gaze on the ceiling, speaking continuously!

"Yes, yes, how would I dare! I will definitely be on my best behavior and will never bring shame or disgrace to you. If I ever do such a thing, I will definitely not admit I know you! I could never throw away your prestige!" Gu Shenyu obediently nodded and replied, his tone as cheeky and grinning as ever!

The old beggar said no more. He looked at the ceiling, then at the night sky outside, and closed his eyes.

Seeing that the old beggar had fallen asleep, Gu Shenyu thought it best not to make any more noise, so he closed his eyes as well and drifted off to sleep in a wonderful mood!

Early the next morning, bidding farewell to the hospitable villagers, Gu Shenyu was dragged along to continue the journey by his unreliable master. His master had explicitly stated that they must arrive at the tiger clan's main city before dinner today, and he wanted to have a hearty meal there—it was a long-awaited taste from the past! If Gu Shenyu held him back, he would be in for a miserable time~

Driven by curiosity about his master's identity and the tiger clan's main city, Gu Shenyu didn't slack off at all. He kept pace closely right behind the old beggar without the slightest tendency to lag behind. Even when the old beggar intentionally accelerated at times, he simply hurried to catch up, unlike his usual endless complaining...

Passing through several small towns along the way, the old beggar led Gu Shenyu right past them without stopping for even a single second. Even meals were hastily resolved on the road. Besides, for people of their level of cultivation, whether or not they ate was no longer an issue—it was merely a habit. Fortunately, both of them traveled at great speed, so they didn't waste much time on eating either!

Gu Shenyu's sudden silence finally aroused the old beggar's puzzlement. He turned his head to look at Gu Shenyu, who was walking with his head down. Gu Shenyu, who had been intently watching the ground as he marched, almost crashed into the old beggar because he failed to notice in time that the latter had stopped!

"Hey, brat, what's wrong with you? Why haven't you said a single word all day?"

"Wasn't it you who told me to speak less while traveling? Told me to focus entirely on the journey and cut out the nonsense~ Am I not just doing as you said? What, have I done something wrong again?" Gu Shenyu stopped in his tracks, putting on a depressed expression that seemed to say, "As if I wanted to be this quiet!"

Subconsciously, the old beggar raised his hand to rap Gu Shenyu on the head. The moment Gu Shenyu saw him lift his hand, he covered his head and bolted. The old beggar lowered his hand, feeling a sense of frustration that iron could not be turned into steel!

The main city was bustling and prosperous, with various shops shouting out competing bids and a constant stream of pedestrians. Occasionally, a carriage would rumble past, which was truly unlike the feel of a small town!

Upon entering the city gate, the old beggar wordlessly grabbed Gu Shenyu and used his lightness kung fu to leap directly onto the second floor of a tavern. Familiar with the layout, he asked the waiter for a private compartment—it was his former exclusive private compartment!

Just as the waiter was about to speak, the words caught in his throat upon seeing the newcomers. By then, the old beggar had already strode into the private room, nonchalantly tossing Gu Shenyu onto a chair beside the table before kicking his own legs up and sitting in another chair!

"Tiger... Second... Second Master..." The waiter finally snapped out of his trance, stammering out those few words. Then the teapot in his hand slipped, crashing to the floor with a crisp, shattering sound!

"What are you daydreaming for? Look at you, good for nothing and only capable of ruining things! Why aren't you picking that up instead of blocking the way!" A slightly plump woman walked over, hands on her hips, her eyes fierce!

"Tiger... Tiger Second Master is back..." The waiter still hadn't recovered from the shock, dazedly reporting what he had seen!

"What did you say?! Tiger Second Master is back?! Where is he?!" Hearing the name Tiger Second Master, the plump woman's eyes widened in disbelief. She reached out a slightly trembling hand, her booming voice instantly broadcasting the news!

"Yes, yes, I saw it. I saw Tiger Second Master bring someone straight into his... his exclusive private room!" Intimidated by the female proprietor's imposing aura, the waiter raised a hand to point toward the location of the private room and blurted it all out in one breath.

Hearing that Tiger Second Master had not only returned but had also brought someone with him, the female proprietor grew somewhat excited. "Is that person a man or a woman? Why aren't you going to notify the lords of the Tiger family! What are you standing here staring blankly for?~"

"M-Man, I-I'm going right now to notify them!" stammered the waiter, who immediately turned and scurried away at top speed!

The female proprietor reached out to pat her chest, then glanced at the patrons in the first-floor lobby who were whispering among themselves and looking toward her direction. With a roar from her booming voice, she yelled, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and eat your food!"

Startled by the female proprietor's shout, everyone reflexively lowered their heads and shoveled rice with their chopsticks! There was no help for it; the female proprietor of the Drunken Fragrance Tower was famous for her lion's roar technique! Yet the food at the Drunken Fragrance Tower was delicious and reasonably priced, and the female proprietor herself was extremely bold and straightforward—aside from having a rather loud voice...

Listening to the commotion outside and glancing at his master, who was sipping tea with self-contented ease, Gu Shenyu decided he had better ask before things got complicated. "Master, who is Tiger Second Master?"

"Are you truly stupid or just acting like it? Didn't I just bring someone into this private compartment? Could there possibly be a second person?" The old beggar cast a look of utter disdain sideways at Gu Shenyu.

"Uh, Master, you are Tiger Second Master!" Gu Shenyu felt thoroughly depressed. He simply hadn't wanted to risk provoking his master if the man didn't wish to admit it! He wasn't stupid at all; of course he could guess it!

The old beggar gave Gu Shenyu an eye-roll, then continued sipping his tea, completely ignoring him.

Feeling deeply aggrieved, Gu Shenyu picked up the teacup at his side and took a sip. One sip and he was startled! This was rare Maojian tea! The kind freshly picked right after the rain! Shouldn't this be the most ordinary type of tea leaves? How could it possibly be so precious?

Meanwhile, the old beggar sipped his tea as his thoughts drifted afar: This tea still had the exact same taste as before! Whenever he came here in the past, the proprietor would always order someone to prepare a fresh pot of newly picked post-rain Maojian, simply because he and his sworn brothers used to say that this post-rain Maojian left an endlessly lingering aftertaste! The proprietor was truly thoughtful, and those sworn brothers he hadn't seen in ages had put in genuine care! Without them, how could the proprietor possibly possess such exceptionally fine post-rain Maojian?

The old beggar knew someone had gone to inform his brothers. Back then, driven by impulsive youthful pride, he had stubbornly left home despite the earnest dissuasions of all his brothers. Decades had passed in the blink of an eye, and now he had returned, bringing along a brat of a disciple.

A single pot of fine post-rain Maojian made the old beggar fully understand the deep bonds and loyalty his brothers felt toward him. He had truly been far too immature back then; now, it was time to come home!

---Out of Context---
Happy Singles' Day, may we suffer and rejoice in it together~