San Tu and Si Dui eventually stayed with Tao Mian.

The reason was simple: the offer was too generous.

Being Tao Mian's young servant didn't actually require much work, or rather, Tao Mian wasn't a demanding person.

He spent his days sipping tea, drinking wine, and wandering around, leisurely and carefree.

Although there wasn't much work to do, Tao Mian had a peculiar temperament, occasionally having fits and whimsically deciding to trouble others.

The cup of tea before him, which Chu Liuxue had replaced three times already.

Too cold, add some hot water.

Too hot, let it cool by the window.

Cooled down, reheat it again.

...

Chu Liuxue, at the end of her patience, almost overturned the expensive tea set.

"Banknote, are you in a bad mood?"

Tao Mian leaned against the bed, the sound of rain pattering in his ears. He was currently resting in the city's finest inn, where a half-open window offered a view of the smoky cityscape, with a cluster of azaleas hanging askew, heavy with blossoms.

Damp and desolate.

Whenever it rained, Tao Mian's mood fluctuated greatly, perhaps related to that rainy night of regicide years ago. Seeing his clothes soaked by the drizzle, Chu Liuxue circled the table to gently close the window.

Chu Suiyan sat on a small stool by the bed, hugging his knees, a thin scripture in his hands. Tao Mian had spent a fortune collecting ancient books, none of which he read himself. Once, when Chu Suiyan mustered the courage to ask to borrow a book, Tao Mian generously handed them all to the child.

Chu Liuxue was puzzled, unsure whom she was actually accompanying in reading.

The rain had soaked everything, making people drowsy. Chu Suiyan's small body leaned against the corner of the wooden bed, slipping into a shallow sleep, clutching the half-read ancient book. Tao Mian bent down to carry him onto the bed, tucked him in with a thin blanket, turned around, and picked up a snack from the plate, taking a delicate bite.

Chu Liuxue was still waiting for his response.

Tao Mian finished a piece of pastry, lost his appetite, and pushed the rest to Chu Liuxue. Chu Liuxue, not yet over her days of hunger and feast, never refused food. Tao Mian, fearing she might overeat, had to supervise her meals, not allowing her to eat too many snacks.

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Fortunately, after these days of effort, Chu Liuxue gradually understood that no one would compete with her for food, and her eating pace slowed down.

The girl mimicked Tao Mian's way of eating, chewing slowly, restraining her desires. Watching her long eyelashes droop, Tao Mian suddenly said he missed his disciple.

"Disciple? You mean the current emperor? Banknote, is she really your disciple?"

Chu Liuxue's skeptical tone made Tao Mian purse his lips. He said not only was Lu Yuandi his disciple, but even Gu Yuan, the once-famous master of the Cyan Vast Sect, was his beloved student.

"So which one are you missing?"

"I care for them equally, of course, I miss them both."

Tao Mian opened up, chattering to the girl about how amazing his two disciples were. Seeing him finally regain his spirits, Chu Liuxue didn't interrupt, stuffing snacks into her mouth while listening to his nonsense.

"Finished?"

"You weren't even listening."

Tao Mian mumbled, reaching for the last piece of cake on the plate. Chu Liuxue wouldn't let him, grabbing the whole plate into her arms.

"Stingy."

Chu Liuxue forgot the eating manners she had painstakingly learned, gobbling down the food, letting no one take her last bite. After swallowing, she wiped her mouth and continued the conversation.

"You say the empress is your disciple, that's questionable. As for the Cyan Vast Sect... I've never heard of it, is it famous?"

Tao Mian couldn't believe someone hadn't heard of the Cyan Vast Sect, his eyes widened.

"Impossible. The Cyan Vast Sect is a renowned sect in the world, San Tu, you're just ignorant."

Chu Liuxue didn't reply, just remained silent. This silence spread to Tao Mian, wrapping him from body to soul.

The world changes, flowers bloom and fall before the steps. Once a powerful sect known throughout the realm, it couldn't withstand the tide of time, gradually fading away.

Emotions and hatred scattered, swept away by the continuous waves, flowing eastward.

"San Tu," Tao Mian conjured a plate of snacks from nowhere, looking at Chu Liuxue with sadness, "Eat."

Chu Liuxue didn't know what he was up to now, but the allure of food was too great to resist. She suspiciously yet swiftly pulled the plate towards herself.

"Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?"

"Sigh."

Tao Mian sighed deeply.

"I suddenly realized a profound truth."

"What?"

"People, they have to live until they die."

"......"

What nonsense.

"Eat, eat, even dying from overeating is a dignified way to go."

Chu Liuxue shivered, feeling for the first time the threat food could pose.

"I'll save it for Suiyan."

Their conversation inevitably disturbed Chu Suiyan's light sleep, and the boy rubbed his eyes, waking up.

Seeing both children awake, Tao Mian tapped the table with his fingers.

"We head north today, to the capital, to see my second disciple."

Tao Mian's actions and thoughts were unpredictable, at least Chu Liuxue thought he was becoming less normal, practically going mad every day.

He actually wanted to take her and Suiyan as disciples.

"What's wrong with being my disciple? I, Tao Mian, have skills. Don't just focus on a few bowls of rice in front of you, learn well, and mere sustenance won't be a problem. Kids shouldn't be short-sighted."

Chu Liuxue thought he was having another fit, ignored him, and continued munching on her bun.

Chu Suiyan, however, brightened up, carefully tugging Tao Mian's sleeve, asking if he could really become a disciple.

Tao Mian gazed into the boy's eyes for a long time, as if trying to penetrate layers of mist to examine his soul. That expression was something Chu Suiyan didn't understand, but Chu Liuxue sensed something unusual, breaking half a bun for her brother and stuffing a whole piece into Tao Mian's mouth.

She had become increasingly bold lately, realizing that adults weren't reliable, and the younger ones were clueless, leaving her, at a young age, to shoulder the responsibility of caring for the three of them.

Tao Mian struggled, seemingly choked.

Chu Suiyan held the half-greasy bun, looking helplessly at his sister.

"Eat, if your stomach isn't full, you won't have the energy to think about things that don't matter."

"Liuxue..."

"Eat."

Chu Suiyan chewed the bun gloomily, not daring to talk back.

Tao Mian, with a whole bun in his mouth, rolled his eyes, glancing between the siblings.

He sighed inwardly.

Chu Suiyan was younger than Chu Liuxue, always listening to his sister. It had always been Chu Liuxue taking care of him, letting him eat first when there was food, and protecting him when there was danger. The siblings grew up stumbling along until they met Tao Mian, no longer wandering.

Now Tao Mian wanted to take them as disciples, but Chu Liuxue clearly didn't want her brother to become an apprentice.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Tao Mian... Of course, there might be a bit of doubt, but more importantly, she didn't want Chu Suiyan to get involved in worldly disputes.

She couldn't see too far into the future, she just vaguely sensed certain trends.

Chu Liuxue didn't agree, and Chu Suiyan would definitely follow his sister's lead.

What to do, Tao Mian wondered.

He hoped to pass on his skills to both of them, so that no matter what they faced in the future, they could protect themselves.

But the golden finger had only revealed the fate of one of them.

One was destined to walk into fate, whether willingly or not.