21 Intimate Friends

It is no wonder Tianyu thought that way; Guo Songyang’s reaction at this moment was simply too familiar to her.

Coupled with his earlier remark about not minding if she lived at the Guo residence for the rest of her life, she would have to be truly dense—wasting all those years navigating the entertainment industry—not to have figured it out.

However, recognizing it was one thing; since he had not laid his cards on the table, she had no intention of doing it for him.

"Then I wish Brother Guo success in perfecting this technique and taking his swordsmanship to the next level," she said.

Guo Songyang remained silent for a moment before replying, "Many thanks."

Unnoticed, the night had deepened. The moon, which had been hanging directly over the summit of Mingyue Peak, had begun to shift, soon to be embraced by the surrounding mountains. The two of them descended the mountain along the path they had come.

On the way down, Guo Songyang was exceptionally quiet. Tianyu had expected him to remain silent until the end, but to her surprise, just as they were nearing her lodging, he spoke again.

He asked her if, once he had finalized his technique and acquired a new sword, he might be permitted to visit her at the White Family Fortress.

Tianyu: "..."

"If I am there, then of course you may," she could only answer. "But it is highly likely that I will not be."

Guo Songyang was left speechless.

Perhaps because he looked truly dejected, Tianyu hesitated, yet ultimately offered him a glimmer of "hope."

"If you wish to test your sword against me, you may issue a public invitation," she said. "Once I hear the news, I can come to fulfill the appointment."

Guo Songyang was startled, then asked, "If I issue an invitation, will you really come?"

Tianyu nodded without hesitation: "Of course."

Why else would she have offered him this method?

Guo Songyang looked at her, his eyes unblinking, and said, "Very well, then it is settled."

In that moment, he hid almost all the words he hadn't spoken within his gaze. Sincere and lingering.

Tianyu did not look away. She smiled and said, "I shall await Brother Guo’s invitation."

...

Two days later, Qiao Feng, having reunited with his parents for three days, appeared on time at the foot of Mount Taishi to meet with Tianyu.

Tianyu reached out and pulled him onto the horse to ride with her. At first, he was a bit tense, his body rigid, not daring to move. She didn't offer any words of comfort; she simply put an arm around him, pulled the reins, and galloped for ten miles.

As she had expected, he quickly grew to love the feeling of galloping on horseback. By the time they had left Yuzhou and entered the borders of Jizhou, he was no longer afraid at all, even helping to control the reins.

Tianyu was quite speechless about this, telling herself that, after all, this was Qiao Feng.

Considering that autumn in the north is always fleeting, after entering Jizhou, she deliberately stopped in Shicheng for half a day to purchase some winter clothes for him.

This stop allowed her to hear a piece of news she might otherwise have missed: Li Xunhuan was getting married.

The Li family was a prominent and distinguished clan in Jizhou, famous for the saying, "Seven imperial scholars in one household, three top scholars among father and son." With his upcoming wedding, the local commoners and martial artists were naturally buzzing with excitement.

Tianyu didn't even need to ask around to learn the date of the wedding. It was in two days.

She calculated that at her current pace, she would arrive in Baoding just in time. She decided to stop by to share a glass of wedding wine and offer her blessings. Baoding was north of Shicheng, and since she was heading back to the northeast, it was on her way—a detour that caused no delay.

...

She headed straight to the Li Garden in Baoding with Qiao Feng.

Baoding was bustling with activity. Li Xunhuan had a wide circle of friends and was known for his generosity; for this wedding, he had waved his hand and declared that the entire city was invited to drink at his expense. Those who received invitations drank at the Li Garden, while those who hadn't drank at the taverns in the city. No matter how much was consumed, it was all put on his tab.

Because of this, countless martial artists hoping for a free drink had flocked to Baoding. When Tianyu and Qiao Feng arrived outside the city, they nearly failed to enter due to the sheer number of people queuing. They managed to squeeze through the city gates just before they were locked for the night.

The sun had set, and bells and drums were ringing—at any other time, this would be when people returned home to rest. But at this moment, the streets and alleys were brightly lit and exceptionally lively due to the wedding.

She led Qiao Feng through the streets adorned with red silk, heading toward the Li Garden. As soon as they reached the entrance, someone hurried over to take her horse and asked for her invitation.

"I have no invitation," Tianyu said honestly. "But I am an old acquaintance of your young master—"

Before she could finish, the servant who had taken her horse interrupted with a smile: "You may not know this, but almost everyone who has come to the city today is an old acquaintance of my young master."

"If you have no invitation, you may proceed to the taverns in the city and drink to your heart's content."

Tianyu: "..."

She wasn't there for a few free drinks.

She thought for a moment, then took three gold leaves from her robes and said, "You may not believe it, but I am truly not here to sponge off the banquet."

"Today is a joyous day for Brother Li. I will not force my way in, but since I have come, I hope to see him. If you are willing to pass on a message for me, these three gold leaves are yours."

The servant was stunned, thinking that although this person was dressed simply, she could casually produce such valuable items—could she have a significant background? If that were true, would blocking her ruin things?

Just as he was gritting his teeth, ready to accept her offer, another guest arrived outside the Li Garden gate. This guest had not ridden a horse but had arrived by carriage. Upon alighting, he presented his invitation for the servant to check.

When the servant confirmed it was valid and invited him into the garden, the man did not enter immediately. Instead, he looked at Tianyu.

"If this brother has no invitation, it is best not to block the way here," he said, having noticed Tianyu's predicament. His gaze swept over the gold leaves in her hand, and he added with a laugh, "Brother Li is celebrating his marriage and has spared no expense to treat the whole city. The rules were set long ago; how can you expect to break them just by spending some money?"

Once these words were out, the servant, who had been tempted to pass the message along, changed his expression.

Tianyu was almost amused by his arrogance and retorted coldly, "Are you implying that I am trying to bribe a servant of the Li family to sneak into the Li Garden?"

The man raised an eyebrow and didn't answer, but his expression and demeanor said it all—*Isn't that exactly what you're doing?*

His attitude was so blatant that even Qiao Feng couldn't help but frown, speaking up directly: "My mistress is a close friend of Master Li; she only wished for someone to pass on a message."

"Mistress?" The young man was surprised for a moment, his eyes widening as he finally looked at Tianyu properly.

With this look, he froze in place.

Earlier, as he passed her, he had seen her travel-worn appearance, her martial attire, and the gold leaves in her hand, and had dismissed her as a nobody trying to curry favor with Li Xunhuan, never bothering to look at her straight. Now, looking closely, he realized her features were delicate and remarkably striking.

Such a refined beauty with such an extraordinary air could very well be a friend of Li Xunhuan.

Thinking this, he finally offered a genuine smile: "It seems I have misunderstood."

"How about this," he proposed. "I shall take you into the garden to see Brother Li. That way, you won't have to wait here."

Tianyu couldn't help it anymore and gave a cold laugh: "No need."

She had no interest in benefiting from someone so pretentious and poorly acted.

She spoke very bluntly: "You saw I had no invitation and resorted to sarcasm and baseless assumptions. Once you realized I had a connection to Li Xunhuan, you immediately changed your tune."

"What makes you think I would want to associate with someone who fawns over the powerful and tramples the weak?"

The words left the young man’s expression shifting, and even the servant didn't know how to respond.

Only Qiao Feng was emboldened, immediately chiming in: "The lady is right!"

Tianyu patted his head and looked back at the servant: "Please, pass on the message. If he asks, just tell him that an old friend from the Northeast is waiting here."

The servant looked at her, then at the young man whose face was turning blue with anger, and gritted his teeth: "Very well. Please wait a moment, mistress; I shall go find the young master."

With that, he turned to the young man and asked, "Young Master Long, would you like to come in with me?"

The young man surnamed Long let out a soft huff and did not reply. Having been mocked by Tianyu to his face, his pride was stung, and he fell into a trap of his own making, feeling that if he entered now, he would be losing to her.

"Since this lady is a friend of Brother Li, how could I let her wait here alone?" he said. "I shall remain here with her and wait for Brother Li to come out."

The servant was speechless and could only go to find Li Xunhuan. He didn't dare delay, trotting all the way to the water pavilion where the guests were being entertained.

Upon seeing Li Xunhuan, he intended to recount everything that had happened, including the quarrel between Tianyu and Long Xiaoyun. But as soon as Li Xunhuan heard "an old friend from the Northeast," he interrupted: "Is it a very handsome young man in black?"

"It is black clothing, yes, but... she is a young woman," the servant said. "I didn't realize it at first; it was the young boy with her who called her 'mistress.'"

"But she is indeed exceptionally handsome."

Li Xunhuan was overjoyed: "That must be her!"

He abandoned the servant and rushed out of the Li Garden. Wearing his wedding robes, he stepped out of the gate and saw Tianyu standing there, unable to hide his excitement. Because he was so thrilled, he didn't even notice the person standing not far from her.

"You actually came!" he said to Tianyu.

"I heard you were getting married, and since I happened to be passing through on my way back to the Northeast, I decided to come," Tianyu said, genuinely happy to see him.

Li Xunhuan realized: "So you weren't in the Northeast before? No wonder..."

Tianyu immediately reacted: "You sent an invitation to the Northeast?"

"Of course," he laughed. "If not for you, I would never have been able to return to Baoding."

"Now that I am getting married, how could I not send you an invitation?"

Tianyu smiled, and as she did, she turned to the figure beside her who had gone almost rigid: "Oh? This Young Master Long seems quite disappointed?"

Long Xiaoyun had expected Li Xunhuan to come out and knew they were acquaintances. But when his temper flared, he had thought that Li Xunhuan had a wide circle of friends and might not have a truly deep connection with her, and that when he came out, he would mostly focus on entertaining him.

Yet, Li Xunhuan hadn't even glanced at him!

"Young Master Long?" Hearing Tianyu, Li Xunhuan finally turned his head to look at Long Xiaoyun. "Brother Long, why are you here?"

Long Xiaoyun clenched his palms, took a deep breath, and forced a smile: "I heard from this lady that she was your friend, and thinking I shouldn't let her wait alone, I hadn't gone inside yet."

Tianyu said "Oh," and with interest, added: "Really?"

"Why do I get the feeling that you were waiting to see if Brother Li and I weren't close, so you could regain some face in front of me?"

Long Xiaoyun: "..."

He wanted to deny it, but before he could speak, Qiao Feng beat him to it.

Qiao Feng said with sudden realization: "So that’s it."

"I was just thinking, you were clearly mocking my mistress for not having an invitation earlier—how did you suddenly become so kind?"