chsdbacks Chapter 295 Nie Lingfeng's Collapse
Chapter 295 Nie Lingfeng's Collapse
The morning at Longhu Mountain once again began amidst the chaos of chickens and dogs running around.
With darker circles under his eyes than yesterday, Nie Lingfeng stared dejectedly at the chaotic "battlefield" before him—the courtyard, which had just witnessed an "abstract art creation in ink and mud," had been restored to basic cleanliness after a night of emergency rescue efforts by him and Zhang Lingyu (mainly Zhang Lingyu, while Nie Lingfeng was responsible for holding down Xiaoyun, who was trying to "help" but actually making things worse). However…
"Xiaoyun!!! That's a face towel! Not a rag! You can't use it to wipe the floor! And you definitely can't use it to chase after Master Lingyu's crane!!!"
Nie Lingfeng let out a desperate roar for the N+1th time. The bruises on his body from yesterday's sparring with the Old Celestial Master still throbbed faintly, but now he was completely overwhelmed by a deeper sense of powerlessness and mental exhaustion. He saw Xiaoyun pull out a clean white towel embroidered with elegant green bamboo (Nie Lingfeng suspected it was one of Zhang Lingyu's hidden treasures) from somewhere, waving it like a flag as she chased after a white-feathered, graceful, but now somewhat panicked crane in the courtyard, her short legs flailing with laughter.
The crane was originally a spirit bird that Zhang Lingyu kept on the back mountain. It was usually quite docile and would occasionally fly to the courtyard to stroll around, exuding a certain ethereal charm. But now, all that ethereal charm was gone. It was being chased all over the courtyard by Xiao Yun, who was waving a "white flag" and laughing like a little devil. Its elegant long neck was tucked in, and it was making "caw caw" sounds full of fear and protest. Several of its snow-white feathers had fallen out and were drifting helplessly in the air.
"Crane! Fly! Chase!" Xiaoyun was completely unaware that she was inhumanely harassing an elegant celestial bird. She only thought that the way this "big bird" ran was "fun," and its feathers were "very white," and she wanted to "touch it." The towel was waving wildly in her hand (?), and several times it almost hit the crane's long legs.
Nie Lingfeng felt his blood pressure soaring. He lunged forward, trying to snatch the battered towel from Xiaoyun's hands. However, after these past few days of "hellish" childcare training, Xiaoyun's agility (especially her ability to escape and dodge) had clearly improved significantly. She nimbly ducked, slipped under Nie Lingfeng's arm with a "whoosh," and then, towel in hand, continued chasing after the nearly collapsing crane, still giggling.
"Papa! Let's chase Hehe together!" Xiaoyun turned around and enthusiastically invited Nie Lingfeng to join this "fun" chase game.
Nie Lingfeng: "..." (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ Who wants to chase after it with you! That's Lingyu Zhenren's crane! Not a toy! And what you're holding might be someone's collector's edition washcloth, for crying out loud! (ﾉꐦ⊙曲ఠ)ﾉ彡┻━┻
Just when Nie Lingfeng was going crazy, the crane was in despair, and the courtyard was about to become the ruins of the "chase battle" again, the savior arrived once more.
A white, swift figure, like a feather, silently drifted into the courtyard. Zhang Lingyu's face remained gentle and peaceful, but upon closer inspection, his eye seemed to twitch slightly. He moved swiftly, blocking the panicked crane, and gently beckoned with his hand.
The crane, which had been chased to the point of near despair, seemed to see a relative (?). It immediately flapped its wings and scrambled behind Zhang Lingyu, hiding its long neck behind the hem of his Taoist robe, with only its trembling head showing. It looked at Xiaoyun, who was holding a towel and eager to try her luck, not far away.
"Lingyu...Senior Brother..." Nie Lingfeng gasped for breath, looking at Zhang Lingyu with an apologetic and embarrassed expression. He felt he had never been so humiliated in his life. He'd almost driven his master's crane crazy by taking care of the baby—who would believe it?! (；´д｀)ゞ
"It's alright." Zhang Lingyu gently shook his head, his voice still gentle. His gaze fell on the crumpled, dusty white towel in Xiaoyun's hand. He paused for a moment before saying, "This towel... is what I use to wipe my sword." (Note: Actually, it's for washing my face, but Master Lingyu wanted to save face, so he used a different term.)
Nie Lingfeng: "..." Ah... this... sword-wiping cloth? It seems... it's gotten worse? (ﾟДﾟ≡ﾟдﾟ)!?
Xiaoyun glanced at the white-clad brother who had suddenly appeared and was blocking the "big bird," then looked at her limp "flag" in her hand, seemingly losing interest. She casually tossed her towel aside (it landed right on a crane feather that had just been knocked off), ran to Zhang Lingyu, tilted her head back, and looked at him with her big, bright red eyes, saying in a clear voice, "Brother, bird, aren't you going to play anymore?"
Zhang Lingyu looked down at the little boy with silver hair and red eyes, an innocent face, who had just chased his crane all over the yard, and was momentarily speechless. He had grown up in Longhu Mountain since childhood, surrounded by proper Taoist priests and composed elders. He had never seen such a "lively" (and incredibly destructive) child before. In particular, the child's pure yet strangely unsettling aura made him unsure how to react.
"It... needs quiet meditation and doesn't like playing around." Zhang Lingyu was silent for a moment, then tried to explain in words that Xiaoyun could understand, while quietly turning to the side to cover the still trembling crane behind her even more thoroughly.
"Oh..." Xiaoyun nodded as if she understood, a hint of disappointment on her face. But soon, her big eyes turned and she stared at Zhang Lingyu's meticulous and spotless white Taoist robe. She stretched out a small hand covered with dust and unknown stains (probably left from playing in the mud that morning) and was about to grab the snow-white hem.
"Yunyun, your hands are dirty." A clear, cold voice rang out promptly. Chen Duo had appeared at the doorway sometime earlier, holding a basin of water in one hand and a clean cloth in the other. Her complexion was slightly better than a few days ago, but still sickly pale, her emerald eyes calmly watching Xiaoyun.
Xiaoyun's outstretched hand froze instantly. She looked at her own not-so-clean hands, then at Zhang Lingyu's dazzlingly white Taoist robe, pouted, and reluctantly withdrew her hand. She turned and rushed towards Chen Duo, stretching out her little arm: "Jiejie! Wash!"
Chen Duo put down the basin, dipped a cloth in water, and began to wipe Xiao Yun's face and hands. Her movements were still a little clumsy, but very careful and gentle. Xiao Yun also became unusually quiet, tilting her little face up and letting Chen Duo wipe her, like a well-behaved kitten.
Watching this scene, Zhang Lingyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, nodded slightly to Chen Duo, and then bent down to pick up the weathered "sword-wiping towel" (actually his favorite Suzhou embroidery face towel) from the ground. Looking at the clear paw prints and dust on it, a helpless bitter smile finally appeared on his gentle face. He gave it a gentle shake, releasing a little internal energy, and the stains and dust on the towel fell off, restoring its cleanliness. However, the embroidery patterns that had been torn and deformed were probably beyond repair.
"Senior Brother Lingyu, I'm so sorry, this towel..." Nie Lingfeng hurriedly stepped forward, looking apologetic.
"It's nothing, just a towel." Zhang Lingyu tucked the towel into her sleeve, shook her head, and looked at Nie Lingfeng. Her gaze swept over the dark circles under his eyes and the bruises on his body that had not yet completely faded. She asked in a gentle tone, "Brother Nie, how are your injuries? My master... always knows how to restrain himself when he fights, but yesterday's battle was truly intense."
Mentioning yesterday's sparring session, two small flames immediately ignited in Nie Lingfeng's eyes, his fatigue and haggardness lessening considerably. "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Lingyu. It's all superficial injuries, nothing serious. The Old Celestial Master was very lenient and his guidance was extremely insightful! I benefited immensely!" He stretched his still sore arm, his face beaming with excitement. "Every time I spar with the Old Celestial Master, it feels like opening a new door. I have a completely new understanding of controlling power and applying techniques!"
"That's good." Zhang Lingyu nodded slightly, a hint of longing flashing in his eyes. He had observed the entire sparring match yesterday and was deeply impressed by his master's unfathomable level of skill and Nie Lingfeng's ferocious yet tenacious fighting style. "Master hasn't enjoyed himself this much in a long time. It's a great honor for Brother Nie to be so valued by Master and to receive frequent guidance and sparring from him."
"Yes, that's why I cherish it so much." Nie Lingfeng sighed, then gave a wry smile, "It's just... after this sparring session, I still have to face this little devil..." He gestured with his eyes to Xiaoyun, who was being wiped by Chen Duo and was giggling, with a look of utter despair.
Zhang Lingyu also looked at Xiaoyun, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly again, and said gently, "Children are naturally lively and active. However... they still need more guidance, so as not to hurt themselves, and also not to..." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the items in the courtyard that had just been cleaned up, "...too 'lively'."
Nie Lingfeng nodded emphatically in agreement. Guide him? His biggest wish right now was for this little rascal to sit quietly for more than five minutes! (´-ι_-｀)
……