The journey back home was no easier than when Bai Ruyi had to carry Yuzhe home. Long Hua constantly yelled and asked for more wine. Occasionally, she would think that she was riding a horse and pulled on Bai Ruyi's hair.
"Ahhh! Long Hua. Stop pulling my hair."
"Ehh? How come my horse knows how to talk? Are you a horse fairy?"
Seeing Long Hua in this state, Bai Ruyi could confirm that she was worse than Long Yuzhe when he was drunk. At least when her brother was drunk, he wouldn't mistake his sister for a horse or, worse, a horse fairy.
By the time they made it back to Yunmeng, Bai Ruyi was exhausted, but at least Long Hua was asleep. Setting Long Hua down, Bai Ruyi removed her shoes and placed them by the bed. She then covered Long Hua in a blanket. Hoping that the rest of the day would be peaceful, Bai Ruyi returned to her room for some rest. Yet, less than two hours later, Long Hua was up and causing trouble again. Not only did she terrorize the cranes, but she also scared off the disciples who were trying to take her back to her room. It was only when Bai Ruyi came that everyone was able to relax.
"Long Hua!"
"Ehh? Isn't this my lovely friend? Come, join me. Let's go get a drink!"
Long Hua was stumbling around the courtyard, trying to reach Bai Ruyi. Shaking her head, Bai Ruyi could only imagine what she had been doing to everyone. Releasing a binding rope, she tied Long Hua securely before swiftly picking her up and returning her to her room. In addition to the rope, Bai Ruyi wrapped Long Hua tightly in the blanket and used a sleeping spell to put her to sleep. Upon leaving the room, she placed another spell on the room to prevent Long Hua from escaping.
When she woke up the next day, Long Hua was greeted with a massive headache, which rendered her useless for the next two days. Learning her lesson, Long Hua did not have a single drop of liquor for the remainder of her time in Yuecheng.
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Finally, the day of the final exam arrived. Joy and anxiety were mixed in the air. If one were to pass the exam, they wouldn't have to return to the same clan again for a lecture, and the Bai clan was known for having the hardest exam out of all the clans. So, in order to not return, everyone pulled all their brain power together and studied day and night on the days leading up to the exam.
When the last paper was turned in, the disciples felt a sense of relief. However, before celebrating, they had to wait for the results. Thankfully, Bai Lanxun didn't take long to grade the papers. So, by the time lunch was over, the results were posted on the wall outside the hall. Like bees in a hive, everyone buzzed around the wall, trying to find their name and score. After a good 15 minutes, everyone knew their scores, and all could happily say they passed the exam.
Later that night, after dinner, Feng Zhiyu and Yu Yichen were hanging out in his room when Feng Zhiyu had an idea.
"Yu xiong, how about we go down the mountain and get some wine to celebrate?"
"Huh? But we can't leave the mountain, remember? Besides, alcohol is also banned."
"If we ride our swords down the mountain, we will return before the barrier goes up. As long as we don't get caught, no one will know."
The mountains surrounding Yunmeng were filled with various creatures, making it dangerous to be out at night. So, to keep everyone safe, a barrier was raised around the territory by the end of the dog hour to keep intruders out. Tempted to try the famous Crane's Tears, Yu Yichen agreed to Feng Zhiyu's plan, and they snuck out, but before they left, Feng Zhiyu told Xiao Ling to stay put and not let anyone know that they had gone down the mountain. Unfortunately for them, Bai Ruyi was on patrol that night and noticed something amiss when she saw Xiao Ling roaming around by itself when it was past time for bed.
"Where is your owner?" Bai Ruyi asked.
Even though Xiao Ling was told to stay put, after hearing the question from Bai Ruyi, it immediately led her to a hole in the wall hidden behind the bushes. Realizing that Feng Zhiyu had left the mountain, she calmly told Xiao Ling to return to its room. Afterward, she repaired the hole and went to the watch tower to continue her patrol.
Having underestimated the time it would take to buy the wine and return, Feng Zhiyu and Yu Yichen missed the curfew and were stuck outside. However, Feng Zhiyu wasn't worried. Since he was young, he was often punished for misbehaving, and he had learned some tricks for breaking barriers and sneaking around. After creating a crack in the barrier, the two boys snuck back to where the hole was, only to find out it was gone. Determined to enjoy their liquor, the two began to scale the walls. Yet, they didn't notice that the wall they were scaling was next to the watch tower that Bai Ruyi was at.
Thinking that they had succeeded, they gave each other a high-five. But when Yu Yichen turned to Femg Zhiyu, he could see the figure of someone standing on the watch tower. Startled, he fell off the wall and landed in the bushes.
"Feng gongzi, Yu gongzi, since you two have passed the exam, I assume you also know the rules of Yunmeng."
Startled that Yu Yichen had fallen off the wall, Feng Zhiyu had another surprise. He slowly turned to the watch tower and saw the lady they had seen in the back mountain while looking for Xiao Ling. Laughing nervously, he tried to come up with an excuse.
"We uh... of course we know the rules. We... we just wanted to celebrate our achievements a little."
"You still broke our rules and damaged our barrier. Whether the lecture is over or not, you are still here as a student. Disobeying the rules means you must be punished."
Feng Zhiyu found that no amount of explanation would earn the pity and mercy of the lady, so he decided to take a risk. Slowly reaching into his sleeve, Feng Zhiyu pulled out a smoke talisman and launched it at Bai Ruyi. With smoke clouding her vision, the two boys ran back to Feng Zhiyu's room.
After seeing that they were not being chased, Yu Yichen couldn't help but ask.
"Are you sure that was a good idea? What if they come after us?"
"Don't worry, there was some sleeping powder mixed into the talisman. The lady will wake up thinking it was all a dream."
Placing his faith in Feng Zhiyu, the two boys relaxed and enjoyed their Crane's Tears. Drinking to their heart's content, the two soon became drunk and fell asleep.
The following day, while they were still sleeping, the door to Feng Zhiyu's room burst open, and they were dragged to the main hall. Although half asleep, they soon became wide awake when they saw the massive ferules.
"Strike!"
Following the sound, Feng Zhiyu and Yu Yichen saw the person giving the command was the lady they had run away from the night before. It seems like the talisman didn't work as they had expected. After being struck 50 times, the disciples that came with them had to help them return to their rooms. As they whined on their way back, they ran into Long Hua, who asked.
"What happen to you guys?"
But before they could answer her question, realization grew in her eyes as she laughed and said.
"So it was you guys who snuck out last night."
Ashamed, they could only avoid eye contact with her. Just then, Feng Zhuyi remembered Long Hua was very close to the family, so he asked.
"Do you know who it was that gave us this punishment?"
"Of course I do."
"Can you tell us who it is?"
Long Hua smiled and said.
"The person that you two offended is the head of punishment."
"Ahh?!"
Yu Yichen, who was in immense pain, wanted to faint right then and there. Usually, if Yu Yichen causes any trouble at home, he can get away with it. But now that he had offended the head of punishment of the Bai clan, he could only imagine what his brother would do if he found out.
Seeing their expressions, Long Hua could not help but laugh again. As she began to leave, she turned around and said.
"Those wounds won't heal for about two weeks. You guys better find some good medicine for it."
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A few days later, all the disciples from the other clans returned home, and Long Yuzhe was released from his punishment. Peace had returned to Yuecheng, and Bai Ruyi settled back into her usual routine. However, life has a way of surprising people. Not long after Long Hua returned to the Long clan, she returned, but this time, it was with her parents and Bai Ruyi's grandfather.
Seeing Bai Ruyi's confusion, her father pulled her aside and explained.
"Yue'er, Long Hua is back this time because of the engagement."
"Engagement?"
"Hmm. We have been discussing this for a while now, but the two families have agreed that it would be good for Xiaolan and Long Hua to be betrothed to each other."
Although stunned, Bai Ruyi was happy for them. From the outside, the engagement seemed to be political. Deep down, she knew that if neither of them agreed, the discussion wouldn't even take off. But she still couldn't help but wonder how all of this happened. Three years may not be a long time, but it seems like it is too long this time.
A small engagement ceremony was held at Yunmeng to celebrate a couple that will soon become one.
Later that evening, as everyone was still enjoying themselves, Bai Ruyi excused herself and went to the pavilion for some rest. Not long after, Long Hua joined her.
"Are you disappointed?" Long Hua asked.
"Hmm?"
"I mean, are you disappointed that we didn't tell you beforehand?"
Bai Ruyi smiled and shook her head.
"I was in seclusion for three years. It's normal that I am behind on some things. But..."
"But, what?"
"Does he make you happy?"
Long Hua blushed and smiled sheepishly.
"He does. With him around, I feel safe."
"Then that's all I care about."
In a world where the strong survive and the weak are eliminated, political marriages ensure the continuation of a clan. Marriages born out of love were rare. However, seeing her friend and brother happy, Bai Ruyi was content. All she wished for was to see her loved ones live a long and happy life.
Excited about her marriage, Long Hua began to think of what she wanted her wedding to look like. Even though Bai Ruyi told her she had plenty of time, Long Hua still couldn't help but imagine. She even made Bai Ruyi promise to help her design a wedding gown before returning to Donghai with her family.