The following year, Bai Ruyi and Long Yuzhe focused on training and helping the townspeople when the wind ghosts and demons were causing mischief instead of going to the Long clan for the lecture. Born into the Long and Bai clan lineage, the two siblings were steeped in its rich history and traditions from a young age. It was expected that they already knew all the materials and passed the exams.
Thanks to this advantage, the two siblings were able to avoid the things that they didn't like, lectures and socializing.
With the extra time on their hands, Long Yuzhe would continue his usual routine, and Bai Ruyi would go into seclusion. However, this time around, she would go for a shorter period.
Slowly, the twins built up their reputation, known far and wide for their skills. Yet one thing remains unclear, and that is Bai Ruyi's gender. Even though she didn't purposely try to hide her gender, when leaving the mountain, she often wore a comfortable hairstyle and clothing that allowed her to move freely. As a result, her clothing style usually made her seem more like a boy than a girl. Besides, being identical twins makes things even more complicated for people. The way that people were able to identify who was who was through their height and fighting style. While Long Yuzhe was taller and has an aggressive and powerful fighting style, Bai Ruyi was slightly shorter and has an elegant and swift fighting style.
Thus, when the twins of the Bai clan were mentioned, they were hailed as Bai Ruyi, the Gentle Wind that embraces the Moonless Night of Yuecheng, and Long Yuzhe, the Storm that rages the untamed dreams.
The following year, when the two turned 16, they headed to Houhai for the lecture at the Feng clan. As the two clans were neighbors, the distance the twins had to travel was much shorter than that of other clans. However, the distance was not close enough for her to return and drop off an unannounced guest who had decided to tag along.
Halfway into their journey, Bai Ruyi discovered that Xiao Bai had tagged along. To make things worse, Long Yuzhe had known all along but forgot to tell her.
"How can you forget to tell me?"
"Uhhh..."
"Ge, you know that Feng Zhiyu has a dog. Do you remember what happened last time that dog saw Xiao Bai?"
"I'm sure it will be fine. Just keep Xiao Bai in your room."
Bai Ruyi exhaled deeply, a long and tired sigh escaping her lips.
Turning back to Xiao Bai, Bai Ruyi couldn't even be angry. Her little bunny had been accompanying her for years and rarely left her side. In the end, she could only give in.
"What am I going to do with you?" Bai Ruyi asked.
Sensing its owner's stress, Xiao Bai nuzzled its little head against Bai Ruyi's palm.
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After a long month of traveling, Bai Ruyi and Long Yuzhe finally made it to the Feng clan. The first thing the two did after arriving was greet Sect Leader Feng and his wife.
"Welcome, I hope you two had a safe journey."
"We did. Thank you for your concern," Long Yuzhe responded.
Smiling, Madam Feng said. "The journey was long, and you both are tired. Why don't you go get some rest first? We can all have dinner together later."
Bai Ruyi and Long Yuzhe bid Sect Leader Feng and his wife and went to their guest house with the other disciples. The guest house where they stayed was a little further from the center of Crimson Pier. However, the surrounding area was similar to Yunmeng, which made it easier for everyone to adjust.
Later that night, all the disciples were invited to a welcoming banquet. A lavish spread of food was set up, and everyone could eat to their heart's content. During dinner, all the students mingled with each other, and Feng Zhiyu met Long Yuzhe for the first time. From the moment the two met, they instantly clicked. So, the two boys were glued by the hip for the rest of the night. While Long Yuzhe was having fun, Bai Ruyi quietly ate her food and excused herself. Before she left, she ensured that one of the disciples kept an eye on her brother so he didn't overdrink, knowing he would take the opportunity to, since they were away from home.
As she left the banquet hall, another person came in. Heading to the back of the hall, the person greeted Sect Leader Feng and his wife.
"Kuanglan, you're here."
"I apologize for being late, father."
"No need to apologize. I'm glad that you are back."
Feng Kuanglan is the eldest son of Sect Leader Feng. Four years older than his brother, he has already attended all the lectures and passed the exams. During the past two years, he has traveled around to gain more experience and has now returned to assist his father in the lectures.
Taking a seat, he chatted with his father and some of the other disciples. While Feng Kuanglan was eating his food, Feng Zhiyu came over after hearing that his older brother had returned. Tagging along was Long Yuzhe.
"Ge, you're back!"
Smiling, Feng Kuanglan stood up and patted his brother on the head.
"Hmm. How have you been? I see you've gotten taller."
"Of course, I've grown taller. I've been training hard! Oh, by the way, this is Long Yuzhe. He is Sect Leader Bai and young master Long's son."
Feng Kuanglan and Long Yuzhe bowed and greeted each other. During his travels, Feng Kuanglan heard about the twins of Yuecheng. Indeed, the eldest twin matched his reputation. One look and Feng Kuanglan could tell that he was the one people called the Storm of Yuecheng.
After a little chat with his brother, Feng Zhiyu, and Long Yuzhe wandered off. Meanwhile, Bai Ruyi was back in her room, feeding Xiao Bai. Xiao Bai was not a picky eater, but its favorite food is always carrots. So, during dinner, Bai Ruyi picked out the carrots in her meal and saved them for her little bunny. Although Bai Ruyi always had extra food for Xiao Bai stored in her qiankun ring, it was still better to have fresh food.
"Xiao Bai, is it good?" Bai Ruyi asked as she rubbed its little head.
Seeing Xiao Bai munching away, she took it as a yes. After Xiao Bai finished eating, Bai Ruyi got ready for bed. Since Xiao Bai had tagged along unannounced, she didn't bring its bed for it. So, Bai Ruyi made a makeshift bed for Xiao Bai and placed it near her pillow. Soon, the two fell asleep before everyone else returned.
When the banquet ended, everyone returned to their rooms to rest for the next day. Feng Zhiyu, however, made a beeline to his brother's room to catch up with him.
"Ge!" Feng Zhiyu shouted as he burst into his brother's room.
"Feng Ming, shouldn't you go to bed now? You have class tomorrow, remember?"
Making himself comfortable. Feng Zhiyu said. "I'll be fine. I just want to chat with you for a bit. How have you been? Did anything fun happen during your trip?"
Sitting down, Feng Kuanglan poured two cups of tea and gave one to Feng Zhiyu.
"If it's according to your definition of fun, then I would say no, but I did learn a lot."
Sad that there might not be a lot of good stories to hear, Feng Zhiyu pouted and drank his tea.
"But it does look like you found a new friend while I was away."
When talking about his new friend, Feng Zhiyu was excited to share with his brother the things they had in common.
"There are so many things that we can talk about. But I can't find one thing in common with Bai Ruyi."
"Bai Ruyi?"
Feng Kuanglan, who had been listening intently the entire time, found it interesting that his brother couldn't get along with someone. Leaning onto the table and taking another sip of tea, Feng Zhiyu said.
"Bai Ruyi is Yuzhe's younger twin brother. When I was there for the lecture, he attended with us. But you know what? He is the complete opposite of his brother. It's so hard to approach him. After class, he never eats with us."
Feng Kuanglan only smiled as his brother complained. No pairs of siblings in this world were like each other, even if they were twins. Everyone had their own personality. But, in a way, Feng Kuanglan could tell that Feng Zhiyu held Bai Ruyi in high regard and had a lot of respect for them.
"You may not be close friends, but you still have a lot of admiration for them, right?"
When Feng Zhiyu heard the question, he sat straight up, leaned in, and said.
"His fighting skills are excellent. I lost to him in less than three minutes. Although I haven't seen Yuzhe fight yet, everyone in the Bai clan says that Bai Ruyi is the best."
Feng Kuanglan nodded along. Even though he didn't get a chance to meet the twins when he was in Yicheng, he heard a lot of rumors about the siblings. While the older one was more aggressive, his technique took longer to eradicate ghosts, demons, and monsters than the younger one.
Suddenly, it hit Feng Kuanglan that everyone referred to Bai Ruyi as the second young master.
"Feng Ming, did you say that Bai Ruyi was the second young master of the Bai clan?"
"Hmm. Ge, what's wrong?"
Feng Kuanglan shook his head and thought to himself.
I remembered that the family had a boy and a girl. How come it's now two boys?
When Feng Kuanglan was seven, he followed his father to the Bai clan. While his father was discussing some work with Sect Leader Bai and her husband, he was wandering around the area. At one point, he came across two small children. The boy was running around playing with the cranes while the little girl was sitting on the steps reading a book. As far as he knew, the clan's only young children at that time were Sect Leader Bai's children.
Could I have been mistaken? Feng Kuanglan thought.
"...Ge...Ge!"
While lost in thought, Feng Kuanglan was pulled back to reality when Feng Zhiyu waved and called out to him.
"Hmm?"
"Ge, are you alright?"
"I'm alright. Feng Ming, it's getting late. Why don't you go to bed now? We can talk more tomorrow."
Although reluctant, Feng Zhiyu agreed and returned to his room. As for Feng Kuanglan, he went to bed with a question stuck in his mind. Is that person really not the Bai Ruyi that I know?
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On the first day of class, everything went smoothly. All the disciples were awake. However, most of the time, the female disciples' eyes were glued to a particular person. Assisting his father in the lecture, Feng Kuanglan was standing in the front of the room. Known for his good looks, all the female disciples couldn't help but stare or take little peeks at him.
Yet, throughout the class, his eyes were attracted to someone else.
With perfect posture and eyes locked on her book, Bai Ruyi was indifferent to what was happening around her and focused only on the lecture. The indifference and coldness she exuded and the lingering question in his mind made Feng Kuanglan curious to know more about the Bai clan's second young master.
Feeling a set of eyes on her, Bai Ruyi glanced up to see Feng Kuanglan look away. Although she didn't know why he was staring, she simply ignored him and focused on her studies. By the end of class, everyone was tired and wanted to stretch their legs. Even though Bai Ruyi was ready to return to her room, Long Yuzhe was prepared to have fun.
"Ruyi, do you want to come with us? We are going to explore Huohai."
Bai Ruyi shook her head and said.
"Ge, this isn't home. Best to not wander around too much."
"It's fine. Zhiyu is going with me."
Knowing she could not change her brother's mind, she let him go off with his new friend while she and the rest of the disciples returned to their guest house for lunch. After lunch, Bai Ruyi spent the rest of her afternoon playing with Xiao Bai.
When Long Yuzhe returned, most of the disciples had gone to bed. Only Bai Ruyi was still up waiting for him.
"Ge, where have you been? It's so late now."
"Ming Yue, Huohai is so much fun. There are so many things to do here!"
Sitting alongside Bai Ruyi, he leaned on the table and smiled happily.
"Have you eaten?" Bai Ruyi asked.
Long Yuzhe nodded his head and yawned.
"Ming Yue, I'm sleepy. I'm going to head to bed now."
"Hmm."
With only Xiao Bai left, Bai Ruyi pulled her guqin out from her qiankun ring. Quietly, she began to play a melody while enjoying the moon. Yuecheng was known for its clouds, making it hard to see the moon most nights. Now that she had a chance to, she wanted to make the most of it. Meanwhile, in the Eternal Flames pavilion, Feng Kuanglan, who was still awake, heard the melody and stepped outside to see where the sound was coming from. Although he did not venture far to find the source, judging from the direction, he guessed it was from where the disciples of the Bai clan were staying.
The music floated through the air like a lullaby sung by the moon. Listening to the song brought peace to one's mind. However, what surprised Feng Kuanglan was that someone outside of the Feng clan knew the song. In fact, he knew for certain that no one besides him knew the song. So, how was it possible for someone from the Bai clan to play the piece?
Could it just be a coincidence? He thought.
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A few days later, when Bai Ruyi returned from Long Hua's place, she noticed that the door to her room was open. Thinking that someone had come in to feed Xiao Bai but had forgotten to close the door, she went in. However, when she called out to Xiao Bai, the little bunny was nowhere to be seen. After searching the entire room, she asked if any of the disciples had seen Xiao Bai.
"Isn't Xiao Bai in the room?"
All the disciples looked at each other. They all confirmed that Xiao Bai was still there when they had last fed it. Thinking that Xiao Bai might have fallen asleep in some corner of the room, she returned to search again. However, before she stepped into the room, she saw a set of paw prints. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they were dog prints. Bai Ruyi immediately knew that Xiao Ling had found Xiao Bai. Worried, Bai Ruyi left to go find them.
The forest area of the Feng clan was not small. Even after searching for 20 minutes, she still could not find any traces of Xiao Bai. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a bell ringing. Following the sound, she continued running deeper into the forest. The deeper she went, the more she felt the heat rising. When she finally saw Xiao Bai, the little bunny was hidden in the bushes near the hot spring. Quietly and quickly, she scooped her bunny up. Making sure that Xiao Bai was okay, she checked her bunny from head to toe. However, when she was checking Xiao Bai, she caught the figure of someone from the corner of her eye. Looking up, she realized that someone was in the hot spring. Although the person's back was facing her, she could tell it was a male. The person had broad shoulders and defined muscles, showing the results of years of training. Just as Bai Ruyi pulled her eyes away from the person, she heard the sound of panting. Turning around, she saw Xiao Ling running up towards them. Sending a bone-chilling glare toward the dog, it quickly stopped in its tracks, allowing Bai Ruyi time to escape with Xiao Bai.
When the two returned to Bai Ruyi's room, they were equally dusty and dirty from all the running. So, Bai Ruyi quickly gave Xiao Bai a bath and went to take one herself.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ling, who had been panting very loudly, attracted Feng Kuanglan's attention. When he turned around, he saw Xiao Ling sitting near his clothes at the pond's edge.
"Xiao Ling? What are you doing here?"
Xiao Ling did not react to the question, so Feng Kuanglan got out of the pond and dressed quickly. Kneeling next to the dog, Feng Kuanglan gave Xiao Ling some head scratches. It was also then that he noticed some short white fur on the dog. Besides Xiao Ling, the Feng clan didn't have any other pets.
"Xiao Ling, where did this fur come from? It can't be yours, right?"
This time, Xiao Ling responded by running off. Unsure of what the dog was doing, Feng Kuanglan had no choice but to run after it.
When Xiao Ling stopped running, the two were in front of Bai Ruyi's room. Uncertain of what Xiao Ling was doing, Feng Kuanglan tried to pull Xiao Ling back to Feng Zhiyu's room. However, the dog refused to move, and when it broke free from Feng Kuanglan's grip, it burst into Bai Ruyi's room.
Startled by the sound, Bai Ruyi quickly hopped out of the tub and threw on her clothes. Stepping out from behind the screen, she saw Xiao Ling running towards her and Feng Kuanglan outside her room, reaching out with his arms to grab Xiao Ling.
Bai Ruyi was very welcoming to all animals. However, her patience was beginning to wear thin when it came to Xiao Ling. Seeing the expression on her face, Xiao Ling dared not take another step and immediately sat down.
"Feng gongzi, is there anything that I can help you with?"
Flustered, Feng Kuanglan could only bow and apologize.
"Bai gongzi, I apologize."
Shaking her head, she said.
"It's alright."
Stepping inside, Feng Kuanglan approached Xiao Ling to get it out. Yet, once again, Xiao Ling did not budge.
"Xiao Ling, come on. Let's go."
No matter how much Feng Kuanglan pulled and begged, Xiao Ling stayed in the same position. Only when Bai Ruyi came and patted Xiao Ling on the head did it stand up.
"Xiao Ling, it's time for you to go home. If you promise not to cause trouble, I'll let you come back."
Hearing her words, Xiao Ling barked happily and ran back to its room. Feng Kuanglan was stunned to see Xiao Ling listening to Bai Ruyi so well. Although Xiao Ling was a gift from their father to Feng Zhiyu, it had never listened to any of them so well.
"Thank you, Bai gongzi. We shall not disturb you anymore."
Bai Ruyi bowed, and Feng Kuanglan left. Xiao Bai, who was hiding under the blanket the entire time, finally came out. It was a good thing that Bai Ruyi had used a spell to cover up Xiao Bai's scent, or else Xiao Ling would have quickly found it.
Picking up the little bunny, Bai Ruyi placed it on the table. Although she was not pleased with Xiao Bai constantly being chased by Xiao Ling. She could tell that Xiao Ling was just looking for a friend. During the past few days, Feng Zhiyu and Long Yuzhe have been by each other's sides from morning to night. Even if the animals couldn't talk, they still have feelings, especially spirit pets. Their intelligence isn't lacking compared to a human. The more love and care you give them, the more they love and listen to you. Judging from the way Feng Zhiyu acts, it seems like Xiao Ling does not get enough care from him.
"Xiao Bai, do you want to make a new friend?"
Although Xiao Bai could not answer, it didn't tense up from the idea of becoming friends with Xiao Ling.