Chapter 526: Young Master Bai, Why Don’t You Play by the Rules?!
“Oh, Ling Lan… what are you up to…”
Bai Feng naturally noticed Ling Lan pretending to leave while actually hiding in the tree, watching them. But instead of rushing over to chase her away, he simply snapped his fingers.
Instantly, a thick fog of white mist spread around the courtyard, gradually enveloping the entire area. Hidden behind a distant tree, Ling Lan couldn’t see a thing inside the fog—how infuriatingly mysterious!
“Hmm…”
Ling Lan strained her eyes, trying hard to see through the white veil. No matter what she did, the fog refused to clear. It was like trying to peek into a mystery box filled with nothing but cloud.
The more she tried, the itchier her heart felt—she was dying to stick her head into the fog and see what was happening.
But a second of reckless thought was all it took for her to snap back to reality. She liked gossip, sure, but she liked living even more. If she dared to stick her head in, Bai Feng might just drag her in and lock the door—or, even worse, deal with her cleanly. Nope. Not risking it.
So…
“Better go back and eat popcorn,” she decided with a sassy shrug.
Following her own cowardly conscience, Sheltered Ling Lan, clutching her freshly made caramel popcorn, zipped back to her cozy hideout like a speedy little bunny.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Bai Feng wasn’t bothering to watch Ling Lan anymore. He washed some hawthorn berries, getting ready to make a new batch of tanghulu.
This time, the hawthorn was much more cooperative, no longer twisting his face sour like a lemon.
“All right, give this a try—no way it’s gonna fail now.”
Bai Feng handed a new sugar-coated hawthorn stick to Chu Chu. Yet, Chu Chu, who’d been blushing the entire time and keeping her head low since just now, didn’t snatch it. Instead, she tiptoed beside him, aiming to bite into the very one Bai Feng had just eaten.
“I… want to eat this one,” she whispered, placing her tiny hand on his.
Bai Feng looked down at her, feeling as if Chu Chu had regressed to “childhood mode,” a little bit like last time when her logic went out the window.
But hey, that was a good sign. It meant Chu Chu was finally letting go of her restraint and embracing her emotions.
He handed her the sugar stick, and she quickly took it, nibbling on it a few times before lifting her head to eye Bai Feng.
Then she extended the hawthorn toward him: “Let’s eat together.”
“Sure.”
Bai Feng nodded without hesitation and bit into the Hawthorn stick.
Soon, the two sat on chairs, Chu Chu leaning against Bai Feng as she delicately nibbled on her sugar-coated hawthorn, eyes half-lidded with contentment.
“Besides eating tanghulu, do you have anything else you want to do?” Bai Feng’s soothing voice sounded right beside her ear.
Chu Chu, her mind now clear again, shook her head gently: “This is enough.”
It wasn’t shyness—it was pure enjoyment. Her heart’s pent-up feelings were satisfied, and that satisfaction washed away the negative emotions, leaving her peaceful.
“If you’ve got any other wishes, just say it,” Bai Feng said gently. “Take a good rest today. Rest well, so you can keep training tomorrow.”
“Mm.”
……
“Goo goo goo—everything here is perfectly normal,” cooed a pigeon perched on a branch, fluffing its wings over a tiny secret communicator hidden in its feathers.
A voice crackled from the device: “Focus up! Those fortune-tellers said fate’s pointing here. Don’t let carelessness make us miss vital clues!”
“Don’t worry! I’ve got my eyes glued right here,” the pigeon chirped confidently.
It rotated its head, occasionally taking flight with other birds to switch perches and keep watching.
“Remember, when the shift changes, come grab some caramel popcorn. Miss that, and it’s game over!”
“Relax! You can doubt my pigeonic integrity, but you can’t doubt my love for popcorn!”
With that, the pigeon even reached up to wipe a nonexistent droplet from its beak—everyone knew that caramel popcorn made by Young Master Bai himself was precious and delicious. No way it’d miss out on such a treat.
Meanwhile, some pigeons had arrived in Zhongzhou to assist Tian Yan Sacred Land. Ling Lan from the Heavenly Sword Sect was busy packing her luggage.
“Just these should be enough. But how do I explain leaving? Can I come back someday?” she fretted, eyeing her packed bags lined up like little soldiers.
But she was definitely eager to head to Zhongzhou and help watch over the Siku Family—not because she wanted to repay kindness or anything noble. Nope, it was purely because all her fellow pigeons would get to eat caramel popcorn!
If she sneaked off secretly, though? She might never return to the Heavenly Sword Sect or stay with Bai Feng again, and she’d lose a ton of popcorn and bird seeds.
“Is there no way to do both? Eat popcorn and keep hanging with Bai Feng?” she wondered helplessly.
Just as Ling Lan was caught in her dilemma, Bai Feng suddenly strode in.
She whipped her head around, and her sharp, clever eyes instantly turned clear and bright—playing the innocent pigeon act.
Seeing the huge piles of luggage still not packed away, a flash of suspicion flickered across Bai Feng’s face. Was Ling Lan finally bored of staying with him? Was she planning to leave?
Suddenly, Ling Lan’s heart skipped a beat. She cursed herself silently; she should’ve just thrown everything into her storage pouch without sorting, like she usually did. Why did she have to be so meticulous now?
No, no. What was she worried about? Bai Feng already knew her identity. She didn’t understand why he hadn’t blown her cover. But she trusted—no, knew—that he’d ignore the oddities just like he always did.
While she comforted herself this way, Bai Feng finally spoke: “Ling Lan, can you help me with something?”
A cold sweat broke out on her back. Her heart thumped wildly—this was not correct!
Should she immediately admit? Or keep pretending to be just a regular pigeon? If she admitted, she might never be able to stay with Bai Feng again, and no more popcorn would be coming her way.
As her mind spun franticly, Bai Feng reached out and gently caught her.
He softly ruffled her head, smiling kindly: “Enough pretending. You’ve been freeloading on meals long enough. I need you to do something for me now.”
He hadn’t needed to reveal her identity before, and it had been amusing to tease her. But now, the favor meant she had to come clean. So, Bai Feng decisively exposed her ‘pigeon’ disguise that was close to falling apart.
Yet, Ling Lan put on a blissful, satisfied look—as if she was just an ordinary pigeon.
Seeing her stubborn silence, Bai Feng sighed with mock resignation: “Looks like I was mistaken. Well then, all that extra popcorn I prepared? Sorry, other pigeons, you’ll have to share it now.”
