Chapter 474: Chapter 413: Imitation Jade (Part 1)

Yun Rong stepped forward and smiled gently at her. “Princess, it’s been a long time.”

Sang Luo looked up at him. The young man always seemed to be surrounded by medicinal herbs, and he carried their faint, bitter scent…

It wasn’t that she hadn’t imagined meeting the younger Yan, but when the moment actually arrived, she was still lost in a daze, her heart aching with a sour pang.

Seeing that she was silent, Yun Rong reached out and ruffled her hair, his smile fond and indulgent. “Wan’er, what are you spacing out for? Have you forgotten me after all this time?”

“No.” Sang Luo forced a smile.

Yun Rong hadn’t accepted the Princess’s advances, but their relationship was still quite good, and they could be considered something like childhood friends.

“I never knew you were Doctor Xiu’s direct disciple.”

“It only happened recently. Master Xiu and my father are acquainted. As it happened, he visited our clan not long ago to offer consultations, and my father wanted me to learn a trade from him. When my master saw I had a talent for medicine, he took me in as his disciple.”

As Yun Rong spoke, he looked at Sang Luo guiltily. “I’m sorry, I’ve been too busy lately. I never found the time to come see you.”

Sang Luo shook her head. “Brother Rong, you’re the Young Master of the Nine-tailed Fox Clan. It’s only natural for you to be busy. If anything, it was I who bothered you so much before and made you unhappy.”

“…” Surprise flashed in Yun Rong’s eyes, but his handsome face settled into a polite smile. “It’s only been a few days, but Wan’er seems to have grown up a lot.”

“Haha, no wonder when I said I was coming here, you insisted on tagging along, my boy! Turns out you know the Princess! Why didn’t you say so sooner? Well then, no need for introductions. We’re all family here! If you need anything in the future, just come find me.” Xiu looked like a stern and demanding person, but his personality was surprisingly carefree. He was also very pleased with his disciple, Yun Rong, readily calling them family. He clapped a large hand on both their shoulders and looked toward the courtyard. “Right, where’s my new disciple? Let me have a look!”

When Yun Qi walked out, surprise appeared on both Xiu’s and Yun Rong’s faces.

Sang Luo took his hand and looked at the two of them. “This is my Concubine, Yun Qi. I hope Master Xiu will take good care of him in the future!”

Xiu turned his head to look between the two brothers. “Wait… you two are…”

Yun Rong came back to his senses and explained, “I forgot to tell you before we came, Master. I have a twin brother, who is the Concubine in the Princess Mansion.”

He then turned to Sang Luo. “So the person Wan’er wanted to recommend was Qi’er. You could have just sent me a spirit letter. I would have recommended him to my master. As it was, my master almost didn’t come.”

Sang Luo scratched her head and gave an embarrassed laugh. “Well, I didn’t know you were the master’s disciple before, did I? If I’d known sooner, I definitely would have just told you directly. With you, his older brother, looking after him, Yun Qi would surely adapt much better.”

“Mm, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him.”

Yun Qi kept his head down the entire time, not saying a word.

He didn’t even react when Xiu called his name several times.

Sang Luo nudged him with her elbow. “Master Xiu is calling you. Don’t space out!”

Yun Qi snapped out of it and performed a standard bow to Xiu. As his gaze swept past Yun Rong, a bone-deep chill flashed in his eyes.

Yun Rong’s smile vanished, his lips tightening slightly.

Neither Sang Luo nor Xiu noticed the brief, silent clash between the two brothers.

After Sang Luo exchanged some pleasantries, Xiu agreed to take Yun Qi on as a Closed-door Disciple and teach him diligently. But before accepting him, he had to test whether this disciple had any talent for medicine. Otherwise, if he poured his heart, time, and resources into raising a good-for-nothing, there’d be no one to cry to!

Xiu asked some basic questions about pharmacology, and Yun Qi answered them smoothly.

Xiu was surprised. “Have you studied medical texts before?”

Sang Luo jumped in to answer, “Yun Qi is very interested in medicine! He’s always reading. He’s practically worn out all the medical texts in the mansion!”

Xiu nodded in satisfaction. “Mm, this boy is teachable! His aptitude is quite good. From now on, you’ll follow me. You can start by assisting your older brother and learning the fundamentals of pharmacology.”

Sang Luo breathed a sigh of relief internally. “Thank you for taking him under your wing, Master!”

Xiu said, “If there’s nothing else, pack your things tomorrow and set off. You’re coming back to Huang Mountain with me.”

Yun Qi was stunned. “…I have to leave the Princess Mansion?”

Sang Luo chided him gently, “Master Xiu travels far and wide, healing the sick and saving the dying. How could he possibly stay in the Princess Mansion just to teach you? I asked the master to take you with him so he could guide you personally. You’d better be diligent and quick on your feet.”

Yun Qi turned his head and looked at her hesitantly. “But, Princess, I… I want to stay a little longer.”

Sang Luo looked at Xiu, troubled. “Master, is your schedule tight? Would you like to stay at the mansion and rest for a few days before leaving?”

Having lived for so many years, how could Xiu not see the sweet affection between the newlyweds? He laughed heartily. “No matter. You can stay as long as you like. I have to set off for Dai City near Huang Mountain tomorrow, so I’ll have to decline Your Highness’s kind offer. If you and little Qi need anything, you can inform me with a spirit letter.”

“Thank you very much, Master. We’ve prepared a meal to welcome you both and wash away the dust from your journey. We’ve also prepared rooms. Please rest here at the mansion tonight.”

Xiu departed early the next morning.

Yun Rong had only come back this time to visit Princess Ji Wan on the way. Something had come up within the Nine-tailed Fox Clan that required his attention. He also left early that afternoon.

Before he left, Yun Rong said goodbye to Sang Luo, but he didn’t leave a single word for his own brother.

’The brothers’ relationship really isn’t so good, is it…’

Yun Qi didn’t seem to mind this little episode. His daily life continued as usual; he spent his free time poring over medical texts, and when Sang Luo had a moment, she would come to his room to sit and chat with him for a while.

Sang Luo had always had a question in her mind.

Why was Yan’s name now Yun Rong?

She was certain they were the same person—a white fox, skilled in medicine, and with the exact same appearance, except that Yun Rong looked younger.

“Can you Nine-tailed Foxes change your names later in life?” As far as she knew, a Beastman’s name held a special meaning and generally was not changed.

“Why do you ask, Princess?”

“I once knew a Nine-tailed Fox who didn’t have the surname Yun. He had only a single name.”

Yun Qi looked at her with some surprise. “Princess, ’Yun’ isn’t a surname. It’s a clan name. Every ancient family has its own unique clan name, and every clan member’s given name must be preceded by it. If a clan member’s name doesn’t have the clan name, there are only two possibilities: one, he isn’t from the Ancient Beast Clan or his family has been wiped out; two, he was exiled from his family or left on his own, severing all ties.”

Sang Luo looked at him with even more pity. “So for your name, they just tacked on ’Qi’ after the clan name, didn’t they?”

Yun Qi nodded. “It’s not a very pleasant name, but it’s just a designation. After the coming-of-age ceremony, the clan Elders will bestow a formal name upon me.”

“A name given at the coming-of-age ceremony… wait, you’re not an adult yet??”

Yun Qi frantically shook his head in denial. “I! I am an adult! I can get married!”

He explained, “There are many mixed-blood fox beasts in the clan, and the age of maturity varies. Because of that, the clan’s official coming-of-age ceremony is usually postponed for some time.”

“That’s good. For a second, I thought the Nine-tailed Fox Clan had married off an underage young fox. So, when is the coming-of-age ceremony for you and your brother?”

“At the end of next month.”

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