"My name is Li Meirong. It's nice to meet you too.. Umm, listen, I really appreciate your generosity, but I cannot possibly take your storage bag. I know this item costs a small fortune." Li Meirong shook her head, adamant in refusing the offer.
"Pfft," Xiong Mei covered her mouth to muffled her laughter, "you're not at all like the rumours say you are!"
She swiftly grabbed Li Meirong's wrist and placed the bag in the palm of her hand. "Take it! It's nothing for me. You've been a servant until now, isn't that so? You've probably yet to practice any sort of cultivation techniques. If you like, I can guide you."
Not feeling as if she had much of a choice, Li Meirong placed the half moon lilies in the green bag and slipped it inside her sleeve.
Xiong Mei's laugh was sweet and endearing, and her slightly tanned skin reflected her outdoorsy nature. Li Meirong had learned the hard way to be wary of people in this world, and yet, Xiong Mei gave her a good impression. She was the type of person that seemed to radiate happiness, infecting those around her with it just by being near them.
"Thank you," Li Meirong said for the gift and smiled, "and I would love to practise with you."
"Oh…" Xiong Mei said absently. Her eyes locked on Li Meirong like magnets, momentarily dazed. The quill fell from her hands.
Bang! Bang!
The impactful noise of a bamboo scroll bonking Xiong Mei and Li Meirong's heads sounded in the study hall.
"Enough with the chit-chat, both of you! Do you think this is a marketplace?! Humph!" The fuming mentor walked back to the front of the room after admonishing the talkative disciples.
"Ow…" Xiong Mei rubbed the top of her head, her face contorted into a grimace. "This teacher is so mean!" She whispered and stuck her tongue out at the mentor's back.
Watching the aqua-eyed girl's antics, Li Meirong shook her head helplessly and went back to her writing with a smile on her face.
A few seconds later, a small folded paper was thrown onto her desk.
She opened it up and read its contents. The characters were all exquisitely written in perfect calligraphy.
~ Meet me at the pavilion behind the study hall after the lesson ends. XM ~
At the same time, inside the Bai clan's palace kitchens, in the heavenly realm.
The royal kitchens were in a complete state of disarray. The pantries had been turned upside down, ingredients scattered everywhere. A black cloud of thick smoke billowed from the place, and a strong stench of burnt meat permeated the air.
To summarize the current situation, it seemed as though a tornado had just passed by, wreaking devastating havoc on everything in its path.
The few chefs who were brave enough to stay in the kitchens were left dumbstruck by the sheer, utter chaos.
Didn't His Lordship say he wanted to learn the art of cooking so he could appease the future consort? Why did it look like he planned on demolishing the palace grounds instead?!
Despite the chaotic state of the enclosure, Bai Qingyue had kept himself perfectly pristine, not a speck of dust could be seen on him.
The Sovereign Lord sighed regretfully, his upper lip curled up in disdain. He had a whole list of tasks to attend to before his wife returned home and no longer had any time left to spare.
Right before departing, Bai Qingyue looked back at the palace servants and spoke in a calm, nonchalant voice.
"I shall return tomorrow..."
Following that foreboding statement, the panic-stricken chefs shuddered in fright.
'Please Sire, don't come back!'