One point-like pit after another was left in the ground. Among them was a fist-sized stone; when the tip of the whip struck it, the stone did not budge an inch. However, after the whip tip pulled away, another deep hole could be seen pierced straight into the rock.
The East Island Matriarch watched from the side, occasionally nodding and occasionally frowning.
Overall, however, as the whip routine concluded, the Matriarch nodded more than she frowned.
She pointed at the stone that had been pierced with a hole without moving from its position and said to Lian Li, “Not bad. It seems you remembered everything I taught you yesterday. It’s much better than before, when you only knew how to lash out with the whole whip and send things flying everywhere.”
Lian Li certainly hadn’t been sending things flying without a goal. His aim had been quite accurate; for instance, if he wanted to knock something ten meters away, the point where it first hit the ground would never be more than a centimeter off his target.
But in the East Island Matriarch’s eyes, that level of skill was no different from flailing wildly. Wasn’t that something anyone with hands could do?
This boy simply didn’t know how to concentrate his strength into a single point to maximize his destructive power.
The way he used the entire whip was soft and weak, lacking any lethal force.
Today, it finally looked like he was getting somewhere.
While Lian Li was practicing with the East Island Matriarch, Yun Huizhou arrived at West Island. Before he could even go looking for the West Island Lord, he was intercepted halfway by Qu Tingquan.
“Miss Qu.”
Thinking of how Qu Tingquan had enlightened him and helped him understand his own heart—ending his recent period of torment and hesitation, and allowing him to successfully clear things up with Lian Li so they could be together—Yun Huizhou’s attitude toward this “great matchmaker” was naturally excellent.
“Brother Yun,” Qu Tingquan asked with a smile. “After you went back last night, did you think about what to do next? Is there anywhere you need my help or cooperation?”
She had come to find Yun Huizhou out of goodwill. After all, judging by his reaction yesterday, he must have seen into his own heart. At the same time, she had helped him analyze Lian Li’s feelings.
Although she couldn’t be entirely certain, she felt there was a very high probability that Lian Li liked Yun Huizhou.
Thinking of Yun Huizhou’s dense nature and Lian Li’s innocent appearance, Qu Tingquan felt she still needed to help them along. Otherwise, who knew how long it would take for these two to confess to each other?
Yun Huizhou paused, understanding her meaning. A warm smile touched his eyes. “Thank you for your concern, Miss Qu. I spoke with Lian Li yesterday. I am no longer alone.”
Qu Tingquan froze instantly. “What?”
She doubted if she had heard correctly. A look of blank confusion crossed her face for a moment before she quickly snapped out of it.
“Brother Yun… you mean, you took action as soon as you went back yesterday?”
Yun Huizhou nodded and replied, “Yes. You had already analyzed everything so clearly for me, Miss Qu. On the way back, I thought carefully about how Lian Li and I have spent the past year together, and I realized I had been too slow. I felt I shouldn’t delay any longer.”
Qu Tingquan’s expression became even more dazed. “So, you went back and directly declared your feelings, then Junior Brother Lian agreed, and now the two of you are already together?”
“That is correct,” Yun Huizhou said. “I must thank you again for waking me up yesterday. Otherwise, I don’t know how much longer it would have taken me to figure it out. I would have been miserable, and Lian Li would have been tormented as well.”
Qu Tingquan looked at Yun Huizhou, unsure of what expression to make.
Seeing her like this, Yun Huizhou felt a bit confused. Thinking he might have done something improper, he asked, “Miss Qu, why do you have that expression? Did I do something wrong?”
Hearing him speak, Qu Tingquan realized her expression was indeed strange and had caused a misunderstanding.
Thus, she said, “Nothing is wrong; it’s very good. It’s wonderful that you and Junior Brother Lian cleared things up and have no misunderstandings between you.”
She raised her hand slightly to shield her face, truly struggling to manage her expression. “It’s just that I didn’t expect you to move so quickly.”
Yun Huizhou smiled and said, “Since I understood, even if the perfect timing to speak hadn’t arrived, I had to take action to create that timing for myself. I couldn’t just wait around.”
Hearing him say this, Qu Tingquan knew that Yun Huizhou’s mindset was similar to hers—once things are understood, action must follow.
It was just that Yun Huizhou’s efficiency was a bit too high.
Actually, it wasn’t so much that his efficiency was high, but rather that even before he understood his own feelings, he had basically already done all the groundwork.
Therefore, the moment he understood, his first move hit the mark.
“In that case, congratulations to you and Junior Brother Lian.” Once Qu Tingquan made sense of it, she stopped dwelling on how fast he had moved. “I’ll take my leave then. I won’t delay your healing session, Brother Yun.”
After Qu Tingquan left, Yun Huizhou didn’t encounter anyone else to stop him. He made his way smoothly to the room the West Island Lord had specifically set aside for his treatment.
As soon as he entered, the West Island Lord looked him up and down, then let out a peculiar laugh.
The laugh made Yun Huizhou’s skin crawl.
“Junior Uncle.”
The West Island Lord reached into his sleeve, pulled out a small medicinal vial, and tossed it to Yun Huizhou, his smile remaining strange. “Until your injuries are healed, you must abstain from desire.”
Yun Huizhou understood instantly—the West Island Lord knew everything.
However, he didn’t find it strange. His meeting with Qu Tingquan yesterday wasn’t a secret. Although he had specifically sought her out for a private talk, their conversation hadn’t been particularly hidden, and he hadn’t gone out of his way to conceal it. Since it happened on West Island, it wasn’t surprising at all that the West Island Lord knew.
He just hadn’t expected the West Island Lord to bring it up so directly the moment he arrived.
“I understand, Junior Uncle,” Yun Huizhou replied.
He had only just reached an understanding with Lian Li yesterday. He truly hadn’t thought that far ahead yet.
Furthermore, in Lian Li’s storybooks, usually after two people get together, they spend some time dating first, taking things step by step.
He squeezed the small bottle the West Island Lord had thrown him, looked at it for a moment, and asked, “Junior Uncle, is this a new medicine to be used today?”
The West Island Lord propped up his chin, his smile becoming even more unsettling than before.
“The medicine is new, but it’s not for treating your injuries. However, if you want to use it, you can. You can also give it to that boy Lian Li. That depends on the decision of you two.”
“Huh?” Yun Huizhou looked bewildered. He truly didn’t understand what the West Island Lord meant.
Seeing him like this, the smile on the West Island Lord’s face widened further.
“Yun Huizhou, you’ve hidden that book for so long; I thought you had researched it thoroughly. It seems you haven’t looked at it carefully at all.”
Hearing the West Island Lord mention the book, Yun Huizhou immediately remembered that specific book Jin Manjue had given him on that topic. In an instant, he understood exactly what the West Island Lord was implying.
