Bai Ye ordered me to be confined to my room for penitence until the start of the tournament. Purely for show to the rest of Mount Hua, of course, though it still meant that I couldn't go gather herbs or visit anyone else. I spent most of the first day practicing in the garden and the second day grinding up the dried plants in my stockpile. By the third day, I was apparently looking bored enough that he started to notice it.
"You used to like spending time alone," he chuckled. "Your friends have changed you a lot."
I bit my lips. Of course I wouldn't tell him the real reason why I visited Xie Lun's hall so frequently these days—without the distraction, I'd be thinking about Bai Ye and those candied hawthorns all day. Being locked inside with him was the hardest test of my self-control.
"They are a lively crowd," I said instead. "Noisy, but fun and full of energy. Quite different from most other disciples at Mount Hua."
