... This is another book

merrily down the stream

Many thoughts raced into Yi Hua's head, galloping through her mind like a herd of deer being startled by a predator and scattered into multiple directions.

Have they been negligent as of recently? There was even a spy that managed to slipped in between her disciples. Yi Hua realised that between the six, her skills were the least vicious but has it really had dropped into the level of disappointing the trust her master had placed into her?

With these thoughts occupying her mind and self doubt slowly encroaching, they appeared in a flash in front of the entrance to the Flowing Garden. The sweet smell of the many herbs her master personally raised enter their nose.

Yi Luo waves his fan and the smell disappear.

"Master's Sleeping Fog is still imbued. Master is-"

Just as Yi Luo speaks, his sentence was halted mid sentence with the appearance of a gorgeous red butterfly. Its wings glimmers gorgeously as if rubies encrusted onto its wing. The six recognise this as the Blood Butterfly their Master decided to raise on a whim. It was part of the Flowing Garden's many layer of self protection but also rarely act as a guide to enter the garden.

The six falls into a line unconsciously from the eldest to the youngest following the Blood Butterfly.

There are many reasons why the garden can't be visited simply by others. Firstly, it was the Master's private dwelling and his place of seclusion. The elementals gathered highly in there making it a perfect place for their Master to train his martial arts. There is never a place suitable for their Master out there, it was only until a decade later when he had found the sect and this place that he could go into full seclusion mode. Secondly, the reason why the garden is a highly restricted place is due to the nature of the plants and animals that dwells in the garden. With sweet smelling fragrant and colourful flowers, one would be easily duped into thinking that the Master was a stingy person who refused to share good things with others but other than the Master, there was simply no person who can control the venomous nature of these plants and animals. Not a single thing inside the garden grows tame, every single one of them were like their Master, beautiful yet dripped in poison.

It was only with the blessing of the Master that one could enter the garden safely without turning into a corpse.

The six make their way into the inner sanctum of the garden. A man who can only be described as beautiful was sitting languidly on the white marble chair. He was seated in the most vulgar way possible with one leg raised, his hand supporting his head and the other hand was holding the smoke pipe he is currently smoking. However, this reclusive man that can only be seen on rare occasions looks inherently and serenely beautiful, moreover surrounded by the beautiful flowers in the background.

"You're all here?" he asks blowing a whiff of smoke.

The six bows in respect to their Master.

"I don't wanna talk much." He said "This" pointing to a rice bucket on his majestic garden table, carved under the moonlight by the air elementals, "Who messed up?" he placed the smoke pipe closer to his lips, breathing in another whiff.

The six looks at the said rice bucket. It was an old rice bucket, large enough for a grand family but it was clearly soaked in water for a long time.

"This... Master, do you need a new rice bucket?" Yi Yi asked

Her Master sighs in response. The rice bucket's wooden walls plopped down in a perfect circle, revealing the bundle of clothes in it.

"I told you guys to be careful and not make me into a grandfather so young." He puts down his leg and looks at these six followers he carelessly taken in.