26 Take a Wild Guess

"This disciple shall relay the message."

Chu Fan got up and exited the room. He took ten steps before turning around and smiling.

The Sect Chief really did have eyes and ears everywhere within the sect. There was little that the sect chief did not know of. It was unsurprising to Chu Fan though, he had anticipated this.

Chu Fan headed towards Forest Peak, singing along the way. When he arrived he was greeted by Hallmaster Chen Si and Zhong Chen.

"Ah! Chu Fan, you are back! It's good to see you again. Forest Peak and the Sect have missed you very much. Without you, the days passed by like years. Tell me, did you finish making the wine?"

"Right Chu Fan, did you finish making the wine? Is that why you are back so early?"

Chu Fan kowtowed and greeted Hallmaster Chen Si.

"Greetings to Hallmaster Chen Si and senior brother Zhong Chen! This disciple has indeed finished his task."

He got up and produced a jar of his wine. He was currently smiling from ear to ear, proud of his accomplishment.

"Right, now all we have to do is invite Hallmaster Bu Fu to try this wine tonight. We shall make it a private dinner between the hallmasters and their direct disciples. I leave the invitations for Hallmaster Chen Si and senior brother to handle."

Hallmaster Chen Si with his right hand, began to draw and write in mid-air. He wrote a couple of things before producing a talisman and tossing it forward.

"Done, we shall meet tonight in my private garden."

Chu Fan nodded in satisfaction. He never thought that he would live to see the timid Hallmaster Chen Si so ready and brave to take the first step.

"Alright! Let's go prepare!"

******************************************

It was dinner time now and Chu Fan had finished his cooking. He had made a lavish five course meal for them. After he was done, he went over and helped Hallmaster Chen Si and Zhong Chen set up the garden.

For a timid and closed off person, Hallmaster Chen Si was a rather organised and had good taste. His garden was decorated with many bonsai trees as tall as Chu Fan was. He also had a pond full of big and old spirit koi. There was now overgrowth as all the plants were attended to with utmost care.

There was not much to decorate the garden with as it was already beautiful in its own way. All that Chu Fan did was add paper lanterns around the area.

A short while after he had arrived, the talking puppet also arrived with other puppets to deliver the food. Hallmaster Chen Si and Zhong Chen took this as their queue to go and get dressed for the occasion and changed their clothes in a hurry.

The guest arrived around the same time, well dressed for the occasion. This left Hallmaster Chen Si and Zhong Chen speechless as they tried looking for words that could describe these two fairies who graced them with their presence.

"Yo-you're very beautiful this evening Bu Fu."

"As you also look charming tonight Chen Si."

The two hallmasters blushed, it had been a long time since they last had a meal together. Seeing each other so well dressed, they had to compliment each other.

On the side, the two direct disciples were watching with their mouths hanging. It was a first for them to see their respective masters revert to nothing more than two children going on a date for the first time. Meanwhile Chu Fan was standing next to his puppet shaking his head.

Chu Fan walked up to the party of four and greeted them.

"Hello and welcome everyone. I am very happy to have the opportunity to cook for you today. I owe Hallmaster Chen Si a lot and this meal will repay some of that kindness. Please, be seated and the food shall be served shortly."

He sat them down and poured them some tea. The group began conversating and Chu Fan began serving his food one by one.

"Delicious! There's not much on the dish but I feel I have eaten a whole plate."

Chu Fan chuckled and halfway through the meal Chu Fan pulled out a jar of wine.

"This here is a wine I have specifically brewed for this occasion. I would like for everyone here to try it and give me their honest opinion of it."

He poured them all a cup of wine, to which the scent overwhelmed them.

"What a fragrant wine! Just smelling it can make me sway. Haha."

"Please try the wine."

Chu Fan motioned with his hands as if he was drinking also.

"Bottoms up."

"Cheers!" they all shouted.

Everyone's pupils dilated as the sensations could not be contained within them.

"So aromatic and naturally flavored."

"It's fruit-forward and smooth."

"It starts off warm and ends with a cool and refreshing note."

"Chu Fan, you never cease to amaze me with your culinary skills."

The group of four continued to drink and eat until their meal finished.

"Chu Shen, how about we go and view the plants. They look especially beautiful tonight." said Zhu Zhong.

Now was a suitable time for the two hallmasters to have some privacy.

"En. Let's go. I might even dance for you later."

The two lovebirds left the table after bowing to their teachers. The two hallmasters smiled at one another, happy for their disciples that had fallen for one another.

"Maybe these two can accomplish what I was not able to accomplish in my youth. May they find happiness in their journey together." they both thought to themselves.

It got awkward after a couple of seconds.

"Haha! Our students seem to have entered a relationship. Maybe we'll have to discuss their marriage in the future." said Hallmaster Chen Si. He had to break the tension between them.

"Haha, yes. Marriage....A toast to the happy couple."

"Cheers!"

They both downed another cup of wine. At this point they had finished a whole jar of wine already.

"Damn, these hallmasters sure have a high tolerance. I should have guessed this much. It's a good thing I made extra."

He pulled out his last two jugs of wine and gave one to each of the two hallmasters. After giving the wine to the hallmasters, he entered a pair of brushes to monitor the two hallmasters.

He was joined by the two direct disciples who were flushed red from the alcohol. The effects had apparently become a little delayed after fermenting; making the emotions, flashbacks, and drunken stupor hit all at once when the drinker was most unaware.

Noticing this Chu Fan turned back to see the two hallmasters.

"Hm? But they both seem fine."

It was like Chu Fan had said earlier, their tolerance was higher than the regular person. He would have to be patient with the two hallmasters and silently watch.

"Fourth Brother how long has it been since we last drank together."

Hallmaster Chen Si's eyebrow's twitched as he had flashbacks of the teasing and wordplay on his name.

"It's been a while Misfortune. Ever since we became hallmasters to our own respective peaks. It has been forever since I was called "Fourth Brother". Ah, how the years have gone by."

"Haha, 'Misfortune'. I remember you started calling me that when I started calling you 'Fourth Brother'."

Hallmaster Bu Fu slapped Hallmaster Chen Si on the back as he teased her.

"Haha, you started it. You know I don't like being called that. Who was it that started with that name?"

"Pfft! It was Hun Xiao. Your rivalry with him was known by the entire sect back then. You would squabble endlessly."

"Right! We did. Even to this day, we cannot really stand the site of each other. Ah, back then all the boys were fighting for your attention. Hun Xiao wanted to beat me and become the strongest in the sect to impress you."

Hallmaster Bu Fu paused for a bit and took a sip of wine. She had a somber look in her eyes as she held back certain words.

"Oh? I never noticed."

Hallmaster Chen Si was a little irritated by this. On his face, traces of anger could be seen.

"Bah! Never noticed? You were the beauty of the school. Who wasn't entranced by your unparalleled beauty. All the girls were jealous of you, the boys would become nothing but animals around you."

Hallmaster Bu Fu looked at Hallmaster Chen Si with a serious face.

"And you? Did you ever have feelings for this 'beauty'?"

"I did. And it scared me that the beauty of the school would choose me of all people to talk to and befriend. It scared me that this beauty would only be teasing and playing with the friendless student that only knew how to diligently cultivate and fight."

Noticing what he said in a fit of anger, he silenced himself.

"Yes! The wine really did work!" Chu Fan said to himself. He pumped his hands up and down, satisfied of himself.

Hallmaster Bu Fu's eyes turned red and tears began to flow.

"How come you never told me this Chen Si?"

Hallmaster Chen Si took a deep breath. He too, was on the verge of crying.

"I was stupid, I always have been. I felt unworthy of your love. I was scared of the pain of rejection. Funny isn't it, I could fight the most ferocious of magical beasts, or even the most dreaded villains of the world. Yet, I dare not face the pain that may come with love. Truly pitiful."

Hallmaster Bu Fu slapped Hallmaster Chen Si across the cheeks.

"You idiot! Do you know how long I've waited for you? I've waited this long for you to tell me how you felt, yet you always cower away. How do you think that makes me feel. To love a man who won't ever return my feelings, what a fool I am."

With his cheeks red and tears flowing, Hallmaster Chen Si stared at Hallmaster Bu Fu.

"Wait! Say that again. You love me. And you've always known how I felt about you? I figured that with all the potential suitors, you would go on to find your own happiness. That was enough for me, to know that you were happy."

The two were both crying at this point, they sniffled incessantly. Two hallmaster had been reduced to nothing more than crying children over the matter of love.

"This wine is really potent. I wonder how much I can charge for it?" Chu Fan thought to himself.

Hallmaster Chen Si reached out to grab Hallmaster Bu Fu's hands. He had a firm grip of it but she was struggling to release her hands from his grip.

"Bu Fu, though I am many years late in asking this. Would you accept this old man's feelings of love? I can never give you back all those years of waiting. But I can at least make up for them."

Hallmaster Bu Fu stopped struggling and her body began to tremble. She cried like a lost child finding their parents. She hugged him and he held her tight.

In the bushes, Chu Fan and the two direct disciples wiped their tears and drippy noses.

Hallmaster Bu Fu stopped crying after a while, and the two stopped hugging. Hallmaster Chen Si looked over at the puffy-eyed hallmaster next to him.

"So? Is that a yes or a no?"

Hallmaster Bu Fu smiled at his words.

"Take a wild guess."

Hallmaster Chen Si began to laugh, and he picked up Hallmaster Bu Fu in a princess carry.

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

Zhong Chen and Chu Shen came out of the bushes clapping in celebration of the newly formed couple. Chu Fan had no other choice but to join in on the two, though he shook his head in disapproval of Zhong Chen and Chu Shen ruining the moment.

"Drunk people."

The two hallmasters straightened up and felt embarrassed that their two direct disciples saw them acting that way.

*Cough*

"Hallmaster Chen Si. Are you satisfied with the meal tonight?"

Chu Fan chose to break the tension with a simple question.

Hallmaster Chen Si looked over at the fat child and smiled.

"Yes! I am thoroughly pleased with this meal tonight. I might even say that it was a life-changing experience."

Chu Fan smiled happily and bowed.

"Then I shall get things cleaned up here. In the meanwhile, Hallmaster Chen Si and Zhong Chen can send Hallmaster Bu Fu and Chu Shen off. It wouldn't be nice to let two intoxicated women go home in the dark."

"No, it wouldn't." agreed Zhong Chen.

He grabbed Chu Shen by the hand and bowed to his master.

"I shall take off first."

Hallmaster Chen Si walked over to Chu Fan and patted him on the head.

"Thank you Chu Fan. I can never express how much this meant to me."

Chu Fan nodded with a smile before shooing Hallmaster Chen Si towards Hallmaster Bu Fu. The two hallmasters made their way out of the garden and headed towards River-Flowing Peak.

"Mission Accomplished."

Chu Fan sighed as his task had finally been accomplished. He was left alone to clean with the help of his puppets. He finished cleaning everything and made his way back into the cafeteria.

After he took a bath he did not go straight to sleep. He called in the puppet capable of speech, who stood in front of him.

"Did you record it all?"