"Where exactly is Brother Hui?" Yu Qi asked, her voice trailing off. Then, before anyone in the room could even attempt to answer her question, she had already provided the definitive answer herself. "Oh... that’s right. Brother Hui is not here."

"Yu Qi... please, just go to your room and get some sleep." Grandpa Tang said, feeling utterly and completely helpless in the face of her bizarre, drunken behaviour.

"I already told you quite clearly that I am Qin Yue." Yu Qi declared, glaring directly at Grandpa Tang with a look of stubborn, drunken defiance.

"Yes... Yes... Of course, Qin Yue... you really do need to rest now. Let the maids help you back to your room." Grandpa Tang said, simply allowing the conversation to flow however she wished, so long as it ultimately ended with her going to bed without further incident.

Yu Qi then turned her hazy attention toward the maids standing nearby, who were waiting patiently for a signal.

"Hmm... I suppose I am rather tired too... I am going to bed." Yu Qi nodded, finally agreeing as the maids gently reached out to support her weight on the long walk back to her room.

Both old men continued their drinking afterwards, shaking their heads helplessly at the absurd and unexpected events of the night.

...

The very next morning, Yu Qi woke up with a pounding headache that felt as though a heavy hammer were striking directly inside her skull. As she slowly and painfully began remembering the chaotic events of the previous night, she could not help but gasp in sheer horror.

She had mentioned her ancient master’s name right in front of the two old men.

She had also stubbornly and repeatedly insisted that her name was Qin Yue.

Not only that, but she had even performed a master-level sword technique with a simple stick directly in front of them.

She wondered what her two grandfathers must think of her strange and utterly inexplicable behaviour now that the sun was up. However, she knew she could not avoid them forever.

Grandpa Mu would be returning to his own country today, and she did not want him to leave without meeting him properly one last time. She also needed to head to work at the hospital afterwards. So, bracing herself mentally for the awkwardness to come, she got ready and left her room.

She walked down to the dining room, where she saw her uncle, Tang Jung Wen, and her brother, Tang Jin Wei. They were already busy eating breakfast before heading out for their scheduled shift at the hospital.

"Good morning, Uncle Jung Wen, Brother Jin Wei." Yu Qi greeted them softly as she entered the room.

"Hmm... good morning. Sit down and eat something while it’s still hot." Tang Jung Wen said with a welcoming nod.

"Morning, Little Sis!" Tang Jin Wei replied with his usual cheerful grin.

Yu Qi took her seat, her movements slightly stiff and hesitant as she quietly tried to gauge the atmosphere around her. She was looking for any sign that the elders had already told the rest of the family about her performance.

"Where are the others?" Yu Qi asked cautiously, noticing several empty chairs.

"Still sleeping, I would guess." Tang Jin Wei answered between bites. Then he glanced at Yu Qi once more, his eyes narrowing. "Little Sis, you look a little pale this morning. I heard you were drinking with Grandpa yesterday. Did the wine from last night finally catch up to you?"

"Yeah... probably." Yu Qi replied weakly, her voice barely a whisper.

"It certainly did catch up to her!"

A booming voice suddenly echoed from the doorway, making Yu Qi flinch. Right on cue, Grandpa Tang and Grandpa Mu entered the dining room together. Both of them looked remarkably refreshed and energetic for two men who had stayed up late into the night drinking. Yu Qi turned and saw that Grandpa Tang had a mischievous, glinting spark in his eyes. She instantly knew that Grandpa Tang wanted to tease her mercilessly about yesterday.

"Good morning, Qin Yue." Grandpa Tang said.

He deliberately emphasised the name with a wide, playful grin. Tang Jung Wen and Tang Jin Wei both looked up at once, their expressions filled with total confusion.

"Qin Yue? Who on earth is that?" Tang Jin Wei asked, looking back and forth between his grandfather and his sister.

"That is Yu Qi’s company, right?" Tang Jung Wen guessed.

"No... No... We met the mysterious Qin Yue yesterday. She is a very, very skilled swordwoman." Grandpa Mu added with a joking tone.

He then calmly and gracefully took his seat at the table.

"Grandpa, are you still drunk? Do you want me to ask the maid to prepare some sober soup for you?" Tang Jin Wei asked, looking at them suspiciously.

Grandpa Tang immediately reached out and smacked Tang Jin Wei on the shoulder.

"Ouch! Grandpa, that actually hurt!" Tang Jin Wei cried out, rubbing his sore shoulder. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"I am completely and perfectly sober." Grandpa Tang scolded him.

"Then why are both of you talking like this? Who is this Qin Yue, and who is supposedly skilled with a sword?" Tang Jin Wei asked, still entirely baffled by the cryptic conversation.

"Father, Uncle... did Yu Qi show off her sword skills and call herself Qin Yue?" Tang Jung Wen asked, managing to piece the story together from the subtle clues given by Grandpa Tang and Grandpa Mu.

"Everyone, please... I was clearly not in my right mind." Yu Qi said quickly, hoping to end the discussion.

She lowered her head, trying to hide her burning cheeks behind the steaming cup of tea in her hands.

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***