Chapter 28: A Day of Play
The morning sun rose, casting a warm glow over the sect. Yu, full of energy, grinned as he spoke to his mother before dashing outside.
"Today, I'm only going to play! It's such a nice day," he declared excitedly.
Soon, his friends gathered around him. One of them asked, "Yu, won't your father scold you?"
Yu shook his head with a smirk. "He's gone somewhere today, so we can play as much as we want. I already asked my mother, and she said I can play!"
Hearing this, the children cheered. "Today is going to be fun! Even the master isn't here, so what should we play?"
Yu thought for a moment before saying, "There's only one game I love playing the most!"
But before he could name it, one of the kids interrupted, "No! We're not playing hide and seek!"
Yu frowned. "Why not?"
"Because you always disappear in the middle of the game!" the child protested.
Yu smirked. "If I don't disappear this time, will you be the seeker?"
"Of course!" the child agreed.
Just then, Mao stepped forward. "I want to play too!"
Yu crossed his arms. "Why should we let you play?"
Mao grinned mischievously. "You can't refuse me because your mother said so! If you don't let me play, I'll tell her!"
Yu sighed in defeat. "Fine. But tell me one thing—when your mother left the sect, why didn't she take you with her?"
Mao smirked. "Should I complain to your mother now, or are you letting me play?"
Yu groaned. "Fine, fine. Everyone can play. I'll be back in a moment."
Mao called after him, "Where are you going, Yu?"
"To get Zian!" Yu shouted as he ran off.
---
Under the shade of a large tree, Zian sat deep in thought. He was startled when he heard Yu calling his name, running toward him.
"What is it, Yu?" Zian asked.
"Come with me!" Yu said, catching his breath.
"Where?"
"The master isn't here today, so let's play!" Yu grinned.
Zian hesitated. "But if the master finds out…"
"How would he find out? And besides, when he returns, we'll just pretend we were studying," Yu reasoned.
Zian frowned. "That doesn't seem right… What did your mother say?"
Yu smiled. "My mother is the best! She told me I could play! Now, come on, everyone is waiting for us!"
Zian sighed but finally nodded. Together, they ran back to the group.
---
The children decided who would hide and who would seek. A boy named Lui—whom Yu teasingly called "Chubby"—volunteered to count.
"I'll count to ten. Everyone, go hide!" Lui announced.
The children scattered. Zian ran into a room, Mao hid behind a tree, and Yu crawled under a table.
As Zian entered the room, he didn't realize that Yu was already hiding under the same table.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Yu panicked and jumped out. "How did you find me so fast?" he blurted out.
Zian blinked in surprise. "Yu? You were here?"
Yu sighed in relief. "Oh, it's just you, Zian! I thought Chubby had found me!"
Zian's eyes widened. "Lui is coming this way! What do we do?"
Yu grabbed his wrist. "Quick! Hide under the table with me!"
Zian hesitated but obeyed, squeezing under the table with Yu just in time.
Lui entered the room and looked around. "No one's here… Where could they be hiding?" he muttered before leaving.
Yu stifled a laugh. "He's such a fool! He didn't even notice us! Stay with me, Zian. If we hide together, he'll never find us!"
Zian sighed. "Alright."
---
After a while, they finally came out of hiding, only to run into Yu's mother.
"What are you two doing here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Lui was looking for you."
"We were just playing," Yu replied casually.
His mother nodded. "That's fine, but play outside. If your father catches you playing in his room, he will scold you."
Zian quickly grabbed Yu's wrist and pulled him away. "Let's go before we get into trouble."
As they stepped outside, they saw that Lui had already found Mao.
Yu pouted. "This game isn't fun anymore. Let's leave them to play."
Zian glanced at him. "Where are you going now, Yu?"
Yu smirked. "Not just me—you're coming too!"
Zian raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Yu just grinned, taking his hand and dragging him off to another adventure.