The green wine in the Hua Jin Pavilion was sweet and clear. The wine was a beautiful light jade color, served in white porcelain cups, shimmering with a greenish hue, as if drinking a spring day.
Spilling a few drops on the table was truly a pity.
Jin Feicui, with a smiling face, reached for the wine pot, filled the empty cup in front of the young man, then poured a cup for herself. After taking a small sip, she said, “This green wine of mine costs several hundred spirit stones per pot. Others can’t even drink it if they want to, but you just waste it for free.” She then looked meaningfully at the person across from her, “The wine hasn’t offended you, so why take your anger out on it?”
“I’ll pay for it.”
“It’s not like I’m short of money,” Jin Feicui replied indifferently, “Tell me, what exactly did our little junior sister do to upset you?”
The young man didn’t speak, his face cold as he looked out the window.
“I see her as lively and generous, understanding rules and etiquette, and thorough in her work. Xuan Lingzi says she’s diligent and hardworking. How could she have angered you like this?”
“Rules and etiquette? Diligent and hardworking?” Gu Baiying laughed angrily, “She said she wanted to learn illusion techniques, pestered me to meet her every day at Chu Hong Terrace, then forgot her own words and ran to others’ halls every day. I can’t even see her shadow. You call that following rules and etiquette? Diligent and hardworking?”
“I kindly reminded her not to forget, and she actually said there’s plenty of time in the future.”
Jin Feicui looked at him, “You’re angry with her?”
“She can’t even tell that I’m angry!”
Gu Baiying’s expression fluctuated wildly after he finished speaking.
Perhaps, this was what made him the angriest.
“Alright,” Jin Feicui said, resting her chin in her hand as she looked at him, “Look how aggrieved our Baiying is. If you like her, just tell her directly. Why hide here and sulk by yourself?”
“Like her?” The young man stared at her as if he’d seen a ghost. “Who likes Yang Zanxing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Jin Feicui chuckled, “Every word of your anger, every word of your dislike, is actually saying you like her.”
Gu Baiying was stunned, instinctively retorting, “I don’t…”
“Did the Jie Xin Bell ring?”
“……”
Jin Feicui smiled knowingly, “You know very well whether you’ve fallen for her or not. If you insist on denying it, there’s nothing I can do. But, Baiying, the Jie Xin Bell your mother gave you is more honest than your own mouth. Next time you see her, listen carefully to whether the Jie Xin Bell rings. If it does…” She spread her hands, “Then don’t be stubborn.”
Gu Baiying turned his head angrily, “Do you really need to say that? How could it ring?”
Jin Feicui blinked, “If it didn’t ring, why are you feeling guilty?”
Gu Baiying: “……”
“It’s truly remarkable,” Jin Feicui turned to look out the window. On Lixiu River, a few fishing boats were lit up like scattered stars at night. She spoke softly, “Our Baiying has reached the age of being troubled by love.”
“Hey, don’t talk nonsense…” Gu Baiying was both angry and embarrassed.
“Being troubled by love isn’t something to be ashamed of,” Jin Feicui said with a smile, raising her wine cup. “But little Junior Sister Yang’s unrequited love for her senior brother is a well-known story even here at the Hua Jin Pavilion. Baiying, you need to put in more effort. Be careful, she might belong to someone else soon.”
“I already said I don’t like her…”
“Then if you don’t like her, don’t get angry. Or find someone else to like. Why make things difficult for yourself?” The beautiful proprietress gently persuaded, “As people live longer, all emotions become like morning dew on flowers; the colors fade, and then there will be a next one. It’s no big deal. You may like her very much now, but in the future, you will like someone else. So, why not like someone else now and save yourself from the pain of love?”
Gu Baiying held back his emotions and placed a bag of spirit stones on the table. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore,” he said, getting up to leave.
“Not drinking anymore?”
“No!”
Jin Feicui didn’t get upset. She looked at the river outside the window. The river flowed incessantly, entwined with moonlight, moving towards the distance.
She shook her folding fan and murmured, “Did it ring or not…”
*
Whether the Jie Xin Bell had rung before, no one knew. However, it likely wouldn’t ring in the future because Gu Baiying had cast a Binding Silence Spell on it.
The bell kept having mishaps every now and then. If someone else heard it, he would have a hard time explaining himself. Using the Binding Silence Spell gave him peace of mind, and as for Jin Feicui’s words, Gu Baiying considered them nonsense.
After all, he and Yang Zanxing were uncle and niece by apprenticeship. If he had improper thoughts about his junior, how would that be any different from being a beast?
Of course, he didn’t like Yang Zanxing in the first place.
However, it wasn’t just Jin Feicui who was concerned about his lifelong affairs. Outside the small courtyard of Jinhua Hall, Xuan Lingzi was talking to Zhao Maoyi.
“You know, Seventh Junior Brother has really grown up,” Xuan Lingzi sighed. “Seventh Junior Brother has always been competitive and very proud. This time they went to the Country of Li’er together, and Little Zanxing received the inheritance of Fairy Qinghua. Junior Brother was able to look at it calmly. Not only that, he even took the initiative to ask Zanxing if she wanted to practice illusion techniques. Do you think Seventh Junior Brother has grown up?”
Zhao Maoyi stroked his small mustache mysteriously, “Why don’t you consider another reason?”
“What reason?”
“After all, our Seventh Junior Brother has reached the age where he starts admiring the opposite sex…”
Xuan Lingzi was initially stunned, then suddenly realized, “Are you talking about Pu Tao from the Xiang Ling Sect?”
Zhao Maoyi: “Huh?”
“Exactly, the youngest female disciple of the Xiang ling Sect! The one Headmaster Rongshuang cherishes the most,” Xuan Lingzi whispered. “I heard from Ziluo that the Xiang Ling Sect wants to strengthen ties with our sect. Pu Tao is Headmaster Rongshuang’s favorite disciple and also her relative. They are interested in making a match between her and our Seventh Junior Brother. Both their ages, appearances, and statuses are quite comparable, so it would be a good match. Our Seventh Junior Brother has a bad temper, and if he gets serious, it would be us who are reaching too high.”
“What do you mean, reaching too high?” A woman’s voice came from outside, “The female disciple from the Xiang Ling Sect doesn’t have a particularly good temper either. I’d say she’s far worse than our Meng Ying. Besides, what is the Xiang Ling Sect trying to imply? Just because the marriage agreement between Master and Rongshuang was annulled back then, do they expect us to compensate them with another marriage agreement? It’s not like father’s debts are repaid by the son!”
“Lower your voice, Senior Sister!” Xuan Lingzi stomped his foot in frustration. “What if someone hears you?”
“Are you afraid?” Yue Qin glared at him. “If you’re afraid, then why are you gossiping here?”
“I’m just curious. When Master and Headmaster Rongshuang met, they both showed no reaction. The events of the past were widely known, yet now everything is so calm. How can one not speculate?”
“If you have time to speculate about the Headmaster’s affairs, why don’t you take care of your own disciple? Right now, the entire Taiyan Sect knows about Yang Zanxing’s unrequited love for Mu Cengxiao. How disgraceful!”
“What’s so disgraceful about it? Young people entangled in love is perfectly normal.” Xuan Lingzi defended, immediately retorting, “Isn’t your Meng Ying the same?”