These were all publicly available information from the imperial court, and she had been paying close attention to them, so she naturally knew about them. Unfortunately, she never expected that the enemies Zu'an was actually dealing with were far more than just those of the eighth rank.

Xie Xiu was very depressed, thinking that Zu An went to brothels much more often than he did, and even the most beautiful courtesan at Shenxianju was willing to pay him to have her. Even if he didn't go to brothels, he had far more female companions than he did, so why was he the one who became the negative example?

He was about to retort when he suddenly realized that saying it would make him even more embarrassed, so he could only fawn over his sister from the side.

Before long, servants brought out a charcoal stove and various dishes into the waterside pavilion.

Xie Daoyun said softly, "Preparing a normal meal takes a bit of time. Since it's cold today, let's have hot pot together."

"Great!" Xie Xiu's eyes lit up. "I've been starving these past few days."

Zuan suddenly realized that it was already winter. Since he started cultivating, he was no longer afraid of the cold or heat, so he hadn't noticed the change of seasons.

The group chatted happily while enjoying hot pot with mutton. In a way, all three were living away from home, and their gathering felt especially warm and friendly.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Xie Daoyun's eyes suddenly lit up as she excitedly looked out the railing: "It's snowing!"

Bright Moon City is in the south, where it is rare to see snow even in winter, so she was particularly excited at this moment.

Seeing her serene face, made even more radiant than usual by the combined glow of the drifting snowflakes and the firelight, Zu An's heart stirred, and he blurted out, "What does the falling snow resemble?"

“I didn’t expect you to be so talented and cultured, Brother,” Xie Xiu laughed, gazing at the snowflakes outside the window. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “In my opinion, ‘scattering salt in the air’ is a fitting analogy.”

Xie Daoyun glared at her younger brother, who was in a bad mood. Her brother was good in every way, except that he was a bit lazy and uneducated.

In fact, he was an expert in everything related to women, but when it came to things unrelated to women, he was as stupid as a donkey.

Worried that Zu'an would look down on the Xie family's heritage, she thought for a moment and then said, "It's better to be like willow catkins rising with the wind."

Upon hearing this, Zu An trembled and stared at the beautiful face opposite him, momentarily lost in a daze.