Chapter 27
Lately, Pei Xuan has been visiting Xie Yichun more and more frequently, which naturally makes Xie Wen very worried. In order to keep a close eye on Pei Xuan, she also goes to Xie Yichun's place whenever she has free time.
Xie Wen: I'll be keeping an eye on you~
Pei Xuan, on the other hand, was all smiles. He was now extremely skilled at cooking in the kitchen. Sometimes, when Xie Wen came over before Xie Yichun finished her evening class, he would see Pei Xuan skillfully carrying fresh vegetables. He would sit down in the courtyard, start picking and washing the vegetables, and then go into the kitchen to start a fire and cook.
Xie Wen leaned lazily against the stone bench in the courtyard, her long legs propped up on the bench. She wanted to see how long Pei Xuan could keep up the act. He could do it for a day or two, but it might not last much longer.
Pei Xuan wasn't surprised to see Xie Wen arrive. He was busy in the kitchen and would always try to strike up a conversation in his simple way. When Xie Wen was in a good mood, he would give a few random answers, but when he was in a bad mood, he wouldn't bother with him.
"Miss Xie, do you also like the food I cook?" Pei Xuan suddenly said. He was pressing a lively fish onto the cutting board and skillfully removing the scales one by one. Xie Wen looked up and wondered why he seemed quite proud of himself.
Xie Wen crossed his arms and turned his head to the side, "Don't be so smug."
Xie Wen said this, but did not deny Pei Xuan's words.
Pei Xuan lowered his head and chuckled sheepishly, saying to himself, "Miss Xie should be back soon."
Just as Pei Xuan finished speaking, Xie Wen saw a slender figure slowly walking down the western hills under the setting sun. Xie Yichun had just returned from her evening studies and saw smoke rising from the small house at the foot of the mountain. Two people were standing at the gate of the courtyard, waiting for her expectantly.
It felt so good. Whenever she came back, someone would be there waiting for her, steadfastly.
Xie Wen skipped and jumped to greet Xie Yichun, hugging her arms, "Sister, why are you so late today?"
Pei Xuan was about to get closer to Xie Yichun, but every time he did, Xie Wen would immediately pull Xie Yichun away, so Pei Xuan could only circle around her.
Xie Yichun: "I had a lot of classes today, so I'm sorry I'm late."
In the blink of an eye, Xie Yichun met Pei Xuan's eyes, smiled happily, and whispered to him, "Thank you for your hard work."
Pei Xuan wiped his still-wet hands haphazardly on his clothes, about to say something, but Xie Wen interrupted, "It's not hard work, not hard work at all."
After Xie Wen and Xie Yichun had finished their conversation, Pei Xuan said softly, "The food will be ready soon. I'll go and serve it to you."
Xie Yichun had already troubled Pei Xuan quite a bit, and now that the two of them were vying to serve rice and dishes, Xie Wen pulled Xie Yichun aside and said, "Oh right, sister, I have something I want to tell you. It's urgent."
Xie Wen pressed her down onto the stone bench, massaging her shoulders as he said, "Just rest well. If he's so willing to do housework, let him. Who knows, he might be able to order her around whenever he wants in the future. He's got a strong desire to perform lately, so let him pretend if he wants. Don't you think so?"
Xie Yichun glanced back at Pei Xuan, who was busy at work, and then smiled happily, "You're right."
A sly smile crept across Xie Wen's lips. If she was going to establish a persona, she wouldn't let Xie Wen find any flaws. Oh right, she also needed to maintain her arrogant and rude persona.
So Xie Wen ate Pei Xuan's cooking with a clear conscience, while treating him coldly and ordering him around whenever he was in a bad mood. Anyway, Pei Xuan was playing the role of a nice guy, so no matter what Xie Wen did, he couldn't get angry and had to keep smiling憨憨地.
After finishing their meal, Xie Wen leaned against a tree with an air of self-righteousness, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, watching the twilight deepen and the wind rustle the grass. The candlelight filtering through the window enveloped the two people in the courtyard, creating a gentle and beautiful scene. Xie Wen inwardly scoffed, wondering what Pei Xuan was saying to Xie Yichun. "Aren't you leaving yet?"
Since he's not leaving, then she won't leave either.
Only after watching Pei Xuan leave did Xie Wen stay a little longer to remind Xie Yichun to be careful before returning to Feiying Pavilion with peace of mind.
These days, when I walk back under the starlight, I always see Chu Xianyue still standing in front of the pavilion, calm and aloof, blending into the warm night.
Xie Wen's lips curled into a smile, thinking to himself: He's been quite free lately. Standing here waiting for her every day? Could it be that he's really worried about her?
But it was clearly his intention to have her keep a close eye on Pei Xuan.
Both she and he knew that Pei Xuan was the shadowy figure who activated the formation at Little Mirror Lake that night. Therefore, they were merely playing along, putting on an act with Pei Xuan.
Xie Wen kept a close watch on Pei Xuan every day, without the slightest slackening. Of course! Who told Pei Xuan to be constantly hovering around Xie Yichun, impossible to get rid of? How could Xie Wen possibly slack off? Even without Chu Xianyue's intentions, Xie Wen would have kept a close watch on him to the point of exhaustion.
Xie Wen swaggered towards Chu Xianyue. Chu Xianyue glanced at her sideways, thinking that she was having a lot of fun hanging out with Pei Xuan every day. Chu Xianyue said, "I feel like you're always in a good mood when you come back from there."
Xie Wen: Nonsense, with a full stomach and plenty of servants, how could I not be in a good mood? Pei Xuan, that little thing, is indeed quite amusing sometimes. She licked her lips and squinted contentedly at the river.
Chu Xianyue glanced at Xie Wen, his expression unreadable, "You like people who can cook?"
Xie Wen turned to look at Chu Xianyue, "Hmm?"
For a moment, Xie Wen didn't understand what Chu Xianyue meant. If an ordinary person had said this, Xie Wen would have understood immediately, but coming from Chu Xianyue, Xie Wen couldn't guess what he meant. Because he didn't seem like the kind of person who would ask such a question; there must be a reason behind such unusual behavior, and he certainly didn't mean it literally.
Xie Wen pondered the thoughts of his unpredictable "Great Demon" master, racking his brains but still unable to figure out what Chu Xianyue meant. So he laid his cards on the table, "Master, do you want me to say yes or no?"
Chu Xianyue: "?" He finally managed to ask that question. Was it really that hard to understand? Chu Xianyue was made to wonder if he had expressed himself incorrectly by Xie Wen's reaction.
Xie Wen interpreted Chu Xianyue's silence as impatience, so he decided to have a heart-to-heart chat and speak his mind directly, "Of course, who doesn't like someone who can cook? But it's just a bonus, not a must. Actually, I prefer someone who can serve me."
Xie Wen shamelessly spoke her true feelings, not caring what Chu Xianyue thought of her. After all, what Xie Wen liked had nothing to do with Chu Xianyue. He couldn't possibly fawn over Xie Wen like this just because of his mission to win her over.
In Xie Wen's mind, someone like Chu Xianyue would rather not achieve his own great path than lower himself to please someone like Xie Wen.
Although Xie Wen used to secretly mock Chu Xianyue for seducing her, he was actually more clear-headed than anyone else. How could he possibly seduce her?
Making him bend over backwards and humiliate his reputation is perhaps more painful than killing him.
The illusion was purely accidental.
Xie Wen could understand Chu Xianyue. If she were forced to bind herself to some kind of strategy system, forcibly linking her to another person and making her a lackey for another man, she wouldn't want to.
But that doesn't mean Xie Wen wouldn't want other men to be her dogs.
It's just that Chu Xianyue was unwilling.
The river was still, Xie Wen rested his chin on his hands, his hair ribbon fluttering in the evening breeze.
Chu Xianyue seemed to sigh softly; he was out of options. He suddenly realized that achieving the Great Dao was a long and arduous journey. He had initially thought the task Heaven had given him was a joke. He hadn't taken it seriously at all. Countless people loved him; he had never thought that making someone fall in love with him would be so difficult.
Now, after so much time has passed and the mission is still making little progress, Chu Xianyue is beginning to resign himself to his fate. For him, this is simply an insurmountable challenge.
Chu Xianyue sighed deeply again, as if he had made up his mind.
Xie Wen was oblivious to Chu Xianyue's emotions and simply enjoyed this rare moment of peace.
The next morning, Xie Wen caught a glimpse of thick black smoke rising from the opposite building and assumed that Chu Xianyue's room was on fire. He hurriedly circled around in the river before rushing into the "sea of fire" to rescue the person.
In the emergency, Xie Wen reacted instinctively and did so without thinking. Only after belatedly entering the room filled with thick smoke, like a "fog," did Xie Wen remember that Chu Xianyue was a cultivator, not an ordinary person, and that he could put out the fire with a flick of his finger.
Furthermore, why did Chu Xianyue's house suddenly catch fire for no reason? Could it be a sneak attack? Did the mole fall from grace so quickly?
Thick smoke choked Xie Wen, bringing tears to her eyes. She cried out, "Chu Xianyue? Master? Where are you?"
A moment later, a figure appeared out of nowhere. Xie Wen only saw the person when they got close. Before Xie Wen could say anything, the person grabbed him and ran outside.
A moment later, two disheveled men stood atop the pavilion, staring at each other. Xie Wen, seeing Chu Xianyue so utterly lacking in composure for the first time, couldn't help but burst into laughter. Chu Xianyue, his face grim, watched as Xie Wen, despite looking just as disheveled himself, relentlessly mocked him. Xie Wen laughed so hard his shoulders trembled, like flower branches battered by rain.
Chu Xianyue: "Have you laughed enough?"
He was quite polite this time, even asking her if she had laughed enough.
Xie Wen couldn't help but chuckle: "Master, what are you doing?"
Chu Xianyue turned his head away, feeling embarrassed, and didn't really want to answer Xie Wen.
However, Xie Wen didn't give Chu Xianyue any face and said directly, "You don't mean to cook, do you?"
"For me?" Xie Wen's voice was frighteningly soft at the last part. She wasn't one to presume to be sentimental, but she had just discussed that topic with Chu Xianyue yesterday, and this morning he was going to learn to cook. It wouldn't make sense for her not to think of herself.
However, Xie Wen could understand his desire to complete the mission quickly and achieve his Great Dao.
But isn't this a bit of a case of overdoing it?
Xie Wen found it inexplicably interesting; in Chu Xianyue, he finally saw the "human touch" of ordinary people. Was he even somewhat endearing?
Xie Wen thought this through, but still reminded Chu Xianyue to be careful when cooking, and not to burn down the entire Feiying Pavilion next time. It wouldn't be worth it.
"It's not worth it for me," Xie Wen said with a grin.
Such narcissism, such shamelessness.
Chu Xianyue was momentarily speechless... Even though he had already prepared his answer in his mind, Xie Wen misunderstood and said: Don't misunderstand, I'm just doing this for the sake of the Ruthless Path.
In the end, facing Xie Wen's open and honest demeanor, Chu Xianyue seemed less upright in comparison. It made him appear as if he had something to hide. What was he running away from?
Chu Xianyue didn't look at Xie Wen and said calmly, "It has nothing to do with you. It's just something I was thinking."
Hearing this reply, Xie Wen wasn't too discouraged. He simply waved his hand and said, "Oh, I see. Then, Master, keep up the good work." As he spoke, Xie Wen lowered his voice and teased, "So, should I go hide at my sister's place for a while? After all, this isn't a joke; it really could explode. I don't want to get caught in the crossfire." Xie Wen chuckled.
Chu Xianyue: "..." He couldn't laugh. Xie Wenyue was trying so hard to avoid him, so why did he want to forcibly keep him here and not let him leave?
Chu Xianyue has the ability; if he doesn't let her run away, what can she do? Chu Xianyue sneered inwardly.
Xie Wen was completely unaware that the dangerous fire in Chu Xianyue's eyes rose up along with the thick smoke in mid-air.
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