"Don't worry, senior sister, I have no enemies anymore."...
Yan Huanyue held her teacup and noticed the neat double-layered collar of his shirt through the slowly rising steam.
The inner lining is plain white, and the outer lining is trimmed with gold, both made of thin, fine silk fabric that has been ironed on.
It was immediately obvious that his clothes were rather light, quite unlike his usual autumn and winter attire, which required him to wear four or five layers of fine clothes to keep warm.
She casually advised, "Xuanzhi... put on your cloak. This outfit is a bit thin; don't catch a cold."
Pei Xuanzhi glanced at the brand-new, dark-patterned cloud robe she was wearing, casually poured her some more hot tea, and explained:
"The charcoal fire in the room is warm, and I feel a bit stuffy after taking a shower. I'll go to bed in a bit... By the way, how many rooms did you book, Senior Sister? If you don't have enough money, I have more."
Yan Huanyue took a sip of hot tea and felt much warmer. "No need. This town is small, just one inn with only five rooms. I was lucky that there were two rooms left when I arrived."
Pei Xuanzhi held his teacup, watching her, his eyes reflecting the candlelight and holding a hint of a smile.
"Yes, I am really lucky... I have been fortunate to receive help from my senior sister, and I am much better now. If it is not a windy day, I will not cough much anymore, and I don't cough at night either."
Yan Huanyue nodded. "That's for sure. The Heart Contract can help you repair your weak spiritual meridians, and your body will gradually get better. Although I don't know to what extent the Heart Contract can help, as long as you don't get injured or overwork yourself, you'll be even better after a while."
As she spoke, she glanced at the sky outside the window. Pei Xuanzhi's body was no longer in serious condition, and it was time for her to go back to meditate.
Now that Fu Yinhuan has been dealt with, it's clear that Jiao Gu is quite satisfied with her, as the innate spiritual energy within her body is gradually merging with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth absorbed into her spiritual sea.
This journey is also a good time to expand the spiritual sea and spiritual veins. The box of Five Elements Spiritual Stones given by the sect leader on the day of her wedding will also be of great help in this regard. Fortunately, she has been saving them and has not used them in advance.
With other things on her mind, she tilted her head back and finished her tea. She left him a communication talisman, stood up and said, "Xuanzhi, you should rest early. I'm next door. If you need anything, just use the communication talisman and I'll come over."
Pei Xuanzhi put down his cup, got up and saw her out. Just as she stepped out of the room, he stood inside and said softly, "Senior Sister Yan, get some rest. If you need anything, call me with a sound transmission talisman and I'll come over."
Yan Huanyue casually replied, "Okay."
She reached out to close the door for him, then turned and went back to her own room. After washing up and taking a bath, she sat cross-legged on the bed and took a Shouyuan Pill and a Pain-Relieving Piaomiao Pill.
Open the box containing the spirit stones and place it in front of you. The "Spirit Circulation and Slow Stop" technique guides the internal and external spiritual energy to circulate within your body again and again.
Within a few breaths, the pain from widening the spiritual meridians gradually came over him, and a layer of cold sweat instantly covered his entire body.
The analgesic effect also stimulated the efficacy of the Misty Pill, allowing her to continue expanding more gently.
Expanding one's spiritual meridians is like cleansing one's veins and marrow, a process of transformation that requires constant and vigorous effort. One can never expect to achieve it overnight; otherwise, even hundreds or thousands of bodies wouldn't be enough to set off fireworks.
Within the sea of consciousness, the five elements constantly change, interacting and coexisting.
The verdant vines, burning brightly, nestled in her embrace, carrying her as she swayed and swam in the pool, while endless dust settled into the water, sealing her within.
In the thin flames that burned with the vitality of wood, the tranquility of water, and the hidden power of earth, she seemed to transform into her destined sword, which had undergone long tempering; or perhaps, she herself was the sword.
She quietly closed her eyes and stayed in the soil, constantly absorbing the five elements, as her innate spiritual energy merged with it.
The fire grew larger and larger, cracking the gradually crumbling soil. Suddenly, a babbling brook flowed by, extinguishing the excessive flames and bringing her a touch of coolness.
Yan Huanyue opened her eyes. It was already dawn outside the window. The snow had stopped sometime earlier, and several birds were chirping outside the window.
Some curious individuals even stood on the windowsill outside, pecking at the window to try and find out what was going on.
She opened the window, and two plump sparrows with fluffy feathers suddenly flew to the bare branches of the sycamore tree in the yard.
Then it hopped and jumped among the branches, blinked its black bean eyes, and flapped its little wings angrily "chattering" as it denounced her offensive behavior.
In the snow-covered courtyard under the sycamore tree, Pei Xuanzhi was getting off the Lingju carriage.
Seeing that she had opened the window, he pulled his cloak tighter and stood in the snow, looking up at her, exhaling a thin mist of white smoke as he smiled and said:
"Good morning, Senior Sister Yan. The carriage door has been repaired. The food is in my room. You can go ahead first, I'll be there in a bit."
He took a few steps and went under the eaves.
Yan Huanyue closed the window and counted the spirit stones in the box. It seemed that only the water and fire stones had been absorbed.
After tidying up the spirit stones, I washed up and went to Pei Xuanzhi's room.
As soon as she opened the door, the aroma of food wafted over. She went to the table and saw that the dishes on the table were all ordinary.
She remembered that the shopkeeper said yesterday that her father, who cooked at home, was too cold and quit his job to go back to his hometown to sleep on a heated brick bed and hibernate. Lately, she and her coworkers have been eating nothing but hot water and bread all day long, and they haven't had time to feed themselves, so they don't include meals in their meals.
When she arrived yesterday morning, the shopkeeper was using a hairpin to pick at a walnut that was almost completely translucent. Upon seeing her carrying Pei Xuanzhi in, his eyes widened, and he exclaimed in admiration:
"Little sister, you've got some strength! Where did you kidnap such a handsome young man? The clinic is next door, you've come to the wrong place."
Just then, a soft thud of footsteps echoed on the wooden steps outside, and a moment later, Pei Xuanzhi pushed open the door and came in from the outside.
Yan Huanyue asked, "Did you cook this?"
"Hmm." Pei Xuanzhi washed his hands by the door and said casually, "I got up early this morning and saw that many shops outside were not open, so I bought some vegetables and borrowed the shop's kitchen."
Yan Huanyue got up, ladled two bowls of porridge from the small pot on the stove, and brought them to the table. "Thank you for your hard work. Come and eat."
Pei Xuanzhi had a small appetite, like a cat. Yan Huanyue saw that he struggled to finish even half a bowl of porridge, and after dawdling and barely managing to finish it, he refused to touch his chopsticks again.
Last night when he was hungry, he ate the bowl of porridge I fed him quite quickly, without any unusual reaction, so it's probably not a problem that his stomach is too weak to hold a bowl of porridge.
She asked, "Are you really unable to eat? How will you recover like this?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Xuanzhi ladled out another half bowl of porridge, sat down next to her, and sipped it slowly, taking a few sips and then resting as if tired.
Yan Huanyue really wanted to force-feed him, but in the end she silently rebuked herself for having such a cruel thought.
Just after we finished eating, the waiter knocked on the door and said, "Young man, my wife asked me to clean up the dishes. She said you don't need to worry about it."
Yan Huanyue went over and opened the door. When the waiter saw her, he flattered her, saying, "Young lady, your brother's cooking skills are really good. It's been so long since we've had a proper breakfast with your help."
Yan Huanyue said, "You're too kind. Thank you for lending us your kitchen, madam."
The waiter came in carrying a wooden basin, and asked with a smile, "Where are you going?"
Pei Xuanzhi placed the cleaned dishes into the wooden basin brought by the waiter and said with a smile, "My husband and I are going to Chang'an to take a look."
The waiter was a little curious as to why the couple needed two rooms.
However, it was not appropriate to pry into the guest's private affairs, so he said, "Chang'an is nice. I heard it's very lively during the New Year."
Then he remembered something else and asked, "I didn't want to eat for free, so I went to feed your horse some hay, why isn't it eating?"
Pei Xuanzhi smiled and said, "Ah, you don't need to worry about it, I fed it this morning."
.
As they were leaving, the shopkeeper kindly stuffed a basket of walnuts into their car and invited them to visit the town again in the future.
The carriage was unsteady, and the journey was long.
Yan Huanyue sat cross-legged on the soft cushions of the carriage, meditating with her eyes closed. Pei Xuanzhi, holding a book, leaned against the carriage wall and read. Every now and then, he would straighten up and add a few strokes to a piece of paper with talisman arrays drawn on it on a small table.
Around noon, the carriage traveled along a deserted country road.
Yan Huanyue suddenly opened her eyes and saw that she was the only one left in the carriage. Her heart sank. Before she could release her magic spell, she called out urgently, "Xuanzhi!"
The carriage door was opened a crack, and Pei Xuanzhi, with only one eye peeking out, looked at her and said with a smile, "Senior Sister Yan, I'm peeling walnuts outside."
As he spoke, he pushed open half of the door and came in, then closed the door completely.
He casually placed a basket of walnut kernels on the small table, took off his cloak, and sat opposite her, pulling his white robes together. He took a plain handkerchief and slowly wiped his hands. "I went out for some fresh air. I've finished peeling them. Senior Sister, have a taste."
Yan Huanyue closed her eyes and released the Midnight-Noon Incantation from her fingertips before opening them again to pour him a cup of hot water, saying, "I thought you'd been kidnapped again."
Pei Xuanzhi held his teacup, leaning lazily against the carriage wall as he looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. He said softly, "Don't worry, Senior Sister, I have no enemies."
He coughed twice, then sat up as if he remembered something. He took out a small brocade pouch from his bosom and said thoughtfully, "I felt bad about losing a pair of my senior sister's earrings before, so I bought three pairs on the way. I wonder if you would like them."
Yan Huanyue took the small brocade pouch from his hand, poured it out and saw a pair of jade beads, a pair of small golden flowers, and a pair of silver lilies of the valley.
This kid has a good eye for picking things.
Yan Huanyue smiled and said, "Thank you, it really is beautiful."
Pei Xuan leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice, "Then Senior Sister, try it on."
Yan Huanyue originally intended to wait until Chang'an to discuss it, but then she remembered that he had bought these specially, so she picked up a pair of jade bead earrings and hung them on her ear piercings.
It wasn't hung up.
Pei Xuanzhi gently knelt down in front of her, took the earring, and said softly, "This needle is too thick, it's not easy to wear. I'll change it and give it to you."
He made a few rustling sounds, and then a cool silver needle pierced through his ear.
Although he put it on for her without permission, it was as if it were just a casual gesture. He held his breath, forcibly suppressed his trembling hands, and carefully avoided touching her skin.
Yan Huanyue's nose was just inches away from his collar, and a faint, cool fragrance wafted from between the layers of his clothes.
Vague and indistinct, seemingly there yet not there.
She couldn't resist tilting her head back and sniffing his neck.
Pei Xuanzhi instantly retreated to his original position, and then covered up the several neatly folded collars.
He remained completely oblivious, seemingly unaware that she could smell his fragrance, or even noticing her subtle gesture of tilting her head back to sniff.
He simply took out a small silver mirror from his sleeve and handed it to her, then coughed lightly, making his voice slightly hoarse, "Put it on, senior sister, take a look."
Yan Huanyue picked up the mirror on the table, looked at herself, and smiled, "Not bad."
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 01:31:30 on November 21, 2023 and 19:25:38 on November 22, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who threw the landmine: Haaa and 随遇而安 (1 each);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Head Tired 100 bottles; Luden's Sunflower 35 bottles; Big Eyes Staring at Each Other 33 bottles; 潋墨如眸 22 bottles; Anthology, Undersea Tomato, Unspeakable Commerce 20 bottles; Leana 16 bottles; 一叶葳蕤, Sinder, 望溪石, 米粒, 1indsey0u0, 60007422 10 bottles; 断桥烟雨, ashore 6 bottles; 我叫菜菜, 祝余, 要吃可爱多 5 bottles; 江pan, 一只小可爱 3 bottles; 吴湖, 2B的快乐你不懂, 云白白 2 bottles; 又谁的秋水, 周满的剑骨, AAA特级厨厨, 桃桃要早睡, 心, 泡泡噗噗, 一只甜豆, 山南海北, 65864556, 求书求书…, 甜菜, 西瓜味的云朵, 巴啦巴啦, 快让我吃甜饼！ 42293163, Peng Yue, Xingxing ate too much, Atypical Tongren woman, Go with the flow, Xia Minglang. 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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