What does it matter if you're competitive as long as it makes you happy?
When Yan Huanyue went out at dawn, Pei Xuanzhi, who usually woke up earlier than her, was still nestled in the heavy curtains, fast asleep.
He's a light sleeper and wakes up easily. She made quite a bit of noise while tidying up this morning, but he didn't wake up. He must be pretending to be asleep.
Before she left, she lifted the curtain and punched him twice through the blanket, but he didn't even flinch.
She suddenly felt a little worried and checked his breathing; it was very even.
That bastard, he went crazy last night, and now he's acting all high and mighty, even though he knows he's too ashamed to show his face...
Yan Huanyue grabbed his ear and sneered, "Pei Xuanzhi, if you dare to pretend to be sick today, just try it."
Pei Xuanzhi was pulled out of bed by her strength, and hung on her hand, tilting his head and looking at her sleepily. "I'm just a little tired. I promise I won't get sick today."
Yan Huanyue didn't have time to talk to him anymore. She went straight out to the Heavenly Stele. After leaving the Heavenly Stele, on the way to Xuyuan Peak, she saw disciples either cultivating or reading books.
She paid special attention along the way and indeed spotted Pei Xuanzhi in a quiet and secluded place, wearing a cloak and sitting deep in a snow-covered bamboo forest, reading a book.
She knew that there must be other disciples cultivating on this path, but Pei Xuanzhi would part ways with her in front of the library every morning after leaving home, so she always thought that he stayed in the library all day.
If he hadn't admitted to overhearing her conversation with Xue Jingnian, she wouldn't have noticed that he was also out in the wind.
After arriving at Xuyuan Peak, Yan Huanyue listened to Song Lingwei explain the profound essence of the scriptures for a whole morning.
At noon, as she stood atop the peak gazing into the distance, she heard Zhao Liujin say that the Yu couple had left the mountain.
Yan Huanyue sighed, "I completely forgot to see you off."
Zhao Liujin scoffed, "You're quite polite, but they blame you for everything. Why are you being so fussy? This is so abnormal of you, it's not human."
Yan Huanyue smiled and said, "They are just anxious for their child as parents."
Zhao Liujin brushed away the strands of hair that had blown onto her lips and glanced at her sideways. "People of this time value your kind of character, but I don't like it. You'd better go to the clinic and get your 'compassion disease' treated properly when you have time."
Yan Huanyue straightened her clothes and nodded in the cold wind, saying, "Senior Sister, you are insightful and clear-headed. I will certainly listen to your teachings."
Zhao Liujin laughed and said, "While you're at it, let's also cure your habit of talking nonsense. Since you're so considerate of others, if the North needs more manpower someday, would you be willing to go?"
Yan Huanyue also smiled and said, "Of course I will go. If there is any change in the North, I will go even if I am not dispatched."
.
When the Yu couple left the mountain, Pei Hanzhou did not show up, but sent Pei Xuanzhi to accompany Xu Fengqiu to see them off.
When Ning Wuyang sent word to the library, Pei Xuanzhi was being pulled by several young disciples to sit under a wide window in a connecting corridor, competing to deduce formations.
When Ning Wuyang came to find him, he put down the half-finished array diagram he was drawing and went to the outer room. After hearing Ning Wuyang's purpose, he made an excuse that he had caught a cold last night and had a headache, so he would not go.
Just then, the group of young disciples, annoyed that he had just finished arranging the formation, were called away and kept urging him to come back and continue drawing.
Ning Wuyang felt that Junior Brother Pei was so weak that he seemed to be made of thin ice and snow, and even his master couldn't do anything about his son.
He didn't intend to force Pei Xuanzhi to obey his father's orders and see him off in the freezing cold, so he just delivered the message and went to cultivate on his own.
After Pei Xuanzhi finished drawing the array, he went to the top floor to read. In the middle of the trip, he was called to play two games of chess. He won a Xiuyan jade paperweight but lost a pair of silver tea needles.
When he was in the sect, he spent most of his time in the library. Although he looked aloof, he was friendly and polite. The disciples who frequently visited the library, especially those who were good at socializing, gradually became familiar with him.
When you drag him along to play, he knows a bit about everything the sect disciples play. His skills in arranging formations are quite good, and he's not a terrible chess player who ruins the fun. He can even arrange paper figures into a board for battle.
Taking chess games as an example, although he doesn't show off his skills, he wins and loses in every game. Skilled players enjoy playing against him and the game goes back and forth. Players with slightly worse skills also appreciate his sportsmanship, which allows him to win and lose without letting others suffer losses, and it doesn't discourage them.
Even though the prizes are just small things, it's not very interesting if you lose all the soybeans in no time.
Therefore, if anyone becomes interested in playing chess, setting up a board, or using the Six Lines divination method, they often invite Junior Brother Pei to come.
After playing two games of chess and relaxing for a while, he went to find books to read. He didn't leave the library until dusk was approaching.
Tan Guiyi was talking to Xue Jingnian about taking her leave the next day when she heard a few suppressed coughs in the distance.
The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw Pei Xuanzhi heading down another road. They didn't know if he hadn't seen them or if he had deliberately walked aside and didn't want to greet them.
Tan Guiyi suddenly asked, "He was in Chang'an in his early years, how come you never heard of him?"
Xue Jingnian said, "The Lu family moved to Chang'an later. Chang'an is a large and diverse place. Even if there are demons living there and their names are on the register, those registers are managed by special people and do not need to be sent to my desk."
Tan Guiyi asked, "Does he have any exceptionally powerful weapons?"
Xue Jingnian asked in confusion, "I only know that Junior Brother Pei was fond of reading when he was ill, and therefore knows some talismanic arts and esoteric arts. Why are you asking about this?"
Tan Guiyi smiled and said, "I saw a little boy when I was a child. I heard that he died later. He had a similar feeling to me, but I can't imagine what he looked like when he grew up."
Xue Jingnian frowned, finding it unlucky, and said, "Since he's dead, what's the point of asking? Why are you comparing a dead person to him?"
Tan Guiyi hated this kind of difficult person the most. He had been pampered since childhood and had a strange temper. You couldn't even know which way his hair would grow if you tried to stroke him. He was a stubborn guy with a head full of swirls. Whatever he said had to be the same.
He usually hates Pei Xuanzhi the most, so why is he suddenly acting like a good person?
It serves him right that Yan Huanyue looks down on him.
Tan Guiyi harbored resentment in her heart, but maintained a nonchalant demeanor on the surface, simply smiling and saying:
"Yes, yes, I shouldn't have said that. I came to advise Uncle and Aunt Yu not to try that rumored Rejuvenation Pearl, but they were unhappy. I was feeling down and told you about my past experiences, but you were unhappy too. Alright, I'm leaving tomorrow, so don't hold it against me. I'll take my leave tomorrow. After your master releases you at dusk, I'll treat you to a drink to apologize."
Because he considered himself acquainted with Tan Guiyi and thought her to be a cheerful and generous person, Xue Jingnian didn't realize that he had incurred Tan Guiyi's wrath. He simply said:
“I didn’t mean to say anything to you, but he got into trouble and it also caused Yan Huanyue to be cursed. I’ll invite you today. I’ll have someone go to Qionglou to make a reservation.”
Tan Guiyi asked in surprise, "Qionglou? The best restaurant in Tianyan Prefecture, are you really willing to spend so much? Since this is a farewell, you're not inviting me to Qionglou for a pot of wine, only to hear about other people's lavish banquets, are you?" Xue Jingnian had been on the mountain for a long time, and although he didn't go to overly luxurious places, Tianyan Prefecture was located in the remote north, near the old Tengzhou. Even the best restaurant here, Qionglou, couldn't catch his eye.
Seeing Tan Guiyi's reaction, he simply smiled and said, "Even if the magnificent building is dilapidated, the halls and rooms are connected by winding corridors and waterside pavilions, and separated by floating bridges and flowing water, with flowing trees and hanging flowers blocking the way. The food from other people's banquets will not drift into our halls and spoil the taste of our food."
Tan Guiyi blinked. She had only heard of Qionglou, but had never been to such a place, so she said, "This is considered bad? Why didn't you invite me to see the best places in Chang'an?"
Xue Jingnian's expression darkened. "There were many things to do at the end of the year."
Tan Guiyi knew it was because Yan Huanyue's presence in Chang'an had kept him restless all day, so he smiled and asked, "Then what kind of banquet are you inviting me to?"
Seeing the longing in her eyes behind her veil, Xue Jingnian smiled and said, "The only thing we can offer is the Sea Offering Banquet, but the two of us can't finish it all. I'll invite a few more fellow disciples to come along."
Tan Guiyi looked at him with a smile, "We're all brothers. To be honest, if Fellow Daoist Yan were willing to go with you, would you still bring others along?"
Xue Jingnian's face instantly turned ashen, and he said coldly, "Why are you making up stories about her like this out of nowhere?"
Tan Guiyi's face stiffened. This young master was truly a double standard; he could do whatever he wanted, but others were not allowed to say a word.
She couldn't help but laugh and said, "I just wanted to see if you've cleared your love poison yet. Alright, alright, I'll invite your fellow disciples over so I can make more friends with like-minded people. Thank you for your generous invitation and for giving me so much face."
Xue Jingnian felt a strange dull pain in his heart, and he felt very bored and lost his interest in going down the mountain. So he said, "I suddenly remembered that I have some things to do. I will have someone arrange things at Qionglou and book a room for you to rest for one night as an apology. You can go by yourself today."
Tan Guiyi felt humiliated and sneered, "You won't even personally see me off because of a few words related to her? It's one thing for you to break your promise, but don't lose your mind over someone else. I have a sincere heart for you and I'm not afraid of offending you. Who else would say these things to you besides those who care about you?"
Xue Jingnian said calmly, "Even if I go insane and die, I don't need anyone else to care."
.
Yan Huanyue returned an hour early that evening, and unexpectedly, she made eye contact with Xue Jingnian, who was practicing swordsmanship at the Broken Jade Waterfall, as she passed by the martial arts training ground.
Yan Huanyue glanced at him and walked past. Xue Jingnian simply stood there and did not stop her again.
When she arrived at the courtyard, she smelled the aroma of food as she passed the kitchen. As soon as she pushed open the door to the main house, a wave of warmth washed over her, and the fragrance of tea and fruit greeted her first.
She walked through the main room, lifted the curtain of the bedroom, and saw Pei Xuanzhi sitting cross-legged on the edge of a small couch, wearing his nightgown and reading a book.
The lights were bright, and on the table were a few old copper coins and an old tea knife. A pot of tea was being brewed on a small stove, and it smelled sweet and refreshing.
She glanced at his hand, then walked past him, past the small screen, and went to the inner room to get her clothes.
She hadn't consciously controlled her breathing while she was still outside the courtyard, and Pei Xuanzhi had already sensed her return.
When she entered the room, and he caught a glimpse of the misty powder reflected on the tea knife out of the corner of his eye, he didn't hear her greet him.
He put down the book in his hand, made a gesture as if to collect the copper coins on the table, and glanced up at the same time.
My gaze followed her to the screen, and then as she walked out of the bedroom. A little while later, I heard the sound of water from the west room where she was taking a bath.
He held the few old coins in his hands and sat very upright.
When she came out in her nightgown, he was sitting upright, looking at her with clear, calm eyes.
But just like before, she walked past him without saying a word, without uttering a single syllable.
Pei Xuanzhi coughed a few times, and seeing her turn behind the screen, he vaguely lay down on the bed to rest.
He immediately sat up straighter, straining his ears to be alert so he wouldn't miss her question, but soon heard her pull back the quilt.
He looked away, fiddling with the copper coins in his hand, and asked in a low voice, "It seems to be early. Is Sister very tired to be going to bed at this time?"
Yan Huanyue snuggled into the blankets and replied lazily, "Hmm, it's alright."
He rubbed a copper coin between his fingers, his eyes lowered. "Have you eaten? I came back from the library early and prepared a meal in case you get hungry at night."
Inside the screen, Yan Huanyue felt completely relaxed, let out a deep breath, and replied listlessly, "No need."
He pressed his thin lips together, then suddenly turned his head to look at the hazy figure behind the screen. A look of loneliness gradually settled in his eyes. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "Sister, I have a bit of a headache."
"oh."
They're not even going to care about faking illness anymore?
Pei Xuanzhi clenched his five fingers, then suddenly tossed down a copper coin, got up, and walked behind the screen.
Seeing her lying flat and sleeping, he couldn't help but lift his robe and kneel on the footstool, his fingertips resting on the edge of the blanket, and whispered, "Tired? Let me massage your hands and feet..."
Yan Huanyue said lazily, "No need, you're not a proper person."
Pei Xuanzhi's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but clutch the edge of the blanket, asking in a low voice, "Why did you ignore me when you came back? I..."
Yan Huanyue opened her eyes, looked at his cold face, and reached out to feel the temperature of his forehead. Finding that he wasn't very hot, she couldn't help but sneer, "I told you this morning, and you're still pretending."
Pei Xuanzhi said, "But you're too lazy to talk to me."
Yan Huanyue sat up, glanced sideways at him kneeling on the footstool, and said calmly, "What are you aggrieved about now? You were so quiet last night, why didn't you tell me why?"
Pei Xuanzhi's expression darkened, and he looked up, staring intently into her eyes. "Did you ask her as many questions as I did last night, sister?"
Yan Huanyue smiled and said, "Then let's just stay like this from now on, not asking or saying anything, avoiding speaking about anything, not uttering any thoughts in our hearts, and preferably never speaking again, without having to solve any problems. Wouldn't that be better?"
Pei Xuanzhi was scolded, but suddenly his eyes trembled like a starry river. He looked up at her and smiled brightly, "So this is what you care about... I thought you didn't care whether our relationship would last."
If you don't think about the long term, you'll just be perfunctory and gloss over any problems. If she really was just going to make do with him for a few days, why would she have pulled this stunt today specifically to give him a warning?
He was not angry at all; in fact, he felt a surge of excitement.
Yan Huanyue looked down at his smiling face and paused for a moment before saying, "What I said to Xue Jingnian yesterday was not because I had a romantic relationship with Senior Brother Yu, but simply to shut him up."
She turned her gaze away and looked down at his fingertips resting on the edge of the bed. "Besides, among fellow disciples, who wouldn't feel sorry for this? Senior Sister and Senior Brother Yu weren't even close, yet she still gifted him a Blood Lotus of Earth Fire. When we broke off our engagement, it was relatively peaceful. Am I supposed to deliberately make a scene and want him dead... Of course, that's not what I was thinking. But why are you making such a fuss about this?"
Pei Xuanzhi's expression dimmed for a moment, and he said softly, "I'm afraid memories are like a gentle tonic; the longer they're simmered, the more the bad disappears, leaving only the good. Compared to this, the present situation is becoming increasingly difficult to accept..."
I regret that because of a small argument or conflict, you gave me the blood from your heart and wrist, instead of saving your senior brother Yu.
Yan Huanyue noticed that he was much more sensitive than ordinary people, and he needed to be absolutely certain before he felt at ease. He himself might not even be aware of the difference between himself and others, perhaps it was related to his experiences...
She turned slightly closer to him, her head bowed, and said with a smile, "I have never felt resentful. Even if I do in the future, it will only be between you and me, and it has nothing to do with others. I will not recall Senior Brother Yu or compare you to him. You are my husband, and he is my fellow disciple. In terms of both feelings and reason, you are two different people."
Pei Xuanzhi's eyes flickered, his thin lips pressed tightly together. He stood up, his back to her, and with a slight upward curve to his lips, said in a cool and indifferent tone:
"But I don't like you saying those things from yesterday again. I don't care what he is like, I only care what you think."
Yan Huanyue lazily leaned back, nestled on the soft pillow, and helplessly watched his tall, straight back. She said with a half-smile:
"You were sick and I took care of you without taking off my clothes, as if I had nothing better to do. Even when Senior Brother Yu was in such a state, I only said a few words of concern, without even offering him half a cup of tea, and you still think I have ulterior motives..."
As she was talking, looking at his motionless back, she wondered what he was thinking about behind his back. It was inexplicably annoying, so she jumped up and dragged him onto the bed.
He pulled the blanket over him again, pressed him down tightly under the blanket, and punched him a few times through the blanket, gritting his teeth and cursing, "You heartless bastard, you're so polite to everyone outside, but all you know how to do is come back and argue with me!"
Pei Xuanzhi coughed for a while under the covers.
Yan Huanyue pulled back the blanket and let his head out. Looking at his face, which was covered with a thin layer of pink and his eyes were wet, he looked pitiful, yet he was also the most infuriating.
She punched him on the shoulder twice more, "Stop pretending to be pitiful! Aren't you so great?"
Pei Xuanzhi didn't dodge. While coughing, he couldn't help but smile. "I never pretend to be pitiful. But it's my fault. I won't argue even if you slap me a few more times, sister."
He coughed so hard that the veins in his neck bulged, but he still smiled brightly. Yan Huanyue regretted hitting him a few times earlier, so she moved away from him and sat up.
Pei Xuanzhi sat up with her, pushed aside the blanket, tilted her head to look at her, and said with a smile, "Sister, you are peaceful and friendly with everyone outside, but you are quite good at dealing with me when you come home."
Yan Huanyue closed her eyes and calmed her breathing. "I didn't originally intend to fight you."
Pei Xuanzhi's gaze shifted slightly as he moved closer to her, and he said softly, "I know, I'm not a good person. My sister has always been good to me, but I'm ungrateful and narrow-minded..."
He smiled with an unusually bright and sunny expression, but his tone was slightly low. "My sister never gives me any feedback. I often try to comfort her by telling her that I should be more open-minded. Unfortunately, I am still so selfish and greedy. If I don't get what I want, it feels like a thousand ants are gnawing at my bones and my flesh, causing me unbearable pain."
Yan Huanyue was taken aback. Looking at his smiling face, she couldn't see a trace of gloom. When he said he was joking, she couldn't help but glance at him and said, "I told you you're a stingy person. If you're not satisfied, you won't let others have an easy time either."
Pei Xuanzhi looked at her, his eyes sparkling like stars, unable to hide the joy welling up inside him. "Is it really not good for you to be with me, sister?"
Yan Huanyue sniffed the cool fragrance emanating from him from a distance, slightly turned her eyebrows, and said softly, "You know yourself how... never mind, just don't annoy me."
Pei Xuanzhi lowered his voice, "I feel remorseful today. I came back early and cooked your favorite dishes. Would you do me the honor of trying some?"
Yan Huanyue looked up at him, her back to the candlelight and her body shrouded in shadow, making the eerie and alluring look in his eyes even more prominent.
He usually appears somewhat aloof and cold. In broad daylight, it is difficult to distinguish him from others unless you pay special attention to his eyes. However, in the shadows, it is always easy to see the eerie quality in his eyes.
But the almost predatory intensity within this eerie aura seems somewhat different…
Yan Huanyue suddenly asked, "Do you remember anything?"
"What?"
Yan Huanyue pondered and said, "I always feel that you are becoming more and more like the person you were before you lost your memory."
Pei Xuanzhi's expression froze for a moment, then he smiled faintly and said, "We are the same, so how could we be so different? It would be strange if we became less and less alike."
Yan Huanyue frowned. "After you lost your memory, you really didn't like to compare yourself to your past self. You always wanted to separate things. Why are you saying this today?"
Indeed, the person beside you in bed is the most familiar and the hardest to hide from. Pei Xuanzhi hadn't expected that she would discover he had regained his memories so soon after he emerged from seclusion. He could only helplessly say:
"Didn't my sister say she didn't like me separating from him like that? But now he's gone, and I'm the one with you. Why should I care about him anymore..."
"Stop talking about it." Yan Huanyue calmed herself down and said, "You're just sick. No one really disappears. I shouldn't have brought this up."
Seeing that her expression was strange, Pei Xuanzhi immediately agreed, "Yes, it's something I forgot. Sister, you can just tell me about it, right?"
A short while later, the two sat on a small couch facing a table of home-cooked food.
Throughout Yan Huanyue's life, apart from Pei Xuanzhi, no one has ever specially cooked dinner for her at night.
Considering how she had hit and beated him today, giving him a few nice words as compensation for his hard work wouldn't cost her anything.
She took a bite of the plum blossom wine-infused cheese and found it delicious. She smiled and said, "It's smooth and fragrant, sweet but not greasy. It's so delicious. In this cold weather, you don't mind the trouble of preparing this food. You are a young man with such patience, composure, and good cooking skills. You can't find one like this even if you search for eighty thousand miles in the sky with a lantern."
She rarely considered his feelings when speaking to him like this. Before Pei Xuanzhi could think much about it, he sat up straight, suppressing the joy welling up from the bottom of his heart, and said with a calm face, "It's...it's not much trouble."
Yan Huanyue had never praised him much in the past, and even when she did, it was only briefly mentioned. She never expected him to have such an interesting reaction.
She picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, tasted it, and exclaimed, "It's fresh, fragrant, delicious, and exquisitely crafted. Such skillful work has filled the stomach of a commoner like me. I really don't know where I got such good fortune."
Pei Xuanzhi coughed a few times, picked up his chopsticks and served her food. He was still relatively lucid at this point and knew that she was teasing him. He said, "It's just edible. It's not that bad. I'll make it for you every day as long as you like it."
Taking the opportunity, Yan Huanyue fed him a piece of gold and silver sliced meat and said with a smile, "You have worked so hard to prepare such a large table of delicacies. I am afraid I cannot accept it. If you are willing to eat a few more bites with me, I will be able to wake up laughing in my dreams tonight."
Pei Xuanzhi calmly picked up a small bowl of soup, tilted his head back and gulped it down. Then he put the bowl down, his eyes reddening, and said without changing his expression, "What does all this matter as long as you're happy?"
Yan Huanyue smiled and tilted her head as she bit her chopsticks, looking at him. It turned out that not only was he easy to coax when he was angry, but he was also so easy to drive. He would do anything if she said a few words for free.
At first, it was incredibly difficult to persuade him to eat a few more bites, but later she just gave up trying. Why didn't she realize this was an option sooner?
.
Zhixu has noticed these past few days that someone is trying to find her.
She had this feeling gradually since Pei Hanzhou moved her to a cave in the Tianyan Mountains in early spring.
Spring comes late in the north; snow doesn't fall until early April before a light drizzle begins. In the cold, the air is hard to discern, but when the rain comes, you can vaguely sense a few familiar scents.
She initially thought he was just passing by, but in the past few days, he has been getting a little closer to where she is hiding every day.
He probably knew she must have found him, so he didn't stop today and came straight to her.
The barrier prevented him from seeing inside the cave.
Zhixu sat cross-legged on the stone platform, watching the young demon standing tall and elegant outside the cave. He had clear features, wore a white robe, and leaned on a bamboo cane. Behind him, there were wild vegetables and an unopened peach blossom in his basket.
He was clearly a handsome and refined young man, but she felt that he exuded an evil aura about him at that moment.
To come to the deep mountains to pick wild vegetables while wearing a fine snow-white robe, what a spendthrift!
She had been concealing her presence, and it was unclear how he had sensed her presence and managed to find her all the way here.
The only thing that comes to mind is the wounds on her body inflicted by the evil blade.
He may have found his way here by following the scent left behind by that evil blade.
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