In Xu Chang’an’s eyes, the scenery in this room was at its best.
Yun Qian, gentle and delicate, held a warm cup of ginger tea with both hands, lightly sipping it, leaving a lip print on the rim. Faint mist rose from the corner of her mouth.
Opposite Yun Qian was Wen Li, whose temperament was entirely different. She held a tea cup, her hair covering half an eye. Despite wearing a long dress, her mere presence exuded a sense of steadiness and reassurance.
Xu Chang’an originally thought Wen Li would be more masculine, but actually, perhaps it was an illusion, Senior Wen seemed softer when with Miss Yun.
Xu Chang’an stood at the door, slightly dazed. The cold wind cleared his mind considerably.
He felt he had underestimated Senior Wen’s social skills. This seemingly reticent senior sister might actually be very capable, managing to converse with his wife in such a short time.
Moreover, he could see that Yun Qian’s attitude towards Wen Li was not dismissive.
Xu Chang’an didn’t have much time to ponder, as Yun Qian, upon seeing him, stood up and walked towards him with the ginger tea, while Wen Li calmly set down her cup, hiding a slight flutter in her eyes.
"You’re back?" Yun Qian walked up to Xu Chang’an, handing him the ginger tea, and said, "Drink it."
"?" Xu Chang blinked, not taking the ginger tea.
"I can’t finish it." Yun Qian offered the porcelain cup to Xu Chang’an, then took the bag from his hand, seeing the Jade Dew Bottle inside, she calmly said, "I’m saving some room for other things."
"..." Xu Chang’an helplessly drank the leftover ginger tea, just as he was about to speak, Yun Qian wrapped her arms around his, leaning her weight against him, gently yawning.
It was obvious that Miss Yun was tired.
Who knew what they had talked about.
And also... Xu Chang’an’s gaze swept the teapot on the table.
Yun Qian drank ginger tea, but Wen Li did not.
Didn’t Senior Sister say she’d already had tea elsewhere?
Xu Chang’an returned to his seat, during which Yun Qian calmly held his arm, occasionally yawning.
Xu Chang’an knew Miss Yun wasn’t being affectionate for outsiders to see because she was in private. However... in front of Wen Li, Xu Chang’an felt it might be somewhat inappropriate.
But Wen Li showed no oddity; to her, the two of them were a legitimate couple, and she was the guest.
Wen Li had proper matters, otherwise she wouldn’t have waited until Xu Chang’an’s return.
It’s just, after the two leaned together, Wen Li noticed that the cut on Xu Chang’an’s hair aligned with Yun Qian’s side bangs.
She was momentarily startled but then returned to calm, trying to ignore the affectionate couple in front of her, saying, "Junior Brother Xu, there’s still some matters you should hear."
"Senior Sister, please speak." Xu Chang’an said seriously.
"Junior Sister Yun is new to cultivation. If conditions allow, she can take some elixirs and herbs to adjust her body." Wen Li said, taking out a list from her storage ring and handing it to Xu Chang’an. "I’ve listed the medicines suitable for the Qi Refining Realm. Some spirit herbs at the White Jade Platform require an Inner Sect disciple to purchase, but you can exchange them for contribution points at the Muyu Peak Steward Hall with a token."
"This..." Xu Chang’an was startled as he took the list, then he gently released Yun Qian’s arm, stood up, and respectfully bowed to Wen Li: "Thank you, Senior Sister."
Yun Qian sat quietly to the side, watching her husband bow, tilted her head, pondering if she should also get up and bow to Wen Li.
Wen Li squinted slightly, looking at Xu Chang’an being so courteous, she said, "It’s a small matter."
Xu Chang’an thought, this is no small matter; Wen Li had helped him a great deal.
He had long wanted to exchange some treasures from the Immortal Sect for Yun Qian. Had it not been that the Jade Splendor Primordial Qi given by the system could only be used by himself, Xu Chang’an felt he would likely have given it to Yun Qian.
Over the past year doing duties like playing chess with others and having tea at Muyu Peak, he had indeed saved a lot of contribution points and spirit stones, intending to buy good things for Yun Qian.
But since some Immortal Sect items had too much potency, not necessarily suitable for ordinary people, they were put off. Now with Wen Li’s provided list, he could confidently dose Yun Qian with elixirs and jade dew.
"Then that’s settled, the hour is late." Wen Li, having finished her business, glanced at the drowsy Yun Qian and bid farewell to Xu Chang’an and Yun Qian.
After giving Yun Qian a look, Xu Chang’an stood up to see Wen Li out.
However, Yun Qian only walked as far as the Moon Sect Entrance and stopped, not going further due to the rain.
Xu Chang’an, adhering to etiquette, escorted Wen Li to the North Garden gate, stopping only when he saw Qinling boating on the lake.
"I’ll have to trouble you more in the future, Senior Sister." Xu Chang’an said helplessly, "There’s nothing much in this small courtyard to entertain you... I apologize for being rude."
Wen Li responded, she turned back to glance in the direction of Yun Qian’s residence, thought for a moment, and said, "The tea is nice... also, Junior Brother, you have good handwriting."
Then Wen Li’s figure turned into a breeze and dissipated before Xu Chang’an, returning to Muyu Peak.
Xu Chang’an stood in place for a while, then couldn’t help but smile.
To him, today’s meeting was satisfactorily concluded.
As for Wen Li’s couple of compliments, he barely took them to heart. Any random girl skilled in calligraphy and tea arts at Muyu Peak could easily outmatch him; his little skill was not worth boasting about.
Xu Chang’an turned and left.
In the distance on the lake surface, Qinling, with a flushed face, held a wine cup, watching the man and woman who had just stood talking. Blinking, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something about the atmosphere was off, though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Wen Li returned to her residence, walked to the mirror, looked at her somewhat ill-fitting long dress, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. She took out an unfinished painting of a young figure, held her brush over the empty-featured face for a long time, but ultimately, did not make a stroke.
To be precise, after seeing a loving couple, the difficulty of this painting had risen entirely to a different level compared to before meeting Yun Qian.
She wrote the poems on the paper beside the painting. Wen Li’s thoughts were a mess. She felt she might have grasped something from Xu Chang’an’s calligraphy, yet she truly didn’t feel anything.
Looking down at the words on the paper she had written, she realized she was intentionally imitating Xu Chang’an’s handwriting.
A slash of sword light flickered past her fingertips, erasing all the wet ink on the paper.
Wen Li thought that perhaps only when she truly understood her own feelings and was willing to confront them... would it be possible to complete this painting.