"I also once said, ’Chaoyun floats over the four seas, returning to its old mountains in the dusk.’" Shi Qingjun gently crushed the flower petals, chuckling lightly, "Alright, An Xin, I’m just speaking casually. It’s you and Tong Jun who should break through sooner, so I can rest earlier."
"Are you... tired?" Li Zhibai was taken aback.
"Perhaps." Shi Qingjun stared intently at the water mirror.
She saw Xu Chang’an walking out of the room, stopping under a fruit tree. He soon grew tired of the fruits and squatted down to play with a kitten under the tree.
The little kitten bared its teeth and bit his fingers, emitting a purring sound from its throat, its sparkling eyes fixed on the smile on Xu Chang’an’s face.
Watching Xu Chang’an’s smile, Shi Qingjun couldn’t help but smile as well, murmuring, "The more I look at him, the more I feel that along this journey... I’ve missed so much scenery. It would have been better if I had met him earlier."
"!!!" Li Zhibai’s eyes narrowed, her fair and slender fingers trembling with force, the skin beneath her fingertips turning pale blue.
Shi Qingjun gave her a curious glance, realizing there was something wrong with the way she spoke.
But, what surprised her more was.
Li Zhibai... actually interpreted it as romance between a man and a woman, she thought there wouldn’t be such a misunderstanding.
This girl, her mindset seems to have grown younger, has something happened?
Shi Qingjun recalled the sudden desire to find a Dao companion when she saw Xu Chang’an and Yun Qian on a boat and suddenly understood.
"I’m not talking about romance, what are you thinking?" Shi Qingjun shook her head, "On the cultivation path, having someone to use as a mirror is truly a fortunate thing."
"I see." Li Zhibai breathed a sigh of relief, her gaze turning serious.
She felt that the Sect Leader might have been influenced by Xu Chang’an’s laid-back attitude.
"He’s not a lazy person," Shi Qingjun seemed to see through Li Zhibai’s thoughts, "It’s just that I’ve planted some flowers and plants recently and gotten used to it... So, what’s he going to do? That girl... is named Qinling, right?"
Li Zhibai had much she wanted to say, much she wanted to ask, but at the moment, it all turned into a breath of clear air.
She softly began to tell Shi Qingjun about Xu Chang’an going down the mountain to deliver wine to Qinling.
"Yin Yang..." Shi Qingjun heard about Xu Chang’an and Yun Qian planning to cultivate together using that technique, without a ripple of emotion, "Yes, it is also the Supreme Principle of Heaven and Earth, it’s quite suitable for him to practice it."
Shi Qingjun looked at Li Zhibai, "It’s just that, had you asked for the technique earlier, I do have some good methods."
"..." Li Zhibai bit her lip.
To ask the Sect Leader for a dual cultivation technique, how could she bring herself to do that?
"Well, Zhu’Er is also quite good; after all, she counts as Xu Chang’an’s guide." Shi Qingjun nodded, then asked, "Does Qinling like Zhu’Er?"
"I suppose." Li Zhibai’s brows knitted slightly, showing traces of agitation.
It was hard to comprehend.
Hard to believe that one day, the Sect Leader would discuss such trivial, completely trivial matters with her.
Based on what Shi Qingjun had said earlier, Li Zhibai feared that a person she admired might suddenly desire retirement at the height of her fame...
"Enough." Shi Qingjun proactively shut off the water mirror.
She knew what Xu Chang’an was going to do. Once her curiosity faded, looking at Li Zhibai’s increasingly rigid stance... she let her leave.
Otherwise, if Li Zhibai stayed any longer, her mental realm might really face issues.
Li Zhibai breathed heavily, turned back to look at a small boat on the lake, and swiftly headed towards Muyu Peak.
She vowed to keep her lips sealed and not reveal any changes in the Sect Leader to anyone.
Upon reflection, no matter how the Sect Leader changed, she remained the person Li Zhibai admired.
For someone admired, one must have enough trust.
Therefore, after the initial shock, Li Zhibai’s resolve actually became firmer.
She only needed to stand resolutely behind the Sect Leader, not to create any trouble for her was the least she could do.
Watching Li Zhibai leave under an umbrella, her expression dazed, Shi Qingjun looked at her own reflection on the lake’s surface, murmuring, "Am I so... intimidating?"
She merely wanted to find someone to chat with.
But in truth, even someone with cultivation nearly matching hers, like Li Zhibai, had a thick barrier between them and her. Apparently, the impression she left on people was too cold, too utilitarian in the past.
Indeed, if she hadn’t only cared about her own cultivation, the Chaoyun Sect wouldn’t have split .
Shi Qingjun suddenly remembered the slightly distant, yet not unpleasant, "Senior Sister Shi" Xu Chang’an called her when conversing with him under this identity, and she slowly lowered her eyes.
Care for the empty-nest Sect Leader.
She lifted her gaze towards the direction of the North Garden.
Speaking of which, if she wanted to find someone to talk to, Miss Yun perhaps would be a good option; she didn’t seem to care much about cultivation.
Shi Qingjun pondered, her fair fingertips lightly touching a bit of pollen and putting it into her mouth, savoring the taste of the flowers she planted herself, shaking her head.
Now is not a good time.
There are too many girls around Yun Qian, and... based on her observations, to become a "bosom friend" to Miss Yun, one has to find an opportunity through Xu Chang’an.
What kind of situation is this?
"If only Xu Chang’an were a girl... it would be perfect." Shi Qingjun sighed regretfully; if Xu Chang’an were a girl, she would undoubtedly relinquish her Sect Leader status to become friends with her.