In Xu Changāanās 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 Changāan originally thought Wen Li would be more masculine, but actually, perhaps it was an illusion, Senior Wen seemed softer when with Miss Yun.
"..."
Xu Changāan stood at the door, slightly dazed. The cold wind cleared his mind considerably.
He felt he had underestimated Senior Wenās 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 Qianās attitude towards Wen Li was not dismissive.
Xu Changāan didnāt 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.
"Youāre back?" Yun Qian walked up to Xu Changāan, handing him the ginger tea, and said, "Drink it."
"?" Xu Chang blinked, not taking the ginger tea.
"I canāt finish it." Yun Qian offered the porcelain cup to Xu Changāan, then took the bag from his hand, seeing the Jade Dew Bottle inside, she calmly said, "Iām saving some room for other things."
"..." Xu Changāan 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 Changāanās gaze swept the teapot on the table.
Yun Qian drank ginger tea, but Wen Li did not.
Didnāt Senior Sister say sheād already had tea elsewhere?
Xu Changāan returned to his seat, during which Yun Qian calmly held his arm, occasionally yawning.
Xu Changāan knew Miss Yun wasnāt being affectionate for outsiders to see because she was like this in private. However... in front of Wen Li, Xu Changāan 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 wouldnāt have waited until Xu Changāanās return.
Itās just, after the two leaned together, Wen Li noticed that the cut on Xu Changāanās hair aligned with Yun Qianās 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, thereās still some matters you should hear."
"Senior Sister, please speak." Xu Changāan 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 Changāan. "Iāve 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 Changāan was startled as he took the list, then he gently released Yun Qianās 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 Changāan being so courteous, she said, "Itās a small matter."
Xu Changāan 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 Changāan 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 Liās provided list, he could confidently dose Yun Qian with elixirs and jade dew.
"Then thatās settled, the hour is late." Wen Li, having finished her business, glanced at the drowsy Yun Qian and bid farewell to Xu Changāan and Yun Qian.
After giving Yun Qian a look, Xu Changāan 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 Changāan, adhering to etiquette, escorted Wen Li to the North Garden gate, stopping only when he saw Qinling boating on the lake.
"Iāll have to trouble you more in the future, Senior Sister." Xu Changāan said helplessly, "Thereās 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 Qianās residence, thought for a moment, and said, "The tea is nice... also, Junior Brother, you have good handwriting."
Then Wen Liās figure turned into a breeze and dissipated before Xu Changāan, returning to Muyu Peak.
Xu Changāan stood in place for a while, then couldnāt help but smile.
To him, todayās meeting was satisfactorily concluded.
As for Wen Liās 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 Changāan 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 couldnāt shake the feeling that something about the atmosphere was off, though he couldnāt pinpoint what it was.
āā
On Muyu Peak.
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 Liās thoughts were a mess. She felt she might have grasped something from Xu Changāanās calligraphy, yet she truly didnāt feel anything.
Looking down at the words on the paper she had written, she realized she was intentionally imitating Xu Changāanās handwriting.
Was it an illusion?
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.