"I know, after all, so many are planted in the Sword Hall..." Zhu Pingniang was at a loss for words.
Clearly, the Enlightenment Tea doesnât count for much, but... the plum blossoms planted everywhere in the Flower Moon Building, she truly hadnât thought that these would be precious in Li Zhibaiâs heart.
For a moment, Zhu Pingniang didnât know what to say.
"Why plum blossoms?" she asked stiffly.
She thought it might be the Sect Leader, the Sword Hall, or even the Sword Hall she used to live in, or maybe some old acquaintance.
"Because theyâre beautiful?" Li Zhibai pondered: "And fragrant too."
"How could you have such girlish thoughts?" Zhu Pingniang clenched her fist.
"Because I am a woman," Li Zhibai reminded her.
"...Then itâs fine."
Li Zhibai noticed this girlâs mood seemed a bit downcast and spoke calmly: "I do genuinely like plum blossoms, both Xue Mei and Hongmei, I like them."
"I know, you donât have to say anymore." Zhu Pingniang thought plum blossoms could be found everywhere, how could they compare to Yun Qian, a one-of-a-kind girl?
"But Ah Bai, you also like bright plum blossoms? Arenât the ones near Three Officials Rock all Xue Mei?" Zhu Pingniang was a bit puzzled, as the plum blossoms on Muyu Peak are all very chosen, including the ones in Li Zhibaiâs Sword Hall, which are all pure Xue Mei.
"I like them." Li Zhibai thought for a moment, looking at the distant night view of Beisang City: "There are Hongmei here, arenât there?"
Or should I say, bright plum blossoms.
"The Flower Moon Building does have some planted..." Zhu Pingniang said, suddenly meeting Li Zhibaiâs gaze, and was stunned.
Because of the way Li Zhibai looked at her.
Even though the eye contact lasted only a moment before Li Zhibai went back to looking at the night scene, Zhu Pingniangâs heart suddenly pounded intensely.
Wait...
Wait a minute!
Ah Bai said she likes plum blossoms?
Zhu Pingniang glanced down at the outfit she had specially changed into to accompany Li Zhibai for a drink.
The black waist-cinching top with sleeves adorned with plum blossoms, half bright red Hongmei, half pale white Xue Mei, the wind brushing her long sleeves, highlighting the whiteness of her wrist under the clothes.
Xue Mei is Zhu Tongjun.
Hongmei is Zhu Pingniang.
Zhu Pingniangâs dark pupils trembled in their sockets.
If thatâs the case, Ah Bai saying she likes plum blossoms... isnât actually referring to the flowers?
The precious thing isnât the plum blossom, but herself.
Right as Li Zhibai turned back and glanced at her sleeve, Zhu Pingniangâs face flushed red all at once.
Zhu Pingniang was very sure, this wasnât an illusion, Li Zhibai meant exactly what she thought.
Then... how did Li Zhibai just describe her?
Beautiful.
And fragrant too.
Zhu Pingniang shivered slightly, lowered her head to hide her glowing face.
Her Ah Bai is wonderful in every way, but sometimes in ordinary conversation, she says sweet nothings, somewhat similar to Yun Qian.
Oh, I should say Yun Qian is like her, otherwise, the generations would be reversed.
Li Zhibai withdrew her gaze and looked at the shyly bowed Zhu Pingniang: "Tong Jun, is there anything else you want to ask?"
"No, no more."
Zhu Pingniangâs face was flushed.
This time, there really is nothing more.
Although she had probed what Li Zhibai subconsciously thought of as âprecious,â she had no way to measure Yun Qianâs weight in Li Zhibaiâs heart with it.
What should she do?
Should she ask whether if exchanging herself for Yun Qian, would Li Zhibai be willing?
She wouldnât be in the business of trading people.
Besides, she and Yun Qian arenât objects... It sounds a bit odd, but theyâre simply not comparable.
Even if Li Zhibai would be willing to exchange, Changâan wouldnât allow it.
Zhu Pingniangâs face couldnât suppress her smile.
She no longer needed to probe.
Because when Li Zhibaiâs precious thing was herself, the slight jealousy she felt due to Yun Qian... had long since vanished completely.
It must be said, Ah Baiâs approach is extremely clever.
She didnât follow her own train of thought but addressed her trouble directly at its sourceâby not being jealous, thereâs no further mischief.
Zhu Pingniang didnât need to know whether Li Zhibai did it intentionally or not, but now she was very happy.
Because whether it was an old acquaintance secretly drinking with Li Zhibai afterward, or having seen Li Zhibaiâs nightgown like Yun Qian... none could compare to her being this plum blossom.
Zhu Pingniang wanted that attitude, and the rest... was no longer important.
"Iâm fine now." Zhu Pingniang seriously lifted her head.
Li Zhibai leisurely put down her wine cup: "So, you had something earlier?"
"I was a bit jealous." Zhu Pingniang said directly.
"At your age." Li Zhibai was helpless.
"No matter my age, Iâm still a woman."
"Look at Ms. Yun, sheâs never jealous of Changâan staying alone at Muyu Peak."
Zhu Pingniang pouted: "How trustworthy is Changâan? If I were Yun Qian, I wouldnât worry either."
But Li Zhibai... Zhu Pingniang was very wary of her.
But that wasnât important, it was time to talk about the main topic.
"Ah Bai, earlier I said the Enlightenment Tea was just me being petty, there should be something more suitable, so I wonât waste your stuff." Zhu Pingniang took out a talisman from her storage ring: "This can enhance Yun Qianâs physique."
"Itâs not a waste." Although Zhu Pingniang had calmed down, Li Zhibai didnât take back the Enlightenment Tea and just said: "Just use the tea leaves, itâs perfectly fine."
She wasnât joking.
"Itâs really wasteful." Zhu Pingniang said: "Giving it to Ms. Yun, isnât the focus of understanding the Heavenly Dao wasted?"
Yun Qian hasnât even started cultivation, even if you let her âstick closeâ to the Heavenly Dao, sheâs unlikely to comprehend anything.
"Yun Qian probably doesnât even have an impression of what the Heavenly Dao is, if you give her this, when she reaches the enlightenment state close to the Heavenly Dao, sheâll probably mistake it for drowsy fatigue and fall asleep right then and there." Zhu Pingniang speculated.
Quite possibly, right?
After all, with Yun Qianâs appearance...
Sigh.
She couldnât bear to see Li Zhibai waste things, so she reminded: "Ah Bai, if you truly donât want this Enlightenment Tea, wouldnât it be better to give it to Ah Li?"
Zhu Pingniang said, her ears slightly warm.
Her old habits were acting up, starting to make arrangements for Li Zhibai again.
Giving the Enlightenment Tea to Wen Li was actually a thought... If Li Zhibai could now mend relations with the senior sisters of Muyu Peak, those old ladies, upon knowing, should be very grateful to her.
So, Zhu Pingniang now thought of it as a win-win.
Isnât this much better than giving it to Yun Qian?
"I have a portion for Wen Li saved up," Li Zhibai said: "Itâs just not the right time yet, so I havenât given it to her."
"Youâve also saved some for Wen Li?" Zhu Pingniang widened her eyes in surprise.
So, the bottle in hand wasnât the only one.
"Iâve saved some, and thereâs some left for Changâan as well." Li Zhibai thought this was quite natural.
As a teacher, she would keep a share of opportunities for every student she had taught, this was her duty.
"Then... thereâs nothing more." Zhu Pingniang in that moment once again felt what it meant to be a frog at the bottom of a well.
"So, extracting its essence for Ms. Yunâs use, Iâll leave that to you." Li Zhibai pondered: "Tong Jun, Yun Qian has a pure and transparent Exquisite Heart, so the Enlightenment Tea will be beneficial for her."
It might even have exceptional effects.
"Hmm?" Zhu Pingniang didnât quite understand.
Li Zhibai thought about how Yun Qian, even without cultivation, exudes a faint sense of âNatural Daoist Lawsâ... Such Yun Qian is like an uncarved piece of jade.
If Yun Qian understood cultivation and gained a utilitarian mindset, it would actually be less beautiful.
Precisely because she understands nothing, Li Zhibai was very curious about what Heavenly Dao aura Yun Qian would perceive after consuming the Enlightenment Tea?
In Yun Qianâs clear eyes, what she might see... could perhaps be more fundamental, elemental things.
"Many times, itâs the uncarved that is vital, just like Ms. Yun," Li Zhibai sighed.
"Yun Qian is already a married woman, how could she still be uncarved."
Zhu Pingniang waved the porcelain bottle, puzzled: "Changâan is healthy, Ah Bai, what nonsense are you talking?"
Li Zhibai: "..."