Suddenly, I felt a bit jealous.
I discovered soone who unsettled Li Zhibai, yet she didn’t understand them, and even... Li Zhibai was reluctant to ntion them in front of her, speaking only vaguely.
Zhu Pingniang had no other way, but she could hint indirectly.
She suddenly said, "Ah Bai, it’s all in the past."
"...?" Li Zhibai was stunned for a mont.
"Did you just et soone you knew?" Zhu Pingniang probed.
"...Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"Mm."
Zhu Pingniang once again affird her guess; seeing a face nine-tenths similar to an old acquaintance, does it count as an old acquaintance?
A deceased person, so maybe it still counts.
"Say it again, looking into my eyes." Zhu Pingniang said.
"Say what?" Li Zhibai asked.
"It’s all in the past." Zhu Pingniang said.
"..." Li Zhibai did not speak.
Asking her to turn the page on the Sect Leader playing clever card gas with the girls... that’s almost impossible.
So it’s hard to move on.
"Ah Bai, how old are you this year?" Zhu Pingniang suddenly asked.
"..." Li Zhibai blinked.
Why ask this out of the blue?
Even though she never cared about her age, lately, due to Xu Chang’an, Li Zhibai kept wondering if she was falling behind in young people’s thoughts, thus always pondering if she was already old.
So, she started to care.
"I just want to say, Ah Bai, you’ve co a long way, seen all kinds of things, old friends aren’t just one or two, why dean yourself for a mont’s surge of nostalgia." Zhu Pingniang advised.
"...You don’t understand." Li Zhibai shook her head.
She’s co a long way.
But the matter of Shi Qingjun visiting brothels, she indeed had never seen, even dared not to imagine.
For a mont, Li Zhibai couldn’t find anything in the world more bizarre, ridiculous, absurd than this.
Thinking hard, she considered that only the person from the Demon Sect could compare with the Sect Leader.
Yet the person from the Demon Sect is of the sa level as the Sect Leader—a recluse—the idea of such inexplicable actions from them wouldn’t make sense.
"I don’t know, you won’t say, let guess... how can I understand?" Zhu Pingniang said, and suddenly seed to sll sothing.
She looked shocked, leaning in to sniff near Li Zhibai’s face... then her face turned pale.
"Ah Bai..."
Seeing Zhu Pingniang step back slightly, a cold breeze swept past her brow, bringing a chill, her grip on her skirt tightened significantly, nails embedded into the skin, leaving a red mark.
Zhu Pingniang’s expression gradually twisted, eyebrows knitted together, her eyes deep like the Abyss Sea, frighteningly profound.
"...?" Li Zhibai didn’t understand.
"Tong Jun, what’s wrong."
"..." Zhu Pingniang angrily took out a piece of silver from her bosom, threw it fiercely into the water, after a while... a hapless fish floated belly up.
Watching Zhu Pingniang vent her anger on a small thing, Li Zhibai frowned slightly.
"Ah Bai."
"Mm."
"You drank?"
"I did."
Li Zhibai nodded.
A little girl offered her a drink.
"...Good grief." Zhu Pingniang was both angry and disappointed... She hadn’t expected to leave for just a mont, and Ah Bai got scooped up by soone else.
She had been anticipating the first drink after their reunion from the beginning.
In the relationships between won, regardless of whether it’s the first drink at a banquet or the first drink after reuniting, it’s extrely important.
Whether drinking or offering it... as long as it concerns soone cared for, none want it taken by outsiders.
Of course, Zhu Pingniang felt the sa way.
But unexpectedly, under her very nose, the first drink between her and Ah Bai was snatched away with a [snap].
"Is this a very important matter?" Li Zhibai watched Zhu Pingniang, who seed lost, bewildered.
"Of course, it’s important." Zhu Pingniang gritted her teeth, asked, "Who was it?"
"A girl from the Flower Moon Building."
"Why did you drink her wine?"
"Because she offered it."
Zhu Pingniang: "..."
Li Zhibai’s response was faultless, honest, which further confird Zhu Pingniang’s suspicions.
Indeed, after encountering an old acquaintance.
Even, maybe by coincidence afterward, Li Zhibai beca aware she was an honored guest, and was offered a drink... such a seemingly destined encounter brought Ah Bai into reminiscence.
Zhu Pingniang wanted to ask which girl it was, but she didn’t ask, nor did she plan to investigate among the Ni Zi afterward.
Because it was clear that Li Zhibai was concealing, unwilling to let anybody know.
At this mont, all the clues converged in her mind, forming a flawless, impeccable story, confirming her suspicion entirely.
Jealousy rose within her.
To the point of wanting to grind her teeth.
Yet that was Ah Bai, at such close proximity, the first banquet drink was taken by soone, outsiders couldn’t understand Zhu Pingniang’s thoughts.
She did everything to prevent Xu Chang’an from preparing wine, all for this sole drink.
She guarded against Xu Chang’an, guarded against Yun Qian...
But was snatched away by so unknown girl.
Moreover, it was a girl she had raised, you tell , isn’t that infuriating?
But when Zhu Pingniang recalled that dazed, lost gaze of Li Zhibai upon returning, the anger in her heart dissipated completely, transforming into a poignant tenderness.
"You really do like that child." Zhu Pingniang said.
Li Zhibai thought for a mont, said, "Consider her your daughter."
A girl raised by Pingniang offered her a drink, no matter what, there was no reason not to drink.
"But I’m still displeased." Zhu Pingniang sighed.
"Because I drank soone else’s wine?"
"Mm."
"But aren’t I going to be with you next?" Li Zhibai pointed to the small wine table at the center of the high platform, where various wine fragrances could be slled.
"But the first drink at a banquet is the most important."
"And I’ve already had it." Li Zhibai said.
"Ah Bai, you’re not yourself." Zhu Pingniang surprisingly looked up, discovered sothing odd—Li Zhibai had unexpected patience for her, if it were the old days where she tangled about one or two drinks, Li Zhibai likely wouldn’t go along.
"Really?" Li Zhibai knew she felt guilty for keeping secrets from the Ni Zi in front of her, so she was patient.
"Yes." Zhu Pingniang hesitated, then verified a suspicion: "Ah Bai, if I told you now that I want to take the entire Flower Moon Building up to Muyu Peak, would you still consider it inappropriate?"
There are old acquaintances of Ah Bai among these Ni Zi.
"No." Li Zhibai earnestly said, "These are your connections, if you want them to go to the Immortal Sect, let them, it’s good for them."
"What if there are obstacles, like those won don’t like , forbid from taking the Ni Zi back to the mountain?" Zhu Pingniang asked Li Zhibai, "Would you help ?"
"Mm." Li Zhibai nodded.
Of course she would.
There are girls in this building who have ford a good bond with the Sect Leader, and just for this little bit, Li Zhibai, who benefited from the Sect Leader’s guidance nurous tis, thinks Chaoyun Sect ought to express goodwill.
Zhu Pingniang: "...Indeed."
"Indeed." Li Zhibai didn’t understand Zhu Pingniang’s aning.
Had Tong Jun misunderstood sothing?
She was imagining sothing.
Zhu Pingniang no longer had any questions.
Although Li Zhibai hadn’t said anything explicitly, Zhu Pingniang felt she said everything—her building indeed housed a Ni Zi whom Ah Bai cared for, even willing to stay, join Flower Moon Building to approach the person as an ’equal.’"
"I can understand." Zhu Pingniang gently said, "So mories always catch one off guard."
Occasionally rembered, like tasting the richest wine, lingering on the lips, hard to forget.
Just like the Miss Gu in Zhu Pingniang’s mind.
Because of Ms. Gu, Zhu Pingniang’s attitude towards Gu Qiancheng remained indulgent and fond.
This is loving one’s house and its crow.
Li Zhibai probably felt the sa.
But in the end...
"All thanks to Chang’an." Zhu Pingniang shook her head.
Before Xu Chang’an appeared, even if Li Zhibai encountered a descendant of an old acquaintance, she wouldn’t even take a second glance.
It was due to Xu Chang’an that Li Zhibai regained those emotions, gradually becoming more "human."
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