How could her clever student do sothing so foolish?
As it turns out, Li Zhibai was right in her assumption. It was Xu Chang’an’s respect for Zhu Pingniang that allowed him to be alone with her safely in the small pavilion. No matter how many potentially misleading things the other party did, he never took it to heart.
First, he has a clear conscience, and second, he respects this elder, so he lets her have her way.
Saying it’s respect, perhaps it’s actually sowhat indulgent.
It’s also because Zhu Pingniang occasionally acts like a willful elder, so she can’t be blad.
Of course.
There’s one thing that makes Li Zhibai feel helpless, and that’s whether Xu Chang’an pretends not to care about avoiding suspicion because otherwise it would show he sees Tong Jun as a woman.
Or maybe such a beautiful girl like Tong Jun never even registers as a woman in Chang’an’s eyes.
If they’re not won to him, then what’s there to avoid?
"Tong Jun." Li Zhibai spoke.
"Hmm...?" By that ti, Zhu Pingniang had cald down, managing to suppress her turmoil. She was confident that her little thoughts wouldn’t be discovered, so she asked, "What’s the matter?"
"I..." Li Zhibai seed to hesitate and said softly, "I’m not very clear on how Chang’an behaves when he cos to you, but... he should keep his distance from the girls who have a crush on him here, right?"
"Of course." Zhu Pingniang nodded vigorously.
Otherwise, why would she say Chang’an is the best at maintaining distance from won?
"So it is." Li Zhibai nodded.
"What do you an?" Zhu Pingniang asked.
Li Zhibai waved her hand, indicating Zhu Pingniang should think about how to articulate it.
Zhu Pingniang blinked.
She hadn’t said anything wrong, had she...
Could it be that Ah Bai wasn’t looking for this answer?
Zhu Pingniang shook her head.
Actually, the reason she had such resentful thoughts before was inevitable; after all, the difference between how Xu Chang’an treated her and the girls in her building was too great.
Clearly, he’s best at keeping his distance, yet he can be so uninhibitedly close to .
Isn’t this testing ?
Zhu Pingniang blinked and silently cursed herself.
She was just grateful that Li Zhibai hadn’t reached the Qiankun Realm and didn’t have the ability to read her mind; otherwise, her several thoughts today would have made her unable to live.
After thinking for a mont, Zhu Pingniang thought she hadn’t said anything wrong.
Xu Chang’an is indeed the best at maintaining distance from girls. For example, on Muyu Peak, Xu Chang’an would only appear at the girls’ banquets when he had tasks to complete. If there were no tasks, you could never expect to see his shadow.
It’s the sa in Beisang City.
Take Qingluo as an example, and you’ll understand.
After Xu Chang’an saved Liu Qingluo from her predicant, a rare act of hero saving a beauty, he still claid it was because she had asked him to go... not leaving Qingluo with even a shred of fantasy.
Zhu Pingniang thought this wasn’t even rciless; rather, from beginning to end, he never had any interest, so how could there be any talk of cruelty?
It’s also because of this that when the girls at Flower Moon Building saw Xu Chang’an not being distant from Zhu Pingniang and often spending ti alone with her... they would tease and jealousy complain that Zhu Pingniang was ’hoarding’ or using her status as an Immortal Sect elder to bully them.
Of course, these are all jokes.
Every single girl in Flower Moon Building, after spending so ti with Zhu Pingniang, would co to realize, just like Miss Lu, that their elder sister, who seed full of allure, was actually the most innocent.
And that’s precisely why the matter of her and Xu Chang’an strolling in the garden together only circulated privately among the girls and didn’t spread... since no one genuinely suspected there was anything between the two.
Only admiration and jealousy...
Jealous towards both of them.
Jealous of Zhu Pingniang for being able to stroll with the handso Young Master Xu.
Jealous of Xu Chang’an for being able to stay so close and chat with Zhu Pingniang.
This kind of mutual jealousy, for the girls, was indeed a rare experience.
"Tong Jun." Li Zhibai gathered her thoughts.
"Hmm." Zhu Pingniang responded.
"Do you think, while Chang’an keeps his distance, could it be that he never sees anyone other than Ms. Yun as a woman?" Li Zhibai slowly said, "Even if he keeps his distance, it’s not because he’s moved by those won, but simply doesn’t want people to gossip?"
After all, Li Zhibai thought Xu Chang’an was indeed mindful of what others thought of Yun Qian, so his distance-keeping wasn’t because the others were won, but for Yun Qian’s sake.
"..."
Zhu Pingniang fell silent at those words.
The black clouds overhead gradually pressed down.
She glanced into Li Zhibai’s eyes and then looked away.
Ah Bai... she’s spoken the unspeakable truth.
Even though it’s the truth, Zhu Pingniang often chose to ignore it, but now Li Zhibai had laid it bare.
Zhu Pingniang conceded silently.
Clearly, she agreed with Li Zhibai’s point of view.
It was just that... anyone other than Yun Qian held no allure for Xu Chang’an in his eyes, sothing Zhu Pingniang had confird early on.
Nevertheless, she felt stifled by this agreent.
She is, after all, the dignified Zhu Tongjun of the Hehuan Sect.
For Zhu Pingniang, who valued appearance imnsely, realizing she had no feminine allure in Chang’an’s eyes was imasurably complex.
"Oh, my wording wasn’t precise," Li Zhibai added, "It’s not that he sees no one but Ms. Yun as a woman, but rather, he sees no charm in won other than Yun Qian."
Precisely speaking, he can only perceive Yun Qian’s feminine allure, while everyone else, in his view, is the sa.
Yet it doesn’t quite settle right.
Xu Chang’an, being soone from Muyu Peak, should have no issues with basic aesthetics, like appreciating the clothing styles of certain girls.
So, how exactly does Chang’an perceive the won other than Yun Qian?
Li Zhibai, talking herself into a corner, was puzzled.
But she knew that even if her teacher chose to stay in a brothel, Xu Chang’an wouldn’t be at all bothered; he’d just think his teacher was relaxing there—there was nothing to avoid.
"Forget it, I honestly can’t figure him out, but Ms. Yun is much easier to understand." Li Zhibai chuckled helplessly.
Her student’s heart was more nuanced than a woman’s; even she couldn’t fathom his actions. On reflection, Yun Qian is more lovable.
Ms. Yun was incomparably easier to understand than Xu Chang’an.
Her eyes were only ever on her husband.
Now, recalling Yun Qian asking for the standard longsword Xu Chang’an used, Li Zhibai still chuckled knowingly.
"..." Zhu Pingniang said nothing; she felt that from both a feminine and elder’s perspective, she had lost miserably, utterly humiliated.
Lacking an elder’s steadiness, she let her heart be moved.
Not seen as a woman.
Losing even the leader’s position given by Ms. Gu.
Even looking into the future, Shi Qingjun clearly intended to groom her as the next leader of the Chaoyun Sect, yet she would probably replicate her actions in the Hehuan Sect, giving up the position.
A Zhu Tongjun achieving nothing.
Only the girls at Flower Moon Building served as solace.
Zhu Pingniang lowered her head, questioning her life.
Otherwise, as such a useless woman, she might as well go back up the mountain, end her days with that Ni Zi, Qinling.
"Tong Jun, so, my staying here shouldn’t hinder Chang’an from coming to if sothing arises." Li Zhibai said.
"... Of course, it won’t." Zhu Pingniang snapped back to reality and spat.
In the end, it’s not her who’s odd, but Xu Chang’an, right?
What kind of man, upon joining Muyu Peak, can’t see the girls, yet spends whole days mingling with a Li Hua?!
Wen Li: "..."
——
Zhu Pingniang gradually ca back to herself, driving away thoughts of Qinling from her mind.
She had no desire to return to being teased daily by that Ni Zi, Qinling, and guarded against her using seductive dicine.
"Ultimately, Chang’an... just likes Ms. Yun too much." Zhu Pingniang remarked.
Carefully considering it, all of Xu Chang’an’s actions... were for Yun Qian.
User Comments
0 comments from readers