“Miss, could you please help me with something?”

Zanxing looked the person over. He was also dressed in festive attire, with large patches of red and green embroidery on his robe, and his smile seemed quite sincere. She hesitated for a moment and asked, “What is it?”

The young man cleared his throat lightly and took out a silk flower from his chest, placing it in Zanxing’s hand.

Zanxing was flattered.

What? She was included in this kind of thing, too?

Just as she was pondering how to politely decline his invitation, she heard the young man in front of her continue, “Miss, could you help me give this silk flower to that young lady over there?”

He smiled as he looked toward Meng Ying.

Zanxing: “……”

Well, this kind of thing didn’t include her after all.

She closed her palm, gripping the silk flower in her hand, and nodded to him, “Of course I can.”

The young man became happy, his eyes brightening as he thanked her several times before walking to the other side. Zanxing examined the silk flower in her hand. The silk used for the folded flower handkerchief was very exquisite, smooth to the touch, with a faint, pleasant fragrance. She held the silk flower and walked over to Meng Ying.

Zanxing didn’t know that her every move was being watched.

Mendong had just witnessed the entire conversation between Zanxing and the refined young man, and was saying to Gu Baiying, “I never expected that in this remote wilderness, there would be such a man unmoved by beauty with such peculiar taste. But Master Uncle, what if Yang Zanxing accepts his courtship and dual cultivates with him tonight, taking away the Qin Chong?” The next moment, he saw Zanxing carrying the silk flower to Meng Ying and handing it to her.

Mendong fell silent.

After a long while, he murmured, “This is an insult, right? This must be an insult!”

Gu Baiying also stared incredulously into the distance, “Did that bastard treat Yang Zanxing as a messenger?”

“Indeed unbelievable,” Mendong enjoyed watching the drama unfold and fanned the flames from the side, “If he’s not interested, then he’s not interested—why humiliate her like this? Look at Yang Zanxing’s expression…”

In the distance, Zanxing, who was talking with Meng Ying, was smiling brightly, showing no signs of distress.

“…She must be forcing herself to smile,” Mendong sighed, “How pitiful. The first place winner of our Taiyan Sect academy assessment, how could she be despised to this extent? The Senior Brother Mu she likes now, clings to Senior Sister Meng every day, and others treat her as a messenger. Yang Zanxing will cry secretly at night, and in her despair might even throw herself into a river…”

Upon hearing this, Gu Baiying’s handsome face immediately darkened with frost as he angrily said, “What kind of thing is he to dare humiliate a disciple of our Taiyan Sect like this?”

Mendong was indignant, “Outrageous, absolutely outrageous! He should be beaten up!”

Zanxing was talking with Meng Ying when she suddenly sensed gazes falling on her. Looking back, she saw Mendong and Gu Baiying looking at her with strange expressions, especially Gu Baiying, whose gaze was particularly complex, seeming to contain both pity and disappointment.

She found it rather odd. Returning to the bonfire, with Mimi rolling around in a sand pit, Zanxing asked Gu Baiying, “Master Uncle, did you have something to say to me?”

Gu Baiying’s gaze fell on her hand, where, in the cave of Li’er Kingdom’s secret realm, Zanxing had injured her palm while helping him retrieve the puppet left by Qinghua Xianzi, and he had bandaged it for her. Now the bandaging cloth was somewhat dirty.

He raised his eyes to look at Zanxing again. The woman’s gaze was clear and bright, carrying a hint of confusion, and the black scar on her face was blurred and indistinct under the flickering firelight.

Gu Baiying withdrew his gaze, stood up with a “whoosh,” stepped past Zanxing and walked forward, saying, “I’m going over there for a bit.”

Zanxing watched his figure disappear into the crowd and asked Mendong, “Junior Brother, what’s wrong with Master Uncle?”

Mendong didn’t answer her question, but instead sighed deeply, “Men, truly shallow.”

Zanxing: “What?”

……

On the other side, outside the crowd of reveling dancers, Gu Baiying stood quietly.

The young man’s appearance and bearing were exceptionally outstanding. Everyone was dressed in festive attire with gorgeous robes, yet none could match the brilliance of his features. His pearl-white robe, rather than appearing cold and plain among all this splendor, seemed all the more clean and refreshing. He held his silver spear, his expression critical as he surveyed the wildly dancing crowd.

A handsome young man attracted attention wherever he went, and before long, silk flowers were thrown at him from the front and back. But he remained unmoved, his clear pupils reflecting the distant bonfire—warm colors, yet carrying an aloofness that kept people at a thousand li distance.

After watching for a while longer, Gu Baiying’s gaze finally locked onto one person.

This was a young man with beautiful wheat-colored skin, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, handsome features, who seemed quite popular in Wu Fan City as well. His robe’s belt was covered with silk flowers, all given by young ladies. His smile was brilliant, and his singing voice even more captivating.

Gu Baiying watched coldly for a long time, only approaching when the young man went to rest and got wine from a wooden table nearby.

“Hey,” he said.

The young man turned around, was stunned upon seeing him, then realized, “You are… Dou Niang’s guest?”

Wu Fan City wasn’t large, so it was common for young people in the city to know each other. Moreover, their group looked different from others, so Dou Niang had probably explained earlier.

Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow, turned the Embroidered Bone Spear head in another direction, pointing toward the woman sitting by the bonfire, “Go invite her to dance.”

The young man was baffled, “Why should I invite her to dance?”

The young man snorted coldly and reached to untie the Qiankun Bag at his waist, “If you invite her to dance, I’ll give you…” His movement suddenly froze.

The young man looked at him curiously.

Gu Baiying’s expression became ugly as he realized that after entering Wu Fan City, everyone’s Qiankun Bags could no longer be opened.

The young man waited for a long time but didn’t see the next move from the person opposite him, so he put down his wine bowl and smiled, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go dance first.”

He turned to leave but was grabbed by the arm from behind, “Stop!” He had no choice but to turn around and look at Gu Baiying, saying somewhat helplessly, “Dou Niang’s guest, what exactly do you want to do?”

Gu Baiying was also annoyed in his heart. He had watched this dancing crowd for quite a while and had finally selected this handsome young man who was barely acceptable to look at—how could he give up halfway?

“I told you,” he lifted his chin, “go invite that person to dance.”

“Why should I invite her to dance?” The young man was completely confused. “If you like her, why don’t you go invite her yourself?”

Upon hearing this, Gu Baiying angrily said, “Who said I like her?”

The young man looked at him, “You’re strange.” He waved his hand again, “Anyway, I’m not going.”

The young man’s silver spear “whooshed” in front of him, blocking his path. Gu Baiying acted like an unreasonable little devil, “Today you’re going whether you want to or not!”