The green wine in Huajin Tower was sweet and clear. The wine’s color was a beautiful pale jade green that looked like glimmering blue-green jade when held in white porcelain cups, as if one were drinking a pool of spring.

Spilling a few drops on the table was truly a waste.

Jin Feicui smiled as she reached for the wine pot, filling the young man’s empty cup across from her, then pouring herself a cup as well. She lowered her head to take a small sip before saying, “This green wine costs me hundreds of spirit stones per pot. Others want to drink it but can’t, yet here you are wasting such good stuff.” She looked meaningfully at the person across from her: “The wine didn’t offend you – why are you taking your anger out on it?”

“It’s not like I won’t pay.”

“I’m not short of money.” Jin Feicui was dismissive: “So tell me, how exactly did our little junior sister upset you?”

The young man said nothing, his face cold as he looked out the window.

“I think she has a lively and generous temperament, understands propriety and etiquette, and handles matters thoroughly. Xuan Lingzi says she’s also very diligent and hardworking. How could any of this make you this angry?”

“Propriety and etiquette? Diligent and hardworking?” Gu Baiying laughed in anger: “She said she wanted to learn illusion techniques herself, pestered me to arrange daily meetings at Chuhong Terrace, then turned around and forgot her own words. She runs to other people’s halls daily, and I can’t even catch a glimpse of her. And you say she has propriety, etiquette, and is diligent?”

“When I kindly reminded her not to forget, she said there would be plenty of time in the future.”

Jin Feicui looked at him: “You’re angry with her?”

“She can’t even tell that I’m angry!”

After Gu Baiying finished speaking, his expression fluctuated dramatically.

Perhaps this was what made him angriest of all.

“Alright,” Jin Feicui propped her chin and looked at him: “Look how wronged our Yingying is. If you like her, just tell her directly. Why hide here, getting angry with yourself?”

“Like her?” The young man stared at the person across from him as if he’d seen a ghost: “Who likes Yang Zanxing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jin Feicui laughed: “Every word of your anger, every word of your dislike, says you like her.”

Gu Baiying was stunned and instinctively retorted: “I don’t…”

“Has the Jiexin Bell rung?”

“……”

Jin Feicui smiled knowingly: “Whether or not you’re moved, you know clearly in your heart. If you insist on not admitting it, there’s nothing I can do. But Yingying, the Jiexin Bell your mother gave you works better than your mouth. Next time you see her, listen carefully to whether the Jiexin Bell will ring. If it rings…” The proprietress spread her hands: “Then don’t be stubborn.”

Gu Baiying angrily turned his head away: “Need you even ask? How could it possibly ring?”

Jin Feicui blinked: “If it hasn’t rung, what are you guilty about?”

Gu Baiying: “……”

“How touching,” Jin Feicui turned to look out the window. On the Lixiu River, fishing boats lit a few scattered stars of fire in the night. Her voice was gentle: “Our Yingying has reached the age of being troubled by love.”

“Hey, don’t talk nonsense…” Gu Baiying was flustered and angry.

“Being troubled by love isn’t shameful.” Jin Feicui smiled and raised her wine cup: “But the matter of little Junior Sister Yang pining for her senior brother has spread even to our Huajin Tower. Yingying, you’ll need to work harder, or someone else might claim her heart.”

“I told you I don’t like…”

“Well, if you don’t like her, then don’t be angry, or find someone else to like. Why make things difficult for yourself?” The beautiful proprietress coaxed persuasively: “When you live long enough, all emotions are like morning dew and flowers – when the color fades, there will be another. It’s nothing special. You like her very much now, but later, you’ll like someone else. Rather than that, why not like someone else now and save yourself from heartbreak?”

Gu Baiying held back his temper and put down a bag of spirit stones: “I’m too lazy to talk to you.” He got up and left.

“Not drinking anymore?”

“No more!”

Jin Feicui wasn’t annoyed. She looked toward the river outside, where the water flowed like silk, carrying moonlight into the distance.

She waved her folding fan and murmured: “Did it ring or not…”

…

Whether the Jiexin Bell had rung before, others didn’t know, but it probably wouldn’t ring in the future because Gu Baiying had cast a Fuyin Jue on the bell.

This bell kept having accidents every few days. If others heard it, he truly wouldn’t be able to explain himself. With the Fuyin Jue cast, he felt much more at ease. As for what Jin Feicui said, Gu Baiying dismissed it all as nonsense.

After all, he and Yang Zanxing – one was a martial uncle, one was a martial nephew. If he had improper thoughts about a junior, how would that be different from a beast?

Of course, he didn’t like Yang Zanxing anyway.

However, Jin Feicui wasn’t the only one worried about his lifelong affairs. In the small courtyard outside Jinhua Hall, Xuan Lingzi was talking with Zhao Mayi.

“You know, Seventh Junior Brother has grown up,” Xuan Lingzi sighed. “Seventh Junior Brother has always been competitive and very proud. This time, when they went to Li’er Kingdom together, little Zanxing received Qinghua Xianzi’s inheritance, yet Junior Brother was able to view this matter with equanimity. Not only that, he even took the initiative to ask if Zanxing wanted to learn illusion techniques. Tell me, has Seventh Junior Brother grown up?”

Zhao Mayi mysteriously stroked his little beard: “Why don’t you think of other reasons?”

“What reasons?”

“After all, our Seventh Junior Brother has reached the age when young men’s thoughts turn to love…”

Xuan Lingzi was first stunned, then suddenly understood: “You mean Putao from Xiangling Sect?”

Zhao Mayi: “Huh?”

“That youngest female disciple from Xiangling Sect! The one Sect Leader Rongshuang loves most.” Xuan Lingzi said in a low voice: “I heard from Zi Luo that Xiangling Sect intends to build good relations with our sect. Putao is Sect Leader Rongshuang’s most beloved little disciple and also her relative. They have the intention of forming a dao companion bond with our Seventh Junior Brother. The two are well-matched in age, appearance, and status, so it would be quite suitable. With Seventh Junior Brother’s bad temper, frankly speaking, we’d be reaching above our station.”

“What reaching above our station,” a woman’s voice came from outside: “That Xiangling Sect female disciple’s temper isn’t necessarily any better. I think she’s far inferior to our Meng Ying. Besides, what does Xiangling Sect mean by this? Just because the engagement between Master and Rongshuang was broken off, they want us to compensate them with another engagement? Even inherited debts aren’t repaid like this!”

“Keep your voice down, Senior Sister!” Xuan Lingzi stamped his feet anxiously: “What if someone else hears?”

“You know to be afraid?” Yueqin looked at him coldly: “If you’re afraid, why are you gossiping here?”

“I’m just curious. When Master and Sect Leader Rongshuang met, neither of them reacted much. The events of those years caused such a stir, yet now it’s so calm – how can that not make people wonder?”

“Instead of having the leisure to speculate about the sect leader’s affairs, you should manage your disciple better. Right now, the entire Taiyan Sect knows that Yang Zanxing is pining for Mu Cengxiao – what kind of appearance is this?”

“How is this inappropriate? Young people getting tangled up in romance is perfectly normal.” Xuan Lingzi was protective and immediately retorted: “Isn’t your Meng Ying the same?”