Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 656: Late Winter in the Capital
This meeting came suddenly and left suddenly, but Pei Ye knew that this was only for himself. After killing Yu Sicheng in front of Luoshen Palace, he had reached a very deep position, witnessed the King of Yan's plot, and learned about the past of the Emperor and Empress. As a thug under Master Xu, he obviously could not bear so much burden.

The woman in front of him lowered her head and selected pastries. Based on the days when they had breakfast together in the former prime minister's house, Pei Ye knew that she was on the verge of being full but not yet full, and was choosing the last taste to take a bite.

In fact, everything is related to her. She transferred herself to Shenjing and entrusted herself with more and more important tasks. Now that Li Yan suddenly came to her side, her control and matchmaking must have been indispensable.

Although Pei Ye came to Shenjing alone and took refuge under the command of His Majesty Jinyang, His Majesty Jinyang was not a poor little girl who depended on him for life - even though she would say "I only have this sword, you" and so on.

Perhaps she was very fragile throughout her childhood and adolescence, but today she can hide behind the scenes and stir up trouble in Shenjing. She must have been in many networks and knew some people she would never have thought of, just like the [Mercury Hua Fu Raft] pattern that was suddenly sent to her by Yangyi Tower when the case encountered obstacles a few days ago.

However, Pei Ye was not brought here by her. Just as he thought while resting his head on his arm in the quiet night, this was his natural destiny. In fact, the more time passed, the more he felt that many of the things he experienced were converging on the same line. If he continued along this line, he would always have to face a higher level of fog.

Xu Chuo looked at the cakes, Pei Ye looked at Xu Chuo in a daze, Xu Chuo didn't look up: "Which one do you think is delicious?"

Pei Ye thought the yellow one was delicious, but he knew that the question was actually "Which one do you think is delicious?" He pointed at the white and glutinous one. Xu Chuo picked it up, took a bite, and nodded with satisfaction.

"While I was in the palace, what was the owner doing outside?" Pei Ye looked at her and chatted.

Xu Chuo finished chewing slowly and said: "It's nothing more than the various matters of the court. Young Master Pei doesn't need to worry about these mundane affairs."

"Oh."

"Ah."

"How did the owner of the museum know His Highness Jinyang?"

Xu Chuo stopped talking and turned his head to look at him.

Pei Ye looked out the window and said to himself, "I don't know what His Highness Jinyang looks like. Why does he wear a mask every day? Is he so ugly that he can't be seen in public?"

Of course there was no need to answer the monologue, so Xu Chuo poured himself a glass of wine.

"Oh, right." Pei Ye turned around and looked at her. "I remember the owner told me that His Highness Jinyang was very beautiful and was known as the most beautiful woman in the Tang Dynasty... Oh, I don't know how beautiful one must be to be considered the most beautiful woman in the world. I think it must be a compliment from others. His Highness himself would definitely not boast like that."

Xu Chuo poured a full cup.

Seeing that she was still silent, Pei Ye asked again: "Master, can you tell me what His Highness Jinyang looks like?"

Xu Chuo raised his head and said calmly, "How ugly a person is can be described in words, but how can one describe how beautiful they are? Don't ask such questions anymore."

“Oh…hahahaha.”

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing to smile about."

Xu Chuo drank the cup and looked at him calmly: "I don't know if you have any misunderstanding, but there is nothing wrong with what I said - I want to ask you, how beautiful is Mingqi naturally, tell me."

"..."

"Ok?"

"What the museum owner said makes sense." Pei Ye lowered his head and gathered his sleeves. "A person's appearance is indeed hard to describe."

"Am I good-looking?" Xu Chuo leaned forward.

"..." Pei Ye's face was a little hot, and he took a towel to wipe his hands that had been wiped long ago, "It looks good. Now that we are full, let's go... ok? It feels like there are too many people."

The number of guests outside the screen was indeed gradually increasing. Shaolong and his companions were still discussing the sword affairs in Shenjing. Some other people from the martial arts world also came in and began to observe and talk with each other.

"Let me ask you, Ming Qitian, are you prettier than me?"

"...A person's appearance is not a number, how can you compare their size... Where are you going later?"

Xu Chuo finally turned her eyes away from his face and said, "Walk around the city and get some fresh air. We have to go back to the palace at night."

She wiped her hands, called the waiter to pay the bill, put her arms around the stove, wrapped herself in a light blue cloak, pulled on her hood to cover her beautiful face, then pushed aside the screen and walked out.

Pei Ye lowered his head and followed with sword in hand.

It was between the hours of Chen and Si, and the clear light filled the Wuyun Tower. The New Year's Day had passed, and the officials of the Southern Court were about to go back to the tower. At this time, Pei Ye heard a hesitant voice beside him calling, "Pei, Young Master Pei?"

He stopped and turned his head. Nan Guannu was standing by the door of the ninth floor hall, looking at him. When he turned his face to her, her eyes widened in shock, her mouth was slightly open, and the expression on her face seemed frozen and stiff.

Pei Ye looked into the hall and saw the remaining four people still chatting around the table. He turned around and smiled: "Long time no see, Nan Zhen Chuan."

"Master Pei...you..." Nan Guannu rarely encountered a situation where he didn't know what to say, "You, are you okay? After we parted in Shaolong, I thought you..."

She really didn't know where to start, because the man in front of her actually cut the throat of the new governor of Shaolong with his own hands. She saw it with her own eyes; he was also detained by the Immortal Platform and taken to the Divine Capital. She also heard it with her own ears.

But now he was indeed standing here, his face seemed the same, yet there seemed to be some changes, clear brown eyes, slightly scattered clean black hair, his face was a little pale, but his posture was very relaxed.

His hands and feet were not shackled, and he held the sword in his hand. His head and clothes were clean - almost too clean, freshly washed and changed this morning. Nan Guannu noticed that he had no chivalrous certificate or money bag on him, which meant that he lived nearby and was just here for breakfast.

"Ah, it's just some misunderstanding." Pei Ye said, "I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence. Is Nan Zhenchuan here to take the Yulin test?"

"..." Nan Guannu had never thought that there would be a "misunderstanding". She glanced to the side, and the noble woman in the light blue warm cloak also stopped, but she only looked back, and her amazingly clear eyes looked away again, without revealing her face. She just stood there waiting, and had no intention of joining the conversation.

But then Nan Guannu thought of a topic: "I'm glad that you're okay, young man. After Young Master Pei left, the first place in the Jade Sword Book has been vacant. Guan Zhenchuan of Kongtong and Master Li of Yufei are also worried about you. Before coming here, Guan Zhenchuan asked me to find out some news."

"The Xianrentai case is confidential, so I cannot tell you. I am sorry for worrying about it."

"Master Li is particularly worried." Nan Guannu looked at him, "He really lost his appetite for half a month, running around the capital, and he lost a lot of weight. We all saw it."

"...Well, I corresponded with her last year."

"Oh! That's great. Master Pei and Master Li are from the same place and are close. I was too worried." Nan Guannu paused for a moment and looked at him again. "Several other swordsmen from the Jade Sword Book are also in there. Master Pei, do you want to say hello? I haven't even mentioned recognizing you yet."

"That's not necessary... Piaoqing didn't come to Shenjing, right?"

"Master Li may not arrive until late spring."

Pei Ye nodded.

"Then, the Jade Sword Book is about..."

"Let's talk about it later." He said, "Nan Zhen Chuan, I have something else to do, so I'll leave now." "Oh, oh, okay."

Pei Ye clasped his fists, bowed, turned and left, and Xu Chuo followed him downstairs.

Walking westward along the street, with carriages and horses slowly following behind him, Pei Ye paced while looking at the dry and bare willow branches. Xu Chuo walked beside him. Pedestrians came and went, and the two of them were quiet, and no one spoke.

After a while, Xu Chuo said, "Yufei Mountain has been growing rapidly and steadily in the past six months. Tianshan, which is supporting it from behind, has no dangerous plans for it. From a long-term perspective, Yufei Mountain will be in a safe, smooth, and rapid recovery period for at least the next four or five years."

Pei Ye was stunned: "How do you know?"

"When you become a crane inspector, you can find out if you want to know." Xu Chuo said, "When you get over the matter of [Xi Ting Xin], you will naturally know about the matter of Tianshan."

"I thought you didn't pay attention to a small and remote sect like Cui Yu."

"I will always keep an eye on the emerging sects in the Tang Dynasty," Xu Chuo said. "The new leader of Yu Fei seems to be both capable and far-sighted. The sect has a solid foundation, so I think it won't take many years for it to become a sect that Shao Long cannot ignore."

"……Oh."

Xu Chuo tilted his head to look at him, revealing half of his face from under his hood: "Do you really want to meet Li Piaoqing?"

"..." This name was spoken by a woman for the first time. Pei Ye felt strange. He was silent for a while. "I miss it very much, but I am a little scared."

"How long have you been together?"

"what?"

"Ah what, isn't that your old lover?"

"...Seven days."

"play house."

Pei Ye frowned: "What do you mean by playing house? Can feelings be measured by time?"

"Otherwise, how can anything exist outside of time?"

"..." Her words seemed to make some sense. Pei Ye didn't know how to refute for a moment, so he just said, "Anyway, we are very serious. It's just that things happened too quickly, so we were in a hurry."

Xu Chuo looked up at him, who was frowning seriously and looking a little distressed. After a while, he suddenly laughed softly, turned back, pulled his hood, and said no more.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing to smile about."

"..."

"In a few days, the West Pond will soon thaw." Xu Chuo looked at the end of the long street. The ice surface of the lake had indeed appeared. Because it froze later this winter, the ice period seemed shorter. "Go back tonight and take good care of Xi Tingxin's affairs... I really want to watch this year's Feather Scale Test with you."

These two sentences seemed to have nothing to do with each other, but Pei Ye understood. This spring, for His Highness Yu Jinyang and Pei Ye, was a dangerous and important season.

Maybe one of them will stay here forever.

The two of them were strolling along the street, talking about some random topics. The wind made the woman's hood sway slightly, but Pei Ye's body stood tall in the winter wind like iron.

Perhaps she seldom walked for such a long time or such a long distance, or perhaps she had indeed eaten too little for breakfast. When it was past noon, Xu Chuo felt hungry again. Fortunately, she had arrived at the West Pond, where there were taverns and food stalls everywhere, with fragrant roasted meat and sweet and delicious pastries. Xu Chuo selected them. Pei Ye had discovered her greedy side when she lived in the prime minister's house. Now, when she looked at him, he nodded skillfully, indicating that he would share the part she could not finish.

So Xu Chuo was quite satisfied as he walked around, chatted and bought things.

As it was getting dark, the two of them found a seat by the water at Luhua Terrace. Xu Chuo was already very tired, so she leaned on the railing, eating a small skewer of roast pigeon meat.

"It's the You hour." Pei Ye also put his arms on the railing and looked at the winter wind blowing on the lake. Although his injured and tired body could not be healed in one day, his tense and depressed heart did relax during the day's leisurely stroll.

"Well, we still have one hour, which is about enough."

"You said, will there really be any...huge changes?" Pei Ye still felt a little confused. The short conversation of a quarter of an hour this morning seemed too lacking in weight. It was hard for him to imagine that topics such as "the destiny of the world" and "the power of heaven and earth" would be unveiled on such an ordinary winter night - it was clear that the vendors were still busy making a living, people were still enjoying banquets and delicious food, and everyone was moving forward with their own lives out of inertia.

"No matter how big the change is, there must be a starting point, right?" Xu Chuo looked at the willow branches tapping against the railing next to him, "I will always do my best to fulfill what Li Yan said. Since he said tonight, he will never postpone it until tomorrow morning."

Pei Ye was silent for a while, holding the wooden stick in his mouth, and suddenly said, "Do you think he quite approves of me?"

Xu Chuo paused: "What do you mean by I approve of you?"

"That's right, he said 'I'm the right person', so he's willing to give me the opportunity to control Xi Tingxin. Does that mean he admires my chivalrous behavior?" Pei Ye didn't want to appear too proud, "I'm actually quite popular with the seniors."

"..." Xu Chuo was silent for a while, took a bite of the skewer, and said, "I also like this pigeon."

"..."

"'Right' is 'right'. Li Yan speaks for accuracy, without any hidden language or witty remarks." Xu Chuo said, "Maybe you will understand it later."

"Oh."

"Come on." Xu Chuo ate the last bite and sat down in front of the pen and ink. "Once you finish writing the fourth chapter of "The Swing Rope", I will let you return to the palace."

Pei Ye looked at the blank paper and said, "Last time, it was written that Zhao Baibi took Li Yao away from the capital and went to the northern border. Then, will this chapter write about their story in the northern border?"

"It should be, but I don't know much about the Northern Frontier, so it's better to skip it." Xu Chuo said, "Just skip ten years and directly write about the time when they returned to Beijing."

"Just a little over ten years!"

"Well, this year, Zhao Baibi was twenty-three years old, and Li Yao was twenty-two years old." Xu Chuo leaned on the railing, looking at the vast night sky that was darkening.

At that time, Shenjing would definitely not be what it is now, but the night sky would definitely still be the same as it is now.

Pei Ye's voice said beside him: "Then, where should we start with the first sentence?"

Xu Chuo said nothing, but tilted her head to look at the willow branches still flapping against the railings in the wind. After a while, she suddenly whispered, "At this time of year, the willow branches have already sprouted."

Pei Ye said: "Yes."

(End of this chapter)