Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 762 Meeting Jun at the West Tower
"Why are you going to visit her?" Pei Ye's voice seemed to tighten for a moment. "Why are you going to visit her?"

"If I walk any faster, are you going to block my way?"

"No...what are you going to do?"

Seeing his flustered appearance, Li Piaoqing felt a sudden pang in her heart, but she couldn't help but smile at him: "What do you think I'm going to do?"

"..."

“We’ve already made arrangements.” Li Piaoqing strolled along, gazing at the horizon. “Didn’t I tell you that night on the boat? My arrival in Shenjing was also thanks to His Highness Jinyang’s arrangements, which is how I got in touch with Xianrentai and the Shenjing government.”

"Oh," Pei Ye replied blankly.

Of course he remembered that rainy night on the deck. In the instant that tender feelings surged in his heart, the girl in front of him took a step back and said with a smile, "I came here thanks to a letter from His Highness Jinyang."

Love and affection are always heavy, even when they are still sweet.

It's just that people were willing to support it back then. If they loosened their grip, it would gradually settle down like silt, leaving only the clear and light water of thought on the surface. You wouldn't see it for a long time, and since you've been active in shallow water all day, you might think it has faded or disappeared.

However, with just one stirring, the mud and sand will instantly stain the water.

For Pei Ye, this disturbance was merely a reunion.

At that time, his anger and distrust of Li Xizhou were at their peak. When he suddenly saw the girl, the familiar and warm scent of Bowang City seemed to come to him in an instant, but the girl's words brought him back to his senses.

After all, things have changed, and the world has changed with the seasons; the old and the new are no longer the same as before.

"You and Prince Jinyang... have a pretty good relationship, don't you?" The two walked forward quietly for a while, then Li Piaoqing turned to look at him.

Pei Ye's heart skipped a beat. For some time now, his fear of meeting a young girl had materialized into this question.

Pei Ye pursed her lips: "It's fine."

He looked down at the texture of the road surface, his mouth a little dry, but he didn't hesitate much, as if he had been preparing for a long time: "...better than Cui Zhaoye and Changsun."

"Is it better than following Layman Qi?"

"better."

“Compared to…” Li Piaoqing hesitated for a moment, “Is it better than Daoist Xiao Jiang?”

"……better."

Li Piaoqing paused for a moment, then said softly, "So, it's better than being with me?"

In an instant, Pei Ye had countless things to say, and the sounds of the street seemed to be waiting for his long speech.

But in the end, he only raised his head, trying to meet the girl's clear eyes: "Now, it's better than with you, Piaoqing."

Li Piaoqing pursed her lips, turned her head away, and avoided his gaze.

She brought up the topic herself, intending to laugh it off; she should have been prepared for this when she and the boy parted ways in Bowang last year. But the impact of her words exceeded her expectations.

“Alright, I understand.” A moment later, she turned back. “Love is fickle, that’s normal. I knew that before I came to Shenjing.”

Pei Ye stared blankly and said, "Hmm."

“She’s the newcomer now, and I’m the old one,” Li Piaoqing said softly, kicking a pebble as she looked down—in reality, the pebble didn’t exist.

"……Um."

"You don't have to say 'uh-huh' to every single sentence!" Li Piaoqing said, both amused and annoyed. "I'm just annoyed by you."

"...Then you can bother me all you want."

"Who wants to bother you all the time?" Li Piaoqing smiled and turned her head to look at the clouds on the horizon.

The two were quiet for a while, then walked forward, their shoulders touching but not separating.

After a moment, Pei Ye suddenly said, "Piao Qing, I... I have prepared a gift for you."

The topic was abrupt and awkward, but the girl's eyes lit up as soon as she heard it: "What?"

Pei Ye lowered his head and took out a finely carved small sword from the jade dragon ring. He didn't know what material it was made of. It was as blue as the sky before the rain, clear and ethereal, with a faint mist seemingly floating inside, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be an illusion.

It was no longer the shape of the Heart-Slaying Glass; it was the Jade-Lost Sword, with every single detail so realistic.

“This jade can be ground into powder and swallowed. In an emergency, you can eat it directly,” Pei Ye said. “Within the eight waterways of Shenjing, you can use it to enter most of the water systems and enter the spiritual realm.”

Li Piaoqing took it and smiled, "When did you become so skillful with your hands?"

"Actually, it's unfortunate. I ruined many carvings before I got this one," Pei Ye said truthfully.

Li Piaoqing held it up in front of her eyes and examined it closely for a while, then gently held it in her palm without saying a word.

Pei Ye asked somewhat nervously, "You don't like it?"

"I'm trying to calm myself down," Li Piaoqing said softly.

"Oh."

The two walked along the streets of Shenjing at a moderate pace, talking at a moderate pace. Li Piaoqing would occasionally point out places she had visited in the past few days, and Pei Ye would tell her what she knew.

When the warm yellow clouds turned crimson and the entire horizon was ablaze, the long walls of the Xiuwen Academy came into view.

"Are there really many famous scholars in Xiuwen Academy? I've heard that Master Xu's staff is full of talented people."

"I've heard that... Whether they're famous or not, I don't recognize them."

"A few days ago, before I visited the capital, I asked someone who was supposedly knowledgeable about the place. He said that the Xiuwen Hall was a must-visit place for scholars. Anyone who was a scholar, regardless of their wealth or social status, could go in and have a look. Even the poor and destitute could find a job there."

"Yes, that's true. It was Layman Qi who did this."

"I see... This is a good method. Let me take a look, and I will try to imitate it when I return to Bowang."

“This kind of thing requires a lot of effort and money, and there’s almost no return,” Pei Ye reminded him. “I’ve heard Qi Jushi mention it.”

You think I don't have money?

"..." Pei Ye did consider that she had just taken over the sect and everything was in need of rebuilding, but after the girl said that, he was at a loss again.

Li Piaoqing narrowed her eyes: "I can't explain it to you. I'll treat you when you return to Bowang."

As the gates of Xiuwen Hall gradually came into view, the two scholars who were greeting guests recognized the young man with the sword. Qi Jushi had specifically instructed him to come and go without hindrance, and there were rumors that he was even a close confidant of Master Xu.

But the beautiful girl in the green dress was a complete stranger. Strangely, when the two stood in front of the door, the boy stopped first, but the girl turned around and smiled, saying, "Are you going in or not? If you don't want to, you can stay here. I'll come out to find you in about half an hour."

The boy pursed his lips: "I'll go in."

The girl then turned around, smiled, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and presented the two with a visiting card.

After the two checked, they quickly bowed. Li Piaoqing stepped over the threshold and looked around curiously, while Pei Ye followed half a step behind without saying a word.

He looked into the distance and saw that the small green building to the north still stood by the lake, without any miracle of suddenly disappearing.

Qi Zhaohua stood in front of the building to wait. The woman felt quite friendly when she saw the two of them coming side by side. The three of them—mainly the two women—said old times to each other. Finally, Qi Zhaohua said with a smile, "My benefactor sent me here to wait for your guidance, but since Young Hero Pei is here, I'll save myself the trouble of climbing the building."

Pei Ye nodded. Qi Zhaohua noticed that the young hero was absent-minded today, but didn't understand why. He just smiled and let the two of them go up.

The staircase is simple and quiet; the sound of each step is clearly audible.

In the past, he had always walked up alone, but this time another pair of feet followed beside him.

The girl still hadn't lost interest in looking around, and sometimes she would even slow down to admire the calligraphy and paintings on the wall.

“These are all handwritten by Master Xu himself,” she said.

"Ah."

Li Piaoqing couldn't help but chuckle and whispered, "Don't force yourself, we can still go back now."

“…No need.” Pei Ye looked down at the steps.

However, no matter how long the staircase is, it will eventually come to an end. When there is no more step above in sight, Pei Ye knows that he is standing on the top floor.

Looking up, I saw two ladies tying up the curtains on the terrace. The woman, wearing a spring robe, sat cross-legged in front of a table with fresh, steaming dishes and rice, and two empty seats were already set out.

This was the first time Li Piaoqing had seen this woman. She had imagined her several times before, but none had captured her heart like this one. Her stunning appearance captivated her; it was hard to describe the woman's aura—elegant, languid, delicate, or commanding…

For a moment, Li Piaoqing found it hard to imagine what it would be like for the boy to stand next to her.

Then the woman of high status spoke, quite calmly: "Before I left, she said she would bring me back anything interesting from the meeting, but I really didn't expect it to be a person."

Pei Ye opened his mouth halfway to speak, but upon hearing this, the words stuck in his throat and he couldn't get them out.

Li Xizhou looked at the girl beside him: "Young Sect Leader Li, we have exchanged letters twice. I have long admired your name. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Li Piaoqing smiled and bowed: "Greetings, Your Highness. Pei Ye probably knows that Your Highness is thinking of Piaoqing, which shows his understanding."

“I was indeed thinking of Sect Leader Li,” Li Xizhou said calmly, raising his hand to indicate, “It’s dinner time, so I had extra food prepared. Let’s sit down together, eat, and chat.”

Pei Ye spent the whole journey thinking about how to introduce the two of them. The last time he carefully considered his words was when he was forced to write an article at the Imperial Academy. But now, after thinking about his words and memorizing them several times, he inexplicably felt that it was not appropriate to speak them.

Li Piaoqing bowed again, walked to the table and sat down cross-legged, while Pei Ye sat silently to the side.

Li Xizhou gestured and picked up his chopsticks first.

There were seven or eight dishes on the table. After removing the miasma blood, the woman seemed to no longer crave cold food. Although she still preferred light flavors, there were at least a few hot dishes.

"I wonder if Sect Leader Li is accustomed to the food of Shenjing, so I have prepared a few dishes from Longxi." Li Xizhou tilted his head. "Penglai, bring a pot of clear wine."

"I am deeply humbled by Your Highness's trouble. I am a Jianghu person of the Azure Path, and I am not particular about food or drink."

"Yes, just like him."

Pei Ye sat cross-legged, looking down at the dishes on the table. The small table was so small that it only occupied a small area in the center of her field of vision. The remaining area was half occupied by a yellow skirt on the left and half by a light blue skirt on the right, both of which were very beautiful.

"Why is Sect Leader Li looking at me like that?"

"Your Highness is always keeping an eye on me too."

"Sect Leader Li is a man of exceptional talent and appearance. I am confined to the capital and have rarely seen such a brilliant and intelligent person as Sect Leader Li," Li Xizhou said with a smile.

"The rustic charm of this small place. I've vaguely heard that Your Highness is a beauty of the Tang Dynasty, and seeing you today truly makes me admire you to the core." Li Piaoqing took a couple of bites of food, then accepted the wine cup offered by the maid with both hands, raised it respectfully, and said earnestly, "Yu Fei came to this capital city thanks to Your Highness's help. Piaoqing offers this cup in respect."

"You flatter me. The west has been separated by thousands of miles for many years. Now that Tianshan has entered the world and the jade has been reborn, I would also like to hear some wise words from Headmaster Li." Li Xizhou raised his cup and took a sip.

"Tianshan enters the world for the sake of leaving the world, and Yufei is reborn for the sake of making a living. What Your Highness refers to as the west is actually the Li family in Longdi."

“Exactly.” Li Xizhou smiled, and the room shone brightly. “Although Sect Leader Li is in a remote place, his vision extends to the whole world.”

"I have no vision; I've only been influenced by Master Zhangtai and the high-ranking families of Tianshan."

Li Xizhou looked at the girl for a while and said, "Sect Leader Li, your eye makeup is really beautiful. I've never seen it before."

"It was when I was young and just started to appreciate beauty that I haphazardly applied makeup, and I got used to it afterward," Li Piaoqing said with a smile. "If Your Highness likes it, I will teach you how to do it later."

Li Xizhou looked at it with a smile: "This outfit is so elegant. I'm lazy, and if I were to imitate it in a painting, I'd probably look like a poor imitation."

She turned her head to the boy who was engrossed in eating his food and asked, "Does this makeup look good on me?"

Pei Ye paused, not looking up, and said, "You look good no matter what you draw."

"So, do you like it?"

“Du Xi—” Pei Ye paused, then thought for a moment, and broke out in a cold sweat.

Li Piaoqing smiled: "Pei Ye should like this makeup. You can have him do it for His Highness. I taught him how to do it before, but I don't know if he has forgotten."

“…Oh.” Li Xizhou smiled as well. “Drawing eyebrows is indeed an interesting thing.”

"Yes."

After speaking, Li Xizhou took the initiative to pour wine, and Li Piaoqing quickly raised her cup to accept it, while Pei Ye remained seated without moving.

“You like meat, right? This mutton soup was made especially for you.” Li Xizhou tilted his head and pointed. “It’ll get cold if you don’t eat it now.”

Pei Ye picked up a piece with her chopsticks.

Li Piaoqing said, "Tianshan is here in the capital this time and also wants to find a time to pay a visit to Your Highness and the Master. He asked me to ask Your Highness to do so."

"I'll be waiting at any time. I think Master Li feels the same way." Li Xizhou picked up a strawberry. "If it's convenient, we can make an appointment before April. Otherwise, I'll probably be busy after the Lin Blood Test."

"Wishing Your Highness success in ascending the throne."

"I take your kind words to heart." Li Xizhou finished his strawberry. "How did the Tianshan Sword Banquet go today? I see there's a lot of talk about it in the capital."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Everything went smoothly." Li Piaoqing thought for a moment, then smiled and tilted her head. "The only thing is that I need to ask Young Hero Pei Ye about."

Li Xizhou said, "I'm not surprised at all."

Pei Ye ate with his head down.

"What's wrong? Should I take care of it for you?" Li Xizhou glanced at him.

"It's nothing. I just exchanged a few words with Yun Lang. Senior Yun Lang is very magnanimous and didn't hold it against me."

Li Xizhou was genuinely surprised: "You talked back to Yun Lang?"

Unlike those in the martial arts world who revered Yun Lang's position, she simply found the name "Yun Lang" unexpected and looked at the young man with a smile: "I thought you loved him because of his name."

“Miss Ming is Miss Ming, and Yun Lang is Yun Lang. I respect Miss Ming, not because she is the young master of Yun Lang.”

Li Piaoqing smiled, and Li Xizhou said calmly, "Next time Ming Qitian sits here, can you say such mushy things again?"

"..."

Pei Ye paused, his chopsticks still outstretched in mid-air, and then picked up a piece of green leaf.

(End of this chapter)