Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 795 Night Talk and Bedtime at the Brothel (Part 1)
Ming Qitian remained silent for a moment, but did not avoid the question: "Does Your Highness often speak to people like this?"

Li Xizhou lifted his head from her shoulder and smiled: "I did tell Li Piaoqing that she can even pretend to blush."

“Piaoqing is indeed lively and adorable.” Ming Qitian didn’t say much, nor did she blush.

Li Xizhou leaned back on the railing and sighed softly, "If I had met the Sword Master first, perhaps I wouldn't have met Pei Ye... But no—would the Sword Master have been willing to share life and death with me?"

Ming Qitian looked at her for a while, then shook his head and said, "He might not be willing."

“I think so too,” Li Xizhou said. “If we get to know each other more deeply, we might end up becoming enemies.”

"The relationship between people is not a smooth one."

Li Xizhou paused for a moment, then tilted his head: "Then I'm very curious, why does the Sword Master treat Pei Ye differently? Did you trust each other from the very first meeting?"

Ming Qitian paused for a moment: "Pei Ye asked me the same question a few days ago."

"Ah."

“I gave him an answer…” Ming Qitian gazed quietly at the illusory night of the mirage, “but actually I don’t know either.”

"You don't know either?" Li Xizhou asked in surprise. "What was your answer to him?"

“I said, he is no different from millions of other people in the world, yet he is different from everyone else. There is only one Pei Ye in the world, and I just happen to want to talk to this Pei Ye.”

Li Xizhou laughed: "The way the Sword Master deceives people is truly ingenious."

“That’s what I think, and I’m not lying to him,” Ming Qitian said earnestly.

"But the sword master himself may not actually believe it."

“…I just don’t know.” Ming Qitian gazed at the sky.

Li Xizhou paused for a moment: "The vicissitudes of life are truly unpredictable."

"Yes."

"Does Yun Lang really have no intention of engaging in worldly affairs?"

"Yes."

"it is good."

……

When the sky above the capital city became indistinguishable from the night sky of the Illusionary Tower, the festivities inside gradually ended, and the wine and food were scattered.

After the host left his seat and never reappeared, the people of the martial arts world naturally felt much more relaxed. The capital was a place where people sought fame, and its prosperity was intoxicating, but contact with the imperial court was actually unsettling, especially now that the political situation was stable and the young Tang emperor had an unquestionable control over the empire.

The Crown Prince's words will surely be deeply remembered by those present and then spread throughout the capital and the martial arts world. In the short term, this Crown Prince has not gathered her influence in the martial arts world, but in the long run, the attitude of the Crown Prince will certainly have a profound impact on the relationship between the court and the martial arts world, making it more upright and stable.

Pei Ye gradually came to understand these things. If there were a hundred sects that approached the Eastern Palace, then there were ten thousand sects in the vast Jianghu that were unwilling or unable to approach. And even among these hundred sects, many might not truly be willing to humble themselves and act subservient.

Once established as crown prince, there are countless ways to extract enormous and unimaginable benefits from the Tang Dynasty. The status of the newly selected crown prince is far superior to that of the previous dynasty's crown prince.

However, the crown prince is the one who assists the ruler of the country. If one treats oneself as the crown prince, rather than as a tool, then none of these ten thousand methods will work.

Li Xizhou and he have talked about many of his thoughts over the past two days.

Pei Ye listened to the conversation of these chivalrous men and indeed found some confirmation. However, he didn't pay much attention to this. Since arriving at the banquet, his mind had been preoccupied with the unseen upstairs, while he did indeed meet many old and new friends.

Pei Ye chatted with the three girls for a while, and Cui Zhaoye finally recovered, but she was still listless. She had her own reasons, saying that it was all carefree and unrestrained for Pei Shaoxia to go to brothels and taverns and sleep with any woman he wanted; but being captured by Li Xizhou was a different matter altogether.

She looked at the boy with concern, as if she were worried about his future path in swordsmanship.

Pei Ye was too embarrassed to talk about these things with her, so he left to find Zhu Gaoyang for a drink. Zhu Gaoyang introduced him to Zhao Wu'e and Lu Wei. The atmosphere of the four men made Pei Ye more comfortable.

After that, Pei Ye saw Shi Zanxue and He Yaoyao off one by one. He Yaoyao chatted with him for a long time about the sword game they had just played, and they agreed to prepare seriously when they got back, and then have a serious test of their skills when the Feather Scale Trial was held.

The young man clearly became the most popular person in the capital after this banquet. Although he was not the most outstanding one, he was indeed able to overpower the crowd. Especially with the appearance of Ming Qitian and Donggong, the young man's image became more transparent and mysterious.

After everyone had left, Pei Ye turned around and saw the figure in white coming down from upstairs.

Pei Ye couldn't tell whether he felt relieved or anxious. He tried to catch the woman's expression, but of course, he couldn't. So he stepped forward and said hesitantly, "Miss Ming."

Ming Qitian nodded: "I have recorded all the swordplay you played against the twenty-one people today. We will go through them one by one when you have time tomorrow... or the day after tomorrow."

"okay."

“His Highness said a carriage had been prepared, so I went back first. She’s still waiting for you upstairs.” Ming Qitian’s voice was as clear as water. “We chatted for a while; His Highness is a very nice person.”

"Ah... okay."

After Ming Qitian left, the entire banquet hall was completely empty.

Pei Ye certainly didn't want to deal with those tables and desks at this moment. He walked up the Illusionary Tower, floor by floor, until he reached the top.

Li Xizhou stood here, being helped by a lady to put on a spring robe.

Pei Ye then looked at her expression.

She turned her beautiful face to him, giving him a curious look.

"Are you finished talking?" Pei Ye asked.

"Hmm." Li Xizhou looked him up and down with a smile in his eyes. "Am I being treated like a star today?"

"It's alright." Having fought twenty-one matches in a row, Pei Ye was indeed feeling exhilarated. When they were discussing the sword banquet the other day, the woman in front of him said that they would take it into consideration that he should get revenge.

He paused for a moment: "You said you'd let me stay for a drink?"

"Do you want to drink here?" Li Xizhou glanced down. "No, please. The mess of cups and plates is spoiling the mood."

"Where to?"

"Let's go back to Xiuwen Hall. We can also take a look at the capital city."

Li Xizhou smiled faintly, took the kitten from her hand, and walked downstairs. Pei Ye turned around and walked beside her.

Shenjing City remains the same Shenjing City, with no new scenery added.

Pei Ye naturally had countless places to leave the Illusionary Tower. Li Xizhou instructed him to find a place where he would not encounter anyone. The two of them and the ladies stood in the desolate land under the bright moon for a while, when a familiar blue carriage drove up.

Along the way, Li Xizhou lifted the curtain to look at the trees and pavilions outside the window. Pei Ye couldn't help but say, "Why do you keep lifting the curtain? We've walked this street so many times."

Li Xizhou joked that people in a good mood can't sit still in the car and only lift the curtain, while people with something on their mind make conversation and find everything annoying.

Pei Ye brought up the old story of how she wouldn't allow him to lift the curtain when he left the palace in January, and Li Xizhou said that he was afraid of the cold that time.

Pei Ye knew that she was indeed afraid of the cold back then, and that she herself was indeed preoccupied with something on her mind right now.

So all I could do was sigh.

The Xiuwen Hall also quieted down in the evening. There were no lights in the lakeside building. Pei Ye followed Xizhou to the top floor. Pei Ye was quite familiar with this place, but he had not visited it for almost twenty days in the past month.

Li Xizhou waved his hand, signaling the lady to leave.

Looking out through the railing, the lights of Shenjing twinkled like stars. This was indeed the real world. Although the Illusionary Tower was stunningly beautiful, staying there for too long felt like being trapped underground.

In early April, the night breeze was cool and refreshing, making it very comfortable to lift one's clothes.

Pei Ye suddenly remembered the first time he came here at night, the night he killed Qiu Tianyu. It was autumn before winter, and the climate was quite similar to this time.

Pei Ye lit the candles one by one. The stage was quiet. He looked back and saw that the woman did not come up to the terrace. Instead, a voice came from inside: "Come here."

The room was still dark. Pei Ye went into the hall but still didn't see her. It wasn't until he went further in, pushed open the door, and entered the back pavilion of this floor for the first time that he saw the woman holding a small candle in the darkness.

"Could you help me carry this?"

Pei Ye took it, and as soon as the flame was in his hand, it grew much brighter and more stable, illuminating half the room.

"I told you long ago, with your skills you'd definitely have a convenient life."

Pei Ye couldn't help but smile. These were the same words she had said that autumn night, and for a moment, she felt a sense of unspoken understanding.

What are you doing here?

Pei Ye looked around and saw that this must be where the woman usually rested, with a small cabinet and incense burner, a long painted screen, and behind it should be her sleeping place.

"Get two bottles of wine." Li Xizhou bent down, opened the cupboard, took out a bottle in each hand, and placed them on the table.

Then they walked behind the screen.

"come over."

Pei Ye followed behind her with a lantern, and saw her washing her face in the clear water, washing away the carefully applied makeup in front of her, removing her crown and hairpins, letting her hair fall loose, and then reaching to the shelf to take down two spring robes.

Then she unbuckled her belt, turned her back to the boy, and stretched out her arms: "Come on, help me change my clothes."

Her clothes were loose and flowed down her body like water, hanging only on her shoulders and arms.

Pei Ye's heart skipped a beat: "Huh?"

"Put the light down and help me change my clothes." Li Xizhou glanced back at him.

"……Oh."

Once the lamp was placed on the table behind, the light became dim. Pei Ye came up behind her and first caught a whiff of a faint fragrance. Normally, he was somewhat used to it, but in the quiet surroundings and with limited visibility, his sense of smell seemed to automatically become more sensitive than usual.

"How do I change?" He instinctively grabbed the hem of his clothes, but then didn't know what to do next.

"You don't wear clothes on ordinary days?"

"..."

Pei Ye removed the outer robe from her body, and the woman's arms moved away from the sleeves to reveal a snow-white shirt embroidered with gold dragons. Li Xizhou raised his arm slightly and said, "Continue."

"..."

"What are you doing? Nothing's showing."

"No, I...where should I put this?" Pei Ye held up his outer robe, his throat tightening.

"On the rack."

"Oh."

"How... do I take this off?"

"Unfasten the belt buckle, the sash under the chest, the buttons under the collar... just untie whatever you can see."

"……Oh."

Pei Ye reached out to her waist and carefully untied her clothes one by one. The soft touches on the back of his hand made his heart flutter.

The inner garment also hung loosely, and Pei Ye's hand, which was gripping the hem of the garment, froze.

"Take it off."

Pei Ye peeled back this layer, and now it was truly exposed.

"..."

"..."

"Stop looking," Li Xizhou whispered. "It's cold. Put that red one on me."

Pei Ye turned around, picked up the smooth silk robe on the bed, and knew it would be comfortable to wear just by touching it. Pei Ye awkwardly put it on the woman's bare arms, carefully straightened the collar, and then went around to the front and bent down to help her tie the belt.

"If I have to change your clothes every day, my arms will get stronger from all the exercise."

Li Xizhou turned around and sat down on the bed. He lowered his head to take off his lower garment and jade boots. As he hooked his finger on the sock line, he suddenly paused as if remembering something, and looked up at the boy beside him.

Pei Ye abruptly looked away.

Li Xizhou smiled slightly, withdrew his finger, stood up, quickly tidied his hair, and picked up the two sealed bottles of wine from the table.

“Let’s go,” she said.

Pei Ye paused for a moment, then followed behind.

"Why would you..." Li Xizhou chuckled softly.

"what?"

"like……"

"..."

Li Xizhou turned to look at him, and Pei Ye looked into those eyes.

"I didn't!" Pei Ye said, embarrassed and annoyed. "I just... glanced at it a couple more times last time."

Li Xizhou smiled with narrowed eyes.

Pei Ye remained silent.

In fact, you don't even need the quail head.

He wanted to trace back this misty, throbbing feeling in his heart, which he could find in his memories.

He didn't have much experience, but he knew the cliff in the autumn rain of Kongtong Mountain well; it was deeply etched in his memory.

Pei Ye pursed her lips, and Li Xizhou turned his head away.

On the familiar windswept terrace, Li Xizhou sat down, leaning against the railing, with petals blown down by the wind on the floor.

There was only a small table. She patted the spot next to her, gesturing for Pei Ye to sit down.

The two sat much closer than last time, and Li Xizhou knocked on the bottle and poured out two small cups of wine.

"Why do you suddenly want to drink?" Pei Ye looked down at the swaying liquor.

Li Xizhou put down the wine pot, glanced at him with a smile, and said, "Seeing how worried you looked the whole way, I thought you were eager to ask me what Ming Qitian and I talked about."

“…You seem very happy.” Pei Ye looked at her clean face and felt inexplicably pleased as well. “Whether you ask or not…I don’t think it’s that important.”

Li Xizhou laughed: "You're just worried that I might say something to Ming Qitian that will ruin your image in her eyes; or that she might say something to me that will make me sad and angry."

"...I don't have any secrets."

"Ming Qitian and I had a long heart-to-heart talk."

"Ok?"

Li Xizhou raised his wine cup, gently touched it to his lips, and gazed out the railing: "She is indeed a true person, a celestial being, unlike any human being."

Pei Ye was slightly taken aback.

“I’m telling you seriously, Pei Ye, love is just a game.” She turned her head, her deep and beautiful eyes looking at the boy. “I like to tease you with Li Piaoqing and Ming Qitian, but I don’t want you to really be troubled or embarrassed by it.”

"..." Pei Ye's heart clenched, not expecting her to bring up this topic so directly. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think our relationship is?" Li Xizhou asked, looking at him.

“We…” Pei Ye opened her mouth, but couldn’t say anything.

He knew exactly where Li Xizhou occupied in his heart, but there was no precise, linguistically formed name for him.

Li Xizhou didn't press further, but turned his head and said, "You just said I looked very happy today."

"Ah."

“Yes. Because today you need this sword banquet to prove you are the foremost swordsman in the capital; perhaps I also need this sword banquet to prove I have ascended to the position of Crown Prince,” she said. “Seventeen years,”

'I touched it.'

She didn't say the rest of the sentence, but Pei Ye seemed to have heard it.

He raised his wine cup and gently touched the one in her hand.

Li Xizhou turned around and smiled.

“Because I really don’t care—Ming Qitian told me why I don’t care and don’t want to care, but I’m not going to tell you—I’m just saying that from the beginning, we weren’t connected by love, right?”

“If I were born ugly and burly, or if you were born fat and ugly, we might not have this kind of love for each other, but the bond between us would not change.”

Li Xizhou said softly, "We can play this enjoyable game, and I genuinely like you too. But it doesn't really affect anything... and I hope it never really affects anything... okay?"

The night breeze was gentle, and the last two words made Pei Ye's heart tremble. He blurted out, "It...it wouldn't have affected...Xizhou, we are—"

Li Xizhou smiled and leaned on his shoulder. They clinked their glasses, drank slowly, and then he poured more wine.

“Then let me ask you,” she turned her watery eyes, tilted her head back and said softly, “do you still like Li Piaoqing?”

"..."

"Go ahead and speak."

"Ah."

"So, if one day it really comes down to you having to choose between the two of us, who would you choose?"

"Of course I'll choose you."

"I know."

"..."

Li Xizhou looked at him quietly: "I'm never worried that you'll betray me. I know you. Even if you really like Li Piaoqing more, you won't make that choice."

"..."

"But I don't want these things to erode the understanding and trust between us," she whispered. "I've never cared, and you shouldn't really be bothered by it, okay?"

“…Hmm.” Pei Ye was stunned, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Li Xizhou smiled, turned around, gently put her arm around Pei Ye's shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "Then, do you want to give it a try?"

(End of this chapter)