Fairy, please have some self-respect. I am not the reincarnation of your deceased husband.

Chapter 109 I will compete fairly with my disciple

"What was she thinking?"

Qi Yuan leaned forward slightly, her tone serious: "What would Mu'er do if she knew?"

"What will they think—"

Pei Wanyun was stumped by the question.

Silence spread through the tea room.

"That expression of yours—"

Qi Yuan keenly noticed Pei Wanyun's unnatural demeanor, and her brows furrowed even more tightly.

An even bolder idea welled up in my mind.

While it's highly unlikely, it's not entirely impossible.

In the end, instead of joking, she seriously speculated: "That girl wouldn't happen to be—"

I'm not sure.

Before the other person could finish speaking, Pei Wanyun guessed what she wanted to ask.

Her voice remained calm, but carried an unspoken complexity: "But her behavior was indeed abnormal."

"Especially after meeting her husband, Lian Shu."

She quickly changed her address, since her friend might not be able to accept the term "husband" for the time being.

"What's so unusual about it?"

Qi Yuan immediately became interested and pressed, "Tell me about it?"

After all, Mu Qianxue was a cold and aloof girl, especially when it came to matters of the heart, so she naturally didn't believe that the other person would fall for her.

Perhaps it's just Wanyun's own speculation.

'

Pei Wanyun pursed her lips, carefully considering her words.

After all, this concerns my disciple's lifelong happiness, so naturally I must be cautious.

"She always goes to Lian Shu's place."

"Although it's under the guise of guiding cultivation, but—"

She paused, whetting Qi Yuan's appetite.

"But what?"

"However—at times, her attention to Lian Shu seems to have gone beyond the scope of ordinary senior and junior brothers."

"?"

'

Qi Yuan was stunned.

Why does she feel like the gossip she's been hearing today is getting bigger and bigger?

"So you mean, you and your apprentice might both have fallen for the same person?"

"OMG--!"

Qi Yuan repeated incredulously, "No way, it can't be—"

"...

Pei Wanyun neither denied nor confirmed it.

These events, as I recall them, actually happened; I was simply the ultimate winner.

After all, that girl was too reserved, too demure, and hid her thoughts too deeply.

"Where's the evidence?"

Qi Yuan rubbed her forehead, feeling utterly overwhelmed, yet still needed to confirm it again and again.

"I'm not really sure about the specifics."

Pei Wanyun didn't speak too definitively, after all, it was just her speculation at the moment.

Unless her disciple makes it too obvious, or confesses to her, she dares not draw any conclusions.

"She hid it very well."

"However, sometimes, hiding it too well can actually give you away."

Qi Yuan was completely bewildered: "What kind of logic is this?"

"I tried to get her to respond many times, but she didn't."

"But it is precisely because there is no reaction that it is even more suspicious."

Pei Wanyun explained in detail: "Given Qianxue's personality, if she truly had no other feelings for Lianshu, she would find my probing strange and would ask me directly."

"But she was always too calm."

She deliberately drew out her words, saying meaningfully, "So calm, it's as if it were intentional."

Qi Yuan was completely convinced.

She has studied martial arts extensively, but knows nothing about this aspect.

Listening to her friend's analysis, she felt that the other person was unfathomable.

"That makes some sense."

She nodded thoughtfully: "So you're now the enemy in the open, and I'm in the shadows?"

"No, to be precise—we are all in the light."

Pei Wanyun smiled faintly: "It's just that she doesn't know she's in the open."

"...

'

Qi Yuan became increasingly confused as she listened, and waved her hand, saying, "Just tell me, how do you plan to handle this?"

"Nothing needs to be done."

"If Qianxue is like me, then we'll each rely on our own abilities."

Pei Wanyun looked confident: "I won't use my master's name to make things difficult for her."

"In matters of the heart, she and I are equals."

The way she spoke was extremely generous, quite like the demeanor of an "empress".

"Each relying on their own abilities?"

Do you know what you're saying?

Today, Qi Yuan finally saw the true colors of the person in front of her.

She never realized her friend had such a clear-headed and bold side.

"You two are master and disciple! Master and disciple!"

"Isn't it a bit absurd for a master and apprentice to compete together?"

"So what?"

Pei Wanyun didn't care, and simply said, "My liking for him and her liking for him are not contradictory."

As for who Lian Shu ultimately chooses...

She paused for a moment: "That's his freedom."

Qi Yuan was speechless.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to offer some more advice, but in the end he said nothing.

After a long silence, he finally managed to utter, "Wanyun, you've changed."

"Perhaps."

Pei Wanyun neither pressed for an explanation nor denied it, and even readily agreed: "But some things have never changed."

"for example?"

"For example, my feelings for him."

"you--!"

Qi Yuan gave up completely.

She leaned back in her chair and sighed, looking up at the sky: "They've gone mad, they've all gone mad."

"Am I being too old-fashioned?"

"Fine, fine, I can't interfere in the affairs of your Jade Spirit Peak."

"Go ahead and do as you please."

"Xiao Yuan, you worry too much."

Pei Wanyun smiled faintly, picked up her teacup, and took a small sip.

"Whatever, say what you want."

Qi Yuan didn't take it seriously and instead asked, "But you're waiting for him to come back before confessing, are you trying to strike first?"

"I'm being honest with him; I don't want to hide it from him anymore."

Pei Wanyun corrected her again, her gaze returning to the window.

This time, we were looking in the direction of Jade Spirit Peak.

"I don't want to hide it from either Qianxue or Lianshu anymore."

"As for the outcome—"

She sighed softly, her tone tinged with a sense of relief: "Then let fate decide."

Qi Yuan was genuinely curious about what kind of magic Chen Lianshu possessed.

It's astonishing that Pei Wanyun, who is usually gentle and reserved, could become so bold and resolute.

However, all those words ultimately boil down to one sentence: "Support".

"Wanyun".

She stood up, walked over to her friend, and patted her on the shoulder: "Whatever decision you make, I will support you."

"If you need my help, just ask."

Pei Wanyun looked at her friend again, her smile unchanged, a warmth welling up in her heart: "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? We're practically family."

Qi Yuan patted her somewhat less impressive chest with a carefree air: "I'd like to see what this Chen Lianshu is all about."

"When he gets back, could you let me see him?"

"I'll help you out while I'm at it, or maybe I can ask Qianxue to give me her opinion."

"Um."

Pei Wanyun did not refuse. She got up and walked to the window, gazing into the distance: "When he comes back, I will bring him to see you."

"Then I'll wait and see."

Qi Yuan raised her teacup, as if offering a toast: "I wish you success."

Pei Wanyun didn't stand on ceremony and raised her glass in response: "Wish me success."

The two drank it all in one gulp.