Lin Que didn’t want to owe anyone a favor, but Qin Wanyuan did.
She believed that, in the end, this favor would only be counted against her, and she was already prepared to repay it.
Jiang Moqing said she would go back today to organize the details of the method for treating the arm’s meridians and also pick up some related medicinal ingredients.
However, the task of purchasing the herbs was taken over by Lin Que. After all, he had top-tier connections through Ao Xinyu, the Pavilion Master of Glazed Pavilion. Whether in terms of quality or price, he could undoubtedly do better than Jiang Moqing buying them herself.
Moreover, Lin Que didn’t want to owe Jiang Moqing any more favors. Even for this treatment of his arm, he would find a way to repay her.
Such is the burden of receiving grace from a beauty. Especially when that beauty is your ex.
And so, without even realizing it herself, Jiang Moqing had earned a favor from the cultivator couple Lin Que and Qin Wanyuan.
After leaving behind a list of the required herbs, Jiang Moqing departed, and Lin Que and Qin Wanyuan sat in the courtyard drinking tea.
“Wanyuan, just now, the interaction between Senior Sister Wang and me…”
Lin Que felt he should still clarify what Qin Wanyuan had seen earlier. It wouldn’t do if it caused any rift between them.
However—
Before he could finish, Qin Wanyuan gently covered his mouth with a smile. “No need to explain, Ling Lang. I believe you.”
I believe you…
These four simple words, filled with emotion and trust, were more than enough to prove everything.
A wave of warmth surged in Lin Que’s heart, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Thank you, Wanyuan.”
Yes, Qin Wanyuan’s emotions had always been steady, never suspicious, never plagued by insecurity. And with her, Lin Que didn’t have to spend every day on edge, afraid of saying or doing something that might set her off. Unlike Jiang…
Lin Que shook his head and chuckled. Perhaps it was because he had been dreaming of the past so often lately that he himself had grown a little sensitive.
Regardless, things between him and Jiang Moqing were already over. The past was just that…memories. There was no point dwelling on her shortcomings.
Putting those thoughts behind him, Lin Que clinked his cup with Qin Wanyuan’s and said to her:
“By the way, Wanyuan, I plan to make another trip to the Glazed Pavilion in Wanbao City today. Want to come with me? It’d be a good chance for you to meet the Pavilion Master.”
“I think I’ll pass. Just now, Senior Sister’s sword dance gave me some insight. I’d like to take the afternoon to focus on my cultivation.”
It was the truth. Besides, Qin Wanyuan wasn’t quite ready to meet another “target” just yet.
“That works too.”
Seeing that she didn’t want to go, Lin Que didn’t insist. Instead, as if something had just occurred to him, he suddenly leaned in close and lowered his voice:
“Wanyuan, what color of silk stockings do you like? I heard Glazed Pavilion also has some rather… unusual styles of dudou. Want to give one a try?”
Hearing Lin Que’s voice and feeling the heat of his breath, then seeing the mischievous grin on his face, Qin Wanyuan immediately understood what he was getting at. Her mind flashed back to that night, when she wore the flowing celestial dress and… With a flush rising to her cheeks, she quickly lowered her head and softly replied:
“Things like that… I’ll leave it to you.”
“Hahaha, Wanyuan, you really are the best.”
Since they were sitting so close, Lin Que took the chance to plant a kiss on her cheek, making her even more bashful.
“Honestly… doing this right in the courtyard… What if Qian’er sees us? That wouldn’t be good.”
Qin Wanyuan was a proper conservative at heart. Even though she was very affectionate with Lin Que in private and enjoyed their intimate moments, she still wanted to uphold her dignity as an older sister in front of her younger sibling.
“Don’t worry. Qin Qian’er is still fully focused on observing that phoenix egg—she won’t notice anything. Besides… don’t you think this makes it even more exciting?”
Lin Que let out a cheeky laugh. Every now and then, he would tease Qin Wanyuan like this, shameless and playful, but he always knew where to stop and never crossed the line.
“Lin Lang, you really are so wicked…”
Qin Wanyuan let out a light huff, though she wasn’t truly angry. Instead, the blush on her face deepened, even spreading to the tips of her ears.
“All right, I’m heading out now. Any snacks or sweets you’d like? I can bring some back on the way.” Lin Que stood up and pulled out his flying sword from his storage ring, ready to leave.
“Hmm… peach crisps and salted egg yolk cookies,” Qin Wanyuan replied after a moment of thought.
Peach crisps were her personal favorite, while salted egg yolk cookies were something her younger sister, Qin Qian’er, had loved since childhood.
Just as a side note, she also knew that Lin Que’s favorite was baked flatbread with preserved mustard greens.
Before he left, Qin Wanyuan carefully straightened Lin Que’s collar and the hem of his robes, making sure everything looked neat and tidy.
“Take care, Lin Lang.”
“Mm, I’ll be back soon.”
With a simple farewell, Lin Que flew off on his sword, while Qin Wanyuan headed into the cultivation room and began her focused training.
***
High above Wanbao City, Lin Que didn’t go straight to Glazed Pavilion to find Ao Xinyu. Instead, he stepped into a sweet shop and picked out a few kinds of candied fruits and snacks, including the peach crisps and salted egg yolk cookies Qin Wanyuan had asked for.
The candied fruits were a casual gift for Ao Xinyu. Last time, he hadn’t expected to meet her directly and had come unprepared. This time, he’d make up for it.
In addition to that, there were also a few pills personally refined by Lin Que.
Of course, as the dignified master of Glazed Pavilion, Ao Xinyu had no need for such modest gifts. But the sentiment still mattered.
In the past, Lin Que wouldn’t have given these things much thought. But after everything he had experienced, he had come to understand the ways of the world.
As he stepped out of the shop, ready to once again ride his sword toward Glazed Pavilion, his eyes happened to catch sight of a nearby alleyway. An elderly man was there, leaning on a stick of candied hawthorn, laboriously calling out to passersby.
For a brief moment, fragments of memory flickered before Lin Que’s eyes. He closed them and let out a deep sigh, then quickly walked over to the old man.
“Elder, how much for the candied hawthorn?”
“Four wen for one stick, ten wen for three. Sir Immortal, I hope you don’t find it too expensive. These were made with the finest hawthorns I specially picked out myself. Each one’s big and perfectly sweet and sour.”
It was clear the old man had long prepared this sales pitch. It flowed smoothly and naturally.
Most of the population in Wanbao City were ordinary people, but the prices of mortal goods sold here tended to be higher than elsewhere. After all, cultivators rarely cared for mundane things like silver or jewelry, nor would they bother to shop around in other places.
And that was precisely the opportunity for mortals: most would purchase goods elsewhere and bring them to Wanbao City to sell, earning profit from the price difference.
As a result, the quality of mortal items sold here was generally high, with little risk of poor or deceptive goods. If such things did occur, the punishment awaiting unscrupulous merchants wouldn’t be legal action. It would be a corpse left lying in the street. And no one would pay any attention to the fate of a dishonest seller.
In the eyes of most cultivators, the lives of mortals were like ants. If an ant dared deceive them, killing it with a single sword strike wouldn’t stir any controversy.
That was just one of the unspoken rules of Wanbao City.
Naturally, Lin Que didn’t try to bargain with the old man. Instead, he took out a small silver ingot worth three taels and handed it over.
“I’ll take them all. Is this silver enough?”
“It’s more than enough! Thank you for your generosity, Sir Immortal. This old man is truly grateful!” the old man replied eagerly, handing over the whole bundle of candied hawthorn. He gently blew on the silver piece and carefully tucked it into his pocket before quickly hurrying away.
Lin Que stored the candied hawthorn and the rest of his purchases into his storage ring, keeping only a small bag of dried fruits and sweets in hand as he made his way toward the Glazed Pavilion.
Just like last time, the twin shopkeepers came forward to greet him as soon as he stepped into the pavilion. However, for some reason, the one who looked like the younger sister seemed noticeably more timid than before, even avoiding eye contact with Lin Que.
Still, Lin Que paid it no mind and simply followed them as they led him toward Glazed Pavilion, where Ao Xinyu was staying.
Pushing open the door, he saw Ao Xinyu still bent over her desk, busy with paperwork. But the moment she saw it was Lin Que, she warmly rose to greet him.
“Lin Daque!” Ao Xinyu called out with a cheerful wave.
Seeing her outfit, Lin Que blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned.
Because… the flowing fairy dress Ao Xinyu was wearing looked oddly familiar. It seemed almost identical to the one he had bought for Qin Wanyuan last time.
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