Silk Flower

Seeking the Dao in the Mortal World

This so-called banquet, Qin Yi initially ate with a sense of unease.

Because Mang Zhan across from him kept staring at him with a pair of leopard-like eyes, his expression as if he wanted to eat someone. Anyone being stared at like that while eating would find the food tasteless, and with Dong Huazi's occasional, almost imperceptible glance, it made him feel even more uncomfortable.

Liu Su sneered, "Stupid."

Qin Yi couldn't reply, so he quietly flicked the staff handle with his finger, protesting.

Liu Su said, "What kind of skill is it to only flick me? Go flick that savage."

Qin Yi rolled his eyes. I'd like to drag Dong Huazi out and flick him to death, wouldn't I? But you have to consider the occasion.

Liu Su seemed to hear his thoughts and continued to sneer, "Mortal socializing is pretentious, boring, hypocritical, and laughable. He stares at you, why don't you stare back? He hasn't provoked you, why don't you provoke him first? Even if you have to follow rules, you can consider how to use them. The mortal world is just a game. You're not like ordinary people with families and dependents, with concerns. You clearly have no attachments, yet you don't seek freedom and a clear conscience. What's the point of living?"

Qin Yi's heart was touched. He had originally thought his previous handling of Dong Huazi was quite proper, but after hearing Liu Su say this, he felt that what he had done before was utterly boring.

This is the difference in ideology, I suppose...

If a person truly lived as Liu Su described, treating the mortal world as a game... they would either end up in prison or become an immortal.

But the incitement is so strong... Qin Yi admitted that something within him had been ignited. Who wouldn't yearn for that kind of attitude towards life, unrestrained and with a clear conscience?

At this moment, Li Qingjun leaned her head over and whispered in his ear, "I feel like something is wrong..."

"Hmm?" Qin Yi didn't react for a moment. "What's wrong?"

"It seems..." Li Qingjun's cheeks slowly turned red. "It seems they've mistaken you for my... that, that person."

My silly girl, you just realized this now? That savage love rival is probably killing me a thousand times in his heart! Qin Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he also knew that his relationship with Li Qingjun hadn't actually reached that level. It was normal for Li Qingjun to be troubled by this. He shouldn't provoke this impulsive girl to the point where they couldn't even be friends. He whispered back, "I was just dealing with Mang Zhan for the moment. Afterwards, I will find a way to explain to your father."

Li Qingjun moved away slightly, her gaze carrying a hint of annoyance. "Being misunderstood as that person with me, does that make you feel very embarrassed?"

Uh? Did I say the wrong thing again? Qin Yi quickly tried to salvage the situation. "To be honest, I'm secretly delighted... I was just afraid of damaging your reputation, wasn't I?"

"Secretly delighted?" Li Qingjun moved away a little more, her gaze turning into one looking at a hooligan. "What do you want to do?"

Qin Yi really felt like spitting blood. Weren't you a very reasonable person before? Is it that time of the month?

However, Li Qingjun's gaze didn't stay that way for long. It quickly became somewhat hazy, and she lowered her voice again. "You... have a gentle nature and dislike conflict. Originally, I thought you would just live leisurely in my brother's guest courtyard, and we would come to you if we had something to ask... But today, because of me... you can no longer avoid this troublesome mortal world."

Qin Yi's heart was enlightened, and he answered directly, "I am willing."

Li Qingjun's gaze became even more hazy. She looked into his eyes with a faint expression and didn't speak.

Perhaps their feelings hadn't yet reached the level of mutual love, but after experiencing a situation like today, this karmic connection had already begun to intertwine. It was no longer just pure admiration or a faint liking.

Liu Su sighed faintly from within the staff.

Qin Yi heard it and felt it was a bit like the sigh his parents would make when watching the most melodramatic part of an 8 o'clock soap opera at home.

There was a "crack" sound. Qin Yi thought the director had called cut. He turned his head and saw that Mang Zhan across from him had crushed his wine cup, his eyes wide with anger, so much so that he could see bloodshot veins.

Qin Yi was stunned for a moment. He had originally thought that Mang Zhan wanting to marry Li Qingjun was a political intention. Looking at it now, there seemed to be some truth to it?

Li Qingjun also turned her head and glanced at Mang Zhan, letting out a cold snort. Her eyes were full of disdain and resentment. - She didn't just not want to marry him; in her heart, this Mang Zhan was the murderer of her brother.

Qin Yi remembered Liu Su's instigation, and his heart stirred slightly. He whispered, "Isn't it quite good to see him angry?"

Li Qingjun turned to look at him, as if she knew what he meant, and said with a half-smile, "What do you want to do?"

"I want to..." Qin Yi tentatively reached out his hand.

Li Qingjun pursed her lips and obediently placed her hand in his, gently holding it.

It was strange. He had held her waist several times, and it had been even more intimate in the underground cave, where he had touched her without feeling it was too serious. Yet this time, just holding hands sent a current through her, spreading throughout her body and making her cheeks burn. She could no longer maintain eye contact and slightly turned her head, the pink color spreading from her cheeks to her neck, which was completely flushed.

"Bang!" Mang Zhan slammed his wine pot heavily onto the table.

The loud noise attracted everyone's attention. The King, who had been discussing local customs with Mang Zhan's attendants, turned in surprise, his expression sinking. "I understand the customs of the Western Wilderness."

Mang Zhan was trembling with anger. Qin Yi seriously doubted whether a frail person would die on the spot from such rage.

"Indeed, one must seek clarity of thought," Qin Yi sighed comfortably to himself.

Li Qingjun also felt completely at ease, gripping Qin Yi's hand a little tighter.

Only Liu Su knew that Qin Yi's "to himself" was meant for it. It smiled but said nothing more.

"Brother Qin." At the end of the banquet, Li Qinglin directly stopped Li Qingjun and Qin Yi, who were trying to slip away through the side door.

Li Qingjun quickly withdrew her hand from Qin Yi's, lowered her head, and scuffed the floor with the tip of her shoe.

Qin Yi rubbed his hands awkwardly and said, "That was just to deliberately provoke Mang Zhan."

However, Li Qinglin wasn't there to discuss that. Instead, he said with a serious expression, "I'm here to ask you to return to the manor with me. If you go alone, or if you go somewhere to meet my sister in secret, I fear you won't see tomorrow's sun."

Qin Yi's heart tightened, and he said solemnly, "Thank you, I was being careless."

Li Qinglin called over a team of guards. "You escort the Princess back to the manor. If there are any changes, use the signal arrows to communicate."

Li Qingjun looked at Qin Yi, suddenly feeling a sense of reluctance to part. They saw each other every day, so why did she feel this way?

She wasn't a clingy person, so she didn't express this emotion further. She just took a deep breath and whispered, "See you tomorrow." With that, she turned and left.

After watching the guards escort Li Qingjun away, Li Qinglin took a team of his own and walked back to the manor alongside Qin Yi.

"Father King rests early now. Normally, you would be meeting with him at this hour," Li Qinglin began the conversation after walking for a while. "He will definitely summon you tomorrow morning, so you should be prepared."

"I know," Qin Yi asked, "Are there any special instructions?"

"Don't directly advise him to stop the pills, it will only cause displeasure. You can handle the rest yourself, as I am an outsider when it comes to Daoist and magical arts." Li Qinglin suddenly smiled. "I saw that you showed some political awareness when facing Dong Huazi today, so I don't need to remind you much."

"What political awareness do I have..." Qin Yi was quite helpless. "You threw me into the deep end, suddenly making me face Dong Huazi. I was on high alert, thinking for a long time before daring to say anything, okay?"

Li Qinglin smiled. "Isn't it precisely because you were thrown into this situation that your relationship with Qing Jun has taken a step forward?"

"Uh..." Qin Yi paused, then sighed. "Actually, Brother Li, although I should probably thank you, I still want to say that Qing Jun herself didn't consider what the consequences would be of bringing a man into the palace. If I wasn't the right person for her, wouldn't you have harmed her?"

"As long as she doesn't marry into the Western Wilderness, that is the primary goal. As for other things, I don't have the energy to consider them."

"So, you're not really thinking about Qing Jun's happiness, but just for Nanli?"

"To be precise, I am for Nanli," Li Qinglin said lightly. "Brother Qin should be clear about some things and shouldn't ask such childish questions like Ye Ling."

Qin Yi sighed. "It's precisely because I know some things that I wanted to confirm whether you truly care for Qing Jun or if it's just a superficial sibling relationship. Now that I've confirmed it, it's fine."

Li Qinglin asked curiously, "What do you mean by superficial?"

"Hmm..." Qin Yi thought for a moment and explained, "It's like those fake flowers made of silk."

"Flowers made of silk?" Li Qinglin looked up at the sky, lost in thought for a while, then suddenly smiled. "That's quite good too. Such flowers are still very beautiful and don't wither easily."