"Wasn't you and Shang Cai all lovey-dovey, gazing into each other's eyes as though you couldn't bear to part? Go on, keep staring at her. What are you dragging me into it for?" Nan Jin's eyes were filled with grievance.
I smiled and said, "I wasn't being lovey-dovey with her at all. That ancient bronze jade just now was a spiritual treasure that pulled both her and me into a separate space. So while you were outside, we were stuck there staring at each other."
"Ah? There was something fishy about that pendant?" Nan Jin was instantly astonished, but with her quick wits, she soon figured something out. Gritting her teeth, she said, "You saw me outside, so it wasn't convenient to do anything improper. That's why you ran into the space to do it instead. Why are you even telling me this..."
I was caught between laughter and tears. This was only making things worse, so I said, "If we'd really done something shameful in there, would she have acted so humble when we came out? She would've been completely lovestruck and treated me with the utmost tenderness. In truth, I gave her a stern scolding in there, berating her for playing these little tricks. That was why she was frightened into apologizing. Look at this treasure—isn't that proof? If there really were something between her and me, wouldn't this have been a token of love I gave her?"
"Was it really as Brother Dong Ren said? But you gave her something in return too..." After hearing my tightly woven explanation, Nan Jin believed it seven parts out of ten. Yet she had no interest whatsoever in this Gold-Transforming Pouch, making the little girl's state of mind plain for all to see.
"I gave her something in return because