"Pfft—"
Gu Chi had managed to hold it in, but Shen Tang lost her composure outright. The half-mouthful of tea she hadn't swallowed nearly sprayed out. Luckily, she'd lowered her head at the crucial moment, so none of it hit Gu Chi.
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Shen Tang coughed for a while before finally catching her breath.
Worried someone might hear, she roared inwardly, [Holy crap—why is Gongxi Chou here???]
It turned out a young man Shen Tang knew very well had appeared on the road beside the teahouse. He had an excellent hairline, a broad, full forehead, refined and striking features, and clean, smooth skin. His thick black hair was tied into many little braids.
The braids were gathered behind his head and fastened with a snake-shaped silver ornament.
His clothes were neat and practical. A pair of iron bracers patterned with vicious snakes covered his wrists; he wore a single shoulder guard and a skirt of armor at his waist. In one hand, he held the reins of a spirited warhorse nearly as tall as he was.
A dozen or so attendants of various ages followed behind him.
Wasn't this Shen Tang's musical soulmate, Gongxi Chou?
Gu Chi nearly went deaf when Shen Tang's inner voice suddenly rose in volume. He instinctively leaned his head back and furrowed his brow.
His lord was wonderful in every way...
It was just that her inner voice was a little too wild and uninhibited.
"How would I know, when even you don't?"
Shen Tang wiped the tea from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, slumped her shoulders, and tried to make herself less noticeable. She thought, *[Wasn't Gongxi Chou serving under King Zhi? This is Zheng Qiao's territory. Isn't he afraid they'll surround him and beat him to death, walking