Inside the Elegant Pavilion, the fragrance of tea gradually faded, but Xue Qinghe did not speak at once.
He looked at Gu Changsheng, the gentle smile in his eyes having faded somewhat.
This youth was more difficult to deal with than he had expected—not because he was aggressively sharp, but because he was too steady.
So steady that every word seemed to tread along the boundary, neither crossing it nor allowing itself to be ignored.
Xue Qinghe picked up the teapot again and poured Gu Changsheng another cup.
"Young Master Gu is quite eloquent."
Gu Changsheng said,
"Your Highness flatters me."
Xue Qinghe smiled.
"But those who speak well often invite trouble."
Gu Changsheng lifted his teacup.
"Which is why I only say what should be said."
Hearing this, Xue Qinghe suddenly leaned forward, glancing over as though he intended to pounce across the tea table, and asked coldly,
"Then what should not be said?"
Gu Changsheng looked at him, set down his teacup as well, and answered coldly.
"Anything that would make Your Highness want to kill me right now."
Xue Qinghe's fingers paused slightly. A moment later, he laughed.
"Haha... You do understand."
Gu Changsheng slowly toyed with the teacup in his hand as he spoke:
"Understanding is the only way to live longer."
Once those words were spoken, the originally tense atmosphere between them eased somewhat instead.
Xue Qinghe no longer pressed the matter of his identity, and Gu Changsheng did not force the conversation any deeper.
Some things were more useful when only half-spoken than when laid bare. Xue Qinghe raised his tea and took a light sip before asking,
"I heard that Young Master Gu is very interested in Tang San."
Gu Changsheng said,
"He is the greatest obstacle on Spirit Hall's path to claiming