Pei Ye paused, feeling for a moment as though she had seen straight into his heart, but he was too embarrassed to admit it. He took a great gulp of soup and said airily, "I'm a grown man. What's there to be upset about? He's already dead. It's only a shadow. Grandpa Yue and I never used to say anything mushy. Would he have thought I didn't respect and love him? Would I have thought, thought he didn't care for me?"
"He cared for you very much."
"...Huh?"
"He cared for you very much, and he was very fond of you," Li Xizhou said, gazing upward. "He was very proud of you, too-even when you were still a poor country boy who hadn't begun cultivating. You could read it between the lines."
"What lines?"
"..."
"What lines?"
"Oh, you're so annoying. Xu Chuo and Yue Muzhou occasionally mentioned you when they chatted. It's hardly anything unusual." Li Xizhou turned her head away.
Pei Ye stopped drinking his mutton soup. He hesitated. "Let-let me see."
"Why does a grown man like you keep wanting to read other people's private conversations?"
"Let me see."
"Go ask Xu Chuo."
Pei Ye opened [Knowing Intent]. "Let me see."
"No."
Pei Ye cast Li Xizhou a glum glance, then lowered his head and went back to his soup and flatbread.
At the hour of the Dog, the sky was overcast and the night cool, the breeze fresh and unceasing. Dinner was over, and Li Xianfang came out to clear away the bowls and chopsticks.
Li Xizhou returned to the Bedchamber. Pei Ye remained sitting before the steps, his sword in his arms.
Still affected by his insufficient nap earlier, he raised a hand and yawned.
He gazed quietly at the courtyard wall. It was an