CHAPTER 267: 0176 FULFILL A WISH (TWO-IN-ONE)_2

The originally white and empty wall was now covered with several feet of redwood carvings, the scent of heavy wood mixed with a faint pleasant aroma. Yun Qian looked over and noticed a small incense burner on the table not far away, emitting curling blue smoke.

She only liked her husband’s scent, so she felt a bit stifled and decided to walk over and open the window.

The rain outside had lessened, turning into a gentle drizzle that landed on her face, carrying a scent Yun Qian liked, making her take a deep breath and show a hint of satisfaction.

Looking down, she saw Xu Chang’an sitting on a stone bench under an ancient bronze bell in the courtyard, looking up to meet her gaze as she opened the window.

Evidently, Xu Chang’an was momentarily stunned, not expecting Yun Qian to suddenly open the window.

He curiously blinked at Yun Qian, mouthed for her not to worry.

Yun Qian nodded slightly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, sister."

Li Zhibai came out from behind the screen in the inner room, Yun Qian glanced over, her expression shifting slightly.

At this moment, Li Zhibai had changed out of her faded Daoist robe into a pure white, soft home dress.

Her long hair fell to her waist, tied with a white ribbon at the end. Although her looks were only average, dressed like this, she exuded an aura of elegance and grace.

Mostly because Li Zhibai really had a good figure, usually hidden under the Daoist robe, unnoticed by anyone, now openly revealed in front of Yun Qian.

Yet, she didn’t appear seductive; even though Li Zhibai seemed a bit nervous and uncomfortable, she still exuded an innate calm elegance that naturally made people feel at ease.

Sometimes, it’s not a perfect appearance that defines beauty, Yun Qian had read a line in a book written by Xu Chang’an.

Beauty lies in the bone, not in the skin.

So she clearly knew, Xu Chang’an would likely appreciate such a girl—

Of course, that was before he met her.

Now, Xu Chang’an couldn’t accommodate any other girl in his heart; Li Zhibai’s uniqueness purely stemmed from her being an elder.

——

"..."

Being stared at so blatantly by Yun Qian, Li Zhibai felt the atmosphere momentarily freeze, her mind wandering.

What should she say?

Did this outfit look odd?

But there was no other way, since Li Zhibai was prepared to treat each separately, naturally, she couldn’t use the same attire she wore in front of Xu Chang’an to interact with Yun Qian, so she wore an outfit from long ago... as for whether her aura still matched, she wasn’t sure.

After all, she was no longer the young lady who hosted tea parties frequently.

Miss Li, known as Zhibai, now spent her days near herbal pill furnaces, no longer possessing her former charming grace.

"Hmm, very beautiful." Yun Qian looked Li Zhibai up and down, slightly nodding.

"Really?" Li Zhibai was startled, then let out a breath.

If it were someone else, she might have thought it was just pleasantry, but hearing Yun Qian say it so plainly, she felt it was genuine.

Yun Qian indeed had a certain captivating aura.

"It’s been a long time since I wore this, as long as it still suits," Li Zhibai coughed and said, "Sister, you look lovely too."

Yun Qian didn’t respond, just holding the hand warmer, thinking whether Li Zhibai’s appearance was befitting her husband wasn’t the point, as long as he liked it.

From every aspect, this move by Heavenly Dao was perfectly polite; now, Miss Li was no longer a pawn and started to care about Yun Qian.

Li Zhibai walked over to the window with small, delicate steps, glancing down before closing the window that let in the chilly breeze.

——

Downstairs.

Xu Chang’an: "...?"

He rubbed his eyes, his eyes widened a bit, pupils dilating.

Just now, the girl in a white dress by the window...

Who was she?

Was it the teacher?

He rubbed his eyes again, unfortunately this time only seeing the spiritual power flames inside, very bright, casting the silhouette of the girl inside onto the window.

"Tsk."

Xu Chang’an just felt that Miss Yun’s charm... had already surpassed the heavens.

But the more it was so, the more at ease he felt.

With the teacher’s temperament, under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t show favoritism just because Yun Qian was his wife. Generally speaking... after the initial meeting gift, she probably wouldn’t care anymore.

Now unexpectedly there was a pleasant surprise.

Of course, he hoped the closer Yun Qian and Li Zhibai got, the better. After all, the cultivation realm was fraught with dangers; if something happened to him in the future, the girl would still have someone to protect her.

As for whether to be wary of Li Zhibai, like worrying she might like girls or something, Xu Chang’an never thought about it.

Even thinking about it would be a sign of distrust, slander, and blasphemy against Li Zhibai.

A person’s heart should always be cleaner.

——

——

Seeing Xu Chang’an’s expression upon seeing her appearance, Li Zhibai felt nothing; for her, as long as Yun Qian didn’t find it unpleasant, it didn’t matter.

She intended to teach Yun Qian about rouge, so at this time she couldn’t afford to let her doubt her sense of aesthetics.

Other things didn’t cross her mind much.

She’d prepared everything, but when the moment came, she didn’t know what to say.

Glancing at the rouge on the vanity that she had taken out, Li Zhibai refrained from speaking.

She had already figured out what Yun Qian wanted by recalling Yun Qian’s makeup-free face while changing earlier.

Her preferred makeup washed away by the rain?

With this sister’s temperament, she was most likely here to have her makeup touched up.

An ordinary, non-cultivating girl asking the most mysterious Hidden Immortal in Qing Province for a touch-up sounds odd no matter how you think about it.

"You must be tired from walking through the rain, sister, please sit and rest." Li Zhibai said.

Yun Qian sat down on the cushion.

Just as Li Zhibai was about to speak, her eyes fell on the delicate embroidery on Yun Qian’s white stockings, her gaze shifting slightly.

Following her gaze downwards, Yun Qian curled her lips and softly said, "He embroidered these for me."

"Chang’an?" Li Zhibai looked at the expertly hand-stitched socks, nodded with a bit of surprise, "No wonder he said he still has the skills of a steward, these flowers... resemble the handiwork of an embroidery lady."

Her student could embroider?

And even mend his wife’s socks, which, in the secular world, would be unthinkable for a man.

Being able to cook, embroider, take care of people, it’s hard not to liken him to a gentle woman.

After this simple topic, Li Zhibai’s mood eased considerably, she asked, "Do you like this kind of Chang’an, sister?"

"I do." Yun Qian replied without hesitation.

"I’m not well-versed with modern women, but... shouldn’t a typical woman wish for her husband to have bigger ambitions?" Li Zhibai pondered, thinking that if secular women hadn’t changed much, they’d probably believe men ought not to engage in feminine skills.

Of course, she personally had great appreciation for Xu Chang’an’s gentle nature.

"Is that so?" Yun Qian slightly frowned but then relaxed her brow, saying casually, "As long as he likes it."

If Xu Chang’an enjoyed doing these things for her, then it was the greatest ambition beneath the sky.

"I was just speaking casually." Li Zhibai noticed the preserved fruits on the table had been moved by Yun Qian, which made her curl her lips, relaxing much more.

"Never mind, I was too tense." Li Zhibai stood up and said, "Sister, are you here to have your makeup touched up? We can start now."

On the second meeting, she couldn’t give her sister too warm a reception and scare her off.

Now she even felt a twinge of envy towards Zhu Tongjun; if she had one-third of her capabilities, she wouldn’t have been so inelegant from start to finish, not even finding the right topic, talking about socks... which wasn’t even something she should be commenting on.

"No rush for the makeup." Yun Qian put down the hand warmer.

Li Zhibai had prepared so much to please her, Yun Qian felt there must be something she wanted to say to her; considering Li Zhibai’s fondness for her, and Xu Chang’an’s look before leaving, she could listen to her wish.

The affairs of the world must be reciprocal.

Li Zhibai gave her a wish; naturally, she would return one, a rule Xu Chang’an had taught her, one that must be followed.

"I don’t quite understand these things; if you have something you like, want, or want to do, you can let me know." Yun Qian said.

Li Zhibai: "?"

This is about... fulfilling her wish????

This sounded familiar because she had just said it to Yun Qian not long ago.