Chapter 1113: Chapter 610: Miss Yun’s Perception (Double Chapter)

"Chang’an, look at the trouble you’ve caused."

"Ms. Zhu... I really had no choice. For the specifics, you should ask the teacher directly." Xu Chang’an was equally helpless.

"...Who cares about you all? Say what you like, what does it have to do with me?" Zhu Pingniang pouted, realizing at this moment that it probably had something to do with the apprenticeship banquet.

Perhaps they didn’t want her involved in the apprenticeship banquet or didn’t want her to help ’boost’ Xu Chang’an’s reputation?

That likely wasn’t the reason.

Yet Zhu Pingniang really couldn’t identify anything she wasn’t allowed to know... After all these years, she even knew what color underwear Li Zhibai preferred, so what else couldn’t she know?

"If they don’t want me to know, then I don’t want to know either." Zhu Pingniang turned away with a huff. "Aren’t you going to catch up with him and let Ah Bai wait for you?"

"...Alright." Xu Chang’an looked at this sulking sister, smiled wryly, and turned to catch up with Li Zhibai.

Leaving Zhu Pingniang alone with a face full of dissatisfaction, she clutched her heart, feeling her heartbeat quicken.

Darn.

She initially wanted Chang’an to be jealous of her, but now it was the other way around; she became the jealous one.

It’s not jealousy over Xu Chang’an having an opportunity to be alone with Li Zhibai, but jealousy of Li Zhibai.

Why would Chang’an willingly talk to her but want to avoid telling Zhu Pingniang?

"Forget it..." Zhu Pingniang sighed.

If they didn’t want her to know, there must be a reason. Zhu Pingniang wasn’t that curious, so she wouldn’t pry further, as that would be unreasonable.

The reason she was sulking was simply because...

She was jealous.

Her heart felt sour.

Her life was indeed strange now, how did she become someone who was jealous from both ends?

Chang’an always treated her differently, truth be told, Miss Zhu was almost used to it.

Someday he’ll know her worth.

She’s not inferior to Ah Bai.

"Ah... annoying." Even though she thought she should be open-minded, Zhu Pingniang’s murmuring still indicated she was very unhappy with Xu Chang’an’s actions.

Miss Lu: "..."

Miss Lu, seeing her sister’s childish sulking, rubbed her brow and decided to focus on watching Ah Qing’s dance.

Instinct told her that comforting Zhu Pingniang would only lead to trouble, as she might retort with unexpected harshness even if approached kindly, so she didn’t want to put herself in that position.

She truly was tired of getting involved in Miss Zhu’s feelings. With that time, she’d rather think about ways to ensure Yun Qian, no, Madam Xu’s position as the first maid at her side was secured.

Miss Lu squinted at Yun Qian, who wasn’t far away.

Because of her proximity, she must act quickly.

Otherwise, who knows, in a moment of negligence another woman might appear to compete for the position of maid beside her.

"Hmph..."

Miss Lu tilted her head, tapping her fingers along with Ah Qing’s sword dance below.

She felt she still had the advantage.

After all, she was the first in the world to call Yun Qian "Madam Xu," who dares to say they’re more fitting as a maid?

For the maid position, Miss Lu was determined, even if Zhu Pingniang wanted to compete, she wouldn’t give it up...

However.

Miss Lu thought she wasn’t yet a perfect maid, she managed Flower Moon Building well, but when it came to meticulously caring for someone... she needed cultivation.

’To cultivate well related to being a maid.’

Both Miss Lu and Ah Qing thought so.

---

Outside the window was pitch black, fine rain like silk, Li Zhibai stopped at the corridor window, slightly lifting her skirt, and then casually set up a barrier.

Not long after, Xu Chang’an smoothly stepped into the barrier she set.

"Teacher." Xu Chang’an sighed.

"Teaching you to provoke her." Li Zhibai looked at Zhu Pingniang’s tired and helpless face, couldn’t help but smile, and said with slight blame: "Tong Jun’s personality itself is troublesome, and yet you’re actively getting involved."

"Didn’t really have a choice?" Xu Chang’an looked at Li Zhibai’s gentle smile, paused slightly.

Honestly, he still wasn’t quite used to such a smiling teacher, always feeling that the immediate next moment a stern woman with a ruler should be Li Zhibai.

"Alright, just pour her a cup of water later and comfort her." Li Zhibai thought Tong Jun liked him so much, she wouldn’t be angry over such a small matter.

Her tone paused, she took a deep breath, her gaze dropped to the Glazed Jade reflecting the light at Xu Chang’an’s waist.

"So, what did you want to say to me?"

"It’s about the senior."

"Is it really...?" Li Zhibai responded.

True Sect Leader related, otherwise Chang’an wouldn’t be so anxious, he wouldn’t even have time to care for Tong Jun’s feelings.

She had already guessed.

"What happened to her, wasn’t she watching the dance?"

Xu Chang’an took a deep breath, organized his thoughts.

His cultivation was insufficient, so he didn’t understand the essence of time and space, unable to describe the previous scene as time and space being paused. So he simply explained it.

"Teacher, earlier... everyone stopped moving."

"Hm?"

Li Zhibai paused.

Everyone stopped moving, what did that mean?

When Li Zhibai looked back, Xu Chang’an raised his head and truthfully said, "Among those who stopped moving, you were included."

At this moment, Xu Chang’an hesitated over one thing.

He could tell Li Zhibai that he wasn’t immobilized.

But...

Should he tell the teacher that Miss Yun was also unaffected?

---

Yun Qian didn’t care.

It had nothing to do with Miss Guan Yun.

She didn’t need to think about it, knowing her husband hesitated but in the end would tell Li Zhibai everything about her, after all, Xu Chang’an trusted Li Zhibai absolutely. The hesitation was just an instinctive choice.

Meanwhile, Yun Qian had more important matters to ponder.

Which was... the answer she just received from Xu Chang’an.

"I don’t believe in reincarnation. Who knows if we’ll meet again, assuming we’ll be the same person then... If there’s a chance to ascend together with Miss, wouldn’t that be great."

"If we meet again, will we still be the same person..."

Yun Qian bowed her head.

That’s a difficult question to answer. Even Yun Qian didn’t know how to respond, because this matter lay between her and her husband, precisely the best reference.

Her husband’s name was Xu Chang’an.

In this life.

What about the previous life?

Yun Qian couldn’t remember, because she wasn’t ’her,’ just a girl named ’Yun Qian,’ who would permanently remain in the Treasure Vault with memories of ’Xu Chang’an.’

She would be Xu Chang’an’s wife.

Not anyone else’s.

No... does that even count as someone else?

Yun Qian tilted her head.

Unlike Xu Chang’an with memories, Miss Guan Yun was a blank slate. All her common sense, all her ways come from Xu Chang’an, the moment they met was the beginning of her becoming human, Yun Qian felt as long as her husband was around, she wouldn’t change in the ’human’ aspect.

With her husband alive, Miss Guan Yun remained a person, not just a name or label.

Yun Qian’s gaze fell on the window.

Watching the falling rain, Yun Qian stared, unmoving. At this moment... she remembered living with her husband on an island, those yearly winter snows.

The snow fell year after year, painting the world white.

She’d reach out to catch a snowflake, watching it dissolve in her palm.

The snow fell each year, yet the snow from one year differed from the next, just like those around her... always changing.

But did it really change?

Even if this year’s snow was different from next year’s, snow was always snow.

Snowfall was brief for her, even grasping it in her palm it quickly melted, so... she could only give herself a name like ’Yun Qian’ to experience the fleeting beauty as fully as possible.

Her time watching snow was short, but the snow had a long time watching her, a brief, beautiful, lifelong moment.

She believed being Yun Qian was fine.

Otherwise, if she remained herself forever, then... wouldn’t it mean her husband was constantly ’changing’? Even if fundamentally the same person, she still didn’t like this.