"Young Master, when you're unhappy, there's a hint of indifference and detachment in your eyes. It's subtle, but it's different from your usual self."
"Also, in the afternoon, you enjoy practicing meditation, sleeping, and sitting in the rattan chair lost in thought. The only thing you don't like is going out shopping."
"But this time, you were gone for a full two hours. It was quite unusual."
"As a woman, my intuition tells me that Lingxue's departure has affected your mood in an unusual way, right?"
Tea Jin spoke softly, not daring to look into Su Yi's eyes.
Su Yi stared at Tea Jin for a while, then said, "Let's go, let's eat."
Saying that, he walked straight into the building, feeling slightly strange in his heart. Has this woman already learned to anticipate his thoughts?
Dinner was sumptuous, with all the dishes that Su Yi liked. There were also two large jars of strong liquor, giving off an imposing presence.
Seeing this, Su Yi nodded in satisfaction and said, "The food and wine tonight are good."
Tea Jin rolled up her sleeves, filled a bowl of porridge for Su Yi, and then smiled charmingly, saying, "As long as Young Master likes it."
After that, she opened a wine jar and poured it for both Su Yi and herself.
In the flickering light of the lamp, her fair skin was even more beautiful than snow, delicate and radiant. Every feature exuded gentleness.
Today, she wore a dark blue silk dress, with her hair elegantly coiled up. Her slender neck and exquisite facial contours were exceptionally stunning.
She was a feast for the eyes.
"Young Master, I offer a toast to you," Tea Jin lifted her wine cup, drank it all, and instantly a rosy hue appeared on her tender face, making her even more enchanting.
Su Yi raised his wine cup and drank it all, then asked, "How long have you been in Da Zhou?"
"One year, three months, and nineteen days," Tea Jin replied without hesitation.
Su Yi was taken aback. "You remember it so clearly?"
A trace of melancholy flickered in Tea Jin's eyes. "Da Zhou is not my hometown, so I feel lonely. Sometimes when I think of my family and friends back home, I count the days on my fingers. That's why I remember it so clearly."
Su Yi nodded and said, "It's only natural."
"What about you, Young Master? Do you miss your family and friends?" Tea Jin asked while pouring the wine.
Su Yi casually replied, "I don't."
Tea Jin: "..."
Seeing her stunned expression, Su Yi couldn't help but laugh and said, "Once you truly embark on the path, you will understand that there are only two things that will always accompany you on this journey."
Tea Jin curiously asked, "What are those?"
Su Yi took a sip of wine and said lightly, "Solitude and perseverance."
With just a few words, it stirred waves in his heart!
In the previous life, spanning 108,000 years, he had witnessed countless separations and farewells. Only when he reached the pinnacle of this world and looked back on his life did he realize that on the path of the Great Dao, there was no one left to accompany him.
Tea Jin was immediately puzzled and asked, "If that's the case, why pursue the Great Dao?"
Su Yi thought for a moment and replied, "The mountain is there, waiting for someone to climb to its peak. In my eyes, there is still a higher realm of swordsmanship waiting for me to surpass."
After speaking, he shook his head and smiled wryly, "You wouldn't understand."
Tea Jin pursed her lips and smiled, saying, "I will try to understand in the future."
The soft light of the lamp cast gentle shadows, occasionally accompanied by the sound of insects, adding a sense of tranquility.
As they ate, drank, and talked, unconsciously, they had finished a jar of strong liquor.
Tea Jin discovered for the first time that Su Yi, who usually cherished his words, could be quite talkative. In his straightforward and simple words, there were often thought-provoking mysteries.
Especially the insights he casually shared about cultivation, they made her feel amazed.
Perhaps due to the effect of the alcohol, Tea Jin also became bolder and began to vent her frustrations.
She complained that she, at least, was an outstanding disciple of the Moon Wheel Sect's younger generation, and she came from the household of the Prince of Da Wei. Although she couldn't be called the most beautiful at the time, she never lacked admirers. Yet, Su Yi, only you treated me as a servant...
Su Yi also felt a little tipsy.
Since awakening his memories from his previous life, this was the first time he had gotten a little drunk.
Listening to Tea Jin pouring out her grievances as if she had suffered great persecution, he couldn't help but chuckle. This was what they called not knowing how good one had it.
As my servant, isn't that defying fate itself?
With that in mind, Su Yi took out a stack of papers filled with tiny handwriting from his sleeve and handed it over, saying, "Take a look."
He was slightly intoxicated, no longer as calm and composed as usual.
"What is this?" Tea Jin, with watery eyes and a charming demeanor, unable to hold her liquor any longer, lazily rested her head on the table.
"See for yourself."
Su Yi rubbed his temples, feeling a bit dizzy, realizing that he shouldn't drink any more, and was about to stand up.
Unexpectedly, Tea Jin reached out and grabbed his sleeve, pouting and complaining, "We won't stop until we're drunk tonight. I won't let you off easily!"
Su Yi coldly snorted, adjusted his posture, and picked up the second jar of liquor, saying, "Come, come, come. If you think you can make me pass out, then go ahead!"
Tea Jin stepped on a stool, rolled up her sleeves, revealing her delicate arms as fair as snow, and in her drunken haze, a fierce determination burned in her beautiful eyes as she said, "Young Master, don't underestimate me. Tonight, I will take you down!"
This stunning and charming woman, with her disheveled hair and rosy cheeks, under the stimulation of alcohol, displayed a boldness that she normally lacked.
Seeing this, Su Yi no longer wasted words and began drinking with her.
...
Su Yi was drunk.
In a hazy and blurry state, he felt like he was trapped in a passionate and emotional dream.
In the dream, he felt his body tightly entangled by intense and scorching heat, his mouth blocked, and his breathing becoming difficult. Unable to bear it, he struggled fiercely.
Like a person on the verge of suffocation, he instinctively chose to resist.
Then, Su Yi felt himself immersed in a soft and hazy cloud, with warm waves repeatedly washing over his body, indescribably comfortable. It seemed as if his soul was being comforted, his body and mind elevated, and his spirit released.
In that surreal dream, faintly, he also heard bursts of sobbing and pleading voices, as well as the melodious and joyful singing of a yellow warbler.
But when he tried to identify them more closely, his consciousness became blurry again.
He didn't know how long it had been, but Su Yi felt his mouth dry, his head throbbing, and suddenly he opened his eyes.
He immediately sensed that something was wrong.
This was not his room!
Fragrant scents wafted around his nose, and Su Yi was stunned. Unable to help himself, he turned his head to take a look and was instantly shocked.
There was a woman lying next to him!
Her cloud-like hair was in disarray, revealing a delicate snow-white shoulder. Her head was tilted on the pillow, only showing half of her beautiful and enchanting face. Her skin was as delicate as sheep fat jade, and her rosy lips were slightly pursed. Her breathing was faint, sounding like the light snoring of a kitten.
She seemed to be in a peaceful slumber, like a sleeping begonia in spring.
Tea Jin!?
Su Yi: "..."
Last night... could it be... hmm?
Su Yi tried hard to remember but could only vaguely recall that he and Tea Jin had a drinking contest. Eventually, Tea Jin couldn't handle the alcohol and ended up collapsing like mud.
Out of kindness, he had carried her and brought her into the room.
And then...
...
And then, he couldn't remember anymore.
Su Yi's expression fluctuated, and there was only one question in his mind: Did I sleep with her last night, or did she sleep with me?
After a while, Su Yi let out a sigh and sat up from the fragrant bed. Then he noticed their clothes scattered messily on the floor...
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Su Yi's lips, and he stopped dwelling on it.
He stood up, went to the table, poured a few sips from the teapot, and then picked up his clothes and left.
As the door closed.
Tea Jin, who had been sound asleep on the bed, felt a slight flutter in her eyelashes and opened her eyes. Her crimson lips parted, and she let out a long exhale, as if completely relaxed.
She struggled to sit up, but her delicate eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and she emitted a muffled groan. A blush appeared on her lovely face, and her beautiful eyes stared blankly. Last night...
After a long while, Tea Jin sighed softly and murmured, "I won't drink again in the future. It's like walking into a tiger's den. I was taken advantage of, and I can't even talk about it..."
She glanced at the clothes on the floor and couldn't help but force a bitter smile. Couldn't this person also pick up his own clothes?
She got up from the bed, and as soon as her snowy-white feet touched the ground, her long and shapely legs stumbled, almost causing her to lose balance. She quickly grabbed onto the edge of the bed.
"This scoundrel, he was too much last night..."
Looking at her disheveled appearance, Tea Jin felt embarrassed and annoyed, grinding her teeth in secret.
Next, she endured the tearing pain in her body, limped and put on her clothes, and tidied up her messy black hair.
However, when she walked out of the room, she felt a bit guilty and didn't know how to face Su Yi if she were to see him...
Fortunately for Tea Jin, Su Yi wasn't in the attic.
Taking stealthy steps like a thief, she hurriedly went to freshen up.
Until she changed into new clothes, making herself look pretty and clean, Tea Jin mustered up her courage and entered the first floor of the attic.
The leftovers from last night's meal were still scattered about, exuding a lingering smell of alcohol.
Tea Jin had a headache. Fine, she would have to clean up this mess herself.
When her gaze unintentionally fell upon a pile of papers on the table, filled with tiny characters, Tea Jin was startled. She walked over and picked them up, holding them in her hand and reading.
For a long time.
When Tea Jin withdrew her gaze, her heart was already surging with waves of emotions.
This was a cultivation technique called the "Mixed Cave Nine Profound Scripture" that Su Yi had given her while they were drinking together last night. Every word was profound and incomparable.
Compared to it, the Moon Sect's inherited methods seemed crude and shallow.
Undoubtedly, this Mixed Cave Nine Profound Scripture was an immeasurably priceless treasure!
If Su Yi had presented her with such a secret technique today, she would have felt uncomfortable, thinking that it was exchanged for her body.
But obviously, it wasn't the case!
"He must have carefully prepared this gift for me because I agreed to stay by his side. He promised to guide me in cultivation..."
Tea Jin murmured to herself. She held the stack of papers to her chest, her heart filled with immense joy, and the corners of her red lips curled up with delight.
A beauty should be both angry and pleased, just like this.
By the lakeside.
Su Yi lazily lay in a rattan chair, gazing at the lotus flowers swaying in the morning breeze on the surface of the lake. He felt a leisurely and indescribable ease in his mood.
The only regret perhaps was that he got heavily drunk last night and couldn't remember anything.