Chapter 936: Leaves of a Willow Lifted by the Wind

It was obviously the same lamp Bi Linglong had given him, but Zu An gave it away to another girl, completely unfazed.

After all, there was no way he would continue to practice handwriting at night. He didn’t think it was too likely for Bi Linglong to notice either. She didn’t really know Xie Daoyun, and with Bi Linglong’s status, there was no reason for her to come into his own room to check if it was still there.

Even in terms of the distant future, if she really did end up in his room and didn’t see the lamp for some reason, he could just say that he accidentally dropped it and broke it, or make up some other random excuse. Sigh, why am I so smart?

Xie Daoyun was happy and excited when she saw the lamp. She blushed and exclaimed, “Thank you, big brother Zu!”

This kind of gift was just too useful for her! He probably got it while thinking about me. The usually calm and reserved Xie Daoyun felt her heart rate speed up when she had that thought.

Xie Xiu’s eyes widened. As someone who had mastered the arts of the playboy himself, how could he not understand the destructive power the gift had on his sister? Damn you, Zu An, are you trying to become my brother-in-law?

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

As he watched the two of them exchanging ambiguous looks, Xie Xiu walked right in between them to block their line of sight. Then, he looked at Zu An with a big smile, asking, “Brother-in… Ahem, Brother Zu, what about my gift?”

Zu An replied indifferently, “Isn’t saving you from He Baizi the best gift?”

Xie Xiu choked. He wanted to argue back, but he suddenly felt that what Zu An had said really was true. He could only say, “Alright, alright. You’re done now, right? We should go out and have some fun.” Of course, having some fun was just a pretense. He wanted to go to the capital’s pleasure quarters and have some lovely girls in his arms.

Zu An obviously knew what he was thinking, but he didn’t know what Kong Nanwu and the others’ purpose for coming to the capital was. He didn’t want to get too involved with them. As such, he said with a smile, “Alright, how about taking Daoyun with us? It’s been so long since we came to the capital, and yet I’ve never treated you guys to a meal. Today’s a good chance for us to go out and relax.”

Xie Xiu looked dejected when he heard that his big sister was coming too. There was no way they could go to the pleasure quarters if she was coming along! Wait, why is he calling her Daoyun as if they’re close?

Xie Daoyun also noticed the way Zu An addressed her and said, blushing, “Teacher told me to watch his home for him. I can’t just leave like this.”

Xie Xiu was overjoyed to hear that and said, “Right, right, right, we should just go by ourselves.”

However, Xie Daoyun said, “But if you don’t mind, we can hold a small gathering here. I’ll have some servants prepare some food and drink.”

Zu An said with a smile, “That’s perfect. It’s too noisy outside; Daoyun’s place here is much more elegant. Huh? Xiu’er, what kind of expression is that? Why do you look as if you’re about to cry? Isn’t having a meal with your big sister a great thing?”

Xie Xiu was speechless. Screw you! You still want to become my brother-in-law with the way you’re acting? If I don’t mess up your relationship, my surname isn’t Xie!

Xie Daoyun was really happy when she heard Zu An’s response. Picking up the hems of her dress, she then hurried out to tell the servants to prepare some food.

Zu An took the chance to wrap his arm around Xie Xiu’s shoulder, asking, “Xiu’er, what’s wrong? Are you upset?”

Xie Xiu harrumphed and pushed Zu An’s arm away, replying, “Don’t touch me. I don’t have a friend like you who’s so disloyal.” You can flirt with my big sister, but what about me?

Zu An sighed and said, “Xiu’er, it seems you had no idea what I was trying to do.”

Xie Xiu thought, What else could you possibly be thinking by doing this? But he hesitated when he heard Zu An’s tone, asking, “What do you mean?”

Zu An asked, “Do you know why your master keeps making you memorize Go games day in and day out?”

“It’s to strengthen my soul, of course,” Xie Xiu subconsciously replied.

“Indeed. Normal cultivators need to reach the peak of the ninth rank before they can start using their soul power. However, your master’s chess dao can take a different approach…” Zu An first praised Xie Xiu’s master Hei Baizi, then shifted his attitude. “But there are many fundamentals of cultivation that can’t be ignored. Your cultivation is still too low, and your body isn’t strong enough. Your soul isn’t as sturdy as that of someone truly strong.

“You haven’t slept for so long, so your internal energies are deficient. If you go to a brothel now, you’ll be wasting your energy on girls. That will only end up ruining all of the effort you put into cultivating your soul. Your body won’t be able to take it anymore and you’ll end up seriously injured. You might even lose your life!”

Zu An’s cultivation was now much higher. Together with Mi Li’s constant influence, he sounded truly convincing. Xie Xiu was quickly befuddled. His expression changed several times, but then he quickly cupped his hands and said, “I would’ve made a huge mistake if it weren’t for Brother Zu’s warning. I won’t forget this life-saving grace.”

“You’re being too serious! We’re all one family,” Zu An patted his shoulder and said with a smile.

Xie Xiu’s expression was strange. When did we become one family? He couldn't help but reply, “Right, Brother Zu, can you not call me Xiu’er? It sounds weird.”

“Sure, Xiu’er,” Zu An replied.

“What are you two talking about?” Xie Daoyun asked when she returned, having already finished her preparations. A smile appeared on her face when she saw them hooking their arms around each other; she thought the two seemed to be very close.

Zu An said with a smile, “I was just feeling bad for how Xiu’er has had it recently. Meanwhile, you’re quite relaxed here, and you can call over the servants in this courtyard whenever you need them for something. He has to suffer day in and day out with Hei Baizi. The difference is just a bit too much.”

Xie Xiu gave him a grateful look. Zu An hadn’t exposed his intention to go to a brothel.

Xie Daoyun couldn't help but grab Xie Xiu’s ear, saying, “It’s this brat’s fault for becoming ignorant and incompetent by playing around with girls all day. Look at how formidable your big brother Zu is. He was able to help the crown prince defeat an eighth ranked Moon Jade Serpent while still being so young.”

That was what the court had told everyone. She had always paid close attention to news from that end, so she obviously knew about that. Unfortunately, she had no idea that the enemies Zu An had faced were far above the eighth rank.

Xie Xiu became a bit gloomy. He thought to himself, Zu An went to the brothels way more than me! He even ended up bringing home the courtesan queen herself from Immortal Abode! Even if we put aside the courtesans, just the beauties at his side alone are more numerous, so why am I suddenly the bad example…

He was about to retort when he suddenly realized that he would only be making himself look worse if he said anything. He could only try his best to calm his sister down so she would let go of his ear.

…

Soon afterward, servants brought in a charcoal stove and an assortment of vegetable and meat dishes.

Xie Daoyun said gently, “A normal meal would take some time to prepare. Since the weather’s quite cold, why don’t we enjoy some hot pot tonight?”

“Sounds good!” Xie Xiu’s eyes lit up. “I’ve really been starving recently.”

Only then did Zu An realize that it was already wintertime. Ever since he had begun to cultivate, he stopped having to fear the cold. That was why he hadn’t even noticed the change in seasons.

They cooked the lamb meat while chatting with each other. To a certain degree, they were from the same hometown, so the gathering felt especially nice.

A cold wind blew past. Xie Daoyun’s eyes suddenly lit up. She looked outside past the railing excitedly and exclaimed, “It’s snowing!” Brightmoon City was down south, so it was rare to see snow there even during winter. That was why she was particularly excited.

Zu An was stirred by her gentle and refined complexion, which was even more beautiful amid the contrast of the fluttering snow and the stove’s fire. He blurted out, “Of what does the fluttering of snow resemble?”

“I didn’t expect Brother Zu to suddenly have some literary elegance,” Xie Xiu said with a smile. He looked at the falling snow, then after muttering to himself for a bit, said, “In my opinion, it’s like salt scattered through the air.”

Xie Daoyun gave her little brother an annoyed look. Her little brother really was a bit ignorant sometimes. This brat was a master at everything related to girls, but he was dumb as a donkey about anything unrelated to girls. For fear of Zu An seeing through their family’s situation, she thought for a bit, then said, “It resembles the leaves of a willow lifted by the wind.”

Zu An felt goosebumps across his entire body. He was momentarily distracted as he looked at her stunning countenance.