A Lavish Dinner and a Lingering Question

Tianhe Gate’s kitchen always excelled. This was especially true whenever Yang Xuan paid a visit.

Bai Yuan sometimes couldn’t help but sigh at the truth of it: catering to guests’ preferences was a universally accepted principle, one even the head chef of Tianhe Manor couldn’t escape.

Unlike the indifferent treatment she’d received in her previous life, she wasn’t sure if her current docile nature, free from any troublesome antics, was the reason.

Regardless, this man had been spending considerably more time here in this life.

Occasionally, they would even share dinner. Whenever that happened, the food would be exceptionally lavish.

Just like this evening.

Even if she wasn’t a true gourmand, Bai Yuan still ate with great relish.

After all, while last night’s grand banquet had been decent, too much time had passed. The dishes had been reheated repeatedly, losing much of their flavor, and she had later been swept into the drinking contests, barely eating anything in the latter half.

And earlier today, to avoid disturbing Qian Ying’s fortuitous encounter, she had again made do with a hasty meal.

Therefore, she naturally couldn’t let this evening’s dinner go to waste.

‘Food and lust are human nature,’ as the saying went.

Eating such rare delicacies from mountain and river, and sleeping with the youngest Grandmaster in the world—did this mean she had achieved some kind of accomplishment designated by the Confucian sages?

Bai Yuan thought brazenly, then looked up at Yang Xuan, who was seated across from her.

This youngest Grandmaster and powerful expert of their era was not, like her, feasting heartily on the exquisite dishes. Instead, he held a wine cup, pouring and drinking slowly, only occasionally moving his chopsticks.

He exuded the demeanor of a reclusive mountain sage, entirely unbefitting his age.

‘I always feel like this fellow is much more profound than he was in my previous life,’ Bai Yuan mused.

Sometimes, Bai Yuan would have this illusion. However, during this period in her previous life, she had been confined to her courtyard, diligently cultivating to restore her power, often not seeing this man for two or three months at a time. Perhaps her memory was simply mistaken.

“What is it?”

Yang Xuan seemed to notice Bai Yuan’s gaze. He set down his wine cup and looked at her with interest.

“Uh…”

Bai Yuan was momentarily speechless. She couldn’t very well say, ‘You’re truly putting on quite the act, you rascal.’ After a moment of thought, she finally came up with an excuse: “The dishes tonight are excellent. Why aren’t you eating, my lord?”

“This afternoon, Uncle Hu, Wanzhao, and I were discussing sect affairs, and I already had some snacks,” Yang Xuan replied placidly.

“Oh.”

It was merely an excuse, so Bai Yuan naturally didn’t care about his answer. She simply lowered her head and picked up another piece of fresh fish with her chopsticks.

Then, she heard the man add another remark.

“Besides, it’s rarely this lavish, and you enjoy it so much. It’s better to leave more for you to eat, so you can put on some more flesh. It would be a shame for you to feel bony when I hold you later.”

“…”

Bai Yuan’s chopsticks, still clutching the fresh fish, froze mid-air.

‘What? Am I very thin?’ she wondered.

She instinctively glanced down at her own chest. Though concealed by her outer robes, it was still subtly apparent that she was amply endowed, even larger than the already fertile Qin Wanzhao.

‘Or is he mocking me for being fat?’

‘No, what’s more concerning is how this fellow suddenly became so bold. Could it be that my proactive response last night gave him some ideas? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? He can’t actually be thinking of having me bear him a child, can he?’

A string of questions spun in her mind. Bai Yuan brought the fish from her chopsticks to her mouth, chewing fiercely, her teeth grinding the tiny bones within before she swallowed it whole—as if it were Yang Xuan himself.

Then she looked up, her gaze meeting the man’s. She saw the faint, inscrutable smile playing on his lips.

For some reason, Bai Yuan suddenly felt a pang of unease. Just as she was about to look away, she heard the man speak again.

“Speaking of which, your evaluation today was quite good.”

“What?” Bai Yuan was somewhat confused.

“‘I can conform to the sword, but the sword cannot conform to me’—this assessment is truly incisive. In a single sentence, it revealed the true essence of your husband’s sword dao.”

‘Tsk… he really knows how to praise himself. Can that even be considered sword dao?’ Bai Yuan scoffed inwardly.

Having fought this man countless times, she naturally understood what his so-called sword dao looked like: any exquisite sword intent would be ruined in his hands, becoming no different from an iron hammer thrown to smash people.

Yet, this fellow was terrifyingly strong, strong in a way that defied all reason, far stronger than those sword cultivators who painstakingly refined their sword intent daily.

One could only say that sometimes, the heavens truly turned a blind eye.

“Therefore, your husband believes that your sword dao shouldn’t be lacking either.”

“…”

For a split second, Bai Yuan’s heart seemed to skip a beat. ‘Could this fellow have seen something?’

Having once reached that realm, and having slain no fewer than eight or nine Grandmasters with her sword, Bai Yuan naturally understood the immense gap between her current self and the man before her.

She had just broken through today and hadn’t yet managed to fully conceal her aura when he stumbled upon her. If he had discerned a hint of something, it wouldn’t be surprising.

‘Alright, if he’s seen it, he’s seen it,’ Bai Yuan thought, her mind circling twice. Then, recalling her current situation, she settled down, comforting herself: ‘Even if he saw it, it’s nothing. I’ve already changed my foundation. Even if I use it, I can say it’s something I’ve pondered myself, or a secret transmission from the righteous path. No one can say anything.’

“I merely have a slight understanding.”

“A slight understanding, you say?” The man repeated softly, a hint of what seemed like mockery in his smile. “Then next time you have a moment, perhaps you could demonstrate it for your husband?”

“…Alright.”

For a moment, Bai Yuan felt that the food in her mouth was no longer as delicious as before.

Indeed, Yang Xuan said nothing further. He simply continued to savor his wine, occasionally eating some dishes, and discussing with Bai Yuan the potential issues Qian Ying might face after her breakthrough, along with strategies to address them.

All in all, the latter half of this dinner was quite pleasant.

After Yang Xuan had his fill of wine and Bai Yuan had her fill of food, Biyan led people to clear the table. Yang Xuan and Bai Yuan then entered the inner chambers, one after the other.

“Did you bring that copy of ‘Complete Explanations of Array Dao’ that I left with you last time?” Yang Xuan asked suddenly, his gaze sweeping around the room as soon as they entered.

“Uh… yes, I brought it. It’s in the trunk. Please wait a moment, my lord.”

She wasn’t sure about her previous life, but in this life, Bai Yuan had discovered a rather good habit of the man: he loved to read.

Every time they had dinner together, during the period before bedtime, the man would often read late into the night by lamplight.

His reading was eclectic, not limited to the martial arts manuals and military treatises commonly read by martial artists. It encompassed miscellaneous records from foreign lands, array formations and talismans, and even methods for divining heavenly secrets. Occasionally, he would even discuss the contents with her.

He often wouldn’t take the books with him when he left the next day, simply leaving them with her.

Sometimes, she would read them to pass the time.

However, she read very quickly—not because the content was shallow; on the contrary, these books were often profoundly intricate and esoteric, many of them rare, unique editions. The earliest versions of much of the content could even be traced back to exotic foreign lands like the Western Regions or the Ghost Prison. It was simply that she had encountered, and even studied, most of the things within them in her previous life. As for the remaining few, she wasn’t particularly interested, so she mostly skimmed through them hastily before putting them back in the trunk.

Bai Yuan secretly felt relieved that she had remembered this detail and had instructed someone to bring the books to the Golden Bamboo Courtyard this morning. Now that the man mentioned it, she went directly to the trunk to retrieve them.