Chapter 610
Shang Qinqing and Tian Miao were relaxed, smiles gracing their faces.
"Fellow practitioners, everything's fine now."
"Little Tian Miao, is this your junior sister?"
"Her name is Tian Xun."
"Come, come, little girl! Here are some sunflower seeds from the southern border. Make yourself at home!"
Tian Xun appeared a bit overwhelmed at first, but quickly warmed up to their enthusiasm.
After surveying the surroundings for a while, she asked, "Aren't Li Shaoxia and Han Xianzi staying here?"
"Oh, they recently bought a house in Ziyang Mansion with their family. I can take you to see them."
Shang Qinqing smacked her lips. They were a family now; she couldn't just linger there, especially since she had been craving a good chat for days.
Just then, Ying Bing arrived at the door. She was looking for Shang Qinqing and Qin Yuzhi to inform them about Li Mo's plans.
Upon entering, she noticed Tian Miao and Tian Xun were already there.
Tian Xun's eyes lit up as she rushed over, clutching the Jiutian Shidi Fengyun Bang (Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Wind and Cloud Ranking).
"Han Xianzi, can I interview you about your thoughts on the Yushu Zhilan Bang (Jade Tree and Orchid Ranking)?"
"Um... sure," Ying Bing nodded.
"Do you think this one is handsome?" Tian Xun showed her the portraits from the Yushu Zhilan Bang one by one.
"Average."
Ying Bing glanced through them with a cool demeanor, occasionally frowning.
When she reached the first portrait, it looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.
"This one is... not bad."
"This is Li Mo."
"Now this one is quite handsome."
Ying Bing said earnestly.
Tian Xun beamed with pride, glancing at Tian Miao as if to say, "See? Han Xianzi's authoritative endorsement!"
"..." Tian Miao's lips twitched.
What value does her opinion really hold?
---
**Chapter 709: The Surprise of Ice Cube**
Tian Miao and Tian Xun, this pair of master and junior sister, not only had a skewed understanding of the "wife-con" little tyrant but also seemed to have a mixed perception of Ying Bing.
If Tian Miao had to describe Ying Bing in two words, it would be "intimidating." Whether as a peer, as a woman, or even from her old profession of fortune-telling, Ying Bing exuded an overwhelming presence.
"Senior sister, you must be lying to me. Han Xianzi's version is different from yours."
On their way back to Ziyang Mansion, Tian Xun whispered.
Of course! What were you discussing with Han Xianzi? When she talks about her husband, does her smile not turn into a perfect 'W' shape?
Well, Ying Bing might not be good at smiling in front of strangers, but she couldn't quite suppress the corners of her mouth.
But what could Tian Miao say? Should she claim that Han Xianzi isn't like that and that you just happened to find her only happy topic?
After a moment of silence, Tian Miao replied, "Ah, right, right."
Seeing her senior sister finally concede, Tian Xun let out a satisfied hum and skipped over to Ying Bing.
She had a mission this time.
Yantian Sect was the most well-informed sect in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and they couldn't rely solely on fate techniques. First, fate techniques couldn't be used all the time; second, they were often vague and could only provide a general direction.
Detailed information relied more on the disciples going down the mountain to gather it.
This was what they called "interviewing."
Tian Xun had come along with her senior sister to interview Ying Bing and Li Mo.
"How did Li Shaoxia and Han Xianzi meet?"
"I grew up in his house."
"Wow, so you were childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree!" Tian Xun put on her glasses, notebook in hand, jotting down notes as she asked, "Was Li Shaoxia a genius from a young age?"
Many who knew Li Mo would know the answer to this question.
Tian Miao opened her mouth, about to say that little Li's martial arts starting point wasn't ideal.
But Ying Bing, after a moment's thought, said, "Yes, he was a little genius."
Tian Miao: "?"
That didn't match up.
She had no idea.
In Ying Bing's mind, she was recalling the little devil of Qinghe County, whose talent was so exceptional that even the teachers at the academy admitted they couldn't teach him.
"There's a saying in the martial world that Li Shaoxia is upright and a true gentleman. Is he really like that in private?" Tian Xun asked again.
"Well..." Ying Bing's fingers curled slightly, gripping her doll tightly at the mention of that term.
This led to a deeper question.
Does liking a bit of mischief conflict with being a gentleman?
"Do you know the young master Shaoyun of the Da Shang?"
"Is Ice Sister referring to the one whose poetry and songs are renowned throughout the ages, known as the paragon of gentlemen, the first young master of Da Shang?"
Tian Xun smiled confidently; who didn't know that? Yantian Sect had plenty of records about ancient gentlemen.
"Exactly. Li Mo can be compared to him."
"Wow, that's a high compliment."
"Emmmm," Qin Yuzhi looked thoughtful.
The records in Yantian Sect probably didn't mention that Young Master Shaoyun had a fondness for delicate feet and that there were quite a few unique art books hidden under his bed...
Tian Miao was starting to lose her composure: "Junior sister, don't write that down just yet. Hearing it from others isn't as good as seeing it for yourself."
"That's true."
Tian Xun nodded, just as she had more questions prepared for Ying Bing:
"Ice Sister, will you and Li Shaoxia be together for a lifetime?"
"If life is only one lifetime," Ying Bing replied softly, her tone unwavering.
"How frustrating! If only I could become an immortal, I’d tie them together with a red string!" Shang Qinqing's ambition had never been so strong.
But no one knew if there was a next life after death.
A little monk once said there used to be, but now he couldn't be sure.
If there is...
"Since you're about to get engaged, have you prepared anything for him? Like some of his favorite things?" Tian Xun asked again.
"What he likes..."
Ying Bing's eyes froze for a moment; it seemed he didn't need anything prepared.
But recording that in the Jiutian Shidi Fengyun Lu (Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Wind and Cloud Record) might not be appropriate, right?
"Ice Sister, you don't know his preferences?"
"My... he should like everything I give him."
"Oh, I see..." Tian Xun pondered for a moment before suddenly saying something surprising: "Then why not cook him a meal?"
Shang Qinqing: "!"
Qin Yuzhi: "?"
"..." Tian Miao pulled out some rations and took a few bites, planning to say she had already eaten. This was the foresight of the saintess of Yantian Sect.
"Why do you all have that expression?" Tian Xun asked, puzzled.
Ying Bing pressed her lips together: "I have things I'm not good at too..."
"I see." Tian Xun understood, then smiled brightly: "It's okay! I'm pretty good at cooking. My dad and master both praise my cooking as something rare in the world. I can cook with Ice Sister!"
"Their compliments might not mean it's actually good," Tian Miao quickly interjected.
After the first time, she never wanted to eat it again in this lifetime.
That was indeed something rare in the world...
"Really?" Ying Bing's eyes brightened.
"Absolutely," Tian Xun assured her.
"Then let's head to the kitchen later. Li Mo has been... quite hungry lately. Teach me a few dishes."
"I'll make sure to help Ice Sister win over Li Shaoxia's stomach!"
Tian Miao thought, "This is the end."
Separately, these two were already the limits of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths; now together, one was eager to teach, and the other was eager to learn.
It wasn't just about the stomach; Li Mo himself would be completely won over.
After a while, the girls arrived at Li Mansion in Ziyang City.
As soon as they entered the backyard, they saw Li Mo, Huang Donglai, and Murong Xiao huddled together.
Old Huang had recently hit a bottleneck in his inner cultivation. Due to his unconventional path, he was brainstorming with everyone to find a way to break through.
Seeing Tian Xun, he was a bit surprised.
"Oh, so you're Tian Miao's junior sister. That makes you one of us."
A glimmer of fate's divine light flashed in Li Mo's eyes.
"Li Shaoxia, this... this is my wedding gift for you," Tian Xun said, feeling shy now that she was face to face with Li Mo. She took out the prepared gift from her storage item.
It was a pair of silver and agarwood pillows, quite valuable.
"You're too kind. I'll give you the wedding money in advance."
Tian Xun didn't think much of it and accepted the thin red envelope.
It's customary to give wedding money, and usually, it wouldn't be much—just a few copper coins for common folk, while wealthy families might give a small gold bean.
This... hmm?
Tian Xun leaned back slightly, her mind spinning at the sight of '30,000 taels' written on the gold note inside the envelope.
They say Li Shaoxia is generous and magnanimous.
But this is a bit over the top, isn't it?
"Junior sister must have come with a task, right?" Li Mo casually asked.
"That's right! I need to interview Li Shaoxia and Ice Sister. I hope you two can help me out."
"Then let's get started."
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