Chapter One Hundred Fifty: Her and the Cotton Candy
Qiu Ju was the first to raise a question.
“A date? What’s a date?”
“You silly.”
Chun Lan knocked her sister’s head in frustration and explained, “A date is when two people in love agree to go somewhere together to sweet talk and enjoy the flower and moonlight.”
“Like those talented scholars and beautiful ladies in stories where the moon is rising, they meet at dusk—that’s a date!”
Qiu Ju suddenly understood, “Oh, I see.”
“Then, then does that mean… Young Master Sang is dating the Palace Master!?”
“Very likely.”
Chun Lan had a serious look, narrowing her eyes as she tightly watched the direction the two had left: “I knew that Sang Ce coming to our Sword Flower Palace had ill intentions, but I didn’t expect his ambitions to be larger than we imagined.”
He didn’t just want to collect us sisters…
He doesn’t even want to let the Palace Master go?!
At this moment, Qiu Ju was still confused, with somewhat flushed cheeks from nervousness as she stammered,
“What if… what if Young Master Sang and the Palace Master really like each other?”
“Impossible!”
Chun Lan shook her head, “You know the Palace Master well. She’s completely devoted to the sword and has no time for love and romance.”
Not to mention…
If he really was in love with the Palace Master…
How could my silly sister ever compete with the Palace Master?
“No way.”
The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was wrong. Chun Lan shook her head decisively, “Let’s go after them.”
“…Huh?”
Qiu Ju stared blankly, “Why are we going after them?”
“Just in case! What if this bad guy has ill intentions towards the Palace Master?”
After stuttering for a while, Chun Lan finally stated firmly, “Anyway, we just have to follow them.”
With that, she dragged Qiu Ju along as they hurried off.
On the way, Qiu Ju’s expression was complicated.
…Could it be that sister is flustered seeing Young Master Sang and the Palace Master in love?
What should I do?
If sister really ends up heartbroken, how am I supposed to comfort her?
——
——
They chose to go shopping in a small town at the foot of the Yaotai Mountains.
This little town was quite ordinary, nothing remarkable—just like the one in front of the Sang family’s entrance.
It was just past noon, and the sunlight wasn’t too intense. The wind from the Yaotai Mountains breezed through the narrow streets.
Sang Zhe walked side by side with Gu Yingmian.
Gu Yingmian was still wearing that enchanting dress adorned with petals, trailing along the ground. She wore a veil that partially obscured her face but still revealed a gentle and balanced facial shape, along with her alluring pink lips swaying slightly with the veil.
Her long hair cascaded elegantly over her shoulders, without a hairpin holding it up, giving her a very casual look.
Even though she could conceal her aura, Gu Yingmian’s charm and striking figure were enough to attract almost everyone’s gaze.
Walking alongside the elegant Sang Zhe, they looked like a pair of celestial lovers.
“Shopping… what do people usually do?” Gu Yingmian suddenly asked.
“I guess it’s called shopping because it doesn’t have a purpose,” Sang Zhe pondered, “Markets often have new and interesting things or delicious snacks.”
“Shopping is to break away from the monotonous daily routine and seek encounters with fresh experiences.”
“If you happen to find something interesting or taste something delicious, it just makes you feel great.”
Gu Yingmian nodded, somewhat understanding.
The shops along the street weren’t luxurious, just ordinary small vendors.
Sang Zhe glanced around briefly and lost interest.
He guessed Gu Yingmian would find such mundane things dull as well.
But unexpectedly, after a while, Gu Yingmian suddenly tugged at Sang Zhe’s sleeve.
“Young Master Sang, what’s that?”
Sang Zhe looked at an old man making cotton candy by the roadside and smiled, “Cotton candy. Haven’t you tried it, Palace Master?”
Gu Yingmian blinked.
She wasn’t very interested in eating.
Since she started her training, she wouldn’t starve even if she didn’t eat, so she spent all her meal time practicing swordplay.
After that, she only ate to avoid feeling out of place.
Thus, she hadn’t tried many dishes, let alone snacks like cotton candy.
Seeing the sparkle in Gu Yingmian’s eyes, Sang Zhe quickly ran over to buy two sticks of cotton candy from the old man.
“Here, Palace Master, give it a try.”
Gu Yingmian took the cotton candy, observing the soft and light sugar fluff, her lovely eyes showing a hint of confusion.
How does one… eat this?
She turned her head to look at Sang Zhe.
Sang Zhe had already taken a big bite, chewing happily as he smacked his lips, “Oh no, it’s too sweet!”
Gu Yingmian tried to take a bite.
The cotton candy was so soft and light that taking a bite didn’t yield much. Instead, she almost buried her face in it.
“Mmm…”
She pouted slightly in dissatisfaction, her brows adorably knitting together.
“No, no, no, Palace Master, cotton candy is meant to look big but you eat a little, it’s less about quantity and more about that fleeting sweetness…”
Seeing the sticky bits on her face, Sang Zhe quickly pulled out a handkerchief, wiping her cheeks while patiently explaining, “You eat it little by little, it doesn’t fill you up, but it gives you a taste of that almost-there sweetness…”
Gu Yingmian didn’t resist, letting Sang Zhe wipe the cotton candy off her face.
Her eyes were still fixed on Sang Zhe.
“Young Master Sang, is it normal for the men and women down the mountain to do this kind of thing?”
Sang Zhe’s hand froze for a moment, then he awkwardly pulled back, “Uh, no, it’s not. The younger generation has overstepped, please forgive me, Palace Master.”
“It’s fine.”
Gu Yingmian suddenly shifted her gaze, her long eyelashes gently lowering.
“I don’t mind.”
Sang Zhe couldn’t help but take another glance at Gu Yingmian.
Gu Yingmian actually looked very different from the lofty, untouchable fairy imagined in his mind.
It was after arriving at the Sword Flower Palace that Sang Zhe realized, it turns out Gu Yingmian, like an ordinary girl, also did her hair and makeup, experiencing joy and sorrow.
Leaving aside her cultivation and status.
She was pure. Very ordinary.
Just like at this moment, standing beside him.
She was simply holding the cotton candy, tilting her head curiously as she looked at it.
Her profile was already beautiful, with the slight tilt of her head adding an extra layer of sweetness.
Like a kitten examining its food.
Moments later, she carefully opened her lips, taking a small bite, then slowly savoring the taste.
For some reason, Sang Zhe’s heart suddenly raced, and he hastily turned his head away.
…No.
The girlfriend vibe is too strong.
It’s like taking your girlfriend to an amusement park, and she’s indulging in cotton candy next to you.
It’s just too cute.
But Sang Zhe was clear; this was a top-tier celestial powerhouse.
He wouldn’t dare to have any thoughts about such a person, even if he had ten lives.
Sang Zhe, stay calm.
There are plenty of juice girls waiting for you back home; don’t risk your life just for a fleeting beauty.
“Young Master Sang?”
“Ah?”
Sang Zhe turned his head to see Gu Yingmian tilting her head, blinking innocently at him.
In her hand, she held nothing but a bare cotton candy stick.
“Finished it?”
“Yeah.”
“Was it good?”
“Not sure…” Gu Yingmian tried to recall, “I could only taste a little sweetness, and it seemed to vanish before I even got to eat it.”
“That’s how cotton candy is.”
Sang Zhe chuckled: “You could just imagine you took a bite of a cloud from the sky.”
“When you eat a cloud, it feels like you’re floating. Your mood would become carefree and lighthearted.”
“And if the cloud you bit into happened to be sweet?”
“Wouldn’t that make you even happier?”
A cloud in the sky?
Gu Yingmian dazedly raised her head.
She suddenly remembered that when she was young, while training on the mountain.
When she was too tired to practice, she would sit by the square and look up at the clouds.
The clouds were white and soft, relaxed and free; young Gu Yingmian loved that carefree feeling.
But later, as she trained more and improved her cultivation.
Just flying up casually could place her in the clouds.
She actually forgot that feeling of looking up at the clouds as a child.
For some reason, hearing Sang Zhe say “The cloud you eat tastes sweet,” she suddenly felt an inexplicable flutter in her heart.
The clouds she liked.
Were just right paired with a sweet taste.
So if she managed to eat a bite of that, wouldn’t it mean double the delight?
Gu Yingmian thought, perhaps in her life from now on, in addition to practicing swordplay, she could add another line.
Eating cotton candy.
“Thank you, Young Master Sang.”
Seeing Gu Yingmian lost in thought for a long while, suddenly thanking him, Sang Zhe was a bit dazed: “Huh?”
“I really liked this cotton candy.”
She smiled lightly.
Her veil seemed unable to cover her stunning smile, the slightly upturned corners of her mouth exuding a captivating sense of beauty.
Sang Zhe froze for a moment, then awkwardly averted his gaze and chuckled sheepishly:
“Ah… I’m glad the Palace Master likes it.”
“I’ll ask Chun Lan and Qiu Ju to buy more materials someday and make cotton candy for the Palace Master on the mountain.”
Chun Lan and Qiu Ju?
Gu Yingmian’s gaze flickered to the street corner.
Two little heads quickly shrank back like they’d been electrocuted.
“Alright.” Gu Yingmian withdrew her gaze and smiled.
“Does Young Master Sang know any other snacks like this?”
“Oh, there are tons!” Sang Zhe immediately began listing them off, “Sugar figurines, candied hawthorn, grilled rice cakes, various dried fruits…”
After he finished listing all the snacks with a parched tongue, he turned and bumped right into Gu Yingmian’s eager gaze.
“Uh… Does the Palace Master want to try them all?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“Of course, of course.” Sang Zhe’s lips twitched.
With each passing moment, he felt more and more like crying.
Sister, do you really not plan to let me go back?!
……
Once the two figures disappeared, Chun Lan cautiously peeked around the corner of the street.
“There’s no mistake.”
She said very seriously: “These two… are definitely on a date!”
“With how intimate they are, and they’re picking out snacks that girls love…”
“At this rate, the Palace Master might really get snatched away by that man—hey, Qiu Ju!”
Chun Lan looked over at Qiu Ju, who was happily munching on cotton candy, unable to hold back her frustration as she pulled her away.
“Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you think about! If you keep eating, we’ll lose sight of them!”
“Ah!” Qiu Ju said, aggrieved: “Can’t you wait for me to finish eating?”
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