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Kapitel 46

“Today I’ve shut down all business at Chunfeng Ruyi Tower. If the person secretly spying on me is still around, what do you think he’ll think?” Mo Xibei asked.

"You've set up a trap, ready to compete with him," Mu Feinan shook his head and sighed, "I've seen plenty of lazy people, but few are as lazy as you. Even when the fire is about to break, you can still eat and sleep as usual. How could you be so sure that no one would dare to come tonight?"

"I can't predict it accurately, so I'll need your cooperation. Before the big battle, let's steal a moment of peace." Mo Xibei tilted her head and smiled, making a funny face with a childlike and adorable expression. This made her eyes even more sparkling and bright, and her whole being radiant, as if nothing in the world mattered to her. She hadn't made such an expression in a long time, and for a moment, she found it amusing, completely unaware of the lingering amazement in Mu Feinan's eyes.

That evening, Mo Xibei took Mu Feinan to a small, unpretentious inn. A plate of peanuts, a dish of braised beef, and a jar of ten-year-aged Nu'er Hong wine—they drank cup after cup until a hint of intoxication appeared on their faces. Mu Feinan hadn't expected such a small inn to have such excellent wine. It wasn't just fragrant and mellow; one sip brought a subtle sweetness that warmed his heart, making him lose track of time. He could only sigh at the beauty before him, drinking under the moon, with no trace of her.

But this little shop was strange. When it was time to close, Mu Feinan threw out a 20-tael silver ingot, but it didn't stop the waiter from giving them a cold look and kicking them out.

"How did you find such a strange shop?" Mu Feinan, holding the unfinished wine, was dragged by Mo Xibei onto a roof ridge, completely drunk. The tiles underfoot were so slippery that he couldn't walk on them.

"What do I do? If you ask me which emperor I am, I might not know. But if you ask me where there is good food, if I don't know, then there is no good food here at all." Mo Xibei swung his arm triumphantly, almost knocking the wine jar out of Mu Feinan's arms. Seeing Mu Feinan's flustered appearance, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"I've noticed that you're great in every way, except when you're drunk. You start getting handsy and groping when you're intoxicated," Mu Feinan muttered discontentedly. "Getting handsy and groping? How come I never noticed before?"

"How did I touch you?" Mo Xibei pushed Mu Feinan in dissatisfaction. He saw Mu Feinan slide on the roof and seemed about to slide down. He found it amusing and reached out to push him again, but Mu Feinan pulled him and he fell into his arms.

Mu Feinan finally lost his grip on the wine jar, which rolled down with a clattering sound as it hit the ground.

"It's all your fault, you couldn't even hold onto the wine, now we have nothing to drink." Mo Xibei pouted and slapped Mu Feinan.

"And you said, if you hadn't suddenly pounced on me, how could this have happened..." Mu Feinan complained, then suddenly looked down, just as Mo Xibei was raising his head from his arms. Mo Xibei's cheek brushed against his lips, sending a strange, ticklish sensation through his body. He felt a jolt in his heart and couldn't help but lean closer...

"Who's up at night, causing trouble without even looking where they are!" The door to the house was suddenly kicked open, and a man dragged someone out, cursing loudly. He saw two people on the roof and was about to curse again, but in the blink of an eye, the house was empty. The man rubbed his eyes and looked around again. The wind was gentle and the moon was bright, and there was no one around. He felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end. When he spoke again, it was a loud, distorted shout: "A ghost!"

"Hehe..." Mo Xibei couldn't help but chuckle. She and Mu Feinan hadn't actually used any superb lightness skills to escape. They had just been in a moment of tension and fell from the roof of one house into the courtyard of another. Hearing the man shout, she couldn't help but find it amusing.

"Shh!" Mu Feinan quickly covered Mo Xibei's mouth, raising his index finger to his lips.

"Shh!" Mo Xibei mimicked him, and the two tiptoed out, running quite a distance before bursting into laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Mo Xibei asked him after a long while.

"What are you laughing at again?" Mu Fei asked instead of answering.

"I want to laugh." Mo Xibei didn't argue with him.

"Me too." Mu Feinan pulled Mo Xibei into his arms, feeling a faint and delicate fragrance emanating from Mo Xibei's hair, which gradually permeated his body with each breath.

"Why are you so beautiful?" Mo Xibei wouldn't let him savor the feeling, and after a few moments of struggling free, she lifted his face with her hand and asked him a silly question.

"Because God allows us to leverage our strengths and compensate for our weaknesses," Mu Feinan replied without hesitation.

"Go to hell!" Mo Xibei smiled and leaned close to Mu Feinan's ear, barely making a sound, but uttering two words fiercely. After a pause, he said, "It seems like he's gone?"

“They’re gone,” Mu Feinan whispered in Mo Xibei’s ear in the same way. “I really don’t know what you’re planning. Why don’t you just make a move?”

Volume Two: The Wind Leaves Its Mark, Chapter Six: The Dinner Party (Part 1)

"Have you ever heard a play?" They played around until midnight, and the alcohol helped them sleep. Mo Xibei didn't appear at Chunfeng Ruyi Tower until noon the next day.

"What does this have to do with watching opera?" Mu Feinan made a "kill" gesture. "We should have done this last night and taken care of the people following us."

“That would be boring. I like listening to operas. The play never ends before the main character appears. For now, let’s just pretend we’re in a play. Many main characters haven’t had a chance to appear yet, so we have to give them a chance to show their talents.” Mo Xibei sneered. “I love playing games the most. This time, I can play with them to my heart’s content.”

“I love the way you look when you say that,” Mu Feinan said. “We’re a match made in heaven.”

Mo Xibei didn't answer him this time, only giving him a look as if he were an idiot, before turning around and preparing to leave.

"Wait!" Mu Feinan quickly stopped her. "The cooks here are all on holiday. I can't even guarantee three meals a day while I'm staying here. I didn't even get breakfast this morning. I demand to stay at your house."

"Oh, I forgot, why don't you go out to eat?" Mo Xibei said as if he had just remembered, then ignored Mu Feinan and walked straight out, muttering to himself, "How could I forget, Mr. Xiuwen doesn't have a place to eat either."

That day, the dining table at Mo Xibei's house was unusually lively. She rarely ate at home, so when Murong Lianyun and Chu Junfeng arrived at the dining room one after the other, they were both taken aback by the lineup. Although Mo Xibei was not a frequent visitor, he certainly didn't bring such an effect. However, the other two men in the dining room, one sitting and one standing, one refined and handsome, and the other stunningly beautiful, dazzled the maids and servants carrying cups, plates, and bowls.

Murong Lianyun immediately recognized one of them as the handsome man who had been disheveled in Mo Xibei's room a few days ago. She felt extremely embarrassed at the time, glancing at Mo Xibei and almost unable to resist questioning him. However, she then remembered that Chu Junfeng was standing beside her, and there was another man sitting to the side. Although she seemed to have seen him at the Chunfeng Ruyi Tower, she did not recognize him and could only hold back.

Chu Junfeng immediately recognized the other two men in the room and sensed the tension, wariness, and even...killing intent emanating from Murong Lianyun beside him. His eyes darted quickly over the three men, and though he had some doubts, he simply smiled calmly and broke the tense atmosphere, saying, "It's quite lively today. Northwest, you're the host, aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Do I need to introduce you? That would seem too formal," Mo Xibei glanced at the expressions of the people in the room, seemingly casually. "You've all met before, right? This is Young Master Xiuwen, this is... Young Master Feinan, oh, this is Young Master Chu, and this is Miss Murong. Now, let me formally introduce myself as Mo Xibei. Alright, introductions complete. I'm hungry, let's eat."

After hearing Mo Xibei's brief introduction, everyone in the room, except for Xiu Wen who remained composed, was inwardly uneasy. Murong Lianyun was the first to frown, "Since Brother Mo has guests, it's inconvenient for Lianyun to remain here. I should take my leave." "Mr. Wen is the best musician I've invited, and Young Master Fei Nan is my friend. There's nothing inconvenient about it. You'll get to know them sooner or later anyway." Mo Xibei stopped Murong Lianyun, saying amiably, "We江湖儿女 (people of the martial world) don't stand on ceremony; there's no need to avoid us."

Since Mo Xibei had already spoken, Murong Lianyun couldn't insist on leaving. She just glared at "him" angrily and sat down next to him.

Mu Feinan, who was originally standing next to Mo Xibei, deliberately raised his chin and gave Murong Lianyun a very provocative look before taking the lead and sitting on the other side of Mo Xibei.

Xiu Wen and Chu Junfeng remained calm, completely oblivious to the undercurrents between the three, and took their seats.

Volume Two: The Wind Leaves a Mark, Chapter Six: The Dinner Party (Part Two)

One dish after another was served quickly. Mo Xibei was the most particular about food. Each dish was neatly presented on a silver plate and served with matching silver chopsticks, luxurious yet understated.

"Northwest, how can you eat with such heavy chopsticks every day?" Mu Feinan picked up a piece of eggplant with his chopsticks, but couldn't taste anything. He then took a bite of a lion's head meatball, but still couldn't taste anything.

"It's alright, I'm used to it." Mo Xibei scooped a small half bowl of pork rib and winter melon soup with a silver spoon. The soup had been simmered for a long time, and the oily skin on top had been removed. It was light but still nutritious, though the taste... "What do you two think of my family's dishes?"

"As expected of a master chef, I understand now. A good dish is one that completely loses its original flavor. From this perspective, your dishes are extremely successful." Mu Feinan picked up a chicken leg and sighed, "I really miss the roast chicken you made that day." When did I ever make roast chicken? ...You mean that time, but you didn't eat it, did you?" Mo Xibei recalled his limited cooking experiences recently.

"Who said I didn't eat it? I just didn't let you see it. Humph, otherwise, where do you think the chicken breast went?" Mu Feinan complained as if no one else was around, completely ignoring the strange glance that Murong Lianyun cast at him from the other side of Mo Xibei.

"I thought it was burnt, since it was leftovers and I was going to throw it away anyway," Mo Xibei said smugly.

“It was clearly something you left for me on purpose,” Mu Feinan argued.

With a loud "bang!", Murong Lianyun slammed his chopsticks on the table. "Brother Mo, I'm full. I'm going back to my room." With that, he turned and ran inside.

"Why is she so agitated? Northwest, your beauty certainly has quite the temper," Mu Feinan remarked coolly.