He did not shake his head.
Baili Hanyi stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.
Although they had only met briefly last time, he had observed Yin Wuxiao carefully. He couldn't see anything about that woman that resembled the beautiful and talented woman who was once the most outstanding woman in the world at Yun Pavilion. Whether in temperament or beauty, Yin Wuxiao couldn't compare to Yuwen Cuiyu. If the most outstanding woman in the world in his memory was a peony in full bloom, and Yuwen Cuiyu was an orchid in a secluded valley, then Yin Wuxiao was like a small trumpet flower, swaying interestingly in the wind, but mediocre and timid, lacking the elegance of the peony and the orchid.
He would never believe that Baili Qingyi would be interested in such a small trumpet flower.
However, it is true that Baili Qingyi has been in a daze ever since Yin Wuxiao was taken away by Yin Bitong that day.
Thinking of this, he suddenly shuddered.
Their mother, the fourth young master of Baili Mansion, was also a village woman, a beautiful young woman. Yet, her father, Baili Chan, still loved and cherished her, regarding her as a priceless treasure.
Could it be that Baili Qingyi was attracted to Yin Wuxiao's wild and innocent charm?
Just as he was about to conjure up a boundless world of imagination, he suddenly met Baili Qingyi's stern eyes.
What are you thinking about now?
Baili Hanyi chuckled twice, then quickly put on a serious expression and said, "I'm afraid the two young ladies of the Yuwen family will definitely want to come with us to Baiwen Valley."
"If they want to go with us, then let them."
Aren't you afraid they'll cause trouble again?
"Individual actions are the sole responsibility of the individual, and I have no right to interfere."
Baili Hanyi chuckled to himself. Although it wasn't outwardly apparent, Baili Qingyi was in fact furious. His words clearly meant that even if the two young ladies of the Yuwen family caused any more trouble, he wouldn't get involved.
Just then, someone outside the door called softly, "Young Master in Blue?"
Baili Qingyi's expression remained unchanged: "Please come in."
The person who entered was none other than Yuwen Cuiyu, one of the main characters in their conversation. She carried a tray with two bowls of osmanthus-flavored sweet soup on it.
"This is a famous dessert here. Would you two gentlemen like to try it?" She put down the tray and served the sweet soup, her posture and expression very elegant.
Baili Hanyi found her behavior quite pleasing to the eye, and his mood immediately brightened.
"Miss Cuiyu is so virtuous."
Yuwen Cuiyu smiled faintly: "Thank you for your praise, Young Master Hanyi."
Baili Hanyi called to his elder brother, "Come, come, try Cuiyu's delicious cooking. It looks so appetizing."
Baili Qingyi smiled politely at her, but did not offer the osmanthus sweet soup: "Miss Cuiyu, is there something you need my help with?"
Baili Hanyi secretly blamed him for spoiling the mood. The girl made the sweet soup, clearly wanting to show off her gentle and virtuous qualities in front of him. What was there to say about helping or not helping?
Yuwen Cuiyu lowered her head gracefully: "What the young master in blue says is correct. Cuiyu does indeed have something to ask of you."
"Please speak."
"Please take Cuiyu with you when you leave the Yuwen residence, and do not take my younger sister Hongying with you."
Both Baili Qingyi and Baili Hanyi were taken aback.
Yuwen Cuiyu spoke these words without batting an eye, as if it were perfectly natural. If this were a rivalry for favor, wouldn't it be far too blatant?
"Miss Cuiyu, may I ask Qingyi the reason?"
Yuwen Cuiyu smiled, revealing teeth as white as jade beads.
"My younger sister is deeply in love with the young master in blue, and he knows it too. May I ask the young master in blue, do you have any intention of reciprocating Hongying's feelings?"
Baili Qingyi was speechless for a moment. He had encountered many women who openly or secretly loved him, but none were as straightforward as Yuwen Cuiyu.
Yuwen Cuiyu smiled and said, "The young man in blue doesn't seem to know how to say no. Let me speak for you. The young man in blue has no feelings for Hongying at all."
“Miss Cuiyu seems to know Qingyi quite well,” Baili Qingyi said somewhat awkwardly.
"Cuiyu's request is to dissuade Hongying from pursuing him and to prevent her from wasting her precious feelings on the young master in blue. Would the young master in blue agree?"
Baili Qingyi nodded: "Since Miss Cuiyu has put it this way, how could Qingyi dare to refuse?"
Yuwen Cuiyu smiled and said, "Then Cuiyu can rest assured."
Watching her turn and leave, Baili Hanyi was shocked: "She really said that Yuwen Hongying shouldn't waste her precious feelings on you?" There was clearly a derogatory and sarcastic tone in her words towards Baili Qingyi.
Baili Qingyi remained calm: "What she said is not wrong."
Baili Hanyi clicked his tongue and said, "This Yuwen Cuiyu has quite a unique personality, much more so than Yin Wuxiao. But is she doing this to go against the grain and deliberately attract your attention?"
Baili Qingyi chuckled: "How can you always imagine people's motives to be so base?"
"Simply because most of the time, people's motives are indeed this base."
Baili Qingyi raised an eyebrow, suddenly remembering her decision to go to Baiwen Valley.
Is there a despicable motive lurking behind this?
Yin Wuxiao was dreaming. She felt someone holding her hand and shaking it desperately.
The man said, "Wake up, wake up!"
She wearily opened her eyes and was shocked to find herself not lying in bed, but fallen to the floor beside it. Yin Bitong was tightly gripping her hands, her expression strange.
"What's wrong? What are you doing here?"
“You were screaming really loudly just now, like you were about to die. So I came over.” Yin Bitong lifted her eyelids.
"I...I had a nightmare," Yin Wuxiao stammered.
How embarrassing! I was screaming in my sleep and it attracted people over.
Recalling the scene from her dream, she was startled. It all seemed so real.
Yin Bitong frowned: "Nightmare? What is a nightmare?"
Yin Wuxiao blinked in surprise: "You haven't had nightmares?"
"No." Yin Bitong lowered her head to think for a moment, then looked up and asked, "What is a nightmare?"
"Uh..." Yin Wuxiao was still shaken by the nightmare he had just experienced. "Well, in my dream, some bad things happened, some really scary things."
Yin Bitong then gave her a disdainful look: "You dream about bad things?"
"..." Why did she feel that having nightmares was pathetic under Yin Bitong's gaze?
"Having nightmares is something everyone does. It's not because I want bad things to happen, but because I care about people and things, and I'm afraid they'll encounter bad things." Yin Wuxiao raised his index finger, gently persuading him.
"I've never had nightmares."
Yin Wuxiao returned his gaze with disdain: "That's naturally because you have no one or nothing to care about!" She paused slightly after saying that. "Uh...that's not what I meant..."
Yin Bitong glanced at her quickly, and the look sent chills down her spine.
She felt a little ashamed. "To be honest, I rarely have nightmares. I don't know why I've been having them so often lately..." Her emotions had been fluctuating a lot lately, but the "unfulfilled desires" hadn't recurred. She had many doubts and anxieties in her heart, with nowhere to relieve them.
Yin Bitong frowned, reached out and grasped her wrist, then smiled slightly: "This is naturally because Baili Qingyi fed you the Three-Leaf Pill."
"Mitsubamaru? What's that?"
"Love Leaf, Anger Leaf, Longing Leaf. A pill made from three rare herbs that can ignite all desires and emotions in a person's heart, without end."
Yin Wuxiao was horrified: "Why...why did he feed me this kind of thing?"
Yin Bitong blinked: "How should I know?"
Yin Wuxiao lowered her head. After a while, she grinned, straightened her disheveled collar, and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter. I'm already like this anyway."
Her neck, white as jade, was exposed from her collar, with a blood-red jade pendant hanging from a red string, appearing and disappearing.
Yin Wuxiao stared intently at Yin Bitong, noticing that his gaze was indeed fixed on her neck. She held her breath.
“You…” She gritted her teeth, wanting to ask, but not daring to.
Yin Bitong looked at her for a long time, then sighed and said, "Little Yin, you have disappointed me too much."
"Well?"
"You actually took this opportunity to test me." He reached out and pulled her collar tighter, covering part of her exposed skin and the exquisite blood-red jade pendant. "You still think that I approached you for the treasure you possess?"
Yin Wuxiao stiffened and turned his face away: "No matter what, you recognize this thing."
Yin Bitong sighed again: "Just because I recognize it doesn't mean I want to take it. Little Yin, I could easily snap your fair neck with just two fingers and take this thing into my palm. But I didn't."
"You may have other intentions that I don't know about."
"How do you know?" he asked, his gaze intense.
Yin Wuxiao lowered his head, his voice suddenly becoming somewhat sorrowful.
"Yin Bitong, I am a superfluous person in this world. I know my own limitations. I am not extremely beautiful, and I have no status in the martial arts world. I may have had the halo of a talented woman before, but that is no longer the case. What reason do you think I have to believe that you approached me purely because you like me as a person, and not because you want to take advantage of the little value I have left?"
Yin Bitong was speechless.
"Since you know about this thing, it must have been the owner of 'Traceless' who mentioned it to you. He must have wanted you to bring it to him. Am I right?"
She was talking to herself with her head down when suddenly a warm hand covered her head.
“Xiao Yin, I’ve said it before, no one can truly command me, not even him. Besides, I’ve never practiced the Soul-Destroying Strike, nor do I intend to. This thing is meaningless to me.”
“But why would Yin Bitong, who kills without hesitation, suddenly be so caring towards someone, even running into their room in the middle of the night, just because someone had a nightmare? Your behavior is so abnormal, there must be a reason.” Yin Wuxiao bit her lip and looked at him, “Give me a reason, a reason why you are so good to me.”
"Reason?" Yin Bitong curled her lips into a smile. "If I said it was because of you, would you believe me?"
Yin Wuxiao stared at him for a long time, then shook his head.
Yin Bitong cried out, "Little Yin, I've never seen a more cruel woman than you. When someone is nice to you, you still chase after them for a reason."
Yin Wuxiao was amused by his expression and almost laughed.
Chapter Eleven: Green Plums Like Beans, Willows Like Eyebrows (Part One)
She was seven years old that year.
She hid outside the study, peeking at the little girl sitting upright inside, practicing calligraphy. The little girl was the same age as her, but her posture in holding the pen and writing was already quite elegant, with her black hair falling to her shoulders and her eyes full of confidence.
She suddenly felt a little ashamed of herself. Her handwriting was considered good, but compared to A-Wu's, it looked terrible.
No, no, no, Ah Wu said that all people are the same, so how could she feel inferior? Thinking of Ah Wu's usual nagging, she hurriedly stood up straight, puffed out her chest, and put on an air of arrogance.
The little girl in the room yawned delicately, put down the wolf-hair brush in her hand, and immediately saw her hiding outside the door.