“It’s nothing. Come in,” Nie Shiyun said with a smile. Although they had been interacting like this for quite some time, Zhai Bairong remained as polite as ever every time he visited.
Zhai Bairong’s expression was composed as he nodded and followed him into the shop.
“It feels like I haven’t seen you in a while,” Nie Shiyun said, taking the pill bottles Zhai Bairong handed over. He weighed them with practiced ease before placing them directly on the shelf. “Only two batches? After all these days, I thought you might have prepared more. Did you go on a long trip?”
“Mm... ah, yes.”
“Did you find anything good?” Nie Shiyun asked casually.
Since he was usually tied down by his business, he often purchased materials from Zhai Bairong. Because of their frequent dealings, Zhai Bairong would keep a special eye out for things Nie Shiyun might need whenever he went out into the wild.
Zhai Bairong paused for a moment before replying, “No, nothing special.”
Nie Shiyun looked back at him, only to find Zhai Bairong’s gaze fixed on a corner of the counter. He seemed interested in the three-legged golden toad that had recently appeared there. Nie Shiyun took the initiative to introduce it: “That is a wealth-attracting golden toad. My junior sister refined it during her visit. Actually, such a small wealth-attracting array isn't of much practical use; it’s just for good luck.”
“Oh,” Zhai Bairong withdrew his hand. “The last time I went to Yunqing Pavilion, I caught a glimpse of your junior sister from afar. I didn't expect her progress to be so rapid.”
*Rapid?* Nie Shiyun thought to himself. Refining a wealth-attracting trinket didn't exactly seem like a monumental achievement.
“You overpraise her.”
Every profession had its specialty. Nie Shiyun’s knowledge of spiritual herbs was limited, and his understanding of which herbs produced which pills was only at an introductory level. He planned to show Zhai Bairong the spiritual herbs Qi Miaohan had brought from Pinyin Pavilion to see if any special pills could be refined from them.
Since they hadn't seen each other in a while, Nie Shiyun invited Zhai Bairong to stay for a few drinks, mentioning he had something to show him.
Although Zhai Bairong had abstained from alcohol for a long time after getting drunk on the day of their reunion, he had gradually started drinking again. However, he always stopped at a few cups, practicing moderation.
Nie Shiyun felt that Zhai Bairong’s attitude today was a bit strange, as if something was weighing on his mind. Nevertheless, the man did not refuse his invitation.
Nie Shiyun asked Zhai Bairong to take a seat while he went into the small kitchen to fetch the wine. He had originally stored some spiritual wine at home, but after giving several jars to Nie Li, not much was left. He thought to himself that he should buy some more from the flower demon clan among his customers when he had the chance.
He conjured a spiritual fire to warm the wine cups. Autumn had been underway for some time; while the south was not as cold as the Central Plains during autumn and winter, the temperature had still dropped significantly compared to summer.
When he returned to the room with the wine cups, he happened to see Zhai Bairong seemingly pacing back and forth. This made him even more certain that the other man's behavior today was peculiar. Every other time he visited, Zhai Bairong acted like a perfectly polite guest, remaining seated. Even if Nie Shiyun left half-read ancient texts or unfinished array diagrams on his desk, Zhai Bairong would never touch them, at most asking a curious question or two after Nie Shiyun sat down.
Nie Shiyun felt a sense of unease and asked tentatively, “What is it? Are you looking for something...?”
Nie Shiyun’s first instinct was to check if his spatial jade pendant was still on him. He glanced at his waist and felt relieved. Then, he quickly scanned the room, wondering if there was anything here Zhai Bairong would want to find. However, he always kept his important belongings on his person; even if Zhai Bairong searched the entire room, he would find nothing.
“It’s nothing. Just... walking around.”
*Something is fishy.* Hearing Zhai Bairong’s answer, Nie Shiyun was filled with suspicion.
He didn't know why Zhai Bairong’s behavior was suddenly so erratic. Recalling their last meeting, Nie Shiyun didn't think anything had gone wrong. Furthermore, if the man truly wanted to find something, he wouldn't be so careless as to be caught red-handed.
On the surface, Nie Shiyun maintained a peaceful demeanor as he handed a wine cup to Zhai Bairong, inwardly wondering if he was being a bit too paranoid.
The two of them shared a few cups in silence. Nie Shiyun waited for the other to make the first move.
After a long while, Zhai Bairong finally spoke: “What did Fellow Daoist Nie want to show me? If I see it now, I can head back early.”
“The hour isn't late. What is the rush?” Nie Shiyun asked calmly.
“I am not in a rush. I simply thought that since Fellow Daoist Nie has spent the past few days entertaining guests and even found the time to refine extra items, you must be tired. It would be best to rest early.”
“...” Nie Shiyun was stunned. It took a moment for him to catch the slip in Zhai Bairong’s words. “Didn't you say you went on a long trip recently? How did you know I was entertaining someone?”
“...I heard it from others.”
“And which day did you return?”
“Yesterday.”
Nie Shiyun pressed him with questions, forcing Zhai Bairong’s originally indifferent tone to become slightly hurried.
Nie Shiyun studied Zhai Bairong for a moment before the realization finally dawned on him. He said, enlightened, “Could it be... you saw me giving someone a bracelet just now and are jealous?”
Zhai Bairong fell silent for several seconds, but he did not answer the question directly. “It doesn't matter how I feel. However, if your junior sister, who traveled from so far away, knew that while you accompany her and give her tokens of affection in public, you are entangled with a man in private, I wonder what she would think?”
*...Junior sister?*
Nie Shiyun was stunned again.
Thinking Nie Shiyun was speechless, Zhai Bairong gave a faint, cold smile. “But what she thinks has nothing to do with me. I simply feel that you and I are, in the end, two of a kind.”
*What 'two of a kind'?!* On one hand, Nie Shiyun found the misunderstanding absurd, but on the other, he found it somewhat amusing.
It turned out Zhai Bairong had indeed seen him and Qi Miaohan on the street a few days ago. Coming by today, he had witnessed the scene of Nie Shiyun seeing her off, and had mistaken it for a lover gifting his 'dear sister' jewelry and promising to meet again.
He didn't mean to have any prejudice against Qi Miaohan—but just imagining a scene of romantic affection between the two of them caused Nie Shiyun a wave of physical discomfort.
Zhai Bairong set down his wine cup, feeling that he had lost his composure. He had been in this ambiguous state with Nie Shiyun for so long and had always known the man wasn't particularly devoted, yet seeing him involved with a woman with his own eyes still left him feeling stifled and frustrated.
But they were just the same. Nie Shiyun was flirting with him behind the back of his oblivious junior sister, while Zhai Bairong himself remained entangled with Duan Mingyu yet never refused Nie Shiyun’s advances.
“I ask Fellow Daoist Nie to reconsider. Do not continue down this wrong path and fail to live up to her affections.”
Seeing Nie Shiyun remain silent, Zhai Bairong rose to leave.
“Wait, wait... Ha, hahahahaha...” Nie Shiyun hurriedly stood up and grabbed Zhai Bairong’s arm. He couldn't help but burst into laughter at this ridiculous misunderstanding, yet he felt the misunderstanding was wonderful; otherwise, he would never have seen this side of Zhai Bairong.
Zhai Bairong frowned, watching him laugh so heartily. He instinctively felt that this reaction was wrong.
Fortunately, Zhai Bairong was a reasonable man and wanted to see what kind of trick Nie Shiyun was playing. Otherwise, by the time Nie Shiyun finished laughing, the man would have been long gone.
“The person you saw this afternoon was Qi Miaohan, not my junior sister. And that wasn't a token of affection.”
Zhai Bairong knew of Qi Miaohan. He had heard of how this favored daughter of Pinyin Pavilion had once passionately pursued Xu Yehua only to be rejected. Hearing a name he never expected to come up, Zhai Bairong looked at Nie Shiyun with doubt, his expression still skeptical.
Nie Shiyun then proceeded to explain the entire situation in detail—from Qi Miaohan bringing gifts from his family, to him preparing return gifts, and how he had split the crystal into a pair of bracelets specifically to avoid any misunderstanding.
It was possible to misunderstand the gifting of the bracelet, as Nie Shiyun had never explicitly stated he had no interest in women. However, Zhai Bairong had firmly assumed she was the junior sister because, firstly, he had heard the origin of the three-legged golden toad, and secondly, while he had seen Qi Xuan'er before, his memory of her wasn't very clear. The two sisters did indeed share many facial similarities.
“...”
As he listened to Nie Shiyun’s explanation, Zhai Bairong realized halfway through that something was wrong. By the time it was finished, he opened his mouth but couldn't squeeze out a single word.
Thinking of how Zhai Bairong had been looking around the room earlier, Nie Shiyun added pointedly, “Rest assured, I never let her into this room.”
Nie Shiyun had never seen Zhai Bairong wear such an expression.
He thought that whether it was anger, drunkenness, or even during their entanglements in bed, he had never seen Zhai Bairong this mortified.
Realizing he had completely misunderstood and had even lectured Nie Shiyun with an air of having seen through everything, Zhai Bairong’s face turned a deep crimson. He had rarely experienced such embarrassment in his life.
“...Let go.” Zhai Bairong stopped looking at Nie Shiyun. He took a deep breath and swung his arm with force, determined to break free.
Nie Shiyun’s heart itched at the sight of him like this. Normally, if Zhai Bairong signaled for him to "stop here," he wouldn't push further. But today, he couldn't help himself. Instead of letting go, he pulled the man closer.
“I won't. Honestly, how did you come to imagine so much?” Nie Shiyun reached out to wrap his arm around Zhai Bairong’s waist, his voice thick with amusement.
“Anyone would think that after seeing...” Zhai Bairong stopped halfway, feeling that he was only making things worse. He immediately fell silent. The more he thought about the words he had just said, the more he regretted them. He wanted to calm his mind, but Nie Shiyun’s teasing left his thoughts in disarray. He could only feel his face, all the way to the tips of his ears, burning hot. He had lost all face.
“I didn't expect you to care this much.”
“I... mmm...” Zhai Bairong tried to say something, but his mouth was promptly blocked by Nie Shiyun.
He had intended to pull away from Nie Shiyun’s grip out of irritation, but he hadn't expected this move. In his momentary daze, he missed the best opportunity to push him away.
Since the night they had been drunk, the most they had shared was a fleeting, light kiss. Their relationship had taken a step back afterward, like water slowly accumulating behind a dam. But now, like a river after a summer storm, the current could no longer be contained. With this intense kiss, the dam finally burst its banks.
