She really had no way with Song Yao. Ladling another spoonful of soup, she gently blew on it to cool it down before feeding it to her. “Fine, if you drink this bowl of soup and eat a bowl of rice, I won't be fierce with you anymore.”
Song Yao leaned over to drink it, then squinted at her. “You're pushing your luck a bit.”
Zhu Zhao was amused and exasperated. “Who's the one pushing their luck?”
This person's ability to shift the blame was even better than before.
If you gave her a tiny bit of leeway, she would climb all over you.
Song Yao wasn't in the right, but she didn't feel guilty at all. Reaching for the wine again, she said, “Aren't you very busy? Hurry up, eat, and go back. I'll return to the sect by myself later...”
Zhu Zhao let out another cold laugh.
Leaving her alone in Chunfan Pavilion would be no different from throwing a mouse into a rice vat.
She would definitely end up drinking herself into a stupor before returning.
Zhu Zhao suppressed her temper. “If you know I'm busy, then eat faster. Once your body recovers, you can drink as much as you want in the future.”
Song Yao dithered. “But I can't recover. You're making things difficult for me.”
Zhu Zhao: “...If you say that again, you won't get a single drop of wine for the rest of your life.”
Song Yao sighed. “I was just saying it casually. Look at you, getting anxious again.”
She was rambling on, clearly trying to stall for time. Displaying a level of patience she had never possessed in her life, Zhu Zhao switched to another dish, feeding her a spoonful of stir-fried shrimp. “Open up.”
Song Yao was still babbling about this and that. “Can I eat shrimp after drinking? Will eating shrimp affect my drinking?”
Zhu Zhao fell silent for a moment, pushed to her limit. “Are you looking for a beating?”
“...”
Threatened, Song Yao finally behaved herself.
After eating a few mouthfuls of rice, she realized something was off.
Why was Zhu Zhao constantly feeding her?
It made her look like a useless, pampered invalid.
Moreover, they had been in a life-and-death struggle not too long ago. This current dynamic felt a bit bizarre.
She tilted her head up and reached out. “I'll eat by myself.”
Before Zhu Zhao could move, the door was suddenly knocked on a few times and pushed wide open.
The two instinctively looked back, only to see Jiang Jin leading an excited-looking man in brocade robes standing outside.
Beside them was a panicked waiter. “Hall Master, I told him you weren't seeing anyone, but this young master said he is your junior brother and insisted on coming up. I... I couldn't stop him.”
Zhu Zhao frowned slightly and waved her hand. “Go attend to your work.”
As if granted a grand amnesty, the waiter hurriedly bowed and withdrew.
Jiang Jin was about to bow in greeting, but when he caught sight of Song Yao leaning lazily by the table, his brow furrowed instantly, and he blurted out, “Lin Mu, why are you here too?”
Song Yao chin-nudged toward Zhu Zhao, who was holding the bowl and chopsticks. “Can't you tell? We're eating. What's wrong? Do you want to join us too...”
Before she could finish her sentence, another piece of sweet cake was stuffed into her mouth.
She was forced to shut up, her cheeks bulging as she chewed.
Zhu Zhao glanced at the even more shocked Jiang Jin, finally set down her chopsticks, sat back down unhurriedly, and asked, “What is it?”
Jiang Jin remained dazed for a long time, unable to snap out of his shock.
Didn't they enter the sect together and join the main peak at the same time?
He hadn't even been locked up on Black Cloud Mountain for that long, so how was Lin Mu already this close to Second Senior Sister?
The number of words he had exchanged with Second Senior Sister could be counted on one hand, yet Lin Mu could actually get Second Senior Sister to personally feed her??
Just what had happened between the two of them?
Seeing that Jiang Jin was slow to speak, the man in brocade robes beside him could no longer suppress his excitement. He bowed deeply to Zhu Zhao, hands clasped. “This humble one, Jin Wuchou, greets the Hall Master.”
Zhu Zhao swept a cool glance over him and did not reply.
The atmosphere instantly became somewhat subtle and awkward.
Jiang Jin finally remembered to handle the business at hand and bowed to Zhu Zhao as well. “Second Senior Sister, this is the owner of Jinde Shop. Before I entered the sect, I stayed at Jinde Shop for a period of time, and it was thanks to the owner's care. We happened to run into each other downstairs today. He said he came to pay his respects to you, but since you refused to see any guests, I took the liberty of bringing him up.”
Still, no one responded.
Zhu Zhao's expression was cold to the extreme. She was clearly in a terrible mood after having her peace disrupted.
The two at the door didn't think much of it and took a few steps forward on their own.
Jin Wuchou bent his waist even lower, speaking with a hint of flattery, “You are young and promising, already the head of a hall at such a tender age. I heard you have not taken any disciples yet?”
“As a Hall Master, how can you not have a personal disciple? My son is eight years old this year. Although he is a bit young and hasn't had his spiritual roots tested yet, since he is a child of our Jin family, his talent won't be too bad. If he could have you as his master, it would be the blessing of our Jin family. What do you think?”
As he spoke, he gestured to the back. “A-Bao, hurry and greet your master!”
A half-grown child ran out from behind the door with a slight awkwardness, kneeling down with a thud without another word. “Disciple pays respects to Master.”
The movement was as smooth as flowing water.
Zhu Zhao's face turned ashen.
Yet the person beside her, who loved nothing more than watching a good drama, gently kicked her under the table. Propping up her chin, her eyes curved with amusement as she smiled. “Second Senior Sister, am I going to have a martial nephew so soon?”
Zhu Zhao gritted her teeth, shot her a cold glare, and then turned to look at the expectant Jin family father and son. “I have no plans to take a disciple for the time being. Since Sixth Junior Brother seems to have a good affinity with him, let this child enter Sixth Junior Brother's tutelage.”
Jiang Jin was startled. “How can that be? I... I haven't reached the cultivation level where I can accept disciples.”
Zhu Zhao stood up and walked over to the gloating Song Yao. “Since you brought them to me, it means you are highly satisfied with them. Therefore, I will make an exception for you this once and allow you to take a disciple early.”
Without giving them any chance to object, she grabbed Song Yao, who was still enjoying the show, and vanished from the private room.
The scene became instantly awkward.
Jin Wuchou rubbed his hands helplessly. “Th-this... what's going on? Isn't she your senior sister? Why did she leave after barely saying a few words? I haven't even let A-Bao show his skills yet.”
Jiang Jin felt a bit embarrassed, but he tried his best to keep his tone calm. “Senior Sister is a Hall Master now and has a busy schedule. How could she have so much time to waste on others?”
“Th-that is also true, but didn't you say that with A-Bao's talent, if he enters the main peak and absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth there, he might become even better...”
Jin Wuchou paused halfway and looked at Jiang Jin. “Why don't we just let A-Bao take you as his master instead? Although your cultivation is a bit low, you are still someone from the main peak after all, so you can teach A-Bao some things.”
Jiang Jin's expression soured.
What did he mean, his cultivation was a bit low?
He had only brought them to see Zhu Zhao because Jinde Shop had helped him out in the past. He hadn't even looked down on the child's terrible aptitude yet—which, even if tested, would at most be Earth-grade—yet they actually had the nerve to look down on him for being a Golden Core.
Taking such a disciple would not sound good at all if word got out.
Jiang Jin pursed his lips and declined tactfully, “I don't often stay on the main peak and can't spare the energy to teach A-Bao. Let's wait for another opportunity. Perhaps my senior sister will change her mind.”
Jin Wuchou pondered. “I saw that the Hall Master has a very good relationship with the girl next to her. Who is that girl? Why don't we ask her to put in a good word for us in front of the Hall Master?”
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