CHAPTER 485: 0295 WHITE (TWO-IN-ONE)_2

They are happy.

Xu Chang’an tilted his head, watching the cat in his arms purr comfortably as he scratched it, thinking that happiness is actually such a simple thing.

Xu Chang’an sat down in the black-and-white chess pavilion, holding the cat, and looked at this often-used pavilion with a chessboard that had faded.

He could roughly imagine that during breaks, the girls at the Flower Moon Building would play chess here, with others playing the zither, chatting, or petting cats nearby.

Maybe there was even a certain senior who, despite being an elder, was often teased by the girls in return for her pranks.

He placed the drowsy Li Hua on his lap, picked up a chess piece, and gently placed it on the board, then started to play by himself.

"This place is really nice," he mused to himself as he played.

He began to understand why Zhu Pingniang, part of an Immortal Sect, would stay here instead of returning to the mountain. For the girls of Muyu Peak, there really was no place more suitable for refining the heart than a brothel.

From his perspective, the people he knew from Muyu Peak should all enjoy the life at the Flower Moon Building.

Except for people like Wen Li and Li Zhibai.

Placing a white piece, Xu Chang’an frowned slightly.

The Flower Moon Building is indeed a good place, but that "good" is also relative. As an outsider, he only saw its beautiful side, while the things behind the scenes were invisible to him.

But he was a sensible person; since people only showed him the good side, he naturally wouldn’t try to think about the bad.

Therefore,

If Senior Zhu had intended from the start for him to tour the gardens, then it was indeed a very wise decision not to have Miss Yun accompany him.

Xu Chang’an stared at the chessboard, contemplating his next move before placing a black piece.

He played chess with himself.

Very boring.

This is really boring.

But only this way could he possibly stir up a storm of thoughts, making his brain run at full speed, and preventing him from dwelling on what he had just overheard about Zhu Pingniang’s feelings towards Li Zhibai.

The professor saw her as a good sister.

But she...

"Chang’an, sorry for the wait."

Zhu Pingniang’s sudden voice made Xu Chang’an’s hand holding the chess piece tremble. After steadying his hand, he placed the piece.

Xu Chang’an looked up and saw Zhu Pingniang in a post-confrontation state, with a content smile on her face, approaching while wrapping the soft whip around her waist.

"What are you thinking about?" Zhu Pingniang glanced at the chess pieces on the board and, blinking, explained: "I gave her a good beating in front of her daughter."

Literally.

Probably gave her a severe scolding, making her unable to sit down for at least ten days or so.

"..."

Beating someone Xu Chang’an could understand, but doing it in front of the shopkeeper’s daughter left him a bit bewildered.

"Don’t think I’m heartless." Zhu Pingniang sat down across from Xu Chang’an, resting her face on her hand as she looked at the game he was playing with himself, saying, "That girl was deliberately trying to anger me from the moment we met, you could feel it, right?"

Xu Chang’an wasn’t sure if he should respond, but after hesitating for a few moments, he nodded.

He could also see that the female shopkeeper did seem to intentionally provoke Zhu Pingniang starting in the middle of their meeting. He thought it was just their way of interacting, but it was intentional?

"She was asking for it, so I taught her a lesson."

Zhu Pingniang shook her head, disrupting the half-played game of Xu Chang’an, putting the pieces back on the board one by one, saying, "I gave her a good beating so her daughter could see, letting the little girl know that joining the Flower Moon Building means she might get beaten."

As for whether it would deter the little girl from joining the Flower Moon Building, that wasn’t her concern.

At least, after beating an annoying girl, she felt relieved.

And the beaten female shopkeeper, recalling past events, though in pain, was also quite happy.

Only the little girl, seeing her mother unable to get out of bed from the beating, turned pale with fear, shivering in a corner.

Xu Chang’an was contemplative...

So it was to scare the little girl?

But... this probably wouldn’t work.

Xu Chang’an felt that given Zhu Pingniang’s popularity in the Flower Moon Building, even if the little girl saw her mother getting beaten, she would just think it was her mother’s fault, not Zhu Pingniang bullying her.

"In any case, it has nothing to do with me, and even less with you." Zhu Pingniang shrugged.

"Senior is right."

"..."

Feeling the temperature around him suddenly drop, Xu Chang’an gave a wry smile and said, "Sister is right."

"That’s more like it." Zhu Pingniang smiled warmly, extending her hand to Xu Chang’an: "Hand it over."

Without hesitation, Xu Chang’an returned the silver notes given by the female shopkeeper.

"Smart."

"These are the hard-earned money of the girls, it wouldn’t be right for you to take it, and you wouldn’t have anywhere to use it anyway," Zhu Pingniang muttered, "Besides, the things you’ve helped the girls with, a lot of them were at my instruction... She doesn’t thank me, only thanks you."

She was complaining, with a touch of a young girl’s temper.

What could Xu Chang’an say?

He didn’t want to say anything. Right now he just wanted to quickly extricate himself from between Zhu Pingniang and Li Zhibai, and properly ask Zhu Pingniang to handle Yun Qian’s cultivation matter...

But clearly, Senior Zhu wasn’t planning to let him off.

"Chang’an, that girl just now, what do you think of her?" Zhu Pingniang suddenly asked, "Speak honestly, I want to hear the truth."

"Hmm." Xu Chang’an nodded, saying, "She is a very intelligent person."

"Of course, the ones I teach are never dull. I’m asking if you like her?" Zhu Pingniang tilted her head, "Like her, or not?"

"I like her," Xu Chang’an said frankly.

To Xu Chang’an, people who are content and know what they want, and are willing to work hard for it, have always been very likable.

His eyes were clear as a mirror, unafraid of being misunderstood.

"Right." Zhu Pingniang said proudly, "She makes even you, this child, feel likable; she’s someone I taught, you know."

The female shopkeeper is, and Liu Qingluo is too.

Zhu Pingniang was very satisfied and also quite proud, but unfortunately, Xu Chang’an was not her peer and couldn’t give her compliments.

"However..." Zhu Pingniang changed the subject, "Chang’an, men who are fickle are not appreciated."

"Sister, don’t tease me," Xu Chang’an said helplessly.

"You know it’s teasing. After watching me make a fool of myself so much just now, if I don’t laugh at you a little, it wouldn’t be fair."

Zhu Pingniang stretched lazily, looking at the Li Hua cat napping on Xu Chang’an’s lap, and said, "Well, men who are fickle are not well-liked, but at least I like them... Hmm, it’s better not to say this when Miss Yun is around, but for now, it’s fine."

Xu Chang’an pretended not to hear, but being closer, he noticed some wear on the soft whip around Zhu Pingniang’s waist.

The blow... was too much.

"Don’t look at me like that. She tried to get the Elixir Ah Bai gave me from here; how could she not get a beating?" Zhu Pingniang smiled kindly.

’Ah Bai’?

Must be referring to his teacher.

"No, I shouldn’t call her that in front of you, need to save her some face," Zhu Pingniang shook her head, looking at Xu Chang’an with a sigh, "Li Fairy from Frosty Heaven in Chaoyun Sect would never believe that I could teach such a child... Chang’an, once you return to the mountain, you must relay today’s events to her properly."

Let Li Zhibai know that she is immersed in brothel activities not without reason, and it’s not about degeneracy.

Xu Chang’an: "..."

Here it comes.

Things concerning the professor, here they come.

Xu Chang’an nodded while feeling a chill in his heart.

He prepared all his attention, ready to face Zhu Pingniang’s interrogation, but unexpectedly, Zhu Pingniang said, "Talking about things, without wine it feels not quite right... but it doesn’t seem appropriate to drink with a kid like you, since you like playing chess so much you play alone, let’s have a game."

"Have a game?" Zhu Pingniang looked down and tapped the chessboard.

Xu Chang’an had no objections; playing chess with women was one of the things he had done most on the mountain.

"Hmm... I’ll let you make the first move," Zhu Pingniang, not wanting to bully him, gestured for Xu Chang’an to go first.

In the ancient game rules, the first move had a huge advantage, and Xu Chang’an was used to being allowed the first move. He picked up a white piece and placed it on the star position at the top right of the board.

In ancient chess, the white piece moves first.

But, after Xu Chang’an played, Zhu Pingniang didn’t move. Looking up, he saw Zhu Pingniang propping her face with her hand, smiling at him.

"I forgot to mention, this time black moves first." Zhu Pingniang grinned: "Chang’an, do you want to play White?"

Play White...?

Zhibai.

Hiss.

Women... even hold onto such trivial matters.

Miss Yun is still the best.