Chapter 158: The Spiritual Maiden's Alienation

"Junior Sister, why do you hesitate to place your stone?"

Bai Yu offered an embarrassed smile. "Senior Brother's move is so brilliant that Bai Yu is at a loss as to where to play!"

Lanshui chuckled lightly and pointed to a specific intersection. "I suppose Junior Sister was thinking of playing here, am it not so?"

"Precisely!" Bai Yu placed her stone with a pleasant surprise, then looked at Lanshui with undisguised delight: *To think Senior Brother's mind was focused both on me and the game—how unexpected, how wonderful!*

Discarding all her reservations, Bai Yu calmly continued the game with Lanshui, and their match proved to be quite fascinating. Daring neither to yield nor to act rashly, Bai Yu pondered every move with utmost care, which conveniently allowed her to prolong the time. How she could never grow tired of gazing at the person across from her; if only this board could be wider and larger, how wonderful that would be!

Suddenly, a wave of floral fragrance drifted over, distracting Bai Yu's thoughts.

Looking around carefully, she saw nothing surrounding them except the wisteria vines, which left her somewhat puzzled.

Without raising his head, Lanshui calmly said, "It is narcissus, over there."

Bai Yu glanced at Lanshui, a secret joy blossoming in her heart: *Senior Brother is truly wise and attentive, able to anticipate even my thoughts!*

Preoccupied with her own thoughts, Bai Yu intentionally lost the game to Lanshui, though all of this remained well within Lanshui's control. Far from studying the board, Lanshui feigned a composed demeanor as he observed her every move, intent on steering his own plans forward smoothly.

"The game is lost, there is no need to continue!" Bai Yu laughed softly and gathered the pieces. "Senior Brother's skill is peerless; this junior sister concedes defeat!"

"You flatter me."

Lanshui stood up, walked to the side, and plucked a narcissus flower, handing it to Bai Yu with an expressionless face.

Surprised and delighted, Bai Yu accepted it and stammered, "Senior Brother, why… why give me a flower?"

"I never accept unrequited favors. You accompanied me in a game of chess, so consider this my return."

Bai Yu bit her lip into a smile, lowered her head to inhale the fragrance of the flower, and whispered softly, "Actually, Bai Yu requires no return."

"Do you perhaps dislike this narcissus?" Lanshui pointed toward the garden pond. "If you fancy any other, feel free to take it! I am unversed in the minds of women, and simply assumed you favored narcissus!"

Bai Yu smiled excitedly and was about to declare her fondness for narcissus when she suddenly froze.

"Senior Brother said you do not understand women's minds, yet why is this place arranged so thoroughly to suit a woman's temperament? Was it built for Junior Sister Xueze?"

"No, I merely desired a place of peace and tranquility! This place is too chilly and unsuitable for Xueze; I have never brought her here."

Bai Yu nodded happily and looked around the place with renewed appreciation. "It is indeed refined and elegant, but… but why is there a cup here?"

Lanshui looked over, catching sight of his moonlight cup resting on the flower rack.

"Ah, that is a cup used for gathering dew!"

"Gathering dew?" Curious, Bai Yu walked over and closely examined the pair of cups.

They were transparent and pure, resembling fine white jade, yet lightly kissed by floral dew, exuding a faint, lingering fragrance.

"This cup appears to be a moonlight cup, possessing the property of collecting moonlight spiritual energy and brewing floral dew!"

"Indeed." Lanshui retrieved the cup and cast a glance at the surrounding orchids. "These flowers happen to absorb the pure essence of moonlight, and with the moonlight cup to catch it, I intend to brew Fragrant Nectar."

"I have also heard of such a clever method. No doubt the resulting Fragrant Nectar is powerfully aromatic and nourishing for the complexion—surely beloved by women!"

"Not at all. I am making it for Jilin. He practices martial arts all day and dotes on his spirit beasts and celestial deer, always leaving my quarters reeking of animals. I detest the smell of beasts above all else, which is why I went to the trouble of making this for him."

Bai Yu paused, unconsciously sniffing her own clothes. "I see Senior Brother's Fragrant Nectar is nearly ready; might you lend it to Bai Yu to try first? I constantly deal with feather-pigeons and likewise suffer from persistent odors."

Lanshui hesitated for a moment and sighed. "It was originally meant for my junior brother, but since you like it, take it! However, I have no idea when I might be able to brew a second batch."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yu was overjoyed and smiled, "No matter, I shall take only half, and give the other half to Jilin. If it is not enough, I can frequently come and tend to it. Fragrant Nectar requires careful blending to achieve the proper flavor, and I happen to know the art of perfumery!"

"Junior Sister is truly learned and admirable! I only come here occasionally to pass the time, and our chance encounters mean we need not disturb one another. I shall leave the Fragrant Nectar here in your care, then."

Bai Yu nodded, thinking to herself: *If I come every day, won't I be able to see you constantly?*

Lanshui smiled faintly, forcing a trace of expression. "Actually, I would rather not use this cup to store Fragrant Nectar. Once upon a time, I used it simply for drinking water, and I feel quite regretful about it now."

"Oh?" Bai Yu inspected it closely, her fingers lightly brushing the surface as she indeed sensed Lanshui's spiritual aura. "Since Senior Brother is accustomed to drinking from it, why place it on the flower rack? Could this Fragrant Nectar truly be so precious to you?"

Lanshui nodded. "Yes! It is very useful!"

"Still, Senior Brother need not be discouraged!" Bai Yu smiled, a notion forming in her mind: *I have long heard that the moonlight cups come in a pair; presumably, the other cup has yet to be retrieved. I shall return to research it, and if I can help Senior Brother acquire it, wouldn't that mean...*

"Naturally." Lanshui glanced at Bai Yu and turned on his heel. "It is getting late, I must return!"

Bai Yu nodded. "Take care on your way, Senior Brother!"

Lanshui's receding figure held Bai Yu's gaze for a long time, until she was finally roused by a waft of faint fragrance.

"The scenery here is so lovely; why not read a book here?" Bai Yu smiled and summoned her personal feather-pigeon. "Xiao Ge, bring me texts concerning the moonlight cup!"

Xiao Ge fluttered back and forth across the table, and shortly thereafter, a volume materialized upon the stone table.

Bai Yu flipped through the pages, reading attentively to familiarize herself with the lore of the moonlight cups.

"So, the moonlight cups are a pair of sacred vessels, found only in miraculous realms. One is in the Tianshan Secret Realm—that must be the one Senior Brother possesses. The other is upon the sheer cliffs and roaring currents of the Qingxuan Valley—that must be the missing one..."

Bai Yu closed the book, watching it dissolve into wisps of flying smoke. "Qingxuan Valley—I have long heard of its name, yet never found the chance to visit! Doesn't this present me with the perfect opportunity?"

After wandering through the garden for a while longer, Bai Yu finally brought herself to leave. Smiling as she entered the West Spring Hall, she accidentally collided with Jianrong.

Jianrong wore a heavy expression, her brows and eyes steeped in anger and malice, as if she had encountered an unforgivable enemy.

Seeing this, Bai Yu dared not meet her gaze and instinctively took a few steps back in discomfort.

"Senior Sister!"

"What is making you so happy?"

Bai Yu looked at Jianrong and realized she looked far from happy, and thus dared not share any joyful news with her.

"Nothing much, I merely solved a chess puzzle!"

"You certainly lead a leisurely life!" Jianrong adjusted her hair and said with undisguised displeasure, "I haven't had a single happy day lately; there is endless work to be done, and someone is deliberately going against me!"

"Ah?" Bai Yu stared blankly at Jianrong.

"Don't ask who—I'd like to know myself!" Jianrong stalked up to Bai Yu in a frenzy and demanded urgently, "Can you investigate this for me? Use your clever feather-pigeons and show me who has the audacity!"

Bai Yu retreated a few steps, offering an awkward smile. "I'm afraid that wouldn't be proper. Lately, the feather-pigeons are very busy, and I am busy as well; I simply don't have the leisure for such matters!"

"Are you still my junior sister? You refuse to help with a simple favor—what on earth are you busy with?"

Bai Yu frowned, offering perfunctory words while harboring mounting displeasure inwardly: *If not for listening to your treacherous scheme, why would I carry such guilt? My relationship with the First Senior Brother should have progressed far beyond this by now! I haven't even settled accounts with you, yet you truly treat me like a subordinate?*

Jianrong's attitude remained unyielding and grew increasingly petty. "If you won't help, can you at least let me use the feather-pigeons myself?"

"This is a sacred artifact of Tianshan; how could I lend it to Senior Sister for private use?" Bai Yu spoke before realizing the double meaning hidden in her own words.

"Then how was it that you used this very sacred artifact to stew soup for me before?!"

Bai Yu's expression instantly turned icy, her fingernails digging painfully into her palms. "Senior Sister, what are you talking about?"

"The soup you brewed! Pigeon soup!"

Overcome with a surge of fury, Bai Yu whirled around and said, "Wasn't this matter supposed to be kept secret? Speak no more of it, lest you invite disaster upon yourself!"

"Hey! Are you really not going to help me?"

Bai Yu clenched her teeth, thinking to herself: *I truly regret ever helping you!*