Chapter 259: Is There Actually Red Bean Paste?
Sigh… This feels weird. I feel like something incredible just happened, but now I can’t remember anything clearly.
Mu Jixue’s steps were unsteady as she blinked hard, trying to clear her blurry vision. No matter how hard she tried to recall what had happened, her mind was still shrouded in a thick fog.
She vaguely remembered hearing Yun Zhonghe and Qin Hongye laughing together while sipping tea. The laughter was crisp and pleasant, but inexplicably irked her, so she stormed in angrily, only for Yun Zhonghe to invite her to join them.
Everything seemed normal — everyone smiled warmly and chatted enthusiastically. Even Qin Hongye, who usually didn’t get along with her, offered a rare smile.
They were even having a jestful conversation, like all the tension had completely vanished. But it was so strange. Why did she feel so off?
Mu Jixue was completely ensnared by the mysterious copper mirror’s magic.
“Miss Mu, Miss Qin’s tea-making skills are truly out of this world. The tea snacks she made are a real treat. You must try it, or you’ll regret it forever,” Yun Zhonghe said in his gentle and magnetic voice. Each word rolled off his tongue like pearls, and he acted normally and appropriately. However, under the flawless facade, Mu Jixue sensed something amiss.
Her instincts, despite being dulled by the mirror’s magic, still urged her not to trust everything she saw.
But…
There was no way to resist Yun Zhonghe. He could easily dispel any doubts in her heart, making her gut feelings seem irrelevant.
So, faced with the mystery before her, Mu Jixue decided to trust him, ignoring her instincts.
If Yun Zhonghe said so, it must be true.
Yun Zhonghe stood gracefully beside Qin Hongye, holding a plate of exquisitely crafted pastries shaped like glutinous rice balls. They were round and adorable, emitting a faint fragrance that made one salivate.
He smiled at Mu Jixue, “These are very sweet and sticky. You should give it a try.”
Sweet and sticky? Sure.
Mu Jixue pondered internally as she lightly picked up one of the round glutinous rice balls with her tender finger, feeling its smooth surface.
She frowned and hesitated about taking a bite.
Both Mu Jixue and Yun Zhonghe had fallen into the trap of the magic mirror, leaving only Qin Hongye, the lone voice of reason.
When she saw Mu Jixue reaching for the snack, she was mortified.
She had underestimated things. She thought she could take Yun Zhonghe down with the magic mirror, but Mu Jixue had unexpectedly interfered.
This pesky girl always seemed to ruin her plans.
Although both of them were affected by the magical effects, two against one might have been too much for her.
She hadn’t expected Yun Zhonghe to be so skilled.
Where did he learn it?
A certain sword spirit kept silent.
At this moment, Qin Hongye found herself double-teamed by Huang Aotian and Huang Mao, both of whom were formidable opponents.
Qin Hongye panicked. She had overreached, and what was once a well-planned scenario now looked impossible.
[Wait… No…]
Qin Hongye sent a spirit message to Mu Jixue, intent on stopping her, but the magic mirror effect filtered it out.
She was about to fall victim to her own item.
Qin Hongye and Mu Jixue hesitated whether to eat it.
Yun Zhonghe didn’t notice Qin Hongye’s reaction. In the grip of the magic mirror, everything was ignored.
Mu Jixue sniffed at the ball and noticed an unusual salty aroma with hints of mushroom and garlic. It reminded her of tangyuan!
Different people experienced different distortions of reality through the magic mirror.
Perhaps Mu Jixue hadn’t eaten dango before and was unfamiliar with cream.
Yun Zhonghe also noticed two dango on Mu Jixue’s chest, causing him to be surprised.
“Hey? You have these too?”
Mu Jixue looked down confused, “That’s funny… Oh! Qin Hongye gave them to me.”
Her tone hinted she was confused too. Clearly, the magic mirror had altered their memories.
Yun Zhonghe’s eyes glimmered as he saw the dango in Mu Jixue’s hand, sensing the allure of its unique flavors.
“Can I taste one of yours?”
Friends sharing food was natural, right?
Mu Jixue was taken aback, thinking she wanted to refuse, but had no valid reason to do so. She felt uneasy, fearing she might lose something important by agreeing to let Yun Zhonghe have the dango.
But they were just two small tangyuan – refusing seemed petty.
Since Yun Zhonghe wanted it…
Mu Jixue lifted her chest, “Here, you can have them.”
Yun Zhonghe wasn’t shy. He gently peeled open the dango…
In front of Qin Hongye, he sampled the dango from Mu Jixue.
His face showed surprise:
“Mmm! These are red bean paste!”
“Ugh!”
Mu Jixue watched intently, her expression fluctuating wildly.
An indescribable tickle spread through her body like a current.
Why do I feel like this?
Mu Jixue muttered to herself, trying to rationalize the situation as a usual response to someone eating her snacks. Yet, she knew it shouldn’t be this way.
Her fists clenched tighter as her hands tightened involuntarily, her wrapped feet grinding nervously against the floor. Her toes tensed, bent, relaxed, and tightened again. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Too strange, too strange, too strange…
Her brain felt enveloped in hot waves, making her almost forget how to think.
It was like melting away.
Yet amidst the confusion, a strange joy bubbled up in her heart.
Qin Hongye saw this situation and was alarmed: “No! This is my scene. Why does that white-haired girl keep stealing my spotlight!”
Qin Hongye couldn’t stand seeing Yun Zhonghe and Mu Jixue enjoying their interaction. She rushed to interrupt them, but things took an unexpected turn.
Mu Jixue suddenly felt parched and needed a strong cup of tea.
She looked around, only to find the cups missing.
“Hey, why did you hide the tea?” Mu Jixue complained.
Yun Zhonghe scratched his head, looking innocent, “Huh? Strange, indeed.”
Looking down, he realized he had a teapot beneath him! Under the mirror’s influence, it had appeared in his pants.
“I am so thirsty. Please drink some quick.” Mu Jixue urgently pleaded.
Yun Zhonghe, albeit bewildered, silently lifted the “teapot” to feed it to Mu Jixue.
Her pink lips slowly parted to receive the imaginary drink…
Seeing this, Qin Hongye panicked immensely. If it continued, Mu Jixue would get away with it!
Fortunately, she reacted quickly. With all her might, she clenched her teeth and grabbed the magic mirror, regaining control.
She immediately halted the mirror’s power, restoring everything to normal.
Suddenly, Yun Zhonghe and Mu Jixue collapsed like broken puppets, closing their eyes as if they fell asleep.
Qin Hongye gasped heavily, relieved. Just in time, or Mu Jixue would have had a huge advantage.
She couldn’t allow that.
She glanced uneasily at the now inert magic mirror, recalling the unexpected battle.
She hadn’t expected Yun Zhonghe to be so strong. She wasn’t wrong; she had chosen someone truly powerful.
If Yun Zhonghe knew the truth, he’d probably laugh sarcastically.
How could he not be strong when she had such a powerful artifact like him?
But Qin Hongye preferred to be in control. She enjoyed steering the boat.
“She will move.”
The magic mirror’s effect had surpassed her expectations, distorting common sense to a degree. Who knew if the participants would question what they experienced later.
Qin Hongye knew she needed a better adjustment with the black merchant who sold her the mirror.
Despite today’s complications, learning from the interactions with Yun Zhonghe was gratifying.
Aside from the interruption of Mu Jixue, her connection with Yun Zhonghe brought immense satisfaction and exhilaration.
Even Yun Zhou seemed engrossed.
Closing her eyes, Qin Hongye reminisced deeply.
Feeling… her cultivation seemed to grow even stronger.
