Ouyang Qinglin was stunned.
Gu Qianying was also a little surprised.
The two of them looked at Nangong Mo simultaneously.
Nangong Li's mouth hung open, staring at Nangong Mo in disbelief, "Little Linzi, you're really into men? My heavens!" He clutched his chest and quickly retreated a few steps.
His fingers brushing against Nangong Mo's, Ouyang Qinglin immediately withdrew his hand. The movement tugged at his wound, causing him to cough violently.
Gu Qianying reached out, intending to help him catch his breath, but before her hand could even extend, someone beside them, seemingly oblivious to embarrassment, took her place and patted Ouyang Qinglin's back.
This caused Ouyang Qinglin to cough even harder.
Watching this scene, Gu Qianying's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Even she had begun to believe that the new medicine boy liked men. After all, Ouyang Qinglin was a handsome man, and it was natural for Little Linzi to fancy him.
"Scram!"
Ouyang Qinglin flung Nangong Mo away. Nangong Mo, however, couldn't be bothered.
The young medicine boy, who was boiling medicinal soup in the kitchen, entered with the soup. "Sect Master, Master Ouyang's medicinal soup is ready."
Gu Qianying glanced at it. "Mm, good. Bring it to me."
The young medicine boy nodded and stepped forward. As Gu Qianying reached to take the soup, Nangong Mo snatched it first, his voice still icy, "I'll do it!"
Gu Qianying: "..."
Lu Zhu, standing nearby, covered her face. She couldn't bear to watch.
Nangong Li, who had already accepted that his brother Little Linzi was a "gay" who liked men, was now speechless and didn't want to say anything more.
With someone else taking on the task of feeding Ouyang Qinglin the soup, Gu Qianying was naturally happy to oblige.
From her observations earlier, she felt that this young medicine boy named Little Linzi, although he concealed his strength, she hadn't detected any malice from him. Therefore, she entrusted the minor task of feeding the medicine to this Little Linzi in front of her.
"Take good care of him."
Leaving these words behind, Gu Qianying led Lu Zhu out of the main hall.
Ouyang Qinglin: "..."
Nangong Li, in order to create a space for his good brother Little Linzi to be alone with the one he fancied, deliberately closed the hall door as he left and instructed the young medicine boy outside not to disturb those within.
At this moment, with only Ouyang Qinglin and Nangong Mo left in the main hall, silence fell between them.
Nangong Mo directly placed the medicinal soup in his hand by the bedside. He said coldly, "Drink it yourself!"
Ouyang Qinglin: "..."
"Cough, cough, Little Linzi, is it? Hmm... If you like men, this national preceptor can give you a few good-looking men, but you absolutely cannot like this national preceptor. Although this national preceptor is a bit more beautiful than you, this national preceptor does not like men..."
Suddenly, Nangong Mo threw a small bronze mirror in front of Ouyang Qinglin. The mirror was positioned to face Ouyang Qinglin, reflecting his handsome and alluring face.
"You think you're a handsome man? Hmph!"
With these words, Nangong Mo opened the door and left.
Ouyang Qinglin: "..."
After leaving the main hall, Gu Qianying, fearing that Little Linzi might not take good care of Ouyang Qinglin, sent Lu Zhu back halfway. She then turned and went to Meng Qinghua's place.
Behind the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Pavilion,
Lush green bamboo stood in orderly rows along the path. The emerald bamboo leaves gradually closed in, forming a circular "roof." The intense sunlight and the scorching heat of late summer were thus blocked out. Gu Qianying walked along the winding path, which was surrounded by bamboo groves.
Inside the bamboo house,
Wisps of incense smoke drifted, accompanied by the fragrant aroma of tea.
Gu Qianying opened the door. The room was clean and tidy. The wooden stools and the wooden table were spotless. The room was empty at first glance.
Meng Qinghua was not there, but she did not leave in a hurry. Instead, she sat on a wooden chair and poured herself a cup of tea. Smelling the tea's fragrance, her mood lifted slightly.
Since Meng Qinghua became the pavilion master, he had managed the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Pavilion in an orderly fashion. Even she, the new sect master, had to admire Meng Qinghua's management skills.
Without Meng Qinghua, the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Pavilion would likely have descended into chaos long ago.
And she, the "hands-off manager," would not have been able to enjoy such leisure.
"You're here?"
Meng Qinghua entered slowly, dressed in a white robe, as if descending from the heavens, his feet not touching the ground. He was no longer in disguise, his handsome face now revealed. His eyes were as bright as stars, gentle and refined, like jade on a mountain.
As he entered, he carried a bamboo basket on his arm, containing some vegetables and freshly picked vibrant mushrooms.
Seeing this, Gu Qianying smiled. "What? Are you inviting me to dinner today?"
Meng Qinghua placed the bamboo basket on the table and began to pick the vegetables.
"Yes, if the Sect Master would grace me with her presence, I would be most honored."
Gu Qianying stood up, walked over to him, and helped him pick the vegetables.
"Alright, but if I'm not mistaken, the person you're primarily inviting today isn't me?"
"He's not here yet, but he will be soon," Meng Qinghua replied truthfully.
Gu Qianying smiled indifferently. "I wonder who it is that our Pavilion Master Meng would personally cook for? I'm quite curious about this person."
"He's a good person. You'll like him when you meet him. I've warmed some wine here, drink it while you wait. I'll go to the small kitchen to prepare."
Meng Qinghua put the picked vegetables back into the bamboo basket, tidied the table, and carried the basket to the small kitchen.
Gu Qianying sat in the room, replacing her tea with the warm wine.
She didn't know who Meng Qinghua was referring to, but she was eager to meet this person.
A moment later,
Several dishes were placed on the four-cornered stone table. There were no delicacies, only some delicious farm vegetables, with three jars of wine beside them.
Gu Qianying sat to one side, while Meng Qinghua and another person sat on her other side.
She had not touched a single bite of the dishes in front of her.
Meng Qinghua picked up a piece of food and placed it in front of her, then looked at her. "What's wrong? Don't these dishes suit your taste?"
Gu Qianying shook her head, her gaze fixed on Nangong Mo, who was sitting opposite her.
"When did you two meet?"
Although she was asking Meng Qinghua, her eyes never left Nangong Mo's face.
"Ah... Qianying, you're asking about me and Little Linzi? We actually met a long time ago, we just haven't seen each other for a while."
Meng Qinghua served Gu Qianying a piece of food. Nangong Mo also did the same, serving her a piece of food.
Seeing this, Gu Qianying still did not pick up her chopsticks.
"Qianying, if you're not eating, then let's drink."
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. Meng Qinghua picked up his wine cup and took a sip.
"Meng Qinghua, do you know that Little Linzi likes men?"
"Pfft!"
Meng Qinghua, usually composed, immediately spat out the wine he was drinking, spraying it all over Nangong Mo's face.
At this moment, Nangong Mo's face was very displeased. Meng Qinghua quickly used a handkerchief to wipe Nangong Mo's face. "Little Linzi, I didn't mean to. Please forgive me, don't blame me."
Nangong Mo coldly slapped Meng Qinghua's hand away. "Don't touch me."
The handkerchief in Meng Qinghua's hand fell to the ground, the white handkerchief stained with dirt, ruined.
Gu Qianying's cold eyes sharpened. She raised her hand and overturned all the dishes on the stone table onto the ground.
With a crash!
The juice from the dishes and the wine spilled all over the ground.
Gu Qianying stood up coldly, drew her sword, and held it to Nangong Mo's head, asking in a chilling voice, "Apologize, apologize to Meng Qinghua!"