"Jinchen, you can't tease me anymore! Give my chicken leg back right now!"
The young girl furrowed her delicate brows, her cheeks puffed up in anger. With her hands on her hips, she glared at the young man before her with tear-bright eyes.
Jinchen possessed a face seven parts similar to Moyuan's, save for his eyes, which bore a striking resemblance to Baize's.
"I won't. Oh, this chicken leg smells so good! Let me have another bite!"
Right before her eyes, Jinchen took a huge bite, devouring more than half of it in one go.
Jinyun was so frantic she was on the verge of tears, but suddenly, an inspiration struck her, and she remembered the clever trick her grandmaster had taught her a few days ago. Her eyes darted around mischievously, and she immediately calmed down.
"I'm getting married very soon. That was a chicken leg I had already bitten into. We're all grown up now, and we need to mind the proper distance between men and women..."
As soon as those words left her mouth, Jinchen's movements froze abruptly. He looked somewhat in disbelief.
"You're getting married? To whom? You're still too young—was it your father and the others?"
"That's none of your business. In short, don't you ever tease me again."
Seeing that his mood had turned sour, Jinyun panicked inwardly and turned to leave.
"You're not going anywhere! Make it clear—who is it? Who are you marrying?!"
The half-eaten chicken leg lay neglected and alone on the ground. Jinchen gripped Jinyun's wrist tightly. His eyes held an intensity of feeling that Jinyun couldn't quite fathom, though a trace of desperate pleading broke through.
"You... you..."
"I like you! Ah-Yun, don't marry someone else. Just wait for me a little longer—I'll be grown up very soon, okay?"
Everyone said Baize had a pair of expressive eyes. Since Jinchen's eyes took after his father's, looking at someone gave that person the illusion that his heart and soul held nothing but them.
"You like me? But you clearly hate me! Why else would you always bully me?"
Jinyun shook her head. Even though Jinchen looked pitiful, the moment she thought of the chicken leg tossed aside so carelessly, anger flared up in her again.
"I don't know how to win a girl's favor. Dad didn't have to do much for Mom to love him; I just wanted to catch your attention. I didn't want you spending all day talking to others and ignoring me..."
His complexion was fair, and the moment he grew emotional, a blush crept up his face.
Jinyun looked up and saw that his entire face had turned a soft shade of pink, especially the vibrant red corners of his eyes, which made him look as though he were about to cry. He looked both pitiful and adorable.
Jinyun pressed her lips together, her heart fluttering. Hesitantly, she reached out and tentatively stroked the corner of Jinchen's eye.
Her silence, however, was undoubtedly interpreted by Jinchen as a rejection.
"Is it really impossible? I could be the junior partner—couldn't you let me stay with you even when he isn't around?"
"Huh?"
As Jinyun rubbed the corner of his eye, she accidentally brushed against a scorching hot droplet.
He was crying!
Jinchen was crying, and because of her—she was the one who had made him cry.
Yet somehow, Jinchen looked so remarkably handsome when he cried. She was suddenly reminded of that golden lotus from years ago; back then, she had truly believed the golden lotus was the most beautiful thing in existence. Later, her aunt told her the golden lotus had entered her master's belly, and afterward, her master had given birth to Jinchen.
Therefore, Jinchen *was* that golden lotus. She was the one who had found him all those years ago, so Jinchen rightfully belonged to her.
Jinyun's eyes grew brighter and brighter until, a moment later, she seemed to process everything.
"Fine! Since you like me this much, I suppose I can reluctantly accept you!"
"Really?!"
With tears still clinging to the corners of his eyes, Jinchen stared at her in pleasant surprise.
"Ahem, of course it's true."
With that, Jinyun beckoned, signaling Jinchen to lower his head. Though he didn't understand what she meant, he obeyed.
The next instant, Jinyun stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his lips. Then she spun around and fled.
"Jinyun kissed me, so she likes me too?"
Jinchen was left standing alone in the same spot, oscillating between joy and worry. What thrilled him was that he had finally gotten his wish; what troubled him was the prospect of being the junior partner.
***
Having come to terms with her own heart, Jinyun decided to share the news with her master.
Meanwhile, Yaoguang and Baize had already known about the matter for a while. Neither of them thought much of it; after all, the little golden lotus had fancied Jinyun even back then, so it was only natural for Jinchen to like her now.
Still, the boy was a bit dense and had no idea how to express his feelings, resorting to bullying people like that—what girl would ever want him? Besides, he cried too easily. As long as someone was willing to take him, that was enough.
"No, I'm not playing here anymore. Change the spot!"
"A played stone cannot be taken back, Ah-Ze. How many times are you going to take your moves back?"
With Baize around, Yaoguang Palace was finally far from desolate. Traces of their life together were everywhere—such as the osmanthus tree in the small courtyard, which bloomed in perpetual vibrancy, or the reclining chair and stone table beneath its branches, arranged precisely to Baize's liking.
"Then I'm not playing anymore. This game is no fun at all."
"Fine, fine, whatever you say. Where do you want to play it?"
"Here!"
Smug, Baize snatched back the wrongly played piece and moved it to another spot.
Gods lived immensely long lives; if they didn't seek out some amusement in this vast divine existence, how terribly boring it would be.
"Master! Grandmaster!"
Just as Baize was pondering his next move, Jinyun skipped in.
"Well?"
Yaoguang glanced at the blush on her little disciple's face, well aware that they had already witnessed what had just transpired.
"Your disciple followed the method Grandmaster taught me, but..."
Jinyun cast a tentative glance at the two of them, hesitating over whether to share the rest, considering she had essentially bullied Jinchen just moments before.
"Speak. You're leaving it half-said, and it's rather suspenseful."
"Jinchen said he only wanted to catch my attention because he liked me, and... and I like Jinchen too!"
She blurted it out quickly, then anxiously watched the two elders.
To her surprise, their eyes were full of smiles, carrying an air of *it was bound to be this way all along*.
"Master, aren't you curious? My relationship with Jinchen..."
"Grandmaster fully supports this. When is the wedding? Have you set a date? Do you need us to help notify the other elders?"
As he spoke, Baize covertly swiped a few of Yaoguang's white pieces while she wasn't looking. Little did he know, the entire maneuver had been captured by Yaoguang's peripheral vision. She simply said nothing, watching Baize's smug little expression with a gentle smile.
Seeing this, Jinyun realized that her master and grandmaster shared a deep and steadfast bond and would never stand in the way of young lovers. Moreover, with their profound cultivation, they must have known about her and Jinchen all along; otherwise, they wouldn't have been so relaxed about it.
"Once you've made up your mind, go inform your aunt and uncle, and then take Jinchen with you to visit Kunlun Xu."
"Mm, thank you, Master! Thank you, Grandmaster!"
Jinyun decided that her own future would undoubtedly be just as loving and devoted as her master's.
Not long after she left, Jinchen scampered back in, blushing furiously, to inform Yaoguang and Baize that he intended to be Jinyun's junior partner.
His declaration sent the two into fits of laughter. It was only then that they learned it had all been a misunderstanding—Jinyun wasn't marrying anyone else; if she married at all, it would only be to him.
Jinchen was overjoyed once more.
"There is just one thing your father wants to tell you: every girl is a precious treasure. You cannot simply bully people based on your own whims. If you like someone, be straightforward about it. If Jinyun hadn't liked you, you likely would have driven the poor girl right out of your life!"