In the rice shop, humiliation was like a branding iron, in front of everyone's eyes. Although Pi Guang looked calm, his heart was like a fire covered by broken tiles, quiet but burning.
Before the ridicule had faded, suddenly, a woman's clear voice sounded, like the first snow in the empty mountains, cold and beautiful:
"How dare you speak to my master like that? Who dares speak bad words against him???!!!"
Everyone looked up in shock, only to see a woman in pink and white clothes walk in through the slanting light outside the door. Her clothes fluttered in the wind, her hair was as white as cotton, and her skin was whiter than snow. It was Li Wanwan.
In her hand, she held a brocade box, carved with ebony and decorated with red gold patterns, just like an old collection of the palace, dazzling and compelling. Her eyes were like blades, looking around at everyone, and her tone was sharp. "I think you are just a small rice vendor, but you dare to disrespect my master, don't you really know how to write the word death?"
"Master? Master?" A servant exclaimed in a low voice, the young man in plain shabby clothes in front of him was actually the person called "Master" by the daughter heir of the Li family?
The shopkeeper turned pale, speechless, sweat dripping down his forehead.
Pi Guang was also stunned, watching Li Wanwan holding a box. The box contained the silk that he had sent her to buy. He had not expected that she would carry it herself but assign a carrier to do so, and even more so that she would protect him in public.
"Miss Li..." he whispered, but was stopped by her glance.
"Don't call me Miss," she turned around, lowered her eyebrows and smiled, "In front of others, you are my master and I am your disciple."
Although the words were soft, they were extremely clear.
The rice shop was silent, and everyone's faces were pale.
Li Wanwan raised the brocade box and opened the lid. She saw that the brocade inside was as blue as the sea, with gold silk patterns and surging clouds. She pointed at the silk and said. "This item was personally picked by me for my master, four taels of silver, plus one points slip was what he paid for this silk. You insulted him today, which is tantamount to insulting me, Li Wanbai, and the way I practice."
The shopkeeper immediately knelt down: "I didn't recognize the immortal! I beg the immortal master to forgive me…."
"You sell rice, not dignity." Li Wanwan said coldly, "You took the money but still called him thief and disrespected. Where is the business ethics? If you are the owner of this shop, I would like to put up a notice in the market in the future to tell the world: This shop insults cultivators and is not worth doing business with."
As soon as these words came out, it was like a thunderbolt. The faces of the shop assistants turned pale, and some of them sneaked out of the shop to report the news.
She flicked her sleeves and whispered, "Master, please."
Pi Guang followed her out without saying a word. The sunlight passed through the eaves and slanted down, stretching the backs of the two people into slender shapes.
After taking a few steps, he asked softly. "Why are you protecting me?"
Li Wanwan paused and smiled softly. "Didn't you say that I volunteered to take you as my master? Then I will fulfill my responsibilities as a disciple."
He glanced at her calmly, and in his cold eyes, there was a hint of warmth that was hard to see. But he just nodded. "Don't be angry. You are a frog in a well, and you don't know the mountains and rivers."
"But you are the mountains and rivers." Li Wanwan looked at him, and there seemed to be mist in her eyes, "They can't see it, but I can."
Pi Guang looked away and said, "If that's the case, take me to buy rice somewhere else. But don't take me to a place where I can't afford it."
"Did you really choose that rice shop just for the price?" she asked in surprise. "I think that you like good rice and that is what every immortal master goes after. Good quality and not prices or riches."
"Even immortals have to have riches to buy good quality rice if they live in a world like this." Pi Guang answered calmly.
Li Wanwan lowered her head, covered her mouth and chuckled. "But I suddenly feel that the more I look at you, the more you look like... a mortal."
"I am." He looked forward without emotion.
"Then... let's go find a shop for mortals." She gently pulled his sleeve and walked into the depths of the alley.
To the west of the street, there is an unnamed rice shop with a low storefront, rice bags piled up like a mountain, and the aroma of rice fills the air. The shopkeeper is an old man with gray hair and beard.
When he saw the two of them enter, he stood up and bowed. "How many pounds do you want to buy? Common white rice, fair price."
Li Wanwan stepped forward to bargain with a friendly attitude, and the deal was settled in a moment. Pi Guang took out a point slip and handed it over. The shopkeeper took it and thanked him repeatedly.
The atmosphere was as plain as smoke from a cooking stove. Pi Guang's heart moved slightly, and he suddenly felt that the rice fragrance at the end of the alley was more solid than any other.
But at this moment, a gentle call suddenly came from behind. "Senior Guang."
His heart trembled, and he looked back.
Outside the door, the setting sun was as red as blood, and a person stood in the light, wearing a plain green dress and light gauze, with clear eyebrows and eyes.
"Lan Suoya?" He whispered.
The woman walked forward gracefully, her eyes full of waves, as if she had thousands of words to say.
Li Wanwan's expression suddenly turned cold, she turned her head, and her eyes slowly fell on the woman. How could Master call her name so dearly?