Chapter 32 Learning and Applying New Knowledge On The Spot

this flower. Although it had an appealing name, she was unsure how that mattered. More uncomfortably, his long hair kept brushing against her face.Sensing Qi Lin's discomfort, the man smiled and leane...Chapter Thirty-Two: Immediate Application of New Knowledge

The next evening, Qi Lin was still dressed in men's clothing; she had returned to the Rose Garden quite late last night.

Liu Zhu said that if she didn't show up soon, they would search the entire garden for her. After giving a casual explanation, Qi Lin went to bed but couldn't fall asleep at all, so with dark circles under her eyes, she got up very early in the morning. Who knew that she suddenly felt sleepy during lunchtime and slept until evening.

"Liu Zhi, please go tell Miss Mudan first that I'll be there soon; don’t mention that I overslept."

To cover all eventualities, Qi Lin sent Liu Zhi ahead to give a heads-up. Then she made sure to bring something with her.

Although Liu Zhi didn't know much about Qi Lin, she could tell that Qi Lin wasn’t someone who would fawn over the powerful; besides, Miss Mudan was not currently in favor anyway. But Liu Zhi couldn’t figure out why Qi Lin always went to see Miss Mudan.

Still, even though she thought this way, Liu Zhi obediently went to find Miss Mudan as instructed.

Once Liu Zhi left, Qi Lin rushed to the back garden. She remembered seeing some unfamiliar flowers there last time that were quite pretty. After searching around for a while, she finally found them behind a rock formation.

The flowers were mainly white with red streaks on their petals resembling blood vessels; the edges of the flowers were light purple, making them very attractive indeed. Without hesitation, Qi Lin picked several blooms and carefully wrapped them up in silk.

Smiling contentedly at her handiwork, she made sure to tamp down any signs that would reveal where she’d been foraging before leaving calmly.

When she arrived at Miss Mudan’s garden, it was already prepared with food and wine. There wasn’t a soul around—presumably Liu Zhi had been dragged away by Qiao'er.

Seeing Qi Lin come in still dressed as a man, Miss Mudan smiled approvingly and walked over to take Qi Lin's hand, her voice soft and gentle: "Earlier I heard from Liu Zhi that Ah Xue was delayed. I wondered if she might not be able to make it."

Putting aside her worries, she led Qi Lin into the room. Before Miss Mudan could react, Qi Lin swooped in, wrapping an arm around her waist and looking directly into her bashful eyes: "So… does Miss Mudan want me"

Hearing Qi Lin’s voice made Miss Mudan blush furiously, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest. She bit down on her red lips without responding.

Qi Lin produced the flowers she had prepared from behind and waved them in front of Miss Mudan’s nose, pretending to be deeply moved by their scent; a faint fragrance wafted into her nostrils, warming Qi Lin’s cold heart slightly.

"As the saying goes: 'A precious sword is given to a hero, and red powder complements a beauty.'" Is that how it goes Qi Lin blinked nonchalantly before continuing: "On my way here today, I was inadvertently captivated by these flowers' beauty. Only Miss Mudan can match them in elegance. So I couldn’t help but pick some for her; I hope she’ll like them."

Mudan looked bashfully up at Qi Lin. But when she saw the flowers in Qi Lin’s hand, her face flushed even more; pushing Qi Lin away and turning to a writing desk nearby, without meeting Qi Lin's eyes, she purred teasingly: "You really are bold."

Bold

She hadn’t done anything yet.

Failing to understand Mudan’s meaning, Qi Lin interpreted her words as a feigned shyness and walked over to sit down. "Does Miss Mudan not like them then"

Testing the waters with this question, she noticed that Mudan's blush deepened even further; puzzled, she frowned slightly—was it because of Qi Lin’s appearance today Or had Mudan decided to change her ways

Seeing Qi Lin’s perplexed expression, Mudan thought perhaps Qi Lin didn’t know what was going on. So she poured a glass of wine for Qi Lin and herself.

Taking Mu Dan's wine cup, Qi Lin hesitated to drink it, fearing that the wine might not be pure. This was something the mysterious person had told her; she couldn't just casually drink Mu Dan's wine.

She pretended to take a sip and glanced at the flowers, only to find that the warmth on her chest was even more pronounced than before.

"Ah Xue, actually from the first time I met you, I wanted to share this moment with you." Setting aside her reserved demeanor, Mu Dan's cheeks turned red as she leaned against Qi Lin's shoulder. One of her hands kept rubbing up and down on Qi Lin’s thigh, but when she tried to move it higher, she was stopped by Qi Lin who held her hand tightly. Mu Dan slightly lifted her eyes and said, "Now that I have brought this here, don't you think Mu Dan should understand"

Mu Dan pointed at the flower in Qi Lin's hand and stroked Qi Lin’s flushed face; she found that Qi Lin's skin felt even smoother than it looked. She couldn’t resist pinching several times and saw a fleeting red mark on Qi Lin’s face, making Mu Dan smile smugly.

Qi Lin was at a loss looking at what was in her hand. Could this flower represent an expression of affection here

A shiver ran down her spine as she nearly threw the flower away but it was caught by Mu Dan who carefully placed it in her bosom, then picked one up to put into her mouth while staring seductively at Qi Lin.

This made Qi Lin want to run away too. But her feet felt like they were filled with lead and wouldn't budge.

Instead, the heat on her chest intensified.

Blinking slightly downcast eyes, she saw Mu Dan’s dreamy gaze and couldn’t help reaching out to touch Mu Dan's face. She lowered her head to give a kiss on Mu Dan's forehead.

Mu Dan’s red lips also met Qi Lin's forehead at this moment. This kiss felt like an ice pack that cooled Qi Lin’s mind, bringing back her clarity of thought.

She suddenly lifted her head and looked into Mu Dan's flushed face and constantly opening and closing red lips. She actually had the urge to kiss them, but she suppressed such an unreasonable idea. She wanted to push Mu Dan away, yet when her hand touched Mu Dan’s body, Mu Dan made a tempting sound that made Qi Lin break out in goosebumps.

Mu Dan didn’t let Qi Lin push her away; instead, she grabbed Qi Lin and tried to press closer to her.

"Ah Xue, I want you." Her throat was dry as she leaned towards Qi Lin’s flushed lips, wanting to kiss them but being avoided by Qi Lin.

Feeling Mu Dan's actions becoming bolder, Qi Lin suppressed the impulse in her heart and grabbed Mu Dan’s elbow to push her away forcefully. She quickly stood up but felt dizzy.

After stabilizing herself, she looked at the confused Mu Dan and softly said, "I need to use the restroom."

Avoiding Mu Dan's outstretched hand, Qi Lin quickly opened the door and a cool breeze hit her face, making her feel much clearer.

She found an empty place where she shook her head vigorously. She was completely ashamed of her behavior just now—what on earth happened

"I thought you understood, but I didn’t expect you to do something so foolish."

A familiar voice came from above her. Qi Lin looked up and saw the long robe fluttering in the night sky, and she knew immediately who it was.

Wiping away the sweat on her forehead, Qi Lin leaned against a tree and waved her hand to cool herself down. Only then did she say, "How did you end up here"

"I've been following behind you." The man ignored Qi Lin’s tone of complaint, shaking the flower in his hand—it was exactly the kind that Qi Lin had picked—and everything in the room just now he had taken it all in.

A room full of spring light indeed.

The man hung upside down from a branch, presenting a flower to Qi Lin. Swinging the flower in his hand, he said, "This flower is called Beauty Flower. It turns white during the day and red at dusk; it looks like a woman who has been disfigured at night, evoking pity. Hence its name, Beauty Flower."

Qi Lin looked at this flower. Although it had an appealing name, she was unsure how that mattered. More uncomfortably, his long hair kept brushing against her face.

Sensing Qi Lin's discomfort, the man smiled and leaned closer to whisper in her ear, "Beauty Flower is a crucial ingredient for Beauty Red; just inhaling its scent can be arousing."

Immediately after speaking, he noticed Qi Lin’s expression shifting from confusion to embarrassment, which was quite amusing. He landed on the ground with a leap and turned his back to her while swinging the flower in hand. "The Peony has completely dropped all guard against you; it's time for action. You should know what to do next."

"How could anyone just know such things" Just standing there made her feel like running away, realizing now why the Peony said that.

So bold!

Bite your tongue! Why didn’t you say so earlier Qi Lin gritted her teeth at his back but couldn't stay out too long to avoid arousing suspicion. She shot him a glare and turned to leave.

Just as she was about to step away, the man suddenly grabbed her hand; Qi Lin looked back warily, furrowing her brows slightly. "Don’t tell me you’re planning to make another move like before—eat me up thoroughly I have no power to resist, but one day, I’ll have you kneeling at my feet confessing your mistake."

Unpredictably, Qi Lin’s words left the man momentarily stunned; he had never knelt for anyone, let alone a woman.

Holding her chin with his long hand, he smiled and said, "If you go in unguarded like this, it won’t be me eating you up thoroughly. Do you also plan to kneel before the Peony confessing your mistake"

Qi Lin blushed upon hearing that; she misunderstood him.

Still, what if something strange happens with no guardwasn’t easy. She had no knowledge about pastries and couldn’t fathom their secrets."Sizzling..."Qi Lintuo was brought back to her senses by the sound of something being fried in a pan, which she saw b...