I was reborn after cheating on the aloof and powerful man.

Chapter 97 Gentleman

Sitting outside the carriage, Old Miao couldn't help but feel a little worried when he heard no movement from inside.

This was the first time he had ever heard such a well-behaved girl throw a tantrum.

He had watched his master grow up; although his personality was aloof, he simply didn't like to talk to people. He had never heard of any maid being scolded and made to cry by her master. What on earth was going on in the carriage?

Just as Old Miao's hand touched the car door, his arm was bumped. Old Li, sitting next to him, shook his head at him.

'Don't go in without the owner's permission.'

Old Miao withdrew his hand, lowered his head, and sighed.

Yes, he can't go in without the owner's permission...

But he really wanted to tell the maid inside that the master had no bad intentions.

The sudden cloak startled the swordsman opposite him. When he came to his senses, he coldly took the cloak off his body and obsessively folded it neatly to the side.

After finishing, her shoulder, which she had turned her head to the side, trembled slightly and suspiciously. Fei Xi heard her say something.

"Stupid."

Fei Xi was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes. Her cheeks, puffed up like a pufferfish, cracked from the two words that were hurled at her.

Is she stupid?

If it weren't for that profile view that was fixed on her with an unyielding, cold expression, without a trace of a smile, Fei Xi would have suspected that the other person avoided looking at her so that she could secretly chuckle.

She's not stupid!

Fei Xi, who never took others' harsh words to heart, raised her head arrogantly and gave a defiant snort.

The energy comes quickly and goes quickly.

Fei Xi, who was actually calmed down after being scolded, realized that Senior Bian was probably just annoyed by her behavior and was deliberately teasing her.

But can that cold, aloof face also tell jokes?

The person who threw clothes at her at the slightest disagreement and made threats didn't realize that her feelings of grievance and her arrogant attitude stemmed from the assumption that the other party wouldn't actually lay a hand on her.

As the carriage and surroundings quieted down, Fei Xi, though no longer angry, subconsciously didn't want to pay attention to the person who had insulted her and ignored her.

She blinked and curiously examined the carriage.

How could a small stove possibly keep the carriage warm? She didn't see any charcoal braziers or anything like that. What could be making the carriage so warm?

The carriage floor was covered with a thick leopard fur carpet. The plush carpet did not feel hot to the touch, so the heat source was not from the bottom of the carriage.

The carriage is shaped like a pavilion and is meticulously crafted from rosewood. Four red pillars, carved with various beautiful patterns in gold powder, support the carriage. The doors are wooden double doors, rather than the more common cloth curtain doors.

Fei Xi's gaze shifted from the silk murals decorating the carriage to the strings of auspicious bead tassels hanging in the corners.

The ruyi bead, about the size of a lychee, was a translucent, light blue color, seemingly containing some impurities. Amidst a riot of luxurious decorations, it appeared remarkably rustic, somewhat out of place with the carriage.

Fei Xi stood up and curiously touched it. The light blue gemstone always seemed cold to her in the winter. But the sensation under her fingertips defied logic and told her that it was the source of the heat.

Holding the blue beads in my hand felt like holding a hand warmer; they were hard yet warm, and they got a little hot if I held them for too long.

The bead she was holding was getting hotter and hotter for some reason. Fei Xi released the burning bead and looked at the swordsman who was sipping tea.

"Senior Bian, what is this? I've seen warm jade before. Warm jade is warm and soft, unlike these wish-fulfilling beads."

Fei Xi asked the question while keeping a close eye on the other person. As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the other person glance at her, ignore her, and continue sipping their tea, looking completely nonchalant.

If their eyes hadn't met, Fei Xi might have thought the other person hadn't heard her question.

As she frantically speculated whether Senior Bian was angry or would never speak to her again...

But then the swordsman put down his teacup, his clear, cold voice softening as if warmed by the tea:

"Haiyu is a specialty of the Earth Kingdom; the Heaven Kingdom also has a similar jade called Fuyu, which is red like flames..."

"But it feels as cold and hard as ice when you touch it?" Fei Xi replied instinctively.

The swordsman didn't answer further, but opened a drawer under the coffee table and took out a book.

"Hands out."

Fei Xi reached out her hand with a puzzled expression, and with a quick release and catch, the book fell from the swordsman's hand into hers.

Fei Xi took it and glanced at it; the "Five Elements Inner Path Method" came into view.

"Since you've guessed that the tones correspond to the five internal organs, you can know that the liver belongs to wood, its corresponding tone is Jiao (角), and its corresponding emotion is anger; the heart belongs to fire, its corresponding tone is Zhi (徴), and its corresponding emotion is joy; the spleen belongs to earth, its corresponding tone is Gong (宫), and its corresponding emotion is thought; the lungs belong to metal, its corresponding tone is Shang (商), and its corresponding emotion is worry; and the kidneys belong to water, its corresponding tone is Yu (羽), and its corresponding emotion is fear. The internal energy originally belongs to the five elements of the five internal organs, which generate each other. By using energy to harmonize with sound, the sound resonates with the five internal organs. This is the 'Five Elements Internal Path Method.' If you have any questions, you can ask me anytime."

The book in my hand suddenly felt incredibly heavy and burning hot.

Fei Xi gripped the book tightly, pursed her lips, and after a long while, her hoarse voice still carried a hint of stubbornness:

"Senior Bian, I might not stay in Tianshan..." Could you please stop being so nice to me?

The swordsman was oblivious to Fei Xi's inner turmoil. He stared at the person before him without any emotion, his scrutinizing gaze seemingly trying to see right through him.

"If you didn't want to stay in Tianshan, why did you allow Miao Shouyi to treat you as one of the people of Tianshan? When he told you about Tianshan, why didn't you just refuse him outright?"

Fei Xi was speechless when asked the question. She herself didn't understand her own thoughts, so how could she dare to explain them clearly to the person involved?

"You dislike my managing you, do you think I'm disciplining you like a servant? I'll only say this once: in my heart, you are different from Miao Shouyi and the others. Your master, Wei Jiucheng, is an upright gentleman, so naturally I will treat you according to the standards of a gentleman. A gentleman understands righteousness, while a petty person understands profit. The way of the petty person may bring temporary gain, but once the profit is gone, people will scatter, and it is not a long-term solution. If you always take pride in your petty tricks and act rudely, even if one day you really leave Tianshan and want to revitalize the Qingcheng Sect on your own, forgive my bluntness, but that is just wishful thinking."

The earnest and serious advice shattered the girl's illusions, but Fei Xi just wanted to cover her ears.

"Is a true gentleman someone who, knowing that my Qingcheng Sect is innocent, allows the Spirit Hall to declare my Qingcheng Sect guilty? Is someone who stands by and watches my Qingcheng Sect, believing in justice in the martial world, be slaughtered while defending the mountain? Senior Bian, when has the martial world ever tolerated a true gentleman? When has it ever been a clear distinction between right and wrong?"

His voice choked with emotion, and his face, still recovering from a serious illness, burned with ever-increasing rage. The hatred he had been holding back could no longer be suppressed, and at this moment it was released frankly.

Upon hearing her angry words, the swordsman's expression changed slightly, and his lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't utter a word.

After a moment of silence, the swordsman asked hesitantly, "Do you hate me?"

Putting aside her shattered girlish heart, Fei Xi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly opened them, saying with a firm gaze:

"...No, I only hate my own powerlessness, so Senior Bian, I don't believe in gentlemen, and I will never be a gentleman."