I have a panel that reduces proficiency.

Chapter 48 A Mysterious Dinner Table, Frosty Dao Patterns

Chapter 48 A Mysterious Dinner Table, Frosty Dao Patterns

The foot was small, with a slender ankle. The white sock was embroidered with a few pale blue scroll patterns, the vines curling and twisting, and the cuff was decorated with a ring of fine cloud patterns.

With her toes slightly raised, she gently touched Fang Shi's trouser leg, one touch at a time.

Fang Shi froze.

Right now, he is Li Daoyuan, an outer disciple of the Sanpan Bieyuan. He cannot overstep the bounds in responding to or flattering any of the inner disciples' actions, nor can he shrink back or even look down at them, otherwise he might have to start all over again.

Clang!

The wine glass slipped from Zhou Yan's hand, hit the edge of the table, and rolled to the ground.

The Biling wine spilled, soaking the edge of the tablecloth, and dripped down.

Zhou Yan grunted and bent down to pick it up.

Qi Xueyi gently raised her left hand, and a flash of light appeared at her fingertips.

The wine glass then floated gently up from the ground and landed steadily back on the table.

Qi Xueyi asked, "What's wrong with you today, Senior Brother? You can't even hold a cup properly. Have you had too much to drink?"

Zhou Yan's outstretched hand froze in mid-air before he slowly withdrew it.

He stared at the wine glass he had lost and then found, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "My mind is in turmoil."

"Feeling confused?"

Qi Xueyi rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head to look at him, and said, "Senior Brother, your cultivation has reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. Your temperament should be as steady as a rock. How come you've become so flustered after just a couple of drinks?"

Zhou Yan didn't answer, but simply took a new wine glass, poured himself another glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

Then, his gaze fell on Qi Xueyi, then moved away, falling on the window, and finally on the wine glass on the table that was slightly dusty. He looked dazed and did not answer Qi Xueyi's question.

Fang Shi was too lazy to listen, and even less willing to listen to this nonsense.

Right now, he still has a lot of trouble.

Under the table, a foot clad in a white sock was slowly moving up his calf.

The scalloped pattern on the socks rubbed against his trouser leg inch by inch, the raised embroidery thread drawing clear lines on his skin through the fabric.

Qi Xueyi's toes hooked onto the edge of his trouser leg and gently lifted it up.

A corner of his trouser leg was lifted up, letting in a cool breeze.

Fang Shi's fingers tightened unconsciously, but his expression remained unchanged. He even picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

"Senior brother, you still haven't told me what's bothering you?"

Qi Xueyi's voice rang out again, clear and crisp like a silver bell.

Zhou Yan glanced at her and said in a muffled voice, "It's nothing."

Qi Xueyi laughed and said, "Nothing? Senior brother, do you know you're the worst at lying? Every time you say 'nothing,' your face says 'something'."

As she spoke, she pressed her entire foot against Fang Shi's calf, gently massaging it through her white socks with slight pressure on her arch.

Fang Shi froze again.

The soft, warm fabric clung tightly to me, its delicate touch feeling like that of warm jade warmed by body heat.

As she gently rubbed against the silk stockings, a faint, ticklish sensation spread up her calves.

Her toes turned slightly, curling and relaxing her five toes one after another, gently rubbing his calf through the sock.

The force wasn't heavy, but each strike sent a tingling sensation down Fang Shi's spine.

Qi Xueyi picked up a piece of spirit pork jerky with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, chewed it slowly, and said, "Senior brother, say something."

Zhou Yan looked up at her.

She was also looking at him with a smile, her eyes crinkling, exuding innocence and naivety.

"I told you I'm fine."

Zhou Yan's tone hardened slightly, but softened at the end, saying, "Junior Sister—why did you suddenly think of looking for me today?"

Qi Xueyi casually replied, "I missed you, Senior Brother. How long has it been since you last came to see me? I went to your cave three times, and each time your attendant blocked me at the door, saying something like, 'Uncle Zhou is in seclusion,' 'Uncle Zhou is refining pills,' or 'Uncle Zhou is traveling.' Senior Brother, are you avoiding me, or are you avoiding someone else?"

Zhou Yan lowered his eyes, staring at the remaining wine in his glass, and said, "I'm not avoiding you, it's just—I've been really busy lately."

"What is it?"

"The matter of the earth's veins."

Qi Xueyi blinked and asked, "Earth veins? What happened to the earth veins?"

Zhou Yan shook his head and said, "It's nothing serious. There are just a few key points of the formation that need to be re-examined, and my master asked me to do it."

It wasn't anything important, just some trivial stuff.

Qi Xueyi said, "You're upset over trivial matters? Senior brother, are you just brushing me off again?"

Her toes slid up Fang Shi's calf a few inches and gently touched the back of his knee.

Fang Shi was startled.

The back of the knee is different from the calf; the skin there is thinner and the sensation is more acute. Even through the fabric of his trousers, he could clearly feel the outline of the foot, with the toes slightly arched and the toes rounded, resting against the softest hollow in the back of his knee.

The toe gently hooked behind his knee, like a feather brushing against him, bringing a ticklish sensation.

Fang Shi lowered his eyes, staring at the table, like a stone statue, not daring to overstep his bounds and overhear the conversation between the immortals.

Zhou Yan glanced at Fang Shi, hesitated for a long time, and said, "Junior Sister, I—"

'

Qi Xueyi suddenly interrupted him, saying, "By the way, Senior Brother, you must have frightened Fellow Daoist Li when you knocked over the wine cup just now."

Look at Fellow Daoist Li, his face has turned pale.

She turned her head and looked at Fang Shi with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Li, are you alright?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Shi's voice carried a hint of trepidation in front of the immortals as he said, "Thank you for your concern, immortals. I am fine. It's just that I have never drunk before, especially such strong wine with you two immortals, and I've gotten a little tipsy. I hope you two will forgive me for this."

Zhou Yan frowned as he was interrupted, wanting to say something, but then sighed to himself, picked up his wine glass again, and took a swig.

Pour it again, and it gets even more suffocating.

Still feeling stuffy and depressed.

Qi Xueyi ignored him, merely chuckled, her eyes darting over Fang Shi before she said, "Fellow Daoist Li can't hold his liquor? Then you'll need to practice more. There will be many drinking occasions when you're doing things for your senior brother; how will you manage with such a low tolerance? You see, your senior brother doesn't actually drink often, but he's improved through drinking more. Isn't that right, senior brother?"

After she said that, she finally turned her gaze to Zhou Yan, who could only nod silently while drinking.

But under the table, in Fang Shi's perception, that foot in white socks was no longer content to linger in the back of the knee.

The foot slid up half an inch slowly, then stopped and began to slowly draw circles there.

The silk stockings were smooth and delicate, and each rotation brought a subtle tactile sensation. The pale blue scroll patterns seemed to come alive, like a few playful ants climbing and frolicking along the most sensitive vein on the thigh.

Fang Shi maintained a calm expression, secretly thinking: I am Li Daoyuan, I am Li Daoyuan—

Qi Xueyi suddenly asked again, "The matter of the earth veins you mentioned earlier, is it related to the Cold Mist Ravine in the north? I heard a few days ago that the earth veins in that area were in turmoil, and the turbid air was surging, which activated the natural Dao patterns and condensed into frost and snow."

Zhou Yan put down his wine cup and said, "Junior sister, it's best not to ask too many questions about this matter. Master instructed me not to make any irresponsible remarks before the matter is completed."

Qi Xueyi pouted and muttered, "Fine, I won't say it then. Who cares?"

She said that, but her chopsticks poked at the chrysanthemum in the dish with a hint of resentment, picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Yan felt a little guilty and sighed, "Junior sister, it's not that I don't want to tell you."

"This matter is extremely complex; the less you know, the safer you are."

Qi Xueyi retorted, "My father is an elder of the Criminal Justice Department. What's unsafe about him? Does Senior Brother think my Qi Refining Level 6 cultivation isn't enough, or does he think I'm just being careless with my words?"

Zhou Yan, feeling tipsy and troubled, looked weary and said, "That's not what I meant. Master specifically instructed me not to even inform the elders of the temple. How could I possibly tell you that?"

Qi Xueyi snorted, but her gaze shifted and landed on Fang Shi.

Fang Shi still dared not reveal the slightest emotion on his face.

Qi Xueyi continued, "Alright, alright, if you don't want to say, I won't make things difficult for you. However, since your master asked you to do it, it probably isn't a bad thing."

As she spoke, she moved her toes up an inch, causing her to appear half a head shorter.

Zhou Yan was about to drink when he noticed Qi Xueyi's body slump down out of the corner of his eye. He asked, "Junior Sister, what's wrong?"

Qi Xueyi rested her chin on her hand, covered her mouth with her other hand, and yawned, her voice languid as she said, "I'm tired."

Zhou Yan put down his wine glass and said, "If you're tired, go and rest. Don't push yourself."

Qi Xueyi shook her head and slid down another half inch. She was already leaning against the back of the chair, and with this slide, her legs stretched even straighter under the table, and her foot extended a few more inches forward.

Today she wore a light pink cross-collar ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a lotus-root-colored silk sash tied around her waist, which accentuated her slender waistline.

The toes continued forward for a while, then stopped.

It simply remained there, like a cat that had retracted its claws, placing its palm on its prey, motionless yet not letting go.

Fang Shi's thighs were already tense, his eyes fixed on the plate of salt and pepper beans in front of him that had gone cold.

A thin layer of oily frost had formed on the beans, white and misty, like a layer of whitewash on a wall during the plum rain season; the surface was dry, but the bottom was still wet.

Qi Xueyi said lazily in a soft, sweet voice, "I'm exhausted from being bothered by my senior brother."

Zhou Yan was taken aback and asked, "How did I do anything to you?"

Qi Xueyi tilted her head to look at him, a hint of reproach in her eyes, and said, "You know perfectly well what's going on."

Zhou Yan was speechless again by her words, so he could only take a sip of wine in silence and say, "You came here of your own accord."

Qi Xueyi sighed and said, "Yes, I came of my own accord."

After saying that, he slid down another half inch.

Her shoulders were already below the crossbar of the chair back, and the back of her head was almost resting on the top of the chair back. Her long black hair was scattered behind the chair back like a waterfall of ink.

With that slip, the legs under the table stretched even further out.

Fang Shi picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

The wine dripped down his chin, past the corner of his mouth, and onto his clothes.

Zhou Yan stopped talking, but poured himself a cup and drank it all in one gulp.

He no longer wanted to look at Qi Xueyi, so he put down his cup and continued to look past the carved window frame, his gaze falling on the street outside.

Most of the lights on West Street had gone out, leaving only a few lonely ones burning. The flames flickered in the night wind, casting the shop signs across the street on and off.

Qi Xueyi also picked up her wine glass and slowly took a sip.

She drank quietly, unlike how noisy she had been earlier.

Fang Shi continued drinking, completely disregarding whether his current status was overstepping his bounds.

For a moment, the three of them remained silent, drinking their wine in quiet contemplation.

It is unknown how much time passed.

Qi Xueyi picked up her wine glass again and took a big sip.

boom!

She slammed her wine glass down on the table, the bottom of the glass hitting the wooden table and making the salted and peppered beans in the dish tremble, then sat up straight.

The foot under the table was pulled back in.

Her toes paused in mid-air for a moment, then she found the edge of the embroidered shoe under the table and slipped inside.

The skirt draped down, covering her completely.

She tidied a few stray strands of hair at her temples, smiled at Zhou Yan, and said, "Senior brother, we've had our fun today, let's go back."

Zhou Yan glanced at her in surprise.

In the past, she would always stay until the very end, drinking every last drop of wine in the pot, and only leaving when the waiter came upstairs to urge her to leave.

Today, she's the one who said she was leaving first.

Even if the guys came, it wouldn't make a difference.

However, Zhou Yan nodded, turned to Fang Shi, and said, "Li Daoyuan, meet me at the alley entrance tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM). Don't be late."

.

Qi Xueyi stood up, walked to Zhou Yan's side, glanced back at Fang Shi, and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Li, see you tomorrow."

The two left the private room one after the other.

The sound of footsteps went down the wooden stairs, once, twice, and gradually faded into the distance.

The next day at dawn, a cold mist settled.

The autumn light in September is still warm, but the north wind here is already as sharp as a knife.

Withered grass lay flat on the ground, and further in, icy walls rose, and white mist hung like a curtain.

Zhou Yan and Qi Xueyi walked side by side ahead, their Taoist robes, one blue and one pink, were soon half-swallowed by the mist.

-

Fang Shi lagged behind by more than ten steps, then lowered his head and followed.

Qi Xueyi exhaled a puff of white breath and said, "This place is even colder than last year."

1

Zhou Yan hummed in agreement, then frowned and said, "I told you not to come, but you insisted on coming anyway."

Qi Xueyi pouted and said, "Do I need my senior brother to tell me where I want to go?"

After taking a few steps, Zhou Yan suddenly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Fang Shi behind him, and said coldly, "Li Daoyuan, there is a maze formed by natural Dao patterns here. You will go first and break the formation. If you fail, you will be held responsible."

Fang Shi bowed his head and replied, "This humble Taoist obeys."