"Adult?"

  Jing Wan'er was stunned.

  Shen Xingwen saw Pei Tan walking over, seemingly surprised and raised an eyebrow, but there was no hint of embarrassment in his eyes. Upon closer inspection, there was even a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

  Pei Tan looked at Jing Wanyu: "Wanyu, come here."

  Jing Wanyi endured the numbness on her scalp and quickly snatched the water bucket from Shen Xingwen's hands, then lowered her head and hastily walked towards Pei Tan.

  She hadn't even reached Pei Tan's side when she heard Shen Xingwen say behind her, "Please don't mind, sir. I just couldn't control myself for a moment because it's been so long since I've seen Miss Jing..."

  Jing Wan'er's hands shook for a moment, and she spilled a few drops of water. She felt her ears burning with shame, not believing that Shen Xingwen was genuinely interested in her, thinking it was just nonsense, but he actually dared to talk like this in front of Pei Tan...

  She felt Pei Tan glance at her.

  "Can't hold back?" Only heard Pei Tan's faint voice.

  A rational person would have stopped talking at this point, but when has Shen Shaoqiang ever been afraid?

  "Sir, you don't know, sometimes people have been holding back for too long, it hurts the feelings, and also hurts the body."

  The more you restrain yourself for too long, the more you'll hurt your emotions and body. One careless move can easily lead to illness.

  These are indeed the good words of a doctor.

  Pei Tan stared deeply at Shen Xingwen, who was no longer bold, but rather on the verge of being fearless and crazy to probe.

  Jing Wan'er had just walked up to Pei Tan when he stretched out his hand and took the water bucket from her. Jing Wan'er was taken aback for a moment,

  Pei Tan took the water bucket from Jing Wanyu's hand, turned around lightly, and slowly walked forward. Pei Tan was not angry enough to really argue with Shen Xingwen.

  Jing Wan'er naturally followed him closely.

  As she watched Jing Wanyu follow Pei Tan without hesitation, Shen Xingwen called out to her back in a low voice: "Miss Jing, you'd better consider what I said."

  Jing Wan'er felt embarrassed and her scalp was numb, she quickened her pace and followed Pei Tan with her head down, not making a sound.

  Shen Xingwen's hands were tucked into his sleeves, and the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth was almost impossible to conceal. Alas, there are always people in this world who just don't understand romance.

  Half a time later, Jing Wanyu finally cooked a pot of tea, slowly, holding it to Pei Tan's desk.

  The tea soup was floating with white smoke, and it could be seen that Jing Wanyan still felt a bit embarrassed.

  Jing's girl has seen a lot of ups and downs in her life, not even blinking at the sight of dead bodies, but today's events... I reckon Jing's girl really hasn't seen anything like this before.

  She shouldn't have underestimated Shen Xingwen. This person, whether it was the former Shen Zuo or the so-called Young Master now, had no good intentions.

  She raised her head and found Pei Tan sitting at the table, his eyes fixed on her.

  Her various comical expressions just now must have all fallen into Pei Tan's eyes.

  Jing Wan'er's hand stiffened, her lips twitched, and she forced out a smile: "Shen, Shen Shaoqin's words today sounded intentional, perhaps to tease me, after all, I had indeed offended him in the past..."

  After a while, Pei Tan finally spoke up, his voice also soft: "He didn't tease you, and as for what happened in the past, you don't need to put it on your mind."

  Shen Xingwen is not a petty person who must retaliate, Pei Tan is very clear. What's even clearer is that Shen Xingwen is not such a "boring" person. Those words are not just intentional, but simply vicious.

  If it were someone else, Pei Tan might not have let him off so easily.

  Jing Wan'er quietly refilled Pei Tan's water, and just as she was about to put down the jug, she glanced outside. The sky outside had already darkened, and she shouldn't be staying any longer either.

  Just as he was about to bid farewell to Pei, Pei's guard slipped into the study like a swallow, with a white gold-embroidered robe still draped over his arm. "Young master, your clothes."

  "Give it to me."

  Pei Tan stood up from his desk and walked out.

  Jing Wan'er looked stunned, what was Bai Tan doing changing clothes at this late hour?

  Pei Tan took over the clothes and glanced at them before walking behind the screen. It seemed like he was really changing his clothes.

  Jing Wan'er's astonished gaze turned towards Pei Shi Wei.

  Pei's expression was as calm as a Buddha statue, unmoving like Mount Tai, but Jing Wanyu knew it was all an act.

  In an instant, Pei Tan walked out from behind the screen, wearing a white silk sleeve shirt with a jade waistband around his waist, his slender figure and sharp facial features standing out.

  Like a figure walking out of a painting, the jade-like young master himself made Jing Wanyu somewhat distracted. This was still a very simple everyday garment, Pei Tan wore everyday clothes that were always plain and simple, but the problem wasn't with the clothes, it was with Pei Tan, because no matter what he wore, he had the air of a noble son.

  Pei Tan's gaze swept past and asked Pei Shiwei: "Is the carriage ready?"

  Pei Shuaiwei's voice was flat and emotionless as he glanced at Jing Yuane: "It's ready, at the back door."

  "Good."

  Jing Wan'er became even more bewildered and couldn't help but ask in a soft voice, "Sir, are you going out?"

  Is there another case to investigate? But investigating cases doesn't require changing clothes on purpose.

  Pei Tan's gaze finally fell lightly on Jing Wanyu's face: "Today is the fifteenth, and there are lanterns being released on the streets of Chang'an."

  The people of Chang'an are open-minded, and although the common people have a curfew, once they encounter a festival, the curfew is very relaxed, and there will be a grand scene of tens of thousands of people on the streets of Chang'an. Sometimes looking at those ten thousand lanterns in the sky, I feel that this is the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

  Jing Wan'er's eyes flickered slightly: "Sir, you want to..."

  "I'll take you for a stroll down Chang'an Street." The clear voice entered Jing Wanyu's ears, but it made her lose her soul and stiffen at the edge of the table.

  Pei Tan gazed at her, and it seemed as if the candlelight had illuminated his eyes, filling him with a warm yet captivating soul.

  Jing Wan'er had been in Chang'an for so many years, living in the inner chambers for ten years and hiding her corpse in the deep palace for five years. She was facing the high walls of the courtyard all along, but she had never seen the prosperous scene of Chang'an city with her own eyes.

  This Chang'an is good, she has no feeling at all, what she has experienced are only seas of blood and bones and endless darkness.

  Did Pei Tan He Zeng ever think about it, or regret it? On the day he bid farewell to her leaving Chang'an, he didn't even take her on a tour of Chang'an himself.

  Let her leave with painful memories.

  At that time, Pei Tan really thought it was a permanent farewell.

  "Miss Jing, would you like to change your clothes?" asked Pei Shiwei in a low voice, breaking the silence.

  One sentence brought Jing Wan'er back to her senses, her fingers pinched on the edge of the table, unintentionally using force. "I... I'm afraid Wan'er doesn't have suitable clothes."

  She came to Chang'an this time with a humble and low-key attitude. What clothes could match standing beside Pei Tan?

  Pei Shuaiwei said: "It doesn't matter, when we get to the street, there are many shops selling clothes waiting for us, isn't that right, young master?"

  Pei Tan looked at Jing Wanyan: "Yes, Wanyan."

  The prosperity of Chang'an Night Market is beyond your imagination, let alone buying clothes, you can buy anything.

  Jing Wan'er lowered her head beside the table, just feeling that her feet were rooted to the ground and couldn't move a step, when she saw a hand stretched out in front of her.

  Her slender fingers hovered in front of her, like a silent invitation.

  Jing Wan'er raised her head and saw Pei Tan's eyes.

  It's as if half of one's life force has been used up.

  Bai Tan's hands were delicate and warm, with a fine texture, like those of a young master from a noble family, but the palmar surface of his fingers had a roughness like that of a cocoon.

  Thinking of those case files he had been reading every night, Jing Wanyan felt her throat becoming dry.

  Pei Tan grasped Jing Wanyu's hand, "Let's go."

  Three people left from the back door of the Dali Temple, and as expected, a small horse cart was parked there. This was usually Pei Tan's private carriage, after all, it was not possible to use the official carriage of the Dali Temple every time they went out, making a big show in public.

  Pei Shuaiwei was in charge of driving the horses in front of the carriage, while inside, Pei Tan sat facing Jing Yu'er.

  Jing Wan'er didn't know what to say either, she... felt a strange sense of restlessness.

  Is this tension?

  Jing Waner had never felt so at a loss in front of Pei Tan before... This was, after all, unusual for Jing Waner.

  "Thank you, sir."

  Actually, there's no need for Master to bring her out specially. She can stroll along Chang'an Street by herself or go find Xi Cha instead. "Actually, Master doesn't have to bring Wan'er out specially..."

  Pei Tan looked at the girl in front of him and didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, so he said quietly: "Just treat me as an old friend, I'll take you on a tour of Chang'an."

  If it were old friends meeting again, would they still be so awkward? At this moment, Jing Wanyu seemed stunned.

  Jing Wan'er's eyes were slightly dazed, an old friend? She and Pei Tan had experienced everything together. To say that Pei Tan didn't even count as a friend was too heartless. So Pei Tan's words were enough to comfort Jing Wan'er.

  But can she really be friends with Pei Tan? Even if Jing Wanyu were to shed her status as a slave, she would still just be an ordinary commoner. The difference in their social status is like that between heaven and mud.

  Jing Wan'er suddenly remembered the day she knelt in the Zhongzong Temple, where Zhongzong said sternly that even if the Jing family had never suffered hardship, she was still the thousand gold of the Jing family. But between the Jing and Pei families, what a huge difference there was, like the gap between heaven and earth.

  What did Jing Wan'er say at first? Jing Wan'er said that she only respected and admired adults.

  Just respectfully, sir.

  Jing Wan'er suddenly closed her eyes, her hands clenched into fists in her sleeves, and her lips turned pale.

  The weight of Pei Tan in Jing Wan's heart has long surpassed that of any old friend. Now, this old friend can't even be compared to him.

  Pei Tan did not notice Jing Yuanyuan's abnormality, because he ordered outsiders: "Just stop at the third street intersection, don't go in."

  The horse carriage stopped suddenly at the sound, swaying slightly, and the curtain was lifted from outside by Pei Shuaiwei.

  Pei Tan looked at Jing Yuanyuan and jumped out of the carriage first. Then, he turned around and stretched out his hand to her.

  Jing Wan'er suppressed all her emotions and took Pei Tan's hand, also getting down from the carriage.

  "Go back," Pei Tan ordered his guard.

  Pei Shuaiwei didn't say much more, turned around and got on the horse carriage, holding the whip and said quietly: "When the market closes, I'll come back to pick you up, young master."

  The horse carriage rode away from Chang'an Street in a cloud of dust.

  Jing Wan'er looked at Pei Tan, and Pei Tan said: "Let's go."

  At the moment when her body was pulled, Jing Wanyu suddenly realized that her hand was still held by Pei Tan.

  The adults... The call in her tongue didn't even make it out of her mouth, because the hustle and bustle of people from all directions had already drowned out Jing Wanyu's ears.

  Chang'an's prosperous scenery, Great Tang is unparalleled.