Chapter 3989 — The Beautiful Box
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
The Santie Pavilion's protection of newcomers was no empty talk. Though in influence and power the Welcome Pavilion ranked near the bottom among the various independent halls, so long as one remained within its little patch of ground, no one dared lay a hand on these newcomers—not even Nantian Ba, unless he wished to be hunted down with the full force of the Council of Elders.
"Mm, I know," Wei Zhao nodded, though he remained noncommittal about this claim.
Normally, as a newcomer, so long as he holed up in the Welcome Pavilion he would indeed have nothing to worry about—but that was on the premise that no one caught him in any flaw or opening. Otherwise, others would always find a gap to exploit.
To forge iron, one must oneself be hard. In the end, only when one's own strength was truly formidable was there any king's road to peace of mind.
Of course, there was no need to explain these misgivings in detail to Shangguan Lan'er. Wei Zhao at once drew from his bosom an exquisite spirit-jade box, one he had carefully selected last time at the Hong Clan Merchant Guild, and handed it to her, saying, "Little Senior Sister, a small token of my regard. Happy birthday."
"Wow, what a beautiful box!" Shangguan Lan'er's eyes lit up, and she cried in delighted surprise, "This is top-grade spirit jade in texture, and the carving is superb—surely a master's handiwork. I was just wishing for a treasure box like this. Thank you, Little Junior Brother, I love it!"
Seeing how she could not put it down, Wei Zhao could not help smiling. The spirit-jade box had indeed cost him no small amount of spirit jade—but how could a gift from his hand be merely a box and nothing more?
The spirit-jade box was only the setting; what lay within was the true gift.
"Little Senior Sister, why not open it and have a look," Wei Zhao said with a smile, gesturing at the box.
Shangguan Lan'er was slightly taken aback. In her eyes, given Wei Zhao's circumstances as a newcomer of the Qingyun Pavilion, to present her with so exquisite a spirit-jade box was already rare and thoughtful enough to move her deeply. But from the sound of it—could there be something inside as well?
Shangguan Lan'er steadied her breathing, and with the anticipation of one about to witness a pleasant surprise, meant to slowly open the spirit-jade box. Yet before she could move, Little Curly Bear at her side snatched the box from her hands. Shangguan Lan'er gave a little cry and hurried to snatch it back.
Just then, Xu Lingchong happened to reach the door of the room and caught that faint, ambiguous cry from Shangguan Lan'er. He kicked the door open and burst in, anxiety on his face: "Little Junior Sister, what is it?"
Only then did Shangguan Lan'er recover from her astonishment. Forgetting to chase Little Curly Bear, she covered her mouth and stuck out her tongue, then said with feigned composure, "What do you mean, what is it? Nothing at all is the matter here. Senior Brother Xu, do you not think it unbecoming to barge into this young lady's room like this?"
Xu Lingchong eyed the two of them suspiciously. He had just heard a servant say that Shangguan Lan'er had personally brought Wei Zhao alone up to the third floor—a man and a woman alone in one room—and, fearing some scandal might arise, had hurried up after them, only to find this scene.
The lad Wei Zhao looked nothing out of the ordinary, still wearing that calm, self-possessed air of his. But the young miss Shangguan Lan'er was distinctly not herself.
At this moment her cheeks were flushed, and a strange light unmistakably danced in her eyes. Add to that the ambiguous little cry just now—and especially that instant when he kicked the door open, he had clearly seen Shangguan Lan'er with her hand still covering her mouth. R1152