A Figure on Jade Steps in the Wind and Snow 88

Chapter 88: Greed

Did the State Preceptor know of her existence? She must have.

When she looked directly at her, she looked over intently, and the familiarity and teasing in her eyes were not hidden at all.

Shen Zhishu suddenly understood why the State Preceptor had sent her an invitation to see her as soon as she returned to the capital—

To meet an old friend after thousands of years was like suddenly running into the small wooden house where one used to live in the boundless desert. Even though she knew that it was very likely a castle in the air, she couldn’t resist the sudden astonishment and pleasant surprise.

Besides, this was not a castle in the air, but a solid fact.

So after the crowd had dispersed, as Shen Zhishu was walking on the palace path with the flow of people, she suddenly heard a gentle “General Shen” from behind.

It was the State Preceptor.

The State Preceptor invited Shen Zhishu to a side hall for a chat.

Shen Hantan was not at ease, but was sent home by Shen Zhishu with a mixture of coaxing and trickery.

Although the old friend could not be considered an old friend, after all that had happened, the little bit of experience from the past seemed particularly precious.

Shen Zhishu couldn’t wait to ask what had happened after she died, how the State Preceptor had lived all these years, and the State Preceptor also seemed to have a lot to say to her.

The two of them did not exchange pleasantries for long and went straight to the point.

“I don’t know how many years it has been since we’ve seen each other,” the State Preceptor said with emotion, and then asked. “Have you remembered everything now?”

“Yes,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “I really didn’t expect this day to come. By the way, how many of the twelve immortals from the past have been reincarnated? I only know about me and Jiang Wuya.”

The State Preceptor shook her head, “I have only met the two of you.”

Shen Zhishu said curiously, “Did you not die that day?”

“Mm,” the State Preceptor said. “I don’t know why, I just fainted. My aura was probably not discovered by the heavens, so I escaped. I woke up again a few hundred years ago, traveled through mountains and waters to the Kingdom of Nan’an, and have taken root here.”

“Then can you still use immortal techniques now?”

“It’s difficult,” the State Preceptor said frankly. “The spiritual energy is thin now, and I can only use some simple and harmless methods.”

“I thought so too,” Shen Zhishu sighed. “I can’t use immortal techniques either. I don’t know if it’s because the spiritual energy is insufficient, or if this body is not good.”

As she spoke, she said with some emotion again, “We barely spoke a few words in the past, but I didn’t expect that we would be sitting together and drinking and talking now.”

The State Preceptor lowered her head and picked up her teacup, “There is no wine, only tea.”

“It’s just a figure of speech,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “It’s a pity that Jiang Wuya is not here.”

The State Preceptor nodded and asked, “What is her situation now?”

Shen Zhishu lowered her eyes and stared at the ripples in the cup, and after a while, she said, “She probably doesn’t know about her previous life yet.”

“You haven’t told her?”

“No,” Shen Zhishu shook her head. “I don’t really want to… alert the enemy?”

“Is it that you don’t want to ‘alert the enemy,’ or is it that you’re ‘more timid the closer you get to home, and you don’t dare to ask the person who has come?'” The State Preceptor smiled. “Does she know that you like her?”

“No,” Shen Zhishu slammed the cup on the table. “A’Li, why are you talking nonsense? Which eye did you see it with?”

“I saw it with both eyes,” the State Preceptor raised an eyebrow. “You’re the only one who thinks you’ve hidden it well. What normal friend would run to someone else’s manor on New Year’s Eve without a word?”

Shen Zhishu stared and asked, “You know this too?”

The State Preceptor spread her hands, “I know everything in the imperial city. I’m just too lazy to care on a normal day.”

Shen Zhishu suddenly remembered something, “So… the First Imperial Princess knows all these big and small things, and you’re the one who revealed them?”

“What does that have to do with me?” The State Preceptor’s eyebrows rose. “Although I have some dealings with her, I am not a gossip. You know that she has spies in all the manors. How can you blame this on me?”

Shen Zhishu sighed, “Forget it, forget it, I don’t know if what you’re saying is the truth.”

“How can this be fake?” the State Preceptor said. “I know who is close and who is far. I can’t just ignore an old friend and be biased towards an outsider.”

“Who knows,” Shen Zhishu shrugged. “She is the Emperor’s eldest daughter, and you are on good terms with the current Holy Majesty. By the way, you are definitely not a person who gets close to people for no reason. I have heard that you once raised a small immortal in the mountain sect. Could it be… that the Holy Majesty is the reincarnation of that small immortal?”

The State Preceptor shook her head.

Shen Zhishu asked in surprise, “Then why?”

“Although she is not a reincarnation, she looks very similar,” the State Preceptor let out a long sigh. “It’s just for comfort.”

“For comfort…” Shen Zhishu repeated these four words in her mouth.

The State Preceptor asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Shen Zhishu suddenly came back to her senses. “I just suddenly thought that A’Li is a person of very deep affection.”

“Oh, affection or not, it’s still a little ethereal in the end.”

“No,” Shen Zhishu said. “Just talking about friendship, for example, my relationship with you was distant in the past, but after another life, we hit it off at first sight. Emotions are too deeply affected by the environment, so it’s rare for them to be consistent from beginning to end. That’s why I admire A’Li very much. Your affection for that small immortal has not changed after tens of thousands of years.”

“You’re only talking about me, not yourself?” The State Preceptor raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t A’Shu the same? Even after another life, your affection for A’Yu has not changed at all.”

Shen Zhishu took a sip of tea.

The tea was clear and light, the color was not strong, and there was no smell of wine at all, but she seemed to be drunk.

So much so that she paused and said, “We are different.”

The State Preceptor asked, “Where is the difference?”

“My feelings for Wuya are some absurd and improper thoughts. This feeling is stained with romance, so it is the most difficult to change,” Shen Zhishu said in a deep voice. “But A’Li’s feelings for that small immortal are probably not of this kind.”

The State Preceptor raised an eyebrow and asked, “How do you know I’m not?”

“I just thought your love life was indifferent…”

The State Preceptor smiled, “Before I became an immortal, I was also a human, and as a human, I could not avoid the seven emotions and six desires. Besides, I am not cultivating the path of ruthlessness, so there is nothing to be taboo about in this aspect. I’ll just tell A’Shu the truth. I came to Nan’an to find A’Chu’s reincarnation.”

“Is that small immortal’s name A’Chu?”

“Indeed.”

“Have you not found her yet?”

“No.”

Shen Zhishu understood and picked up her teacup, “I’ll toast A’Li with tea instead of wine and wish A’Li to get what you want.”

The State Preceptor nodded, also picked up her teacup and clinked it with Shen Zhishu’s, thought for a moment, and then said with a smile, “I don’t know what to wish you. A’Shu’s wish does not seem to be to grow old with A’Yu.”

“To be able to accompany her for a lifetime as a friend, I will be content,” Shen Zhishu said. “Anyway, there are only so many years in this life, and I don’t want to have any more complications.”

“So you don’t want her to know about her previous life either?”

“Let fate take its course,” Shen Zhishu sighed. “If she really finds out on her own, I can’t do anything about it.”

The two of them reminisced for a while about their past lives, and finally, the State Preceptor said, “How about you come to my manor for a chat tomorrow? I’ll also send an invitation to A’Yu.”

Shen Zhishu nodded, and then suddenly remembered something, “Let me ask you, what’s the deal with Xie Jin dreaming of ‘Jiyuan’?”

“This matter is complicated,” the State Preceptor said. “We’ll talk about it in detail tomorrow. It was originally the First Imperial Princess who asked me to help her.”

Shen Zhishu frowned, “Xie Jin is my close friend, don’t you harm her.”

“I know, this dream is harmless to her,” the State Preceptor said. “As for whether the First Imperial Princess’s plan can succeed, it all depends on her own good fortune. I just gave it a little push. But since you have already guessed that that ‘Jiyuan’ is my doing, I suppose the First Imperial Princess will probably not be able to succeed.”

Shen Zhishu was relieved, said goodbye to the State Preceptor, and left the palace swaying.

The sunlight outside was very good, and it was festive everywhere. Red lanterns stretched from the main road to the mountains, and they were lit day and night.

A trusted subordinate followed behind Shen Zhishu and, seeing a person-high firecracker set up not far away, he said with great enthusiasm, “Master, that firecracker is so big, this subordinate has never seen anything like it. Do you want to go and see?”

Shen Zhishu agreed and walked in that direction. But halfway there, someone suddenly blocked her way. When Shen Zhishu went left, she went left, and when Shen Zhishu went right, she went right.

Shen Zhishu swayed in place for a cup of tea’s time and still couldn’t get past. She was a little annoyed and tugged on her trusted subordinate’s sleeve, “Forget it, there are too many people here, and it’s clear that we can’t get past. Let’s just go home.”

The trusted subordinate could only say, “Alright,” and turned around with Shen Zhishu. Just as they had taken a few steps forward, they suddenly heard someone shout “Youzhi” from behind.

It was Xie Jin’s voice.

Xie Jin pushed through the crowd in a few moves, ran to Shen Zhishu’s side, and smiled, “It really is you. Why are you here today?”

“I just came out of the palace and saw someone setting off firecrackers here, so I came to take a look. What about you?”

“Guess who’s setting off this firecracker?” Xie Jin said. “It’s the Seventh Highness. She also called the Second Highness and Her Highness Huai’an, and also asked me to come. I was originally going to your manor to find you, but I couldn’t find you. Since you’re here, it’s also a matter of fate. Why don’t you go forward?”

Before Shen Zhishu could agree, Xie Jin had already grabbed her by the arm and was dragging her forward.

So, a few breaths later, Shen Zhishu was standing in front of the person-high firecracker, face to face with the three Highnesses.

The Seventh Imperial Princess was the first to jump up, “Little Lord Shen is here! Happy New Year!”

The Second Imperial Princess nodded in greeting.

Shen Zhishu greeted the two of them respectfully and finally turned to Jiang Yu.

That person’s expression was clear and light, and she was as expressionless as ever. She just flicked the stray hair that had been ruffled by the wind and then said, “You’re here.”

But Shen Zhishu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

These three words were no different from the ones on New Year’s Eve, Shen Zhishu thought.

Jiang Yu was always like this, as if she had already guessed that she would come, so her actions were calm and composed, and she knew her every move, calm and composed, and did not ask the north wind.

Shen Zhishu said, “Mm,” as if nothing had happened, and suddenly said, “The button on Your Highness’s outer robe is undone.”

Jiang Yu looked down and said, “Oh,” “It really is. I was probably in a hurry when I went out and didn’t button it properly. Thank you for reminding me, General.”

Shen Zhishu had already stretched out her hand from her sleeve. Seeing an attendant on the side come forward to tidy up for Jiang Yu, she paused, and still impassively withdrew her hand.

She said, “It’s just a small effort, it’s not worthy of a thank you.”

But Jiang Yu said seriously, “The General is meticulous and considerate. If it weren’t for the General’s reminder, my outer robe would have fallen to the ground at some point and gotten dirty.”

Shen Zhishu smiled, and suddenly didn’t know how to answer.

If she continued to be polite, it seemed that there would be no end, she thought.

For her intentional or unintentional help, Jiang Yu seemed to have never had a “take it for granted” attitude, and she was always polite and thanked her for this and that.

Was it being distant? No. It was probably due to her upbringing.

But she always felt a little uncomfortable when she heard it, as if she had never treated her as a real friend.

You’re really too greedy, Shen Zhishu, she said to herself in her heart.

Greed is like a snake swallowing an elephant. It’s better not to think about taking it a step further…