261 Chapter Sixty One - Their eyes all reflect different things (2/2)
If they had heard her inner monologue, they would have taken off any rose-coloured glasses they wore and dismissed her as one of those inner courtyard Gloriosa Lilies, which as beautiful as they were, to brush against would cause irritation, but to eat was pure poison.
”Brother, since it will be a shìchèn until brother Leon can be seen again,” she said, softly, ”would it not be possible for brother to take me around to see things while we wait?”
Sun frowned and tugged his sleeve from her fingers. ”What things?”
She inwardly rolled her eyes, thinking her cousin was still so dim and could not take a hint. ”What about your room or where you train? I want to see it!” Her eyes were pools liquid bronze reflecting innocence, while her tone was eager to flatter. Others would not see through it, such as her Grandfather, who nodded his head, glad his grandchildren could get along, while a handful pierced the illusion in one look and sneered.
Sun was of the latter. How often had he fallen for this girl's tricks and provocation in the past? And he, even if his grandfather had, not forgotten that his room was also Jin Li's room. Fair enough, his room mate was in closed cultivation in the mountains, but did not mean he should be so lax in diligence when it came to Jin Li's privacy. He voiced this out loud in a handful of words; ”Not appropriate,” he refused, ”My room is not mine alone. It's wrong to bring a girl there, even if you are my sister.”
”Grandson is right, my granddaughter,” General Ramas agreed with him. ”Seeing the training grounds is alright, though it's likely similar to back home,” he mused upon this last point. Sun grasped this and nodded, sagely. He just didn't want to be Carmen's tour guide!
”How about this,” Teacher Jian began to voice a suggestion, ”it's not right to wander around the Institute randomly at this time, but there is always the town at the bottom of the mountain. Your brother could take you there to look.” Sun sent an unhappy glare his way which just caused the man's eyes to curve into slender crescents, his amusement not hidden at all!
Teacher Jian was knowingly pushing him into this pit, Sun complained, silently. But why?!
Carmen was not as enthusiastic about exploring the town; just a poor place, what would it have that Cenapar City did not?! But still, it was better than sitting here and having to watch that servant traipse through forests and caves after that barbaric looking man and equally barbaric looking woman! It wasn't as if her beloved was participating! Her beloved wasn't even here!
Would Jin Li have entered closed cultivation had he known I was about to visit? She pondered in lament, thinking of the vision she'd excitedly had of him moved by her suffering the long journey on the giant Griffin, following her Grandfather into this expansive Institute where the food was plain and facilities no better. He should have taken her hands in his, asked for her well being and voiced affection; how glad he was that she was alright. He would have gently chided her for exhausting herself by travelling all this way, but have been secretly pleased nonetheless. And then, he would have continued to cheekily hold her hand while using the excuse of giving her a tour and she would have allowed it...
”Alright,” Sun burst into her daydream with his grating voice. ”But only for half a shìchèn!”