The affairs of the world are indeed strange.

Ah Qing, before performing, desperately longed to be gazed upon by Xu Chang’an... Yet when his gaze truly landed on her, the one wanting to hide out of shame was her.

Similarly, before realizing Shi Qingjun was present, if told that Shi Qingjun had watched her entire enchanting dance, Ah Qing felt she couldn’t live through such shame and would surely want to confront Shi Qingjun to the death, burying both Beisang City and her girlish heart together—

Yet when she truly saw the woman slowly eating an apple, being served by the Flower Moon Building girls like a wastrel... she felt nothing.

Even some anger.

For a moment, Ah Qing couldn’t comprehend what she was angry about... To ask her why, she simply couldn’t tell.

What was she angry about?

What was she upset about?

Ah Qing stopped her dance, momentarily abandoning the performance, merely looking calmly at the woman in the distance.

Shi Qingjun... did not expect their reunion to be such a situation.

"...?" Shi Qingjun blinked.

She was also surprised.

Surprised that after their gazes met, it could remain so calm.

Based on Shi Qingjun’s previous knowledge of the Demon Sect Lady, seeing her in such a disgraceful manner, she should have exploded instantly like a Spirit Crystal filled to the brim, rather than looking calmly at her.

Shi Qingjun tilted her head.

From her perspective at the moment.

Ah Qing was dressed in a red, fragmented skirt, with two ribbon-like flaming tendrils hanging from her waist, and her bright eyes, light-colored like blossoms blooming, those eyes that used to flare with anger upon seeing her now surprisingly calm, even... Ah Qing’s lips lightly moved, carrying a touch of mockery in her gaze.

This mockery brought Shi Qingjun a slight sense of peace, because that’s how the other had looked at her from long ago.

Only Shi Qingjun didn’t understand why beneath the mockery lay a hint of anger?

At this moment, due to Ah Qing suddenly halting her movements, the atmosphere in the building grew tense, the girls’ puzzled voices rising and mingling, not knowing what happened to Ah Qing.

Shi Qingjun sighed softly.

Seems they still couldn’t avoid coming to blows?

Her cultivation had unaccountably been reduced by two tiers, as she really didn’t want to fight with Ah Qing; exposing her strengths and weaknesses might indeed cause trouble... Immortal Chaoyun of the past did not fear trouble, but now, Miss Shi who began to enjoy fruits, grind flower powders, and appreciate blooms thought instead of avoiding action where possible.

But...

Maybe avoiding a confrontation was merely a luxury, because clearly, Ah Qing seemed to be in a daze but was already prepared to engage.

Outside the window.

The sky was as dark as could be, with a stretch of blood-colored clouds at the edge, crimson lightning entwining amidst the clouds intermittently flashing, like roaring evil ghosts swirling, entangling, spiraling across the sky, spreading afterward to layer upon layer within the clouds, covering hundreds of miles centered on Beisang City.

These were symbols of Ah Qing beginning to dissipate Spiritual Qi.

Anger in the Qiankun Realm could alter the weather.

On the banquet stage.

Because it was an anomaly of the Qiankun Realm, only Yun Qian noticed...

She gazed at those pitch-dark clouds pressing down on the city from afar, suddenly feeling a familiar recognition.

After pondering, she recalled that once a Qiankun Realm entity was going to destroy Beisang City, but at the time she was anxious to have her dinner and casually erased the opponent, which subsequently led to the connection between Ah Qing and her husband.

"Ha... ah..."

Yawning with hand over mouth, Yun Qian withdrew her gaze.

She would no longer concern herself with such matters, to Yun Qian, both Ah Qing and Shi Qingjun were ’her own people,’ so whatever they wished to do was their business.

Miss Guan Yun had no concerns in the matter.

——

’Must it still come to blows...’ Shi Qingjun quietly chewed then swallowed the fruit within her mouth, meeting Ah Qing’s gaze serenely.

She hadn’t experienced such a scenario, thus did not know how to proceed; so long as Ah Qing neither initiated a confrontation nor spoke to her, she would continue sitting quietly.

Hence the situation grew somewhat peculiar.

The two gazed across the space between them, surrounded by the bewildered expressions of the Flower Moon Building girls.

Shi Qingjun hadn’t considered that her method of ignoring Ah Qing might appear haughty because she simply didn’t know what to do, not out of contempt.

Yet, surprisingly, the lightning outside did not descend but dispersed into thread-like fissures at their peak.

"...?"

Turns out there was no intent to battle.

Not quite fitting the Ah Qing she knew.

Hmm...

If so, it indicates the one standing on stage was the Demon Sect Lady, yet not entirely... affected by her girlish nature?

Shi Qingjun instantly deduced Ah Qing’s current state.

Then she grew even more bewildered.

She didn’t know how to communicate with the mature Sect Leader, much less with the girlhood version of her.

Would anyone inform her... what is the appropriate action now?

Should she approach for a conversation with Ah Qing?

Or arrange a later meeting outside?

Neither seemed suitable, for they had always competed for Dao Rhyme previously, were rivals.

That meant, ideally, they should be fighting here and now—the past Sect Leader acted thus.

But with Ah Qing currently stupefied and Shi Qingjun unwilling to take the initiative... hence the atmosphere remained stiff.