Chapter 359

[Part 1]

Jiang Si was waiting for Zheng Weiqi.

She had invested money in the reconstruction of Jialan, and by year’s end, it was only right for her to come and collect her share of the dividends.

Last time, in Luan city, the entire Xuanxu Sword Sect witnessed him in an embarrassing moment.

Jiang Si was so upset that he went home, lay in bed, and wallowed in misery for three days and three nights.

As he thought of that untouchable memory, a cold, ruthless glint flashed across the man’s dark, phoenix eyes.

This time, when they met, he was determined to make a good impression and show Zheng Weiqi the true charisma of the young lord of Jialan City!

The area around Jialan City was surrounded by dense bamboo forests that blocked the sky, making it unsuitable for sword flight.

As such, Zheng Weiqi had rented a carriage from a nearby town to travel here.

This was uncharacteristic of her.

From what Jiang Si knew about Zheng Weiqi, she would have preferred to walk.

Jialan’s terrain was sunken, connected to the forest by a long staircase.

The carriage couldn’t descend the stairs and had to stop at a distance.

From afar, Jiang Si saw Zheng Weiqi jump off the carriage.

Her movements were light and agile, carrying the unique grace of a sword cultivator.

When she landed, she lifted her chin and glanced back.

She might have said something, but Jiang Si couldn’t hear.

He only saw the carriage’s curtain stir slightly before a short, snow-white creature leaped out.

It was larger than a cat and plumper than a snow leopard.

Although Jiang Si couldn’t see it clearly, he immediately understood and smirked, “Oh, bringing a dog just to see me? Woman, you don’t need to flaunt your kindness. I’m not interested in animals.”

—But speaking of which, so Zheng Weiqi likes dogs? Perhaps he could gift her some… What breed would convey understated luxury and refined taste?

Zheng Weiqi said nothing, staring at him with alarm.

The “dog” was also silent, glaring at him just as intently.

In the excruciatingly awkward silence, Jiang Si watched as it grew larger and taller, eventually standing upright—

It turned out the “dog” wasn’t a dog at all but an elderly man with white hair, clad in a white mink coat, stepping out of the carriage!

No wonder she took a carriage today—she had an elder with her. Realizing he had acted so inappropriately in front of Zheng Weiqi’s grandfather, Jiang Si panicked, completely flustered.

Throwing away the last shred of his arrogant demeanor, he hurriedly said, “Ah, it’s Grandpa Zheng! This place is far, and my eyesight is poor. My apologies!”

The white-haired old man still said nothing.

Even Zheng Weiqi, usually carefree and unbothered, couldn’t help but explain with a hint of pity, “This isn’t my grandfather.”

Jiang Si: “…”

Suddenly enlightened, Jiang Si exclaimed, “My apologies, Grandma!”

Qiu Baishuang was livid, fury flashing across his face. “Cousin, kill him for me!”

***

Qiu Baishuang, as the newly appointed city lord of Luan City, angrily went to discuss intercity cooperation with Jiang Si.

Meanwhile, Zheng Weiqi was laughing so hard her stomach hurt. Strolling through the city with Jiang Si, she teased, “What’s wrong with you, Jiang Si? Everyone else sees white-haired elders as dignified and elegant, but to you, they’re grandmas, grandpas, or big dogs?”

Jiang Si responded with a cold, mocking laugh.

Jiang Si: “You seem to get along well with your cousin?”

Zheng Weiqi swallowed a candied hawthorn and glanced at him sideways.

“Oh? Why, does that upset you?”

“Don’t try to provoke me.”

Jiang Si forced a dry laugh.

“Why would I be upset? I’m perfectly happy—ecstatic, even! See? I can laugh. Hahaha!”

“Speaking of my cousin…”

Zheng Weiqi gave him a half-smile, her expression suddenly turning melancholic as she spoke with a hint of sadness, “I had a rough childhood. We were so poor we couldn’t afford food. Even if I occasionally had a steamed bun, my cousin would snatch it away.”

Jiang Si had never heard such a story. Outraged, he furrowed his brows in indignation, “That bastard! And yet you still associate with him? Watch me throw Qiu Baishuang out of Jialan!”

Zheng Weiqi narrowed her eyes and continued leisurely, “—He always took my steamed buns, but he’d hand me a bowl of steaming rice, saying girls shouldn’t eat too little. Even if he went hungry, he wanted to raise me well.”

Jiang Si froze, shivering as he tried to backtrack, “I’ll throw him out of Jialan, then treat him to the finest feast in the cultivation world. From now on, Qiu Baishuang is my brother—different parents, same soul.”

As soon as he finished, Zheng Weiqi’s expression darkened.

“Who would’ve thought that rice was drugged? I woke up to find myself sold into a coal mine as a child laborer!”

Jiang Si’s eyes turned red, and he growled like a furious beast, “Qiu Baishuang would never expect that I’ve already poisoned his feast! Argh—!”

He spoke with such conviction that he was gasping for air, all decorum abandoned.

Zheng Weiqi couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore.

“I’m joking. I was born into a cultivation family, never suffered hardship, and my cousin has always been kind to me.”

She loved teasing Jiang Si.

He always looked serious and imposing, but he wasn’t very sharp and would fall for her tricks every time, which made her very happy.

She thought he’d get angry as usual.

—But even if he did, a single candied hawthorn could appease him.

To her surprise, Jiang Si simply sighed softly after a strange silence.

His deep-set eyes cast a shadow from his lashes, and when he looked at her with a trace of lingering relief in his voice, he said, “That’s good… You really scared me.”

Jiang Si rarely looked so earnest in front of her.

Zheng Weiqi suddenly couldn’t laugh anymore.

Her ears felt a bit hot.

“Hey.”

Zheng Weiqi took out the candy she had prepared to comfort him and unceremoniously stuffed it into his hand.

“This is for you.”

Jiang Si smugly hummed and popped the candy into his mouth without hesitation.

“Woman, you act indifferent, but your body is honest.”

“Oh?”

Zheng Weiqi crossed her arms and looked up at him leisurely.

“Tell me, how exactly is my body honest?”

Honest?

Wasn’t she supposed to blush and look shy when she heard that? Who would respond with a question like that? How did her mind work?

Unwilling to be outdone, Jiang Si stiffened his neck and said, “You bought me candy, treat me kindly, and are cold to everyone else. Isn’t that… isn’t that love?”

The moment he said it, even he was stunned.

It was one thing to spout domineering lines out of habit, but analyzing it seriously was another matter entirely.

Was Zheng Weiqi in love with him? Then what about him? Were they—

“Oh? Are you blushing?”

Zheng Weiqi seized the upper hand, clicking her tongue and shaking her head with a cold laugh.

“Young Master Jiang, you act so aloof, but your body is very honest.”

—Damn! This woman was toying with him again!

[Part 2]

This year, the first snow of the Wanjian Sect came later than usual.

Xu Ye looked up at the falling snowflakes, unable to suppress the sourness in his heart, and sighed deeply, slumping over his desk.

The exchange conference between Wanjian Sect and Xuanxu Sword Sect had ended several days ago, but his nightmare hadn’t stopped.

Ever since Elder Jiang Xing said the words “stir-fried human head” in front of everyone, Xu Ye’s heart had shattered into countless pieces, his soul crushed.

All sounds in the world had fallen silent.

“There’s a concealment spell on the recipe.”

At that time, Elder Jinghe’s gaze sharpened.

Focusing her spiritual consciousness on the knife marks on the wooden board, she easily detected the carefully hidden spell.

Pausing, she furrowed her brows slightly.

“This spiritual energy… it belongs to Qinghan?”

Xu Ye’s cultivation was insufficient, and his concealment spell was poorly executed, so he had asked Su Qinghan for help with the recipe.

As a man of principle, how could he let his senior sister take the blame for him?

This thought surged, pushing aside all fear and hesitation.

Without thinking, Xu Ye stepped forward and declared resolutely, “This has nothing to do with Senior Sister Su. She knows nothing about it—it was all my doing!”

In the end, both he and Senior Sister Su were invited by their master for a “tea session.”