“You don’t have to worry about the specific method,” Jun Shu glanced at Xie Gutang, then turned around, and said confidently: “I will go back and plan first. Once I have a plan, I will contact you naturally. At this location,” Jun Shu pointed to the ground, “I will imitate the cuckoo’s call three times, and you will come to meet me.”
“Alright.”
Jian Xingzhi nodded: “I’ll wait for you, but I don’t understand, why do you want to do this for me?”
“I…” Jun Shu was stumped by his question. After hesitating for a moment, he found an excuse, “You saved me, so I take pleasure in helping others.”
Jian Xingzhi choked, recalling the flying kick he had given Jun Shu, he felt extremely guilty for some reason.
Jun Shu patted his shoulder, casting a lingering glance at Qin Wanwan: “You continue squatting, I’ll go sweep the yard. See you another day.”
With that, Jun Shu bent down, holding the broom, and quietly left.
After Jun Shu left, Jian Xingzhi crouched behind the flower bushes for a while, watching as Qin Wanwan and Xie Gutang put away their swords. Qin Wanwan glanced at the sky and then remembered: “The sun’s up. I’ll go wake up Master for breakfast.”
Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi was startled, and instinctively didn’t want Qin Wanwan to know that he had already awakened. Watching her turn around the corridor, he quickly turned around and rushed back to his bedroom.
Jun Shu was sweeping the ground, watching Jian Xingzhi’s frantic figure disappear into the distance. A cruel smile appeared on his face.
He was determined to instigate Jian Xingzhi and Xie Gutang to kill each other. Right now, Jian Xingzhi wasn’t ruthless enough. He needed to create more misunderstandings, making them reveal their ugliest sides in front of ‘Qin Wan.’ Once ‘Qin Wan’ was heartbroken, he would gracefully appear and bring the beauty back in his arms.
These two stinky sword cultivators, what’s the use of having martial arts, he has brains!
Thinking about the future, Jun Shu was filled with hope. Holding the broom, he looked up at the sky with nostalgia.
He had been sending messages to his father for several days, so why hadn’t his father come yet?
While Jun Shu was sweeping the yard honestly, Jian Xingzhi ran back to the bedroom quickly, jumped in through the window, and, just before Qin Wanwan knocked on the door, stripped off his clothes and lay down on the bed.
Qin Wanwan knocked on the door: “Master?”
Jian Xingzhi pretended to be asleep, and Qin Wanwan knocked on the door again: “Master, are you awake?”
Jian Xingzhi didn’t respond. He thought about how Qin Wanwan had secretly practiced swordsmanship with Xie Gutang, and felt a bit displeased. He didn’t want to talk to her, yet he also wanted to pay attention to her. After some inner deliberation, he decided to blame it all on Xie Gutang and began thinking about how to tell Qin Wanwan that from now on, she must practice swordsmanship only with him.
Seeing that Jian Xingzhi didn’t answer, Qin Wanwan felt a bit worried, and couldn’t help but say: “Master, I’m coming in, okay?”
As she said that, Qin Wanwan pushed open the door and walked to Jian Xingzhi’s bedside. Jian Xingzhi instinctively closed his eyes, unsure of what he should do. He wanted to open his eyes, but felt it would be embarrassing, so in a moment of hesitation, he decided to lie still and play dead.
Qin Wanwan glanced at Jian Xingzhi and saw that he was still not awake. She thought to herself that perhaps he was just too tired recently, especially after what happened yesterday. Jian Xingzhi had fractured all of his limbs by himself, so he must have exhausted himself too much.
Although Jian Xingzhi was strong, he was still stuck in this small world. And what he did is contrary to the heavenly way of this world. If he were in the Immortal Realm, perhaps he wouldn’t fear the will of any single heavenly law, but here, in the domain of this world’s natural order, he was at a disadvantage. The longer Jian Xingzhi stayed here, the more he would find himself restricted.
Qin Wanwan sat at the edge of the bed, looking at Jian Xingzhi, and subconsciously started to worry about him.
She used her Divine Sense to examine him, confirming that there were no injuries. Then, she lifted his hand and lowered her gaze to observe it closely.
The pair of hands, which wielded a sword, were extremely beautiful. Except for the calluses on the hands, the back of the hand can be described as finely crafted jade, really noteworthy. After Qin Wanwan confirmed that his broken bones had recovered well, she couldn’t help but gaze at his hand for a little longer, resting it gently in her palm.
These movements were subtle, but as Qin Wanwan did them, Jian Xingzhi couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease, yet there was also an indescribable happiness.
Hmm, his disciple cares about him!
How filial!
He was a little greedy for this feeling, so he continued pretending to be asleep. When Qin Wanwan saw that he was deeply asleep, she simply got up and went back to take a bath. After she left, Jian Xingzhi opened his eyes and, unable to help himself, lifted his hand and began observing it.
Just now, Qin Wanwan had held his hand for a while. What was she doing? It seemed like she was looking at it?
Why was she looking at it?
Was she worried that his fingers were all broken? But surely, that wouldn’t have taken so long, right?
Or could it be…
Suddenly, the image of a female immortal screaming in delight when she saw his hand flashed in his mind, and he abruptly realized a possibility—could it be that his hand was just too beautiful?!
Jian Xingzhi froze for a moment, then quickly told himself to stop thinking about these nonsensical things. He hurriedly got up, put on his clothes, and went outside to wait for Qin Wanwan.
After Qin Wanwan finished her bath, she saw Jian Xingzhi waiting at the door. Under the sunlight, the young man looked fresh and clean, his head lowered as he stared at his own hand, seemingly lost in thought.
Qin Wanwan smiled happily and called out: “Master.”
Jian Xingzhi instinctively turned around, and upon seeing Qin Wanwan, he finally snapped back to reality: “Oh, you’re up?”
“Master, you slept for a long time last night. How’s your health?”
Qin Wanwan walked over to Jian Xingzhi’s side, and he nodded: “Very good.”
As he said, he put his hand behind his back, but after a moment’s thought, he subconsciously raised it again, shaking his sleeves on the side facing Qin Wanwan, revealing his hand outside, as if deliberately showing it off.
Qin Wanwan glanced briefly at the fair, slender hand that seemed to glow in the morning light, then silently withdrew her gaze. After the master and disciple arrived at the dining hall, all five of them had breakfast together. Cuilu casted a glance at Qin Wanwan and then advised her, “The Sovereign Sword Tournament finals are in ten days. You need to make sure you rest well.”
“I understand,” Qin Wanwan nodded, “But we still need to gather information. Master, Nan Feng, Lord Cuilu,” she glanced at the three of them, “could you go out and inquire about the situation today?”
“Alright,” Cuilu took out a list from her sleeve: “These are people from Ning Manor over a hundred years ago. Most of them were mortals, and only a few are still alive. The remaining ones are at the Foundation Establishment stage and are still in Ning Manor. We might not be able to pry open their mouths, but a few loose cultivators who left Ning Manor might know something. Let’s assign people to go ask around,” she glanced at Jian Xingzhi, Nan Feng, and Xie Gutang, “Who will go today to gather information?”
“You all go,” Qin Wanwan immediately said upon hearing this: “Brother Xie doesn’t need to go.”
“Why isn’t he going?”
Jian Xingzhi immediately glanced at Xie Gutang, his gaze so imposing that Xie Gutang’s smile became forced: “I… I’ll protect Wanwan.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I stayed instead of you?”
Jian Xingzhi frowned, not quite understanding. Nan Feng sensed the imposing atmosphere and curled up, lowering his head. Cuilu scanned the faces of the group, as if suddenly realizing something, and quickly stopped Jian Xingzhi: “Wanwan said Daoist Monarch Xie won’t go, so he won’t go. As a master, you can’t be too overbearing. These people are all tough ones,” Cuilu raised her hand and slapped a list of sword cultivators in front of Jian Xingzhi. “You go.”
“Mm-hmm,” Qin Wanwan quickly spoke up when she saw Cuilu speaking on her behalf: “Master, you should go out and take a walk today. It’s good for your health.”
“That’s right, that’s right,” Nan Feng quickly chimed in when he heard his master speak: “It’s been a while since you’ve been out shopping. Let’s go out to buy some candied hawts”
“Xie Gutang.” Seeing that everyone was on the same page, Jian Xingzhi coldly turned his gaze toward him: “What do you think?”
Xie Gutang pretended to remain calm as he drank his water, then turned his head to look out the window: “I don’t mind.”
Jian Xingzhi remained silent. He looked around at everyone before finally deciding to ask his system, “666, tell me, would I be better at protecting Wanwan than Xie Gutang?”
“Uh…” 666 pondered for a moment before reminding in a low voice, “I think, the female lead doesn’t need protection.”
What she needs is love.
Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi felt tightness in his chest. He had an illusion that he was fighting against the whole world, and even the system didn’t stand on his side.
He grabbed the list and stood up: “Okay, then I’ll go investigate the people, you take good care of your injuries.”
With that, he left the hall first.
Once he left, everyone else looked at each other in silence. Nan Feng grabbed the paper with the fewest names on it. “Then I’ll be going too…”
Cuilu leisurely took a sip of tea: “You all go and enjoy the joys of youth. I’ll go take care of some things.”
With that, only Qin Wanwan and Xie Gutang were left in the room. Xie Gutang relaxed a little, but there was a hint of worry on his face: “It seems like the Senior doesn’t like me.”
“It’s fine,” Qin Wanwan comforted him. “He doesn’t like anyone.”
“Then, should we go look for Yan Wushuang today?”
“Mm.” Qin Wanwan nodded. “Fighting is prohibited in Hunagcheng. If we want to capture Yan Wushuang, it’s best to lure him outside the city. Let’s go find him today and lead him outside the city.”
“How do we lure him?”
“We have to observe him first.”
“Then, should we leave now?”
After Xie Gutang asked, Qin Wanwan fell silent. She pretended to stay calm, taking a sip of tea. Sensing that Jian Xingzhi hadn’t gone far yet, she spoke with a neutral expression, “Wait a moment. I’ll have Nan Feng find someone first. Once he does, we’ll set off.”
Jian Xingzhi hovered outside the mansion for a while, and confirmed that Qin Wanwan would not come out. He finally felt a bit relieved. He thought that Qin Wanwan was probably really recuperating in the mansion, so he left to do his job.
The list of people Cuilu gave were mostly sword cultivators. Although there were many of them, most were simple-minded. As soon as Jian Xingzhi released his pressure, these measly sword cultivators immediately burst into tears as if they had met a sword immortal for the first time, answering any questions he asked.
However, these sword cultivators had been nothing more than outer courtyard guards in Ning Manor back then, so they didn’t know any core information. They could only describe what they saw: “Over a hundred years ago, nothing major happened. The biggest event was… Yan Wushuang from the Ju Jian Manor suddenly broke into Ning Manor one day, claiming that our Ancestor had kidnapped his wife. But how could that be possible?”
The sword cultivator chuckled nervously: “Back then, Yan Wushuang was the top disciple of Ju Jian Manor, and was about to inherit the position of sect leader. His wife wasn’t an immortal, so why would there be a need to kidnap her? It must have been a misunderstanding.”
“What happened later?”
Jian Xingzhi asked further, and the sword cultivator thought for a moment before replying: “I can’t remember clearly. Anyway, it was left unresolved. After a while, we heard that Yan Wushuang found his wife, but she was seriously ill and couldn’t recover. He took care of her for ten years, then she passed away.”
Speaking of this, the sword cultivator sighed: “He was truly a lovesick man.”
Jian Xingzhi nodded, took note of the information, and then went on to ask others.
After a long day of busy work, a crisp sound of ‘ding’ suddenly echoed in Jian Xingzhi’s mind.
【Congratulations, +5 points received.】
Jian Xingzhi was stunned, and a sense of crisis stirred in his heart. He had a vague sense of the pattern of this score. Whenever Qin Wanwan had any kind of development with another man, the system would reward him with points.
It felt almost like compensation for something.
Now, the system had randomly awarded points again…
Jian Xingzhi thought for a moment, then turned and began running towards Ning Manor.
He had just made it halfway when, before entering the manor, he heard Jun Shu calling out excitedly: “Daoist Jian!”
Jian Xingzhi braked his speed and turned around. Jun Shu hurried over, saying urgently, “Daoist Jian, Miss Qin has run off!”
Jian Xingzhi stood there, stunned, as Jun Shu, with a mix of excitement and anger, raised his hand and pointed down the street: “Just now, I saw Daoist Xie and Miss Qin holding hands and showing hearts, happily leaving for a date! You better hurry up and catch up!”
Holding hands, showing hearts, going on a date.
These three phrases, each of them hit on his critical points.
Jian Xingzhi didn’t quite understand this feeling, but his intuition told him that, he couldn’t let these two get away from him.
Jun Shu noticed Jian Xingzhi’s dazed expression and continued to share the information he had overheard for a long time: “Daoist Jian, I swept the corridor ten times today just to overhear their conversation. I heard them clearly. They’re heading to Qingyue Tavern to drink right now, and after that, they’re going to the lantern festival this evening. If you don’t act quickly, Miss Qin will belong to Daoist Xie!”
“How is that possible?”
As soon as Jian Xingzhi heard this, he immediately turned around: “How can one person belong to another? She will only belong to herself.”
Jun Shu choked up, feeling that Jian Xingzhi hadn’t understood what he meant, and that he, himself, couldn’t quite grasp what Jian Xingzhi was saying either. But that didn’t matter. He changed his words: “If you don’t go now, you’ll have no relationship with Miss Qin in the future.”
The dream of Qin Wanwan crying across from him as rain poured down, separated by Xie Gutang, flashed in his mind. He understood this sentence clearly.
Without hesitation, he turned around: “Qingyue Tavern, right?”
“Yes.”
Jun Shu nodded, placing the broom aside with a fierce expression: “I’ll go with you!”
【Mini Theater】
Jun Shu: “I’m chasing after Jian Xingzhi.”
Jian Xingzhi: “I’m chasing after Wanwan.”
Qin Wanwan & Xie Gutang: “We’re chasing after Yan Wushuang.”
Yan Wushuang: “…Please spare me, I shouldn’t be your ultimate target.”
This chapter is also known as: The Mantis stalks the Cicada, unaware of the Oriole behind.
