Chapter 22 The idiot I instigated who can't even handle jealousy. ...

(22)

For three days in a row, Chu Li was unable to speak to Shang Xinglan.

He seemed determined to ignore Chu Li until she told him her reasons.

Chu Li had no choice but to suppress her urge to get closer to him and focus on her own things—accompanying the little one in his studies, supervising Gu Ye's house repairs, and occasionally watching Xie Liyi and Yan Xinbai spar.

Yes, for some reason, the two of them started sparring.

Xie Liyi became obsessed with becoming stronger. Apart from sparring with Yan Xinbai, he would lock himself in his room to cultivate. Since he couldn't go anywhere else, cultivating here was not bad. Having three demons as sparring partners was a rare opportunity.

Chu Li couldn't understand them. She just wanted to know where Shang Xinglan learned his bedroom skills and how he became so proficient.

Did he have affairs with other people during those five years?

When she didn't think about it, nothing was wrong, but as soon as she did, Chu Li became extremely annoyed.

She subtly inquired about Gu Ye's affairs, and after listening, Gu Ye laughed at her for a long time before finally saying, "Why don't you go and ask him yourself? How dare I interfere in your marital matters?"

How could Chu Li possibly ask that question? Besides, Shang Xinglan would definitely ignore her.

Gu Ye suppressed his smile and pointed her in the right direction, "Go find that person. He knew the master even before I did."

Following his pointing finger, Chu Li saw Yan Xinbai reading a book on a recliner in the courtyard.

As far as she could remember, she didn't seem to have much contact with this person.

When Shang Xinglan first introduced him, she only said to pretend he didn't exist.

Yan Xinbai rarely speaks or does anything unless Shang Xinglan tells him to, which is very different from Gu Ye.

"Can he tell me?" Chu Li muttered in a low voice, dissatisfied.

Gu Ye lay on the roof and said lazily, "Then I can't help you. What can I do if you won't even try?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Li pursed her lips, as if she had made up her mind, and moved into the courtyard.

Noticing her approach, Yan Xinbai frowned imperceptibly and stood up.

"What's up?"

Chu Li took a light breath and said in a low voice, "I have something I want to ask you. I heard from Gu Ye that you knew Wuming before me. Before me, did he have a woman he liked?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Xinbai frowned even more and said in a low voice, "I didn't notice."

Why should he care who the nameless person admires?

Chu Li knew that asking him would be pointless, and was about to turn and leave when she heard him say meaningfully, "However, I do know someone who is fond of him, and even has a special affection for him."

After a moment of stiffness, Chu Li slowly turned to look at him and said softly, "Is that so? What kind of woman is she?"

Yan Xinbai pondered for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "Better than you."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Li's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her voice became even softer, "I see."

"Is there anything else?"

Under the blazing white light, Chu Li shook his head blankly.

Yan Xinbai withdrew his gaze from her, lay back in the wicker chair, and continued reading, turning a page slowly.

I still don't understand why Wuming would like such a boring woman.

However, it has nothing to do with him.

Standing in front of the door, Chu Li gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, but still couldn't resist pushing the door open.

At the table, Shang Xinglan was teaching his son to play the zither. He had found a zither from somewhere and brought many sheet music for his son to learn. As expected of father and son, the son was very interested in the broken zither and had been learning with great interest for three days and was unwilling to let go.

"The key to playing the stringed instrument is to press hard and release lightly. Let's play the Gong tone again." Shang Xinglan casually waved his folding fan to cool the little cub, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chu Li standing at the door, looking very unwell.

He paused slightly, then continued speaking to the little boy as if he hadn't noticed, "Relax, your wrist is stiff, and the force is blocked here."

Chu Li moved a stool over and sat quietly beside them.

A few notes of the zither were like shattered jade splashing lightly, and then the little boy slowly pushed the zither, and the final notes lingered.

Chu Li felt even more like crying after hearing this.

Shang Xinglan felt heartbroken.

Chu Li quietly moved the stool and sat down next to Shang Xinglan, close to him, feeling the warmth of his body through his clothes, and her heart gradually calmed down.

It smells good.

In the past, his clothes were always scented with famous perfumes when he was in business, unlike now, which has a dry soap scent with a slight hint of bergamot. She likes it; it's a very comforting fragrance.

The little one is still focused on playing the piano.

Unable to hold back any longer, Chu Li carefully approached Shang Xinglan and whispered in his ear, "Husband, I have something I want to ask you."

Shang Xinglan glanced at her, then calmly placed the sheet music next to the little boy, without answering Chu Li's question.

"The sound is wrong, start over."

This was clearly said to the little one.

Chu Li pursed her lips, grabbed a corner of his sleeve, and tugged it gently.

"Yan Xinbai said someone is interested in you, who is it?"

Shang Xinglan's eyelids twitched, and he turned to look at her.

Chu Li held her breath, eagerly awaiting his response. Her eyes, illuminated by the sunlight, resembled light-colored amber, truly like a cat's eyes.

He looked away and said calmly, "No."

Seeing that he was paying attention to her, Chu Li's eyes seemed to brighten even more. "Think about it carefully."

Shang Xinglan went to instruct the little boy on how to play the piano again.

Chu Li was so anxious she wanted to scratch her head, but she could only patiently wait for him to finish teaching the cub.

After a while, seeing that Shang Xinglan had some free time, she immediately leaned over and asked again, "Really not?"

She practically pressed herself against him, but Shang Xinglan's eyes flickered slightly. He grasped her slender, soft arm in his palm and pushed her away.

"Can't you see what I'm doing?"

Chu Li wilted, looked up at his retreating figure, lowered her eyelashes, and whispered, "He can lie to me, but you must never lie to me."

Shang Xinglan's expression faltered slightly, and her fingertips curled up gently.

The zither string was suddenly plucked, producing a deep, resonant sound. This time, the little boy finally played the note correctly.

He turned around happily to look at Shang Xinglan, only to see Chu Li leaning against him.

"Mother?" The little boy paused for a moment, then quickly smiled. "Did you hear me playing the zither?"

Chu Li nodded and reached out to pinch his little face. "I heard you. Yin Yin learns so fast. You're much smarter than your mother. I couldn't even pluck the strings properly when I first started learning."

Hearing her words, the little boy opened his eyes wide. "You've learned this too?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Li and Shang Xinglan stopped at the same time.

Of course she had learned it; Shang Xinglan taught her, just like she taught Yinyin.

"Mommy, can you play for me?" The little boy had never seen her play the piano before, and his eyes sparkled as he looked at her.

Chu Li tried to decline, but seeing the little one's expectant expression, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

She plays the piano terribly.

She could never learn what Shang Xinglan taught her well.

After a long while, Chu Li sighed and rubbed the little one's head, "Then why aren't you making room for your mother?"

When the little boy saw that she had agreed, he happily got up and placed the sheet music next to her.

Chu Li didn't look at the sheet music. She took a light breath and slowly began to play the zither.

The melodious piano music flowed gently, and the awkward movements, with delicate and jade-like fingertips, tried their best to play the sheet music in the way they remembered.

Shang Xinglan held the baby and stared at her profile, momentarily stunned.

Chu Li may not be that talented, but she is always very hardworking.

She remembered everything that was taught to her.

The piece is called "The Jade Hairpin Breaks," which has a bad connotation.

He couldn't help but move closer, his gaze falling on her fingers plucking the strings. It was a very small hand, with smooth, glossy nails, like light pink jade.

"Wrist flat, palm hollow."

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist. Chu Li trembled and looked up at him.

The other person remained expressionless, as if they simply disapproved of her incorrect posture.

Chu Li stared intently at him, lowering her voice to ask, "Is it true?"

They're still asking.

Shang Xinglan didn't look at her, only coldly asking, "Are you going to play or not?"

"Play it." Chu Li pursed her lips and obediently adjusted her posture as he instructed. After playing it a couple of times, she couldn't help but lean close to his ear and whisper, "So where did you learn your skills in bed?"

Shang Xinglan seemed frozen in place, a barely perceptible blush creeping up her ears.

"What's it to you? Ask again and you're out."

Chu Li obediently shut her mouth, her face still showing some dissatisfaction. She held back and didn't ask any more questions.

What do you mean, "What's it to her?" She's his wife, can't he even ask?

He finished breaking and playing the jade hairpin.

She blinked and looked at Shang Xinglan, "Does it sound good?"

Shang Xinglan seemed not to hear, and picked up the cub and put it on her lap.

"It sounds beautiful!" The little boy looked at Chu Li with admiration. "Mommy, you know so much."

Chu Li never expected that one day someone would say to her that she knew so much. She chuckled softly, pinched the little boy's cheek and teased him, "You will know a lot in the future too. When you play the piano for Xiao Liu, Xiao Liu will definitely love it."

The little boy's face flushed red, and he buried his head in her arms, "You're doing this again!"

Watching their intimate actions, a mix of emotions flashed across Shang Xinglan's eyes.

She loves Yinyin very much.

Only in front of Yinyin is she without thorns, showing her softest and most peaceful side without reservation.

That was a rare display of comfort and naturalness she showed him, because Chu Li was absolutely not worried that her child would leave her.

She always had various concerns in front of Shang Xinglan; there seemed to be an invisible and intangible barrier between them.

"Who is Xiaoliu?"

The sudden sound made Chu Li and the little boy look at him at the same time.

“Xiao Liu is the daughter of the schoolteacher in Jixiang Village, the tall, thin man who wrote poems for me. He's married, and Xiao Liu is his child. She's very close to Yin Yin.” Seeing his interest, Chu Li immediately explained. “Xiao Liu is so pretty, with big eyes…”

“Yinyin told me.”

He abruptly interrupted, as if he had suddenly become angry.

Chu Li choked, watching Shang Xinglan take the cub back into her arms and repeat, "Who is Xiao Liu?"

The little boy's cheeks flushed red, and he bit his lip, refusing to speak.

After a long pause, Shang Xinglan said gently, "If she is your friend, I will invite her to my home tomorrow."

The little boy hesitated for a moment after hearing the words, instinctively wanting to refuse. But then he thought, the demons have already been reformed by the cultivator brother, so Xiao Liu should be safe coming to his house. He asked hesitantly, "Really?"

"Really." Shang Xinglan said gently.

Chu Li stared intently at him, as if trying to bore a hole through him.

"I'm asking Mother," the little boy looked up at Chu Li and said softly, "Mother, can we bring Xiao Liu home as a guest?" This is his and his mother's home, so of course it's up to his mother to decide.

Hearing this, Chu Li smiled slightly, "Okay, Mother will invite her to listen to you play the zither tomorrow. You should study hard."

Ignoring her won't help, because Yinyin likes her the most.

Let's see how long he can keep ignoring her. Does he think he can just stop living with her?

The mother and son sang in unison, and Shang Xinglan fell silent, a strange sense of foreboding creeping over her.

Once Chu Li learns how to control him, she will become increasingly unrestrained.

Headache.

Before long, Chu Li came out of the house humming a little tune, in a great mood.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yan Xinbai still reading in the courtyard, and her gaze darkened.

Why did you lie?

Yan Xinbai's gaze slowly moved from the book to her face.

Chu Li narrowed her eyes. "He said no one favors him at all. You lied to me because you hate me?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Xinbai suddenly smiled and said, "I don't dislike you."

Why is that?

Yan Xinbai suppressed his smile and said calmly, "I thought he knew someone was still hung up on him, but I didn't expect him to be unaware."

Chu Li stared at him in astonishment, then heard him say thoughtfully, "Having spent so much time together in the Demon Realm, the jade pendant on his waist was given to him by that woman, yet Master didn't notice it at all... It's really strange."

Upon hearing this, Chu Li could easily understand the meaning behind his words.

After a moment of silence, she said coldly, "You'd better be telling the truth, or I won't let you off the hook."

Yan Xinbai paused slightly. This was the first time in his life he had been threatened like this, and by a seemingly weak woman like Chu Li.

He only came to his senses after Chu Li left, chuckled for no reason, and continued reading the book.

He was eager to see how severe the consequences of deceiving Chu Li would be.

Inside the small house, the little boy had already practiced the jade hairpin to a near-perfect degree. Shang Xinglan put away the sheet music with satisfaction and asked him to play it silently once.

Just then, the door was pushed open.

Shang Xinglan looked up and saw that Chu Li's expression was even more somber than when he last came in.

"come out."

She spoke calmly, and without waiting for his response, she turned and left.

After a while, Shang Xinglan looked at the little boy who was about to get up and pressed him back down, saying, "He's calling me."

The little boy gave him a strange look. "So you knew your mother was calling you? Then why did you ignore her before?"

Shang Xinglan choked, a little sweat beading on her forehead. "Hurry up and practice the piano, Xiao Liu wants to listen to it tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, the little boy turned away from his face and began to play the zither.

"You're doing it wrong. When someone talks to you, you should look them in the eye and answer them attentively. That's what you told me."

Shang Xinglan was speechless for a moment, then reached out and rubbed the little one's head. "I know."

They got a lesson.

But he didn't change.

He would never change his attitude towards her until Chu Li told him the reason.

If even this basic principle cannot be upheld, everything will only repeat itself.

He put on his coat and went out, but as soon as he stepped outside, he was shoved hard against the wall.

Shang Xinglan was stunned.

Chu Li took the jade pendant from his waist and held it in her palm to examine it. The lotus pattern was winding and swirling, and the water ripples were lifelike. It was clear at a glance how much time and effort had been spent on it.

"Who sent it?" She stared at him intently.

Shang Xinglan looked down at her fierce appearance and guessed that Yan Xinbai had said something to her.

His gaze swept past her fiery eyes, and he said calmly, "What's it to you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he could feel Chu Li's anger intensifying, like a cat with its fur standing on end.

"I told you not to lie to me." Chu Li gripped the jade pendant tighter, her expression growing even colder. "Who exactly is it?"

Shang Xinglan stared intently at her and said, "Why should I tell you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Li suddenly threw the jade pendant to the ground with a clear and crisp sound.

Shang Xinglan opened his eyes, and the next moment his clothes were grabbed by Chu Li, who bit his lips hard without any mercy.

The taste of blood filled her mouth, and Shang Xinglan grabbed her wrist in astonishment and pulled her away.

My lip is cut, and a few drops of blood are oozing out. It hurts a lot.

Wouldn't she ask a few more questions?

No one bites people like she does.

Shang Xinglan hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Chu Li, don't forget..."

"Don't call me Chu Li anymore!" Chu Li interrupted him coldly. "I'll ask you one more time, who sent it?"

Shang Xinglan: "...Yan Xinbai."

Chu Li stared at him indifferently, slowly approaching, "He gave it to you, who are you trying to fool?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Xinglan rubbed his forehead and said helplessly, "That is the Lord's order; it has words on the back."

Hearing this, Chu Li stared at him suspiciously, picked up the jade pendant from the ground, and carefully pieced it back together. Fortunately, it wasn't too shattered, and she quickly put the jade back together.

Chu Li squatted down and examined the jade carefully. After reading every word, she remained silent for a moment, then stood up and snuggled into Shang Xinglan's arms. "I'm sorry, husband, there really were words written on it. It's all my fault for not seeing them clearly..."

Shang Xinglan took a deep breath, wiped the blood from her lips, and pushed her away with her fingertips pressed against her forehead.

"Stay away from me."

What an idiot who can't even feel jealous.

Chu Li hugged him tightly and wouldn't let go, whispering softly, "It was that Yan Xinbai who framed you. He said your jade pendant was a gift from a woman who admired you. It's all his fault."

Shang Xinglan knew exactly what Yan Xinbai meant; he simply wanted to use this opportunity to provoke Chu Li and make her feel a sense of crisis.

"This person deserves to die."

He paused slightly, then looked down at the person in his arms.

Chu Li leaned against him and whispered, "He's so mean, he lied to me on purpose."

Shang Xinglan looked at her quietly, then reached out and pinched her face. "No."

"What do you mean you can't?"

Looking at that feignedly innocent face, Shang Xinglan knew almost without asking what she was thinking. "You're not allowed to kill anyone again."

Upon hearing this, Chu Li gritted her teeth and dug her fingertips into her palm. "I didn't intend to kill him. How could I possibly kill a demon like that? You overestimate me."

Shang Xinglan glanced at her and knew she wouldn't let it go. She withdrew her hand and said calmly, "You can take any other revenge you want. But if I find out you've killed someone again, I'll kill Xie Liyi."

Chu Li pursed her lips in frustration. After a moment, she stopped talking about it and gently cupped his face, asking with concern, "You're all disfigured. Does it hurt?"

Why didn't you think about whether it hurt him when you bit him?

Blood was still seeping from her lips, and Chu Li felt extremely distressed. She loved Shang Xinglan's face the most; it was so beautiful. Now it was no longer perfect. She should have bitten somewhere else.

She took out a handkerchief from inside her clothes and carefully wiped away the beads of blood that had appeared on Shang Xinglan's skin.

However, the other person's gaze fell on her chest.

Chu Li blinked and said softly, "What are you looking at?"

Shang Xinglan didn't speak, but reached out to touch her collar.

With a slight blush on her face, Chu Li looked around and said shyly in a low voice, "Let's go inside."

The next moment, the other person pulled a piece of paper from her clothes.

Chu Li was stunned for a moment, then touched her chest and remembered when she had put the piece of paper inside.

She hurriedly reached out to grab it, but the other person held the paper up high.

"My husband, please let me explain, that's not..."

Shang Xinglan had already read all the words on it. He remained silent for a while, took a deep breath, and slowly crumpled the paper.

"Chu Li, what right do you have to question me?"

They actually wanted to help Xie Liyi deliver a letter to the Cangshan Sect. What, do they think he's living too long, with another six months until he dies?

Chu Li twisted the hem of her clothes and whispered, "I didn't intend to help him deliver the letter. I just wanted to keep him calm so he wouldn't keep trying to provoke you..."

The words had barely left his mouth when Xie Liyi, who had just finished cultivating and stepped through the door, suddenly looked up in disbelief and asked, "What did you say?"

Seeing him come in, Shang Xinglan sneered and whispered in Chu Li's ear, "Explain things to your brother first."

He made a move to leave.

Chu Li gritted her teeth in frustration and pulled him back to her side. "I don't want to. You explain to him."

"Me?" Shang Xinglan almost laughed out of anger.

Chu Li squeezed his hand tightly and said softly with a wronged expression, "Help me, my husband."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Xinglan was taken aback.

She rarely does that; even when she's caused a huge disaster, she insists on gritting her teeth and getting through it herself, which is incredibly foolish.

She probably felt that no one could help her.

So, could this rare, subconscious display of dependence mean that she's starting to see him as the only person who would unconditionally help her?

Shang Xinglan paused briefly, then looked up at Xie Liyi, whose face was full of anger.

“I encouraged her to do it.”

It's hopeless.

After saying this, Shang Xinglan rubbed his forehead.

He actually said such things.

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Author's Note: I'll be posting updates on the 26th at 11 PM!