Chapter 34 My dear husband is very fragile.

(34)

"I don't want to read 'The Nine Virtues of a Gentleman,' I want to read 'Elder Tanuki.'"

The little boy glared at Shang Xinglan defiantly, finding fault with everything about him. He was angry whenever he thought about what had happened since Shang Xinglan came to live with his mother.

Shang Xinglan held the book and said helplessly, "Didn't Elder Tanuki just finish reading it to you? The Nine Virtues of a Gentleman are about the way of dealing with people, which is very beneficial to you."

The little brat still wouldn't listen, rolling around on the bed and saying stubbornly, "I want my mother to read to me, I don't want you to read to me, go away, get out."

How could Shang Xinglan not see that he was deliberately going against her? She chuckled and held the rolling little brat down, "It's fine if you don't want to study, how about I have Gu Ye take you outside to play?"

Upon hearing Gu Ye's name, the little boy paused abruptly. He slowly got up and obediently held the book "Nine Virtues of a Gentleman".

Instead of going out with Gu Ye, he should focus on his studies.

Shang Xinglan stared at his aggrieved look and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

How could Ah Chu give birth to such an interesting little thing? Her thoughts are written all over her face; she can't hide anything.

Hearing him laugh, the little boy looked up from his book and glared at him secretly, then lowered his head again, thinking to himself, "How annoying!"

He hates anyone who makes his mother's life miserable.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chu Li walk into the hall. The little boy looked up with expectant eyes, eager to go home with his mother.

However, he saw Chu Li walk up to Shang Xinglan and look very happy.

"Look." Chu Li picked up the Chu family jade pendant and waved it in front of Shang Xinglan, excitedly babbling incoherently, "From today onwards, I am a member of the Chu family, and this jade rightfully belongs to me. Chu Shuyi even said I'm her sister..."

Shang Xinglan held the jade and looked at it, then looked at the excited Chu Li and whispered, "Is this the jade you got from the Heavenly Yin Maiden?"

Chu Li's smile froze on her face. She took her jade back from Shang Xinglan's hand and hung it back on her waist with great care. "It was given to me by Chu Zi. I didn't steal it or rob it."

This is the reward she received for doing good deeds.

Upon hearing this, Shang Xinglan lowered her eyes and silently looked away.

How stupid.

She was so easily won over; a few words of approval made her so happy.

She didn't steal that jade, nor did she kill someone to rob it.

Chu Li repeatedly explained this statement to others to prove her innocence. She explained that it was because he had given her too little love that she lived in such fear.

If they had been honest with each other from the beginning, and he had known the identity she had taken under false pretenses, perhaps he could have eased her fear and anxiety sooner... Unfortunately, that was not the case.

“Mother, we are all from the Chu family. You are surnamed Chu, and so am I.” The little boy’s voice suddenly rang out. He stared at Chu Li in confusion and whispered, “Is Chu Shuyi the cultivator sister from earlier? Is she going to stay at our house too? But we don’t have any more rooms. Should I give her my bed?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Li paused for a moment, then burst out laughing, pinching his cheek and saying, "She doesn't live in our house, so no one will sleep in your shabby little bed."

Yes, she already had a family; Yinyin was her blood-related family in this world.

“My bed isn’t broken,” the little boy said earnestly. “If she comes, I can sleep with you and give her the bed.”

Hearing this, Shang Xinglan's lips twitched slightly. "Then where will I sleep?"

The little boy glanced at him, quickly got up, and whispered in Chu Li's ear, "Mother, if we kick him out, we can make room in the house."

His words reached Shang Xinglan's ears without missing a single one. Shang Xinglan pinched her forehead and pulled the little brat who was whispering in her ear back to her, "Don't even think about it."

The little boy struggled for a moment, then looked at Chu Li pleadingly, "Mother, look at him..."

Chu Li suppressed a laugh, separated the two of them, and said to the little boy in a low voice, "We can't kick him out."

"Why?" the little boy asked, puzzled.

“Mother likes him very much. Haven’t you noticed that you two look alike? Because he looks like Yinyin, Mother likes him especially.”

Shang Xinglan: "..."

Who resembles whom? That's backwards.

After hearing her words, the little boy looked up at Shang Xinglan and his eyes suddenly widened.

Upon closer inspection, they do indeed look somewhat alike!

So that's how it is. This despicable demon senior was only favored by Mother because of him.

“It’s not that similar,” the little boy awkwardly looked away and said softly to Chu Li, “You can’t like someone just because of their looks. That’s not right. You have to pay attention to their character. He’s not a good person.”

He always makes his mother sad, ignores her at the drop of a hat, and even hurts her. He's a really bad person.

Chu Li was amused by him again. The little guy, who wasn't even knee-high, spoke like an adult.

Shang Xinglan flipped through the books on the table and said nonchalantly, "What's wrong with my character?"

The little brat's eyes widened, and he pointed at him, saying, "You're eavesdropping on other people's conversations; that's already a very bad character trait!"

Shang Xinglan chuckled softly and said casually, "Talking badly about me behind my back, isn't that hardly gentlemanly?"

Upon hearing this, the little boy choked, his face quickly turning bright red with embarrassment, and he buried himself in Chu Li's arms, speechless.

Chu Li hugged him tightly, her eyes looking at Shang Xinglan, and whispered to the baby in her arms, "But Mommy likes good-looking people. I'm so shallow, what should I do?"

When their eyes met, Shang Xinglan paused almost imperceptibly, turned her face away, and felt a slight heat in her ears.

What should you say to the child? Just tell him these things in private.

The little boy pursed his lips, gazing at Chu Li's "infatuated" appearance, and sighed softly in his heart.

The book says that everyone loves beauty, and it's understandable that Mother likes good-looking people. But just liking someone's face isn't enough. Mother should find someone who is good to her, responsible, and won't hurt her.

What should we do now?

A reliable and imposing figure suddenly appeared in his mind, and the little boy's eyes lit up; he had an idea.

"Mother, didn't you say that a senior cultivator invited us here? Where is that senior cultivator?"

His sudden voice startled both Chu Li and Shang Xinglan.

Chu Li then remembered that the excuse she used to lure the little cub out was that Xie Liyi had invited them to be guests.

Under Shang Xinglan's suspicious gaze, she coughed lightly and said softly, "The senior cultivator is busy with something. He can only entertain us after he is done."

The little boy asked somewhat dejectedly, "When will he be finished?"

“Him,” Chu Li racked her brains to cover up the lie, “he’ll probably be busy for a long time because he’s currently cultivating. The important matters are at hand, and we can’t disturb him…”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of urgent knocks came from the outer hall.

Chu Li's heart skipped a beat. She looked up outside, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

Could it be such a coincidence?

"Chu Li, open the door."

The next moment, Xie Liyi's voice rang out, and Chu Li's forehead broke out in a sweat.

Shang Xinglan stared straight at her, but because the little one was there, he didn't expose Chu Li. He simply said in a low voice, "I'll go open the door."

"No," Chu Li said guiltily, stopping him. "I'll go."

The little boy was overjoyed to hear Xie Liyi's voice and immediately jumped off the stool. "Senior cultivator must be done with his work. Mother, I'll go with you."

Chu Li had no choice but to lead the cub to open the door. Outside the hall, Xie Liyi stood holding a long sword, his face filled with a murderous aura.

He had already found out everything from his master; it turned out that the Demon Lord Wuming was Shang Xinglan, the direct descendant of the Shang family.

He said that he felt the face looked familiar when he saw it because he and Ge'er had accompanied their master to the merchant's place before.

Master and the head of the Shang family were close friends, and the two had a close relationship. That was also the first time Xie Liyi met Shang Xinglan.

The pampered young master, who looked about the same age as them, had already entered the Golden Core stage.

At that time, Xie Liyi had just begun cultivating and was only at the Qi Refining stage.

That one brief encounter left Xie Liyi feeling deeply defeated.

Some people not only come from good families, but are also hundreds of times more talented.

I heard that he was also kind-hearted, often giving porridge to homeless beggars, and would draw his sword to help those in need, earning him widespread praise from the people.

Yet, despite Shang Xinglan's already flawless life, he still managed to fall into the demonic path.

Xie Liyi could neither understand nor accept it.

He absolutely had to come and see this person. This person, who had received such great favor from Heaven, why didn't he cherish it? Why didn't he exorcise demons and defend the righteous path, but instead fell into demonic ways?

Seeing his aggressive approach, Chu Li quickly blocked him at the door, asking, "What are you doing here?"

Xie Liyi lowered his eyes to look at her. If he was right, Chu Li was the beggar woman that Shang Xinglan had married back then, a Heavenly Yin Maiden without any cultivation.

No wonder she kept hindering his exorcism; it turns out they were actually husband and wife.

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Xie Liyi said coldly. “Even if he survives the Soul Cleansing Spring, it only washes away the demonic energy on his body. It doesn’t mean that his mind is no different from that of an ordinary person. He killed people before, and he may kill people again in the future.”

Listening to his righteous words, Chu Li felt a headache coming on.

Before he could speak, the little cub beside him whispered admiringly, "Did the senior cultivator come because he was worried we would get hurt?"

Xie Liyi's expression froze for a moment, only then realizing that there was a little one behind her. He remembered how he had solemnly promised to rescue the little one, but in the end he had failed to do anything and was trapped in Xiaofushan, barely able to save himself.

He felt a pang of shame and bent down solemnly, saying, "Yes, I'm here to protect you."

Chu Li opened her eyes and pulled the little one behind her. "We don't need your protection. We're doing fine."

Xie Liyi said without room for doubt, "You can't drive me away. I have obtained my master's permission. I will not leave his side for even a moment until I am sure that he has completely reformed."

That Xie Liyi is really stubborn.

Chu Li bit her lip and lowered her voice, saying, "My husband is very fragile, and now that he has lost his cultivation, how could he possibly do anything bad?"

"Vulnerable?" Xie Liyi was surprised that she would use such a word to describe someone who had been a demon. She felt that she was hopeless. But then she thought of Shang Xinglan's red-eyed and lifeless appearance that day. She did seem a little vulnerable, or maybe she was just pretending.

Just as they were at an impasse, the little boy happily opened the door and said, "Senior cultivator, please come in. He's inside."

The senior cultivator was also very handsome, with a high nose, fair skin, an upright demeanor, and such a responsible attitude. He was the perfect match for his mother. He had to find a way to make his mother fall in love with the senior cultivator!

Behind them, Shang Xinglan, who had taken in everything, leaned against a pillar in the side hall and pinched his forehead.

He knew perfectly well what the little one was thinking.

Stupid Yinyin...

Just like his mother, he only picks on the weak and bullies him.

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Author's note: There will be a second update, it will be late, so please don't wait.