Chapter 586 I've got my eye on you

A mysterious Taoist priest?

Song Chunxue immediately thought of Yu Wanqing.

"Don't wait any longer, take us up now."

She suddenly realized that Yu Wanqing was not a decent person to begin with. If he found out that the sixth young master of the Zhao family needed to prolong his life, he might drag others into doing so.

The sixth son of the Zhao family has such a good opportunity; perhaps he will achieve perfect merit in his next life. But he was harmed by Yu Wanqing, and who knows if he will suffer a backlash and fail at the last moment.

"What do you think, senior brother?" she asked the Taoist priest. "It's one thing for Yu Wanqing to be greedy for money, but I'm worried he'll hold a grudge and ruin the consecration ceremony."

"Let's go take a look." The Taoist priest tossed a talisman to the fourth brother, "Keep it on your person."

The fourth brother took it and looked at it, but didn't ask any questions. He figured the Taoist priest must have given him something good that could keep him safe.

"Thank you, Taoist priest. I will take you there."

Upon arriving on the second floor, Song Chunxue knocked on the door.

"Come in."

She pushed the door open without ceremony and went in. Sure enough, she saw Yu Wanqing holding a brand new whisk, leaning close to Zhao Jian and saying something.

Upon seeing the two of them, Yu Wanqing was startled and subconsciously looked at Zhao Jian before regaining his composure and taking a sip of tea.

"What a coincidence that you two Daoist masters have arrived." Yun Qing put down his teacup, stood up, cupped his hands, and bid farewell to Zhao Jian. "I have finished speaking. Please consider my words, Second Master."

If one hadn't witnessed his true colors, it would be difficult to associate Yu Wanqing's current pretense with that unreasonable rogue.

"Alright, Master Yu, take care. I won't see you off." Zhao Jian stood up, raised his hand and pointed to the seats in front of him. "Please sit down, I was just about to come find you."

Song Chunxue glanced at Yu Wanqing, who walked past her without looking at her, as if what happened at noon had nothing to do with him.

She really admired this kind of person; when a person is shameless, they are invincible. No wonder he could roam the world with such little cultivation.

His way of survival is the way of survival for most people.

"Second Master Zhao?" Song Chunxue felt the title was rather awkward, so she sat down and asked directly, "Did that Taoist priest who was good at swindling and cheating just now say that he had a way to save Sixth Young Master?"

Zhao Jian was taken aback, "Scamming and deception?"

The Taoist priest briefly explained the recent situation.

"That man is dishonest and has no real skills. He barely makes a living by cheating and swindling. I'd like to remind you to be careful when dealing with him." This was the first time the Taoist priest had spoken ill of someone like this. "In short, it's best to be cautious."

Zhao Jian nodded, "Thank you for the reminder, both of you Daoist masters. I will keep it in mind. Is there anything else you two can help me with?"

Song Chunxue frowned. "You still hold a grudge? Well, I'm here today to apologize. I was blind before and offended you many times..."

"Alright, alright," Zhao Jian raised his hand to stop him. "You'd better not apologize. I can't take that. It's all in the past. I'm not that petty. Your sudden attempt to apologize makes me panic, even more than if I were to be punched or kicked by you."

"..." Song Chunxue looked at the Taoist priest. Was this man cursing her?

The Taoist priest poured wine for everyone, smiling as he tried to ease the atmosphere.

“We’ve come here today to trouble you, Brother Zhao. We haven’t found cooks or helpers for the consecration ceremony in a few days. There aren’t many people in the temple. I’ve traveled all over the country, but I’ve never dealt with this kind of thing before. I was hoping to borrow a few cooks from you.”

Zhao Jian slapped his knee and said, “I thought it was something serious. You don’t need to worry about this. Someone will be coming up the mountain tomorrow. You don’t need to worry about anything. The details will be written in the book and the steward will explain it to the Taoist priest.”

He looked at Song Chunxue, raised his wine glass, and said, "I was blind to your greatness before, and I didn't know that Master Song was not only good at beating people, but also good at killing them. I have heard a little about the fact that the two of you joined forces to storm the enemy's lair. The troops sent out by Jincheng have all returned. I dare to offer you a toast on behalf of the people."

Being toasted so formally made Song Chunxue feel embarrassed.

"I was just practicing swordsmanship with my senior brother. I don't have that kind of magnanimity. Please excuse my rudeness." Song Chunxue raised her wine cup and drank it down.

Afterwards, she ate her food quietly, listening to their casual conversation.

She usually doesn't stand out in front of a lot of people, unless someone offends her or something she really can't stand.

She has always been a woman of few words.

She knew all too well that in the eyes of ordinary people, a woman talking freely among men seemed tactless and lacking in manners.

From a young age, Song Chunxue understood that if a woman could sit at the table while a man was talking and drinking, it was a huge honor.

It's as if women are born to serve men, to prepare meals in the kitchen, to bear children for them, and to be considered beneath them.

Now she doesn't have to worry about these things anymore. She can say whatever she wants, and she has the confidence to subdue others with martial virtue when they are being unreasonable.

But she belatedly realized that she had no interest in speaking except in front of her senior brother and Lord Xie.

"So the owner of this tavern is Master Song's son, the fourth one?" Zhao Jian laughed. "I didn't realize that Master Song was such a blessed man, having four sons and a daughter. He could have lived a life of luxury in his later years. Why did he decide to become a monk?"

He glanced at the Taoist priest jokingly, "Could it be that you've taken a fancy to the extraordinary Taoist priest Zhang?"

Song Chunxue looked up, "Which kind of person are you referring to as 'fond of'?"

“My senior brother is learned and has traveled all over the country. Following him, I can see things that I would never see in my life. But if you say you have taken a liking to this person, then I am just a common person. I only like those who are rich and powerful and dare to build Taoist temples to worship gods. Only someone like you would be worthy of my attention.”

"..." Zhao Jian was startled, and the peanuts he had just picked up fell onto the table. He caught his breath and started coughing.

"Cough cough cough, you... cough cough cough, I'm serious, how come you're... cough cough, teasing me."

"So this is what flirting is called. I've learned it. Although you reek of money, your heart isn't blackened. You haven't made trouble for me because I offended you. Master Zhao is truly a rare gentleman. It seems there's a reason why the Zhao family has been able to survive to this day."

"Although the family is large and powerful, there are bound to be some corrupt and wicked people. But Master Zhao is upright and has nothing to fear. I'm sure that even as he gets older, he will still win the hearts of many women. As for me, if I'm going to take a liking to a man, I should take a liking to you first."

She looked at Zhao Jian with a half-smile, thinking to herself, "I'll annoy you to death. You dare to joke with me? I'll learn how to do it in no time."

Zhao Jian stared wide-eyed at Master Zhang, then immediately felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Daoist Master, is your junior brother made of thorns? Even a prickly rose isn't as prickly as her. I just..." He sighed, "Never mind, I'm just used to joking with people and forgot that you are cultivators. I misspoke and will punish myself with three cups."

Master Zhang couldn't help but chuckle. "Why did you provoke her? Ever since she started practicing swordsmanship, I, as her senior brother, have to be careful what I say, because what she said makes sense."

These words were clearly biased and protective, but Zhao Jian couldn't refute them.

"I understand. What you mean is that you can't beat her either. I will definitely be more careful with my words and actions in the future."

"No way," Song Chunxue pressed, feigning seriousness. "I'm telling the truth, but I won't pester you. You're beating around the bush; are you saying you don't like me?"