Chapter 75 Do you hate it when I touch you?

Just as the atmosphere was tense, Wu Da Niang's voice came from outside. Jiang Zhishui thought something had happened, so she had no choice but to leave Jing Qianheng behind and go open the door first.

It was raining outside, and the little white fox under the tree had disappeared. Jiang Zhishui opened the door, and Aunt Wu and her husband, Uncle Zheng, stood outside looking disheveled, carrying some hoes and other tools.

The two were working on the mountain when it looked like it was going to rain. Uncle Zheng had passed by Jiang Zhishui's house when he and Aunt Wu got lost last time, so he thought he would come over to take shelter from the rain. The young lady looked quite kind and should be easy to talk to.

Aunt Wu had covered for those two people from the immortal sects last time. She knew that the young lady's husband was no ordinary person and didn't want to go and cause trouble again. Who knew that the old man was so bored and kept saying that it was slippery from the rain and that it was dangerous to go down the mountain at this time, so he insisted on going to bother them.

Jiang Zhishui, knowing the purpose of their visit, quickly invited them in and gave them dry cloths to wipe the rain off their bodies.

Uncle Zheng was an open-minded man who loved making friends. Seeing that this young couple had no relatives or friends and lived in such a remote little house, he thought he would take care of them.

He turned around with a sheepish grin, just in time to meet Jing Qianheng walking towards him. Uncle Zheng's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward to praise, "Oh, what a handsome young man! I didn't see him last time I came, but I've finally seen him this time. The young lady's husband is really good-looking, even more handsome than the noble young men in the city."

Jing Qianheng glanced at Aunt Wu, who guiltily looked away. The wine last time was brewed by her family, and she knew that the two immortal masters wanted to add something to it.

Uncle Zheng, unaware of the details, asked to himself, "Where are you from, young master, and what do you do for a living?"

"Why are you so talkative?" Aunt Wu stepped forward and pulled Uncle Zheng away. "The young couple lives in such a secluded place because they don't like to be disturbed. What are you still asking about? I've told you not to come, but you still insist on coming."

Uncle Zheng looked at Jing Qianheng suspiciously, thinking to himself: Could this be a son of an official who committed a crime in the capital and is hiding here to avoid being noticed?

When Uncle Zheng was young, he traveled all over the country and knew that some noble children, after their families fell on hard times, would choose to live in a remote place where no one knew them if they did not want to be recognized.

"Yes, yes, I was too talkative." Uncle Zheng smiled, sat down to the side, took a sip of the hot tea that Jiang Zhi had prepared for them, and said comfortably, "This place is really nice. Look, it's raining outside, but it's still so warm in this courtyard. I'll have to get a house like this for my son when he gets married."

Jiang Zhishui thought that Jing Qianheng was in a bad mood and probably didn't want to see anyone, so she went up to him to pull him back into the house. However, he coldly avoided her hand and turned away.

Noticing the strange atmosphere between the two, Aunt Wu leaned closer and whispered, "Did he find out about what happened last time?"

Jiang Zhishui watched Jing Qianheng's departing figure and nodded.

"What should we do? He's been giving you a hard time... this..." Aunt Wu said helplessly, sweat beading on her forehead, "What if he...?"

Jiang Zhishui looked at Aunt Wu, who looked flustered. Behind her, Uncle Zheng was looking around and praising her, completely absorbed in his own world, looking like he was living a peaceful life. Jiang Zhishui couldn't help but smile, patted Aunt Wu's hand, and comforted her, "It's okay, he won't be a big deal. He just gets a little fussy sometimes, but he'll be fine soon."

Aunt Wu didn't know much about their affairs, only the general idea. She knew that Jing Qianheng might be a demon, and that the two immortal masters had come to save people. But after their last parting, Jiang Zhishui didn't seem to intend to leave. She didn't seem to think that her husband would harm her, and she was willing to stay.

Aunt Wu didn't know whether Jing Qianheng was a monster or not, but he didn't seem very approachable and had a cold, aloof aura about him.

Aunt Wu nodded blankly and whispered, "If you need anything, just tell us. We'll leave as soon as the rain stops."

Just then, the white fox suddenly darted around on the rooftops, leaping over the wall. It was raining heavily outside, and Jiang Zhishui, worried, quickly chased after it.

Uncle Zheng paced back and forth in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, touching and swaying the swing. After fiddling with it for a few moments, he looked at the closed door and said, "This young man is really bold, daring to make his wife suffer. If it were me, you would have beaten me to a pulp long ago."

Aunt Wu turned around, gave him a disdainful look, then turned back to look at the doorway, staring in the direction Jiang Zhishui had run out.

Uncle Zheng stood up from the swing and walked resolutely up the steps.

Aunt Wu was worried that Jiang Zhishui would go out in the rain to look for the little fox, so she was staring anxiously at the door and didn't notice that her old man had quietly entered the house.

Uncle Zheng was completely oblivious to any sense of danger and struck up a conversation with Jing Qianheng in a very familiar manner. Jing Qianheng, dressed in a long brocade robe, had a cold expression on his face. He was not good at communicating with such talkative people, but he suddenly remembered what Jiang Zhishui had said: If you want to live the life of an ordinary person, you have to deal with ordinary people.

Jing Qianheng spoke somewhat awkwardly, "She regretted it..."

Uncle Zheng paused for a moment, and based on Jing Qianheng's words, he automatically assumed that the two must have eloped and that's why they hid here.

Uncle Zheng looked serious and said cautiously, "That girl gave up everything to follow you, so her burden is naturally much greater than yours. You should be more understanding of her and not always hold grudges against your wife."

“I can’t stand it…” Jing Qianheng stared at the few pebbles Jiang Zhishui had placed on the table, his voice low and hoarse: “She’s afraid of me.”

Uncle Zheng frowned: "What...what did you do that makes people afraid of you?"

Jing Qianheng looked at Uncle Zheng and recounted the events of Lin Ye and the others' visit a few days ago. Uncle Zheng was stunned for a while after listening, as he didn't quite understand. He processed it himself, switching to a more comprehensible way of thinking. Once he understood, he nodded with a deep expression.

"So that's how it is. Your family came and wanted to take your wife away. You were afraid that your wife would regret it and leave you to go home, so you got angry with her. What can I say about you?"

Uncle Zheng said, "If she would look down on you, she wouldn't have left with you in the first place. Don't underestimate yourself, be more confident."

Uncle Zheng rolled up his sleeves and said earnestly, "You said you'd let her go? You're really good at talking big. If one day she really gets together with someone else, can you really watch her being all lovey-dovey with him?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Qianheng's expression changed slightly, and his tone stiffened: "So lovey-dovey?"

Uncle Zheng suddenly remembered something, slammed his hand on the table, and said angrily, "That's right. Back then, the eldest son of the Xu family also relied on his money to harass my wife time and time again. I would get angry whenever I saw him. If it weren't for the fact that he was seriously ill and didn't have many years left to live, I would have given him a good beating."

Jing Qianheng only thought about it briefly, and the thought that Jiang Zhishui might remarry and fall into someone else's arms in the future made him feel extremely distressed and unable to bear it.

Uncle Zheng rambled on about his past when he was young, while Jing Qianheng was lost in a different, dangerous train of thought.

Jiang Zhishui returned, soaking wet, carrying the white fox. Aunt Wu hurriedly called for Uncle Zheng's help, but when she turned around, he was gone.

Hearing the noise, the people inside opened the door and came out. Aunt Wu looked at her husband and the young man who might be a demon as they walked out of the house in surprise.

The rain stopped at this point, and Aunt Wu, feeling embarrassed, tugged at Uncle Zheng's ear and took her leave.

Jiang Zhishui's clothes were all wet, and she wanted to take a hot bath and change her clothes while holding the white fox. Jing Qianheng grabbed the white fox by the scruff of its neck, lifted it up, and said, "You wash it yourself."

The white fox has lost its intelligence and is now similar to an ordinary fox. Moreover, Pei Yan is also young, and the transformed white fox is as small as a cat. Jiang Zhishui thought it wouldn't hurt to wash them together, so she didn't think too much about it.

The little white fox was held in Jing Qianheng's hand, its eyes blinking a few times, looking very pitiful. It was covered in mud, and Jiang Zhishui held it in her arms, getting it all rubbed against her.

Knowing that Jing Qianheng was always very clean, she kindly said, "Let me do it, so you don't get your clothes dirty again."

Without saying a word, Jing Qianheng took the white fox away without even glancing at Jiang Zhishui.

Jiang Zhishui had no choice but to go back to her room first.

After washing up, the rain started again. Jiang Zhishui opened the window, took a breath of fresh air, and rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the misty rain outside. Her mood calmed down considerably.

Thinking of the questions Jing Qianheng had asked her earlier, she put on her coat, opened the door, and went to find Jing Qianheng, intending to clarify what she hadn't finished saying.

She descended the steps and saw the little white fox, pure white, lying under a tree. It had been thoroughly cleaned and was wrapped in a warm little blanket. Jiang Zhishui went over and stroked its head. The fox squinted its eyes and whimpered contentedly a few times.

Inside the kitchen, Jing Qianheng was making ginger soup.

Jiang Zhishui leaned against the door, arms crossed, looking at him. "Qianheng, I have something to tell you."

Jing Qianheng's back stiffened for a moment, then he turned around and walked towards her. "Drink it, so you don't catch a cold."

Jiang Zhishui obediently drank it all in one gulp.

As darkness fell, Jing Qianheng's mind was elsewhere, and he felt somewhat unsettled. He didn't want to talk to Jiang Zhishui at this time, so he escorted her back to her room, told her to rest well, and then left.

Jiang Zhishui was pushed into the room before she could finish speaking. Unwilling to give up, she chased after him. Jing Qianheng returned to his room and was about to close the door when she stuck her foot in, getting stuck just as the door was about to close.

"I can't sleep until you explain yourself!" Jiang Zhishui pushed open his door and stormed in.

This was Jiang Zhishui's first time entering his room. The room was neatly furnished and not cluttered with many things. She glanced around and was about to take a step inside when she noticed someone watching her from behind. Only then did she turn around to look at him.

"Previously... I was a little confused, not because of you, but because of something that was wrong with me."

Jiang Zhishui picked at her fingers, looked down, her eyes darting around, and said with difficulty, "It's just... when you touch me, I get nervous. I didn't used to, but now I don't know why, it's suddenly like this. And... when you get close to me, I... have a hard time breathing."

Jing Qianheng stood by the door, his fingers curled, and said stiffly, "Do you...hate me touching you?"

Jiang Zhishui shook her head vigorously, her face flushed: "No... I don't hate it, you don't understand, it's just strange, I think... I think I'm a little sick."