Different kinds of "heart-pounding" moments

Qian Jin's judgment has never been wrong.

She stood before the God of Wealth of the North Road, her eyes clear yet resolute: "My lord, the Black Fiend Bandits' ability to ambush so precisely suggests that a mere bribed clerk and influence from the Netherworld wouldn't be able to know the caravan's movements so well. There must be merchants in the area who are colluding with them and providing information. They may have paid money, made connections, or even been among those who complain about the trade routes and are taking the opportunity to drive down prices."

Ao Ming frowned, his pride as a dragon making him unwilling to assume malice towards the creatures under his rule: "Really? Most merchants in the Northern Territory are honest and law-abiding..."

“I may not have been here long,” Qian Jin interrupted him, her tone calm yet carrying a worldly-wise indifference, “but I understand human nature. When the profit is big enough, there are always those who will take risks.”

The God of Wealth of the North Road pondered for a long time, stroked his beard, and sighed: "This matter... I think it's better to avoid trouble. The priority right now is to restart the project and maintain the overall situation. If we delve deeper, it will only create more complications."

"We can't let them think we're fools who can be easily fooled!" Qian Jin insisted, her eyes gleaming with shrewdness. "If we don't teach them a lesson, there's no guarantee there won't be a next time. We need to let them know that the God of Wealth's Mansion doesn't tolerate any wrongdoing, but... we also need to give them a chance to make amends with dignity."

Her eyes lit up, and she snapped her fingers: "I have an idea! Let's organize all the merchants related to the Northern Border trade route to come to the God of Wealth's dungeon in batches for a 'visit and study'! We'll call it 'strengthening security awareness and jointly building a prosperous trade route.' Those who participate will naturally understand what's going on when they see Lin Yuan being imprisoned, and it'll scare them to death! Those who don't participate will receive a profound security education and be more law-abiding in the future!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback, then showed expressions of both amusement and bewilderment, finding the method quite ingenious.

"Brilliant!" Ban Ge'er clapped first. "It swatted the rat without overturning the table, and it also makes our God of Wealth Mansion seem very generous!"

Tu Shanlan smiled and nodded: "Junior Sister Qian's plan combines firmness and gentleness, and it is indeed feasible."

The God of Wealth of the North Road finally nodded: "We will do as Qian Jin says. Lan girl, you will be in charge of planning this matter, with Ao Ming and Ban Ge assisting."

Thus, the "Northern Trade Route Security Warning and Education Visit Activity" was launched.

Lan Jie'er was meticulous and responsible for overall coordination and communication with the celestial officials of the God of Wealth's Mansion in the North Road; Ao Ming stood there with a cold face, his dragon might slightly weakened, which was the best deterrent; Ban Ge'er had sharp eyes, scanning the subtle reactions of every visitor like a hunter; Da Qiangzi was given an important task by Qian Jin: to squat in the corner of the cell where Lin Yuan was imprisoned, occasionally scratching the wall with his claws, making a tooth-grinding "sizzling" sound, and then looking "timidly" at the passing merchants with his innocent big eyes.

Qian Jin himself smiled and acted as a guide, his tone as gentle as if he were introducing a tourist attraction: "Ladies and gentlemen, please look, this is Lin Yuan, the criminal who colluded with foreign enemies to sabotage trade routes. Alas, a single wrong thought can lead to an abyss! When we do business, the most important thing is to be honest and law-abiding, right? The God of Wealth is watching..."

Before she finished speaking, sure enough, several bosses in the visiting group, who usually had quite a lot of voices, turned pale instantly, their foreheads were covered in cold sweat, their legs were trembling, and they almost dared not look up at the haggard-looking, immortal official in the prison cell whose immortal power was suppressed.

…

During a break in the activity, Tu Shanlan called Ao Ming, Ban Ge'er, and Da Qiangzi aside.

"Junior Sister Qian's welcome banquet has been postponed again and again, and it still hasn't been held. I was thinking, why don't we hold it for her here? It's a small token of our Chen Group's appreciation," Tu Shanlan said gently.

Upon hearing this, Ao Ming felt somewhat sullen: "The welcome banquet... feels like it's almost become a farewell banquet now. After this meal, I feel like she's really going to leave..." He felt a tightness in his chest, and that restless feeling of wanting to get closer but not knowing how to hold her back surged up again.

Sister Lan glanced at him and smiled knowingly: "Parting is inevitable, and life is full of farewells. But while we are in a position, we should always do our part. Let's each prepare a small gift for Junior Sister Qian and give it to her at the banquet."

Ban Ge'er immediately raised his hand, his eyes sparkling: "I'm going to give you my tiger clan's special protective claws! Polished until they're shiny, they can ward off evil spirits!"

Da Qiangzi patted his chest with his paw, the golden scales clanging: "Me! I'll give you the brightest dragon scale I shed! To make a necklace pendant for my little sister! How awesome is that!"

Lan Jie'er covered her mouth and chuckled: "I prepared a box of Qingqiu's special calming incense to help her sleep peacefully."

Everyone looked at Ao Ming.

Ao Mingjun's face flushed slightly, his eyes darting around, and he stammered, "I...I'll think about it some more." His mind was a jumbled mess. What could he give her that was special yet not seem deliberate? How could he...make her remember him?

…

The visit concluded successfully, with a significant deterrent effect.

That afternoon, Ao Ming was feeling restless and simply jumped onto the glazed tile roof of the side hall of the God of Wealth Temple, lay down, stared blankly at the flowing clouds, and continued to think about that "one-of-a-kind" gift.

The sunlight was warm and inviting, but he was wide awake. Faint sounds of conversation drifted from the courtyard below.

Recently, a strange atmosphere seems to have permeated the manor. In particular, the fellow disciples and even the celestial officials from other departments have been noticeably more frequently approaching Qian Jin.

Ao Ming squinted and looked down, and sure enough, he saw two familiar figures talking to Qian Jin. One of them even handed over a jade box that looked very valuable.

A surge of anger rose within Ao Ming, and he snorted sourly, "Offering help for no reason!"

Just then, he saw that Brother Ban had also appeared, looking rather awkward! He glanced around and then quickly walked towards Qian Jin, who was checking the accounts alone.

Ao Ming's heart leaped into his throat! What was this sick cat up to?!

Ban Ge'er walked up to Qian Jin, a suspicious blush creeping onto his wheat-colored face. His fingers nervously fiddled with the hem of his clothes, and his voice was so low it was almost inaudible: "Qian...Junior Sister Qian Jin...I...I..."

Oh no! Alarm bells rang in Ao Ming's mind! He was all too familiar with this situation! He'd seen it far too many times in the past few days!

He didn't have time to think. His body moved faster than his mind. Like a bolt of lightning, he swept down from the roof and landed precisely behind Ban Ge'er, covering his mouth with his hand!

"Ugh! Ugh ugh ugh!" Ban Ge'er was so frightened by the sudden attack that he struggled to turn around. When he saw that it was Ao Ming, he was so angry that his eyes widened.

Ao Ming covered it tightly, his eyes wary like a predatory beast guarding its prey, and threatened in a low voice, "Shut up! Don't say a word!"

Qian Jin was taken aback by this sudden scene. She looked at Ban Ge'er, whose face was flushed, and then at Ao Ming, who had a fierce look on his face. She blinked and asked, "Senior Brother Ao Ming? Why are you covering Ban Ge'er's mouth?"

Ao Ming then realized he had overreacted, awkwardly letting go of his hand, but still standing in front of Ban Ge'er, his neck stiff: "He...he has a sore throat! Yes! I told him not to talk, so he wouldn't infect you!"

Ban Ge'er was panting heavily, almost suffocating, and punched Ao Ming on the shoulder in annoyance: "Ao Ming, are you crazy! I have important business with Junior Sister Qian Jin!"

"What important matter requires blushing and stuttering?" Ao Ming retorted firmly.

Ban Ge'er felt uncomfortable under his gaze, his face turning even redder. Finally, in a fit of despair, he pulled out a small object carefully wrapped in soft velvet from his pocket and handed it to Qian Jin, his voice barely audible: "...I wanted to...I wanted to ask Junior Sister Qian Jin to help me...pass this on to Sister Lan."

The air fell silent instantly.

Qian Jin and Ao Ming were both stunned. Their eyes lit up with an astonishing gossip-filled light as they focused on Ban Ge'er's face, which was already red and almost bleeding.

"Is this for Sister Lan?" Qian Jin took the small package, which was still warm from her body, and her curiosity was completely piqued. She and Ao Ming took a step closer, almost sandwiching Brother Ban in the middle.

"What is it? What is it?" Qian Jin asked softly, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Tell me quickly! When did you..." Ao Ming forgot his jealousy from earlier, lowered his voice, and looked excitedly like he wanted to tell the truth.

The three heads huddled together, and the atmosphere instantly shifted from tense to ambiguous and whispering.

Ban Ge'er was overwhelmed by their questions and wished he could disappear into the ground. Ao Ming was excited and subconsciously wanted to pat Qian Jin's arm to share his feelings, but when his hand fell, it unintentionally covered the back of Qian Jin's hand, which was also raised excitedly.

The moment their skin touched, they both felt as if they were struck by a subtle electric current, and froze simultaneously.

Qian Jin's hand was warm and soft, while Ao Ming's palm carried the cool body temperature of a dragon and a thin layer of sweat from tension.

Ao Ming recoiled as if burned, his face flushing bright red, even his ears and neck turning crimson. His heart pounded like a drum, his mind went blank, and only the fleeting, soft touch remained amplified.

Qian Jin also felt a chill on the back of her hand, and then saw his bright red face and flustered appearance. She was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help but burst out laughing. She also felt her cheeks getting a little hot, and she looked away unnaturally.

Just then, Tu Shanlan's gentle voice came from not far away: "Junior Sister Qian? So you're here."

The three of them separated abruptly like children caught red-handed, each standing upright with a lingering blush on their faces.

Tu Shanlan approached and saw that Ao Ming's face was flushed and Ban Ge'er was covered in sweat, especially Ban Ge'er, who looked like he had just come out of a steamer. She couldn't help but ask with concern, "What's wrong with you two? Your faces are so red. Are you feeling unwell?"

As she spoke, she naturally raised her hand and gently placed the back of her hand on the forehead of her son to check his temperature.

"!!!"

Ban Ge'er froze completely, his eyes wide open, steam practically rising from his head! Lan Jie'er's gentle touch seemed to ignite the blood in his veins. He gasped, unable to utter a word. The next second, like a startled rabbit, he turned and stumbled away, running away at breakneck speed! He moved so fast he created a gust of wind.

Tu Shanlan's hand was still frozen in mid-air, looking bewildered: "...Brother Ban?"

Qian Jin and Ao Ming exchanged a glance and couldn't help but burst into suppressed laughter at the same time.

Tu Shanlan was puzzled by their laughter, shook her head, and then smiled at Qian Jin, saying, "Don't mind them. Junior Sister Qian, remember to come to Liufang Pavilion in the back garden at 7 PM tonight. You must come." Her eyes held a gentle, mysterious smile, without explicitly stating that it was a belated welcome banquet.

After saying that, Tu Shanlan gracefully departed.

Qian Jin was left with an expectant look on her face, while Ao Ming, whose heart was still pounding and whose face was still flushed, was staring at Qian Jin's profile and began to drift off into a daze.

What gift should I give?