Seeing that Yuan Zhao's face was so dark it looked like it was about to drip ink, Qiao Zhen awkwardly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Just kidding, if you don't like Li Luo, you don't like her."
Yuan Zhao's expression softened, and he raised his large hand to touch Qiao Zhen's head. "Idiot."
"You're the idiot! Your whole family is idiot!" Qiao Zhen retorted, poking Yuan Zhao's wound hard with her fingertip, finally hearing Yuan Zhao gasp in pain. "Serves you right! Why did you two start fighting?"
Yuan Zhao thought about what had just happened. Li Luo had actually tried to attack Qiao Zhen, and he knew Li Luo's hidden impulses. The two of them started fighting without saying a word. He took Qiao Zhen's mischievous hand away. "It's nothing, he's just asking for trouble."
Qiao Zhen pulled her hand back; she felt sorry for Yuan Zhao just looking at the injuries on his face. "Let's go back and apply the medicine."
"Okay." Qiao Zhen took Yuan Zhao back, and that was the end of today's matter.
Upon learning that Yuan Zhao and Qiao Zhen were together, Master Yuan took Yuan Lin to find Qiao Zhen the next day. Qiao Zhen did not deliberately hide her whereabouts, so she had to face the two troublesome people early in the morning.
"I wonder what wind blew Master Yuan and Young Master Yuan here?" Qiao Zhen said sarcastically from outside the door. She glanced at Yuan Zhao behind her and said, "What are you looking at? Serve the guests tea."
Yuan Zhao silently went downstairs to brew a pot of tea and then served it to Master Yuan and Yuan Lin.
Qiao Zhen picked up the celadon teacup and looked at the tea leaves floating on the surface. She said casually, "If you have something to say, why not have a sip of tea first, so that others won't criticize me? When my former father-in-law and husband came to visit, they didn't even offer me a decent cup of tea."
Mr. Yuan was cornered by Qiao Zhen and could only pick up his teacup and take a small sip, but he choked on it suddenly. "Cough!"
Qiao Zhen couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth, her eyes narrowing into slits with laughter. She had anticipated yesterday that Master Yuan would come to demand the person, so she and Yuan Zhao had devised a plan to make Master Yuan suffer in silence.
"Is this tea really that good? Even Master Yuan is reluctant to swallow it." Qiao Zhen suppressed a laugh and pressed down her lips. "Ah Zhao is your son. There will be plenty of time to brew tea for you in the future. There's no need to be reluctant."
Seeing Master Yuan's restrained expression, Yuan Lin couldn't help but pick up his teacup and lick it with his tongue. That one lick made Yuan Lin swallow hard.
Qiao Zhen was also curious when she saw this. Just how much salt did Yuan Zhao add?
Following Qiao Zhen's words, Master Yuan said, "Zhenzhen, I won't be drinking tea for many more years. Let Zhao'er come back with me."
Qiao Zhen put down the porcelain cup in her hand. "Alright." She took out an IOU from her bosom. "Yuan Zhao owes two thousand one hundred taels of gold and a Qingming lamp. If Master Yuan pays it off for him, I will immediately tell Yuan Zhao to pack his bags and get out of here."
The two thousand one hundred taels of gold was a petal of the Amber Ice Lotus, and the Azure Lamp was because Yuan Zhao returned it to Li Luo the day after he obtained it.
Both Master Yuan and Yuan Lin looked rather grim. Master Yuan asked, "How could we owe so much? Zhao'er was mentally impaired a few days ago. We really can't put all the blame on him just because of that."
"Oh, if being an idiot can defeat the Lord of Qingfeng Palace, then I'll try being an idiot too." Qiao Zhen saw Yuan Zhao standing behind her with his head down. "What are you standing there for? Have you chopped today's firewood? Have you chopped tomorrow's firewood? Have you chopped the day after tomorrow's firewood? Paying back debts is a matter of course. I didn't come here for you to live a peaceful life."
Both Master Yuan and Yuan Lin knew that Qiao Zhen was speaking to them. Yuan Lin snorted lightly, and actually had some air of authority, "Qiao Zhen, you're going too far with your haughty attitude."
"You don't have to pay back the money you owe? It's all in black and white, and there's even Yuan Zhao's fingerprint on it. I've never seen anyone as shameless as you, trying to take people away without paying back the money." Qiao Zhen slammed the teacup down on the tea table, gave a light snort, and easily slapped the pear wood table with her palm, sending some wood chips flying from the edges.
A hint of surprise flashed in Yuan Lin's eyes. He was a lazy, good-for-nothing guy from the 23rd century who came to this world by chance. On his second day there, a book fell from the sky, which contained a unique way to enhance martial arts talent. That's why he became more and more powerful in a short period of time.
Unlike him, Qiao Zhen didn't possess any special abilities, yet she easily shattered the corner of the pear wood table with a single palm strike, demonstrating her profound inner strength. Moreover, she was the daughter of the martial arts alliance leader; if he were to obtain her, what worries would he have about fame and fortune?
He inherited the memories of the original owner, Yuan Lin, and knew very well how much Xiao Zhen loved the original owner. Someone who had loved for so many years could not be forgotten overnight. Now that Yuan Zhao had been involved, it was not hard to imagine that Xiao Zhen was playing hard to get.
“Zhenzhen, I know you’re angry that I’m flirting with other women. My coming to Yicheng and getting close to Miss Yu was just to make you angry.” Yuan Lin looked at Qiao Zhen with tender affection, then put on a hurt expression. “Zhenzhen, I know I was wrong. Father, please help me persuade Zhenzhen, okay?”
Qiao Zhen had never seen such a shameless person before. If it were the original owner of Xiao Zhen, she would have been fooled by his affectionate appearance long ago.
Seeing Qiao Zhen's increasingly unpleasant expression, Master Yuan assumed that Qiao Zhen was angry about the past. "Zhenzhen, Ah Lin knows he was wrong, so don't be so petty anymore. Take Zhao'er back to the Yuan residence."
Qiao Zhen was unmoved by reason. She looked like a wronged woman, "Yuan Lin, if you had treated me like this earlier, how could we have ended up like this? My love for you has been worn away by time. If you have to blame someone, blame time for being too cruel!"
Yuan Lin wanted to say something even more cloying, but Qiao Zhen cut him off.
"No! You don't need to say anything more. I know you've started to improve yourself now. From the Yuan family to Yicheng, I've heard so many rumors about you—talented, learned, and polite. But what about me? I'm still the same Xiao Zhen who accomplished nothing and only cared about love. I'm not worthy of you." Qiao Zhen covered her face with her hands, her voice trembling, "I'm not worthy to stay by your side anymore. If you still have even a shred of pity for me, then don't appear before me again. Let me suffer, blame myself, and taste the bitterness of unrequited love until I die. Only then can I die without any regrets."
Yuan Lin looked at Qiao Zhen's beautiful face; even with her pained expression, she was as endearing as a delicate white flower. Besides, the person before him was suffering because of him. "Father, let's go back first."
"Alright, Zhenzhen, you should rest well and not be too sad. It's all my fault. I didn't teach Alin well, and he lost you." Master Yuan said this with great sorrow.
Qiao Zhen reached out to stop them from continuing. "No, Father, please stop talking. Let me be alone. Please. Ah Lin, if we are still destined to be together... I only ask that there is still a place for me by your side."
“Alright!” Yuan Lin said solemnly, and then went out with Master Yuan.
Master Yuan was comforted by Qiao Zhen's call of "Father". After leaving the mansion, he laughed and said, "Good lad, the status of the son-in-law of the martial arts alliance leader is not ordinary."
Yuan Lin felt his father valued reputation too much, and he felt sorry for the frail Xiao Zhen. Xiao Zhen was a woman of both talent and martial arts prowess, the most beloved youngest daughter of the martial arts alliance leader—a rare find in the martial arts world, yet she reserved her most vulnerable side for him. Undeniably, Yuan Lin was moved.
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