The small courtyard had a subtle atmosphere.
The expressions on their faces varied, but Jiang Fei looked relaxed as he walked past Yun Wunian and headed straight for Rong Shu at the door.
Yun Wunian's fingers, which were hanging by his side, twitched, but he didn't lift them.
Jiang Fei stopped in front of Rong Shu, took the bamboo strips, and smiled with lowered eyes: "Thank you, Young Master Rong. I should be the one coming to express my gratitude."
“Miss Jiang, you’re too kind,” Rong Shu nodded and smiled. “I just happened to run into you this morning while I was strolling around. Besides, I don’t have any relatives or friends here. Miss Jiang is the first person I’ve met here.”
As he spoke, he looked up at Yun Wunian and Lin Ningyan: "These two look like a perfect match, I wonder if they are Miss Jiang's..."
Yun Wunian frowned slightly. Over the years, he had rarely shown any likes or dislikes, but this was the first time he had so clearly realized that he did not like this man.
Even, I feel disgusted by it.
Jiang Fei followed Rong Shu's gaze, raising an eyebrow slightly: "This is my..."
"Yun Wunian." Yun Wunian interrupted Jiang Fei.
He was afraid of hearing the so-called "siblings" from her again.
Rong Shu smiled and said, "Young Master Yun, my surname is Rong and my given name is Yu."
Yun Wunian didn't respond, but only glanced at the bamboo strips in Jiang Fei's hand: "I'll go make breakfast."
After saying that, he was about to go into the woodshed.
Rong Shu noticed his gaze and raised an eyebrow: "I just moved here, and the stove in my house hasn't been lit yet. I did learn some cooking skills before. If Miss Jiang doesn't mind, why don't you rest, Young Master Yun, and I'll cook?"
Yun Wunian froze, his hand hidden beneath his wide sleeve clenching: "No need..."
"Young Master Rong can cook?" Jiang Fei's slightly surprised voice interrupted him.
She was really looking forward to seeing the owner of Qianjinlou cook.
Yun Wunian looked at Jiang Fei, his heart sinking.
From childhood until now, he has cooked for her every day, and she has never been so surprised.
"I know a little," Rong Shu replied with a smile.
Jiang Fei continued, "Then why not, Young Master Rong..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a harsh voice. Yun Wunian said expressionlessly, "The woodshed is simple and might soil Young Master Rong's clothes."
Jiang Fei looked at Yun Wunian with "confusion": "Little Wunian, what's wrong with you?"
Yun Wunian pursed his lips and remained silent.
Rong Shu chuckled softly, breaking the silence: "What Young Master Yun said makes sense. The clothes I'm wearing today are really not suitable for cooking."
Yun Wunian looked at him.
Rong Shu changed the subject and said, "However, I just saw some tofu soup and steamed rice cakes for sale in the market. They looked extremely delicious. Miss Jiang, would you be so kind as to try them?" As he finished speaking, he glanced meaningfully at Yun Wunian and Lin Ningyan.
Yun Wunian's expression tightened, and he was about to speak.
“Okay.” Jiang Fei’s voice rang out slowly.
Yun Wunian stared blankly at Jiang Fei, only to see her turn and walk towards him, then place the bamboo strips in his hand and smile: "Little Wunian, you can just make breakfast for you and Miss Lin."
After saying that, he turned around and was about to walk out with Rong Shu.
“Jiang Fei!” Yun Wunian suddenly called out.
Jiang Fei turned her head slightly.
Yun Wunian stood there blankly, not knowing what to say.
Seeing that he remained silent, Jiang Fei simply nodded and smiled before getting up and leaving.
Yun Wunian was still staring at her back as she disappeared through the doorway, his grip on the bamboo strips tightening unconsciously, until a cry of "Brother Wunian!" came from beside him, snapping him back to reality.
Looking down, he saw that the bamboo strips in his hand had been squeezed out of shape.
Over the years, many people have tried to arrange marriages for Jiang Fei, but she has always refused, citing that "he was her childhood sweetheart."
But why didn't she refuse Rong Yu this time?
Was she serious?
But before he surpassed her, wasn't he still the child husband she brought back?
"Brother Wunian, are you alright?" Lin Ningyan's worried voice came from beside her.
Yun Wunian snapped out of his daze and turned to look at Lin Ningyan. She still had the same features, but he couldn't find a trace of the beauty from his childhood.
After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Let's go back."
Lin Ningyan's brows furrowed with worry, and she murmured, "Brother Wunian?"
"Things from my childhood are all in the past." Yun Wunian's voice was exceptionally calm: "Miss Lin, I have no feelings for you..."
"Brother Wunian!" Lin Ningyan suddenly interrupted him.
Yun Wunian looked at him quietly.
Lin Ningyan's eyes were filled with unease. After a long while, she whispered, "Is it because of... Miss Jiang? But isn't she your elder sister?"
Yun Wunian's brows furrowed slightly: "She is not."
Never has been.
"Then who is she?"
“She…” Yun Wunian’s voice suddenly stopped.
Who is Jiang Fei?
He was his benefactor, someone who had been by his side since childhood, and someone who was even angrier than him when he was bullied and stood up for him.
But what about him? What kind of feelings does he have for Jiang Fei?
Lin Ningyan bit her lip tightly: "Brother Wunian, Miss Jiang is a good person, but she raised you and is much older than you. What will people around you think of you? Besides, she and that young master from earlier seemed very well-matched..."
Yun Wunian couldn't hear the rest of what was said.
All along, it was only because Jiang Fei had brought him out of the dirty and lowly dilapidated temple that he felt such immense gratitude. Needless to say, it was nothing more than providing him with three meals a day and cleaning and washing clothes. Even if one day she got impatient with him and wanted him to surpass her, and really asked him to marry her, he would not refuse.
But he never thought, or rather, never dared to think, about feelings beyond gratitude.
He was with Jiang Fei...
Yun Wunian suddenly took a half step back.
Lin Ningyan was startled: "Brother Wunian?"
Yun Wunian glanced at her, his face pale, and said, "The people from the Prefect's residence will be here to pick you up soon."
After saying that, he turned around and hurriedly walked out the door.
For the next few days, Yun Wunian kept avoiding Jiang Fei.
In fact, there was no need for him to hide; the man named Rong Yu came almost every day, and Jiang Fei spent less and less time at home.
More often than not, he watched her and Rong Yu leave together.
Rong Yu was very gentle with her, unlike him, who usually spoke very little and only responded when she pressed him.
Rongyu was about the same age as her, while he was so much younger than her.
Although sometimes, when Rongyu looked at her, he didn't seem to be looking at a woman, but rather at a precious object, Rongyu truly cared for her deeply.
Yun Wunian knew he should bless her, and even... felt a sense of relief.
If she falls in love with someone else, perhaps he can finally shed the label of "childhood sweetheart" that he has carried for so many years.
But he couldn't do it.
Only when he lay on the soft couch in her room each night and listened to her breathing in the inner room could he feel his chaotic heart calm down.
On this day, Yun Wunian went to the prefect's residence to discuss with him the recent appearances of demons near Liu'an City.
As soon as he entered the mansion, the prefect said first, "Young Master Yun, congratulations!"
Yun Wunian did not understand.
The prefect then said, "I have heard about Young Master Yun's marriage arrangements. Young Master Yun is a capable and virtuous man, and being a child groom, though indebted to him, is truly an insult to him. However, I recently heard that Miss Jiang in Young Master Yun's household has found her sweetheart, so Young Master Yun will likely be free soon..."
Yun Wunian froze.
It turns out that in the eyes of those around him, he and Jiang Fei were such an ill-matched couple.
And the phrase "the one I love" is even more jarring.
After a long silence, Yun Wunian finally asked, "Where did the prefect hear these rumors?"
The prefect said, "It's all over the place. I even saw that Miss Jiang and her young master walking together today. They were a perfect match, both handsome and beautiful..."
Before the prefect could finish speaking, Yun Wunian suddenly turned and walked away, his back view filled with barely concealed anger.
He didn't understand why, even though everyone knew about his relationship with Jiang Fei, they kept saying that she was a better match for someone else.
However, he stopped as he passed the bookstore.
I vaguely remember that a few days ago Jiang Fei complained that she had finished reading all the storybooks...
A moment later, Yun Wunian came out of the bookstore and walked quickly back to the mansion, but his body stiffened when he reached the door.
From inside the courtyard came the clear voice of a man reading a storybook, and the soft laughter of a woman.
Yun Wunian looked inside.
Jiang Fei was sitting at the table, refilling their cups of hot tea. Rong Yu sat beside her, reading a storybook in a low voice.
It was exceptionally beautiful.
Yun Wunian stared blankly.
From pastries to daily meals, and even storybooks, he always prepared everything for her.
Now, she doesn't need him anymore; there's someone else by her side.
He's just someone who can be replaced at any time.
A sudden pain shot through Yun Wunian's chest, and his expression froze.
Yun Wunian's favorability rating: 75.
Inside the room, Jiang Fei heard the system notification sound, raised an eyebrow slightly, saw the figure at the door, and feigned surprise: "Wu Nian?"
Rong Shu stopped reading the storybook, looked up at the door, nodded and smiled, "Young Master Yun."
Yun Wunian almost immediately hid the storybook behind his back, staring intently at Jiang Fei, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, a dull, aching pain in his chest.
But he couldn't say anything.
At that moment, the sky above suddenly darkened.
Rong Shu, standing to the side, twitched slightly between her brows.
It has a demonic aura.
It seems the demons found the Cloud Technique for Tribulation first.
Rong Shu smiled faintly to herself.
Sure enough, the next moment, the sky above the mansion was shrouded in a dark cloud, and then the demonic energy became more and more intense, gathering into a cloud of black mist.
As the black mist gradually dissipated, several people dressed in black robes appeared in the courtyard.
"Brother Wunian!" came another low cry, tinged with sobs.
Yun Wunian was taken aback.
One of the men in black robes was holding Lin Ningyan, who had just left not long ago.
Rong Shu merely raised an eyebrow, and upon seeing Lin Ningyan, immediately understood.
Presumably, those demons noticed the celestial light emanating from Lin Ningyan and followed the clues to find this place.
"Found it." The man in black robes stared at Yun Wunian, a cloud of murderous black mist in his palm.
Yun Wunian was taken aback; these people were after him.
Lin Ningyan was probably arrested because of him.
"What should we do with this woman?" another person asked, holding Lin Ningyan in their hands.
"Leave no survivors."
Lin Ningyan's face turned deathly pale. She didn't know when she had provoked these monsters, but as the black mist-shrouded daggers in the monsters' hands drew closer and closer, her voice trembled even more violently: "Brother Wunian, save me..."
Just as the dagger was about to reach Lin Ningyan's throat, a long sword pierced through the air.
The next instant, Yun Wunian arrived and grabbed Lin Ningyan's wrist.
The man in black robes was caught off guard and the man actually managed to snatch the person away. Once he realized what had happened, he was furious.
Mortals are no match for demons who have cultivated for decades or even centuries. Before Yun Wunian could even land on the ground, the black-robed man's black mist, filled with murderous intent, attacked the two of them like a sword brimming with malevolence.
Yun Wunian frowned, and without further thought, he pushed Lin Ningyan aside, while he waited for the incredibly powerful and malevolent aura to come from behind him.
"Watch out!" the woman on the ground cried out in alarm.
Yun Wunian looked in the direction of the sound and saw Jiang Fei's worried expression.
Will she still worry about him?
Yun Wunian unconsciously curved his lips into a smile, but the next moment, fear replaced his eyes.
Jiang Fei almost immediately leaped up and hugged him tightly, also blocking the palm strike from behind.
Yun Wunian froze.
Jiang Fei, held in his arms, trembled slightly, and then a trickle of blood slowly dripped from the corner of her lips.
She protected him?
"Jiang Fei?" Yun Wunian's voice was tense as he held the woman in his arms.
"Little Wunian, you like Miss Lin so much?" Jiang Fei smiled and whispered.
Yun Wunian held her tightly, his hands trembling violently: "You shouldn't have saved me..."
If I don't save you and you really die, what will happen to her affection level?
Jiang Fei scoffed inwardly, but her expression remained unchanged. She simply smiled and said softly, "It's not like I'm not going to help you and Miss Lin. You don't need to avoid me these days..."
Yun Wunian was stunned.
During this time, she thought he was avoiding her because of Lin Ningyan?
Was her getting close to Rong Shu also to help him get together with Lin Ningyan?
But he clearly did it for her...
The surrounding demons were about to attack again, but Yun Wunian remained motionless, still holding the woman in his arms.
In an instant, a chilling blue light emanated from his body, instantly keeping the approaching demons at bay.
On the ground, Rong Shu squinted as she observed the man and woman in white entangled in mid-air.
That blue light was the protective divine light that Yun Wunian received when he was in danger. His divine light is growing stronger, and it seems that it won't be long before he returns to his true form.
However... for the first time, Rong Shu no longer expected Jiang Fei to appear "lifeless".
The image of her leaping up without hesitation to shield Yun Wunian from that palm strike kept flashing before his eyes.
I had only ever seen her in the water mirror before, but now that I truly see her giving everything for someone, I realize how shocking it is.
Knowing that the path ahead was uncertain, they still stepped forward without hesitation.
His curiosity seemed to have been piqued again.
The number of demons around them increased. Yun Wunian was still a mortal after all. After regaining consciousness, the immortal light gradually dissipated, and he fell to the ground, still holding Jiang Fei in his arms, his lips pale.
Jiang Fei reached out and wiped the blood from the corner of her lips: "Xiao Wunian, are you worried about me?"
Yun Wunian stared at her without saying a word, his hands and feet were ice cold.
Rong Shu narrowed her eyes, glanced at the demon, then at Jiang Fei in Yun Wunian's arms, pondered for a moment, and then stepped forward to pull Jiang Fei over: "Come with me."
Yun Wunian tightened his grip on Jiang Fei, his cold gaze turning sinister as he looked at Rong Shu.
Rong Shu smiled and glanced at Lin Ningyan in the corner: "Does Young Master Yun intend to let that young lady die here?"
Lin Ningyan was also looking at him, her whole body trembling slightly: "Brother Wunian..."
Yun Wunian's hand trembled slightly; he couldn't let anyone else die because of him.
Finally, he let go of Jiang Fei's hand and watched as Rong Shu embraced Jiang Fei and headed up the mountain.
He pulled Lin Ningyan up and followed her.
The trees on the mountain are lush and green.
The demons followed closely behind, chasing after the group.
As Rong Shu led the way, she inadvertently dealt with dozens of demons.
The four men fled and dodged along the way.
Jiang Fei looked at Rong Shu's figure beside her, and she didn't believe that this person would be so kind.
Sure enough, after only a short while, Rong Shu led the way to the edge of a cliff.
Below the cliff, a cloud of mist hung in the air, and a fierce wind blew in.
A high cliff lies ahead, and pursuers are behind.
The demons followed closely behind, their longswords, shrouded in black mist, relentlessly attacking the group.
Rong Shu narrowed her eyes, glanced at the cliff, and then looked at Jiang Fei beside her. Her face was as pale as paper, and there were still traces of blood on the corner of her lips, which she had left to protect others.
So, right now...
Rong Shu looked at the demon in front of her, her eyes flashing slightly. The next moment, she lightly flicked the longsword in the demon's hand with her finger.
With a slight slant, the longsword pierced straight towards Jiang Fei, who was standing beside Rong Shu.
You bastard.
Jiang Fei snorted coldly, watching the long swords continuously attacking him, and hurriedly retreated.
Behind them lay a sheer cliff hundreds of feet high.
"Miss Jiang!" Rong Shu called out softly, running quickly towards her and blocking her way.
"You're courting death!" The demon sneered, his longsword, imbued with demonic energy, struck and knocked Rong Shu off the cliff.
Rong Shu looked at Jiang Fei's red eyes and smiled slightly.
The small cliff was nothing to him, but at this moment, she was moved, and there was no love-locking spell at work.
But the smile on his lips faltered slightly the next moment.
"Young Master Rong!" Jiang Fei called out to him loudly.
The next instant, she grabbed his hand tightly, seemingly trying to use her ridiculous strength to pull him up, but in the end, she fell off the cliff with him.
In the instant she fell off the cliff, her hands were icy cold. Then she hugged him tightly, and her last words before falling were, "Don't be afraid."
Her hands were trembling as she said those words.
She was also afraid, but she never let go.
Rong Shu looked at her with her eyes tightly closed, yet her expression was utterly stubborn, amidst the clouds and mist below the cliff, and that novel feeling returned.
She was just as stubborn when she walked the test steps and the red-hot copper pillar for Xin Qi in Qianjin Tower, and when she searched for immortal herbs for Yun Wunian.
The difference is that this time, it's because of him.
...
A hoarse, terrified roar from the cliffside startled the clouds and mist.
"Jiang Fei!"
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