Chapter 71 In a Good Mood
The old ancestor was determined to die.
"What advice? Do I need his advice? He doesn't even care about his own affairs, and I—"
Duan Jiuyou overheard Liantang's words. She thought Liantang was trying to persuade the young wolf to speak. When she turned around to look at Liantang, she noticed Dijiang beside her.
Duan Jiuyou looked back and forth between Di Jiang and the wolf cub twice, and finally understood what had happened! She walked a few steps to Di Jiang, pointed back at the soft chair in the center of the hall, and said, "Is this a real wolf?!"
Before reaching adulthood, the Earthshaking Wolves can only understand human speech but cannot speak it. Even if she pried open its mouth, it would not give any response.
Di Jiang smiled at Duan Jiuyou. Even though he was full of affection for her in his heart and eyes, his words still had a hint of teasing in his tone: "Isn't it obvious? When you speak to me, even if I'm being temperamental, have I ever ignored you for a long time? Bai Yanxing wants a wolf cub, so just give him this one. Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Me, in a hurry?" Duan Jiuyou paced back and forth angrily. "I'm not going to die, why should I be in a hurry? I—"
What a waste of my time worrying about him!
Duan Jiuyou was so angry that he didn't want to say another word to Di Jiang. He flicked his sleeve and was about to walk out of the hall.
Di Jiang stood up and blocked her way, no matter which way she went or which direction she took, he held her firmly in place. She was furious, her face dark and sullen, and she looked up at him.
"Get out of my way!"
Instead, he laughed heartily and knew when to stop.
"I know you're worried about me, but now that I have a solution, you don't need to worry anymore. I just can't swallow this anger." Di Jiang turned his head and pointed to the wolf cub on the soft chair. "How about you give that wolf cub a beating?"
Duan Jiuyou was not the kind of person who would act without distinguishing right from wrong. He glared at Di Jiang and said, "Why would I hit that little thing? It can't speak or explain itself. On the contrary, you, a grown man, saw me getting anxious but didn't say a word?"
He seemed to reflect on his words, and smiled again: "Then what should we do? Beat me up instead? Although I'm not in good health, I can still take two punches from you."
He helped her find a spot, took her hand and pressed it to his chest, where there was an old wound, the mark from when she used Zhanlu's blade to pierce her heart. During the recovery of her primordial spirit, the old wound would ache faintly.
He looked down at her, his long eyelashes drooping slightly, a smile playing on his lips: "Hit me here, it won't hurt anywhere else."
It's not about letting her hit him; it's about bringing up old grievances!
His frail health is thanks to her; how could she bring herself to do that?
Duan Jiuyou pushed him away irritably: "You're delicate and precious, who would dare to hit you easily? What if you get hurt? Wouldn't I be the one suffering the consequences?"
Di Jiang released his grip following Duan Jiuyou's force and readily agreed, saying, "What the priest says is quite right. Then I will first take care of my health and wait until I am fully recovered before letting you vent your anger."
After speaking, he lifted his robe and sat back down.
Liantang and the others watched silently, all feeling that Dijiang must be in a very good mood today, otherwise why would he be so good-natured as to coax their ancestor?
Although I had tried to appease her before, it was only with a few words to give both sides a way out. This time, she was so considerate, and she even spoke with a smile.
Liantang and the others observed carefully and found that Emperor Jiang was indeed in a good mood today. It was not for any other reason than Duan Jiuyou's refusal of Bai Yanxing's words: "I am a heartless person, so Your Majesty does not need to care too much about me."
His hearing was exceptional; he knew what they were saying without even going to the front hall. He had been annoyed by Bai Yanxing for a long time, and hearing that he had been rejected naturally brought him joy.
Duan Jiuyou vaguely sensed that Dijiang was different today. Liantang and the others served tea, and the two of them each took a cup. Duan Jiuyou took a sip and turned to talk to Dijiang when he discovered that there was a little disciple standing next to him with tears streaming down his face.
This little guy is called Lian Xu. He is a disciple in the Earthly Breath Palace who is responsible for taking care of the flowers and plants. At this moment, he is holding a pot of withered grass and has been standing next to them for who knows how long.
He looked at Duan Jiuyou with tearful eyes and said, "Ancestor..."
"What's wrong with you now?" Duan Jiuyou frowned.
Asking this question only made the child cry harder, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Di Jiang put down his teacup, glanced at Lian Xu, and said, "Today, while admiring the flowers in the Orchid Garden, I noticed that the Cloud Orchid in his hand looked listless, so I casually watered it."
Unexpectedly, I watered it too much. At first, the flower just looked listless, but later it died.
This happened after Di Jiang heard Duan Jiuyou reject Bai Yanxing. He was in a good mood and turned flower viewing into watering. However, because he had no experience in caring for flowers and plants, he watered only the precious flowers and plants that did not need watering during this solar term and needed to be dry for a period of time.
The little apprentice almost cried his eyes out when he found out, wiping away his tears as he complained to Duan Jiuyou.
“Ancestor, it’s not just this one pot; he killed a whole bunch of them. When you entrusted the orchid garden to your disciple, you said, ‘As long as the flowers are here, I am here; if the flowers forget me, I will perish.’ This time, your disciple really won’t survive.”
Lian Xu was young, and when he cried, it was a completely childlike wail.
Duan Jiuyou rubbed his forehead in exasperation. She had indeed said that, but it was just a spur-of-the-moment remark, meant to be amusing. The Ao clan was exceptionally gifted; living was easy, but dying was difficult.
Lian Xu cried heartbrokenly, and Duan Jiuyou couldn't help but offer a few words of comfort. She said, "Have you ever seen any of your own clansmen die? Haven't you ever drunk at someone's funeral? I can't even die, so why should it be so easy for you to die? Stop crying, wipe your tears, and let Liantang take you downstairs to get some snacks. The flowers have withered, so be it, they can't really take your life, can they?"
Having received the order, Liantang coaxed and persuaded Lianxu to leave. No one was left in the hall to serve them. After closing the door, only Duan Jiuyou, Di Jiang, and the speechless wolf cub remained.
Duan Jiuyou turned around and berated Di Jiang: "Why are you watering those flowers when you have nothing better to do? The Cloud Orchid is priceless. Even the one in Lian Xu's hand was obtained from the God Rongqiu of Duanyan Mountain in exchange for six magical artifacts. You think you can just kill it by watering it?"
Emperor Jiang hadn't expected these flowers and plants to be so fragile. He grunted and said he wouldn't water them next time.
He rarely listens to people like this. Thinking back to the past, even if he was wrong, he would find a reason to justify himself. Today, he is easy to talk to in every way, which leaves Duan Jiuyou speechless.
The two sat quietly drinking tea, their postures perfectly synchronized, both lounging lazily in their chairs, their gazes naturally extending forward to the young wolf in the center of the main hall.
It was still dipping its paws in chili sauce and eating, its expression indifferent and arrogant, quite similar to Emperor Jiang's usual expression.
Duan Jiuyou stared at it intently for a while, then said, "Are you sure Bai Yanxing can't see anything?"
Di Jiang remained silent, probably thinking that the question did not need an answer.
He didn't even give himself away as a fake wolf, so what mistakes could the real wolf possibly make?
Duan Jiuyou was still worried and stared at Dijiang as if she was about to say something more, but Dijiang, annoyed by her nagging, gestured for Duan Jiuyou to lie down on the small couch in the back.
Duan Jiuyou looked completely bewildered and asked, "Why would you sleep in the middle of the day?"
She didn't want to sleep, especially not with Di Jiang. He was always restless when he slept with her, insisting on talking close together. In reality, he didn't have much to say; he just wanted to be close to her and entice her to go crazy with him.
Di Jiang rolled up his sleeves and laughed: "I told you to lie down, but I didn't say I wanted to lie down with you. But if you're sleepy, I don't mind lying down with you for a while."
"Who said I asked you to come with me? You know that's not what I meant."
Duan Jiuyou blushed, always feeling speechless in front of Di Jiang.
Di Jiang laughed innocently and said, "I didn't either."
The main hall was connected to the inner hall. He took a damp cloth from the washstand and said, "Isn't your foot injured? Let me see."
Duan Jiuyou looked puzzled, lifting her skirt to examine her feet: "How did you know I was injured?"
She has "thick skin," so these minor injuries didn't even register as a pain for her. She didn't even notice that her foot had been scratched by some gravel.
"The hem of your skirt is stained with blood." Di Jiang glanced at Duan Jiuyou's skirt.
She went to see Bai Yanxing barefoot, rushing from the side hall back to the main hall, passing through three or four corridors. In her haste, she must have taken the shortcut, which led through a narrow path made of rubble. Her skin was delicate, and even a slight scratch would leave a wound. The so-called "thick skin" was only because she didn't feel pain and recovered quickly, not because she was truly invulnerable.
Duan Jiuyou sat still, moving his bare little feet as he said, "I don't feel pain, why bother? If I leave it alone for half an hour, it will heal on its own."
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