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墨書 Inktalez
The young man's voice was neither submissive nor arrogant, flowing slowly and sincerely, causing the sounds in the pharmacy to fall silent.
Xue Tinghe was taken aback and said somewhat awkwardly, "I was just joking; there's no need to take it so seriously, right?"
Qi Xiao subtly furrowed his brows, increasingly disapproving. This matter concerned Miss Shu's reputation and was not something to be casually joked about.
With a loud crash, a medicine bowl shattered on the floor.
Shu Qingyao entered, picking up the porcelain shards but accidentally cut her finger. She covered her injured digit and looked up at them with a gentle smile.
"Sorry to interrupt you," she said, feeling embarrassed as she turned to leave in a hurry. Qi Xiao quickly followed her.
Once they reached a secluded spot, he looked at the girl’s delicate figure and scratched his head, feeling troubled and unsure of what to say. Finally, he could only quietly utter, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean anything by what I said earlier. I definitely don't think less of you."
Suddenly, the girl covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh.
She turned around and looked at Qi Xiao with bright eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong; why should I apologize? Although I admit that hearing you speak just now did make me a little sad, I'll forgive you because you're so sincere."
"And what about those rumors?"
Rumors couldn't possibly arise out of thin air, but he also didn't think he had such charm that Shu Qingyao would genuinely like him after just one meeting.
Shu Qingyao smiled sweetly. "Ah, that was indeed me who said it."
Qi Xiao was stunned. "Huh?"
Shu Qingyao tilted her head and replied nonchalantly, "Is that not allowed?"
"No, that's not what I meant! You're great! It's just that I don't think I'm good enough for you to like me after just one meeting."
Shu Qingyao pouted slightly and huffed softly, somewhat dissatisfied.
Qi Xiao's eagerness to distance himself from her made it seem as if he were some sort of plague.
She pouted again and said, "Alright, don't worry! I admit that I think you're quite nice, so you shouldn't mind helping me with a small favor, right?"
"What do you mean?"
It turned out that Ye Qian's health was deteriorating, and she worried that after her death, Shu Qingyao would be left isolated and helpless. Thus, she had been trying to find a support for her.
Coincidentally, the Grand Elder had been persistently pursuing Shu Qingyao.
Although Ye Gu Master initially disagreed with this arrangement, due to her frail condition and fear that Shu Qingyao might face difficulties from the Grand Elder after her passing, she ultimately chose not to oppose it any further.
Shu Qingyao was unwilling to accept her fate; she wanted to take control of her own life. Unable to openly defy the Grand Elder and her master, she devised a plan to pretend she had a crush on someone. As long as her feelings were passionate and intense, even the Grand Elder would find it difficult to pressure her.
Moreover, the Grand Elder's son, Ma Yang, was known for his strong-willed nature. If he learned that she had an unforgettable love, he would likely back off rather than confront her directly. This plan seemed sound, but she knew that choosing someone randomly could lead to trouble. If she picked someone from the valley, that person would surely face Ma Yang's wrath. However, selecting a disciple from another sect might raise suspicions.
Shu Qingyao was not sociable; how could she possibly know anyone from other sects? Furthermore, if the person she chose was too well-known, they might attract Ma Yang's attention during the Immortal Sect Competition, making it even easier for her ruse to be exposed.
After much contemplation, she concluded that Qi Xiao was the most suitable choice.
"You mean to say you like me?" Qi Xiao asked in disbelief.
Shu Qingyao forced a smile, feeling somewhat helpless. "I had no choice! I thought we wouldn't have another chance to meet, yet here you are with the other sect leaders at Miaochun Valley."
In Shu Qingyao's mind, if Qi Xiao hadn't participated in the Immortal Sect Competition, they might never have crossed paths again.
Qi Xiao looked at her with a strange expression. "So you were just pretending when you broke that bowl and acted all distracted?"
Shu Qingyao crossed her arms and nodded. "Of course! Since you said so, I had to put on a show; otherwise, it would seem too fake."
Qi Xiao stared at her, still skeptical. Shu Qingyao felt embarrassed under his gaze and flushed.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I already said it's fake! If you don't believe me, just ignore me. It’s not like I’d lose anything significant—just a bit of face."
Seeing Qi Xiao stroking his chin in silence made Shu Qingyao increasingly irritated. "Honestly, I don’t like you! Just because we met once doesn’t mean I could possibly like you!"
Qi Xiao pondered for a moment and found some logic in her words. He wasn't narcissistic by nature; his skepticism stemmed from the sudden turn of events that required him to reconsider everything.
As he continued to gaze at her, Shu Qingyao stammered slightly and felt her cheeks heat up unexpectedly.
"Just say it outright—are you willing or not?"
If things were truly as Shu Qingyao described, then while she appeared glamorous on the surface, she was quite pitiful underneath.
Qi Xiao naturally wanted to help her out, but becoming fodder for others' gossip while potentially attracting enemies felt like a loss.
After contemplating for a long while, he finally spoke up. "If the young valley master wants something done, shouldn’t there be some form of compensation?"
Shu Qingyao’s face flushed again as she gritted her teeth in frustration. She pulled off a jade ring from her finger and tossed it into Qi Xiao's arms.
"Greedy fool! May your greed consume you!"
"You spoke so nobly before, I thought you were truly a person of high moral character," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "But it seems you’ve been worried about how this idea might affect your reputation, and now you’re reluctant. I never expected you were just thinking about how to get something from me."
"Here, take everything in this jade ring. Surely that’s enough for you now?"
Qi Xiao attempted to open the jade ring to check its contents, but the soul mark on it prevented him from doing so. He handed the ring back to Shu Qingyao.
With a dark expression, Shu Qingyao wiped away the soul mark, her heart bleeding at the thought.
"Is this enough now?"
Qi Xiao glanced inside and saw an array of medicinal herbs, no less than a hundred types, most of them in pristine condition and aged for several decades, with some even over a hundred years old.
"As expected of the Young Master of Miaochun Valley, your generosity is impressive," he remarked.
Shu Qingyao felt her head spinning at the praise. She didn’t want to see Qi Xiao at all; this dullard truly had no sense of charm!
"What should I do then?" she asked, momentarily at a loss for ideas. For so long, she had been playing a solo act. Now that she suddenly needed to start a duet, she hadn’t figured out how to perform.
With her hands behind her back, Shu Qingyao took a slow step forward and discreetly glanced at Qi Xiao. "How about this? You come with me."
"What do you want to do?"
"Teach that Ma Yang a lesson so he knows when to back off. Since you’ve taken my things, you wouldn’t refuse, would you?"
Qi Xiao chuckled lightly. "I’m quite principled; since I’ve accepted payment, it must be worth every bit!"
Shu Qingyao let out a soft hum in response. "It better be."
As she looked at the young man’s serene smile under the sunlight, her heart skipped a beat. She lowered her head to suppress the strange feelings rising within her and said softly, "Let’s go."
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