Pay back the money?
Luo Qian’er almost thought she had misheard.
This was completely different from the development she had anticipated!
Shouldn’t Jiang Yi, seeing her delicate and pitiful state, immediately feel tender affection and voluntarily pull out talisman money to help her?
How could he instead be asking *her* for money?
“Junior Brother Jiang, you… I…”
Luo Qian’er opened her mouth but was momentarily lost for words. The elaborate grievances she had prepared were all stuck in her throat.
Jiang Yi seemed completely oblivious and continued:
“Senior Sister, you are unaware. Just the other day, Steward Yang praised me, saying that my cultivation progress in the outer sect is truly rare—that I am good material worth carving. He even spared no expense to arrange an Immortal Dao Ceremony for me, to solidify my foundation.”
When Luo Qian’er heard the words “Dao Ceremony,” her eyes suddenly lit up.
As a direct descendant of her rural clan, her horizons were far broader than those of ordinary mortal servants. She deeply understood what an “Immortal Dao Ceremony” entailed.
It was no petty matter. It started at over a hundred thousand talisman money, with no upper limit!
In the demonic Dao lineage, it was an act of absolute luxury.
If Jiang Yi’s words were true, then that Steward Yang of the Blazing Peak Quenching Chamber regarded him as far more than merely “valued”!
To invest so generously—he was practically treating him as a direct inheritor to cultivate!
The treatment of a biological grandson!
“Through Steward Yang’s connections, I have gotten to know several senior brothers and sisters from the inner peak, such as Senior Brother Wang Heng from Soul Nurturing Peak, Senior Brother Lu Yun from Herb Gathering Peak, and a Junior Sister Li from Sewing Peak! We get along fairly well. They all feel that my chances of competing for an inner peak seat this time are quite high.”
Jiang Yi deliberately raised his chin, as if he could not wait to show off.
She had misjudged him!
Luo Qian’er lowered her eyelids, a flicker of surprise and doubt passing through them.
To this day, she could hardly believe that the small-town youth from the lower court who practically reeked of poverty had turned his life around so easily!
Jiang Yi’s eyes flickered, a golden light concealed deep within his pupils.
Then he continued to add fuel to the fire, his tone incomparably sincere:
“Senior Sister Luo, with your fine bearing and appearance, you deserve a better future. I previously only hated my own insufficient ability, unable to promise you a vision as splendid as brocade. That Zhou Can from Sewing Peak is, at most, a duty officer wasting away in the outer sect. How could he be worthy of Senior Sister!”
In the past, Luo Qian’er would have only sneered at such words.
She would have treated it as Jiang Yi wagging his tongue and stirring up trouble.
But now, not only was he valued by Yang Xun of the Quenching Chamber, but even Li Ruohan, the direct daughter of the Bo County Li Clan, treated him with special regard.
Genuine potential was on full display here; there was no room for further criticism.
“Junior Brother…”
Luo Qian’er carefully scrutinized Jiang Yi. For the first time, she felt this Junior Brother was so considerate that he had actually spoken aloud the true feelings accumulated in her heart.
*Who would have thought Senior Sister Luo, a demonic outer sect disciple, would also fall for this. I thought it only worked on immortal Dao women.*
Jiang Yi observed the changes in Luo Qian’er’s expression. Seeing that she seemed slightly shaken, he immediately said:
“Senior Sister has always been like a celestial maiden in my eyes. Even though Junior Brother has improved somewhat now, I have never thought I could possess you, nor do I dare to hold any intention of looking down on you and pointing fingers…”
Luo Qian’er was extremely surprised. If Junior Brother Jiang had been so warm-hearted earlier, perhaps she would have been willing to grow close to him…
At the courtyard gate, every word the youth spoke was filled with deep emotion. Even the wind and snow could not suppress that trace of burning heat:
“Moreover, I believe Senior Sister is fully capable of competing for the supplementary inner peak seat. In terms of appearance, talent, and even background, you are not inferior to the inner peak senior brothers and sisters. Why should Senior Sister wrong herself and look at others’ expressions! I only hate that Junior Brother’s ability is still too small to help you in the slightest… If I could receive some talisman money in support, when I ascend the Azure Cloud Road next spring and break through to the inner peak, I will certainly not forget Senior Sister!”
Luo Qian’er felt dizzy. Clearly, the wind and snow were raging and the cold was bone-deep, yet heat surged through her entire body.
That’s right! Why should her little brother be supported by the clan to scheme for an inner peak seat!
He had only just reached the third level of Qi Refining! While she was already approaching late-stage perfection!
And that Zhou Can could not even understand the ninth-grade *Little Seven Murderous Qi Needle Technique*. He needed her to analyze it piece by piece and study its essence for him!
“In my view, what Senior Sister lacks is not a few pieces of clothing or some talisman money, but an opportunity to advance. It is a pity Zhou Can is unwilling to let Senior Sister spread your wings and soar.”
Jiang Yi spoke with tender affection, narrating unhurriedly:
“Junior Brother has said all there is to say! It is late. Senior Sister should return to Sewing Peak early!”
“Then… Junior Brother, I will take my leave first.”
Luo Qian’er actually felt somewhat reluctant to part, a look of attachment showing in her eyes.
“The mountain path is slippery. Be careful, Senior Sister.”
Jiang Yi escorted her down the steps, then nimbly opened the door, lifted the latch, and slipped inside.
Luo Qian’er’s feet felt light and airy, as if treading on cotton. She completely forgot her original purpose and did not even realize that from beginning to end, Jiang Yi had never let her step past the courtyard gate.
…
“Why did Brother Yi even come back! He might as well go live with that Luo girl!”
The moment Jiang Yi stepped into the communal courtyard, he was met with Widow Qin’s cold snort and mocking laughter.
He looked up. Good lord, no one was asleep. They were all here eavesdropping.
“Sister Qin…”
Jiang Yi was not annoyed either, calling out to her gently.
“Don’t call me that! Go find your celestial maiden Senior Sister!”
Widow Qin was both angry and anxious, feeling that Jiang Yi had been utterly bewitched. Knowing full well Luo Qian’er was not a good choice, he was still so attentive.
With a bang, she slammed the door and went inside.
“Ahem, don’t take it to heart, Brother Yi. Sister Qin is just afraid you’ll suffer losses.”
Old Li offered dry consolation before being dragged back into his room by his wife.
“We still have work tomorrow. I’ll go to sleep first.”
He Lao Hun did not say anything. He was certain Brother Yi was by no means a confused blockhead.
Besides, with the courtyard gate between them and the wind and snow howling, none of them had heard very clearly.
Jiang Yi nodded and said warmly:
“Brother He, rest early.”
He heated water to wash up and did not enter the room to lie down until well past mid-si hour.
His eyelids lightly closed. Tadpole-like small characters dissipated like mist.
Upon the golden paper, several questions emerged—
[I respectfully beseech the Heavenly Book to reveal to me the life of Luo Qian’er of Sewing Peak in the Qianji Sect…]
[I respectfully beseech the Heavenly Book to reveal to me the most appropriate conversational techniques with Luo Qian’er…]
[I respectfully beseech the Heavenly Book to reveal to me the strategy to win Luo Qian’er’s trust and ask for talisman money…]
Karma ripples vanished and then rose again, fluctuations oscillating back and forth like a small stone thrown into a pond.
“Old pal, I suppose this counts as settling your karmic entanglement.”
Jiang Yi thought leisurely. That Senior Sister Luo was not one to settle down. If he fished her line well, he might squeeze out some benefits.
“Once I rise further and solidify my reputation as an outer sect genius and demonic Dao talent, she should bite the hook.”
Jiang Yi had seen plenty of people like Luo Qian’er in his previous life.
Shrewd on the surface, but actually shortsighted and easy to deceive.
Especially toward those with fame and background—such as direct descendants of aristocratic families or disciples of great sects. They would not even bother distinguishing true from false before eagerly clinging to them.
On the contrary, toward those from humble origins who rose from nothing, they would haggle over every single ounce, absolutely not allowing themselves to suffer the slightest loss.
“Such a specimen, how could they affect my cultivation.”
Jiang Yi sneered. With a slight shift of his thoughts, he wrote off the karma concerning “Luo Qian’er” and asked anew.
[I respectfully beseech the Heavenly Book to reveal to me opportunities obtainable at the fourth level of Qi Refining without future troubles!]
He had roughly figured out that as his own cultivation grew higher, the “opportunities” he could touch upon naturally became broader.
Therefore, after breaking through a realm, the first thing was to inquire about this.
The key terms were still the three words “without future troubles.”
Whenever Jiang Yi thought about how drinking that lunar essence fluid back then had actually been snatching a step ahead of that Senior Brother Xu from the inner peak, he could not help but feel frightened.
Fortunately, following the Heavenly Book’s guidance, he had not been a day early or a minute late, hitting the timing perfectly.
If he had been caught by Senior Brother Xu, he would probably have been killed on the spot.
[Subject of inquiry: Opportunities compatible with oneself]
[Calculation time: Two days and four shichen]
“Something related to myself still takes this long. The opportunity must be significant!”
Jiang Yi harbored excitement, instantly tossing Luo Qian’er to the back of his mind.
He planned to cultivate wholeheartedly these two days and quietly wait for the result.
P.S.: Still two updates, released ten minutes apart, proofreading for typos. Dear readers, please don’t be anxious~