Chapter 039
Chapter 39: Qing Qing, You Are Wicked Beyond Measure
Seeing Shi Zi Chu’s wicked and confident expression, Chu Zhi Rou felt a hidden hatred in her heart, but outwardly she put on a pitiful look and gazed pleadingly at Ye He Qi and Jiang Wan Sheng. Ye He Qi stood aside, observing coldly with a faint smile. As for Jiang Wan Sheng, his eyes were fixed only upon Shi Zi Chu.
“Big brother…” Chu Zhi Rou bit her lip softly, “There’s something I’d like to talk about with big brother.”
Catching Shi Zi Chu’s meaningful glance, Jiang Wan Sheng quietly stood and stepped outside.
After Jiang Wan Sheng had gone, Chu Zhi Rou shot a hidden glare at Shi Zi Chu, then turned her watery, beautiful eyes toward Ye He Qi. Her expression was almost begging him to drive Shi Zi Chu away.
Ye He Qi spoke leisurely, his voice warm and gentle like a spring breeze: “You two are sect sisters, after all.”
Chu Zhi Rou secretly shot another dark glare at Shi Zi Chu, then gracefully moved toward the table with small, lotus-like steps.
“Clan Chief Chu has a trade proposal he’d like to discuss with big brother,” Chu Zhi Rou said sweetly, looking up at Ye He Qi with obedient admiration.
A trade?
Was it about the spirit pill?
Shi Zi Chu leisurely stroked Xue Gu’s white fur, deep in thought.
Counting the days, news of Jiang Wan Sheng breaking their agreement should already have reached Chu Zhi Sheng. Chu Zhi Sheng wasn’t foolish enough to propose the same deal again. It must be something else.
Ye He Qi wore a thin smile: “What kind of trade?”
Chu Zhi Rou couldn’t help but glance toward Shi Zi Chu once more, yet in the end, she said nothing.
First, she needed big brother to clearly see her worth, so he wouldn’t abandon her!
As for Shi Zi Chu, Ah Sheng had promised her he would only allow Shi Zi Chu to bounce around freely for a few more days.
“The Chu Clan discovered some spiritual herbs within the Eternal Night Forest,” Chu Zhi Rou spoke softly, making the matter sound simple. “If big brother is interested, you might want to discuss it further with Clan Chief Chu.”
Ye He Qi chuckled quietly.
Indeed, he was interested in the trade Chu Zhi Rou mentioned. However, he had recently snatched the spirit pill business away from the Chu Clan. It seemed he would have to sell out Shi Zi Chu this time.
“Go and contact Clan Chief Chu,” Ye He Qi said, smiling pleasantly.
Seeing big brother’s amiable face, Chu Zhi Rou obediently agreed. Her footsteps were considerably lighter as she left.
After Chu Zhi Rou departed, only two remained inside.
Two pairs of alluring, peach blossom eyes gazed at each other. The seemingly affectionate gaze carried no true feeling, only calculation.
“Clan Chief Ye can sell me out if he wishes,” Shi Zi Chu rested her cheek on one hand, smiling sweetly at Ye He Qi.
Ye He Qi softly smiled back: “What are you saying, Daoist Shi? We’re allies.”
At moments like this, Shi Zi Chu was particularly irritating. Her meticulous schemes gave him a sense that he couldn’t hide anything from her.
“Clan Chief Ye, you shouldn’t scheme to gain without effort,” Shi Zi Chu scolded gently.
Ye He Qi’s eyes narrowed as he smiled at Shi Zi Chu, as if silently saying [You’re allowed to scheme, so why can’t I?]
Shi Zi Chu raised one slender finger, her voice gentle and charming: “With enough bribes, I could pretend not to know anything~”
“Ninety-ten split.”
Shi Zi Chu, knowing to quit while ahead, flashed a radiant smile: “Clan Chief Ye, you’re my most reliable ally!”
Ye He Qi chuckled, “Pleasure working with you.”
It wasn’t generosity; Shi Zi Chu would surely bring him far greater profits than this.
When Shi Zi Chu stepped out of the study, she saw Jiang Wan Sheng standing outside, arms crossed, staring blankly into space.
“I’ll attend the appointment. You go handle your own matters,” Shi Zi Chu said, handing him the star gem.
Jiang Wan Sheng lowered his gaze to look at her.
Used and discarded. No affection—only utility.
“Qing Qing, you’re wicked beyond measure,” his cold, low voice openly accused her.
Shi Zi Chu smiled warmly, coaxing him softly, “Be good~”
She hadn’t become this wicked overnight. One was willing to strike, the other willing to endure—that was all.
“I understand,” Jiang Wan Sheng responded gloomily. He even picked up the star gem disdainfully between two fingers. “I’ll be heading home later, and won’t return until tomorrow.”
Shi Zi Chu nodded.
After leaving the Ye Clan, they went their separate ways.
At the Drunken Encounter Pavilion.
Shi Zi Chu arrived early, so she waited in the main hall.
Yan Zhou Bai and the round-faced young lady arrived a quarter-hour before their scheduled meeting.
Seeing Shi Zi Chu already sitting there, they approached quickly.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Yan Zhou Bai said politely.
“I’ve only just arrived. I didn’t wait long,” Shi Zi Chu replied gently.
Seeing Yan Zhou Bai, the waiter quickly came forward and guided them upstairs to a private room.
Inside the private room.
After the three were seated, Yan Zhou Bai asked Shi Zi Chu’s preferences and then ordered several dishes from the waiter.
Once the waiter had left, the round-faced young lady introduced herself to Shi Zi Chu directly: “Daoist Shi, my name is Yao Ruo Ruo. I’ve long admired your name.”
Yao Ruo Ruo—the daughter of the Limitless Sect’s Sect Master, Yan Zhou Bai’s childhood sweetheart and junior sister. Due to Yan Zhou Bai’s obsessive love for Chu Zhi Rou, she’d become jealous, repeatedly harming Chu Zhi Rou, and was ultimately killed by the male protagonists.
As a vicious supporting character, she had no rights and met the cruelest of ends.
“Shi Zi Chu of the Jade Void Sect,” Shi Zi Chu introduced herself gently.
Seeing the softly smiling, graceful woman, Yao Ruo Ruo found she couldn’t muster even the slightest envy. With a face like that, paired with such refined elegance and kindness, even she, as a woman, was charmed, let alone men.
Without Yan Zhou Bai needing to speak, Yao Ruo Ruo said straightforwardly: “Senior brother arranged this meeting because I encountered trouble during cultivation and need a fifth-rank Meridian Mending Pill.”
Her sweet, coquettish voice and round, doll-like face were beyond adorable.
Shi Zi Chu’s gentle smile was like the comforting breeze of spring—soft and kind.
“Are you lacking Jade Cherish River Clam Pearls, or do you specifically need the Meridian Mending Pill?” Shi Zi Chu’s eyes curved into a smile.
Hearing this, Yao Ruo Ruo was startled, turning to Yan Zhou Bai: “Senior brother, didn’t you say you intended to buy the Meridian Mending Pill Daoist Shi had at a high price?”
Yan Zhou Bai stared blankly, astonished as he looked at Yao Ruo Ruo.
Shi Zi Chu had Meridian Mending Pills?
He had planned to ask Shi Zi Chu if she had Jade Cherish River Clam Pearls. If she did, he intended to buy them using a sixth-rank Water Turtle Bamboo and spirit stones.
Shi Zi Chu couldn’t hold back a laugh, seeing the confused senior brother and sister.
“Senior brother, you didn’t know she had Meridian Mending Pills?”
“I didn’t mention she had Jade Cherish River Clam Pearls?”
The pair spoke at the same time, exchanging bewildered looks before turning their eyes together to Shi Zi Chu.
Shi Zi Chu’s eyes curved with amusement as she smiled sweetly, making the two relax, their expressions shifting to helplessness.
Without another word, Shi Zi Chu took out a porcelain vial and handed it to Yao Ruo Ruo. “I don’t have Jade Cherish River Clam Pearls, but I happen to have Meridian Mending Pills.”
Yao Ruo Ruo had suffered long from meridian backlash. Seeing hope right in front of her, she didn’t hesitate to accept the vial, immediately swallowing a pill.
It melted instantly, and the painful scraping in her meridians eased significantly. Relief filled her eyes.
Yan Zhou Bai stared at Shi Zi Chu curiously.
Although Meridian Mending Pills were only fifth-rank, their ingredients were incredibly obscure. Very few pills remained.
Seeing his curiosity, Shi Zi Chu explained warmly: “My master is skilled in alchemy. I’m never short of spirit pills.”
Ice-element spirit root alchemy?
Yao Ruo Ruo momentarily blanked, quickly changing the subject. “I still need three more pills to fully recover. I’ll pay thirty percent higher than auction prices for all four pills, plus—”
Shi Zi Chu shook her head gently, saying warmly, “I quite like you, Daoist Yao. Consider these pills a token of friendship.”
Yao Ruo Ruo was the infamous villainess who almost succeeded in harming Chu Zhi Rou—precisely the sort of person she must recruit!
Yao Ruo Ruo’s eyes widened, stunned by Shi Zi Chu’s generosity.
Yan Zhou Bai looked equally shocked.
A single Meridian Mending Pill sold for tens of millions of spirit stones at auction. Four pills surpassed the worth of even a Heaven-rank cultivation manual—yet she casually gifted them away.