Seeing Qin Wanyuan so guarded, Jiang Moqing frowned.
She only wanted to see Lin Que. It wasn’t as if she was going to do anything inappropriate, so why such wariness toward her?
It was as though… Qin Wanyuan thought she had come to play the role of a shameless homewrecker.
You’re the one who came later.
Jiang Moqing clenched her fist, her fingernails unconsciously digging into her palm. Only when a trace of blood seeped out and the sharp pain followed did she regain a bit of clarity.
“The sword technique demonstration yesterday wasn’t complete. I’ve come again today to finish it,” she said.
She had come prepared. At the very least, she had a presentable excuse.
Of course, Qin Wanyuan knew that Jiang Moqing’s true intention lay elsewhere. It was obvious that the main storyline task assigned by the system yesterday had worked remarkably well. In the span of a single night, Jiang Moqing’s favorability had once again broken past a critical threshold, rising above ninety.
In other words, as long as she could now find a way to increase Lin Que’s favorability toward Jiang Moqing, the capture would be complete.
Yet after experiencing last night’s memory-sharing dream, Qin Wanyuan couldn’t quite settle her heart. After all, the scene of Jiang Moqing straddling Lin Que had been far too impactful for her.
She understood that this was an unavoidable measure, necessary to ensure Lin Que survived the crisis two years later. But understanding it in theory was one thing. Actually seeing that scene was another.
To be honest, she was starting to feel afraid.
Afraid that once she let Jiang Moqing through this door, the other woman really would snatch Lin Que away from her.
[Could it be that the host is having second thoughts? Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back. If you give up now, all of the host’s previous efforts will be wasted….and two years from now, no one will be able to save Lin Que.]
I… I know that! I don’t need you nagging me!
Qin Wanyuan screamed inwardly. Then she took a deep breath and put on a smile for Jiang Moqing.
“So that’s how it is. Sorry to trouble you to make another trip, Senior Sister. Please, come in.”
For some reason, Qin Wanyuan felt as though she were inviting a wolf into her home and even having to greet that wolf with a polite “welcome.”
In any case, Jiang Moqing finally entered the courtyard. As she took in the layout of Qin Wanyuan’s cave dwelling, she felt a brief moment of daze.
Just as Qin Wanyuan had once felt a sense of familiarity upon entering Jiang Moqing’s cave, Jiang Moqing now sensed the same warm familiarity in the arrangement of this courtyard.
It made sense. After all, the decoration of both cave dwellings had been done by Lin Que.
Because the layouts were almost identical, Jiang Moqing’s gaze naturally drifted toward the master bedroom.
So that’s where they sleep together every night…
A sour ache rose in Jiang Moqing’s heart, but she quickly suppressed it with the Heartless Valley’s cultivation technique, returning to a state of emotional detachment.
Yet as the technique began to circulate, the voice of her heart demon surfaced once more.
All this is nothing more than quenching thirst with poison. I’d really like to see just how long you can endure.
Don’t even think about disturbing my dao heart.
Jiang Moqing frowned. The heart demon said nothing more, only continued to laugh silently.
Ignoring it, Jiang Moqing shifted her gaze back to the pavilion, to where Lin Que was.
At that moment, Lin Que was holding a tattered ancient book, reading it while it covered most of his face.
He was genuinely feeling awkward. After all, he had just had an erotic dream involving his senior sister last night, and now she had inexplicably shown up at his door today.
Lin Que didn’t understand why he had dreamed of his past intimacy with Jiang Moqing, but that was all in the past. There was no way he would cling to feelings for an ex just because he had dreamed of old memories.
So the only emotion left was embarrassment.
Originally, Lin Que had wanted to retreat to the room to hide, but Qin Qian’er was in there as well. If he went back, he would end up alone with her and that would be an entirely different kind of awkwardness.
Fortunately, Jiang Moqing did not greet Lin Que directly. Instead, she drew her sword and immediately began practicing in the courtyard.
Feeling the piercing sword qi, Lin Que couldn’t help peeking out half his face from behind the book, watching closely.
The sword qi is pure, the strikes sharp, and the transitions seamless. There are hardly any openings to be found… It seems senior sister has improved a great deal over the years. In another ten-plus years of cultivation, she’ll probably be able to officially inherit Master’s legacy.
Compared to her… I’ve been stagnant all these years.
Lin Que lowered his head and looked at his right hand. The old injury had yet to heal, and the hand was still trembling slightly, while his heart meridian and dantian throbbed faintly with pain.
As long as these near-incurable injuries remained, his cultivation would never advance.
Originally, Lin Que hadn’t cared much. After all, he was no longer the youth who saw the sword as everything. His focus in life had long since shifted toward family.
Bringing Qin Wanyuan home to meet his family, getting married under the witness of loved ones, having a child, and living a plain, peaceful life together as a family.
Although it sounded very much like tempting fate, this was genuinely what Lin Que wanted in his heart.
But…
Heaven did not grant his wishes. Qin Wanyuan’s many recent abnormal behaviors made Lin Que sense the feeling of an impending storm.
An unknown crisis could descend at any moment.
For that reason, Lin Que had to pick up the sword again and become stronger. At the very least, strong enough to deal with that unknown crisis.
And so… the little demon’s task had to be completed, no matter what.
Fortunately, the little demon’s life was bound to his, their interests intertwined. Otherwise, it would never have given him the leeway to bargain like this.
With a sigh, Lin Que raised the ancient tome again to cover his face and focused on studying the cultivation technique for repairing meridians, hoping to heal the old injury in his right hand as soon as possible.
When the sword dance came to an end, Jiang Moqing sheathed her sword, a few beads of fragrant sweat seeping from her temples.
“Senior Sister is truly impressive.”
Qin Wanyuan couldn’t help but praise.
Although this senior sister harbored ulterior motives toward her Lin Que, Qin Wanyuan had to admit that her attainments in swordsmanship were indeed very high.
At the very least, after witnessing this sword dance, Qin Wanyuan had gained a great deal.
After glancing at Jiang Moqing, who was wiping away her sweat, Qin Wanyuan thought for a moment and ultimately decided to brew a cup of spirit tea to entertain her.
After all, the other party hadn’t actually done anything improper so far, and not even offering a cup of tea would truly go against the etiquette of hospitality.
“Senior Sister, make yourself comfortable for a bit. I’ll go brew you a cup of tea and be right back.”
Seemingly a little worried, Qin Wanyuan deliberately emphasized how soon she would return.
“Mhm.” Jiang Moqing nodded.
Only then did Qin Wanyuan turn around and head toward the kitchen.
She broke into a light jog.
Casting a glance at Qin Wanyuan’s retreating figure, Jiang Moqing put her sword back into her storage ring and walked toward the pavilion, sitting down at a spot that kept some distance from Lin Que.
Even though Lin Que was using the book to cover most of his face, Jiang Moqing still stared unblinkingly at the line of his exposed jaw.
After a moment of silence, she finally spoke.
“…Junior Brother.”
Hearing this form of address that he hadn’t heard in a long time, Lin Que froze for a moment. He truly hadn’t expected Jiang Moqing to be the one to speak to him first.
“Mhm.”
Out of courtesy, Lin Que still responded.
Lin Que’s somewhat distant attitude still made Jiang Moqing’s heart ache. Her fingernails unconsciously dug into her palm once more, as if only physical pain could ease that feeling.
“How have you been these past few years?”
.
“Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. Wanyuan and I have been living very happily.”
“Is that so… that’s good, then.”
The two spoke in this simple back-and-forth, while Lin Que’s gaze never once left the book in his hands.
At the end of the conversation,
Jiang Moqing looked at Lin Que, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt as she spoke to him.
“Junior Brother, I dreamed about you last night.”
Hearing this, Lin Que froze for a moment. Recalling his own dream from the previous night, the embarrassment in his heart only deepened.
Could there really be such a coincidence in this world?
Naturally, Lin Que couldn’t possibly tell Jiang Moqing that he had dreamed of her as well. If that were misunderstood, there would be no way to explain it clearly.
After a bit of thought, he decided that retreat was the best strategy. He put away the ancient book, stood up, and prepared to leave.
“I’ll go check on how Wanyuan’s tea is coming along in the kitchen.”
Watching Lin Que’s retreating figure, Jiang Moqing felt her mind go completely blank. She stood up and chased after him, grabbing his hand directly.
“Don’t go!”
At the same time, Qin Wanyuan, who was brewing tea, suddenly received a system notification.
[Congratulations, Host. Lin Que and Jiang Moqing have successfully held hands. System points +10. As this is their first hand-holding after being bound to the system, an additional reward has been granted: Stamina Potion x1.]
Qin Wanyuan: …? ?????!!!!
Leave a Reply