Qin Xiang narrowed her eyes, her smile gentle, radiating the full authority of the First Wife. “I’ll give you one more chance to rephrase that. Think carefully.”
“Tacit approval is one thing; sneaking a bite right under my nose without permission is another.”
A chill ran down Yun Liu’s spine. He kowtowed at lightning speed, sliding forward in one smooth motion to wrap his arms around Qin Xiang’s slender waist, flattering: “Aw, it’s just… I was conducting some academic research with Ah Lian!”
“And that research ended up in bed?”
“Exactly! The research was just making progress when Shiyu suddenly barged in!”
“The child is at that age where she’s growing—eats her fill and sleeps, no sense of propriety. There, there. I’ll forgive you this time, but no more of this next time, understood?”
Yun Liu explained while making a show of scolding the Filial Daughter.
“A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Even if I and Shiyu are as close as father and daughter, that rule cannot be exempted, so I had no choice but to go next door and have a heart-to-heart with that chicken.”
That chicken next door eyed the sanctimonious White-robed Youth with a sideways glare—where did this shameless face come from?
The Ji in this room, however, rubbed her little hands together, her pretty face flushed crimson. A kiss had definitely happened; whether it was like a father-daughter kiss remained to be seen.
“So that’s how it is.”
“That’s exactly right!”
Yun Liu glanced at Ah Lian, and the little girl nodded blankly as well.
“Then what happened to your mouth?”
Qin Xiang’s face was full of disbelief, but she didn’t press further. A smart woman knows when to play dumb.
“Pfft. Your amnesia sure recovered quickly. Did you spend the whole night fabricating a story?”
Qin Xiang stepped forward, smiling as she examined Yun Liu’s swollen lips. The crime scene looked like he’d just had cupping therapy—utterly ridiculous.
“I-I was eating something! Burning my mouth on food is totally normal.”
“How could that be? My dear sister, if even one word of this is a lie, may I have a son without a—”
“Every word is true.”
Yun Liu winked and grimaced, figuring the heavens couldn’t be that meticulous. After all, every word was true.
“If some accident does happen, I’ll just work with the Mistress of Xiangfang Pavilion to have a precious daughter, and this time I’ll raise her right!”
Qin Xiang burst out laughing. In the end, her skin was too thin to withstand Yun Liu’s nonsense. Blushing, she gently pushed away the shameless head of the household and asked in a low voice:
“The whole outside world is in an uproar. Is that your handiwork?”
Yun Liu blinked, saying nothing—yet somehow confessing everything.
“Looks like every faction is in complete chaos. And you call yourself a gentleman—you degenerate! I’ll interrogate you later. Let me go check the situation first.”
Qin Xiang curved her lips, took Ji Shiyu’s hand, and headed downstairs, quite satisfied with the child’s father’s performance.
At this rate, if someone had been busy all night, surely he hadn’t had time to sneak off and do other bad deeds behind her back.
On major matters, she never questioned Yun Liu. Her husband causing such a stir so ostentatiously must have its own deep purpose.
“Shiyu, he really didn’t bully you, did he?”
Along the way, Qin Xiang smiled like a flower, as if she had seen through something, her words laden with meaning.
“Huh?”
“Don’t be afraid. Tell your Senior Sister the truth. I’ve got your back.”
How dare she speak? Qin Xiang glanced back lightly, and Yun Liu was already drenched in cold sweat. Seems like I made the first move (with my mouth), hehe…
The truth? Ji Shiyu scratched her head guiltily, but then her eyes lit up as she applauded her own brilliance. Her timing had been absolutely perfect.
On how to elegantly and politely expose an affair, become an excellent Mistress, and rise through the ranks at lightning speed.
She sold out her Sworn Father, putting on a pitiful look: “Senior Sister, please don’t misunderstand. Teacher and I are completely innocent. Nothing happened last night, really!”
The Little Yellow Hair’s eyes rolled as her little brain kicked into gear. She turned and asked Ah Lian, who finished listening and foolishly pointed at herself: “Me?”
“Wait, what’s with that victim tone?”
“I told you to tell the truth, not to confess your own crimes! Isn’t that just ‘No Silver Here, Three Hundred Taels’?”
Yun Liu nearly choked on his breath. Trailing behind, he flailed his limbs, frantically gesturing.
[You three-surnamed slave! I’ve treated you well. Why would you doom me to disloyalty? I’m warning you—you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t say whatever you want! Don’t you dare mess around. Don’t make your dad kneel down and beg you!]
“Oh—nothing happened at all.”
Qin Xiang’s smile grew even wider as she murmured to herself, scaring Yun Liu so badly he didn’t dare breathe.
Setting that aside, there would definitely be a few pinch marks on his waist tonight. If things went wrong, there might even be a curfew afterward.
Ji Shiyu turned back and made a funny face, giggling happily.
Pressure tactics! Keep it up! Knowing her teacher-wife’s personality, she’ll definitely force the teacher to take responsibility. I’m way too smart.
But why isn’t Qin Senior Sister even the slightest bit angry? Is my acting too over the top?
This greatly deflated the Little Yellow Hair. Last time the effect was so good—planting willows without intent, yet shade grows. Could it be because she was wearing clothes this time?
Ah, miscalculation. I should have taken a bath and come out naked…
“No Silver Here, Three Hundred Taels—Shiyu next door didn’t steal, did she?”
Ao Tian looked at Yun Liu, then at Ji Shiyu, nearly scratching his scalp raw. He racked his brains for a long time but couldn’t figure out what he’d missed.
Could this woman be a natural Green Tea Saint Body? She kicks the First Wife aside in the time it takes to take a bath, then turns around and screws over the current mistress too.
For the East Extreme Pavilion Master, scheming against that Old Snake Skin was far less dangerous than matching wits with the Filial Daughter. One wrong move and it was family ruin, wife separated, children scattered.
Inside Qiongxiao Palace, what had been a scene of guest-host harmony yesterday was now at daggers drawn, arguments raging without end.
When Yun Liu and his group arrived leisurely, they could hear two groups shouting inside before they even walked through the door, begging Yingluo Madam to deliver justice.
A scholarly weakling with a smile on his face coughed lightly, sweeping his cold gaze across the crowd, his arrogance overbearing.
“Last night, followers of my Evil Spirit Port were ambushed by unknown persons, suffering heavy casualties. The last traces of their presence disappeared in Cold Chant Sect territory. Please, Young Master Dongfang, give me an explanation so I may report back to Ling Banner Master.”
The villain crying “thief” first?
The big shots from Chain Docks and the Sea-Severing Alliance wore ashen faces. They too had received reports from Shipwreck Bay that their rear garrison reinforcements had been almost entirely wiped out, severely impacting both sides’ exploration of Mirage City.
“Last night, dozens of people on the ship were cruelly poisoned, not a single survivor. Investigation confirms it was undoubtedly Demon Sect Euphoria Smoke. Canye Shusheng, what explanation do you have!?”
“Heavens! Who will give justice to my fallen disciples of humble origin?”
Dongfang Shuo laughed in fury, grinding his teeth as he roared: “I’ll give you an explanation!”
“Everything done in this world must eventually be repaid.”
Fang Family Ancestor and Fortress Master Wu spoke at the same time, their faces green.
“If they’d merely been robbed, that would be one thing—we could only say our skills were inferior.”
“The Sea-Severing Alliance and Chain Docks are the same!”
“But the enemy deliberately imprisoned the men and women on opposite sides, causing the Demonic Sect disciples to wake up filled with shame and fury, wishing they could hang themselves.”
“Nine short hours, yet they’ll need a lifetime to heal…”
“Not just perverted—utterly outrageous!”
At the mention of Euphoria Smoke’s name, Canghai and White Whale’s expressions shifted slightly. No need to guess what fate those poor bastards had met.