Chapter 6: Guard against fire

All night long, Xiao Xinran’s mind was haunted by that bizarre scene at the street corner—she simply couldn’t shake it off.

No matter how she looked at it, Sister Shi Yu clearly disliked men.

She was always sticking close to Xiao Xinran, grabbing her hand for no reason, patting her head affectionately.

At night, it was even worse—she clung to her so tightly it was impossible to chase her away, as if she wished the two of them could share a bed, grinning foolishly all the while.

At times like these, the person by Xiao Yun’s side should obviously be herself.

Why did those two get so close the moment she left?

Something fishy was going on!

Cheating?

An affair?

A wandering heart?

Xiao Xinran shook her head, deep in thought.

She never did take her Cultivation seriously, always just going through the motions.

She’d read too many of those wild storybooks from the marketplace, so her head was filled with all sorts of Forbidden Scenes, her mind lively and mischievous.

Could it be that years of companionship really can’t compare to the warmth of a stranger’s sudden kindness?

“I must be overthinking it. They’ve only just met, and Xiao Yun isn’t the type to be fickle. Shi Yu isn’t the sort to flirt around either. Yes, I trust them!”

Xiao Xinran patted her cheeks, trying to reassure herself.

Shi Yu was their savior.

It was only natural for Xiao Yun, as the host, to show her around.

Nothing strange about that at all.

Having thought it through, the young girl slipped out of the house again, determined to apologize properly to the young man.

Xiao Yun would definitely forgive her, she’d caused trouble plenty of times before, but he’d never taken it to heart.

As for why, it was of course because Yun Liu was hopelessly in love with her.

No matter how good Shi Yu was, he only had eyes for one person.

A true heroine, brimming with confidence.

And then—what happened just now happened…….

The First Wife made her entrance, only to be angered into fleeing by the Mistress.

Xiao Xinran left at lightning speed, slammed the door shut when she got home, and locked herself in her room.

The Butler Grandpa and the Patriarch were both left scratching their heads—what on earth was going on this time?

If at first Xiao Xinran had only suspected Ji Shiyu’s motives for getting close to her, this time she’d caught them red-handed—no doubt about it.

Caught in the act, evidence in hand.

What more was there to say?

They’d only met a few times, and already they were bathing together?

Wasn’t that moving a bit too fast?

Next time, would they be dancing on the bed?

“Shameless pair!”

Xiao Xinran slashed her pillow with a sword, howling in the dead of night as if someone had stolen her most beloved toy.

When had those two started getting involved?

Was it the last time they exchanged glances, or had they been secretly meeting even earlier, out of her sight?

Could it have started with the Rescue of the Hero!?

Fine, fine, that little tramp wasn’t there to save her at all, but rather, saw how handsome Xiao Yun was and got tempted by his looks…….

She was the one who’d been here first, so why—why did it turn out like this?

The girl flopped onto her bed, full of regret, blaming her own youth and naivety for mistaking a dog for a person.

If they even bathed together, what other reason could there be?

Ji Shiyu must have taken advantage while Xiao Yun was injured and unable to resist, doing whatever she pleased!

Pretending to care, but actually seducing—helping an injured person bathe, but ending up in his arms.

As the saying goes, beware of fire, thieves, and your best friend.

Looking back now, the newly-arrived Huangmao was the very image of a Green Tea Bitch.

On one hand, she’d throw out smoke bombs in front of the First wife, constantly praising Xiao Xinran’s beauty and cuteness to lower her guard, acting harmless and putting on a Sisterly Bond show.

On the other, she’d stoke the flames openly, and behind the scenes, dig away at her corner without pause.

“One face in front of me, another behind my back, absolutely shameless! And to think I treated her like an idol, giving her the best of everything!”

In the end, she’d just invited a wolf into the house!

And Xiao Yun, honestly—from childhood, he’d always been too gentle, never knowing how to say no, always letting others push him around.

Even a life-saving debt shouldn’t be repaid with your body!

The more she tried to hold it in, the angrier she got.

Now the sky was brightening, but Yun Liu still hadn’t come to apologize.

He hadn’t even spared her a glance all night.

Suddenly, Xiao Xinran felt a wave of panic.

Could he really have fallen for that wicked woman?

Was she really so lacking in charm?

Well, maybe she had treated Xiao Yun a little poorly before, never giving him the respect a husband deserved, always ordering him around, acting spoiled and willful.

Now, with an outside threat and faced with the formidable Huangmao, even the heroine felt uncertain.

She had talent, strong Cultivation, stunning looks, and a perfect figure.

Her family background seemed even more impressive, and she’d even saved his life.

Huangmao had every possible advantage, a crisis like never before!

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Xiao Xinran looked up in surprise, but when she saw a beautiful woman walk in, she flopped back down in disappointment.

Xiao Mother paused, feeling a pang of heartache at the sight of the red-clad girl’s desolate appearance.

“Xinran, you’ve been running in and out, what on earth happened?”

Xiao Xinran’s eyes reddened as she threw herself into her mother’s arms.

“It’s Xiao Yun… Xiao Yun, he…”

Xiao Mother’s eyes flickered.

“What about him?”

“He… he doesn’t want me anymore! Waaaah!”

With the gentle care she’d always taken for granted suddenly gone, Yun Liu’s coldness shattered Xiao Xinran’s fearless sense of security.

“How could that be?”

Xiao Mother feigned surprise, but inwardly she understood and nodded in praise of the boy.

Yun Liu was truly clever, he understood at once and, rather than wait for the Xiao family to bring it up, took the initiative to withdraw, so as not to hinder Xinran’s bright future.

Xiao Xinran poured out her grievances, complaining about Yun Liu’s sudden change, but didn’t mention Ji Shiyu, that jinx.

Xiao Mother listened with a gentle smile, feeling deeply sorry for the family’s cold treatment, and resolved to remember all that the boy had done.

Children cared about feelings, but adults only weighed pros and cons.

As an elder, she saw further ahead. Ever since Yun Liu’s Sea of Consciousness was crippled, she’d known that the two were destined to part ways.

It was a pity, but no one wanted such an accident.

Xiao Father and Xiao Mother had quarreled endlessly over it.

It was simple, an ordinary person wouldn’t live a hundred years, but with Xinran’s talent, she’d at least reach Nascent Soul stage, with a lifespan of a thousand years or more.

If they did nothing, would they have Xinran watch Yun Liu grow old and die?

They were once well-matched, but now, they were worlds apart, mortal and immortal.

The Xiao family might have some influence in the mundane world, but to true experts, they were just nouveau riche with no real heritage.

Xinran, on the other hand, had a glorious immortal path ahead of her.

The family’s hopes rested on her, how could she be held back by a mortal?

“So that’s why, no matter how I teased him, he never minded, but now he won’t even look at me!”

It was all that sword maid’s fault!

Xiao Mother gently comforted her daughter, speaking softly, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. He’s just blind. Does he really think a useless cripple could marry my daughter? If not for your father’s friendship with Yun Immortal Master, he’d never have had the chance to marry in!”

Xiao Xinran frowned, displeased. She didn’t understand at all.

“Even you can’t badmouth Xiao Yun! It’s not all his fault, right?”

It was all because the enemy was too cunning!

“Huh?”

Xiao Mother gave a wry smile, surprised at how much her daughter cared for this childhood engagement, she’d never noticed it before.

Still, Xiao Yun was intelligent, hardworking, respectful to elders, and gentle with Xinran.

In the past, no matter how much she spoiled her daughter, she couldn’t find any fault with him.

Such a waste, really…

Mother and daughter, each with their own thoughts, continued their cross-server chat.

Xiao Mother knew their feelings were deep.

It wasn’t exactly love, but it had long surpassed mere sibling affection.

Children were immature—it would take time to let go. Luckily, the boy was sensible.

So, as an elder, she decided to give a few hints and work from within to cut the tangled mess!

***

Meanwhile, at the Yun household, everything was peaceful.

Someone was enjoying a leisurely day, tea after a meal, lying around without a care.

Last night, Yun Liu had experimented with some Spiritual Medicine he had on hand.

His understanding of the Path of Alchemy grew even smoother.

He’d refined several First-Grade Pills in a row, each one perfect.

It was remarkably similar to the QTE Trigger system in games.

Today, he decided to buy more materials and challenge himself with a Second-Grade Spiritual Medicine.

Normally, only Foundation Establishment Cultivators could refine Second-Grade Spiritual Medicine, since it required a condensed Divine Sense, a very high standard.

Divine Sense usually grew slowly with the Sea of Consciousness and was often weaker than the cultivator’s own realm.

But Yun Liu was a special case, his soul was far stronger than his current Cultivation.

The supposed victim was completely unmoved.

After bathing and changing last night, he fixed the door and went straight to bed.

By contrast, Huangmao was like a frantic monkey, pacing and worrying all night, unable to sleep.

“How can you sleep at your age? From last night until now, you act like nothing happened. Aren’t you going to clear up the misunderstanding?”

“Explain what? I didn’t do anything.”

Huangmao’s affection meter took a nosedive.

Yun Liu, like Ao Tian, just watched the drama unfold, clearly enjoying the chaos.

“E-even so, if you don’t explain, am I supposed to do it? Anyone would be angry after seeing that. Do you think she’ll believe anything I say now?”

If it’s not your fault, is it mine!?

Fine, it’s probably my fault…

Ji Shiyu wilted, hanging her head.

But it wasn’t like she’d barged in on purpose.

It was all because of those perverted guards, no, it was that Demonic Cult Remnant’s fault!

This misunderstanding was huge.

If Xiao Xinran never spoke to her again, she could jump into the sea of clouds and still not wash herself clean.

“I’m not going. Whoever wants to can go.”

Whoever’s harem it is can go coax her!

“She’s your Fiancee!”

“Not for much longer. In fact, I should thank you, nice work.”

The young man calculated with a flick of his fingers, his meaning clear.

“Huh?”

Ji Shiyu was completely baffled. Dropping all pretense, she grabbed the young man’s hand and pleaded, “Brother Yun, my good brother, I admit defeat! You saved my life—can’t you help me out? I don’t want Xinran to hate me forever!”

“No, I still prefer the proud and untamed you from yesterday. Please switch back.”

“@#￥%…….”

Yun Liu patted Ji Shiyu on the shoulder and headed out for a stroll.

Still want me to play matchmaker for you?

No way!

At worst, we’ll just go our separate ways.

The wife was never his to begin with, and Feng Aotian shouldn’t expect to take over so easily.

Ao Tian barely suppressed a laugh, twisting the words: “He just said he likes you! Isn’t this the perfect chance for a fake romance to become real? Aren’t you secretly happy?”

“This is all your fault!”

Ji Shiyu threw her head back and wailed, with nowhere to vent her frustrations.