Chapter 80: Chapter 65

The air suddenly stagnated as Qian Xing revealed a shocked expression.

“You already have someone you like? Who is it? What is his name? When did you meet him?”

The Demon Cult’s new cult leader was furious. He couldn’t believe that someone else had stolen his childhood friend’s heart.

“I’ll tell you later. For now, let me ask you this first: Have all Saintesses in the past ended up becoming the acting cult leader’s wife? Stepfather never told me about this.”

“But we are the perfect match. Dad told me that you can become my wife.”

“Tsk. By the way, is your mother the previous generation’s Saintess?”

“No.”

Qian Xing shook his head. He couldn’t understand why Jun Zishu would suddenly ask this question.

“Do you know about the previous generation’s Saintess?”

“A little. She rarely stays at the headquarters and only visits once every few years. Whenever she comes back, she would discuss things with my dad and stay in her courtyard for a few days before leaving again,” Qian Xing said as he tried to recall his memories of the previous Saintess.

“Do you know where her belongings are being kept?”

“I don’t know. I’ll need to ask the servants who previously served her. Why are you asking this?”

“No reason. I’m taking a little break. Call me if you need me,” Jun Zishu said before turning to leave Qian Xing’s office.

Jun Zishu did not plan on leaving the Demon Cult’s main headquarters for the time being. Firstly, she needed to help Qian Xing stabilize the situation and safely succeed the cult leader’s position. Secondly, she wanted to give Shen Zheyan some time to calm down and think by herself.

“Alri—Wait a minute! You still haven’t answered my question!” Qian Xing shouted.

“I’m sorry, Qian Xing, but it’s impossible for you and I,” Jun Zishu said, shrugging as she rejected Qian Xing once more.

Honestly, Jun Zishu didn’t think that Qian Xing would fall for her. After all, the two of them had been at loggerheads with each other since they met.

However, this could also be considered good news. After all, this meant that she wouldn’t even have to do any additional interference to get rid of the second male lead.

The only unfortunate part was that Jun Zishu couldn’t become the person Qian Xing hoped she would be. Thus, she decided it was best to reject him early on and sever all of his hopes. There was no meaning in leading him on. Jun Zishu didn’t need other people’s fondness to prove her charms.

“Why?”

Qian Xing was a little stunned. He didn’t even have a chance to start showing his worth. He didn’t even begin trying to woo Jun Zishu. So, how did Jun Zishu know that a relationship between them was impossible?

“Ah, well, it’s because I like women,” Jun Zishu casually stated, her carefree behavior matching the usual behavior she took around Qian Xing. She did not act lofty or mysterious at all.

“What?”

“As you are right now, you will forever be my good brother. If you become a woman, though, I might take a little interest in you,” Jun Zishu said as she caressed her chin. Then, she let her eyes wander around the lower half of Qian Xing’s body, a mischievous expression appearing on her face.

Qian Xing subconsciously shuffled backward and shielded his little brother with his hands. Then, after he processed Jun Zishu’s words, a look of disbelief appeared on his face as he asked, “Are you serious?”

“I would never joke about such an important matter.”

“You’ve fallen for Shen Zheyan, haven’t you?” Qian Xing asked, recalling the white-robed girl he had previously seen.

“That’s right. What about it? I have good taste, right?”

“How can you like her?” Qian Xing asked as he looked at Jun Zishu as if he was looking at an idiot. Right now, he couldn’t even be bothered to think about his broken heart.

“Why can’t I like her? She and I are childhood friends, and we grew up together in the same village. After our village met with a disaster, she and I fled while relying on each other. We only got separated afterward because she left martial arts while I got taken to this place.

“She’s good-looking, mild-tempered, and kind to me. She is also skilled at martial arts. So, why shouldn’t I like her?”

Jun Zishu cracked her knuckles as she stated Shen Zheyan’s strong suits to Qian Xing.

“I’m good-looking, mild-tempered, kind to you, and skilled in martial arts as well,” Qian Xing said as he looked at Jun Zishu with unconvinced eyes.

“Are you that eager for me to hit you? Will you feel uneasy if I’m not there to argue with you for even a single day?” Jun Zishu asked with a questioning look on her face.

Suddenly, the mood in the room loosened. Qian Xing also felt a lot better than before. The sadness of losing his father and the expectations placed on his shoulders no longer felt as overwhelming as before.

“Do you truly love her, Yan Xi?”

“I love her, and that will never change!”

“But she’s part of the righteous faction. Do you know what that means for you two?”

“I know.”

“You know nothing!” Qian Xing slammed a fist onto the desk. He felt that if his father were still here, he would probably be angered by Jun Zishu’s words as well. “Those righteous bastards treat us like we are a plague! They will try to get rid of anything that involves us! Does Shen Zheyan know you’re the Saintess?”

“She doesn’t.”

“She doesn’t even know your identity, yet you’re thinking of having a future with her? Are you trying to anger me to death?” Qian Xing said as he gripped his chest. He felt that there might really be a few screws loose in the head of the person he liked.

“It’s not a big problem. I’ll tell her the truth in the future.”

“Such revelations usually end up in bloodshed. Do you think the conflict between good and evil is a joke? Our factions might be taking on a non-interference stance right now, conflict is already simmering in the dark. If you two do end up together one day, once her sect and the rest of the righteous faction find out about your identity, what would she do? Even if she is willing to stay with you, her sect won’t accept it! And if our factions end up fighting one day, what would she do? What would you do?!”

Jun Zishu quietly watched Qian Xing’s angry rant. She knew that he was saying all this for her sake.

Jun Zishu also knew that her future was bleak. However, she didn’t have a choice. Shen Zheyan was her mission target. No matter how tough the road ahead might be, she had to remain by Shen Zheyan’s side. Unless, of course, Shen Zheyan no longer wanted her by her side.

However, if even the Demon Cult’s cult leader managed to get together with Shen Zheyan in the original storyline, why couldn’t Jun Zishu do the same as the Demon Cult’s Saintess?

“I know you are saying all this for my sake, Qian Xing,” Jun Zishu said, taking on a more serious expression as she looked at Qian Xing.

In response, Qian Xing let out a soft snort and pridefully raised his chin.

“I won’t change my decision. However, I won’t betray the Demon Cult, either. If she loves me, I am willing to conquer the hardships ahead of us.”

“What if she doesn’t love you?”

“In that case, I will kill the person she loves, then let her kill me?” Jun Zishu said with a bright smile.

“You’re crazy…”

Jun Zishu’s response frightened Qian Xing. Then, he furrowed his brows, a miserable expression appearing on his face.

“Anyway, if nobody comes to find trouble, nothing will happen. If somebody comes to find trouble, I’ll just take care of them,” Jun Zishu calmly said and shrugged.

Qian Xing didn’t know what to say to Jun Zishu. Both his head and his heart ached after listening to Jun Zishu’s words.

“Qian Xing, I suspect that the reason you like me is because…”

“Because of what?”

“Because I have been the only female by your side all these years.”

“Do the maidservants not count as girls?”

“Apart from the servants?”

“Sixth Elder?”

“You two are too far apart in age, so there’s no future for you two.”

“Who wants to have a future with her?!”

“Alright, let’s stop this topic. I’m going on a break. Send someone to call me if something urgent comes up. Oh, you don’t have to worry. Before you stabilize things here, I won’t leave this place,” Jun Zishu said as she made her way to the door. Then, before leaving, she stated, “Qian Xing, you’ll become an excellent cult leader in the future.”

“I don’t need you to tell me that,” Qian Xing said, clicking his tongue.

What should have been an unhappy discussion had ended on a relatively peaceful note.

Although Qian Xing had initially had his youthful heart crushed like glass, Jun Zishu’s subsequent words had glued his broken heart back together. Even so, he still needed some time to cool his head.

…

After leaving Qian Xing’s office, Jun Zishu asked some of the older servants in the headquarters and successfully located some of the previous Saintess’s belongings.

Most of the previous Saintess’s belongings had been thrown away already, and the few that remained were kept inside a small wooden chest. After blowing the dust off the cover, Jun Zishu opened the chest.

Apart from jewelry, the chest contained nothing else. The bracelet Yun Sheng mentioned was also inside the chest.

Without much thought, Jun Zishu closed the chest and took it back to her courtyard.

…

When night arrived, Qian Xing came to visit Jun Zishu for a drink.

Considering that Qian Xing had just suffered heartbreak and that he had nobody to serve as his drinking companion, Jun Zishu, the culprit of Qian Xing’s heartbreak, had no choice but to sit down and drink with Qian Xing.

Jun Zishu had excellent tolerance against alcohol, so she drank cup after cup of wine with Qian Xing.

Eventually, Qian Xing had gotten so drunk that he hugged the wine jug while mumbling to Jun Zishu.

“I like you so much, so why don’t you like me back?”

“There are plenty of people who like me. Why should I like every one of them back?” Jun Zishu nonchalantly shrugged.

“Yan Xi, you’re an idiot.”

“You’re the idiot,” Jun Zishu responded unhappily.

“You are also blind. Instead of liking someone like myself, why did you have to go and fall for a woman?”

“The person you like is also a woman, okay? You’re the one who’s blind.”

Jun Zishu had also drunk quite a lot, so she did not back down from the childish argument at all. Although she felt that there was something wrong with her words, she also felt like there was nothing wrong with them.

Meanwhile, Little Fairy, who spectated this argument from the side, expressed that her host had become very childish.

Eventually, Qian Xing collapsed, while Jun Zishu remained standing.

After tossing Qian Xing into one of the rooms in her courtyard, Jun Zishu wobbled her way back to her room.

…

While Jun Zishu was having an easy time in the Demon Cult, Shen Zheyan had fallen into a conundrum.

After separating for nine days, Shen Zheyan had started to miss the little vixen.

Shen Zheyan found that she couldn’t find the motivation to do anything these past few days. Every day, she would mindlessly wander around Hangzhou City and occasionally visit Yun Sheng for some tea. Apart from doing these things, she did nothing else.

In reality, Shen Zheyan didn’t miss Jun Zishu to the point of dying. The problem was when she was by herself. She would often find herself thinking that Jun Zishu would appear before her the next moment and that they would merrily chat with each other like normal.

Shen Zheyan had experienced what it felt like to miss someone again. However, unlike the longing feelings she held for her departed parents, the yearning she held for Jun Zishu wasn’t simply filled with worry and sadness. There were also hints of sweetness mixed within.

After thinking it over for the past few days, Shen Zheyan felt that Jun Zishu should like her.

However, Shen Zheyan also couldn’t make a definitive conclusion, either. After all, Jun Zishu had shown no regard for that incident whatsoever. Moreover, the main reason why Jun Zishu acted so clingy around her was because of their childhood intimacy.

What if Jun Zishu only treated her as an elder sister with whom she shared a close relationship?

Shen Zheyan sighed, worry filling her heart.

The rain started falling outside again, the raindrops creating a pattering cacophony.

The mountains and rivers around this region were tranquil. Even the rain that fell here was tranquil.

The water vapor that permeated the air seemingly seeped into Shen Zheyan’s heart, dampening her mood.

Did the little liar come back today?

She did not.