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Chapter 154 - Three Women Get Acquainted Over Conversation
Wen Lingxue woke up early that morning. She originally planned to wash up, do her hair and make-up, then mooch off Su Yi for lunch.
Naturally, Zhu Guqing’s decision left her somewhat troubled.
She thought it over, then whispered, “Senior, before I go, might I visit someone first?”
Zhu Guqing nodded. “From your perspective, leaving right this second really is a bit rushed. Who do you want to visit? I’ll accompany you.”
“That….” Wen Lingxue hesitated, but in the end, she nodded.
Before long, she had everything in order.
Zhu Guqing said, “Right, you don’t need to worry about Blueriver Sword Manor refusing to let you go. I’ve already discussed this with Mu Cangtu.”
“There’s nothing worth missing at Blueriver Sword Manor, and the person I want to see isn’t here, either.” Wen Lingxue shook her head. It hadn’t been long since she entered Blueriver Sword Manor, and the people she’d met here were just passersby to her.
“In that case, we’ll visit the person you want to see, then head off immediately. How does that sound?” murmured Zhu Guqing.
Wen Lingxue nodded, but when she thought about how she was about to part with her brother-in-law, her delicate, painted eyebrows knit together.
But then, she forced herself to perk up. I can’t let Brother-in-Law see me upset; it would only worry him.
As they walked out of Blueriver Sword Manor, Zhu Guqing noticed that Wen LIngxue looked a bit restless. She said thoughtfully, “Lingxue, don’t tell me the person we’re about to visit is your beloved?”
Wen Lingxue’s pretty face flushed red. “Senior, I’m going to see my brother-in-law.”
Zhu Guqing was stunned. “You mean the young man who married into your Wen Family?”
“That’s him,” Wen Lingxue said softly. “He’s always been extremely good to me, and he’s currently in the prefectural capital too.”
Her voice was noticeably gentler than before.
Zhu Guqing furrowed her brow, and when she spoke, her tone was a bit reproachful. “Don’t they say that he lost his cultivation, and that he’s nothing but a waste? And he’s a live-in son-in-law; his status is about as low as it gets. Even your sister is dead-set on dissolving this incomparably humiliating sham of a marriage. Why are you still on good terms with him?”
Wen Lingxue was stunned; she keenly picked up on Zhu Guqing’s biases against Su Yi, and she couldn’t help but argue, “Senior, my brother-in-law is a great guy, and besides, his cultivation has recovered. He’s not the ‘waste’ he once was.”
Zhu Guqing couldn’t help but sigh. “What magic potion or honeyed words did he use to convince you to speak up on his behalf?”
Her icy, beautiful features were instantly serious. “Lingxue, as your elder, I have to warn you: reality is cruel. Your sister and Su Yi’s relationship is irreconcilable. You shouldn’t waste your time sympathizing with him or pitying him; instead, you ought to draw a line between him and yourself.”
Before Wen Lingxue could respond, Zhu Guqing continued with a hint of indifference, “Besides, so what if his cultivation has recovered? He’ll never be a match for your sister. He’s simply not destined for that.
“And you are about to become a disciple of Heaven’s Origin Academy. Your status and rank are far beyond Su Yi. If you get mixed up with him, you’ll only hurt yourself.
By the time Zhu Guqing finished, Wen Lingxue’s heart surged with indescribable indignation, and her tone was noticeably colder than before. “Senior, that’s your opinion, but that’s not how I see it.”
Zhu Guqing was startled. It seemed as if she wouldn’t have guessed that such a pretty, obedient-looking girl dared argue with her.
A moment later, she couldn’t help but smile and say gently, “You’re still young, and you’ve yet to understand the wickedness of the human heart. One day, you’ll understand that I’m saying this for your own good.”
Wen Lingxue pursed her lips but said nothing.
Zhu Guqing patted her gently on the shoulder. “Enough, don’t be angry. I’ll take you to go see him. Now that you mention it, I’ve only heard your sister bring him up occasionally, but I don’t really know what he looks like or anything about his personality.”
Hearing this, Wen Lingxue’s mood noticeably improved. “Senior, when you see Brother-in-Law, you’ll surely change your mind about him.”
“That so? Well, I’m really looking forward to it,” said Zhu Guqing, but her words were a bit perfunctory and dismissive. To a Grandmaster like her, few young people were worthy of notice. They only paid attention to the supremely talented.
Wen Lingxue said no more.
She suddenly recalled something her brother-in-law once told her: The loftier someone’s status and the greater the power, the more stubborn, intractable, and conceited they’d become. When the powerful interact with others, it’s hard to avoid bias and discrimination.
It seemed this really was the case.
Zhu Guqing was an esteemed elder of Heaven’s Origin Academy, a Grandmaster whose name shook the entire Cloudriver Prefecture. To the people of Guangling City, she was like a heavenly dragon, someone they had to crane their necks to gaze upon from afar.
What was her attitude towards Su Yi if not a display of obstinate bias?
Whatever I do, I can’t let myself become like her…. Wen Lingxue thought to herself.
As the two of them walked, they attracted no shortage of attention.
Wen Lingxue was delicate and pretty to begin with, with bright, clear eyes. It hadn’t been long since she entered Blueriver Sword Manor, but they’d already crowned her their number one beauty.
And Zhu Guqing had even greater charm. Her hair was white as snow, and her eyes were like ice. She looked just over twenty, and in that pristinely elegant long dress, she looked utterly transcendent.
It was easy to imagine how much of a commotion two such peerless beauties, one young, one mature, would cause walking side-by-side.
If not for Zhu Guqing’s frigid and intimidating aura, odds were no small number of men would have chatted them up by now.
However, the closer they got to Bottlegourd Alley, the more familiar the scenery seemed to Zhu Guqing. She couldn’t help but frown and recall a recent and painful experience.
Zhu Guqing couldn’t help but ask, “Where does your brother-in-law live?”
“Up ahead, in Bottlegourd Alley.” Wen Lingxue pointed.
“It really is Bottlegourd Alley….” The expression on Zhu Guqing’s beautiful face shifted. It was just last night that a certain punk kid who didn’t know what was good for him angered her half to death.
“Senior, what’s wrong?” Wen Lingxue sensed that Zhu Guqing’s emotions were somewhat off.
“It’s nothing.” Zhu Guqing repressed her irritation and shook her head. She naturally wouldn’t tell Wen Lingxue what happened last night; that would be like irritating her own wounds.
But then, she followed Wen Lingxue into the alley. With each step they took, they drew closer to Humble Tranquility Cottage, and Zhu Guqing could no longer repress her rising sense of foreboding.
She couldn’t help but ask, “Lingxue, tell me, what does your brother-in-law look like? Does he have any distinctive features?”
Wen Lingxue’s clear, crisp voice responded, “We’re almost there. You’ll know when you see him.”
Zhu Guqing felt stifled, but it would have been awkward to press for answers.
There’s no way it’s that same punk kid. With the methods at that guy’s disposal, how could he resort to becoming a live-in son-in-law? And if she really married a young man like that, Lingzhao wouldn’t be so intensely averse to him, right…?
As Zhu Guqing comforted herself, Wen Lingxue was already dashing over to Humble Tranquility Cottage’s gates.
She knocked on the door. Thud thud thud!
The sound was soft and gentle, but it went off in Zhu Guqing’s ears like sudden cracks of thunder. Her entire body went rigid, and her icy, beautiful face shifted.
It really is that guy’s house! She was now certain that something bad was coming.
Creak~!
The gate opened. They stood on opposite sides of the entryway, but both Wen Lingxue and Cha Jin were stunned.
Wen Lingxue almost assumed she’d gone to the wrong address.
Cha Jin, meanwhile, was stunned by Wen Lingxue’s good looks. Isn’t she a bit too pretty? Those bright eyes and pearly teeth, those delicate features, that youthful charm… I might be a woman, but even my eyes lit up at the sight of her. She’s stunning!
“Miss, who are you here to see?” asked Cha Jin with a faint smile.
“I’m looking for my brother-in-law,” said Wen Lingxue. Her bright eyes peered into the courtyard. The scenery was the same, but there was no sign of the familiar Huang Qianjun, nor of the Feng Siblings.
Naturally, she didn’t see Su Yi either.
“Your brother-in-law?” Cha Jin was stunned. She laughed, “Might I ask who your brother-in-law is?”
“It’s me.” It was then that the door atop the courtyard’s stone stairs swung open, and a tall, lean figure walked over.
Wen Lingxue instantly lit up and waved him over. “Brother-in-Law! I almost thought I was in the wrong place!”
Boom!
Su Yi’s voice went off in Zhu Guqing’s ears like a sudden crack of thunder, shattering all remaining hope that this was just some big misunderstanding.
It….It really is that guy? How is this possible? How could someone pathetic enough to have married into his wife’s family possibly possess enough power to slay a Grandmaster? How could a mere live-in son-in-law talk and laugh alongside the Spiritmartial Marquis?
Zhu Guqing was dumbstruck, but Cha Jin was flabbergasted too.
If Su Yi was this young woman’s brother-in-law, didn’t that mean Su Yi was already married?
When she realized this, Cha Jin felt an inexplicable, complex sourness rise within her heart.
“You might mistake the location, but you wouldn’t mistake me for someone else, right?” laughed Su Yi.
It was obvious that his little sister-in-law had combed her hair and dressed up for the occasion. She was even more charming than usual, and her pale green dress outlined her slender figure.
But when Su Yi caught a glimpse of Zhu Guqing out of the corner of his eye, his eyebrows shot up. “Why did you come back here?”
His words weren’t the least bit polite.
This startled Cha Jin out of her strange and subtle reverie. For the first time, she noticed Zhu Guqing’s presence, and her pretty eyes were instantly focused and intent.
And who is this?
What’s going on today? Why is one peerless beauty after another knocking on his door?
When she heard Su Yi’s aloof but mildly surprised tone, Zhu Guqing felt as if he were provoking her. Her charming features were instantly icy. “I never would have guessed that you were that Wen Family live-in son-in-law.”
Her words were barbed, but Su Yi just laughed. “So what if I’m a live-in son-in-law? Don’t think that I dare not be rude to you just because you’re Wen Lingzhao’s master. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to keep provoking me.”
Wen Lingxue keenly realized that something wasn’t right. “Brother-in-Law, are you and Senior Zhu acquainted?”
Zhu Guqing’s heart clenched; she worried that Su Yi would tell Wen Lingxue what happened last night, so she beat him to the punch. “Lingxue, what happened between us has nothing to do with you, and you are not to get involved.”
Although she said that, Wen Lingxue was increasingly certain that Zhu Guqing was unsettled, almost as if she felt guilty.
What exactly did Brother-in-Law do to make her too ashamed to even discuss what happened?
The mystery only made Wen Lingxue even more curious.
“I actually agree with you this time. If you get Wen Lingxue mixed up in our affairs, I guarantee that you’ll pay the price,” said Su Yi flatly.
“You….” Zhu Guqing’s face alternated white and green, and her eyes practically blazed with fire. This brat has no idea what it means to respect his elders, does he? How can he be so impudent!?
Cha Jin watched their clash from not far away, and her expression gradually turned strange.
The more she watched, the more she felt as if this were an argument between lovers, but that neither of them wanted to get outsiders involved….