Sometimes, even Chu'he had to admire Li Furong's sharp tongue—she could always cut straight to the truth with just a few words.
Ninth leaned down and asked softly, "An enemy?"
"No," Chu'he replied. "She's my friend."
Ninth pressed further, "The kind of close, bosom friend?"
Chu'he nodded. "Yes, exactly that kind."
Ninth understood then. Chu'he had once said that one should make more friends, especially those like Dao Lao San's companions.
So, the tiny insect hovering near Li Furong quietly flew away.
Overheard fragments of their conversation made Li Furong stomp her feet in frustration. "Chu Yangzi, don’t you dare spout nonsense! You and I are not bosom friends!"
Once, when Ninth and Chu'he had revealed their close friendship with Dao Lao San, he too had jumped for joy.
Ninth mused to himself, So this noisy woman really is Ah'he’s closest friend.
Chu'he smiled, her eyes curving like crescents. "Li Doudou, I’ll treat you to wedding wine another day."
With that, she left with Ninth in tow.
Li Furong stood frozen for a moment before exclaiming in shock, "Has Chu Yangzi really lost her mind? Is she actually going to marry that white-haired freak?"
By the time she remembered she still had a score to settle with that Miaojiang girl, Chu'he and Ninth were long gone.
Li Furong huffed angrily. "Next time, don’t let me catch sight of you two!"
Meanwhile, Chu Sheng couldn’t wait any longer and stepped out to welcome his daughter home after her long absence. A well-known wealthy man in the city, he was greeted with bows and flattery wherever he went.
Chu Sheng scanned the streets, muttering, "Has the girl been away so long she’s forgotten the way home?"
A shopkeeper waved eagerly. "Master Chu! My shop just got a new batch of jewelry—your daughter might fancy some!"
The suggestion struck a chord. Maybe buying her something will remind her of her father’s warmth, Chu Sheng thought, lest her heart be too full of those three men to remember me.
Though past forty, Chu Sheng was well-preserved, his dignified aura undiminished. As he strode into the jewelry store, the glittering treasures only accentuated his noble bearing.
"Bring out your most expensive pieces."
The shopkeeper hurriedly had his assistant lay out exquisitely carved gold, silver, and jade ornaments for the esteemed customer’s perusal.
Chu Sheng skimmed the display and pointed. "This, this, and this..."
The assistant moved to pack them.
Chu Sheng frowned.
The shopkeeper smacked the assistant’s hand. "Fool! Master Chu meant exclude these—wrap up everything else!"
The assistant gaped. "A-all of it?"
Chu Sheng lifted his chin with a disdainful chuckle. "Don’t mistake me for some petty miser. These trinkets wouldn’t even last my daughter half a month if she wore them morning, noon, and night."
"Of course! The young miss is a celestial beauty—such trifles are hardly worthy of her gaze," the shopkeeper fawned, signaling the assistant to hurry.
Pleased, Chu Sheng said, "Well said. I’ll waive thirty percent of this month’s rent for you."
The assistant whispered, "So the shop belongs to Master Chu?"
"Not just the shop," the shopkeeper muttered back. "He owns the entire street!"
Dazed, the assistant mumbled, "If one married into the Chu family, wouldn’t that mean never working again?"
The shopkeeper snorted. "The young miss has sky-high standards. Not just anyone can catch her eye."
"What about the legendary ‘Sword Immortal’ Fang Songhe? He’s the dream of countless maidens!"
"Hmm… For a man like him, perhaps it’s possible."
While they whispered, Chu Sheng wandered the shop and spotted a jade bracelet on a shelf.
His eyes lit up, but a pale hand snatched it before he could.
No one dared take what he wanted. Annoyed, Chu Sheng turned—then stiffened.
Before him stood a slender, exotic youth with snow-white hair, bewitching crimson eyes, and an eerie, almost ethereal beauty that screamed trouble.
Clueless about its value, the boy rubbed the cool jade, held it up to the light, and grinned like a simpleton.
Chu Sheng bristled. "Hey, I saw that bracelet first."
The boy turned away, pulling out crumpled banknotes—his painstakingly saved pocket money.
"I’m talking to you!" Chu Sheng’s voice sharpened. "Are you deaf? Blind?"
"Hey, white-hair!"
The boy finally looked back, confused.
"I saw that bracelet first!" Chu Sheng barked.
The boy blinked and babbled in an unfamiliar tongue.
The shopkeeper rushed over. "Master Chu, he’s clearly from Miaojiang—only speaks their language. Best not provoke him. I’ve heard Miaojiang folk are… unnatural."
Chu Sheng met those eerie red eyes and shuddered. "Fine. Just an uncivilized southern savage. Not worth my time."
Yet moments later, the "savage" darted to the counter and grabbed a gold hairpin.
Chu Sheng reached out. "That’s mine!"
"Master Chu, ignore him! He doesn’t understand!"
Next, the boy swiped two ruby earrings from a packed box.
"Those are mine!"
"Please, Master Chu! Miaojiang people are cunning and vicious!"
Then, the boy snatched a jade hairpin mid-packaging.
Chu Sheng lunged. "Are you mocking me? Everything you take is what I picked!"
"Master Chu, calm down!" The shopkeeper yanked him back. "Yelling won’t help—he can’t understand you!"
Never so insulted, Chu Sheng shoved the shopkeeper aside—only to recoil when a venomous scorpion emerged from the boy’s shoulder, tail poised to strike.
He retreated behind the shopkeeper. "You’re right. A magnanimous man like me shouldn’t stoop to a barbarian’s level."
The boy laid his loot before the trembling assistant, who hesitantly held up three fingers.
With a grin, the boy handed over three crumpled notes.
At that moment, a voice called out from the street.
"Ninth, Ninth, where have you gone?"
"I'm here!"
Suddenly hearing the young man speak in the Central Plains dialect, both Chu Sheng and the shopkeeper froze in surprise.
His footsteps were light, swift as the wind as he darted out, leaving only the lingering jingling sounds behind, like an enchantment echoing endlessly in their ears.
Chu'he placed the items she had bought into Ninth's hands. "When we get to my home, take these out and present them to my father. Tell him they're gifts you bought to honor him."
Ninth blinked in confusion. "If I don’t bring gifts, will he dislike me?"
"That’s not necessarily the case," Chu'he explained. "It’s just our Central Plains custom—younger generations visiting for the first time must bring gifts for their elders."
Ninth let out an "Oh," then said, "I understand."
"And one more thing..." Chu'he took off her pouch filled with silver notes and handed it all to Ninth. "You must remember that not only did you buy the gifts, but this money was also earned by you."
Ninth clenched the pouch tightly. He knew very well how much Chu'he cherished this wealth throughout their journey, yet now she had given it all to him.
"This is Chu'he’s earnings," he murmured. "Not mine."
"It is yours. Without you, I could never have scammed—ahem—I mean, earned so much money along the way!"
Ninth looked down at the items filling his hands, heavy in weight, and his chest inexplicably felt just as weighted.
"Did you remember everything? This is the only way we can possibly fool my father."
Ninth gave a slight nod. "I remember."
Chu'he smiled and reached out, using her fingers to lift the corners of his lips. "Don’t feel burdened. I’ll stand by your side, Ninth. You should smile more—you look so handsome when you do."
Ninth’s long lashes fluttered, as if scalded by the sudden intimacy. Gazing into Chu'he’s smiling eyes, a faint blush crept up his ears, his pupils shimmering like scattered stars. The curve of his lips softened into a radiant, dazzling smile.
Then, an overwhelming surge of resentment bore down on Chu'he, impossible to ignore.
She shuddered, tilting her head slightly before freezing in place.
Behind Ninth, at the entrance of the jewelry shop, stood a man with a shadowy, grim expression, his face twisted in fury. The aura around him was dark and oppressive, like a vengeful ghost ready to devour souls.
Chu'he hastily pulled Ninth upright. "Father! How long have you been standing there?!"
Chu Sheng replied coldly, "Not long. Just long enough to hear you teaching this wild boy how to deceive me."
Chu'he’s eyes darted around, guilt written all over her face.
Chu Sheng had never expected to be fooled by a Miaojiang brat pretending not to understand Central Plains speech—let alone one involved with his daughter. Fuming, he strode forward step by step, stopping before the two of them. The sight of their intertwined hands only stoked his fury further.
He reached out to yank Chu'he back, but Ninth was quicker. Gripping her waist, he lifted her and shifted her to the left. Chu Sheng tried again, and Ninth hoisted her to the right, dodging once more.
Like a mother hen shielding her chick, Ninth refused to let anyone lay a finger on her.
After several rounds of this, Chu Sheng was left panting, making a spectacle of himself.
Enraged, he pointed at Ninth’s nose. "You brat! Don’t you have anything to say to me?!"
Ninth pondered for a moment, then spoke solemnly: "Father."
Chu Sheng blanked for a second before his blood pressure spiked. His vision darkened, and at last, he collapsed in a dead faint.
