41: Chapter 41 Since that's the case, I'll go to the front hall and help you watch the shop.

Jiang Xuan watched her walk away, then turned and returned to the shop.

He sat down in the rattan chair, crossed his legs, picked up his teacup, and took a slow sip.

His gaze rested on the flow of people coming and going outside, but his mind was turning over the words Mistress Zhen had just spoken.

Dingfeng Village.

Children missing.

Cultivators leaving and never returning.

If this had happened in the past, he would have just listened and let it pass.

As a small shopkeeper at the Qi Refinement Stage, he could barely even protect himself, so why would he bother with such meddlesome matters?

Furthermore, the last time he ran into Shopkeeper Ye Zide at Ye's Grocery, that shrewd middle-aged man had also mentioned it.

He said that the world had not been very stable lately, and many supply channels had been cut off, his words full of worry.

Added to what Mistress Zhen said today.

Two different Mortals, at different times, were saying the exact same thing.

If one were to say who would be the first to sense the world becoming unstable, it would definitely be these lowly Mortals.

Jiang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

However, having said that, these matters ultimately had little to do with him.

He just needed to guard his own small plot of land well.

As for how much trouble the demons and monsters outside might stir up, that was a matter for those major Sects and the great Cultivators of Tingfeng Town to worry about.

Jiang Xuan picked up his teacup and took another sip; the tea flowed down his throat, warm and sweet.

He leaned back against the rattan chair, looking at the stone-paved street outside, brightened by the sunlight, and the corners of his mouth suddenly curved upward.

But then again.

Once the world becomes chaotic, Cultivators must always be on guard and make more preparations.

To prepare, they must make purchases; Medicinal Pills, Talismans, Spiritual Artifacts, and protective items—none of these can be lacking.

His shop happened to sell everything.

Perhaps once things become chaotic, business might even get better.

Jiang Xuan laughed at himself and shook his head.

He really was a wicked businessman.

He shook his head, cast this thought aside, and leaned back in the rattan chair to rest with his eyes closed.

After a while, a faint fluctuation of Sword Qi came from the Backyard.

Jiang Xuan opened his eyes, somewhat surprised. Su Yue truly had great talent; she had already gotten the hang of it so quickly.

The shop was quiet, with only the sounds of the street outside drifting in from afar, buzzing and murmuring as if separated by a layer of water.

The sun gradually leaned toward the west.

It was another ordinary day.

… Night came.

Moonlight filtered in through the paper windows, spreading a layer of pale silver-gray across the floor.

Jiang Xuan washed up, changed into a clean inner garment, and leaned against the head of the bed, browsing the Spirit Garden data in the System interface.

The maturity progress of the five Spiritual Plants had reached ninety percent, and he would be able to harvest the first batch early tomorrow morning.

Just as he was calculating what to plant for the next batch, the door was gently pushed open from the outside.

Su Yue walked in.

She had already changed out of the stiff, properly fastened white brocade robe she wore during the day and was wearing a thin gauze dudou.

Over it, she wore a slightly worn, plain-colored outer garment, draped loosely over her shoulders without being tied.

Her long, jet-black hair was let down, hanging to her waist.

The moonlight fell upon her, illuminating her cold, clear brows and eyes with striking clarity.

She walked to the bedside, not standing and waiting for him to speak as she had the previous few times, but instead sitting down directly.

Then, she reached out to slide the outer garment off her shoulders, folded it neatly, and placed it by the pillow.

Jiang Xuan closed the System interface and turned his head to look at her.

Su Yue did not meet his gaze; with lowered eyes, she knelt and moved in front of him, then leaned down.

Her jet-black hair fell from her shoulders, spreading across his lap and obscuring most of her face.

She was more proficient than the previous times, and her rhythm was much steadier.

She was no longer as awkward as she had been at the beginning, which had made others worry for her.

Her lips were soft, her breathing even, and she would occasionally adjust her angle to find a more comfortable position.

Jiang Xuan rested his hand on the top of her head, his fingertips sliding all the way down through her jet-black hair.

The warm, soft sensation, combined with the clear, cold scent of plum blossoms, surged up, making him feel very comforted inside.

The tips of Su Yue's ears were red, and her eyelashes were lowered; she did not raise her head to look at him.

He could feel that she was putting her heart into it.

He sighed comfortably.

Tonight, just like last night, it was Su Yue who had taken the initiative.

She had finished her Cultivation not long after he had laid down.

Once, it could be called a whim.

But doing it twice in a row was not quite right.

He already understood Su Yue's temperament very clearly.

From the first time until now, every time he had been the one to initiate, and she would only follow along half-reluctantly.

Even though she no longer resisted later on, that cold, aloof, and reserved nature in her bones had never been set aside.

Jiang Xuan moved his hand from stroking her hair to her chin, gently lifting it with his fingertips.

Su Yue complied and raised her head.

There was a trace of moisture at the corners of her mouth, her cheeks were flushed red, and her Phoenix eyes were covered in a thin mist, looking at him in a daze, filled with confusion.

Jiang Xuan looked at her, his tone very soft: "Fairy Su, didn't you used to be very resistant to doing this?"

Su Yue's eyes flickered slightly.

"Why have you suddenly become so proactive these past two days?"

The hazy flush on Su Yue's face burned even deeper in an instant.

She jerked her head away, slapped aside his fingers resting on her chin, and turned to the side, her ear tips burning red.

There was silence for several breaths.

In the room, only the intermittent sound of insects drifting in from outside the window remained.

Only then did Su Yue speak, stuttering, her voice muffled: "Isn't it that... you like this..."

By the time she said the last few words, her voice was so small it was almost inaudible.

When Jiang Xuan heard this, his heart softened abruptly.

Then he roughly understood.

He had given her too many things these past few days.

And she had nothing of value, unable to even pull out a single Spirit Stone.

This sense of indebtedness weighed on her heart, growing heavier day by day.

In the end, the only way she could think of to repay him was this.

Because she felt she owed him, and if she didn't do this, she couldn't get past it in her heart.

Jiang Xuan paused, not rushing to speak, but instead pulling her into his embrace first.

Su Yue obediently pressed her cheek against his chest.

He spoke: "Fairy Su, the things I gave you were not for you to repay me in this way."

Su Yue's eyelashes trembled.

"Whether it is Medicinal Pills or Cultivation Techniques, I am willing to give them because I want to give them."

"It has nothing to do with whether you do these things or not."

"If you don't want to, you can just not do it. I won't take back the Medicinal Pills because of this, nor will I drive you out."

"So you don't have to..."

Halfway through his sentence, his voice suddenly stuck.

Because Su Yue slowly straightened up from his embrace and sat upright.

The shy flush on her face had faded for the most part, replaced by a layer of frost.

Those Phoenix eyes stared straight at him, the coldness in her gaze almost enough to freeze someone.

Jiang Xuan's mouth was still open, the rest of his words stuck in his throat, and he simply didn't dare to spit them out.

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped by several degrees.

Su Yue stared at him, her voice cold enough to freeze ice: "So what you mean is... you are already tired of it?"

Jiang Xuan's expression froze.

He opened his mouth, but for a moment, he actually didn't know where to start his reply.

"It's not..."

"Then what do you mean?" Su Yue's tone was flat, without a hint of fluctuation, yet the flatter it was, the more unsettling it made one feel.

"Clearly, you didn't get enough even after messing around with them until the second half of the night before."

"When it comes to me, you say there is no need to force yourself."

She moved her gaze away from his face, landing in the direction of the edge of the bed.

In this instant, a fleeting emotion flashed through her cold, clear Phoenix eyes, which Jiang Xuan caught.

It was sadness.

"Since that is the case, I will go to the front hall to help you mind the shop."

As she spoke, one slender, jade-like leg had already stepped off the edge of the bed.

Jiang Xuan hurriedly grabbed her wrist.

"Wait, I really didn't mean that."

Su Yue was pulled by him, but she did not struggle, nor did she turn back; she just sat on the edge of the bed with her back to him.

She didn't say a word.