Chapter 19 - Ask My Servant Mary to Bring the Dragon Chair

She really wanted to pry open Mu Zhe's head and see what this guy was thinking.

Why does his favorability keep fluctuating like it's spring-loaded, going up and down all the time?

996 pondered for a moment and cautiously spoke up: "Perhaps... he doesn't like sweet things?"

"Husband, is there anything that doesn't suit your taste?" Wen Ruan gritted her teeth and asked.

"It's tolerable." Mu Zhe elegantly wiped the corner of his mouth. "Thank you for your trouble, my lady."

It was no trouble at all. I just suffered, that’s all.

She took back the bowl and spoke with a stiff tone, "Everyone, please continue. I'll take my leave."

996 quickly interjected: "Don't lose heart, host. Let him choose his own dishes, that way there won't be any mistakes!"

"Heh."

After taking two steps, Wen Ruan suddenly turned back. Smiling gently, she spoke with a voice filled with a touch of tenderness, "Husband, what would you like to eat tomorrow?"

Mu Zhe rested his chin on his hand, tilting his head slightly, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

His petal-like thin lips opened and closed, and he slowly uttered one word in a gentle and magnetic voice:

"Whatever."

Wen Ruan almost couldn't hold it together. Her expression contorted for a moment. "...Alright."

At Canglan Water Pavilion.

Under the wooden corridor, a small red clay stove was set up, with two round taros roasting on top, emitting a fragrant aroma.

The cold wind carried falling snowflakes, and the bronze bells collided, producing crisp sounds.

Wen Ruan took a cushion and threw it on the ground, sitting cross-legged comfortably. She extended her hand, cupping it above the stove, enjoying the warmth in her palm.

996 transformed into a chinchilla, crouching beside the stove and licking its fur. "How about we 'accidentally' encounter Mu Zhe at the observation deck tonight?"

"I’ll have to be crazy to do that." She looked at 996 in horror. "Venturing out into the snow at night instead of staying warm in bed?"

"Is it your brain that's the problem, or is it mine?"

After licking its belly clean, 996 began to lick its paws and mumbled vaguely:

“You have to do something, otherwise he won't fall in love with you for no reason."

Wen Ruan couldn't help but scoop it up into her arms, grinning wickedly as she moved her hands up and down:

"Isn't feeding him every day enough? Isn't that what you said? To capture a man's heart, you must first capture his stomach."

The thoroughly mistreated 996 thought: “...That is true, but could you please stop messing with my head?”

“I’m crying, that part is almost balding because of you QAQ.”

"My Lady," Lu Zhu walked over from the corridor bridge and greeted with a bow. "The other three ladies have arrived and wish to see you."

Apart from Wen Ruan, others couldn't see the presence of 996. She looked at Wen Ruan's strange posture, her gaze flickered slightly, but she didn't say anything.

The trio from the Mingyue Palace have arrived?

Wen Ruan stretched her neck and caught a glimpse of the three girls in the snow, their figures standing out. She scratched her head and sincerely asked:

"Is it too late to pretend I'm not here?"

Lu Zhu observed her expression. "Does my lady not wish to see them?"

"Forget it, let them come." She took the roasted taros off the stove, feeling a bit troubled. 

"There are only two, not enough to share."

Ping Xian walked with her two juniors from the other end of the corridor bridge.

Before they approached, they caught a whiff of a delicious aroma, as if some kind of meat was being roasted.

As they took a few more steps, the delicate face of the young girl entered their sight.

She was wrapped in a furry fox fur, sitting cross-legged on the corridor, with a small stove in front of her.

On top of the stove, there was a wire mesh where neatly arranged marinated meat sizzled over the fire, making a sizzling sound.

The flickering flames danced in her calm eyes, casting a soft and hazy glow on her profile.

In this dim and fading world, she seemed to be the only splash of color.

Ping Xian suddenly understood why that demon had chosen Wen Ruan.

"Please, have a seat." Wen Ruan waved to them, patting the cushion beside her. "I just roasted some meat. We can eat it in a moment."

Yu Ya snorted sarcastically, "You’re asking your guests to sit on the ground? Is this how you were raised? How were you taught by your parents? And what did your mentors teach you?"

Wen Ruan thought, “...Damn, why does this person always speak so rudely?”

Furious, she chuckled, "Then should I have my servant, Mary, bring you a dragon chair and kneel down to invite you to take a seat? Would that be acceptable?"

"You!"

Ping Xian lifted her skirt and sat boldly beside Wen Ruan, not even glancing at Yu Ya.

"If you don't want to sit, then stand.”

Yu Ya froze in place, her face turning red and white alternately.

Yun Zhu skillfully intervened, pulling Yu Ya to sit down and glanced around, sincerely admiring:

"You live in such a nice place."

"I think so too." Wen Ruan flipped the meat one by one, brushing on a layer of sauce with a cheerful tone. 

"The palace bed where I used to live was too hard, I couldn't sleep at all. The beds here are big and soft, super comfortable."

Yun Zhu's eyes lit up instantly, and she exclaimed instantly, "Really?! Can I go take a look?!"

"Of course you can." Wen Ruan turned her head and called out to Lu Zhu, "Take Lady Yun to have a look."

Lu Zhu led Yun Zhu away.

In the rustling wind, only Wen Ruan and Ping Xian remained on the corridor.

With no one else around, Ping Xian held Wen Ruan's hand, her bright eyes fixed on her as she went straight to the point.

"Junior, may I ask which sect you belong to?"

Wen Ruan understood that she couldn't avoid it this time.

If she didn't reveal her background, these three people wouldn't keep an unknown bomb like her around. They might even eliminate her to ensure the success of their plans.

If she revealed her identity, they would become comrades in the same trench.

"I am a disciple of the Shangyang Sect."

Ping Xian subtly sighed in relief.

She was always observant, and she knew very well that the demon from that day didn't initially plan to keep the three of them.

The only thing he was interested in was the girl in front of them.

If they were on the same side, everything would be easier to handle. But if they weren't... then she shouldn’t blame them for what happens next.

Ping Xian smiled again. "Since we're on the same side, let's forget about past conflicts."

But Yu Ya didn't want to see a family reunion scene. She lowered her voice and demanded:

"I heard you were with that demon last night. Why didn't you kill him?!”

Wen Ruan looked at Yu Ya with a gaze as if she was looking at someone mentally challenged.

"Are you saying I can just kill him? That's Mu Zhe, the leader of the Demon Realm. With a flick of his finger, I would be done for. Am I stupid? Would I just rashly go up against him like that?"

Yu Ya persisted, "I also heard that you went to deliver food to that demon this morning. Did you poison him?"

Veins popped on Wen Ruan's forehead. "Where did you hear all this from?"

Arms crossed, Yu Ya looked down at her and said, "It doesn't matter where I heard it from. Just tell me, did you or did you not?"

Wen Ruan tugged at the corner of her mouth, smiling without warmth, "Indeed, I have no authority over what you say or do. Similarly, you have no authority over what I do either."

She pointed at the bridge and said flatly, "You can leave now. I don't really want to see you."

"I apologize on behalf of my junior." Ping Xian quickly held Wen Ruan's hand when she saw her getting angry. "As the bigger person, please forgive her this time."

"If you really felt sorry for me, you wouldn't have let her finish saying those things just now."

Wen Ruan forcefully pulled her hand away and continued to fuss with the meat, her voice calm. 

"In the end, you don't believe me either. It's just that you're smarter and used your junior as a mouthpiece."

A frozen smile appeared on Ping Xian's lips.

Even Yu Ya couldn't help but shift her gaze to her, her face filled with a strong sense of disdain.

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