Sincerity

“Why aren't you leaving?”

Jiang Jin quickly glanced outside. Seeing no other movement for the moment, he leaned forward and said anxiously, “Black Cloud Mountain has already been targeted by Taiqing Pavilion. Sect Master Feng declared that Nine Saints Hall must clear this place out within ten days. Besides, Fifth Senior Sister is in that state right now. It's too dangerous for you to stay here.”

Song Yao's attention drifted. “Feng Qing went to Nine Saints Hall?”

No wonder she hadn't made a move against Black Cloud Mountain yet. So this was her plan.

She wanted Nine Saints Hall and her Fifth Senior Sister to destroy each other so they could profit from the conflict.

But the elders of Nine Saints Hall and Zhu Zhao weren't fools. Since Black Cloud Mountain could temporarily keep Taiqing Pavilion and Beiyao Sect in check, and wasn't causing chaos under Wen Tang's control, they most likely wouldn't make a move against it.

From this perspective, her staying here could actually help keep Wen Tang stable. No wonder Zhu Zhao hadn't forced her to return.

She just didn't know if Feng Qing and Ye Chongguang would march straight to Nine Saints Hall if everything remained unchanged on Black Cloud Mountain after ten days.

This was truly a headache...

Seeing her nonchalant expression, Jiang Jin grew even more anxious. “That's why I'm telling you to come with me so I can protect you.”

Song Yao grabbed a jujube that had rolled onto the jade throne, wiped it clean with her sleeve, and continued munching on it. She looked at him with amusement. “Why would you protect me?”

After all, the two of them weren't even that close.

Looking at his state, he must have run out here all by himself.

What kind of nonsense was he trying to pull?

It was completely baffling.

Jiang Jin's face flushed under her gaze, the tips of his ears turning red. Tightening his grip on his sword hilt, he stammered, “Of course I have to protect you. You and I... after all, our relationship is different from others.”

Beside them, Wen Tang's neck turned imperceptibly. Her dark pupils shifted over, pinning themselves directly onto Jiang Jin's face.

Song Yao yawned. A few stray strands of hair fell against her pale cheek as she asked, mumbling slightly, “How is it different?”

“...”

Saying this here was clearly ill-timed.

But...

Meeting her misty, slightly dazed eyes, Jiang Jin's mind suddenly broke through all reservations. In a rush of blood to his head, impulse overrode his reason. “Of course it's different. Between us, there is more than just the bond of fellow disciples.”

Song Yao's cheeks were stuffed full. She reached down to grab another jujube scattered on the floor, but before she could, he suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her up, startling her.

Wait, what?

What was he getting so worked up about?

She looked up blankly, only to see his eyes shining with incredible intensity. With red ears, he blurted out, “Seventh Junior Sister, once this matter is behind us, will you... will you agree to an engagement with me?”

Song Yao: “?”

Huh?

This was a bit too shocking. Before she could even process it, a sudden palm strike swept in from the side, its chilling wind slamming squarely into Jiang Jin's chest.

A loud crash echoed, the heavy impact making the candlelight in the hall flicker wildly.

Jiang Jin was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut. He crashed heavily against a stone pillar in the hall, then slid down the stone surface onto the floor. A sweet taste welled up in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the floor, glaringly bright.

Looking up in disbelief, he saw the puppet who had been attending to Song Yao staring down at him coldly. The puppet walked toward him step by step, radiating an overwhelming pressure.

An indescribable panic washed over him. He instinctively shrank back until his back hit the base of the wall.

The figure was already in front of him. With a sudden wave of her hand, she seized him by the throat from afar, lifting him into the air.

His feet were forced off the ground. Suffocating, he struggled in panic as an icy voice echoed in his ears: “Marriage? You think you're worthy?”

Song Yao: “...”

She looked at Wen Tang, then at Jiang Jin, and finally decided to bend down, pick up two jujubes from the floor, wipe them, and continue eating.

She really couldn't fathom what Jiang Jin was trying to pull today. A betrothal?

Did he want to marry her just to ruin her so he could become the top disciple of Nine Saints Hall this generation?

And Wen Tang, where did this immense possessiveness come from?

Just because she had stolen her fiancé, did Wen Tang want to keep her under her control forever like this?

That was certainly a unique way to seek revenge.

Seeing that someone might actually die, Song Yao finally stood up and strolled over. “Tangtang, don't kill him.”

Wen Tang turned her head, her voice carrying an indescribable coldness. “Do you care about him?”

Song Yao pressed down on her wrist, her voice soft and calm. “I care about you.”

Wen Tang froze. She heard Song Yao continue, “He is, after all, a personal disciple of Nine Saints Hall. If you really kill him here, even if everything ends in the future and you want to return to the sect, people will inevitably gossip. Do you really plan to stay trapped on Black Cloud Mountain for the rest of your life and never go back?”

In her memories, Wen Tang loved Nine Saints Hall very much.

She loved everyone there, and she loved every flower and blade of grass.

Song Yao would eventually leave Nine Saints Hall, but Wen Tang was different. Once everything was resolved, Wen Tang had to return to live there.

Wen Tang looked down at her, her dark eyes unreadable, as if trying to pry the truth from her eyes.

After the two of them stared at each other for a long time, the strength in her fingers finally loosened. “Who wants to go back to Nine Saints Hall? Don't flatter yourself.”

Jiang Jin collapsed to the ground with a thud, clutching his neck and coughing violently. A deep purple finger mark had appeared on the side of his neck, and the painful sensation of suffocation still lingered in his throat.

He gasped for air, his eyes filled with absolute shock.

Just now, he had heard Lin Mu call this puppet 'Tangtang'. Could it be... could she actually be Fifth Senior Sister Wen Tang?

No wonder she was so angry when he said he wanted to take Lin Mu away right in front of her.

However...

He looked up, only to see Wen Tang bend down and scoop Lin Mu up in a princess carry without a word, carrying her back to the main throne with near-reverence. This shocked him even more.

Lin Mu had entered the sect at the same time as him. Like him, she should have never met Fifth Senior Sister before.

Why did Fifth Senior Sister seem to treat her differently?

And Lin Mu didn't even struggle. She was so small and thin, yet she didn't move at all, simply letting Fifth Senior Sister carry her back to the throne.

Was she like this with everyone?

Anyone could just pick her up?

She still hadn't answered whether she would marry him.

His mind was a chaotic mess. Struggling to crawl back up, he still refused to give up. “Seventh Junior Sister, I am sincere. Besides, Nine Saints Hall is currently in grave danger. Taiqing Pavilion has allied with Beiyao Sect, and they will march upon our gates in ten days. The sect is desperately short of people... You should come back with me. We are fellow disciples; if we join forces, we can surely contribute...”

Before he could even finish speaking, an even fiercer gust of wind suddenly struck.

Jiang Jin was swept off his feet and sent flying out of the hall. He slammed through the heavy wooden doors with a loud bang, crashing violently onto the stone pavement outside. After rolling a couple of times, he came to a stop and coughed up another mouthful of blood. His entire body felt as if his bones had shattered, leaving him without even the strength to lift a finger.

Sitting cross-legged, Song Yao let out an “Ah” at the sight and craned her neck to see if Jiang Jin was dead. But the moment her head tilted even half an inch, Wen Tang raised her hand, and the doors slammed shut with a resounding bang.

Wen Tang lowered her eyes, her voice laced with danger. “If you want him dead, feel free to keep looking.”