Just as Su Yi had expected, the rumors regarding him and Zhao Qian spread through Divine Might Manor as if they had grown wings, each version growing more absurd than the last.
What began as “the Young Manor Lord grovels to win back his wife” had already escalated into “Senior Sister Zhao Qian had secretly harbored feelings for him all along, and her previous attack was merely because Tantai Yunzhi drew the Young Manor Lord's attention,” “Zhao Qian was consumed by jealousy,” and other such variations.
Naturally, not a single syllable of these wild rumors failed to reach Zhao Qian’s ears.
Bang! Zhao Qian kicked her door violently, her chest heaving as flames seemed ready to erupt from her eyes. “That Su Yi is taking things way too far! Ruining my reputation like this! We cannot coexist under the same sky!”
She paced furiously in circles around her room, wishing she could charge straight up to Su Yi this very second and tear those gossiping fools along with Su Yi himself into pieces.
Just as she could no longer hold herself back and was about to burst out the door, a cold, alluring voice resonated directly within her mind: 【Calm down! It is merely trivial gossip; why let it anger you? If you truly detest him so, once we possess sufficient power, we can simply cut him down together.】
It was the ancient demonic soul residing within her body.
Zhao Qian gnashed her teeth, snapping back in her mind, “Senior! Then why won’t you even let me go demand an explanation from him right now?! Am I supposed to just sit here and let him slander me like this?!”
The demonic soul’s voice carried a hint of mockery and caution: 【You encountered a fortuitous opportunity and advanced your strength without ever leaving the sect. Yet at this exact sensitive juncture, that Su Yi suddenly shows you such extraordinary ‘concern’ and deliberately makes it known to all.】
【Do you not find this coincidental? Do you not suspect this is his way of testing you? Testing why your strength managed to increase rather than decrease after receiving punishment?】
【Besides,】 the demonic soul’s tone shifted, taking on a calculating edge, 【what do rumors matter? If you pay them no heed, you gain a bottle of healing medicine for nothing, which only benefits your cultivation. Why expose our hand just to vent a moment’s anger?】
“Who wants his damn medicine!” Zhao Qian’s fury flared even hotter. She grabbed the exquisite green jade bottle from the table, intending to smash it onto the ground.
Leaving her hand, the jade bottle bounced and rolled a few times across the floor with a dull thud, remaining utterly unscathed.
“Hmph! Even the bottle is this sturdy! It’s just ordinary golden sore ointment that anyone can claim in unlimited amounts from the Law Enforcement Hall, yet he packaged it up like some divine elixir! Hypocrite!” Looking at the bottle lying in the corner, Zhao Qian found her blood boiling even more.
The sheer quality of the bottle only served to substantiate Su Yi’s “devotion” in the eyes of the outside world, suffocating her with indignation.
Crucially, this packaging was far too conspicuous; by now, was there anyone in all of Divine Might Manor who did not recognize this “token of the Young Manor Lord’s love”?
Even if she had a hundred mouths, she could never explain it away! She had even tried explaining to several sisters close to her that it was merely ordinary golden sore ointment, but who would believe that such a fine bottle held such inferior salve?
Instead, they had only looked at her with a knowing gaze that said, “I understand, a young woman must maintain her modesty.”
They had even urged her, “The Young Manor Lord has already shown his favor so publicly; Senior Sister Zhao, you shouldn’t play hard to get.” It had practically made her spit blood!
What stoked her rage even further was that Su Yi had doubled down over this period. From time to time, under the pretext of “discussing cultivation” or “checking on her recovery,” he sent people to deliver frivolous yet lavishly packaged trinkets. He had even gone so far as to openly invite her before a crowd to “share tea together with the Manor Lord,” thoroughly cementing the rumors that “the Manor Lord has already tacitly approved their relationship.”
She wanted to confront him and set the record straight, but the demonic soul adamantly refused.
【Meet the Manor Lord?】 The demonic soul sneered. 【While this seat possesses secret techniques ensuring he will perceive nothing amiss, that old bastard Su Jing's cultivation is unfathomably deep. What if an accident occurs? Do you dare gamble?】
Zhao Qian did not dare gamble. Thus, amidst the ever-intensifying rumors, she could only forcibly swallow her anger, holding it in until it felt like an internal injury.
Yet the more silent she remained, the more outsiders took it as “tacit consent,” assuming that “love had softened her temper.” There were even whispers spreading that “Senior Sister Zhao Qian is striving to cultivate her mind and become gentle and agreeable, all so she can be worthy of the Young Manor Lord.”
Hearing this, Zhao Qian felt her vision swim with fury, her silver teeth nearly grinding to dust.
“Su... Yi! Just you wait!” she roared silently in her heart. Her hatred for Su Yi quietly festered, feeding the demonic soul within her that drew nourishment from wrath and envy.
However, she was not the only one enraged by all of this.
Rate on N.U.
