Chapter 057: Robbing the Rich to Aid the Poor

Those words were simply too flirtatious, leaving Yan Shu at a loss for how to respond. Her cheeks flushed faintly, and with a soft murmur, she cut off their connection.

Yu Wenche gazed at the now-dark Xuanling Mirror, let out a gentle laugh, then stowed it away in his mustard seed pouch.

Dan Zhiqing bit her lip in secret but forced a bright smile onto her face. “Senior Brother, will Senior Sister Yan be coming over later?”

Yu Wenche glanced at her and nodded. “Yes, she’s coming.”

Her smile widened, pure and innocent like a maiden’s. “That means I’ll get to see Senior Sister Yan again. You must be very happy, right, Senior Brother?”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but as she was the master’s only daughter and the junior disciple he’d always looked after, and since he was in an excellent mood, he chose not to read into her words with suspicion. He simply nodded, “Mm.”

Dan Zhiqing struggled to suppress the sourness and envy in her heart, maintaining her innocent smile. “Speaking of which, Junior Brother Xiao, who was with Senior Sister Yan just now, is quite good-looking. When Senior Sister arrives, you’ll have a beauty to gaze upon, and I’ll have one too!”

At that, the smile at Yu Wenche’s lips faded slightly. Xiao Jihan’s identity was no secret—back then, the head of Wuwang Peak of the Xuantian Sect, Wen Youhe himself, had taken Xiao Jihan away, a matter that could hardly escape his notice.

The Sima family was allied by marriage with the Yu Wen family; in terms of seniority, he was Xiao Jihan’s great-grandfather’s generation.

Others might not remember Xiao Jihan, but Yu Wenche remembered him well. Over ten years ago, when the Sima royal family’s crown prince married, Yu Wenche happened to pass through Hanzhou on an errand for his master and delivered a congratulatory gift.

Just as he was about to leave, he encountered a boy. Though of royal blood, the boy wore patched clothes, but his features were astonishingly beautiful, almost androgynous, with clear and resolute eyes.

The boy blocked his path, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed respectfully, looking up with those clear, stubborn eyes. “Great-grandfather Yu Wen, my name is Sima Ji. I’m the seventeenth prince of the Sima family. I’d like to ask you to test my spiritual roots.”

Yu Wenche remembered it vividly. It was that excessively beautiful face that made him halt—otherwise, he would have vanished with a spell long before.

He could tell that the boy truly wanted to become his disciple but dared not say it outright, using the spiritual root test as a pretext.

A seventeenth prince in patched clothes—Yu Wenche saw at a glance that the child led a hard life. Perhaps it was that face, or those clear, unyielding eyes, but compassion stirred in him.

He made an exception and tested the boy’s spiritual roots, thinking that if they were decent, he’d bring him to the Taichu Sect and help him escape his misery.

But to Yu Wenche’s surprise, the boy had only a false spiritual root of four attributes. Reluctant to hurt his feelings, Yu Wenche hesitated to speak the truth.

Yet with so many cultivators at the banquet, someone laughed aloud, “Ha! A four-attribute false spiritual root dares block Immortal Yu Wen’s path!”

Instantly, the room erupted in ridicule.

Yu Wenche saw the boy’s fists clench tight at the mockery; though angry, he bowed his head again and kowtowed. “Sima Ji apologizes for offending Great-grandfather Yu Wen.”

Everyone has their own fate. Though Yu Wenche felt pity, he did not ask further—he merely nodded and walked away.

Later, he only heard news of the boy when Wen Youhe took him to the Xuantian Sect, where he changed his name to Xiao Jihan.

Yu Wenche was surprised—Xuantian was one of the Four Great Sects. Even the smallest sect would not accept a disciple with a false spiritual root of four attributes.

He sent people to investigate, and upon learning the reason for Xiao Jihan’s acceptance, he felt gratified that the boy had finally escaped his suffering.

Later, he heard that Xiao Jihan had been taken as a personal disciple by Yan Shu, that once-in-a-millennium genius of the cultivation world.

The Hao Yuan Pill…

The Xuantian Sect was so destitute it had begun selling the wares crafted by each peak lord, yet Yan Shu had given Xiao Jihan a Hao Yuan Pill and personally entered the secret realm to protect him.

Yu Wenche frowned as he watched the rippling surface of the lake.

Dan Zhiqing saw his frown and smiled, delight surging in her heart.

Senior Brother must belong to her, and no one else!

Yan Shu put away the Xuanling Mirror and said to Xiao Jihan, “Let’s go. Yu Wenche isn’t far. The sky is growing darker, and I have a feeling this rain will last a long time.”

Xiao Jihan held the umbrella, his eyes lowering as he glanced at her, and nodded lightly. “Alright.”

The two of them shared a single umbrella, walking together toward the place Yu Wenche had mentioned.

In all her two lives combined, Yan Shu had never walked under the same umbrella with a man. Xiao Jihan’s silence only made things more awkward.

She cleared her throat, searching for something to say. “By the way, I saw you buying a lot of things at the black market the other day. Where did you get all those spirit stones?”

At her question, Xiao Jihan’s body stiffened slightly. He suddenly felt reluctant to tell her the truth.

Seeing his silence, Yan Shu thought she’d stumbled onto some trade secret and quickly said, “It’s fine if you don’t want to say. I was just curious.”

Xiao Jihan’s grip on the umbrella handle tightened. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “I… I robbed a cultivator.”

Yan Shu: ????

Robbed?!!!

Male lead, wake up! You’re a paragon of virtue—pure, righteous, and the very favorite of the heavens! You say you robbed someone? How does that make any sense?!

Seeing the shock and disbelief on Yan Shu’s face, Xiao Jihan lowered his eyes.

Affection Level: 5 (Acquaintance)

Yan Shu: ????

You’re the one who robbed someone—why did my affection level drop by one?! Is being the male lead a license for such petulance?!

Fine, have it your way.

Composing herself, Yan Shu put on a stern, righteous expression. “I don’t know why you robbed that cultivator, but if you did, he must have deserved it! I was only shocked because I was worried he might seek revenge on you.”

Affection Level: 6 (Acquaintance)

Yan Shu wiped imaginary sweat from her brow.

Xiao Jihan’s long lashes trembled. He looked up at her. “You needn’t worry. I concealed my identity. That man, relying on his early Nascent Soul cultivation, was robbing weaker itinerant cultivators throughout Fantian City. He even behaved obscenely toward women. That’s why I decided to rob him.”

Hearing this, Yan Shu breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

She knew it—the male lead’s character could never collapse.

Yan Shu looked up at him. “You did well. Not only did you uphold justice, you robbed the rich to aid the poor!”

“Robbed the rich to aid the poor?”

“Yes!” Yan Shu smiled at him. “Aren’t we the poor in this situation?”

At that, Xiao Jihan paused for a moment, then a faint smile slowly appeared on his lips. “You’re right—we are indeed the poor.”

Affection Level: 7 (Acquaintance)

Yan Shu: …

Male lead, can’t we be poor with a little less pride?