Chapter 32: I Have a Secret Weapon Up My Sleeve

"Honorable Immortals, please..." The innkeeper stood up and hurried over to them, his face fixed in a deferential, ingratiating smile. "If both parties of Immortals wish for a private room, my humble establishment can certainly accommodate you. Why must you resort to such violence over this?"

"Hmph, who would want to share a room with them!" Lou Si swept his gaze over the group and scoffed.

"You!" Lin Xiaoyuan retorted indignantly, "Sharing a room with us is your honor! You should be kowtowing in gratitude!"

Fang He'an reached out to stop Lin Xiaoyuan from bickering further with Lou Si. He turned to the innkeeper, bowed with hands cupped, and smiled faintly. "There is no need for such trouble. Just arrange a room for us as you see fit."

"Yes, yes, of course!"

The innkeeper’s expression toward them softened considerably, and he repeated his agreement three times. As long as they stopped fighting in his inn, he would agree to any request. "Well? Don't just stand there, go arrange the room for our guests!"

The waiter, suddenly addressed, nodded blankly. "Oh, right... Esteemed guests, please follow me."

"By the way, my name is Fang He'an... We will meet again." As he left with the waiter, Fang He'an suddenly turned back, his gaze sweeping over them with an inscrutable meaning.

[Fang He'an!]

[My god, how is it the male lead!]

[But... why is he here? Did my arrival disrupt the plot?]

Jiang Zao’s eyes widened in shock, but she quickly composed herself, her gaze following his back until he disappeared from view.

She needed a moment to process this... How could she just randomly run into the male lead? One had to know that Fang He'an was a man who held grudges for the smallest slights. Looking at the situation, it was safe to assume she had successfully landed on his blacklist.

Jiang Zao felt like crying. It was true she disliked the male lead, but that didn't mean she wanted to be his enemy. With a man like him, there was no telling when he might secretly do her in—and in a miserable way, at that.

[Wuwuwu, if I could do it all over again... I would still do the same thing.]

Jiang Zao paused for a moment. The three beside her subconsciously held their breath, only exhaling when they heard the rest of her thought.

Thank goodness it wasn't fear of that so-called male lead; otherwise, they would have doubted whether this was truly the Jiang Zao who gave them such headaches from time to time.

[Heh heh heh, so what if I'm on his bad side? I have a secret weapon in my possession!]

Since she had already offended him, she might as well go all the way. Trying to patch things up wasn't in her nature. He was just a Child of Destiny, after all—it wasn't as if she didn't have one of those around her as well.

The rapid shift in her mood left the three of them speechless. And that laugh of hers...

Well... it was certainly a bit deranged.

Jiang Zhuoran watched Fang He'an’s retreating back, his expression dark and unreadable.

Is he really the... fated partner that Zaozao said would accompany me for a lifetime? He doesn't seem particularly special; how could I ever be obsessed with him?

Recalling Fang He'an’s slight frown, his impression of the man worsened. He silently made a decision in his heart.

Yan Wuqiu and Lou Si felt no less disgust for him than the others. Not only did he offend Zaozao, but he also dared to harbor delusions of becoming the Junior Sister’s partner?

He should look in a mirror to see if he’s even worthy. If they could, they would truly love to send him into the cycle of reincarnation right now.

"Esteemed guests?" the innkeeper called out softly and cautiously.

Yan Wuqiu: "Let's go."

The farce thus ended, and the four followed the innkeeper to a private room.

To compensate for the unpleasantness they had encountered in his establishment, and in light of the generous compensation they had paid for the damages, the innkeeper kindly gifted them two of his signature dishes. He walked out of the room beaming.

It was rare to meet such reasonable guests; they were far better than those other cultivators.

The innkeeper’s expression turned cold at the thought of those troublemakers. If not for the fact that they were backed by the Qingya Academy, they wouldn't have stood a chance at survival!

...

The crescent moon hung like a hook in the treetops, and the stars twinkled brightly in the firmament.

Since it was late, the four decided to return by flying on their swords. Jiang Zao did not know how to fly on a sword, but that did not stop Qingming—her sword—from knowing how.

For someone experiencing sword flight for the first time, high-altitude travel without safety measures was undoubtedly nerve-wracking. However, in order to experience the sword flight of her dreams, Jiang Zao resolutely rejected their offers to carry her, deciding to have a thrilling experience of her own.

'Xiao Zao, Xiao Zao, let me do it! I fly very steadily!' In the sea of consciousness, Qingming volunteered excitedly; he had been cooped up for too long and was going stir-crazy.

Jiang Zao probed cautiously: 'Are you... sure?'

It wasn't that she didn't trust him; it was just that he was rarely trustworthy.

Qingming sensed her distrust, and his temper flared. He began to clamor in her sea of consciousness: 'Jiang Xiao Zao, what do you mean? You actually don't trust me!'

'I'm in a good mood and want to take you for a flight, and this is how you treat me?'

Jiang Zao’s head throbbed from his noise. To stop him, she casually brushed him off: 'Alright, alright, I never said I didn't trust you.'

Clearly, the naive sword spirit couldn't detect the perfunctoriness in her tone, believing her words had soothed his mood, and he became arrogant again: 'Good, as long as you know.'

She Sha watched their amusing interaction and couldn't help but cover her mouth to hide a smile. Since regaining her freedom, Qingming had become much more active, and his episodes of madness had lessened.

He was just a bit scatterbrained.

Jiang Zao summoned Qingming, while maintaining a connection with him in her sea of consciousness.

'Qingming, fly a bit higher so it's easier for me to sit on you.'

Standing on the blade was still a bit frightening, so she decided to sit. That way, if she got scared, she could lie flat and hug the blade—a double guarantee for her safety.

"Zaozao, are you sure you can do this?" Jiang Zhuoran asked again, seeing her cautious demeanor.

"A-Zao, come with me. My sword flight is very steady," Lou Si said, looking at her with determination, while Yan Wuqiu nodded in agreement from the side.

Watching her attempt to fly on her own was truly worrisome.

Jiang Zao swept her gaze over the three, smiling as she declined their kindness: "Don't worry about me, I can do it myself."

Under her repeated insistence, the three had no choice but to let her fly on her own. They watched as she carefully straddled the blade, gripping it with both hands, her delicate face filled with tension.

Qingming, fully prepared, was exceptionally excited: 'Ready, Jiang Xiao Zao?'

Jiang Zao took a deep breath, constantly encouraging herself, and finally made up her mind: 'Ready, let's go...'

"Whoosh—"

Before she could finish her sentence, with a sudden "whoosh," Qingming shot forward like a bolt of lightning. In an instant, a piercing shriek echoed through the night sky, startling all the birds in the forest and sending them scattering in all directions.

"Ahhh! Qingming, if I ever trust you again, I'm a dog!"

The three below heard the scream and hurriedly stepped onto their swords, flying off in pursuit of the receding figure.

Qingming’s speed was simply too fast. Even with their full effort, they could only barely catch a glimpse of a disheveled figure clinging to the blade, let alone stop it.

Jiang Zao hugged the blade tightly, not daring to open her eyes, her heart filled with condemnation for Qingming’s unreliability.

She truly should never have trusted him; trusting him was simply self-sabotage!