Chapter 47: Chapter 34: Affection by Design

Give him money?

Luo Qian’er almost thought she had misheard.

This wasn’t at all how she had envisioned things going!

Wasn’t Jiang Yi supposed to see her looking so fragile and pitiful, feel a surge of protectiveness, and offer her talisman money?

Why was he asking her for money instead?

“Junior Brother Jiang, you… I…”

Luo Qian’er opened her mouth but was at a loss for words. The entire pitiful speech she had prepared was now stuck in her throat.

As if he hadn’t noticed, Jiang Yi continued:

“Senior Sister, you may not know this. Just a couple of days ago, Marshal Yang was praising me. He said my Cultivation progress is truly rare in the Outer Sect and that I’m a piece of raw talent worth polishing. He’s even spending a fortune to arrange an Immortal Dao Ritual for me, to solidify my foundation.”

Luo Qian’er’s eyes lit up the moment she heard the word “ritual.”

She was from a Village Clan Direct Lineage, so her horizons were much broader than an ordinary Mortal Servant’s. She knew exactly what “Immortal Dao Rituals” meant.

It was no small matter. They started at hundreds of thousands of talisman money, with no upper limit!

In a Demon Dao Dharma Lineage, this was an act of sheer extravagance.

If what Jiang Yi said was true, then Marshal Yang from the Quenching Room of Red Flame Peak was doing far more than just “valuing” him!

To be willing to invest so much was tantamount to raising him as a direct successor!

The treatment reserved for one’s own grandson!

“Through Marshal Yang’s connections, I’ve met a few senior brothers and sisters in the Inner Peak. For example, Senior Brother Wang Heng from Nourishing Soul Peak, Senior Brother Lu Yun from Gathering Herbs Peak, and a Junior Sister Li from Sewing Peak!

We get along quite well, and they all think I have a great chance of winning a spot in the Inner Peak this time.”

Jiang Yi deliberately held his head high, as if he couldn’t wait to show off.

’I completely misjudged him!’

Luo Qian’er lowered her gaze, a flicker of shocked disbelief in her eyes.

She still found it hard to believe that the small-town boy from the Lower Courtyard, who reeked of poverty, had so easily turned his fortunes around!

Jiang Yi’s eyes flashed, a golden light contained deep within his pupils.

Then, he fanned the flames, his tone utterly sincere:

“Senior Sister Luo, with your wonderful qualities and beauty, you deserve a much brighter future. My only regret before was that I was too powerless to promise you a future of splendor.

That Zhou Can from Sewing Peak, to put it bluntly, is just a Servant wasting away in the Outer Sect. How could he possibly be worthy of you!”

In the past, Luo Qian’er would have only sneered at such words.

She would have dismissed it as nothing but smooth-talking and troublemaking from Jiang Yi.

But now, not only was he highly regarded by Yang Xun of the Quenching Room, even Li Ruohan, the direct-lineage daughter of the Bo County Li Clan, treated him with special favor.

With such tangible potential on display, she could no longer argue.

“Junior Brother…”

Luo Qian’er studied Jiang Yi intently. For the first time, she felt this junior brother of hers was incredibly thoughtful. He had actually voiced the true feelings she had kept bottled up inside.

’I can’t believe a Senior Sister from the Demon Dao’s Outer Sect is falling for this. I thought this routine only worked on women from the Immortal Dao.’

Jiang Yi observed the change in Luo Qian’er’s expression, and seeing that she seemed to be wavering, he immediately said:

“In my eyes, Senior Sister has always been a goddess. Even now that I’ve made some progress, I would never dream of possessing you, much less dare to act condescendingly and boss you around…”

Luo Qian’er was astounded. ’If Junior Brother Jiang had been this sweet before, maybe I would have been willing to get closer to him…’

At the courtyard gate, the young man’s every word was filled with deep emotion, a passion that even the wind and snow could not conceal:

“Besides, I think Senior Sister is fully capable of competing for one of the supplementary seats in the Inner Peak. In terms of looks, talent, and even background, you are not inferior to the senior brothers and sisters of the Inner Peak.

Why must you compromise and live at the mercy of others! My only regret is that my own abilities are still lacking, so I can’t help you at all… If I could just get some funding in talisman money, then next spring, when I ascend the Qingyun Road and break into the Inner Peak, I will never forget you, Senior Sister!”

Luo Qian’er felt dizzy. It was clearly snowing and windy, and the air was deeply cold, yet she felt a warmth spreading through her body.

’That’s right! On what grounds does my little brother get the clan’s support to vie for a seat in the Inner Peak!’

’He’s only just at Qi Cultivation Third Layer! And I’m already approaching Late-stage Perfection!’

’And that Zhou Can! He can’t even understand the Ninth Grade Little Seven Evils Needle Technique! He has to analyze it piece by piece and pore over its essence just to get it!’

“In my opinion, what Senior Sister lacks is not a few clothes or some talisman money, but an opportunity to advance. It’s a pity that Zhou Can is unwilling to let you spread your wings and fly.”

Jiang Yi’s voice was as gentle as water as he spoke persuasively:

“This junior brother has said all he can! It’s late, Senior Sister should return to Sewing Peak soon!”

“Then… Junior Brother, I’ll take my leave.”

Luo Qian’er was actually a bit reluctant to leave, a lingering look in her eyes.

“The mountain path is slippery. Be careful, Senior Sister.”

Jiang Yi saw her off the steps, then neatly opened the door, slid the bolt, and slipped inside.

Luo Qian’er’s feet felt light, as if walking on cotton. She had completely forgotten the purpose of her visit, and didn’t even notice that from beginning to end, Jiang Yi had not let her step into the courtyard.

…

…

“What’s Brother Yi doing back here! He should have just gone off with that Miss Luo!”

Jiang Yi had just stepped into the Big Mixed Courtyard when he was met with Widow Qin’s cold, mocking snort.

He looked up. Good heavens, no one was asleep. They were all here eavesdropping.

“Sister Qin…”

Jiang Yi wasn’t angry, and called out to her in a good-natured tone.

“Don’t call me that! Go find your goddess Senior Sister!”

Widow Qin was both angry and anxious, feeling that Jiang Yi had been bewitched. He knew Luo Qian’er wasn’t a good choice, yet he was still so attentive to her.

SLAM! She slammed the door and went into her room.

“Ahem, Brother Yi, don’t take it to heart. Sister Qin is just worried you’ll be taken advantage of.”

Old Li offered a dry word of comfort before his wife dragged him back into their room.

“I’ve got work tomorrow, I’m heading to bed.”

He the Venerable didn’t say anything. He was certain that Brother Yi was no blockhead who couldn’t see things clearly.

Besides, with the courtyard gate between them and the howling wind and snow, they hadn’t heard everything very clearly anyway.

Jiang Yi nodded and said gently:

“Rest well, Brother He.”

He boiled water to wash up, only going inside to lie down after the Hour of the Serpent had passed its midpoint.

His eyelids drooped slightly, and the tadpole-like characters dissipated like mist.

Several questions appeared on the golden paper—

[I beg the Celestial Book, show me the life story of Luo Qian’er from the Qianji Sect’s Sewing Peak…]

[I beg the Celestial Book, show me the most appropriate conversational tactics to use with Luo Qian’er…]

[I beg the Celestial Book, show me the strategy to win Luo Qian’er’s trust and ask her for talisman money…]

Karmic ripples subsided and then rose again, undulating back and forth like small pebbles tossed into a pond.

’Little brother, I suppose this can be considered me resolving this ill-fated bond for you,’ Jiang Yi mused. ’That Senior Sister Luo isn’t the type to settle down. If I bait the hook properly, I might just be able to squeeze some benefits out of her.’

’Once I rise a little higher and solidify my reputation as a genius of the Outer Sect and a talent of the Demon Dao, she should take the bait.’

Jiang Yi had seen plenty of people like Luo Qian’er in his previous life.

They seem shrewd on the surface, but are actually short-sighted and very easy to fool.

Especially when it came to people with titles and backgrounds—like someone from the Direct Lineage of a Noble Family or a Disciple of a Major Sect—they would rush to attach themselves without even bothering to tell fact from fiction.

Conversely, when dealing with those of humble origins who started from nothing, they would calculate every single ounce, absolutely not allowing themselves to suffer the slightest loss.

’How could trash like that possibly affect my Cultivation?’

Jiang Yi sneered, and with a slight shift of his thoughts, he cancelled the karmic threads related to “Luo Qian’er” and asked another question.

[I beg the Celestial Book, show me an Opportunity available at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer that has No Aftermath!]

He had roughly figured out that the higher his Cultivation, the wider the range of “Opportunities” he could access.

Therefore, after a breakthrough, the first thing he did was to make this inquiry.

The key phrase was still the two words: “No Aftermath.”

Whenever Jiang Yi thought about that time he drank the Moonlight Dew, how he had actually snatched it one step ahead of that Senior Brother Xu from the Inner Peak, he couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear.

Thankfully, he had followed the Celestial Book’s instructions, not a day early, not a minute late, and seized the perfect moment.

Otherwise, if Senior Brother Xu had caught him, he probably would have been killed on the spot to settle the score.

[Subject of Inquiry: Opportunity Aligned with Self]

[Deduction Time: Two days and eight hours]

’It’s taking this long even for something related to me. This Opportunity must be huge!’

Jiang Yi, filled with excitement, instantly threw all thoughts of Luo Qian’er to the back of his mind.

He planned to focus on his Cultivation for the next two days and wait for the results.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep