From this, it was clear.
Putting aside the little female lead’s rapport with people, her rapport with dogs was truly excellent.
After getting through the initial period, the four dogs she had picked up were gradually raised by her into some semblance of themselves and were willing to be close to people.
It was just a pity that Yan Huirou hadn’t returned yesterday, and then the heavy rain had come. One of the puppies had gotten wet from the wind, sneezed all day today, and then developed a fever. The situation did not look optimistic.
“Who came up with these strange names? Did Yan Huirou?”
Bi Luo said, “Yes, Sect Master. Don’t you also think that Miss Yan is very cultured? She said her inspiration came from the four officials of the underworld judges, which matches your sect’s name very well…”
The young girl praised her brightly, “How domineering. You see, Sect Master, even the dogs at the foot of the Shasheng Sect are so unique, which further highlights your wisdom and martial prowess…”
The underworld? How unlucky.
Better than names like ‘Brings Fortune’ or ‘Good Luck’.
It was clear that Bi Luo’s skills in flattery were still in their early stages and quite green.
Not as subtle as Wen Xianyin, nor as endearing as Yan Huirou.
Jiang Xidai didn’t fall for it. With a flick of her sleeve and wrist, she sent a flick to the forehead flying through the air—a warning for her to shut up.
Bi Luo clutched her forehead and immediately fell silent.
“Go and inform her,” Jiang Xidai ordered. “Tell her not to just focus on treating the dog. She should bring back the necessary ingredients to stock up.”
But Jiang Xidai didn’t need to give this order to Bi Luo. The meticulous Yan Huirou would naturally not forget her preferences.
Before Bi Luo could even find her, Yan Huirou had already returned, holding a black puppy in her left hand and some large and small oil-paper packages in her right.
Since the Shasheng Sect was half-suspended in the air, if one wasn’t flying up and down, they would obviously need to climb the mountain path.
Yan Huirou’s footsteps were light as she leaped onto the last step, tilting her head up to wipe away the beads of sweat on her forehead.
The shadows of the branches swayed.
Just as she was walking forward, the sound of something cutting through the air suddenly came from behind her.
So fast.
Yan Huirou turned her head to dodge. Before she could see who was attacking her, the next thrust came swiftly, not giving her a single moment to relax.
Yan Huirou heard the puppy in her arms whimpering. Her throat tightened, and a chill ran through her. She protected the small life in her arms with both hands, subconsciously dropping the food she was holding and turning her back to the direction of the wind-breaking sound.
Don’t—
A flowering branch extended, hooking the string on the oil-paper package that was about to hit the ground, just barely catching it.
A red sleeve fluttered down.
The woman’s fair hand held the other end of the branch.
Yan Huirou was stunned. She turned and looked up. “Sect Master Jiang?”
Jiang Xidai held the oil-paper package she had snatched from Yan Huirou’s hand and pinched open a small corner.
She sniffed it, then slowly folded it back up. Her gaze fell on Yan Huirou’s face, sizing her up, her lashes sweeping down. “Your alertness is terrible. Someone was already behind you, yet you didn’t see.”
“…Sect Master Jiang, I bought this for you.”
The object wrapped in oil paper was tossed up and thrown back into Yan Huirou’s arms.
“I wasn’t trying to rob you.”
Jiang Xidai held the branch and twirled it gently, letting the tender buds brush against her chin. She smiled at her. “Just a sudden whim, to test your skills. As expected, you have no awareness.”
But the smile was only for a moment. Jiang Xidai’s expression turned three parts colder.
“If that had been an enemy just now, Yan Huirou, you would already be dead.”
The branch lowered, pointing at the trembling puppy in her arms.
“Your first reaction wasn’t to draw your sword, but to hug this thing with both hands, completely exposing your more vulnerable back. Do you know what a great taboo you have committed?”
“If someone with ill intentions were to launch a sneak attack, they could break your neck without any cultivation. In a single breath, very quickly. A person’s life is much more fragile than you imagine.”
Jiang Xidai walked past her. “I’ve told you before, you should rein in that soft heart of yours. It’s not a good thing in the cultivation world.”
Of course, Jiang Xidai still hadn’t told her about her special constitution.
Before, it was to guard against her. Now, it was because she was afraid this little brat would slack off in her cultivation.
When Yan Huirou knew nothing, she was already as peaceful as a Buddha. If she were to learn about this good thing—who knew what kind of slacker she would become.
Under her somewhat cold gaze, Yan Huirou couldn’t help but stroke the puppy in her hands. “It’s just very sick, I was afraid…”
“It’s just the life of a small stray. Do you think it’s more important than your own?”
Jiang Xidai looked into those eyes, clear and quiet, always like a tranquil lake.
She was a flower untouched by blood, a soft, pure white.
Endearing, but lacking threat.
As her potential enemy, Jiang Xidai had once thought that such softness was naturally good. People don’t like those who are too aggressive.
But…
Yan Huirou was now a person of the Shasheng Sect. She could not betray her in the future. So naturally, she would have to plot with her on how to get rid of Li Xinghe and all other threatening individuals.
So for Yan Huirou to be only soft and kind was not enough.
Just having that heaven-defying constitution was also not enough.
There was no male lead to protect her and keep her in a paradise now.
And Jiang Xidai had no intention of doing so either. She felt that would be harming Yan Huirou.
Yan Huirou thought for a moment, her brow gradually relaxing. She answered calmly, “On this point alone, life has no hierarchy of value.”
“Is that so?”
Jiang Xidai’s eyes curved into a smile, and she reached out to take the puppy from her arms.
Yan Huirou saw that Jiang Xidai’s expression was not right, and she subconsciously wanted to refuse to give it to her—but the vast difference in their presence made Yan Huirou realize she couldn’t move at all.
When she saw what Jiang Xidai was about to do—
Yan Huirou’s eyes widened. “Don’t…”
The woman’s crimson nails dug into the fur on the black puppy’s neck. That spot was so fragile it was throbbing, pressing against her thumb and causing a slight tremor.
Beasts always have instincts. The little black creature tucked its tail in tightly, seeming to sense the presence of a powerful predator, and began to play dead, not moving at all.
“If I insist on killing it, will talking reason with me be of any use?”
“Don’t do this.” Yan Huirou said, “Sect Master Jiang, it’s sick today. You could pick another time—”
[Beep! Female Lead favorability -1]
A prompt sounded in her mind.
Jiang Xidai loosened her grip. She was stunned for a moment, then looked up and quietly at Yan Huirou.
Yan Huirou frowned. “Do you find this very amusing?”
Jiang Xidai had no intention of killing this little thing. She was just making a point, wanting to give Yan Huirou a wake-up call.
She said nothing and tossed the puppy back. She saw the black ball of fur shrink into Yan Huirou’s arms, like a baby seeing its mother, wishing it could immediately burrow into her clothes.
Yan Huirou comforted the sick little dog, but the frown on her brow did not ease.
She glanced at the Sect Master and said, “The food was bought for you. Because I was afraid I would take too long down the mountain and not have time to make pastries. Later, please remember to check if it got damaged.”
“…I’ll go back to Bright Moon Pavilion first, Sect Master.”
The wind was strong now. Yan Huirou wrapped the puppy tightly and lowered her head, walking around Jiang Xidai to leave.
Jiang Xidai stood where she was.
“Sect Master. You—”
Wen Xianyin stood to the side, hesitating to speak.
Jiang Xidai propped her chin on her hand and glanced up at her. “…Wen Xianyin, tell me the truth. Am I usually very fierce to people?”
Alarm bells rang in Wen Xianyin’s mind. “Sect Master, did you have a fight with Miss Yan?”
The woman turned her head away, her curled lashes falling, looking nonchalant. Jiang Xidai lifted one leg and reclined on the soft couch, saying softly, “No.”
No?
Then there probably was.
Wen Xianyin was all too familiar with the Sect Master’s words.
In the past, every time she went to see Pavilion Lord Zhan and came back after some unpleasantness, the woman would start to doubt herself and question her with a hint of grievance for a long while.
Of course, as the master of the Shasheng Sect, her sense of grievance was never too obvious. This was just a similar description Wen Xianyin had found.
More accurately, it was like a beautiful, lustrous fur blanket that had a layer of fine dust on it, making it look less bright and vibrant.
“Sometimes I think,” Jiang Xidai looked up again at the hall outside and said wearily, “it seems to be harder to be good to someone than to be bad to them.”
“What the Sect Master says is right. There are thousands of ways to be disliked by others,” Wen Xianyin said, following her train of thought. “But catering to someone’s preferences is a skill.”
Is that so? Jiang Xidai visibly dimmed a little more. But she didn’t say it out loud.
She had just had a sudden whim, a kind-hearted reminder for Yan Huirou, but somehow, it seemed to have unusually frightened the little brat.
In the past, no matter what she did to Yan Huirou, her favorability would shoot up. But today, when she was seriously considering her well-being, it had actually dropped a little.
Perhaps she was just too ill-timed.
It was nothing.
A small matter.
It was just that some not-so-bright emotions that had been buried deep in her heart for many years were stirring again.
Over the years, she had weathered many storms and seen all sorts of people—
Jiang Xidai knew very well that she was not a likable person.
She was not kind, even a bit paranoid and cruel; not gentle, and never knew how to tolerate others. Besides a beautiful face, there was nothing else about her worth a second look.
And even that one likable quality mostly attracted lewd speculations and slander.
When Wen Xianyin saw the Sect Master’s pale face, her eyes vacant as she was lost in thought, her heart jumped even more.
This is bad. This familiar feeling.
Compared to Jiang Xidai thinking in silence, Wen Xianyin would rather she curse someone out and smash something. After all, with the latter, once the Sect Master had finished cursing and smashing, she would feel better, and there would be no need for anyone to guess or coax her.
But if it came to the former, her unstable mood would be the least of their worries. It was hard to say what she might do—
A chill ran through Wen Xianyin’s heart. She remembered a time, a long time ago.
Jiang Xidai had returned from an outing, and for some reason, she had locked herself in her room. When Wen Xianyin went to check on her, their Sect Master was sitting on the floor hugging her knees, her hands covered in broken porcelain, with several cuts on her arms.
The woman had just watched the blood flow with a listless expression, not stopping it, a large pool of it dripping on the floor, a very gruesome sight.
Wen Xianyin pulled herself out of the memory and quickly tried to divert her attention. “Sect Master, what would you like to eat tonight?”
Jiang Xidai had no idea how nervous her disciple was—she was clearly not at that point yet. She was brought back to her senses by the call and said casually, “The things Yan Huirou brought back. They’re a bit cold, take them to be heated.”
