Chapter 160 The moon is bright, but its brightness is useless, and its uselessness doesn't diminish its brilliance.
Hu Liena gritted her teeth, wanting to punch this guy.
She was already eager to hear the answer, but he made her guess?!
No wonder Sister Xiaoxue was sometimes so easily angered; it seemed there was a reason for everything!
"Oh, brother, just tell me~"
Jiang Nian shook his head, wondering if someone was secretly listening.
Seeing that he was unyielding, Hu Liena had no choice but to give up.
Although he didn't say it, she knew in her heart who that girl was.
Her urgent questioning was for that less than one in ten thousand chance.
Hu Liena stared at his profile for a long time, lamenting why she hadn't been born a few years earlier.
"Brother Jiang Nian, I'll go back and study your suggestion."
"But, I'm curious..."
"Ugh~"
Jiang Nian covered her lips with his index finger, shaking his head to indicate that she shouldn't say it.
Some things are best left unsaid.
He was already troubled by the relationship between Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong; if another one came along, he might as well just die on the spot.
"Once I'm stronger, maybe I can consider..."
"Na'er, what's the most important thing for a Soul Master before they turn twenty?"
"Cultivation! Cultivation! Still cultivation!"
"Even a dog wouldn't date."
The chill behind Jiang Nian dissipated, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Luckily, he was naturally suspicious, otherwise he would have given that yandere teacher another excuse.
At that point, he might really not be able to get out.
Thirty-year-old women are like wolves and tigers...
"Huh?" Hu Liena's eyes widened, and she blinked strangely, as if to say, "Brother Jiang Nian, aren't you and Sister Xiaoxue dating?"
If he could read minds, he would definitely reply firmly, "Good friends, just lip-to-lip friendship."
"Don't believe or spread rumors."
"We've just gotten a little closer, it's not like that."
Of course, if a certain blonde girl overheard this, Jiang Nian would wake up the next day to find himself in a dark basement, his limbs bound, the walls covered with props he'd never seen before.
Hu Liena got another tap on the head, rubbed it pitifully, and pouted, asking if he could stop bullying her.
Jiang Nian hummed in agreement and pinched her cheek.
Hu Liena lowered her head shyly, letting him do as he pleased.
In the cold winter, snowflakes fluttered down again.
Jiang Nian's blue scarf brushed against her cheek, and a hint of envy flickered in the girl's eyes.
She had seen Sister Xiaoxue wear the same scarf, and she almost never took it off in winter.
Only when Brother Jiang Nian wasn't wearing it would she puff out her cheeks and take it off.
The cold wind stirred the girl's heart. She gently placed her hand on the back of her head and removed a pink hair clip, the disappointment in her eyes gradually turning into contented happiness.
It seemed, this was alright too.
Hu Liena looked up and exhaled a warm breath, her captivating eyes concealing the most important emotion of her life.
"Brother Jiang Nian, can I lean on you for a moment?"
"No."
"Oh~ just for a moment~ Brother Jiang Nian is the best!"
"..."
Hu Liena chuckled, gently resting her head on his shoulder, watching the increasingly heavy snowflakes, yet feeling no cold, only immense warmth.
"Ah Qiu!"
"Strange, something feels off."
Qian Renxue scratched her head, looking at the fluttering snowflakes outside with a puzzled expression.
"Xiaoxue, is there a problem with your cultivation?"
A gentle voice came from behind. The little golden retriever turned around, pouted, and shook her head: "No, just thinking about things."
Qian Daoliu caught a fleeting look of disappointment in his beloved granddaughter's eyes, and his heart ached again.
Even though it had happened many times before, it still hurt so much.
After all, this was his precious granddaughter whom he had cared for since she was little.
So many years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Perhaps it wouldn't be long before she passed the Nine Trials of the Angels… and then, he would no longer see the adorable little golden retriever.
"Grandpa, did Xiao Jiang come to see me while I was in seclusion?"
"Hmm… a few times, I guess."
"Oh, oh."
Qian Renxue nodded, somewhat satisfied.
If that guy dared not come even once… hmph!
He'd be in big trouble!
"Jiang Nian is already a Soul Saint, you'd better work harder."
"When you become a Title Douluo, the entire Spirit Hall can be safely entrusted to you."
"Also, you and Jiang Nian should be mindful of your boundaries. At your age... sigh! You child, Grandpa hasn't finished speaking yet."
Qian Daoliu watched Qian Renxue, who was running away with her high ponytail swaying, and tried to stop her but only managed to extend a hand.
"Grandpa, aren't you being too long-winded?"
"When I start my Divine Trial, I'll definitely surpass Xiao Jiang! Also, we're not like what you think!"
Qian Daoliu looked at the girl who had disappeared before his eyes and shook his head helplessly.
Saying they weren't like that... he wasn't stupid, he was just too lazy to care... oh no, it's no use caring now.
Qian Daoliu looked up at the ceiling of the Hall of Offerings and sighed inwardly at how difficult it was for this old man.
"If you could give me a little golden retriever to raise someday, that would be nice too..."
Qian Renxue quickly climbed to the Holy Son's Palace, kicked open the door to his bedroom, and after finding it empty, called out a few times.
Arriving at the herb garden, she saw Qingyu leisurely reclining in a chair, while Xiaobai, wearing a straw hat, was working diligently in the field.
At this moment, some fruits had sprouted, and Qian Renxue could distinguish which were edible, casually picking a handful and stuffing them into her mouth.
"Sister Qingyu, where's Xiaojiang?"
"Him? He should have gone out, right? He wasn't home during the day."
Qingyu looked at the youthful and beautiful girl in front of her, thinking that only a girl like this could make Brother Jiang Nian like her, right?
She didn't have any desires right now, only wanting to protect that boy, just like she did 30,000 years ago.
"Squeak?!"
Xiaobai saw the landlady approaching and immediately put down what it was holding, rubbing against her.
Its pitiful appearance made it seem like it was working two shifts at a certain glass factory.
"What?! Your four-day work week, three-day weekend, she changed it to 996?"
"Squeak!"
Little White cried, trying to protest, but the landlady's mind wasn't on it; she was only thinking about where the boss had gone.
Surely he couldn't have run off with his sister-in-law, right?
Wait… she didn't have a sister.
"Ahem… Sister Xiaoxue… Xiaoxue, I think it's just too lazy, so I resorted to this tactic."
"After all, high wages and many days off aren't conducive to hard work."
Little White's vision blurred; life as a mouse was truly too difficult.
"Whatever, whatever, I'm going to find Xiao Jiang."
"Honestly, he's never home, always out gallivanting. I wonder which sister he's run off with…"
(End of Chapter)