Chapter 68: Chapter 68

With a clang, the river wind surged through the open window like a fierce wave, causing the window frame to hum.

Jian Huan suddenly snapped back to reality.

As if she had seen a vividly colored poisonous mushroom, she instinctively took a step back.

Shen Jizhi was still leaning forward, his gaze level with hers.

That face, as mesmerizing as a moonlit demon, was still right in front of her.

Jian Huan knew that Shen Jizhi was quite narcissistic.

But his words still sounded too self-absorbed.

What did he mean by ‘Now she knows why he didn’t take it off?’ as if he thought she found him irresistibly handsome.

Jian Huan gently bit her inner lip, her dark eyes fixed on Shen Jizhi, and suddenly called out, “Shen Jizhi.”

Shen Jizhi’s thick lashes fluttered slightly, his glass-like eyes reflecting the river’s waters tonight.

The river surged, wave after wave, but it was hidden in the night, barely visible.

His voice was soft, as if afraid to disturb something: “Hmm?”

This call of ‘Shen Jizhi’ hadn’t been heard in a long time.

“Have you ever heard this saying?” Jian Huan spoke each word with deliberate seriousness, “People who are overly obsessed with their looks usually have no fortune in life.”

“You.” She raised her hand, gently pressing the cold edge of her mask against the young man’s chest, smiling, “Be careful with your wealth, Shen Jizhi.”

Shen Jizhi: “…”

“By the way.” Jian Huan retracted her mask, tapping it lightly like she was testing a watermelon, “I vaguely remember that the Treasure Pavilion sells spirit seals that can be lightly applied to the forehead to help you change your face. They’re much more effective than this mask. Why don’t you use those?”

“…”

Shen Jizhi’s beating heart completely quieted down.

“Those are expensive,” he said calmly.

Jian Huan clicked her tongue a few times, tossed the mask in her hand, and without caring where it landed, turned and walked toward the table nearby.

Shen Jizhi caught it, didn’t put it on, and instead stored it in his storage pouch. He then asked her, “Didn’t I tell you not to come find me?”

Jian Huan sat down, placing her sword on the table, “But I was anxious.”

Shen Jizhi sat across from her, picked up the teapot, poured a cup of water, and handed it to her, casually delivering some bad news: “Anxious or not, it’s useless. I only have three thousand spirit stones on me right now.”

Jian Huan’s hand holding the cup trembled, the water inside sloshing, a few drops splashing onto her fingers. She couldn’t believe it, “Three… three thousand?!”

Shen Jizhi: “Yes, I didn’t expect you to come out of seclusion so quickly. I’ve only been in Ningzhang for five days, and I just completed a five-star Xuanwu mission yesterday. Oh, actually, it’s eight thousand. The other five thousand will only be available when I return to the sect.”

Jian Huan: “…”

Jian Huan lost her appetite for drinking water, set the cup down, and started counting on her fingers: “You repaid two million in two years, which means you can repay about a hundred thousand each month. So, in a month, you can repay me, right?”

A month wasn’t too long to wait!

Shen Jizhi’s tone was slow: “I’ll try my best.”

Jian Huan: “…”

Jian Huan cracked her knuckles, calmly reminding him: “You can’t just try your best. You have to give it your all, understand?”

Shen Jizhi looked up, not answering.

Jian Huan smiled without warmth, repeating, “Do you understand?”

Shen Jizhi: “.”

Jian Huan’s tone carried a threat: “Shen Jizhi?”

Shen Jizhi: “Understood.”

He lowered his gaze, looking at the water in his cup, and suddenly asked softly, “Do you understand?”

Jian Huan was confused, looking up in puzzlement, “What?”

Shen Jizhi shook his head, took a sip of water, “Nothing.”

Outside the window, the river wind howled, like weeping and lamenting.

Inside, the girl asked question after question, and the boy’s voice was cool, but he patiently answered each one.

A five-colored stone with the aura of his master on his Golden Core?

Early the next morning, the river was shrouded in white mist. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon, pressing heavily down, and in the distance, the sky seemed to merge with the surging river.

The river wind was fierce, causing Jian Huan’s black hair to flutter wildly.

She stood at the bow of the ship, her elbows resting on the railing, still thinking about what Shen Jizhi had told her the night before.

It was because of this five-colored stone that Shen Jizhi had come to Ningzhang City. He had asked the sect leader, who said that Gu Shan’s aura was here.

For a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator like Gu Shan, ordinary secret realms and demon hunts were no longer useful. What they needed was more—more insights into life, into various forms of affection, friendship, love, and the Dao. So, most of them would seal away their past memories, change their appearance, and live incognito among ordinary people.

Therefore, finding them was difficult, and Shen Jizhi could only take on missions to earn money while keeping an eye out for opportunities.

Jian Huan had read the original novel, but it was a short story of less than three hundred thousand words.

Due to its limited length, Shen Jizhi’s involvement in the plot wasn’t extensive, let alone his master.

Gu Shan wasn’t even named in the original novel.

Where he was hiding in Ningzhang City, what this five-colored stone was—none of it was mentioned.

According to the logic presented in the book, Shen Jizhi was cold to Jiang Qiaoqiao for three years, and after three years, Jiang Qiaoqiao suddenly realized her feelings and ran off with the male lead, Jing Chi. Shen Jizhi then realized he liked Jiang Qiaoqiao, but it was too late. Heartbroken, he turned to the dark path.

But this logic, after getting to know Shen Jizhi, felt completely off to Jian Huan.

She felt there was more to the story.

“Miss Jian.” The person who approached was a servant from Xie Yuanying’s side. Since there were now two ‘Jian Jian’ cultivators, they had changed the way they addressed her to avoid confusion, “Breakfast is ready. Please follow me to the dining hall.”

The dining hall was on the other side of the deck.

As the servant led Jian Huan there, they happened to meet Shen Jizhi, who was coming up from the lower deck.

The servant quickly greeted him, “Good morning, Master Jian.”

While greeting him, the servant was puzzled. Before boarding the ship, this masked man had told his master that he didn’t need to be called for meals, as he didn’t eat ordinary food.

So why was he here for breakfast now?

Shen Jizhi nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Jian Huan, “Good morning.”

Jian Huan glanced at him, thinking he was responding to the servant, so she didn’t acknowledge him.

The two pretended not to know each other and took their seats at the table.

Seeing everyone had arrived, Xie Yuanying said warmly, “The conditions on the ship are limited, and the food is simple. Please forgive any shortcomings.”

After some polite exchanges, they finished breakfast, and the Xie family servants cleared the dishes, serving each person exquisite tea and pastries.

Jian Huan’s eyes lit up as she picked a large grape from the fruit platter, eating it with delight.

During the meal, Shen Jizhi hadn’t eaten anything.

For a Golden Core Stage cultivator, eating ordinary food was just for the taste, as it would later require spiritual energy to cleanse the impurities from the body.

But now, sitting in a corner, Shen Jizhi silently watched the girl swaying slightly in front of him. He reached out, quietly taking all the grapes, then the apples…

Soon, the fruit and pastry plates in front of Shen Jizhi were empty.

Sitting next to him was the Taoist priest.

The priest was looking at him, his gaze strange.

Shen Jizhi, masked as he was, didn’t care. He met the priest’s gaze, leaned back in his chair, and was about to close his eyes to rest when he heard a slight noise.

He opened his eyes to find the priest pushing his own fruit and pastry plates toward him, with a look that said, ‘I understand, we’ve all been there.’

Shen Jizhi: “…”

…

At the front, Xie Yuanying frowned as he sipped his strong tea, his gaze falling on the endless riverbanks. Suddenly, he spoke, “Tomorrow night, the ship will reach the waters where the demon has been causing trouble. At that time, we’ll need to rely on all of you.”

“Master Xie, forgive my bluntness,” Jian Huan, sitting to Xie Yuanying’s right, clapped her hands and looked up at him, “I feel like you’ve been withholding information about the demon, being vague about the details. Now that we’re all on the same ship, why don’t you tell us everything you know?”

Jian Huan had arrived in a hurry. She only knew she was here to help the Xie family capture a demon. On the way, Xie Yuanying hadn’t said much, hastily bringing her aboard.

Once on the ship, he had been busy with various matters and hadn’t had time to meet.

Jian Huan had initially thought she was the only one with limited information. But after talking with Shen Jizhi last night, she realized he didn’t know much either. He, too, had been hastily notified to board the ship.

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Xie Yuanying.

Xie Yuanying smiled bitterly, placing his teacup on the table.

He stood up, pacing back and forth a few times, then called over a servant and whispered instructions to keep the nearby servants and boatmen at a distance. After taking a deep breath, he sat back down.

This series of actions left Jian Huan and the others exchanging puzzled glances.

“This trip was indeed rushed,” Xie Yuanying seemed to have made up his mind, “but it’s not that I didn’t want to tell you all. It’s just that in Ningzhang City, there were certain things I couldn’t say. Since you are all outsiders, you wouldn’t know, but that person…” Xie Yuanying didn’t even dare to utter the person’s name, his gaze subtly meeting Jian Huan and the others. They silently nodded in understanding, and he continued, “That person’s eyes and ears are everywhere in the city.”

“The Xie family has been struggling in recent years, barely holding on thanks to our ancestors’ wealth. More than half of the ten merchant ships our family sends out with important cargo disappear without a trace when crossing the river!” Xie Yuanying clasped his hands together, elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward, gritting his teeth. “My father fell ill from the stress, and my older brothers are constantly running around, apologizing to people. The reason I hurriedly brought you all on board is because seeking your help to capture the demon was done secretly, without that person’s knowledge. The night before last, my father received a secret message saying that this matter might soon be exposed. In desperation, I had no choice but to hastily arrange for you all to board the ship and leave. If we had waited any longer, I’m afraid this ship wouldn’t have been able to leave Ningzhang City…”

“The entire ship disappears?” Shen Jizhi spoke up, “Explain further.”

“Not all ships passing through that stretch of water meet with disaster,” Xie Yuanying replied, trying to calm himself. “Some boatmen have seen our Xie family’s merchant ships enter the waters alongside theirs, but by the next morning, the boatmen return safely to Ningzhang City, while our ships are nowhere to be found. The people and cargo on board simply vanish. Afterward, we sent skilled divers to investigate the riverbed, but those men… none of them returned. After that, we didn’t dare send anyone else down.”