But no matter the hatred, to not let Jiang YanLi feel difficult, Wei WuXian could only stop himself from coming out. Lan WangJi turned to look at him as if he was confused, but Wei WuXian didn’t have the time to explain to him. He put his pointer finger on his lips, gesturing for silence, and continued to look over there. The gaze from a pair of light eyes landed on the full, moist lips for a brief moment before turning away.
On the other hand, Jin ZiXuan brushed the bushes away to reveal the thick corpse of a snake monster. He bent down for a while before speaking, “It’s dead.”
Jiang YanLi nodded.
Jin ZiXuan, “The Measuring Snake.”
Jiang YanLi, “What?”
Jin ZiXuan, “A beast from the Nanman area. It’s only that when it sees someone, it’ll suddenly straighten itself and compare who’s the taller one. If it’s taller, it’ll devour the person. It’s not a big deal. It only looks scary.”
It seemed that Jiang YanLi didn’t understand why he’d begin to explain such things to her out of the blue. Logically, at such a time, it was probably best to say a few superficial words like ‘Young Master Jin is so well-learned’ or ‘Young Master Jin is so calm’. However, what he just said was the most common of common sense. It was nothing but finding words when there were none. Such obviously fake flattery, it was likely that Jin GuangYao was the only one who could say them with a straight face. Jiang YanLi could only nod again. Wei WuXian guessed that she had been nodding on their whole way.
What followed was another while of silence. The awkwardness went through the grass and blew directly onto the two behind the bushes. A few moments later, Jin ZiXuan finally took Jiang YanLi in the direction that they came from. Even as he walked, he continued, “Scales can be seen on this Measuring Snake, and its fangs are longer than its jaw. It’s probably a mutant. Most people would find it difficult to deal with. They wouldn’t be able to shoot through the armor of scales either.”
After a pause, he added with a nonchalant tone, “But it’s not much anyways. None of the prey on this hunt are difficult. They can’t hurt the people from the LanlingJin Sect at all.”
Hearing how in the last two sentences, the air of pride rose up again, Wei WuXian found the situation quite irritating. However, he saw Lan WangJi stare at Jin ZiXuan expressionlessly. Wei WuXian thought that this was strange. Following his gaze, he was immediately speechless, Since when did Jin ZiXuan walk with the same hand and same foot?!
Jiang YanLi, “It’s best if hunts don’t hurt anyone.”
Jin ZiXuan, “What value are prey who don’t hurt anyone? If you go to the LanlingJin Sect’s private hunting grounds, you’d be able to see many rare monsters.”
Wei WuXian sneered in silence, Who’d want to visit your sect’s hunting grounds?
Yet, Jin ZiXuan had begun to decide the matter all on his own, “I just happen to have time next month. I can take you there.”
Jiang YanLi’s voice was soft, “Young Master Jin, thank you for your kindness, but there’s no need for the trouble.”
Jin ZiXuan paused in surprise, blurting, “Why not?”
How could she answer such a question? As though she felt uneasy, she lowered her head.
Jin ZiXuan, “You don’t like watching hunts?”
Jiang YanLi nodded. Jin ZiXuan, “Then why did you come this time?”
If not for the effort that Madam Jin spent in inviting her, Jiang YanLi certainly wouldn’t have come. But how could she say such a thing?
Seeing that Jiang YanLi was silent, Jin ZiXuan’s complexion switched between red and white. His expression was quite unsightly. A while later, he finally managed, “Do you not like watching hunts or do you just not want to be with me?”
Jiang YanLi whispered, “No…”
Wei WuXian knew she feared that Jin ZiXuan was only inviting her due to Madam Jin’s intentions and didn’t really want to have her with him, so she didn’t wish to trouble him. However, what could Jin ZiXuan know about this? All he knew that he’d never felt so ashamed in his life. It was not only the first time he’d been refused by a maiden, but also the first time he’d invited a maiden and was refused. Anger rose from within him. A moment later, he laughed coldly, “Fine, then.”
Jiang YanLi, “I’m sorry.”
Jin ZiXuan’s voice was ice, “What should you be sorry for? You can think whatever you want to. I wasn’t the one who wanted to invite you anyways. It’s fine if you don’t want to.”
The blood in Wei WuXian rushed to his forehead. He wanted to dash outside and start a fight with Jin ZiXuan again. However, after a second thought, he felt that it’d also be good to let his shijie see the man’s real character, so that she’d cast him away and never want him again. Thus, he suppressed his anger and wanted to bear it for a little while longer.
Jiang YanLi’s lips trembled, but she said nothing. She bowed to Jin ZiXuan, her voice low, “Please excuse me.”
She turned around to leave, alone and quiet. Jin ZiXuan stood still for a few moments, looking in another direction. Sometime later, he suddenly shouted, “Stop!”
However, Jiang YanLi didn’t turn around. Jin ZiXuan was even more enraged. He caught up to her in just three strides and was about to grab her hand when a shadow suddenly flashed before his eyes. Before he could see who it was, he received a blow on his chest. Jin ZiXuan swung his sword across and backed away.
When he finally could see, he raged, “Wei WuXian, why is it you again?!”
Wei WuXian blocked Jiang YanLi behind him, raging as well, “I haven’t fucking said it yet—why is it you again?!”
Jin ZiXuan, “Attacking because of nothing have you gone mad?!”
Wei WuXian struck with his palm, “That’s exactly what I’m doing! What do you mean because of nothing? What are you doing trying to grab my shijie just because of how ashamed you are?!”
Jin ZiXuan dodged to the side and returned to him a sword attack, “If I don’t grab her should I let her walk randomly around the mountain alone?!”
However, the sword glare was hit to the side by another glare, shooting into the sky. Seeing who it was, Jin ZiXuan was shocked, “HanGuang-Jun?”
Lan WangJi unsheathed Bichen. Standing between the three, he maintained his silence. Just as Wei WuXian was about to walk forward, Jiang YanLi grabbed Wei WuXian, “A-Xian!”
At the same time, a series of scattered footsteps came over. A massive, swarming crowd gushed into the forest. The person at the head shouted, “What happened?!”
It turned out that, back then, both Lan WangJi’s and Jin ZiXuan’s sword glares shot into the sky, startling the cultivators near them. They could tell at once that two people began a fight, which was why they hurried over and happened to see the strange deadlock of the four people in the forest. People often said that one could never avoid their enemy. The person at the head was nobody but Jin ZiXun. He spoke, “ZiXuan, is Wei making trouble for you again?!”
Jin ZiXuan, “None of your business, don’t worry about it for now!” Seeing that Wei WuXian grabbed Jiang YanLi and was about to take her away, he said again, “Stop!”
Wei WuXian, “You really want to fight? That’s fine with me!”