Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 398 - 251: You Smell Like Another Woman!

Chapter 398: Chapter 251: You Smell Like Another Woman!

In front of the elegant seats of the tea house, the two were silent.

By this hour, the tea house should have already closed up shop—after all, not everyone stays up late like these cultivators, pretending to be immortals. But how does that saying go?

With money, you can make even the millstone jump and strike a ghost.

Besides, Jiang Feng merely needed to pick a quiet place to cool off and ease his rather sour mood; he didn’t require any service of tea delivery.

Tempted by a lump of gold, the shopkeeper briskly let the Immortal Master do as he pleased. He patted his behind, shut the door, and rolled off to sleep, leaving Jiang Feng to do whatever he pleased.

Well, once on the path of cultivation, one truly doesn’t lack ordinary gold and silver. Not to mention, his spoils of war contained everything one could desire, and just casually exchanging a few low-level Spirit Stones could get you a pile of items.

Suddenly, he could somewhat understand why his senior sister arrived at his place years ago with nothing on her—now, his slain enemies still possessed gold and silver, but the higher their realm, the less frequent gold and silver appeared.

Replaced by Spirit Stones, Immortal Herbs, Elixirs, and all kinds of precious jade, he estimated that in a few years, he too wouldn’t possess any gold or silver.

"Hehe, long time no see, Brother Jiang. That commotion outside the city—I guessed it was you right away."

"Superb Swordsmanship, and an impressive Thunder Technique to boot. Especially the cuts made by the sword—smooth and round, without a hint of roughness. Your Swordsmanship is way better than my sister’s, a lot sharper than two years ago!"

"I’ve seen the marks you left outside the city. Your Thunder Technique is mightier than that of the Divine Thunder Valley folks. You must’ve crossed blades with that unreasonable old woman, right? She’s mad and impetuous. I complimented her, and she ended up attacking me. Look, the wound is still there."

As he said this, he even pulled open his vest to show Jiang Feng the scratched wound.

"Which of you won? No, it’s obvious that you had the upper hand. That Thunder Technique of yours, it must counter the Joyful Sect. My older cousin was still saying it couldn’t be you, claiming you were just at the peak of Foundation Establishment. But I’ve always believed in you."

"But your cultivation speed is ridiculously fast. Last time we met, you were only at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement. I heard from my sister that it was only two years ago you had just completed Foundation Establishment, and then you two stood off against a Nascent Soul Stage expert, fighting to a draw. My ears nearly developed calluses from hearing about it."

"Cousin, look, I told you. With Brother Jiang’s cultivation speed, it might be him protecting us by the time we go to the Phoenix Heavenly Cave. It’s still two years before the cave reappears. By then, Brother Jiang might have reached a higher realm."

"I’ll also work hard these two years, striving to reach the Peak of Core Formation. My cousin might break through to Nascent Soul. By that time, we’ll definitely be formidable within the Grotto Heaven. Brother Jiang, how do you cultivate so fast?"

"All things considered, you’ve been cultivating for less than three years, right? Otherwise, how about finding a chance to have a friendly spar?"

Silence.

Throughout the attic, only Cen Zhuangzhuang’s excited and heavy voice could be heard.

Although they hadn’t spent much time together, Jiang Feng had indeed left a deep impression on him, especially witnessing the other’s rapid progress, which sparked a desire to compete.

But with this atmosphere...

He opened his mouth, hesitated to speak, and choked all the words back.

At the round table, Jiang Feng sat diagonally across from Cen Yueyue, looking at each other in silence. Every time Cen Yueyue’s gaze met Jiang Feng’s, she would subconsciously shift her eyes away, seemingly embarrassed.

But then she would take another glance as if hinting at something, and likewise, Jiang Feng did the same, sending her gazes and occasionally glancing in Cen Zhuangzhuang’s direction.

There was only one person present who was completely clueless, instead asking with a puzzled face, "Cousin, don’t you always talk about Mr. Jiang at home? Why aren’t you happy to see him?"

"Pfft!"

Jiang Feng, who was pretending to sip his tea, spit it back into the cup, nearly spraying it out of his nostrils.

A killing intent came over him.

Looking sharply, it was the lady with the snow-white shawl gracefully picking up her teacup, silent, simply giving him a faint glance.

He immediately turned his gaze to the night view outside the attic.

In this instant, he recalled all the heartbreaks of his life, thinking about the love and conflicts with his fiancée, the betrayal he experienced, and finally reflecting on the near-total annihilation at Shuipang County—his pitiful background.

Finally, under such a horrible mental state, his crazily upturned mouth finally lowered slowly.

"Hehe, finally, we meet again. Cousin, it’s been two years, and so many talents from the Southern Border wanted a chance to see you, to propose marriage, but you’ve refused them all. Now that you’ve finally met, why aren’t you saying a word? Is it because you’re too happy..."

"Zhuang Zhuang."

Suddenly speaking up to interrupt.

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a glance, her pretty face void of any emotion, giving him a sudden sense of chill.

"You’ve been hard at work traveling lately; best to rest early. There are plenty of guest rooms in this establishment; pick any as you like."

Although the words were those of concern, Cen Zhuangzhuang heard a hint of coldness in them. He shrunk his neck and ventured, "Cousin, I’m not tired. Besides, it’s not every day I get to see Mr. Jiang. Why don’t we head out of the city now for a friendly spar..."

"I’ve said," her voice growing lower and almost squeezed from between clenched teeth, "you’re tired."

Glug—

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

"I’ll go rest now, right away."

He didn’t dare to make another sound.

Although he didn’t know what he had done wrong, it was rare to see his cousin in such a state. Cen Zhuangzhuang might not understand emotions well, but he’s been serving this little ancestor long enough to read moods.