LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 86: Not Just That
Chapter 86: Not Just That
The female salesperson brought out a box of 50 Condensation Pills from the back room, along with a wooden plaque engraved with the words “Spiritual Essence” and a serial number, claiming it to be a VIP card from Spiritual Essence Tower.
Xu Lian took the box and the wooden plaque, and then took out 8 pills from the box, handing them to Zhao Yuqing.
Zhao Yuqing paid 184 Spirit Stones.
Zhao Yuhe was delighted, “Sister, we’ve saved 16 Spirit Stones this time.”
Zhao Yuqing looked at Xu Lian, knowing that they were able to buy the Condensation Pills at a price of 23 Spirit Stones each because of this young man’s influence.
The three of them left the Spiritual Essence Tower together.
A servant brought Xu Lian’s black horse.
Xu Lian casually handed the servant 2 silver coins, and the servant bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.
Xu Lian mounted his horse and was ready to leave, but Zhao Yuqing and Zhao Yuhe walked up to his horse.
Zhao Yuqing whispered a warning, “Zheng Ren is a narrow-minded person who will seek revenge for even the smallest grievance, you should be careful.”
Xu Lian’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that he needed to be cautious. With his current strength at the second stage of the Bright Strength level, he had a bit of a gap with someone like Zheng Ren, a young master family.
However, he had heard that Zheng Ren had recently bought Condensation Pills, which meant that Zheng Ren was also at the Bright Strength period and hadn’t surpassed it yet.
The gap between them was not too large, and Xu Lian wasn’t afraid of Zheng Ren. If Zheng Ren dared to use his family’s power to attack him, then Xu Lian wouldn’t hesitate to use the power of the Yi Sect to suppress him.
Zhao Yuhe was confused, “Sister, why are you saying this? Zheng Ren may have been a bit rude earlier, but I don’t think he’s that kind of person.”
Zhao Yuqing looked at her, “You don’t understand, the Zhao and Zheng families are neighbors on First Street, and Zheng Ren and I are of the same age. I know his character, he often seeks revenge over small matters”.
“And there’s another thing, he used to pursue me, but I rejected him. Then he tried to get close to you, but I’ve been keeping an eye on him, so he hasn’t had the chance.”
Zhao Yuhe realized, “So that’s the kind of person he is, no wonder Sister was so cold to him earlier. I’ll stay away from him from now on.”
Zhao Yuqing gently stroked her head, “That’s right, listen to your sister and you won’t go wrong. You’ve been without parents since you were young, and there’s no one in this world who cares about you more than me.”
Xu Lian was curious, “You two sisters look a bit alike, but you’re not twins, right?”
Zhao Yuqing explained, “Of course we’re biological sisters. Yuhe was just a baby when our parents passed away, and I grew up with them.”
“Poor little sister,” Xu Lian said, trying to comfort her.
Xu Lian reached out from his horse to pat Zhao Yuhe’s head, but she dodged his hand, pouted, and lightly kicked the horse’s leg, glaring at Xu Lian, “You’re the one who’s young, you’re only a few years older than me.”
Xu Lian said, “Being a year older is still being older.”
As they argued, Zhao Yuqing couldn’t help but laugh.
This exchange had brought them closer together, making them seem like friends rather than strangers.
Xu Lian dismounted his horse and started chatting with the sisters, exchanging information about their residences, making it easier for them to visit each other in the future.
The sisters seemed willing to chat with him, not bored or impatient.
In this world, relationships between people were often simple and straightforward. Two strangers could become friends after a brief conversation, while two acquaintances could become enemies after a minor disagreement.
Xu Lian suggested that they go to a nearby restaurant and have dinner together.
Zhao Yuqing hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
The three of them walked into a nearby restaurant that looked elegant and refined. The prices were likely to be high, but for cultivators like them, worldly wealth was no longer a concern.
If a cultivator ran out of worldly money, he could simply sell a spirit stone and exchange it for a large amount of money. Or they could use their energy to help a wealthy landlord and receive a generous reward.
Inside the restaurant, Zhao Yuhe’s eyes widened as she saw Xu Lian being a gentleman and pulling out a chair for Zhao Yuqing. “You wouldn’t happen to have any feelings for my sister, would you?” she asked.
Xu Lian smiled and pulled out a chair for Zhao Yuhe as well. “Not just your sister.”
Zhao Yuhe was taken aback, her face turning red as she realized the implication. She didn’t know whether Xu Lian was joking or serious.
Zhao Yuqing’s face also turned red, and she looked a bit lost. “I’m not allowed to,” she said. “But Yuhe is a different story. If you’re interested in her, you can talk to the Zhao family on First Street. As long as you can offer enough spirit stones, the family will probably agree.”
Zhao Yuhe pouted, “But I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”
Zhao Yuqing looked at her seriously. “Sister, you have to understand that women from families like ours don’t have the freedom to choose their husbands. We’re just tools for the family to exchange favors. If we meet someone we get along with, we should marry them as soon as possible. Otherwise, we’ll be stuck in the family and eventually sold for cultivation resources.”
Zhao Yuhe didn’t say anything, her face still red as she looked at Xu Lian, seemingly considering her options.
Xu Lian asked Zhao Yuqing, “Why can’t you? Are you already engaged or do you have a partner?”
Zhao Yuqing shook her head. “It’s not like that. I’ve been assigned by the family to follow a powerful figure. According to the family’s wishes, if that person wants me to serve them, I have to obey”.
Zhao Yuhe’s eyes turned red and she said, “Sister, I didn’t know that the family leader called you in to discuss this.”
Zhao Yuqing forced a smile. “Don’t worry about me, you should be happy for me instead. If I can serve the powerful figure and win his favor, my future will be secure. I’ll have access to cultivation resources and a high status within the family. Many women in the family would love to have the opportunity to serve a powerful figure.”
Xu Lian thought about Zhao Yuqing living in the A-numbered mansion… Could the powerful figure she mentioned be the City Patrol Officer?
Zhao Yuhe’s tears fell like broken pearls, “Pa-ta pa-ta” dropping down as she cried, “Sister, don’t hold back, I know you’re suffering. That white cat is the avatar of the City Patrol Officer, who knows what kind of person its true form is. To hold such a high position, it must be an old man in his 70s or 80s”.
Xu Lian didn’t know what to say.
Zhao Yuqing’s eyes were also red, and she hugged her sister, comforting her, “The City Patrol Officer may not even look at me, this is just the family’s one-sided arrangement. Someone in such a high position must have access to any woman he wants.”
This happy dinner had turned into a sad affair… Xu Lian didn’t know how to comfort them, so he got up and asked the shopkeeper for two clean towels, handing them to the sisters.
Zhao Yuqing looked at him with gratitude.
After a while, Zhao Yuhe finally calmed down.
Xu Lian tried to lighten the mood by telling some interesting stories, but they had already lost their appetite, and the meal ended quickly.
As they were leaving, Zhao Yuqing told Xu Lian, “If you’re interested in Yuhe, you should prepare 2,000 spirit stones as soon as possible, or the Zhao family might agree to marry her to another man.” With that, she left with Zhao Yuhe.
As Xu Lian watched them leave, he fell into a deep thought.
He currently had 1,900 Spirit Stones, which he had planned to use to buy Condensation Pills to improve his strength, not to marry a woman… He had never spent such a large amount of money to marry someone before.
However, there were other ways to do it. If he revealed his true identity as the inspector to the Zhao family, they would likely keep Zhao Yuhe unmarried and waiting for him.
But this would make Zhao Yuhe think that she had caught the Inscpector’s eye, which would only make her more miserable.
Moreover, if the Inspector’s woman became his woman, it would raise questions and potentially expose his true identity.
Xu Lian shook his head, unable to think of a good solution for now. He decided not to worry about it, as Zhao Yuhe was already living in the A-numbered mansion and he could take his time.
He mounted his black horse and prepared to return to the Lin family mansion, not knowing how Qin Liu’s preparations for digging the grave were going.