Chapter 19: Chen Siling's Little Thoughts

He had tolerated Wang Yingfeng for a long time. Not only did she repeatedly indulge Lu Zheng, but she also frequently bullied Xu Youran. This time, he would ensure she'd never again have the chance to meddle with their marriage!

Wang Yingfeng's eyes gleamed fiercely with rage. "Fine!" she roared. "You have guts! If you can truly present me with a satisfactory betrothal gift, I will never again interfere in your affairs! But mark my words, it must be a gift that satisfies *me*! Do you understand?"

Jiang Fan calmly wrote a single line: "Then just wait to shut up!"

Wang Yingfeng clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. "Fine! I'll wait!" With that, she turned and ran back to her room, her face grim.

Xu Zhengyan looked at Jiang Fan, unable to help but view him in a new light. "At least you have some backbone, young man." Seeing him so assertively defend Xu Youran brought a sense of relief to him as a father. However, it wouldn't be easy for Jiang Fan to gather a betrothal gift that satisfied Wang Yingfeng within three days. He silently wondered if he should help Jiang Fan and Xu Youran.

The crowd dispersed.

Xu Youran, looking anxious, followed Jiang Fan back to his room. "Xiaofan, you shouldn't have agreed just now," she fretted. "Do you know why Aunt Wang wants such a satisfactory betrothal gift, and why the deadline is exactly three days?"

With no one else around, Jiang Fan smiled. "If you know, how could I not? She just wants a large sum of money to bail out her precious nephew, doesn't she? As long as the betrothal gift exceeds 300,000 taels, even if she desperately doesn't want us together, she'll have to accept it for Lu Zheng's sake."

Xu Youran angrily punched Jiang Fan's chest. "You knew and still dared to agree? That's 300,000 taels of silver! Where are you going to get that? Are you going to rob a bank?"

Jiang Fan shrugged, muttering softly, "A bank might not even have as much money as I do."

He had made a promise. He intended to marry Xu Youran with great pomp and splendor. Therefore, even without Wang Yingfeng demanding a high-priced betrothal gift, Jiang Fan was already prepared to present a generous one!

Night fell.

Once Xu Youran had returned, Jiang Fan began refining Qi Condensation Liquid. With the experience from the day, he refined them with ease.

By the time dawn broke, before him lay forty bottles of high-grade Qi Condensation Liquid and twenty bottles of premium-grade Qi Condensation Liquid.

"The efficiency of the premium-grade Qi Condensation Liquid is significantly higher than yesterday. Good, I'll sell the high-grade Qi Condensation Liquid to the Chen family, which will get me another 400,000 taels of silver. Adding the previous 500,000, that makes a grand total of 900,000 taels of silver."

He was about to leave for the Chen family residence. Just then, Xu Youran approached, a smile on her face. "Xiaofan, Chen Siling invited me to her home as a guest, and she asked me to bring you along too."

"Chen Siling? The one from the Chen family?"

Sensing his confusion, Xu Youran explained, "She's been my close friend for many years. I want to ask for her help with this betrothal gift. She truly didn't want to ask anyone for help unless it was a matter of life and death concerning her marriage. Now, however, she had no choice but to turn to Chen Siling for assistance. When you meet her later, make sure you make a good impression, alright? Perhaps she's our only hope."

"Make a good impression? Did she mean refine more high-grade Qi Condensation Liquid?" Jiang Fan rubbed his nose and reluctantly followed Xu Youran toward the Chen family estate.

Feeling the heavy bottles of Qi Condensation Liquid in his arms, Jiang Fan felt a little speechless. He couldn't possibly visit someone like this, could he? It would be better to sell the Qi Condensation Liquid to the Chen family first.

As they neared the entrance of the Chen residence, Jiang Fan said, "Youran, why don't you wait for me here? I'll buy some pastries and join you shortly."

Xu Youran paused, then remembered that it was Jiang Fan's first time visiting the Chen estate. It was customary to bring a gift when visiting. "You're so thoughtful. Alright, go quickly and come back soon. Chen Siling is very busy, and it's rare for her to make time for us, so we shouldn't waste her time."

Jiang Fan nodded and slipped into the crowd. While Xu Youran wasn't looking, he darted into an alley, changed his clothes, and then arrived at the main gate of the Chen family.

The manager of the Treasure Pavilion was originally waiting for Xu Youran. Upon seeing the Soul Master, he exclaimed with surprise, "Senior, why are you here so early?" From last night until now, countless people had been urging the Chen family to sell high-grade Qi Condensation Liquid. Many even offered double the price just to get a single bottle. However, Chen Siling was worried that the Soul Master might not be able to provide enough high-grade Qi Condensation Liquid today, so she hadn't dared to agree to any offers. Unexpectedly, the Soul Master was so diligent. In just one night, he had arrived as promised with the high-grade Qi Condensation Liquid.

"Please come in, Senior. I'll take you to see Miss."

In the Chen family's backyard, Chen Siling was practicing her sword in the courtyard, trying to calm her restless mind. After a night of deliberation, she still couldn't bring herself to dedicate herself to this senior who seemed to desire her. Firstly, there was the age difference, and secondly, he might not fulfill his promise to cultivate soul master apprentices.

"Miss, the Senior has come to deliver the Qi Condensation Liquid." The manager quietly interrupted her sword practice.

Chen Siling was startled. She turned her head and saw the mysterious Soul Master, clad in a loose, heavily draped robe, completely concealing his form. A surge of joy welled up within her. She was naturally pleased that he was so true to his word, arriving early in the morning with the high-grade Qi Condensation Liquid. Immediately, however, her mood became troubled again. The disturbance, of course, stemmed from her still not having decided whether to accept his implied intentions. Lost in thought, she quietly squeezed the Illusion-Shattering Crystal hidden in her sleeve.

Steeling her nerves, she set down her sword and quickly ran over. Her lovely face was flushed from exertion, and beads of sweat trickled down her smooth chin, disappearing into the hollow of her chest. Her sweat-soaked martial robe clung tightly to her body, outlining alluring curves.

Jiang Fan couldn't help but glance again, then quickly averted his gaze and placed the forty bottles of high-grade Qi Condensation Liquid on the table. "They're all here."

Chen Siling felt a little nervous. This was because she had been watching the Soul Master's gaze, and even though he only glanced at her an extra time, she had noticed it. Her heart grew even more restless. She quickly inspected the high-grade Qi Condensation Liquid, confirmed everything was in order, and then immediately produced the prepared silver notes and fifty sets of materials.

"Senior, here they all are." She bit her lip slightly, consciously maintaining a distance as she handed them to Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan looked surprised. What was wrong with her? Was he going to eat her or something?

"Alright, I'll come again tomorrow." Jiang Fan tucked the items into his robe and turned to leave.

"Senior, wait!" Suddenly, Chen Siling called out to him. "Senior, please have some tea before you go. I carefully brewed a bowl of spiritual tea for you." As her words faded, a maid carefully brought forward a bowl of jade-green spiritual tea. The tea was fragrant and clearly a top-tier spiritual tea capable of enhancing cultivation. It was priceless and virtually unavailable on the market; only great families had the privilege of enjoying it.

Jiang Fan's appetite was piqued, so he sat down and took a sip. While he was looking down, Chen Siling turned away and secretly inserted two thin, transparent crystals into her eyes. Then, taking a deep breath, she nervously turned back and looked at the Senior. She secretly hoped. She wished this senior, who had hinted at his intentions, wasn't too old. At least then, she would feel a little better. If he were middle-aged, that would be ideal. As for his appearance, she no longer held much hope; as long as he wasn't too unsightly, she could feel somewhat relieved.

But.

As the Illusion-Shattering Crystal slowly pierced through the thick robe, revealing Jiang Fan's true face underneath, Chen Siling was stunned.