Chapter 16: Like or Not

She winked at Yi Chenlan, took out a small box from her chest, and made sound effects herself: “Dang dang dang! Hurry up and open it, I think it suits you perfectly!”

Yi Chenlan’s hand, which had been hanging in his sleeve, trembled slightly. He stared at the small box in front of him, hesitating as he asked: “…A gift for me?”

“Of course, yes.” Shu Wan smiled and lifted the small wooden box a little higher: “Go on, take a look.”

Yi Chenlan gently pressed his lips together, cautiously taking the box from Shu Wan’s hand.

He slowly opened it, handling it as if the box were made of glass.

Inside the box was a jade hairpin, its jade color transparent, but the hairpin’s body appeared slightly rough and not smooth. It was obvious that it had been polished by an amateur.

Shu Wan excitedly leaned in to take a look, but as soon as she saw it, her excitement deflated. This jade hairpin had been something she had worked on for half the night after waking up yesterday.

Although its body wasn’t very smooth and had some small corners, it still looked quite artistic. Shu Wan had admired it for a while, feeling that the gift had a simple style, with a raw beauty that hadn’t been polished, which gave her the confidence to give it away.

However, at this moment, as Yi Chenlan held it in his hands, it wasn’t quite the same. Yi Chenlan seemed more like a beautiful piece of jade, one that had been perfectly sculpted by the heavens. In contrast, the ancient quality of the hairpin in his hand seemed starkly out of place.

Well… she had just said it suited him… Could she take that back?

“Hahaha, well…” Shu Wan nervously tugged at her hair, saying dryly: “It… it’s a little ugly, isn’t it? Maybe I should take it back and polish it a bit more…”

Oh my god, it’s so ugly!

But she really hadn’t meant to make it look this bad. She had really put her heart into this gift!

Wah, it had looked fine when she held it!

Shu Wan weakly reached out to take the box back, but before she could, Yi Chenlan quickly snapped the lid shut with a “pop.” “It’s fine, this is good… thank you.”

Good?

Shu Wan rubbed her fingers nervously: “Really? Senior Brother Ah Lan… you really like it?”

“Mhm, I like it.” Yi Chenlan put the box away.

He had put it away so quickly, as if he had intended to snatch it. But this reaction must mean he truly liked it, right?

Shu Wan sighed in relief. She had written him into such a miserable situation, and she would have to slowly make it up to him. This was just the beginning. As long as he liked it, that was enough.

Shu Wan obediently said goodbye to Yi Chenlan, confirming that he would come tomorrow to practice together, and then happily returned.

---

After she left, Yi Chenlan stared at the door for a moment, lost in thought, before silently turning back to the desk.

He took up Eternal Slash and placed it back on the shelf.

After a pause, with his back to the door, he reached into his sleeve and took out the small wooden box that Shu Wan had given him earlier.

He opened the box and stared at the ugly jade hairpin inside for a while.

After a long moment, Yi Chenlan raised his hand and gently touched it.

---

The next day, when Shu Wan arrived, Yi Chenlan had not yet come, but Jiang Yang was already there.

“Little Junior Sister, do you want to try my Zhitian Sword?” Jiang Yang practiced a few sword moves, reluctant to put it down, and flicked the blade: “The sound it makes is so ethereal and light. My father’s sword is indeed a treasure that comes once in a hundred years.”

“I’m not playing, Senior Brother Ah Yang, you go ahead and practice.” Shu Wan glanced toward the entrance.

Jiang Yang sheathed the sword and ran over to Shu Wan, furrowing his brow as he asked: “Wan Wan, Master really isn’t letting us practice Eternal Slash and is only letting Ah Lan do it?”

Shu Wan nodded. “Of course, Father wouldn’t lie in front of so many heroes and great figures, would he? Father is a gentleman, a Great Hero. How could he go back on his word?”

“Ah… but, but don’t you want to learn Eternal Slash?”

“I don’t want to.” Shu Wan squinted and smiled: “I never liked practicing swordplay. I prefer cultivating internal energy and Qinggong—it’s more convenient.”

“Oh.” Jiang Yang tilted his head and thought for a while, his expression slightly puzzled. “But why would Master do that? He clearly doesn’t like Ah Lan. Not long ago, he even threw him into the water prison after beating him. Why is he suddenly being so nice to him?”

“Father already said, our natural talents don’t match, so we won’t be able to train. Only Senior Brother Ah Lan can practice it, and that’s just the way it is.”

Jiang Yang opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but after thinking for a moment, he realized there was nothing else to say about the matter.

He had no choice but to change the subject. “Wan Wan, why didn’t you give me a birthday gift yesterday? Didn’t you start preparing it mysteriously a month ago?”

At the mention of this, Shu Wan felt a little embarrassed. This was the time when “Shu Wan” was beginning to have feelings for Jiang Yang, and in the novel, she had given him a silver hairpin she had personally polished. She had even found it in her cabinet the night before. However, she didn’t want to give that directly to Yi Chenlan. With limited time, she couldn’t make another one, so she ended up making a jade hairpin instead.

As for the silver hairpin, it was still locked away in the cabinet.

Shu Wan didn’t want to get entangled with Jiang Yang the way she did in the book. She rubbed her nose and softly lied: “Hmm… I’ve just been so busy practicing martial arts recently that I forgot about it…”

Jiang Yang didn’t quite hear her and leaned in closer. “Little Junior Sister, what did you just say?”

As soon as Yi Chenlan entered, he saw this scene: Jiang Yang was very close to Shu Wan, bending over to say something to her; while Shu Wan had her head slightly lowered, looking especially coy and innocent.

For some reason, his mood, which had been lighter than usual, suddenly became heavier.

Yi Chenlan clenched his hand into a loose fist, pressing it against his lips and coughing softly. Jiang Yang heard the noise and immediately stood up straight to greet him. “Ah Lan.”

Shu Wan, sitting in the lotus position, immediately smiled and waved her hand when she saw him. “Senior Brother Ah Lan, you’re here!”

Yi Chenlan glanced at them without showing much emotion, then turned and walked directly to the Zhitian Sword that Jiang Yang had placed to the side. He drew half of it out, glanced at Jiang Yang, and smiled: “The Zhitian Sword is truly as renowned as they say.”

Jiang Yang immediately walked over, staring at his sword with a slightly stiff expression. Yi Chenlan, seeing him approach, casually placed the sword back in its place and walked toward Shu Wan.

“Senior Brother Ah Lan, how are you today? Is your health improving?” Shu Wan looked up at Yi Chenlan, the angle making her appear especially obedient.

Yi Chenlan’s expression finally softened a little. “I’m fine.”

Shu Wan smiled and asked: “Can I check?”

Yi Chenlan naturally extended his hand.

His recovery was indeed impressive. As Shu Wan felt reassured, she was also surprised. With such talent and self-healing ability, how could he not dominate the martial world?

Shu Wan withdrew her hand. “Senior Brother Ah Lan, you can start practicing the third level now, but don’t rush it. If you feel any difficulty, make sure to tell me, and I’ll help you.”

Yi Chenlan smiled slightly. “I understand.”

They had just begun when suddenly a disciple came to report: “Miss, the Bamboo Green Gang has a distinguished guest, and the Sect Master asks you to meet with them.”

“I understand. We’ll be there soon.”

Considering the timeline, Shu Wan knew the plot would reach the Bamboo Green Gang soon. She had already made preparations. The Bamboo Green Gang was a well-known sect in the martial world, and they had a deep relationship with the Zhongshan Sect.

When Yi Chenlan heard the name “Bamboo Green Gang.” his eyebrows lifted slightly, and a trace of bloodthirst seemed to glimmer in his eyes. It seemed like he had recalled something interesting, and a subtle smile curved his lips.

The Bamboo Green Gang. He had been waiting for this moment for so long, and it had finally come.