Chapter 34: Heart-Pounding

Ye Wenxin racked her brains, trying hard to think of how to persuade Huang Hanyan to not be swayed by fate and give up on the great ideal of cultivation. However, before she could speak, Huang Hanyan spoke first.

“Junior Sister Wenxin, you’ll keep your word, right?” Huang Hanyan’s tone was very calm, even though she had just seen her fiancé up close, she managed to suppress her anger for a moment.

“What word?” Ye Wenxin was momentarily confused. She had said many things to Huang Hanyan today, and for a moment, she could not recall which one she was referring to.

“That I can ask you for anything, and repay you double in the future.” Huang Hanyan sighed with resignation, taking the initiative to help Ye Wenxin recall the most awesome thing she had said today.

“Of course.”

“Then, could you buy that for me?” Huang Hanyan finished speaking and pointed her delicate jade-like finger towards a stall.

“Jewelry? Sure thing.” Ye Wenxin readily agreed. She not only had the pocket money given by Ling Jue, but also had a considerable income of spirit stones (acquired through plundering).

“No, that one.” Huang Hanyan shook her head again, but her hand still pointed towards the jewelry stall they had just passed. Ye Wenxin felt increasingly puzzled. Upon closer inspection, there was a stall selling candied haws.

It was a product that appeared in every historical novel, and now it also appeared in the world where Ye Wenxin was in.

Ye Wenxin immediately agreed and was ready to take Huang Hanyan over there. However, Huang Hanyan seemed to have no intention of going over. It seemed she felt embarrassed that someone of her age would still want to eat candied haws.

“I’ll go buy it.” Ye Wenxin did not force the issue, released Huang Hanyan’s hand, and walked through the crush of people towards the stall selling candied haws.

“Miss, which kind would you like?” The uncle smiled as he looked at Ye Wenxin.

“I’ll take one of each, please.” Ye Wenxin glanced at the colorful candied haws and did not know what they were made of. She also did not know what Huang Hanyan liked to eat, so she decided to buy one of each kind.

“Miss, these are not cheap.”

“Will one spirit stone be enough?” Ye Wenxin took out a spirit stone from her bag of holding, and the uncle immediately nodded, “Certainly, this is more than enough. Let me find your change now.”

The uncle’s attitude became respectful. He efficiently wrapped each type of candied haws and handed them to Ye Wenxin. Holding the candied haws, Ye Wenxin walked towards where Huang Hanyan was waiting, but she noticed Huang Hanyan’s gaze was fixed on a stall.

The stall displayed jewelry made of spirit stones, sparkling and translucent, very pleasing to look at. However, these pieces of jewelry were not cheap. Apart from their appearance, they had little practical use, and only female cultivators liked such ornaments.

However, Huang Hanyan was also at the age where she liked these little trinkets.

Ye Wenxin could not help but feel overwhelmed with maternal love, but still appeared in front of Huang Hanyan with a cute loli face, “Senior Sister Huang, I’m back.”

“Um… so many.”

Huang Hanyan turned her head to look at Ye Wenxin, but was startled by the bunch of candied haws in Ye Wenxin’s hand.

These candied haws displayed in the market were naturally not made from ordinary fruits, but from spirit fruits that enhanced cultivation. They were quite valuable, simply too expensive for ordinary people.

Although Huang Hanyan was from a prestigious family, she had not lived a lavish life due to her mother’s humble status. Ye Wenxin’s behavior truly startled her.

“No worries, take them back and enjoy them slowly. Besides, they won’t spoil inside your bag of holding.” Ye Wenxin smiled and handed them to Huang Hanyan. Although Huang Hanyan was still somewhat reluctant to accept them, after a moment’s thought, she decided to put the candied haws into her bag of holding. Then, she chose one and handed it back to Ye Wenxin.

Ye Wenxin gladly accepted it. When she opened the wrapping paper, however, she found Huang Hanyan’s hands empty, which puzzled her even more. “Aren’t you going to eat some?”

Huang Hanyan glanced at the candied haw in Ye Wenxin’s hand and continued, “I’ll eat later.”

This attitude made Ye Wenxin even more puzzled, but she quickly understood Huang Hanyan’s concern, “Are you embarrassed to eat candied haws in front of so many people?” Ye Wenxin hit the nail on the head, causing Huang Hanyan to blush slightly as she nodded in agreement.

Although Huang Hanyan appeared much older, Ye Wenxin now seemed more like the elder sister.

Ye Wenxin did not push further. She bit into the topmost spirit fruit and immediately tasted its subtle sweetness, reminiscent of yogurt but with an even more delightful sensation.

Unable to describe it precisely, all she knew was that the candied haw was incredibly delicious.

After finishing one, she held up the candied haw. “Here, try it. It’s really delicious.” Huang Hanyan did not move, but Ye Wenxin could see her struggling through her eyes.

“It’s okay, I’ll hold it for you to eat. The only one feeling embarrassed will be me.” Ye Wenxin continued to reassure, and Huang Hanyan finally relented. Delicately, she took a bite, her beautiful eyes gleaming slightly as if she had tasted something refreshing and delicious.

“Come on, have a few bites. I can’t finish the whole string by myself.” Ye Wenxin continued to tempt, and Huang Hanyan no longer resisted. The two of them leaned in together, seeming like they were doing something queer no matter how you looked at it.

But when curious onlookers approached, they found that the two beautiful young ladies were simply eating candied haws, which made them feel relieved yet somewhat disappointed.

After finishing the string of candied haws, Huang Hanyan was already full from the nourishing effects of the spirit fruits. Ye Wenxin had only eaten the top and bottom ones, so the two continued on their way.

After only a few steps, Ye Wenxin stopped again in front of the jewelry stall that Huang Hanyan had been looking at earlier, considering whether to take this opportunity to buy some jewelry for Ling Jue and Long Qing’er.

They had always been very kind to Ye Wenxin, and this time, keeping this descent from the mountain a secret would probably upset them greatly. If Ye Wenxin did not go and console them, they would likely be upset for a long time.

Most importantly, she wanted to take this opportunity to buy a piece of jewelry for Huang Hanyan as well.

“Senior Sister, what do you think of this?”

“Who’re you buying it for?”

“Senior Sister Long.”

Ye Wenxin answered, and Huang Hanyan pointed at a pair of blue jade earrings, “This one is more suited for Senior Sister Long.” Ye Wenxin also glanced at that pair of blue jade and imagined what it would look like on Long Qing’er; very good indeed.

“Mm, then I’ll take this one. Senior Sister Huang, help me choose something for Big Brother Ling.”

“Big Brother Ling is a man, if you want to give him something, things like swords would be better.” Huang Hanyan was even more straightforward, evidently believing that Ling Jue was a real man who would not care for these small trinkets.

“We won’t pick those; we’ll definitely get swindled. Look, isn’t there a fan pendant? Let’s just pick one for Big Brother Ling.” In reality, Ye Wenxin also wanted to give Ling Jue earrings, but even if she did, Ling Jue would not be able to wear them. It would be better to choose something that she could wear close to her body without revealing her identity as a woman.

“How about this green one?” Huang Hanyan pointed to a uniquely shaped green pendant, which Ye Wenxin also quite liked.

Seeing how discerning Huang Hanyan’s taste was, Ye Wenxin decided to also buy a gift for the beautiful mute and Hei Tong. Especially for the beautiful mute, Ye Wenxin planned to treat her well.

This favor was not driven by emotions but rather by Ye Wenxin’s plan to use the beautiful mute as her experimental subject. Once she successfully refined the Heart-Cleansing Pill and obtained the Spring Return Medicine from Ling Jue, the beautiful mute would be her victim. Thinking of the moment when the success of her alchemy would be confirmed, Ye Wenxin’s grin became even more beaming.

“Junior Sister is really amazing. You haven’t even joined the Azure Wings Sect yet, but you already know so many people.” Huang Hanyan was rather envious, after hearing Ye Wenxin’s description, she had already helped her pick out gifts for the beautiful mute and Hei Tong.

“Hehe, it’s all thanks to your blessings. Oh right, I still have another gift to choose. Senior Sister Huang, can you help me with this one too?” Ye Wenxin brought the conversation back to the main point, beginning to describe her impressions and feelings about Huang Hanyan.

“She should like this pair of amber and agate earrings.” Huang Hanyan’s selection was devoid of any extra sentimental colors, but Ye Wenxin noticed a slight frown on her face.

“I can’t quite imagine it. How about you try them on for me, Senior Sister Huang?”

Without any suspicion, Huang Hanyan put on the jewelry. The yellow color matched her well, especially the amber and agate, which shimmered slightly in the sunlight, making her even more captivating.

“Alright, let’s go with this one.” Ye Wenxin had just said this when Huang Hanyan immediately took off the earrings. From her reaction, it seemed she really saw herself as nothing more than a tool for buying accessories.

Ye Wenxin followed suit and helped Huang Hanyan pick out clothes, even purchasing a decent mystic-grade weapon for her. Huang Hanyan was meticulous in her selection, but she never realized that Ye Wenxin was actually helping her choose.

“However, from your descriptions, I feel like I’ve heard of the Senior Sister you mentioned before. Could it be someone I know too?” As night fell and Ye Wenxin emptied out the entire herb shop, Huang Hanyan could not help but ask.

Suppressing a smile, Ye Wenxin replied, “Then think carefully again. Who do you think that Senior Sister might be?”

As the sun set in the west, a layer of light enveloped Ye Wenxin’s petite figure, captivating Huang Hanyan’s gaze with a somewhat trance-like quality. Although Ye Wenxin was just a child, she always made Huang Hanyan feel peculiar sensations.

“I think… that person… couldn’t possibly be… me.” Huang Hanyan pieced together what had happened today and suddenly realized the meaning behind Ye Wenxin’s previous suggestions for her to try on clothes and use weapons.

It was not to test the effects of those items; they were intended as gifts from Ye Wenxin to Huang Hanyan.

“Sister Senior has finally realized it. I’ve already bought them all. You surely can’t refuse to accept them.” She pulled out the items from her bag of holding and looked at Huang Hanyan with expectant eyes.

“No, I’m afraid I won’t be able to repay you in the future,” Huang Hanyan stubbornly replied, feeling unworthy of such kindness.

She thanked Ye Wenxin for her goodwill, but she was not sure if she could repay this favor in the future.

“It’s alright. You can just give yourself to me when the time comes.” Ye Wenxin, saying this, squatted on the ground and looked up at Huang Hanyan, appearing even more petite.

“Alright.”

Aside from this one word, Huang Hanyan did not know how else to respond. Her heart was in turmoil, her mind blank, and she could only remember Ye Wenxin’s eyes, which made her heart pound faster.