Chapter 502: 502. Do you dare or not
Chapter 502: 502. Do you dare or not
Sheng Yue and Ji Xiaoshu stayed in the space for about a quarter of an hour before Gu Xiaonuan released them.
Returning once again to the outside world, Sheng Yue subconsciously looked around. Through the windows on the ground floor of Yuanming Pavilion, he gazed at the clear lakes and blue skies outside and took a deep breath, exclaiming, “How unfathomably marvelous!”
Even though Sheng Yue had known about portable spaces since he was little, learning from his mother and longing for it for twenty years, none of it compared to the profound feeling he had when he first entered: Possessing such a thing would truly make one feel like the master of all, able to do as they pleased.
In that instant, Sheng Yue even understood why Mo Yan was so arrogant and foolish. As long as he had the spatial magical treasure, he didn’t need to think too much, and there was no need to plan or worry. Without worries, there could be no progress.
Gu Xiaonuan’s giggling laughter brought Sheng Yue back to reality. His deep gaze rested on her innocent little face, and the darkness in his eyes seemed to be dispelled like mist under the sunlight.
This was the best arrangement… Sheng Yue thought. It was only at this moment he truly let go of the last trace of longing for the spatial magical treasure in his heart. Because he suddenly realized that if such a treasure truly belonged to him, he would likely be consumed by the desires and ambitions it brought, becoming a madman like Mo Yan. He wanted the magical treasure, but not to be enslaved by anyone or anything.
Human nature was fragile, and Sheng Yue had always been well aware of this, including his own humanity. In fact, he even believed that if Gu Ling or Su Liang were to obtain the treasure, they might not be able to remain unchanged for the rest of their lives.
Only Gu Xiaonuan made Sheng Yue feel that she could control the magical treasure without being controlled by it. This was because she was still a blank slate, and Gu Ling and Su Liang would no doubt take good care of her, teaching her and providing her with everything she needed. They would provide the best environment, and even the potential husband and friends she might have after she grew up were already under their tutelage.
The owner of the magical treasure should be someone as pure, kind, and rich in material and spiritual abundance as Gu Xiaonuan, so that to her, the magical treasure would be merely a tool or even a toy, rather than something to rely on for fulfilling her desires.
“Uncle Sheng?” Gu Xiaonuan called out, her sweet smile melting hearts.
Sheng Yue snapped back to reality and exhaled deeply, “Thank you, Nuannuan.”
Ji Xiaoshu was speechless, “What were you thinking just now? She wants you to hold her.”
Only then did Sheng Yue notice Gu Xiaonuan’s outstretched little hand, and he quickly bent down to lift her into his arms with one hand.
Then, Gu Xiaonuan took out Sheng Yue’s ring and put it back on the finger where it originally belonged.
The familiar feeling caused Sheng Yue to pause for a moment. Although the ring held great significance to him, when he decided to give it to Gu Xiaonuan, he never thought of taking it back.
However, Gu Xiaonuan simply found it attractive and played with it for a while before returning it to Sheng Yue.
For some reason, Sheng Yue suddenly felt a bit touched. He couldn’t quite explain why; perhaps it was because of the ring, or perhaps it was something else entirely. It was a feeling that was quite foreign to him.
“Uncle Sheng, what are you thinking about?” Gu Xiaonuan curiously looked into Sheng Yue’s eyes.
Sheng Yue also got a close look at Gu Xiaonuan’s eyes, which were very beautiful. Although her pupils were black and shiny, they reminded him of the pure, unblemished snow on Wolong Mountain in Yao City’s winter.
“I wasn’t thinking about anything,” Sheng Yue smiled.
Just at that moment, Yan Shiba came down from upstairs. Her gaze fell on Sheng Yue, and her eyes narrowed. Seeing Sheng Yue smile, she felt as if she had seen a ghost.
Then, Yan Shiba rushed over and snatched Gu Xiaonuan away, “Who let you hold my Nuannuan?”
“She did,” Sheng Yue calmly retorted.
Yan Shiba didn’t bother arguing with him and called Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu upstairs, saying Su Liang was looking for them.
The two children hurried upstairs, and Yan Shiba walked away with Gu Xiaonuan in her arms.
Sheng Yue remained alone on the ground floor of Yuanming Pavilion. There was a train model that Ji Xiaoshu had played with that day on the table. He stared at it intently for a moment, then walked to the window to take in the view before leaving Yuanming Pavilion to rest. Ever since he and Gu Ling landed in Jiaye City, he had been busy looking for people, and killing. He hadn’t slept well since rushing over from Jiaye City.
As soon as he walked out of the door, Sheng Yue ran into Cheng Yun face to face.
Cheng Yun now had his own hair, which was long enough to be tied up. Although it was still much shorter compared to others.
Ever since they openly admitted their love in front of family members that day, Cheng Yun and Weng Ran’s relationship had entered a new stage. They once thought they would never be as sticky as others, but it turns out that when young men and women fall in love, they generally want to get closer – unless there are other special reasons.
Sheng Yue’s gaze fell on Cheng Yun and Weng Ran’s intertwined hands, which quickly separated.
Looking up, Sheng Yue saw Cheng Yun’s furrowed brows. He looked very much like their mother, even more so. Sheng Yue also saw the bright red birthmark on Weng Ran’s face. He didn’t think Weng Ran was ugly; instead, he thought they made a perfect couple.
Actually, Sheng Yue knew that Yan Shiba had once been fond of Cheng Yun. He was a little surprised that she would give up on that.
“You’re not planning to stay here for a long time, are you?” Cheng Yun opened his mouth to speak. Although his tone wasn’t as hostile as it had been on Xingluo Island, it was still unfriendly, making no secret of his rejection towards Sheng Yue.
Sheng Yue nodded and asked back, “You object?”
Cheng Yun snorted lightly, “Yes, I object.”
Sheng Yue nodded again, “Your objection is useless.”
Cheng Yun: …
Weng Ran stepped in to mediate, “When did you arrive, Young Master Sheng?”
“I arrived this morning. Your younger sister can just call me by my name, or call me brother, I don’t mind.” Sheng Yue looked at Weng Ran with a gentle tone.
Cheng Yun was speechless, “Who wants to call you brother? Stop daydreaming!”
Weng Ran squeezed Cheng Yun’s hand to calm him down, smiled slightly, and said, “You two can have a good chat when you have time in the future.” Then she took Cheng Yun past Sheng Yue and entered Yuanming Pavilion.
Sheng Yue clearly heard Cheng Yun say, “Who wants to talk to him?”
Then Weng Ran laughed softly, “It’s just a polite remark, don’t take it seriously.”
Sheng Yue remained calm. The person Yan Shiba hated most in the mansion was him, and the second most hated person was Cheng Yun. That’s fine, they didn’t end up together. As an older brother, he didn’t think Yan Shiba, who was always in a state of agitation, was worthy of Cheng Yun; Weng Ran was much better suited.
At this moment, on the second floor of the Yuanming Pavilion, Yan Shiba had already handed Gu Xiaonuan to Su Liang, and then took Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu to their own room, saying there were important matters to discuss.
Seeing Yan Shiba turn around to close the door and even bolt it, Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu exchanged silent glances and both felt that it must be something special.
Yan Shiba looked back and saw the two kids’ curious eyes, cleared her throat, walked over and sat down, then beckoned them over, “Auntie Yan has something to ask for your help.”
Ji Xiaoshu expressed surprise, “Why has Auntie Yan suddenly become so polite? Hurry up and tell us what it is, I’m really too curious!”
Zhengzheng nodded in agreement.
Yan Shiba coughed lightly, “As you know, I really hate that bastard Sheng Yue. Seeing him makes me want to tear his face apart! He wasn’t even polite to me today, and I can’t do anything to him yet. It’s so annoying!”
Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu nodded together, indicating that this was more than obvious and they were well-aware of it.
“Yan-gugu, do you want us to help you deal with Uncle Sheng… Sheng Yue?” Zhengzheng asked, “But if Yan-gugu can’t beat him, we definitely can’t either. We would have to ask my master to come out of seclusion, but even then, she wouldn’t fight Sheng Yue just to avenge Yan-gugu. After all, he just completed a very important task and can be considered as having redeemed himself by his merits.”
“I’m not asking you to fight him.” Yan Shiba shook her head. “But speaking of which, if we really wanted to deal with him, it would be very easy. We could just find some kind of drug to make him suffer a living hell!”
Ji Xiaoshu put a hand on her forehead,” Yan-gugu, I need to remind you of something important. Don’t forget that Sheng Yue is immune to all poisons. You can only defeat him with martial arts. Trying to poison him won’t work.”
Yan Shiba smacked her forehead, “I must have been too angry to think straight! How could I forget that?! Ahhh! This makes me even angrier! Why does that scumbag have such an immunity to poisons?!”
The two children waited for Yan Shiba to calm down a little before speaking again.
Zhengzheng smiled, “Actually, we’ve already discussed this with our master’s wife. Once Sheng Yue arrives, we want to test on him whether any poison would work at all. Our master’s wife said that the so-called immunity to all poisons may not be absolute. It might just be that many poisons don’t work on him, but not necessarily all of them. Nowadays, the poisons are useless, but that doesn’t mean that new ones in the future would be too. After all, are there not countless poisons in this world, discovered or not?”
Ji Xiaoshu continued to speak, “That’s right! We’ve been planning to study just how powerful his blood is! The warehouse in the maze below is full of various medicines. We’re going to have him try them all!”
Upon hearing this, Yan Shiba burst into laughter, “Hahaha! This is a great idea! Excellent! You guys are so eager to learn! So smart! This must be done and as soon as possible. We should start today before that guy escapes!”
Ji Xiaoshu asked Yan Shiba what exactly she wanted their help with since they hadn’t reached the main point yet.
Yan Shiba’s expression turned serious, “Help me to come up with a plan that will teach him a lesson without making me lose face!”
Zhengzheng immediately recalled, “Earlier, did Yan-gugu take our master’s wife upstairs for the sake of this matter?”
Yan Shiba nodded, “That’s right! But your master’s wife didn’t help me. She said it was not her place to interfere, and she couldn’t show favoritism! I’m not paying attention to her anymore; she only has eyes for Gu Meiren!”
Ji Xiaoshu agreed, “Master’s wife does dote on master the most.”
“Hurry up and help me think of a plan. I can’t wait any longer.” Yan Shiba urged them.
The two children looked at each other and furrowed their brows in contemplation.
After a while, Ji Xiaoshu’s eyes brightened, “I’ve come up with a great idea!”
Yan Shiba hurriedly asked, “Tell me, what’s your plan?”
Ji Xiaoshu chuckled, “Yesterday, didn’t Yan-gugu say that we weren’t concerned about your lifelong pursuit? But you did say you wanted to find an interesting and exciting man. I think Yan-gugu could consider trying to conquer Sheng Yue.”
Zhengzheng had a strange look on his face, while Yan Shiba angrily pinched Ji Xiaoshu’s ear and said, “You little devil! To think that I liked you so much, but in your eyes, I’m a match for that scumbag Sheng Yue? Are you trying to anger me to death?”
Zhengzheng: …He knew it would come to this, Ji Xiaoshu had a knack for stirring the pot.
Ji Xiaoshu quickly begged for mercy, “Yan-gugu, I was wrong. I didn’t mean it like that. Please listen to my explanation!”
Of course, Yan Shiba wouldn’t really hit Ji Xiaoshu. She just pinched him lightly before letting go.
Ji Xiaoshu held his face and sat across from Yan Shiba, his eyes sparkling as he said, “I didn’t mean for Yan-gugu and Sheng Yue to be together. Instead, I thought that Yan-gugu could try to conquer Sheng Yue, make him fall in love with you, and then reject him cruelly! Wouldn’t that be exciting and satisfying?”
Zhengzheng shook his head, thinking that Yan Shiba would never agree to such a bizarre proposal. Besides, the situation Ji Xiaoshu described seemed unlikely to happen. Sheng Yue was not an ordinary person; he would undoubtedly see through Yan Shiba’s intentions. Even if Yan Shiba were sincere, the chances of Sheng Yue falling for her were slim, at least for now.
However, Yan Shiba seemed to be instantly intrigued by Ji Xiaoshu’s suggestion, “This idea… it does sound interesting! I’ve never deceived someone else’s feelings in my life! Haha! If it’s Sheng Yue we’re talking about, I’d be more than happy to do it!”
Zhengzheng reminded Yan Shiba, “Yan-gugu, that man is extremely shrewd. It won’t be easy to deceive him. And since you won’t pursue him, trying to make him pursue you will be even more difficult.”
Yan Shiba gently tapped Zhengzheng’s forehead, “Who have I, your Aunt Yan, ever been afraid of in my whole life? What am I most afraid of now?”
Ji Xiaoshu raised his hand, eager to answer, “Aunt Yan is now most afraid of boredom and dullness!”
“That’s right!” Yan Shiba nodded, “The more challenging it is, the more I look forward to it, haha! As for how to do it, you two little strategists must come up with plans and tactics for me. I believe you can deal with that Sheng Yue fellow!”
Zhengzheng felt that this matter was either a no-go from the start or could easily spiral out of control, but Ji Xiaoshu, who had a basketful of wicked ideas, had already suggested a plan for Yan Shiba on how to start, “Aunt Yan, why don’t you just go straight to Sheng Yue and tell him that within a month, he will definitely fall in love with you, and he must marry you. If it doesn’t happen, you’ll be willing to admit defeat, and never bother him again. Let him accept the challenge if he dares, but if he doesn’t, he can just get lost from our house! Gambling, right? Losing wouldn’t be too humiliating! It would be embarrassing if he doesn’t dare to fight!”
Upon hearing Ji Xiaoshu’s words, Yan Shiba’s fighting spirit was stirred to its peak, “Let’s do it this way!”
Zhengzheng timidly said, “Aunt Yan, how about changing it to three months? One month is a little too…”
Yan Shiba shook her head, “Three months is too long, I can’t wait that long!”
“So, Aunt Yan, do you have any ideas on how to conquer Sheng Yue?” Zhengzheng felt that shouting slogans so loudly without a concrete plan was a bit unreliable.
“I have you two little strategists to help me think about what to do, so I’m going to challenge Sheng Yue right now!” Yan Shiba stood up, straightened her clothes, and strode out of the room with great spirit.
Zhengzheng sighed, “Xiaoshu, I think the chances of Aunt Yan conquering Sheng Yue within a month are slim… They’re just… completely mismatched.”
Ji Xiaoshu told Zhengzheng to stay calm, “Aunt Yan likes the pursuit of excitement. She thinks this kind of thing is fun and interesting – that’s what makes it meaningful. Don’t worry, Sheng Yue will never be hurt by Aunt Yan. He’s an iron-hearted man. There won’t be any bad consequences, so what’s the harm in playing around? The conflict between those two runs deep, mainly because Aunt Yan can’t let go on her own. She needs a chance to vent. Nothing will ever come out of them.”
After some thought, Zhengzheng agreed that Ji Xiaoshu had a point. No matter how Yan Shiba tormented Sheng Yue, he wouldn’t be affected by it or let it affect him, as he would hold the real power in his hand. There was no need to worry, just let Yan Shiba have her fun, and when she finally finds it boring, she’ll give up.
Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu went next door and reported their proposal for Yan Shiba to Su Liang.
Gu Ling was also there but made no comment.
Su Liang found it amusing, “Xiaoshu, you really are your master’s disciple.”
Ji Xiaoshu was delighted, “Does Master think the same way? Haha! My master is so mean!”
Gu Ling silently kicked Ji Xiaoshu without taking his eyes off the book in his hands.
Ji Xiaoshu kicked back and ran off with Zhengzheng, “Eldest brother, let’s go! Let’s see how Aunt Yan and Sheng Yue’s talk went!”
After the two children left, Su Liang held Gu Xiaonuan and stood by the bed, smiling at Gu Ling, “Great God, you even said to let Yan Shiba give Sheng Yue a sleeping pill. You forgot that he is immune to all poisons.”
Gu Ling nodded, “I didn’t consider that at the time. But what if an aphrodisiac works on him? He may not have tried it before, so we can have him try later.”
Su Liang coughed lightly, “I really want to know if Sheng Yue will accept Yan Shiba’s challenge.”
Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu stealthily entered Sheng Yue’s courtyard using their lightness skills. They hid in a corner and soon heard Yan Shiba’s voice.
“You bastard, just say it! Dare or not? One word! If you don’t dare, get lost right now!” Yan Shiba’s attitude was very arrogant.
Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu pricked up their ears, and in the next moment, they heard Sheng Yue’s calm voice, “What would I not dare? No need to wait for a month, I want to marry you right now, and we’ll become husband and wife today. Do you dare?”