Arrival

The supercar sped down the highway, while Li Wei's soul seemed to float along behind it.

When Jiang Han cut in front of her again at close range, she finally couldn't take it anymore. "I'm talking to you—are you sick or something?"

Jiang Han ignored her completely and pressed the accelerator even harder.

The fierce force of acceleration pinned Li Wei firmly against her seat. The scenery outside blurred into a smear, and the engine's roar shook her ears.

She was stunned for a moment before her temper flared. Raising her hand, she smacked the central storage compartment with a bang.

"Jiang Han, that's enough!"

Her shout was sharp and urgent, carrying a hint of the authority she had possessed back when she had been the children's king at the orphanage.

That seemed to work. Jiang Han gritted his teeth, but the car's speed finally began to drop.

Li Wei turned her head and glared at him, studying his expression carefully.

The longer she looked, the more she sensed that something was off.

This guy... was he throwing a tantrum? Losing his temper?

"If you're unhappy about something, just say it. Who are you making that face at?"

Li Wei almost laughed. This "little brother" was way too childish.

Having lived two lifetimes, she was now wearing Jiang Xue's body and lecturing someone in an "older sister's" tone. Surprisingly, it came quite naturally.

But when Jiang Han heard that, his fingers abruptly tightened. The steering wheel creaked in his grip.

After holding it in for more than ten seconds, he finally exploded. "Say it? What good would saying it do? Besides mocking me, cursing me, and putting me down, what else can you do?"

Li Wei was covered in black lines. Damn, Jiang Xue, you really failed spectacularly as a person.

She rubbed her temples and sighed theatrically. "I was young back then and didn't know any better. Four years have passed. People always change, right?"

"Change?" Jiang Han sneered. "If you had made even the slightest bit of progress, you wouldn't have agreed to marry into the Gu Family!"

Huh? What did he mean by that?

Li Wei's heart gave a heavy thump.

Hadn't Liang Qiushi said that only the Jiang Family's old lady and Jiang Xue's parents knew the truth?

Everyone else should have assumed that "Jiang Xue" had returned to have a child for Gu Jinzhi.

In this high-martial era, relations between men and women were even more open than on Earth in her previous life.

With an identity like "Jiang Xue's," even if she had been married and had a child, and Gu Jinzhi had "died," there would still be plenty of people willing to pursue her.

But the tone Jiang Han was using... Could he know the inside story?

Don't tell me something went wrong with the plan? Li Wei's heart pounded as she decided to sound him out first.

She put on an innocent, confused expression. "Why shouldn't I have agreed? It's not as if you don't know that I li—"

The words stuck in her throat.

The core of her soul was still a man. Even knowing it was an act, saying something like "I love Gu Jinzhi" was still... something she couldn't get out.

Damn, where did the courage go that I had when I talked with Cheng Hao about getting into bed? Sure enough, unless a person was driven into a desperate corner, they still wanted to preserve a little dignity.

But Jiang Han knew "Jiang Xue" far too well, as if he already knew what she wanted to say next.

He clenched his back teeth and wrenched the steering wheel. The supercar weaved like a snake, sending the completely unprepared Li Wei staggering from side to side.

"You want to say you love Gu Jinzhi?" His tone was mocking, with a trace of exasperation at her failure to live up to expectations. "You love him, but does he even pay attention to you? Can't you wake up? Stop circling men like an idiot all day! A love-brain like you belongs out digging for wild vegetables, understand?"

Your real elder sister is plenty clever. The persona is only a persona—she knows exactly what she's doing!

But thinking of her agreement with Liang Qiushi, she still had to keep acting.

Li Wei gripped the door handle, suppressing the disgust in her heart, and said righteously, "So what if he doesn't love me? As long as I can marry him, that's enough!"

"Unreasonable!" Jiang Han slapped the steering wheel again. "Why don't you think about it? If there were nothing suspicious about this marriage, why wouldn't Mom and Dad give it to Jiang Yao instead of you?"

"I'm the one engaged to Jinzhi." Li Wei imitated Jiang Xue, pinching her voice and exaggerating her expression. "What right does she have to steal him from me?"

"From childhood to now, how many of your things has Jiang Yao stolen? Mom and Dad's hearts are practically tucked under their armpits! Jiang Xue, can you use your brain for once?"

Jiang Han roared until his neck turned red.

He panted heavily a few times, forcefully suppressing his anger before slowing his tone. "A few days ago at a gathering, one of my buddies told me that this time, the Gu Family wants you to go to the battlefield in Gu Jinzhi's place."

Holy crap, he already knows? Aunt Liang, your secrecy is so good that even MI6 would have to offer you a cigarette...

The news had already spread this far. Could the plan still succeed? Or were they merely guessing blindly?

Forget it. I can't worry about the affairs of big shots. I'll take care of myself first.

Li Wei could only continue playing dumb.

She put on an unconcerned expression. "He just graduated from the Martial University. What battlefield would he be going to?"

"Don't you know about the Mobilization Act? Don't you know about the grudge between the Gu and Zhang Families? Don't you know that Western Xinjiang is the Zhang Family's territory? You know nothing, yet you dared to come back?" Jiang Han's handsome face, both roguishly charming and striking, was filled with speechlessness.

"I was wondering, too. Gu Jinzhi clearly knows the Zhang Family wants to deal with him, yet he's been calm and composed every day."

"Well, it turns out there was a fool named Jiang Xue waiting here to take the fall for him. What does he have left to fear?"

Li Wei pretended not to care and copied Jiang Xue's coquettish voice. "Brother Jinzhi isn't that kind of person~"

The steering wheel creaked again. Jiang Han gritted his teeth. "Would it kill you to speak normally?"

"You damn well stop imitating the way I talk!" Li Wei snapped angrily.

"When the hell did I imitate the way you talk?" Jiang Han asked, bewildered.

Li Wei: "..."

Damn, I broke character.

The two of them sulked for a while before Li Wei lowered herself first and soothed him. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. This marriage..."

She raised her left hand and pinched her thumb, middle finger, and index finger together. "Easy to handle."

"You? Handle it?" Jiang Han looked utterly disdainful. "First think about how you're going to deal with Jiang Yao after you get back. Her blood vitality is 81, and she's reached Minor Perfection of Physical Body. This time, she definitely won't let go of the chance to beat you up."

"Huh?" Li Wei froze.

Every time a Quasi-Martial Artist broke through a major stage, their strength would leap by a huge margin.

Although Li Wei didn't know the difference between Minor Perfection and Muscles and Bones Ringing in Harmony, when she had assigned Stat Points, she had fully experienced the transformation in strength that came with the body crossing into Muscles and Bones Ringing in Harmony.

A Quasi-Martial Artist with blood vitality of 70 could beat three to five Quasi-Martial Artists with blood vitality of 69 without any problem.

The difference between them wasn't a single point of blood vitality, but a qualitative divide!

Fortunately, I learned Cold Pond Sinking Wall.

Li Wei hurriedly asked, "Does Jiang Yao know Cold Pond Sinking Wall?"

Jiang Han sneered. "What, scared now?"

"Cut the crap. Just tell me whether she knows it or not," Li Wei pressed.

Jiang Han's face darkened. "She doesn't."

Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief. Remembering Consecration of Power Transmission, she couldn't help asking, "Grandma didn't give her consecration?"

Jiang Han turned to look her up and down. "Jiang Xue, you're acting weird! Jiang Yao has never been liked by Grandma since she was little. Don't you know that? Consecration consumes so much energy, and Grandma's injuries are so severe. How could she possibly give it to her?"

What? They had said that Grandma Jiang would give her consecration after she came back...

Forget it. I'll take things one step at a time. With Cold Pond Sinking Jade at my side, I should at least be able to fight.

Besides, she had to find an opportunity to hunt Abyssal Monsters. The stronger she was, the better!

Li Wei wanted to ask Jiang Han where she could find Abyssal Monsters to kill. Watching someone else kill one would work too.

Before she could speak, the supercar had already passed through the tree-lined road and entered an imposing metal gate decorated with carvings.

After circling the courtyard fountain, a huge Western-style manor came into view.

The Jiang Family had arrived.

Gu Garden, secret chamber.

A pair of twin sisters sat facing each other. They were Liang Qiushi and Liang Chunhua.

"Is she back?" Liang Chunhua asked coldly.

"Yes, she just arrived," Liang Qiushi replied.

Liang Chunhua nodded, then asked, "The people outside have already guessed most of your true purpose. Aren't you worried?"

Liang Qiushi narrowed her eyes and smiled. "If I don't move, there are no flaws to find. At most, my father-in-law, husband, and son will warn me a little. It won't interfere with my plans."

"Is it worth it?" Liang Chunhua asked after pondering for a moment.

Liang Qiushi smiled. "For Jinzhi, it's worth it!"