Do You Really Want Me to Say It?

"Damn, you can run into people like this anywhere! What a turnoff..."

Zhao Ping'an couldn't stop himself from complaining inwardly.

The moment he saw the girl named Zhao Huixin, his Great Grandmaster senses told him at a glance that she was no longer a virgin—and that she was already pregnant.

This was a feudal society in ancient times, where most women valued their chastity more than their lives.

And something as outrageous as getting pregnant before marriage could get a woman thrown into a pig cage.

Though he was disgusted, Zhao Ping'an still greeted her with a smile. After all, he had never intended to get involved with her, so what kind of person she was didn't matter in the slightest.

After they exchanged greetings, Zhao Xiuyun led Wang Wenxiu into the room at the back, leaving Zhao Ping'an and Zhao Huixin alone in the courtyard, staring awkwardly at each other.

"You..."

"We could never be together. Give up on that idea! I hope this is the first and last time we ever meet! You can't give me the life I want..."

Zhao Ping'an stared at Zhao Huixin, speechless, as she prattled on, spouting nonsense as if she were the greatest thing in the world.

The last time he had been this speechless was the last time.

He just didn't want them sitting there in silence, so he'd wanted to offer her some tea.

"Phew... slurp, gulp!"

With nothing else to do, Zhao Ping'an picked up the teacup in front of him, blew on it, and took a sip. Then he simply watched the young girl, who thought far too highly of herself, brag about her own virtues while putting him down.

"You heard what I said, right? We belong to two different worlds. We can't be together now, and we never will be."

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhao Huixin finally stopped.

Watching Zhao Huixin sit back down, Zhao Ping'an set down his teacup and spoke unhurriedly:

"Finished? Had enough? Then it's my turn. First, you got one thing right: we're not suited for each other. But that's because you're not good enough for me, not the other way around. Of course, I'm not interested in you either. But you don't need to worry. Since you've already found the one you love, I imagine he'll marry you."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean, the one I love? And what do you mean I'm not good enough for you? You..."

"Hmm? What? Some things are better left understood without being said. Do you really want me to say it? You could be in a lot of trouble afterward..."

Zhao Huixin looked ready to start cursing, but Zhao Ping'an's expression turned cold. A flash of Great Grandmaster pressure swept past, and she immediately fell silent, trembling like a cicada in winter.

"You! Don't you dare make things up! There's no one I love!"

Though Zhao Huixin no longer dared to spout nonsense at him after feeling his Great Grandmaster pressure, her voice rose several notches. Zhao Ping'an had clearly struck a nerve.

"What is it? What happened? It's only been a little while—why are you two arguing?"

Her voice immediately drew Zhao Xiuyun and Wang Wenxiu out of their conversation inside.

"It's nothing, Mistress. Miss Zhao Huixin thinks I said something wrong, so..."

Zhao Ping'an stood and smiled as he explained to Zhao Xiuyun.

"Said something wrong? What did you say?"

Zhao Xiuyun asked at once, puzzled.

"Well..."

Zhao Ping'an wasn't afraid of making a scene, but he'd barely begun when Zhao Huixin cut him off with a sharp, piercing shriek.

"Don't say it! You are not allowed to say it!!! Or I'll make you regret it!!!"

"Outrageous!!! What kind of conduct is that for a young woman? Shouting and carrying on like this? Ping'an, speak! I want to hear what you said."

Zhao Huixin's words sent Zhao Xiuyun into a towering rage. How dare a mere illegitimate junior shout at her? She was getting above herself!

"Yes, Mistress. She said I wasn't good enough for her, and that I was a toad hoping to feast on swan meat. I just said she wasn't good enough for me, and that she was no longer a virgin. So I said that since she'd already found the one she loved, I imagined he would marry her. Then she started acting like this."

Zhao Ping'an stuck to the facts, without embellishing anything. Those had been Zhao Huixin's exact words, and he'd already put things quite tactfully.

"What? She's not a virgin? Hmph! Wang Wenxiu! Take your good-for-nothing daughter and get out!"

Zhao Xiuyun grabbed Zhao Huixin's right hand. Seeing that her wrist was bare, she turned to glare at the girl's mother, her face dark with anger, and pointed at the gate as she shouted.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Wang Wenxiu immediately bowed and led her daughter outside. She hadn't expected her daughter to be so brazen as to lose her cinnabar mark!

"Oh, and remember to take your pregnancy medicine when you get back. You just got pregnant, so make sure you get plenty of rest."

Watching the mother and daughter hurry away, Zhao Ping'an suddenly added in a soft voice.

"Pregnancy medicine? This is too much! Absolutely outrageous!!!"

Already burning with anger, Zhao Xiuyun flew into another rage. They might as well have ground her face into the dirt!

"Mistress, calm down. Why let an outsider upset you and harm your health?"

Zhao Ping'an hurriedly picked up the teapot, poured a cup of water for his Mistress Zhao Xiuyun, and gently tried to comfort her.

"Phew, I'm furious! Absolutely furious! What kind of people are they? This isn't over. I have to tell my second brother about it!"

Zhao Xiuyun took the water and drank a sip, repeatedly patting her chest. She was clearly beside herself with anger.

"Mistress, anger harms the body. We won't stoop to their level. And you don't need to worry about me. My talent may be average, but I can still support myself."

"Like this..."

Bang!

Zhao Ping'an struck the hollow stone stool in front of him with his palm, leaving a clean, bright palm-shaped hole through it. Its edges were perfectly neat, as if someone had carefully carved them with a chisel.

"This is?!! True Qi!!! I... you..."

Zhao Xiuyun had been angry, but the moment she saw the palm-shaped hole, she forgot all about it. She was so shocked she could barely speak.

Both her older brothers and her husband were experts of the Innate Realm. Though she herself was not, she was more familiar with Xiantian True Qi than she could say.

Yet Zhao Ping'an, the child she'd watched grow up, had reached this level without a word. She couldn't help but be shocked.

"That's right, Xiantian True Qi! I hope you'll keep this secret, Mistress. Don't tell anyone. I don't want to disrupt the peaceful life I have now..."

The greater your ability, the greater your responsibility. Sometimes, even if you hid away in the deepest mountains, people would go to any lengths to find you. That was reality.

"Even your Master?"

"Yes. Master is too deeply attached to the Blazing Blade Sect. If he finds out, he'll surely tell the sect leader. And then..."

When his Mistress asked, Zhao Ping'an answered without hesitation.

Though he'd grown up in the Blazing Blade Sect, everything he had came from his Master and Mistress. He wouldn't fight and risk his life for the Blazing Blade Sect, and the sect didn't deserve it.

"All right, then. I'll keep your secret!"