Jade Feet, the Good Student Qian Renxue

"This time, you helped me so much. I want to thank you."

Zhao Linchuan's eyes shifted as he deliberately teased her. Feigning deep thought, he lowered his voice and said in a teasing tone:

"As for a gift... another day, secretly bring a few young, beautiful consorts out of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace and let me 'play with' them for a while. Let me see what they're like."

"Hm?" Qian Renxue did not react at first. She stared at him in astonishment, her face full of question marks. "You... you like the palace consorts that much?"

"I've never seen them before. I heard they're all beauties chosen from thousands, like flowers." Zhao Linchuan continued his nonsense with a straight face.

"Hah, beautiful?" Qian Renxue looked as though someone had stepped on her tail. Disdain and contempt immediately surfaced on her pretty face as she lifted her chin slightly. "Even this Young Master's toes are prettier than all of them put together!"

"Really?" Zhao Linchuan raised a brow, looking unconvinced.

"Of course it's true!" Provoked by him, Qian Renxue answered without thinking, her voice carrying a hint of defiance.

"Then let me see your toes." Going along with her words, Zhao Linchuan made a request that caught her completely off guard.

Qian Renxue froze, and two blushes instantly bloomed across her cheeks.

Looking at Zhao Linchuan's seemingly serious gaze, she struggled inwardly for a moment before somehow nodding.

"O-Okay! This Young Master has always been generous. Since you want to see them, I'll show you!"

As she spoke, she walked to the bedside and sat down. Turning slightly to the side, she stiffly removed her boots and white silk stockings, revealing a fair, delicate jade foot with toes as round as pearls.

Nervously, she curled her toes slightly and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "L-Look... Hm? Lin Chuan?"

She lifted her head, only to find that no one remained before her. The Bamboo House held only her, facing empty air.

"Zhao! Lin! Chuan!" Qian Renxue instantly realized she had been fooled again. Mortified and furious, she stomped her feet. "You tricked me again!"

On the way back, Qian Renxue kept a stiff expression as she sat in the corner of the carriage, radiating an air of I'm unhappy from head to toe.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She had finally worked up the courage to... and that bastard had actually run away!

And he had not even tried to coax her the whole way back!

"Fine, you won't talk to me? Then I won't talk to you either!" she secretly decided, maintaining her silence in a huff.

Who knew how much time had passed before the carriage slowly came to a stop outside the estate. Zhao Linchuan briskly jumped down and turned back to say to the carriage, "All right, Xue'er, I'm here. You should head back."

"Head back?" Qian Renxue lifted the carriage curtain and poked her head out, asking in confusion, "Where am I supposed to go back to?"

"The Crown Prince's Eastern Palace."

"I've already arranged a substitute. I don't need to go back."

"Then go back to Spirit Hall."

"What would I go back to Spirit Hall for?"

"To cultivate."

"Can't I cultivate here?" Qian Renxue tilted her head and asked in return.

Zhao Linchuan looked at her, then pointed at the estate. "You want to live here?"

"What, is that not allowed~?" Qian Renxue stepped down from the carriage and came before him. Tilting her head slightly, she wore a mischievous expression that seemed to say, What can you do about it?

"This is my property, after all. If I want to stay here, I shouldn't... need your permission, right?"

"Then... make yourself at home." Zhao Linchuan glanced at her before turning and walking straight through the estate's Main Gate.

"Hey! You!" Qian Renxue hurriedly followed him, walking Side by Side with him as she grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Shouldn't you be happy that such a great beauty is willing to stay by your side and take care of you?"

"Give me a break!" Zhao Linchuan shot back without mercy. "I'd be thanking the heavens if you didn't make me take care of you instead, you giant baby with no common sense!"

"Who are you calling a giant baby?" Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes widened.

"Whoever answered me."

The two bickered as their figures disappeared into the depths of the estate.

Around noon, Zhao Linchuan was explaining his preliminary ideas for establishing a civil official system to Qian Renxue when Shelong Douluo silently entered and respectfully reported:

"Young Master, that Ning Rongrong you asked me to keep an eye on has left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and headed for a place called Shrek, a backwater... ah, low-level academy."

"Mm, I understand. You may leave." Qian Renxue instantly returned to her usual cool and imposing demeanor.

After Shelong Douluo departed, Zhao Linchuan looked at her in surprise. "Xue'er, why are you paying such close attention to that young lady's whereabouts?"

Qian Renxue slowly clenched her fists, her pearly teeth biting her Lower Lip. Clear fury flashed in her eyes as she said word by word:

"That bitch who doesn't know her place! She actually called me... an old... woman!"

A dangerous glint flashed through her eyes. "I'll remember this grudge! I'll definitely find a chance to properly 'teach' her a lesson!!"

Seeing her gnashing her teeth and holding such a petty grudge, Zhao Linchuan secretly drew in a breath and warned himself:

It was best not to offend this woman in the future. If she set her sights on someone, the consequences would likely be endless.

When Qian Renxue saw that he did not respond immediately, she assumed he still had lingering feelings for Ning Rongrong, and her heart inexplicably tightened.

She shifted closer to Zhao Linchuan, suddenly adopting an unbearably sweet voice as she held his arm and gently shook it.

"Lin Chuan~ If I 'teach' that young lady a lesson someday and accidentally ruin her face... you won't get angry with me, will you?"

Feeling the soft touch against his arm and hearing her deliberately coquettish tone, Zhao Linchuan remained expressionless. He merely withdrew his arm and replied calmly:

"When you do it, remember to ruin the other side of her face too. Make it symmetrical. It'll look better."

Qian Renxue paused, then understood. A bright, radiant smile instantly blossomed across her face, like melting snow and blooming spring flowers.

She affectionately wrapped herself around one of Zhao Linchuan's arms, her voice becoming even sweeter.

"Okay~ Then it's settled! You're not allowed to feel sorry for her when the time comes~"

Time flew by, and several months passed in the blink of an eye.

Qian Renxue and Zhao Linchuan's relationship also grew increasingly harmonious and intimate through their daily interactions. It seemed to have surpassed that of simple allies, gaining an unspoken understanding and bond.

Their lives settled into a unique rhythm. Every so often, they would head to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to cultivate in seclusion, using the unique conditions of that Cave Heaven Blessed Land to break through bottlenecks and temper themselves.

Once they felt the slightest fatigue in mind and body, they would return to the estate to read, drink tea, discuss matters, or simply enjoy a moment of peace.

During this time, Qian Renxue developed a deep interest in Zhao Linchuan's marvelous Self-Created Soul Skills and kept pestering him to teach her.

Unable to withstand her persistence, Zhao Linchuan half-jokingly and half-seriously demanded that she perform a "ceremony of becoming a disciple."

Though the process was somewhat playful, Qian Renxue was exceptionally focused and respectful when she studied, looking every bit the good student.