"Pay you back?"
Luo Qian'er almost thought she had misheard.
This was completely different from what she had expected!
Wasn't Jiang Yi supposed to see how pitiful she looked, immediately feel tenderness for her, and offer her Talisman Money to help her out?
Why was he asking her for money instead?
"Junior Brother Jiang, you... I..."
Luo Qian'er opened her mouth, momentarily speechless. All the aggrieved words she had prepared stuck in her throat.
Jiang Yi seemed not to notice and continued:
"Senior Sister, there's something you don't know. Just two days ago, Duty Officer Yang praised me, saying my cultivation progress was truly rare in the outer sect and that I was fine material worth shaping. He was even willing to spend a fortune arranging an Immortal Dao Ritual for me to solidify my foundations."
Luo Qian'er's eyes suddenly lit up at the word "ritual."
She belonged to the direct line of a local clan, and her horizons were naturally far broader than those of ordinary Mortal Laborers. She knew full well what an "Immortal Dao Ritual" meant.
It was no trifling undertaking. The starting cost alone was over a hundred thousand Talisman Money, with no upper limit!
Within a Demonic Path Lineage, it was an unmistakably extravagant act.
If Jiang Yi was telling the truth, then "valuing him" hardly described that Duty Officer Yang of Crimson Flame Peak's Quenching Room!
To invest so readily in him was practically to nurture him as a direct-line descendant!
It was treatment fit for his own grandson!
"Through Duty Officer Yang's connections, I met several senior brothers and sisters in the Inner Peaks, such as Senior Brother Wang Heng of Soul-Nourishing Peak, Senior Brother Lu Yun of Herb-Gathering Peak, and a Junior Sister Li from Sewing Peak!
"We get along quite well. They all think I have a very good chance of securing an Inner Peaks place this time."
Jiang Yi deliberately raised his chin, as though he could hardly wait to show off.
I misjudged him!
Luo Qian'er lowered her eyelids, a flicker of surprise and doubt passing through her eyes.
Even now, she could scarcely believe that the small-town youth from the Lower Courtyard, who had practically bubbled over with poverty, had turned his fortunes around so easily!
Jiang Yi's eyes flickered, golden light held deep within his pupils.
Then he continued adding fuel to the fire, his tone utterly sincere:
"Senior Sister Luo, someone with your looks and character deserves a better future. Before, I only hated that my abilities were lacking, that I couldn't promise you a future as splendid as embroidered silk.
"Zhou Can of Sewing Peak is, at the very most, a duty officer wasting his years in the outer sect. How could he possibly deserve you!"
In the past, Luo Qian'er would only have scoffed at such words.
She would have taken them as Jiang Yi wagging his tongue and stirring up trouble.
But now, not only did Yang Xun of the Quenching Room value him, even Li Ruohan, a direct-line daughter of the Bojun Li Clan, regarded him differently.
His genuine potential was right there before her, leaving no room for dispute.
"Junior Brother..."
Luo Qian'er studied Jiang Yi carefully. For the first time, she felt that this junior brother was so considerate, actually voicing the true feelings that had long weighed on her heart.
I didn't expect Senior Sister Luo, an Outer Sect disciple of the Demonic Dao, to fall for this too. I thought it only worked on women of the Immortal Dao.
Jiang Yi watched the changes in Luo Qian'er's expression. Seeing what seemed to be a trace of wavering, he immediately said:
"Senior Sister, you've always been like an immortal maiden to me. Even though things are looking up for me now, I've never imagined I could have you, much less dared to look down on you and tell you what to do..."
Luo Qian'er was exceedingly surprised. If Junior Brother Jiang had been this warmhearted earlier, perhaps she would have been willing to grow closer to him...
At the courtyard entrance, every word the youth spoke brimmed with deep affection. Even the wind and snow could not conceal that burning warmth:
"Besides, I think you're perfectly capable of competing for one of the additional Inner Peaks places. In looks, talent, and even background, you're no worse than the senior brothers and sisters there.
"Why should you swallow your grievances and live at someone else's mercy! I only hate that I'm still not capable enough to help you in the slightest... If I could get some financial support in Talisman Money, when I climb the Azure Cloud Path next spring and make it into the Inner Peaks, I certainly won't forget you!"
Luo Qian'er felt dazed. Though wind and snow raged and the cold was severe, warmth surged through her entire body.
That's right! Why should my younger brother be supported by the clan to pursue an Inner Peaks place!
He's only barely at the third level of Qi Refining! And I'm already approaching late-stage perfection!
And that Zhou Can can't even understand the ninth-grade Little Seven Baleful Intent Needle-Piercing Art. He needs me to unravel it thread by thread and study its essential meaning!
"In my eyes, what you lack isn't a few pieces of clothing or a little Talisman Money, but a chance to advance. Unfortunately, Zhou Can is unwilling to let you spread your wings and soar."
Jiang Yi spoke gently, his tenderness flowing like water:
"That's all I have to say! It's late. You should head back to Sewing Peak early, Senior Sister!"
"Then... Junior Brother, I'll take my leave."
Luo Qian'er actually felt reluctant to part, a lingering attachment showing in her eyes.
"The mountain paths are slippery. Be careful, Senior Sister."
Jiang Yi saw her down the steps, then briskly opened the door, slid the bolt, and slipped inside.
Luo Qian'er's steps felt light and floating, as though she were walking on cotton. She had entirely forgotten why she had come, and never even noticed that Jiang Yi had not let her step inside the courtyard from beginning to end.
"Why did you even come back, Yi! You might as well go live with that Luo Xiaoniangzi!"
The moment Jiang Yi stepped into the Large Compound, Widow Qin greeted him with a cold snort and mockery.
He looked up. Good grief, nobody had gone to sleep. They had all been here eavesdropping.
"Sister Qin..."
Jiang Yi was not annoyed and called to her amiably.
"Don't call me that! Go find that immortal maiden of a senior sister of yours!"
Widow Qin was angry and anxious, feeling that Jiang Yi had been bewitched. He knew perfectly well Luo Qian'er was no good choice, yet he was still so attentive.
With a crash, she slammed the door and went inside.
"Ahem, don't take it to heart, Yi. Sister Qin is just afraid you'll be taken advantage of."
Old Li offered a stiff word of comfort before his wife dragged him back inside too.
"I have work tomorrow. I'll turn in first."
He Laohun, however, said nothing about it. He was certain Yi was no muddleheaded block of wood.
Besides, with the courtyard gate between them and the wind and snow howling, none of them had heard very clearly.
Jiang Yi nodded and said warmly:
"Get some rest early, Brother He."
He boiled water and washed up, only going inside to lie down after the hour of the Snake was half over.
His eyelids rested slightly closed as the tiny tadpole-like characters dispersed like mist.
Several questions appeared on the golden paper-
[Supplicating the Heavenly Book to show me the life of Luo Qian'er of Sewing Peak, Qianji Sect...] [Supplicating the Heavenly Book to show me the most suitable words to use when speaking with Luo Qian'er...] [Supplicating the Heavenly Book to show me a plan to gain Luo Qian'er's trust and ask her for Talisman Money...]
Ripples of karma faded and rose again, their fluctuations spreading back and forth like little stones tossed into a pond.
"Little brother, this counts as clearing away your ill-fated attachment for you."
Jiang Yi thought leisurely. That Senior Sister Luo was not the sort to stay content with her lot. With some careful baiting, he might be able to squeeze a few benefits out of her.
"Once I rise a little higher and cement my reputation as an Outer Sect genius, a talent of the Demonic Dao, she should take the bait."
Jiang Yi had seen plenty of people like Luo Qian'er in his previous life.
They seemed shrewd on the surface, but were actually shortsighted and the easiest to fool.
Especially when it came to people with reputations and backgrounds, such as direct descendants of aristocratic clans or disciples of major sects, they rushed to attach themselves without even discerning what was true.
Yet when dealing with those of humble birth who had risen from nothing, they weighed every pound and ounce, never allowing themselves to suffer the slightest loss.
"How could such a creature affect my cultivation of the Dao?"
Jiang Yi scoffed. With a slight shift of thought, he erased the karma concerning "Luo Qian'er" and posed another question.
[Supplicating the Heavenly Book to show me a fortuitous encounter obtainable at the fourth level of Qi Refining that will leave no future trouble!]
He had roughly worked out that the higher his cultivation rose, the broader the range of "fortuitous encounters" he could reach naturally became.
Thus, after breaking through to a new realm, his first order of business was to inquire about this.
The key words were still "no future trouble."
Whenever Jiang Yi recalled drinking the Moonlight Essence Flowing Essence that time, and how he had actually gotten ahead of that Senior Brother Xu from the Inner Peaks, he could not help feeling a lingering fear.
Fortunately, he had followed the Heavenly Book's guidance, neither a day early nor a moment late, seizing the precise timing.
Otherwise, had Senior Brother Xu caught him, he would probably have killed him on the spot and been done with it.
[Inquiry: a fortuitous encounter suited to oneself] [Time required for deduction: two days and four double-hours]
"Even something concerning myself takes this long. The fortuitous encounter must be substantial!"
Filled with excitement, Jiang Yi instantly put Luo Qian'er out of his mind.
He planned to devote himself to cultivation for the next two days and quietly await the result.
Before you continue