Xu Yao rushed over and saw the old man sitting on the ground like a plump ball. His chubby fingers were pointed at Jiang Fuyue as he shouted:
“Do you know how important moral integrity is for a young person?! Haven’t you learned about respecting the elderly and caring for the young, treating others’ elders like your own?! Don’t you know I—I can’t take a beating at all, I’m super afraid of pain, and I have osteoporosis! I could fall apart any second, blah blah blah…”
He turned to look at the other party—under the moonlight, the graceful figure of Jiang Fuyue stood quietly, bathed in silver glow, full of elegance and mystery. She was calm and composed, a stark contrast to the old man’s disheveled mess.
A breeze passed, sweeping up the burned-out talisman papers from the ground, their black ashes floating into the air.
Xu Yao winced. A headache was coming on. He wanted to slip away.
Unfortunately, the old man had already spotted him—
“Xu family brat! She—she hit me! She actually dared to hit me?!”
Xu Yao, who had already extended his leg to sneak away, had to retract his little jiojio (feet) and obediently walk over to help the old man up.
Earlier, the lighting wasn’t good and he hadn’t seen clearly. Now that he got a better look—oh boy!
Xu Yao had to summon all the self-control he had to hold back the wild urge to burst into laughter, his face turning red from the effort: “Y-you…”
“She did it!”
Cen Huaishan stood up with Xu Yao’s help, huffing and puffing as he tattled.
Xu Yao straightened his face: “I’m sorry, sir…”
“What are you apologizing for? She’s the one who hit me!”
“B-because I really… can’t help it anymore! Hahahahahaha!”
Cen Huaishan: “?”
Jiang Fuyue: “?”
Xu Yao: “Hahahahaha—!”
“You little brat! Are you laughing at me?!”
“No no no, I absolutely didn’t mean that! Hahahaha… I swear! Hahahaha…”
By the time he finally finished laughing, the old man’s face had pretty much gone completely dark.
Xu Yao cleared his throat and stepped forward to explain to Jiang Fuyue gently: “He didn’t mean any harm. He just saw the surveillance footage from the gambling hall yesterday, and noticed you…”
He tried to find the right words, “…performed some moves. He thought you might be one of us, so he wanted to confirm it in person.”
Jiang Fuyue replied, “He could’ve just asked me directly—no need to beat around the bush, and definitely no need to set up some shady test.”
As she spoke, her eyes fell on the black ash at her feet.
Xu Yao’s eyes flickered—guilt rising.
Unexpectedly, the old man suddenly exploded: “I did ask you directly at the restaurant earlier! But you outright denied it! What else could I do but test you?”
He actually looked a little aggrieved. The fat on his face twitched, and he still didn’t forget to smooth his hair.
Yep—head can break, but hairstyle can’t mess up!
Jiang Fuyue looked at him and gave a cold laugh: “Before questioning someone, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”
“You won’t tell me what sect you’re from, but expect to dig up information about me—isn’t that a bit lacking in sincerity? Since you’re not sincere, why should I be?”
The old man couldn’t argue.
But then—
“You’re admitting it?!”
Jiang Fuyue curled her lip.
With one swollen eye, Cen Huaishan strode up to her, then stood tall. He clasped his fists solemnly in front of his chest in the traditional greeting, chin held ridiculously high, and announced with a booming voice that echoed with grandeur: “I am the 26th generation sect leader of Qinghui Mountain’s Shaoyang Sect. My Taoist name is Minxu. My lay name is Cen Huaishan! May I ask, young friend—which path are you from?”
As soon as Jiang Fuyue heard “Qinghui Mountain Shaoyang Sect,” she froze. When the old man finished his full introduction, her eyes flickered and her expression turned a bit… strange.
“Hmph! I’ve introduced myself. Now it’s your turn!”
The old man’s eyes narrowed, his chin raised so high it was practically pointing at the stars.
So fat, yet so proud.
Jiang Fuyue clicked her tongue: “Well… no need to report. I’m the same as you.”
“Huh?!”
