Chapter 48 Conflict

Shen Yanchu said calmly, "Third Junior Brother, please continue. I would like to know if the incident where An'an's birthday dress was ruined later on was also the same."

Jiang Huaixu refused, however, saying, "Let's leave it for another day. Such extractions can only be done once in a short period; doing it too often will harm the body."

No one could refute this reason, so the matter of continuing to extract Xu Ning'an's divine sense had to be temporarily shelved.

Huo Shiqing finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse: "Why did An'an do that?"

Jiang Huaixu's voice remained unruffled: "She just returned from a narrow escape with death; she was terrified, and she was afraid we would blame her for telling the truth."

"Children are all like this—subconsciously avoiding punishment, not intentionally shifting blame, let alone framing anyone. Didn't she plead for Jiang Heng time and time again?"

Shen Yanchu let out a cold laugh. "Third Junior Brother, I always thought you were the most detached and transcendent among us. I never expected that you would actually be the most paranoid and biased one."

"Do you take everyone for fools by saying such things? Was that pleading for mercy?"

Even the dullest among them, Xia Zhiyu, had spotted the problem; how could Shen Yanchu fail to see it?

Xu Ning'an's remarks at that time had simply pushed Jiang Heng into an abyss where she could no longer defend herself.

Perhaps calling it a deliberate frame-up was too heavy a word, but what kind of behavior was this if not shifting the blame and harming others?

Shen Yanchu had a hunch that Jiang Huaixu was deliberately obstructing them from investigating further.

Perhaps he had also guessed that the matter of the dress was likely the same as this—the truth would be unfavorable to Xu Ning'an.

Jiang Huaixu lowered his eyes. "As for Jiang Heng, I will go and offer her a sincere apology, and provide compensation that satisfies all of you. Do not keep pressing the issue regarding An'an; she is still young."

Xia Zhiyu felt a tightness in his chest. He desperately wanted to say that Jiang Heng was not much older either, but he forced the words back down his throat in the end.

Because he discovered that the Eldest Senior Brother was genuinely enraged, while the Third Junior Brother was dead set on protecting An'an.

He could not afford to pour oil on the fire at this critical juncture.

Thus, he could only resort to his usual peace-making demeanor: "Third Junior Brother, when you go to apologize, you must seriously change how you address her, and be more affectionate toward her in the future. After all, she is your prospective Dao companion."

Perhaps if the Third Junior Brother made some concessions, the Eldest Senior Brother would feel a bit more at ease.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yanchu laughed again. "A prospective Dao companion? Look at him now—does he have even a shred of regard for our Junior Sister as the person meant to accompany him for the rest of his life?"

"Jiang Huaixu, tell me the truth: do you regret the match that Master arranged back then?"

Xia Zhiyu instantly held his breath. Even Huo Shiqing, whose emotions were barely under control, had his attention diverted and stared fixedly at Jiang Huaixu's face.

Jiang Huaixu said indifferently, "I obey Master's will in this matter. I have no personal thoughts on the subject; whoever my Dao companion is makes little difference to me."

Shen Yanchu refused to let him off, pressing step by step: "Is that so? Then what if Master decides that An'an is the one who needs your protection more and assigns you to An'an instead?"

Jiang Huaixu finally frowned. "Is the Eldest Senior Brother suspecting that I harbor alternative intentions toward An'an?"

Shen Yanchu's reply was direct: "Yes."

Jiang Huaixu's voice grew considerably colder: "When Jiang Heng was previously splashing such dirty water on An'an, has the Eldest Senior Brother already forgotten the words he used to refute it?"

Shen Yanchu sneered, "An'an is young and ignorant, but how old are you? A man with a prospective Dao companion acting overly intimate with another woman—what kind of propriety is that!"

"If you do not take your betrothal to Junior Sister seriously, come with me right now to see Master and restore her purity and freedom!"

Jiang Huaixu did not speak again, but a trace of chilliness surfaced in his eyes.

Xia Zhiyu panicked. "Alright, alright, let's stop arguing! Apologizing to Junior Sister should be our priority; we can discuss everything else later! If we don't hurry up and apologize to make amends, Junior Sister is going to run off with that man surnamed Han!"

With the situation urgent, he could only drag Han Jie out to act as a shield; anyway, the fellow wasn't entirely wronged.

What Xia Zhiyu did not expect was that upon hearing these words, the first person to turn and walk away was actually Huo Shiqing.

Yet after taking only a few steps, Huo Shiqing stopped.

He realized that Jiang Heng had gone to the Endless Sea, and Han Jie had followed her there.

Instead of protecting their Junior Sister, this group of senior brothers had stayed behind and quarreled to this extent.

Huo Shiqing closed his eyes in agony.

While Snow Crane Peak was in complete chaos, things were hardly peaceful on Jiang Heng's end.

She had underestimated the potency of the miasma.

Although she was no longer affected by these miasmas and could swallow them for her own use without any worries, the process of digesting and absorbing them still required spiritual energy.

In less than half an hour, she had eaten her fill, and her spiritual energy was nearly depleted.

Having no other choice, Jiang Heng retreated to an area where the miasma was relatively thin and used a magical artifact to shield herself temporarily.

Touching her slightly rounded belly, Jiang Heng felt rather complicated.

Although these things could also stave off hunger, they consumed far too much spiritual essence.

Had she not hurriedly swallowed a medicinal pill just moments ago to sustain herself, the miasma would have risen to her throat and forced her to vomit it out on the spot.

Regardless, discovering such an inexhaustible new feeding channel was a tremendous stroke of luck.

The demand and pressure regarding spiritual herbs were instantly alleviated significantly, and from now on, she would be able to save up quite a few spirit stones.

Jiang Heng concentrated on meditating to transform the miasma, while Zhuzhu obediently stood beside her, looking around with bright, darting eyes.

Suddenly, it seemed to discover something and happily hopped away toward a certain spot in a rush.

Startled, Jiang Heng quickly halted her cultivation and hurried after it, shouting, "Zhuzhu, come back!"

This dash carried her quite a distance. As she rounded a tree, she caught herself unawares and collided straight into a figure's embrace.

A cool, crisp fragrance enveloped her—familiar and deeply reassuring.

"Senior Brother Han?" Jiang Heng looked up and, upon seeing who it was, felt a wave of surprise.

A trace of awkwardness flashed across Han Jie's face. "Something tried to launch a sneak attack from behind you just now, and I couldn't help but intervene, but I didn't expect this little fellow Zhuzhu to spot me."

He picked up Zhuzhu, tapping its eggshell lightly with his fingertips. "So clever; I shudder to think how formidable you'll be once you hatch."

To be able to find flaws in his concealment technique from such a distance—this was undoubtedly a celestial-grade spiritual beast.

Zhuzhu hopped joyfully in his palm, and its expressionless eggshell even radiated a sense of pride.

Jiang Heng felt somewhat awkward as well.

In truth, she wasn't that thick-skinned; she had certainly noticed the small fry trying to ambush her.

The only reason she ignored it was because that creature was non-toxic to her and could even serve as nourishment, which was why she felt at ease continuing her meditation.

Suddenly, realization dawned on her: "Senior Brother Han, have you been following me all this time?"

Had he discovered what she was doing with the miasma just now?

Han Jie nodded. "I was afraid you would notice me, so I didn't dare follow too closely. The next time you come here, make preparations for long-term defense. Miasma might not kill a cultivator instantly, but if it accumulates too much inside the body, there will be risks."

Jiang Heng relaxed. "It's fine, Zhuzhu can help me block the miasma. If you don't believe me, Senior Brother Han, you can check my pulse—there isn't a shred of miasmic poison in my body."