Chapter 87: Ren Xue’er Throws Herself Into His Arms

The bus they took sped along the road, arriving at Qingfeng Ancient Town that very night.

Although the Wen family held considerable prestige in Qingfeng Ancient Town, the place itself was far from isolated. In fact, even before the Nine Flowers Sect, this had long been a well-known tourist destination in Anqing Province.

Thus, when Zhang Ze and Cai Hu stepped into the town at half past nine, the streets were still bustling with people enjoying their evening strolls.

...

No sooner had they alighted than Zhang Ze said quietly, “Let’s head to the hotel first. I’ve already booked the rooms.”

Cai Hu didn’t object. After all, no matter how eager he was to hunt down his father’s killer, they still needed a place to stay.

Within half an hour, the two made their way together to the hotel.

After a modest dinner, Cai Hu pulled Zhang Ze aside to discuss their course of action.

But he had little information at hand, and with Qingfeng Ancient Town being such a famous scenic spot, the flow of people was immense.

To put it bluntly, searching for two deliberately hidden cultists here was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

What’s more, Zhang Ze knew full well—Cai Hu’s father’s murderer could not possibly be hiding in this place. Zhuang Ning had only sent Cai Hu here to help him clear his mind and move on from his grief.

So, while Cai Hu was keen to draw up a plan, Zhang Ze’s interest was half-hearted at best.

After half an hour of discussion, they each retired to their rooms.

Yet neither found sleep easy to come by, each lost in his own thoughts. Cai Hu pondered how to quickly narrow down the suspect, while Zhang Ze sat cross-legged on his bed, immersed in cultivation.

...

Meanwhile, in Heyue City.

“Damn—”

“You two really are something else, aren’t you?”

Seeing the two before him, Peng Fei felt exasperated, cursing them outright.

But Li Zixing was unfazed, advancing on him with the young man at his side.

In the blink of an eye, they’d cornered Peng Fei.

“Before you start beating me up, can I just say something—”

“Heh—”

Seeing Peng Fei suddenly back down, Li Zixing found it amusing. He thought, Weren’t you bold enough when you and Zhang Ze ganged up on me? Where’s that bravado now?

Amused as he was, Li Zixing still played fair, letting Peng Fei speak.

“Could you not hit my face?”

But Peng Fei clearly didn’t know how to seize an opportunity—he didn’t beg for mercy right away.

In the end, poor Peng Fei could only take the brunt of Li Zixing’s pent-up anger toward him and Zhang Ze’s whole group.

...

Elsewhere.

Qian Qian had been home for nearly two days, and that night, he finally found his father there.

Liu Changning loosened his collar and slumped onto the sofa beside his son.

Smack—

Before Qian Qian could say a word, Liu Changning landed a slap on his head.

“Dad—” Qian Qian protested, clearly aggrieved.

But Liu Changning only scolded him with a laugh, “You’re doing pretty well for yourself now, aren’t you? You don’t even listen to your old man anymore.”

Qian Qian, knowing full well that his future happiness was at stake, dared not back down now. He quickly said, “Dad, Qingxue and I truly love each other!”

“I never opposed you and her mother, so why must you oppose me and Qingxue—”

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered Peng Fei’s teasing from earlier, and his eyes widened.

He asked urgently, “Dad, don’t tell me Qingxue is really my half-sister!”

Smack—

“Get lost!”

All he got in reply was another crisp slap from Liu Changning.

The latter said with a laugh, “You’ve been watching too many melodramas, haven’t you?”

“As for you and Qingxue, her mother and I have talked it over—we won’t stand in your way.”

“Really?” Qian Qian immediately perked up.

“Really. Her mother and I support the two of you, but there’s one condition—”

“What is it?”

“Your wedding must be after hers and mine.”

“What?” Qian Qian was dumbfounded. “You’re marrying her mother?”

“What else?” Liu Changning nudged him with his foot, peeling off his jacket, clearly ending the talk.

But Qian Qian was relentless. “Come on, Dad, let’s talk this through— If not, how about we just hold both weddings together?”

Hearing this, Liu Changning nearly toppled off the sofa in shock. “Get out of here!”

...

The next morning.

Zhang Ze followed Cai Hu through the streets of Qingfeng Ancient Town, using the search for the murderer as their pretext to wander.

He hadn’t expected, however, that his face would be so well received in this town.

They had only walked two streets when a young girl suddenly leaped into Zhang Ze’s arms.

“Hey—”

Well, this was unexpected.

Zhang Ze felt his face flush, a little embarrassed.

“Ren Xue’er—”

Before Zhang Ze could react, a young man’s voice called out from ahead.

The youth had close-cropped hair, sharp brows and bright eyes—a handsome young man, really.

Upon hearing his voice, the girl wrapped her arms around Zhang Ze’s, cooing, “Wen Song, you’d better stay away from me. Otherwise, my boyfriend here will teach you a lesson!”

Wen Song, seeing the intimacy between Zhang Ze and the girl, exploded with rage.

He shouted at Zhang Ze, “Hey, punk, let go of her right now, or I’ll make you sorry!”

“Heh—”

Seeing how things stood, Zhang Ze instantly understood the situation.

“Brother Ze—” Cai Hu, having also figured it out, whispered to him, “Let’s just go, no need to waste time with these fools.”

...

Go?

And do what—chase after those two cultists who were nowhere to be found?

Zhang Ze grinned slyly, a plan forming in his mind.

He slid his right hand from the girl’s embrace down to her waist, sporting a rather roguish smile.

Truth be told, this startled the young lady—she wondered if she’d really fallen into the arms of a lecherous stranger.

But glancing at the fuming Wen Song, Ren Xue’er suddenly rose on tiptoe and planted a kiss on Zhang Ze’s cheek.

...

Wen Song’s eyes flew wide—he could hardly believe it.

The girl he’d silently adored for so long had just given away her first kiss!

I’m going to kill you!

Wen Song practically shook with fury, eyes burning.

But with the girl in his arms, Zhang Ze had no intention of letting go. After all, she’d kissed him—he couldn’t just walk away now.

“Hey, you—Wen Song, right?” Zhang Ze kept an arm around Ren Xue’er, looking at Wen Song with a cocky grin. “Xue’er and I have been together for over ten years—why are you still pestering her? Are you trying to play the villain here?”

Ten years, my ass!

Wen Song fumed inwardly. He’d known Xue’er since they were both in diapers—how could Zhang Ze claim to have been with her for ten years?

Barely able to control his trembling, Wen Song shouted, “I don’t care who the hell you are, let go of my Xue’er right now, or I swear I’ll kill you!”

“Wen Song—”

“You’re out of line!”

Before Zhang Ze could respond, the girl in his embrace spoke up, shouting at Wen Song.

“How am I your Xue’er?”