Chapter 22: A Liar Would Never Admit to Being a Liar

As evening fell, the mountain breeze caressed the flora, and the leaves murmured in the wind. The setting sun withdrew its scorching heat, gazing silently upon the bamboo forest. At the end of a winding path through the grove lay a hidden sanctuary, where a rosy glow stained half the sky and a sweet fragrance permeated the air. Deep within this peach blossom orchard stood a dwelling of white walls and black tiles, elegant and primitive, from which the sounds of a chaotic, bickering conversation emerged.

In the courtyard, Wen Jue, dressed in white, rolled up his sleeves and struggled with a clay stove, his face drawn in a grimace with streaks of soot smudged across his fair cheeks. Nearby, Sui An teased a white fox, scratching it under the chin as if it were a cat. Catching sight of the veins pulsing on Wen Jue’s forehead as he strained to assemble the stove, Sui An doubled over in laughter, his cackling echoing to the clouds.

"Second Senior Brother, to think there would come a day when you’d be so sullen! Where is my wild, sharp-tongued brother now?"

Wen Jue, too annoyed to respond, grabbed a handful of yellow mud to patch the gaps between the stones.

Sui An would not let him be. Holding the fox, he thrust it toward Wen Jue, fearlessly poking the bear: "Senior Brother, I’m truly curious—what exactly did you do? Lingxi is such an obedient child; why would she insist that you cook her a beggar’s chicken?"

Wen Jue’s mouth twitched as he rolled his eyes. "Oh, give it a rest. If the world possessed ten measures of foolishness, you’d claim twenty, and the rest of the world would still owe you ten. You think she’s obedient? You didn’t see her when she was plucking wool... forget it, you wouldn’t believe me anyway."

Wen Jue glanced toward Luo Chen’s bedchamber, his expression peculiar, and stopped mid-sentence. He feared that if the girl complained to their master again, he would be in for a miserable time.

In the corner, Bing Cang, who had been playing the part of a silent mushroom, pricked up his ears. He crept closer and sat at the stone table, pretending to sip tea. After listening for a long while without hearing the rest of the story, he furrowed his brows and asked gloomily, "And then?"

Wen Jue glared at them both, laughing in frustration. "What 'and then'? Go kill the chicken, go chop the wood. If we don’t have beggar’s chicken tonight, watch out for your own legs!"

The two turned in unison to glance at the nearby house. Thinking of something, both felt a chill run down their spines.

Inside, soft light filtered through the paper windows, casting the white walls in a warm, cozy orange glow. Lingxi leaned against the table, reporting the situation to Luo Chen in a desultory manner. Luo Chen, for once, sat perfectly straight, his slender fingers gripping a writing brush as he wrote at a leisurely pace. The corners of his mouth lifted of their own accord, and beneath the candlelight, his pale eyes lost their ethereal, otherworldly detachment, softening with genuine warmth.

Lingxi peeked at the courtyard from time to time, genuinely curious about what kind of culinary disaster Wen Jue would produce. That was precisely why she had requested the beggar’s chicken.

Luo Chen set down his brush and smiled. "Is there nothing else you wish to ask? Or perhaps you’d like your Master to help you vent your frustrations?"

Lingxi froze, feeling as though he were painting her as delicate and unreasonable. "Isn't money enough? What else would you have me ask?"

Luo Chen put away his records and, mimicking Lingxi, leaned over the table. "Is the red thread working well for you?"

With a slight flick of his index finger, a red cord as thick as a finger manifested, clinging tightly to his left wrist. At this, Lingxi stumbled, bumping her head against Luo Chen’s, and let out a yelp of pain. Luo Chen rested his head on one hand, watching her with a smile, as if she were the most amusing thing in the world.

Before Lingxi could react, he placed a shimmering ring on the table. It was translucent and dazzling, resembling a high-grade jadeite, yet patterned with dark, faint purple swirls and wound with delicate golden vines.

Lingxi’s mood shifted faster than a turning page. The anger between her brows vanished, and she bared her little canine teeth, picking up the ring to slide it onto her index finger.

"Do you like it? It’s a storage ring. It can hold both inanimate objects and living things, and the space is ample," Luo Chen said, tapping the table.

Lingxi nodded, stars shimmering in her eyes. This was far more convenient than a Qiankun pouch. A Qiankun pouch couldn't hold living creatures or keep fresh meat from spoiling, but a storage ring was different—it could easily hold a person inside.

"Keep it safe. I believe you’re no longer short on money; consider this your reward."

Storage rings were expensive, but Lingxi preferred money. It offered a sense of security.

Lingxi’s cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish. She tried to remove the ring, but it wouldn't budge; her finger burned with pain, and the ring remained fixed. This was madness. Suddenly, her gaze shifted to her own wrist, where a red cord as thick as a finger was tied. She gave a sharp tug, and Luo Chen’s wrist was pulled toward her.

Lingxi’s mouth twitched as she looked at him with a complex expression. "When did you tie this? Do you have some kind of strange fixation?" The alarm bell signaling that "there are no normal people on Danbo Peak" rang in her heart once more.

The smile on Luo Chen’s face stiffened. "I didn't tie it."

"If you didn't tie it, was it me, having nothing better to do, who tied it onto you?"

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow without speaking, though his upturned lips seemed to say everything. Lingxi, wearing a look that clearly stated *do you really think I believe you?*, tried to find a crack in his facade, but found only a smug smile.

His cool fingers caught her wrist, startling her; she instinctively pulled away. "What are you doing! What are you doing!! Even if you are my Master, I will not submit—I’ve told you, pedophilia is inexcusable!"

"Don’t talk nonsense." Luo Chen pulled back her sleeve and sighed softly, his eyes full of helplessness. "Do you even know what this is? You go around binding yourself to such contracts. If you wanted to provide inspiration for my storybooks, the pirated red threads I gave you would have been enough; there was no need to forge a marriage contract."

Lingxi’s head buzzed. She had only been trying to understand the link between the contracts, never imagining it was something like this. She instantly wanted to stomp Wen Jue and the fox into the dirt. No wonder they had been dodging her gaze and blushing—they had been playing a game of emotional manipulation with her. At the time, she had only thought of it as a destiny-binding measure, a layer of protection so she wouldn't have to fear that madman Wen Jue losing his mind.

His cool fingers tapped her forearm, sending a warmth through her veins. The two peach blossom petals on her arm gradually dissipated, and a fragrant breeze drifted between them. Luo Chen smoothed her sleeve, seemingly seeing through her thoughts. "Rest assured, with the binding of the red thread, no one can harm you. There are more in the storage ring; use them when necessary. Do not use that marriage contract again, lest you cause misunderstandings."

Luo Chen explained the trick to manifesting the red thread. Lingxi’s eyes brightened, though a flash of coldness passed through them. Her vigilance toward Luo Chen had not decreased; if anything, it had grown. In this world, all things are done for profit. She did not believe that anyone would be kind to another for no reason. If they were, they were simply out of their mind. Being cautious was never a mistake.

Luo Chen’s eyes curved, the aura of an immortal vanishing completely as he flicked her forehead. Seeing Lingxi cover her forehead with a resentful look, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Being cautious is never a mistake, but I will never hurt you."

The last sentence was so soft it was almost inaudible. A golden light flickered in Luo Chen’s eyes, vanishing in an instant.

Lingxi muttered to herself: *Liars never admit they are liars.*

Sensing the depth in Luo Chen’s eyes, Lingxi quickly changed the subject. "By the way, is there a way to hide the aura of the red thread? I don't mind, but Second Senior Brother has a fiancée, after all."