The sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky.
Under the cool pavilion, a gentle breeze wafted through.
Wang Sandong, sitting downwind, first sniffed the air, then greedily took a deep breath.
She looked at the two people beside her and asked with a smile, “Which one of you is it? It smells so good.”
She had caught a faint, elusive fragrance in the air.
Although the words seemed nonsensical, both understood.
Zheng Xiao pursed her lips into a smile, looked at Yuan Di, and said, “Not me. I don’t have the habit of wearing powders or perfumes.”
“This humble servant hasn’t either,” Yuan Di said, glancing at the teapot on the table.
She picked it up and poured tea for Wang Sandong.
“Third Young Master, please have some tea.”
“Tsk, how many times have I told you? Calling me ‘Third Young Master’ is too formal. Call me ‘Brother Dong’,” Wang Sandong teased.
The corner of Yuan Di’s mouth lifted, and she obediently said, “Yes, Brother Dong.”
That faint, elusive smile seemed filled with endless tenderness, yet it made Wang Sandong’s heart skip a beat.
She was reminded again of Cui San’er’s deadpan face and Yuan Di’s calmness when she was sitting under the window reading a book back then.
The calmness from that time was just like the tenderness now.
Wang Sandong sensed a strange, icy killing intent and quickly reined in her teasing thoughts.
Not daring to look into Yuan Di’s eyes anymore, she turned to Zheng Xiao and asked with a smile, “Zheng Xiao, do you also have the refined interest of visiting pleasure houses?”
“To see the legendary Lady Yuan Yuan,” Zheng Xiao said, and couldn’t help but smile.
She was momentarily dazed before realizing: Wang Sandong’s smile seemed particularly infectious.
Just one look, and one would unconsciously smile along.
Feeling good, she felt like joking.
“Perhaps we’ll live under the same roof in the future. We should get to know and understand each other first.”
Wang Sandong was taken aback, thinking of what Yuan Di had just said about “presumptuous thoughts.”
“You jest, Miss Zheng,” Yuan Di once again “politely declined,” saying, “This humble servant comes from a lowly background, with a cheap name and a tainted body. I dare not harbor any presumptuous thoughts.”
In just a few short sentences, Yuan Di had expressed this attitude twice.
This time, as she spoke, she gave Wang Sandong a meaningful look.
Wang Sandong, however, ignored Yuan Di’s gaze.
She was fantasizing about a beautiful scene with one arm around each of them.
Although it was just a fantasy, utterly unrealistic, merely thinking about it made her so excited she got goosebumps all over.
A peerless overlord, one of the Five Emperors, Yuan Di…
The Righteous Butcher, one of the Nine Surnamed Kings, Zheng Ren Tu…
If she could really marry these two women, even if she were a good-for-nothing, who would dare not submit?
Who wouldn’t be envious?
Probably even the lofty Human Sovereign, upon seeing her, would have to show respect and feel inferior.
After all, no matter how impressive the Human Sovereign was, he hadn’t married an Emperor and a King, had he?
Too bad it was just a fantasy.
Hiss…
Since it’s a fantasy, why not…
Add the Zither Emperor to the collection too?
Although the Zither Emperor’s looks were ordinary, he was still one of the Five Emperors.
Conquering him would still be quite an achievement.
Wang Sandong wasn’t picky.
“So-called origins are all just fleeting names and reputations in this floating world. Why does Lady Yuan belittle herself?”
Zheng Xiao smiled and comforted, “My Zheng family ancestors were merely woodcutters in the mountains. Wang Fa also started out as a cowherd, his pants exposing his backside as a child.”
Although she was a woman, she was extremely old and of high cultivation, so she didn’t particularly care whether her words were elegant.
“The lofty Human Sovereign was merely a menial laborer. And among the Demonic Cultivators, that self-important Yuan Di started out as a forced laborer. It’s said that in his youth, he was even .”
At this point, Zheng Xiao sighed, her face full of emotion.
Wang Sandong turned her expressionless face to look at Yuan Di.
The corner of Yuan Di’s mouth twitched slightly, then she revealed a smile and said, “Regarding Yuan Di… where did Miss Zheng hear this? I’ve never heard anyone else mention it.”
Zheng Xiao looked out of the pavilion at the cloudless sky, recalling the past, and sighed softly, “I heard it from the Demon Sovereign. It shouldn’t be false.”
Yuan Di maintained her smile and said, “This humble servant has heard a few words from a certain guest, saying that the Demon Sovereign and Yuan Di were at odds. Perhaps what Miss Zheng said was just the Demon Sovereign talking nonsense, deliberately slandering him?”
“Hah… maybe,” Zheng Xiao said.
“It’s not important. Rather than dwelling on whether a dead demon was or not, it’s better to think about how to exterminate the remaining Demonic Cultivators completely.”
Mentioning this, Zheng Xiao frowned, her mood heavy.
“The death of the Liu family girl might be related to that Demonic Cultivator who appeared last time. Sigh, if the Demonic Cultivators aren’t completely eradicated, I’m afraid they’ll eventually rise from the ashes.”
Whether the Demonic Cultivators would rise from the ashes was not Wang Sandong’s concern at the moment.
She looked at Yuan Di, her gaze unconsciously drifting lower.
Although Yuan Di wasn’t looking over, she noticed Wang Sandong’s look from the corner of her eye.
She tried her best to keep a smile on her face as she responded to Zheng Xiao’s words, “Are there any clues about the death of that Liu family girl?”
As she spoke, she crossed her legs, letting her arms hang naturally to block the view.
Then she felt it was inappropriate and lifted her arms again, putting her legs down.
“I heard the Zither Emperor will help investigate,” Wang Sandong chimed in.
Hearing the name Zither Emperor, a hint of coldness suddenly appeared on Zheng Xiao’s face.
However, she quickly returned to normal and said, “The specifics aren’t clear. There are many family matters to attend to; I can’t concern myself with other things.”
Seeing this, Wang Sandong quickly changed the subject.
“Ah, I almost forgot. I arranged a marriage proposal for my cousin’s sister-in-law. We agreed to meet at the Clear Tea House during the Shen hour. Yuan Yuan, if you’re free, come with me.”
Then, a sudden thought struck her, and she looked at Zheng Xiao.
“Zheng Xiao, you come too?”
Zheng Xiao said, “What would I do for such a matter?”
“Watch the fun, of course. Come on, come on.”
Zheng Xiao looked at Wang Sandong, smiling with pursed lips.
After a moment’s thought, she nodded.
“Alright then.”
“It’s settled then,” Wang Sandong was overjoyed.
She looked at Yuan Di and asked, “What about you?”
Yuan Di nodded slightly and said, “If Brother Dong says so, this humble servant cannot refuse.”
“Heh, good.”
Wang Sandong was completely reassured.
With this Emperor and this King present, even if A-Gui was furious, he definitely wouldn’t dare to act recklessly.
When the time came, no matter how much Brother Teng’s sister-in-law threw a tantrum, A-Gui would have to endure it.
Even if he felt like killing, he wouldn’t dare do it openly…
At this thought, Wang Sandong suddenly froze.
She was shocked to realize a problem.
She had only been thinking about dealing with A-Gui, completely overlooking the life and death of Brother Teng’s sister-in-law.
Even now, thinking about it, she didn’t feel she was being particularly excessive.
Although Brother Teng’s sister-in-law had a terrible character, her crimes didn’t warrant death.
Why was she so indifferent?
One could even say “cruel.”
Perhaps, after killing too many people, one eventually becomes numb?
“Hah… Brother Dong… Wang Sandong, Wang Jinghong…”
Zheng Xiao murmured softly, then smiled.
“Compared to your elder brother’s name, your name is really casual.”
A cannon fodder’s name should indeed be very casual.
It was also fortunate.
If she hadn’t survived until today, who would care what the name of the Wang family’s prematurely deceased third young master was?
Wang Sandong gave a light laugh and said, “A cheap name is easy to raise.”
Hearing this, Yuan Di really wanted to retort: “Then why not call him Wang San Gou (Wang Three Dog)? That’s even cheaper.”
But the words reached her lips and she forcefully swallowed them back.
After all, she was currently the “Lady Yuan Yuan” who had to rely on Wang Sandong’s favor; she couldn’t just blurt out everything.
Zheng Xiao had indeed heard this saying before and sighed, “Since ancient times, there’s been talk of family fortune. Your Wang family’s fortune was first taken up mostly by Wang Fa, then a large portion more was taken by your elder brother Wang Jinghong with his extraordinary aptitude. The fortune was so biased that what remained for the others was barely passable. Moreover, the family line has never been prosperous. By the time it reached you, it was pitiful—you were actually born without a Spiritual Root. Sigh, giving you a cheap name was your family’s blessing for you.”
Wang Sandong smiled and nodded.
“That makes sense.”
Yuan Di also smiled and said, “It is indeed an extremely beautiful blessing. Brother Dong’s family is very partial to him; everyone in the Old Capital, women and children alike, knows this.”
These words seemed well-intentioned, but to Wang Sandong’s ears, they sounded a bit sarcastic.
Although she was somewhat afraid of Yuan Di, being mocked like this still made Wang Sandong a bit unhappy.
Her anger emboldened her cowardice.
She reached out and pinched Yuan Di’s chin, looking at her with deep affection.
“To have a family that loves me, and a Yuan Yuan who loves me too. With a life like this, what more could one ask for?”
As she spoke, she opened her palm, cupping Yuan Di’s face, wondering if she should take the opportunity to kiss her.
This thought was immediately dismissed when she met Yuan Yuan’s half-smiling, half-mocking gaze.
Suddenly remembering what Zheng Xiao had said about Yuan Di being , Wang Sandong almost couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Originally, she was only suspecting whether Yuan Di was male or female.
Now, she had another suspicion.
Male?
Female?
A eunuch?
Or perhaps, neither male nor female…
Thinking about it was quite disgusting.
But looking again at that flawless face, she felt that no matter which one she was, it seemed acceptable.
Yuan Di pretended to be shy, lowering her head to break free from Wang Sandong’s hand.
“Brother Dong flatters me.”
Zheng Xiao watched the two of them and couldn’t help but laugh.
“I, the ‘lawful wife,’ seem a bit superfluous here.”
Wang Sandong laughed along, glancing at Yuan Di’s shy appearance, feeling an inexplicable itch in her hands—she really wanted to tear open Yuan Di’s clothes to see whether she was male or female.
Definitely impossible now, but in the future…
Wang Sandong silently made a “grand vow” in her heart.
She looked up at the sky and said, “I need to go home for a bit. You two go directly to the Clear Tea House later. I’ll join you shortly.”
As she spoke, she stood up, then suddenly had a mischievous idea.
“Your husband is off.”
Yuan Di respectfully stood up to see her off.
Zheng Xiao, however, just smiled, neither standing up nor speaking, picking up her teacup to drink.
After Wang Sandong had gone far, Zheng Xiao finally said, “You’re lucky, to have caught Wang Sandong’s eye. Although her fate is rough, she has an optimistic and upward-looking nature. And she’s extremely handsome. If she could live a few more years, she’d be a good match. It’s just… her memory is too poor.”
Yuan Di smiled and asked, “What does Miss Zheng mean?”
“She previously made a ‘transaction’ with me, asking me to help her with something. Now it seems she’s forgotten.”
What Zheng Xiao referred to was Wang Sandong asking her to kill Chen Youde.
After saying this, she gave a self-deprecating laugh and shook her head.
She suddenly couldn’t understand why she had agreed to go to the Clear Tea House with Wang Sandong just now.
It seemed she had agreed in a moment of impulse.
“Not old in years, but her memory is poor indeed,” Yuan Di smiled and agreed.
Wang Sandong was indeed not old, only sixteen years old.
However, her mental age was a full “advanced age” of nearly two hundred years.
Even so, she still retained her “childlike innocence.”
Just thinking about the plan to mess with A-Gui made Wang Sandong unable to hold back her joy.
If she could “mess with” him enough…
The memories of the Demon Emperor’s disciple would surely be very valuable!
Compared to the previous times she was forced to kill, this time, Wang Sandong was very proactive.
Strike first to gain the upper hand.
However, in fact, it was no longer “striking first.”
A-Gui had already made the first move.
Besides A-Gui, the people she needed to proactively kill were Chen Youde.
And Yuan Di.
Yuan Di, with her unclear intentions, made Wang Sandong feel very insecure.
Although Yuan Di had a “life-saving grace” towards her…
But…
Just because you saved my life, I should let you have your way with me?
Yuan Di, oh Yuan Di!
I am kind by nature.
Don’t force me to become an ungrateful person!
The carriage stopped outside the mansion gate.
Wang Sandong instructed the gatekeeper to call A-Gui out.
A-Gui stood suspiciously by the carriage, looking down at the wheel, not understanding Wang Sandong’s intentions.
“A-Gui, right? Young Master has arranged a marriage proposal for you. Come with me now to meet the girl.”
After saying this, Wang Sandong lowered the carriage curtain.
“Wang Tong, let’s go.”
After all, she was a young master from a great family.
Her words to a servant were a notification, not a discussion.