Chapter 97: An Old Acquaintance

“Shouldn't you be in the Xuanwu Kingdom?” The moment Ye Zifei released his grip, Ou Xinlai hastily straightened his clothes and found a place to sit down. Ou Xinlai knew he didn’t dislike Ye Zifei; after all, they were old friends meeting in a foreign land, so a chat was necessary—even if, because of Ye Zifei, Ou Xinlai and Shan Qing’er seemed to irrationally target him.

“Who said I would always stay only in the Xuanwu Kingdom?” Ye Zifei smiled and then looked at Ou Xinlai. A couple of years ago, he could suddenly stay in Xuanwu Kingdom only because Ou Xinlai was there.

Now that Ou Xinlai was no longer in Xuanwu, Ye Zifei naturally found the place unbearably dull. However, after arriving in the Zhuque Kingdom, he didn’t want to disrupt Ou Xinlai’s life or ruin his plans. If it weren’t for Black Crow coming out today, Ye Zifei wouldn’t have appeared before Ou Xinlai.

Ye Zifei was clear about his feelings for Ou Xinlai, but he was in no hurry. He was willing to spend time and effort guarding him. Besides, Ye Zifei was confident that he was the best.

“Who exactly are you?” In Ye Zifei’s impression, he seemed to be from the Xuanwu Kingdom. Yet, with such a deep connection to the Shan family and Shan Qing’er—almost enough to call them childhood sweethearts—it seemed Ye Zifei should have grown up in the Zhuque Kingdom.

But if Ye Zifei was from Zhuque, how did he end up as the young martial marquis of Xuanwu?

“Just an ordinary person,” Ye Zifei said, not thinking himself special. Explaining his true identity was just too complicated.

“Black Crow calls you Bai Feng, so your medical skills must be impressive, right?” Ou Xinlai was curious about Ye Zifei—he hadn’t expected Ye Zifei to practice medicine. He must be a divine healer.

“I know a bit,” Ye Zifei smiled with a hint of helplessness toward Ou Xinlai. Facing other healers, Ye Zifei was quite confident. But facing Ou Xinlai, his authority and achievements in medicine suddenly felt trivial.

When they first met, Ye Zifei was intrigued by the unique methods Ou Xinlai used to discipline Ou Xinya. He had studied them for a long time but couldn’t decipher Ou Xinlai’s techniques.

Later, after the incident with Ou Chendong, Ye Zifei secretly investigated Ou Chendong’s condition without others’ knowledge. Unfortunately, despite trying many methods, Ye Zifei couldn’t restore Ou Chendong to normal.

Even in the Zhuque Kingdom, Ye Zifei couldn’t figure out what method Ou Xinlai used to nullify Li Yinxin’s divine medical skills.

“But compared to you, my medical skills aren’t even worth mentioning,” Ye Zifei admitted. He could sense that Ou Xinlai’s medicine was in a league of its own, unlike that of most healers and divine doctors in this world. It was as if Ou Xinlai had created a whole new medical school—a truly miraculous approach.

“You’re being modest,” Ou Xinlai clapped Ye Zifei on the shoulder with a brotherly warmth. He knew their medical methods were so different that making a direct comparison was troublesome.

“Your sister Qing’er was captured by your mortal enemy, and you’re not even worried?” Ou Xinlai raised an eyebrow, his beautiful eyes twinkling as he playfully probed Ye Zifei. Gossip about a handsome man was something every woman wanted to know.

Ye Zifei shot Ou Xinlai an annoyed look. “I’m not close to her at all.” Especially after seeing Shan Qing’er’s dealings with Black Crow, Ye Zifei suspected that Shan Qing’er was cultivated by Black Crow specifically to deal with him.

In fact, Ye Zifei only had some impression of Shan Ziyao, the innocent girl. As for Shan Qing’er, she was but a vague shadow in his mind. Shan Ziyao was naive and romantic and truly treated Ye Zifei like a brother.

Ye Zifei felt less resistant toward earnest people like Shan Ziyao. But Shan Qing’er was different—skilled at deception, she liked to have Shan Ziyao take the lead. Shan Ziyao wouldn’t overthink Shan Qing’er’s actions, but Ye Zifei, being sharp, disliked her just by looking into her eyes.

Naturally, Ye Zifei often ignored Shan Qing’er. Even with Shan Ziyao’s matchmaking efforts, he wouldn’t spare Shan Qing’er more than a glance.

Seeing Ye Zifei treat all girls that way, Shan Qing’er didn’t mind. But then came Ou Xinlai, and although he was only a friend, Ye Zifei cared for him so much that Shan Qing’er grew anxious.

If Ye Zifei truly had feelings for Ou Xinlai, what did Shan Qing’er have to do with it?

That thought consumed Shan Qing’er, making her desperate to see Ou Xinlai dead.

In Ye Zifei’s life, there could be no unexpected appearances like Ou Xinlai’s—unless that unexpected person was Shan Qing’er herself. Ou Xinlai’s presence sparked a profound sense of crisis in Shan Qing’er, prompting her to mobilize Shan Ziyao and Li Chengpeng.

Unfortunately, Shan Qing’er’s plan failed utterly, and in the end, even the Shan family and Shan Qing’er herself couldn’t return.

“All right, let’s talk again next time. The Shan family is waiting for news from me,” Ou Xinlai said, unwilling to chat further on such a dark night. The Shan family trio was waiting, so he had to return.

Ye Zifei nodded. Since he was already here, he would accompany Ou Xinlai back to the Shan residence and see him safely inside before leaving.

“Cai’er, how is she?” Ou Xinlai said there should be answers tonight, so the Shan family hadn’t dared sleep. They knew Ou Xinlai would track Li Yinxin. By nightfall, Shan Yuanxi had first sent someone to check whether Shan Qing’er was still in her room.

But Shan Yuanxi received a negative answer. The truth was clear: Shan Ziyao’s illness had been worsened with Shan Qing’er’s “help.” What puzzled Shan Yuanxi and Mrs. Shan was that they had taken Shan Qing’er in to raise her.

On the day of the accident, Shan Ziyao was just three years old, and Shan Qing’er only four. How could such a young child be scheming enough to bribe the then-famous divine healer Li Yinxin to deceive the Shan family?

Thinking of this, Shan Yuanxi found Shan Qing’er terrifying. They even started to suspect that the accident at age three might not have been an accident at all.

After all, it was because Shan Qing’er saved Shan Ziyao that the Shan family truly accepted her and raised her as their own.

Because of Shan Ziyao’s situation, Shan Qing’er's status in the family had changed dramatically.

If Shan Qing’er was indeed the mastermind behind Shan Ziyao’s drowning, rescuing her herself, ending up weak and sickly, and bribing Li Yinxin afterward...

Even the iron-willed Shan Yuanxi felt that a demon like Shan Qing’er shouldn’t exist in this world. How could a four-year-old, orphaned and alone, accomplish all this? And whoever helped Shan Qing’er was undoubtedly a terrifying figure.

“Do you know someone called Black Crow?” Ou Xinlai returned unscathed, and the Shan family breathed a sigh of relief. But when Shan Yuanxi and Mrs. Shan heard the name “Black Crow,” their relief vanished once again.

“Black Crow helped Shan Qing’er?” Shan Yuanxi exclaimed. No wonder Shan Qing’er recovered from a serious illness and became an exceptional talent—it explained why Li Yinxin dared to defy the Shan family and help Shan Qing’er deceive them.

In the divine healer circle, who didn’t know the names Bai Feng and Black Crow!

“Black Crow took Shan Qing’er away,” Ou Xinlai nodded. It was clear now that Black Crow played a significant role in Shan Qing’er’s downfall.

“Cai’er, are you okay?” Mrs. Shan was very worried upon hearing Black Crow’s name. After all, few could escape Black Crow’s grasp unharmed.

“I met a friend who helped me, so I barely escaped Black Crow’s clutches,” Ou Xinlai said honestly. If Ye Zifei hadn’t shown up later, Ou Xinlai knew she would have been doomed. Black Crow wasn’t someone she or others at her level could provoke.

Otherwise, she would have eliminated Black Crow and Shan Qing’er together today.

Suddenly, Ou Xinlai worried. After killing Li Chengpeng and disguising herself to take refuge in Zhuque Kingdom, if Shan Qing’er now knew her identity, might she repeat her trick, selling Ou Xinlai’s whereabouts to the Demon Sect for the Demon Lord to kill her?

Ou Xinlai felt this was a grave miscalculation. But facing the mountain that was Black Crow, even she had to bow. If she wanted Shan Qing’er’s life, it would have to wait. Just as Black Crow wanted Ou Xinlai dead but had to stop because of Ye Zifei’s arrival.

“Cai Cai, don’t scare me!” Shan Ziyao jumped up when she heard Ou Xinlai nearly lost her life. “Cai Cai, I’m sorry—it’s all because of our family affairs that you suffered so much.”

Shan Ziyao felt guilty. She had only thought Cai Cai was a fun girl who suited her taste and had brought her into the Shan family. Unexpectedly, Cai Cai hadn’t enjoyed any fortune and had instead done a lot of hard work.

“I’m tired, I want to sleep,” Ou Xinlai stretched lazily.

After eradicating Shan Ziyao’s root illness and exposing Shan Qing’er’s true nature, Ou Xinlai felt she had never been so diligent.

“Go rest well.” Hearing this, the Shans kindly urged Ou Xinlai to rest—she had done enough for the day.

The next morning, Ou Xinlai was woken up by Shan Ziyao, the little sparrow.

“Cai Cai, get up, get up! Brother Zifei is back. I’ll take you to meet Brother Zifei; you’ll definitely like him!” It’s said that good things shouldn’t be lost to outsiders. Shan Ziyao saw that Brother Zifei was good and Cai Cai was good; maybe she could play matchmaker.

“Go away.” Ou Xinlai curled up under the blanket, unwilling to pay attention. After being bossed around all day yesterday, could she have a peaceful sleep?

“Cai Cai, be good, listen to me.” Shan Ziyao ignored resistance, dragged Ou Xinlai out of bed, dressed her, put on her shoes, washed her face, and tidied her hair. It was clear how eager Shan Ziyao was to play matchmaker between Ou Xinlai and Ye Zifei.

Dragging and pulling, she brought the sleepy Ou Xinlai before Ye Zifei. Seeing Ou Xinlai’s state, Shan Yuanxi and Mrs. Shan knew for certain she hadn’t slept well. Their troublesome daughter insisted on dragging her out of bed without considering that Ou Xinlai was working hard for someone.

“Cai Cai, this is Brother Zifei. Brother Zifei, this is Cai Cai—she’s great, my best friend,” Shan Ziyao eagerly introduced.

Ye Zifei smiled. He had always known that Ou Xinlai had changed her appearance and even her name to infiltrate the Shan family, so he felt no unfamiliarity with her new face.

Ou Xinlai rubbed her eyes, tears glistening. “Good morning.” Even though Ye Zifei had sent her home last night, why was she still sleepy while Ye Zifei was so energetic?

“Good morning,” Ye Zifei nodded. He didn’t know if she had slept well last night, but this morning, she definitely hadn’t—thanks to Shan Ziyao’s noise.

Ou Xinlai shot Shan Ziyao a helpless glance; she could have slept well if not for her.

“Cai’er, do you know Zifei?” Seeing their familiar interaction, the Shans knew it wasn’t their first meeting.

“We had some acquaintance back in Xuanwu Kingdom,” Ou Xinlai nodded, honestly confessing.

Ye Zifei just smiled, indicating Ou Xinlai’s words were correct. He wasn’t sure why Ou Xinlai had come to the Shan family, so he decided to cooperate fully.

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