Today, The Villain Couple is Settling Scores Again

After Xie Yuanying finished explaining the general details of the matter, Xu Yang and Ye Ziyi, sitting in the front, began asking questions, one after the other.

"Master Xie, when did your Xie Family Merchant Ship first encounter trouble?"

"Master Xie, I recall you mentioned that the Imperial Pacification Office under the city lord’s mansion came several times, but each time they found nothing unusual?"

"..."

These were all minor details. Shen Jizhi leaned back in his chair, listening half-heartedly, his gaze mostly fixed on the turbulent river outside the window. Occasionally, his eyes would drift to Jian Huan.

Jian Huan was diligently eating the fruits and pastries, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

"Young man," the green-robed Daoist with a half-white beard pulled his chair closer. He pointed to the fruit platter he had just brought over to Shen Jizhi and asked in a low voice, "Aren’t you going to take these with you?"

The Daoist was in his thirties, and as he leaned in, the smell of alcohol followed him like a shadow. Shen Jizhi instinctively frowned. "No need."

"Don’t be polite with me," the Daoist said, his comical little mustache twitching as he spoke. "From the sound of your voice, you’re only in your teens? I’m decades older than you—I could practically be your father. Just think of me as your uncle, and consider these fruits a gift from your uncle, alright?"

Shen Jizhi’s tone was icy. "Unfortunately, both my father and my uncle are dead."

"..." The Daoist paused. "Young man, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just thought you seemed quite capable and wanted to befriend you. Tomorrow night, we could hunt demons together, watch each other’s backs."

At this, the Daoist gestured toward the three people in front. "Look at them—they’ve already formed a tight-knit group. They were chatting and laughing during breakfast earlier. It’s just you and me who’ve been left out. I’m quite skilled myself, a genuine Daoist from Maoshan. If there really are demons, we could team up..."

Shen Jizhi suddenly interrupted. "How much will you give me?"

The Daoist was taken aback. "What?"

Shen Jizhi’s gaze fell on the Daoist, his tone slightly softer than when he mentioned his uncle’s death. "If a demon appears, I can ensure your survival. In return, how many spirit stones are you planning to give me afterward?"

The Daoist: "..."

The Daoist had no cultivation—he was a fraud.

After hearing Xie Yuanying’s account earlier, he was afraid there might really be a powerful demon. Noticing how Xie Yuanying and the others treated Shen Jizhi with respect, he guessed Shen Jizhi was quite capable and wanted to form an alliance to coast through the demon hunt.

He never expected this young man to see right through him and immediately demand payment!

The Daoist, feeling frustrated, pulled out a flask of liquor from his robe, took a swig, and gritted his teeth. "Five hundred spirit stones!"

Five hundred?

Shen Jizhi reached out, smoothing the slightly wrinkled sleeve of his robe. His thin lips parted as he casually threw out a number. "Five thousand, or forget it."

The Daoist: "..." The reward he received from the Xie family for this job was only five thousand!

The deal fell through, and the Daoist left, taking his fruit platter with him. As he walked away, he cursed Shen Jizhi in his heart: Five thousand? Why doesn’t he just rob me?

In the afternoon, the dark clouds hanging over the horizon finally gave way, and a light rain began to fall.

On the ship, the Xie family workers hurried back and forth, their faces filled with worry.

Jian Huan, holding an oil-paper umbrella, walked around the deck, tapping her sword here and there.

Recalling what Xie Yuanying had said that morning, she decided to set up a talisman array on the merchant ship before they entered the dangerous waters the next day.

If demons appeared tomorrow, the group would be busy hunting them and might not be able to protect the ordinary people on the ship. The talisman array would offer them some protection.

Behind Jian Huan, the Daoist held an umbrella, hunched over, waiting for her answer.

Large raindrops splashed onto the deck, soaking the hem of Jian Huan’s lotus-pink skirt.

After a moment, she turned to the green-robed Daoist, her eyes curving into crescents. "Of course, that’s fine. We’re both here to work for the Xie family, so we should look out for each other."

Hearing this, the Daoist quickly bowed to Jian Huan, beaming with joy. "What a kind young lady! Truly kind!"

Jian Huan returned the gesture with a slight blush. "Oh, not at all. Daoist Liu is older than us and surely knows more. I’ll likely need to seek your advice later."

Jian Huan’s words warmed Daoist Liu’s heart, and he chuckled happily.

As the two walked forward, Jian Huan casually asked, "By the way, this morning I noticed you seemed to be getting along well with that frugal-faced man? You know," she paused, her tone tinged with dislike, "I’m not particularly fond of him."

Hearing this, Daoist Liu couldn’t help but grit his teeth. "Exactly! I can’t stand him either! I approached him this morning because he seemed lonely, and I thought we could be friends. But do you know what he said to me?"

"Oh?" Jian Huan feigned curiosity. "What did he say?"

"He demanded five thousand spirit stones from me!" Daoist Liu clenched his fist. "Who charges spirit stones just to be friends? In all my years, I’ve never heard of such a thing!"

Jian Huan nodded in agreement while pondering in her heart.

The Xie family was indeed desperate, even hiring a fake Daoist for five thousand. She only had five thousand herself.

Suddenly, Jian Huan stopped and looked at Daoist Liu, her dark eyes shining like stars. "Daoist Liu, we really seem to click. How about this—I won’t charge you five thousand. I’ll give you a discount: four thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine. How does that sound?"

Daoist Liu: "??!"

Not long after Jian Huan returned from the deck, the rain outside grew heavier.

The day before, the sky had been clear, and the river was calm and clean. Now, the water was murky and turbulent, the waves crashing against the ship and causing it to sway violently. Inside the rooms, cups and vases fell to the floor, shattering with a constant clatter.

Though sunset was still hours away, the sky was so dark it seemed as if night was about to fall.

In Jian Huan’s room, a candle flickered softly. She sat on the bed, a small table propped in front of her, diligently drawing talismans.

Suddenly, her ears twitched.

There were footsteps outside the door.

"Miss Jian, Miss Jian," a man’s voice called from outside. Xie Yuanying’s personal servant knocked on the door and shouted, "My master sent me to inform you that the wind and rain are fierce, and the ship is unstable. Please stay in your room and rest for now. Once we pass this storm, the weather should calm down!"

Jian Huan raised her voice. "Got it, thank you!"

Hearing her response, the servant gave a few more instructions before staggering off to notify the others.

Shen Jizhi wasn’t in his room, so the servant decided to inform Xu Yang first. However, halfway there, the ship, which had been rocking violently, suddenly stabilized.

Had the rain stopped?

The servant was puzzled. He looked down at his feet and hurried to the end of the corridor, standing on tiptoe to peer out of a small window.

Outside, the wind howled, lightning flashed, and the rain continued to pour.

So why had the ship suddenly stopped swaying?

Outside Jian Huan’s door, Shen Jizhi glanced at the servant in the distance and flicked his finger, sending a faint pulse of spiritual energy.

With a soft click, the bolt on the door unlocked.

He pushed the door open and slipped inside.

Inside, Jian Huan didn’t look up. "Did you finish placing them?"

Shen Jizhi hummed in affirmation, casually casting a drying spell on himself. "Should I place more?"

"Wait a bit," Jian Huan said, a stack of seven or eight talismans already piled beside her. "Once I finish these, you can place them all at once."

Shen Jizhi: "Alright."

He sat down at the table, taking out the necessary tools and materials from his storage pouch, his gaze lingering on Jian Huan.

The girl’s high ponytail swayed slightly as she focused, her back slender and straight.

Shen Jizhi lowered his eyes, thinking for a moment before suddenly asking, "Are you hungry?"

Jian Huan: "?"

"No, I’m not," she replied, confused. "Why do you ask?"

Shen Jizhi’s mind had already reached for the fruit platter in his storage pouch, but upon hearing her response, he withdrew his hand. Instead, he picked up a piece of spiritual iron and examined it, his tone indifferent. "No reason."

Jian Huan finished drawing a talisman, set her brush down, and looked at him with suspicion. "What do you mean by that?"

Shen Jizhi glanced at her calmly, saying nothing.

Jian Huan’s scrutinizing gaze lingered on his impassive face.

He never asked questions without an underlying meaning, and Shen Jizhi’s underlying meanings were always sarcastic or mocking. Jian Huan immediately understood what he was implying.

"I remember now," she pointed at him, her eyes blazing. "You were watching me during lunch, weren’t you?"

Shen Jizhi’s hand, holding the spiritual iron, paused, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Don’t think I didn’t notice," Jian Huan gritted her teeth. "You were criticizing me for eating too much."

“……” Shen Jizhi’s lips twitched slightly, a hint of helplessness in his expression. “No.”

Jian Huan’s dark eyes stared at him quietly, waiting to see what excuse he would come up with.

Shen Jizhi pursed his lips, trying to explain calmly, “I just came down, and someone handed me a plate of fruit. I don’t eat it anyway.”

“You should’ve said so earlier.” Jian Huan swiftly swept the talisman papers off the small table. The talismans to stabilize the ship’s hull were already in place, and they wouldn’t reach the waters where demons roamed until tomorrow night. The other demon-repelling talismans weren’t urgent at the moment. “If you’d just said that from the start, it would’ve been fine. Why did you have to ask me if I was hungry in such a sarcastic tone?”

Shen Jizhi closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. “I wasn’t being sarcastic.”

Although he had occasionally been sarcastic in the past, this time, he genuinely wasn’t.

Jian Huan shrugged, tapping her talisman brush lightly. “Alright, alright, no need to explain. Just bring me the fruit plate!”

Shen Jizhi took a deep breath to calm himself. “Didn’t you say you weren’t hungry?”

If she had just said she was hungry when he asked, things would’ve been simpler.

Jian Huan hummed thoughtfully. “My stomach isn’t hungry.”

Shen Jizhi: “?”

Jian Huan continued, “But when my ears heard your words, my mouth suddenly got hungry.”

Shen Jizhi: “……”

Finally, Shen Jizhi took out the fruit plate from his spatial pouch and placed it in front of her using spiritual energy. “Remember, when you eat someone’s food, you owe them a favor. Try to think better of me in the future.”

Jian Huan picked up a grape, munching on it as she replied somewhat dismissively, “Got it, got it.”

Shen Jizhi sat down, about to pick up a small knife to carve some patterns.

Jian Huan glanced at the knife in his hand, then at the apples. She grabbed one and tossed it directly at him.

Shen Jizhi raised his hand and caught it effortlessly: “?”

Jian Huan: “Since you’re already at it, why not go all the way and peel this apple for me?”

Shen Jizhi: “……”

Shen Jizhi stood up, fetched an ordinary knife, cleaned it thoroughly with a cleansing spell, and began peeling the bright red apple. The thin peel separated from the white flesh in one smooth motion.

As he peeled, he asked, “Why should I peel it for you?”

Jian Huan had been drawing talismans for over an hour and was feeling a bit tired.

She bit into a grape, leaning back on the bed as she turned her head to look at him. “You know that when people borrow money, they have to pay interest, right? I haven’t even charged you any interest.”

Shen Jizhi’s fingers were nimble. As he peeled the apple, the skin clung delicately to the flesh. “I’ve already placed the fruit plate in front of you. Now you want me to peel the apple too. Should I just feed it to you,” he paused, then added calmly, “while I’m at it?”

“That wouldn’t be so bad either,” Jian Huan replied casually. Why had she traveled all the way to Ningzhang City to find him if not to fully exercise her rights as a creditor and exploit him in these final days? “Anyway, you either pay the interest or treat your creditor well. The choice is yours.”

Once the apple was peeled, Shen Jizhi set the knife down.

He stood up and walked slowly toward the bed.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Jian Huan lay on the edge of the bed, her high ponytail hanging down, her dark hair swaying gently in the air.

Her legs were propped up on the edge of the table, her pale pink skirt cascading down, revealing a delicate ankle.

She seemed used to it.

The two of them had lived together in a small wooden cabin three years ago, and she had never been concerned about propriety between men and women.

Shen Jizhi wasn’t even sure if she saw him as a man… in that way.

Jian Huan: “By the way, I have an idea about how to find your master. Doesn’t he love drinking?”

Shen Jizhi stopped in his tracks, crouching in front of her as he nodded.

Jian Huan, lost in her thoughts, continued to strategize for him. “Based on the things your master has done, it’s clear he’s a skilled con artist who loves alcohol. His reputation probably isn’t great…”

Shen Jizhi listened quietly, his slender fingers pulling gently at one end of the apple peel. The peel came off in one long, unbroken strip.

“After we finish the Xie Family’s business and return to the city, we can go to the wine shops and ask around, one by one,” Jian Huan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, reaching out to take the apple from his hand as she asked, “What do you think? Not a bad idea, right? If I help you find your master, how will you thank—”

“Ah—” An apple pressed against her lips, and Jian Huan instinctively opened her mouth. The sweet taste of apple instantly filled her mouth.

Shen Jizhi leaned in, his gaze fixed on the girl’s face, so close to his.

Her dark, lively eyes, long lashes, fair nose, and the corner of her lips, stained with purple grape juice from the apple pressing against them.

He asked her softly, “Would peeling apples for you forever count as my thanks?”

The person in front of him had just come in from the rain. Her drying spell seemed half-hearted, as her hair was still slightly damp, and a few droplets of rain clung to her forehead.

Jian Huan avoided his gaze, biting into the apple.

Her teeth sank in softly, taking only a small bite.

Shen Jizhi pulled the apple back slightly, glancing at the tiny bite mark before his eyes darkened.

Jian Huan’s hand was still suspended in mid-air.

Shen Jizhi gently grasped her wrist, his long, bony fingers wrapping around her slender hand as he placed the apple, now with a small bite taken out of it, into her palm.

His hand was cold, carrying the scent of the rain outside, causing Jian Huan to shiver slightly.

Shen Jizhi tilted his head slightly, his lips close to Jian Huan’s slightly red ear as he spoke word by word, “Also, I choose… not to repay you.”