Today, The Villain Couple is Settling Scores Again

The musician had faint brown patches on both cheeks. Jian Huan picked up an eyebrow pencil and began to trace and blend the colors on Shen Jizhi's face.

He leaned slightly forward, accommodating her movements, his eyes gently closed, his expression calm.

It was like a quiet stream hidden in a valley, illuminated by the bright moon in the deep of night.

Yet, his breathing was hot, and the hand supporting him on the ground showed the tense lines of masculine strength.

Time stretched unbearably long, each second dragging on.

She was right in front of him, and Shen Jizhi struggled to restrain himself, holding back with great effort.

After a moment, he exhaled softly, slowly opening his eyes and letting his gaze fall on Jian Huan.

Suddenly, Shen Jizhi's brows moved slightly.

He quietly observed Jian Huan's small earlobe, which was now a vivid, deep red.

He then turned his attention to her expression. Her eyes were fixed on his cheek, seemingly focused on her drawing, but upon closer inspection, her gaze was stiff, locked onto that one spot, avoiding everything else.

It seemed she was desperately trying to avoid something.

Shen Jizhi glanced thoughtfully at his slightly open collar.

So, it was working after all.

He raised his eyes and suddenly called out, "Jian Huan."

Caught off guard, Jian Huan jumped slightly at the sound of her name.

Flustered, she tried to sound stern, "What is it? Why are you startling me like that? You almost made me mess up the line!"

Shen Jizhi tilted his chin slightly, pointing out, "Your ears are red."

Jian Huan, still holding the brush, quickly covered her left ear with her free hand, denying it without hesitation, "They're not red! You're seeing things. Your eyes must be bad..."

Her words trailed off as she watched Shen Jizhi raise his hand, his slender index finger brushing aside a strand of hair by her right ear, his middle finger slightly bent, the back of it lightly touching her earlobe.

His hand was cool, the back of his finger slightly rough, like a drop of water splashing into oil.

Jian Huan's heartbeat quickened, her right ear burning instantly.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, Shen Jizhi touched her earlobe briefly before withdrawing, saying softly, "My eyesight is quite good right now. I didn't mistake it."

Jian Huan pressed her lips together, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, but she remained silent.

Shen Jizhi added slowly, "Your face is red too."

"..." Jian Huan put down the brush, her embarrassment turning to anger, "Didn't I tell you to keep your eyes closed? Who said you could open them?!"

Shen Jizhi glanced at her, then obediently closed his eyes again, saying matter-of-factly, "Oh, sorry. My eyes opened on their own."

Jian Huan: "..."

Jian Huan felt a lump of frustration rise in her throat.

She pressed her lips together, a mix of anger and annoyance, gripping the brush tighter and poking his cheek with more force, leaving a faint red mark.

Shen Jizhi didn't react much to her petty retaliation, letting her have her way.

After a moment of silence, Shen Jizhi opened his eyes again.

This time, Jian Huan was sharp. As soon as his eyes opened, her gaze snapped to him, her voice low and accusing, "Did your eyes open on their own again? If they're so unreliable, maybe we should just gouge them out?"

Shen Jizhi: "."

Shen Jizhi closed his eyes once more.

But after a while, he opened them again and asked, "Why are you blushing?"

...Jian Huan was thoroughly enraged.

She threw the brush aside, stood up, now taller than the leaning Shen Jizhi, and pushed him against the wall, "Shen Jizhi!"

Shen Jizhi fell back easily, leaning against the wall, his head tilted up, his hands raised defensively between them, "What are you doing? I paid for this, five spirit stones..."

"I don't care if you paid or not, but I really don't like your eyes right now!"

Jian Huan interrupted him, roughly undoing the hair tie from his bun and using it to blindfold him.

Throughout the process, Shen Jizhi half-heartedly resisted, but in the end, he reached up to remove the blindfold.

"If you want me to keep painting, don't take it off," Jian Huan sat back down, fanning herself with her hand, feeling an inexplicable heat, "If you take it off, I won't paint anymore, and I won't refund your five spirit stones. Go find Tao Hong or Liu Lu instead!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Shen Jizhi's hand paused slightly, "Is this how you treat your customers?"

Jian Huan snorted, "Don't forget, I'm also your creditor."

Shen Jizhi: "..."

The sky in Mei Yi's courtyard had darkened, dotted with faint glows like stars in the Milky Way, yet not quite the same.

After being called out by Ying Ti, Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi didn't wander around.

She stayed in the room, observing Ying Ti's body language and listening to how she spoke, so she could impersonate Ying Ti and move around the dark palace to find a way out.

Shen Jizhi did the same, going to the musician's quarters.

The servant quarters in the courtyard were shared by two people, but Ying Ti's room only had her, leaving an extra bed.

The candlelight flickered in the room as Jian Huan sat at the table, drawing talismans.

Ying Ti took off her outer robe, hung it up, and sat at the simple dressing table to remove her hair ornaments, "I take care of the flowers and plants in the courtyard. The madam loves flowers, so every three days, I go to the dark palace to get seeds from Dark Matron. If there are fresh fruits or pastries, I bring those back too."

Jian Huan finished drawing a talisman and looked up, "Dark Matron?"

"Yes, Dark Matron," Ying Ti repeated softly, instinctively glancing out the window before lowering her voice, "In the dark palace, only Manager Yu and Dark Matron are in charge, but Dark Matron still answers to Manager Yu. The palace's storeroom, all supplies, including food ingredients, are managed by Dark Matron."

Jian Huan perked up, "So Dark Matron can leave the dark palace?"

If seeds and fruits were brought into the dark palace, someone had to purchase them, right? If Dark Matron could leave, maybe they could follow her and find the exit?

Ying Ti shook her head, "No. In the dark palace, only the city lord and the prince can come and go. Even Manager Yu can't leave. All the supplies are brought in by the prince."

The prince was the ghost fish king.

Jian Huan: "I see..."

So it was still a tough situation.

Ying Ti let her hair down, letting it cascade over her shoulders.

She stood up from the dressing table and walked over to Jian Huan, watching her for a moment before suddenly calling out, "Miss Jian Huan."

Jian Huan looked at her, "Hmm? What is it?"

Ying Ti's eyes were filled with hope, shining brightly, "The madam always comforts us, saying that if one day someone from the outside manages to break in, they might be able to take us out. Miss Jian Huan, can you find the exit and take us with you?"

Jian Huan's hand holding the brush paused. She reached out and placed a hand on Ying Ti's shoulder, smiling with her eyes crinkling and her white teeth showing, promising softly, "I'll do my best."

Her house was still outside. She had only spent one night in it after finishing the construction before rushing to Ningzhang City. She hadn't even had enough time to sleep in her bed. How could she stay trapped here forever?

The two chatted a bit more about random things until Ying Ti grew tired, yawning as she climbed into bed and quickly fell into a steady sleep.

Jian Huan continued drawing talismans.

She drew at least ten every day. Whether they were used in emergencies or sold, they were valuable. Now that she was at the Golden Core stage, each talisman was worth five hundred spirit stones. Ten talismans meant five thousand spirit stones.

She put the finished talismans away and, after a moment of thought, took out a brush and paper to start calculating her finances.

Normally, after drawing talismans, she should meditate and cultivate. But tonight, she couldn't calm her mind, so doing calculations helped her focus.

Adding everything up, Jian Huan currently had one hundred sixty-seven thousand eight hundred thirty-seven spirit stones, a land fruit worth at least one hundred thousand spirit stones, a piece of land, two houses, some ghost fish remains, and fifteen thousand spirit stones about to be exchanged from her sect.

She also had Shen Jizhi's outstanding debt of one hundred two thousand five hundred spirit stones.

Shen Jizhi.

Jian Huan bit her lip absentmindedly, her brush shifting to calculate his finances as well.

He currently had three thousand spirit stones, five thousand spirit stones yet to be exchanged from the sect, and if the ghost fish king died and the Xie family mission was completed, he could exchange seven thousand two hundred spirit stones at the Immortal Storage Tower (listed at eight thousand, but the tower took eight hundred). There was also the five thousand spirit stones he swindled from Fei Xu.

The ghost fish remains could be sold for a little over one thousand spirit stones, so after leaving this place, he would have...

Twenty-one thousand two hundred spirit stones!

That meant he could soon repay his debt to her! The mission in Ningzhang City didn't pay well; they had only come to find his master.

After returning, she would take him on a big mission, clearing the debt in one go! How wonderful!

But what after he repaid the debt?

According to Jian Huan's previous thoughts, once the debt was settled, the marriage contract would be nullified, and they would go their separate ways, becoming neighbors who might not see each other more than a few times a year.

But now—

Her brush circled the last '0' over and over, the ink so heavy it nearly tore the paper.

Jian Huan suddenly put the brush down, staring at the dark blot, her thoughts in disarray.

The scene that had lingered in her mind all night reappeared vividly before her eyes.

A young man in white leaned against the corner of a wall, one leg slightly bent, the other stretched out straight. His collar was half-open, his posture relaxed and casual.

A white hair ribbon tied around his eyes, fastened into a bow by Jian Huan, its ends fluttering slightly in the air.

He tilted his head back, quiet and expressionless, letting Jian Huan apply makeup to his face.

Even though his eyes were already covered, Jian Huan’s hands trembled several times throughout the process.

Jian Huan rubbed her arm, glanced out the window, looked at the sleeping Ying Ti, then down at her own savings, and finally at the fortune Shen Jizhi was about to acquire.

Suddenly, she remembered what Shen Jizhi had said before their seclusion: once he paid off his debts, he would marry a wife and ensure she lived a life of luxury.

Jian Huan puffed out her cheeks, feeling inexplicably annoyed.

During their poorest days, they had shared fasting pills, split rent, and shared rides. Now, she had come all the way to Ningzhang City to prevent Shen Jizhi from falling into demonic ways and suffering the same fate as in the original story, hoping to pull him back at a critical moment.

But now, he would soon be rich, no longer at risk of becoming a demon, and someone else would reap the benefits.

Just thinking about it...

Jian Huan blinked, tilting her head as she pondered, finally landing on the perfect word to describe it.

It just felt... unfair.

In another courtyard, Shen Jizhi watched a musician play the qin.

He could play as well, but each musician had their own unique style and interpretation.

Though the people in the hidden palace might not notice the difference, Shen Jizhi wanted to match the musician’s technique as closely as possible to avoid any mishaps.

Halfway through the performance, someone entered the courtyard. Shen Jizhi turned to look.

The door creaked open, and the maid Tao Hong stepped aside, bowing slightly to reveal Mei Yi, draped in a white cloak.

Mei Yi stepped inside, removing the hood of her cloak.

She glanced at the musician seated at the qin, who stood up, bowed to the two of them, and then left the room.

Tao Hong closed the door and stood guard outside.

Shen Jizhi walked to the window, leaning against the sill.

The candlelight inside cast his tall shadow onto the closed curtains behind him. He lowered his head, pulling out a small piece of wood to carve a talisman brush, showing no intention of speaking.

The room fell into silence, an awkward tension hanging in the air.

Mei Yi, who had expected him to speak first: "..."

She had mentioned knowing his parents, and by all accounts, she should be considered an elder. Shouldn’t he at least greet her with a bow?

During the day, she had noticed that while Shen Jizhi wasn’t particularly outgoing, he had seemed quite gentle. Why was he so cold now?

It was like the surface of a frozen lake in winter, so thick that no crack could be made.

Mei Yi observed him for a moment, then sat down at the table, pouring herself a cup of tea to warm her hands. Her expression softened. "Who is Jian Huan to you? Is she your dao companion?"

Shen Jizhi continued carving his brush, not looking up. "Get to the point."

Mei Yi sighed, a hint of helplessness in her smile. "Your temperament is quite different from your parents'. Your father, he..."

Shen Jizhi cut her off, his tone impatient. "Madam Mei, did you come here in the middle of the night to reminisce about the past?"

Mei Yi stiffened, lowering her head to take a sip of tea. Her voice was soft, like a Jiangnan melody. "When your parents passed, I hadn’t yet joined the hidden palace. You were still very young then. I thought you might be curious about your parents' story."

Shen Jizhi’s voice was devoid of emotion. "They’re gone. There’s no point in dwelling on it."

"True, once someone is gone, there’s nothing left." Mei Yi sighed, her tone tinged with melancholy. "Let’s not talk about such sad things. Jizhi, how has your health been these years?" She paused, as if searching for the right words. "Have you noticed anything unusual? I see you’ve reached the Golden Core stage. Is your Golden Core... normal?"

Shen Jizhi’s hand, holding the carving knife, stilled. He raised his gaze, his eyes settling on Mei Yi. "What do you mean, Madam Mei?"

Every question she asked was met with resistance. Mei Yi took another sip of tea, realizing that unless she laid everything out, this young man wouldn’t open up.

Such heavy defenses.

After a moment of deliberation, Mei Yi spoke. "My master was a renowned healer in the Zhang River region."

At this, Mei Yi’s smile turned bittersweet. She stood up, pacing slowly around the room as she continued, her words fragmented by memory. "When you were four years old, your parents brought you to my master, saying there was something unusual about your body. My master examined you and found that you carried the power of the Immortal Origin Stone."

Shen Jizhi frowned. "The Immortal Origin Stone?"

"Yes. For tens of thousands of years, no cultivator on the Nine Provinces Continent has achieved ascension. That’s why few know about the Immortal Origin Stone. My master only learned of it after studying many ancient texts."

Mei Yi stopped a few steps away from Shen Jizhi, her fingers lightly tracing the carvings on the windowsill. Her voice grew distant as she recalled the past.

"The Immortal Origin Stone contains the cultivation legacy of ascension-stage experts. It’s an incredibly domineering force. At the time, you weren’t even a cultivator yet. Your body couldn’t withstand it. If left unchecked, the stone would have drained your life force until you perished. My master had no solution. He used pills to stabilize you while your parents sought help from the elders of the Jade Clarity Sect. If word of the Immortal Origin Stone spread across the Nine Provinces, it would have caused a frenzy, and your life would have been in danger. My master happened to know Elder Gu of the Jade Clarity Sect and trusted him, so he advised your parents to take you to him."

"Elder Gu was elusive, hard to track down. It wasn’t until you were six that they finally found him." Mei Yi’s eyes glistened with tears. "But by then, your parents had already perished in the jaws of a demon. You were taken in by your master and brought to the Jade Clarity Sect. Not long after, my master met with misfortune, and I... I came here. After that, I lost touch with what happened to you."

Shen Jizhi listened quietly, not interrupting.

"Jizhi," Mei Yi turned to him, "my master wrote down a method to suppress the Immortal Origin Stone. I’ve seen it. It requires a Deity Transformation or Mahayana-stage expert to place a seal within you and erase your memories of the stone. Only then would it lie dormant within you. But once you reach the Golden Core stage, the stone will manifest within your core, and you’ll become aware of it again. Even then, you must not break the seal. The power of the Immortal Origin Stone is too much for a Golden Core cultivator to bear. You’ll need to wait until you reach the Nascent Soul stage at the very least."

Shen Jizhi lowered his gaze, deep in thought.

He truly had no memory of any of this, yet everything she said seemed to align with his situation.

Still, something felt off.

Before Shen Jizhi could respond, Mei Yi suddenly swept her cloak aside and dropped to her knees before him.

"Jizhi," Mei Yi’s voice trembled, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I came here tonight to beg you, to implore you." Her face was filled with sorrow. "Please, release the Immortal Origin Stone. Only then can we stand a chance against the City Lord and the Ghost Fish King! Only then can we escape this place! Tao Hong, Liu Lu, Ying Ti, and so many others in the hidden palace—they’re all just teenagers. They long to see the world above, to feel the sun and the wind. We don’t want to spend our lives trapped in this underground prison, never seeing the light of day. I beg you, please..."