Today, The Villain Couple is Settling Scores Again

Downstairs, it seemed someone had arrived, their footsteps thudding heavily on the stairs.

The boisterous chatter of the guests mingled with the enthusiastic calls of the waiter, "This way, esteemed guests!" The voices grew faint as they moved further away toward the private room at the far end of the third floor.

The purse in Jian Huan's arms felt heavy, and she instinctively tightened her grip, forcing an awkward smile. "Young Master Fu, this... this is too much. We agreed not to accept payment, just to build a good relationship. Look at you, really, how could my master accept this..."

The girl's voice sounded genuinely troubled.

Shen Jizhi, standing quietly and pretending to be blind, lowered his eyelids and glanced at her through the black veil.

She hadn’t let go of the purse, after all.

Fu Li, oblivious to the subtlety, grew flustered and waved his hands, his face reddening. "N-no! You must take it. If I don’t give it, I... I won’t feel at ease..."

With such insistence, how could Jian Huan refuse?

She quickly tucked the purse into her wide sleeves, clasped her hands in front of her waist, and bowed shyly to Fu Li. "In that case, I thank Young Master Fu. You need not worry, your..."

At this point, Shen Jizhi's brow furrowed slightly.

Standing close to her, he tugged discreetly at her sleeve, out of Fu Li's sight.

Jian Huan paused mid-sentence, her eyelashes fluttering briefly before she continued, "Your fortune is still ahead of you. In the future, everything will go smoothly, and your wishes will come true."

...

Not far from the tavern, deep in a narrow alley, stood a deserted courtyard.

The gate was locked, the ancient bronze lock half-rusted, and the crevices of the door were thick with cobwebs, where lazy spiders lounged motionlessly on their silken threads.

Inside, Shen Jizhi, now dressed in black, stood by a stone table overgrown with weeds, bent over a piece of paper as he painted.

Behind him, under the corridor, Jian Huan, fastening her belt, turned around in disbelief. "You actually told him he wouldn’t find her?"

Aren’t fortune-tellers supposed to say only good things?

Even if they mention something unfavorable, they’d usually offer a solution—for a fee, of course.

Shen Jizhi countered, "What else should I have said?"

As the figure of a woman gradually took shape on the paper, he added indifferently, "I didn’t even need to divine anything to know he wouldn’t find her."

Jian Huan scoffed and walked toward him. "The act’s over, 'Master.' You really think you can tell fortunes? Luckily, Young Master Fu is kind—"

At this, Jian Huan chuckled. Fu Li really was a good person. "If it were someone with a worse temper, they might’ve chased you out with a broom... Ran Mu'er?!"

Shen Jizhi was still a few strokes short of finishing, but the woman’s features were already vivid on the paper.

He paused, setting down the brush. "You know her?"

Jian Huan frowned, reaching out to take the painting.

The bright autumn sunlight spilled onto the portrait, the semi-dry ink shimmering faintly.

The woman in the painting had delicate features, but her most striking aspect was her eyes—a blend of shyness, innocence, allure, and a touch of aloofness.

This unique combination left a deep impression on Jian Huan.

She had only seen Ran Mu'er once, years ago in Yujiang City, but she had never forgotten her.

"Yujiang City again," Jian Huan murmured. "I met Madam Gao there, and now Ran Mu'er too."

After hearing Jian Huan’s account, Shen Jizhi tapped the stone table with his fingers, his expression growing cold. "The demons are stirring."

"But I don’t think Ran Mu'er is one of them," Jian Huan said, handing the painting back to Shen Jizhi, her expression thoughtful. "I actually... quite like her."

Though the girl often spoke inappropriately, casually bringing up topics about relationships and even trying to pass on her extensive collection of dual cultivation manuals to Jian Huan...

Jian Huan still held a favorable impression of Ran Mu'er.

Over the years, Ran Mu'er had never bought a single talisman from her, yet Jian Huan had never removed Ran Mu'er’s Xuantian ID.

Shen Jizhi took the painting and immediately destroyed it. "Then let’s find her first."

Jian Huan looked at him. "I know where she is."

Shen Jizhi: "?"

"She went to Luo'an City to repair the Harmony Bell," Jian Huan said, her expression turning serious. "My senior sister told me. Ran Mu'er seems to be close with Senior Sister, Yang Ye, Yin Yusheng, and Jiang Qiaoqiao. They were all together before the disappearance of the Bodhi Pagoda."

This made Jian Huan wonder if any of them were involved with Ran Mu'er.

Wen Jiu, Yang Ye, and Yin Yusheng were old comrades who had fought side by side, and she had never noticed anything amiss during their time together.

Jiang Qiaoqiao was the heroine of the story, always doing good deeds. So far, Jian Huan hadn’t seen any flaws in her character.

After learning about Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi’s engagement, Jiang Qiaoqiao had never privately approached Shen Jizhi again. During their recent encounter in Jiuzhou City, Jiang Qiaoqiao had been with her close senior sister and had even deflected a poisoned dart Madam Gao had aimed at Jian Huan that morning.

When Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi returned to the inn, Wen Jiu and the others had already come back from the Imperial Pacification Office.

The group gathered in the pavilion in the inn’s backyard, discussing something in low voices.

Yang Ye’s pig suddenly darted out of the pavilion, and Yang Ye turned to look, quickly waving them over. "Jian Huan, Senior Brother Shen, come here!"

The two exchanged a glance. Jian Huan, holding a bag of peanuts Shen Jizhi had bought, winked at him.

Shen Jizhi gave a slight nod, and they walked toward the pavilion together.

These days, Yin Yusheng, as the decision-maker, had been so busy he barely had time to rest. His face showed signs of fatigue, but he smiled and took a sip of tea when he saw them. "Where have you two been? You’re only returning now?"

Yang Ye also asked, "Did you find anything?"

Jian Huan shook her head, her eyes filled with affection as she glanced at Shen Jizhi. She placed the peanuts on the table and offered, "No, we just went for a stroll. These peanuts are delicious, everyone try some."

The others understood, exchanging looks and smirking without comment.

Jiang Qiaoqiao lowered her head, staring blankly at her toes.

A senior sister nearby, unable to hold back, whispered discontentedly to Jiang Qiaoqiao, "...Not doing anything useful. If the Bodhi Pagoda is found, should the reward really be split with them?"

The pavilion was small, and though her voice was soft, everyone present had sharp hearing and caught her words.

An awkward silence fell.

The atmosphere in the pavilion grew tense.

Yin Yusheng rubbed his temples and stepped in to mediate, speaking gently, "We’re all fellow disciples. Let’s not let minor issues cause discord. The priority now is to find the Bodhi Pagoda."

He turned to Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi. "We just learned that Madam Gao’s..." Yin Yusheng was about to share important information when the senior sister interrupted coldly, "Senior Brother Yin! Be careful with your words!"

She stepped forward, pointing at a male disciple nearby. "This information was gathered by Senior Brother Wen. Is it appropriate for you to share it so casually?"

Senior Brother Wen also looked displeased, his face dark as he added sternly, "Yin Yusheng, we agreed that if we find the Bodhi Pagoda, we’ll split the reward equally. Will Junior Sister Jian and Senior Brother Shen also be included in this split?"

Yin Yusheng gestured for Yang Ye to stay calm and replied, "Junior Brother Wen, if it weren’t for Junior Sister Jian, we wouldn’t have known about Madam Gao’s connection to the incident in Yujiang City. Everyone has contributed, so an equal split is only fair."

"But I was the one who discovered Madam Gao’s whereabouts!" the senior sister protested, growing more agitated. "If I hadn’t found her, Junior Sister Jian wouldn’t have even met Madam Gao! And without her, we might still have uncovered the truth!"

Jian Huan’s dark eyes swept over everyone present.

Fine, let’s part ways here.

These people were too closely connected to Ran Mu'er, and someone among them might be involved. This matter couldn’t be discussed openly. Investigating Ran Mu'er would have to be done in secret.

She exchanged a glance with Shen Jizhi, then put on a conciliatory smile. "Senior brothers and sisters, please don’t be angry. Today was our fault. But I swear!" She raised her hand. "This won’t happen again. We’ll do our best to work with everyone to find the Bodhi Pagoda..."

"Enough," Shen Jizhi said coldly, grabbing Jian Huan’s hand and snatching the bag of peanuts. He pulled her out of the pavilion, leaving behind a final remark, "Let’s each go our own way."

"Senior Brother Shen! Jian Huan!" Yang Ye chased after them for a few steps, trying to call out to the two, but the black-clad young man paid no heed, his footsteps unwavering as he held the girl's hand and walked further away, soon disappearing through the inn's entrance.

Wen Jiu and Yin Yusheng also stepped out, standing beside Yang Ye.

To be fair, they all preferred to stay with Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi.

But they had already invested too much in this team, and now with crucial information in hand, it was hard to simply let go.

A million in bounty, well, that was quite important.

[Home Has a Pig: They're gone.]

[Home Has a Pig: I’ve already discussed it with Senior Brother and Senior Sister. Once we get the bounty, we’ll treat you all to drinks.]

Not long after leaving the inn, Jian Huan received Yang Ye's message.

But she didn’t like the tone of it, as if they were already certain of victory.

[Qian Duoduo Has Talismans: What a coincidence. Shen Jizhi and I were thinking the same. Once we get the bounty, we’ll treat you to a feast.]

[Home Has a Pig: Haha, alright then. We’ll see who comes out on top.]

[Qian Duoduo Has Talismans: Leaving? Where are you going?]

[Home Has a Pig: Haha, no comment. See you in Yuqing.]

Jian Huan: "?"

Jian Huan turned off the Xuantian Mirror, tilting her head left and right to examine her reflection. She turned to Shen Jizhi beside her and said, "They just left? That was so sudden. What do you think they found out? About Madam Gao? What about Madam Gao?"

She was still thinking about what Yin Yusheng had left unsaid earlier.

Shen Jizhi shook his head, indicating he wasn’t sure either.

Although Jian Huan was indeed curious about Yang Ye's whereabouts, she herself was hiding the matter of Ran Mu'er from them.

Now that they were competitors, she decided to let it go.

Perhaps it was her sixth sense, or perhaps the plot of the story had changed drastically, but Jian Huan felt that while the Gao family had some shady dealings, the matter of the Bodhi Pagoda wasn’t closely tied to them.

When Madam Gao had spoken those words, Jian Huan didn’t feel like she was lying.

She still leaned more toward Ran Mu'er's side.

The two checked and found that the teleportation array to Luo'an City would activate in an hour, so they decided to sit in a cheap tea shop not far from the array.

"Not bad, Shen Jizhi. You actually remembered to bring peanuts. I almost forgot!" Jian Huan smiled brightly as she took the bag of peanuts, placing one on the table and giving it a tap with her palm, causing the red peanut to roll away.

As she rubbed the peanut shell, she pulled out the Xuantian Mirror from her pocket. "I remember Baili Dao’s family is in Luo'an City, right? I’ll ask him."

"Go ahead," Shen Jizhi stood up. "I’ll be back in a moment."

...

The sun dipped westward.

On the street they had just walked down, an elderly man with graying hair was selling sugar paintings.

A small crowd of children, along with a black-clad young man, gathered around the stall.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The chattering children finally ran off happily with their sugar paintings, and Shen Jizhi’s brows relaxed as he stepped forward, crouching down. "I’d like a golden ingot," he said.

"?" The old man looked up, giving him a strange glance.

He had been in the sugar painting business for years, and almost no one had ever asked for a golden ingot.

Dragons, phoenixes, rabbits—those were the usual requests.

But the old man didn’t say anything. He simply tossed a couple of dry sticks into the fire.

The nearly extinguished flames flared up again, and the small iron pot above it bubbled with melted sugar syrup.

The old man scooped up a spoonful of the syrupy liquid, his wrist deftly flicking as he prepared to start painting.

But then Shen Jizhi suddenly spoke up, "Wait a moment."

The old man was slightly startled, thinking something was wrong. "What is it?"

Shen Jizhi pulled out a small porcelain bottle of spirit honey he had bought while tailing Fu Li, uncapped it, and poured the golden, syrup-like liquid into the spoonful of sugar syrup, mixing them together.

A rich aura of spiritual energy wafted through the air, and the old man inhaled deeply, praising, "This is good stuff."

Shen Jizhi put the bottle away and nodded slightly. "Thank you."

Just as the old man began painting the golden ingot, a five-year-old girl with a topknot ran over, holding a copper coin given to her by a woman across the street. "Grandpa, I want a little rabbit!" she said sweetly.

"Alright, alright. Let me finish this for the big brother first, then I’ll make yours," the old man replied with a smile.

The little girl nodded, her topknot bobbing.

She crouched down, curiously looking at Shen Jizhi. In a childish voice, she asked, "Big brother, do you like sugar paintings too? My mommy says only kids like this. When I give it to her, she won’t eat it."

Shen Jizhi remained crouched in front of the stall, his eyes fixed on the golden ingot being painted. Without looking up, he replied, "I don’t like it."

The girl’s topknot swayed as she tilted her head. "Then who are you buying it for?"

At this, Shen Jizhi’s lips curved slightly, his eyes glinting like the melted sugar in the pot. "For someone who likes sugar paintings."

...

Back at the tea stall, a gust of autumn wind swept by, swirling fallen leaves from one end of the street to the other.

Jian ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‍Huan sat at a small table by the wall, holding a string of golden ingots that glistened brilliantly in the setting sun.

The sweet aroma of sugar, mixed with a faint trace of spiritual energy, lingered in the air.

She instinctively sniffed, realizing that this sugar painting wasn’t ordinary—it must have been infused with some kind of spiritual herb.

Jian Huan lifted her bright, clear eyes, sneaking a glance at the young man across from her.

Shen Jizhi was sipping tea, the steam rising like white incense smoke, partially obscuring his delicate features, as if half-hidden among the clouds of a distant mountain.

Jian Huan lowered her gaze, torn between wanting to eat it and not wanting to waste it.

She glanced at him again, and though she meant to say thank you, what came out instead was, "When I buy sugar paintings, I always get dragons."

Shen Jizhi, who had been in a good mood, froze mid-sip: "?"

Jian Huan also felt a bit annoyed with herself, but there was no turning back now. A true woman never looks back at explosions, so she continued, "Dragons are more cost-effective. They use more sugar..."

Shen Jizhi: "..."

Shen Jizhi reached across the narrow table, placing a hand on her head and ruffling her hair with a bit of force, as if venting his frustration. "Just eat it and stop talking."