"Uhhh…" Qin Wei hesitated for a moment.
"They're called Xielun Yan," he said quietly. "I kinda awakened them recently."
Her brow furrowed as her fingers absentmindedly traced the edge of his cheek. "Did something happen to you… After you left?"
Qin Wei gave a crooked smile. "A lot of things happened. Faced a near-death situation, but it is fine. Everything just ended well. That's what matters."
"You were assassinated? Who?" Jiang Ni's eyes turned sharp all of a sudden. Qin Wei could even sense killing intent in her. He softly said. "Everything is fine, now. What's important is that I have powers and am no longer trash."
Jiang Ni blinked, stunned for a breath. Then, to his surprise, her lips curled into a brilliant smile. She cupped his cheeks with both hands and leaned down suddenly.
"That's great," she whispered. "Really great, Young Master."
Before he could react, she kissed him on the lips.
Qin Wei froze again. Earlier, he kissed her, but it happened on its own; this time, he was aware when he was being kissed. No, right before he was about to be kissed, but he didn't move his head. He just let it happen, although the reason lies in the fact that she is a beauty, not because she is Jiang Ni.
But then, almost instantly, memories surged once again. Of all the maids that the original Qin Wei once slept with, only Jiang Ni seemed to be allowed to kiss him on her own terms.
He blinked up at her as she pulled away, her cheeks faintly flushed, her eyes bright.
She was twenty now. Only a year older than him, but they were together for years, since childhood. Their bond had shifted five years ago, when she had injured herself, almost died while protecting him from an assassination when she was only a rank-3 sorcerer, and confessed her feelings, thinking she was going to die. They lost their virginity to one another, and perhaps, the taste of s*x at a tender age of 14 actually became one of the reasons that the original Qin Wei turned into a bit of a lecherous character. As a transmigrator, Qin Wei could see from a neutral perspective, and in his eyes, she could be a contributor, but at the same time, he was also aware that her feelings toward him were pure, too.
On a side note, she belonged to Blossom Valley, an all-female member sect. She joined around 2 years ago, and since then, her strength has leaped bounds and finally transformed into a rank-6 sorcerer. According to the agreement with her master, an elder of the sect, she cultivates for 2 months in the sect and serves Qin Wei for the following 1 month. Perhaps, it is due to the constant separation, Jiang Ni's feelings only grew stronger and stronger.
Putting away his thoughts, Qin Wei then glanced toward the door and asked in a low voice, "How did you get in here unnoticed when a rank-8 martial artist like Roulan is around. She should've sensed you."
Jiang Ni grinned mischievously and lifted the pendant hanging beneath her collar. It shimmered with faint, silvery light.
"My ancestral token," she said proudly, "While it's active, no one beneath a grandmaster can sense my presence. Not even a soul cultivator."
Qin Wei raised an eyebrow, impressed. "You really do have a bunch of ancestral tokens. I really wonder who your ancestors were."
She tilted her head, her smile faltering just slightly. "I know. But…"
Her voice softened. "I don't remember where they came from. Nothing from before I arrived at the Qin Clan when I was six. Everything before that is just… blank. And the artifacts with me had all different origins. Who knows, they could be powerful people or just some thieves. Not that I care anymore…" She cupped his cheeks once again and whispered. "All that matters is I'm staying beside Young Master. And I'm not some discarded piece. I'm something in young master's eyes."
He smiled faintly, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. "Don't sell yourself short, Jiang'er. In my heart, you have a higher position than even my wife." 'Of course, every girl has a higher position in my heart than that troublesome wife of mine, though,' He added in his mind.
"O' Young Master…" Jiang Ni proceeded to kiss him again. Heat started rising in Qin Wei's body.
Meanwhile, outside the southern wing, Roulan stood silently beneath the moonlit eaves, her gaze fixed toward Qin Wei's chamber.
The cool night breeze rustled the leaves, but she didn't move.
Her eyes glowed faintly with a silver hue, scanning the presence within the room. Her hands were folded within her sleeves, but a fine sheen of spiritual energy danced over her fingertips, ready to react at a moment's notice.
After several breaths, the glow in her eyes faded. She muttered softly to herself, "Nothing unusual. Young Master seems to be lying down and perhaps, having a troublesome sleep."
She turned on her heel, the hem of her robes brushing against the stone path. "Good," she whispered.
A few days passed in silence.
Qin Wei seldom stepped outside the southern wing of Moonvilla.
Within the quiet walls of his private study, he immersed himself in scrolls and dusty tomes, catching up on the history of the Great Liang Empire, the geography of its vast domains, and the names of those who held true power in the cultivation world.
He devoured details about sects, clans, and bloodlines. He studied the terrain of each province and learned the influence wielded by nobles and cultivators alike. It wasn't exciting. If anything, it was quite boring. But Qin Wei felt it was necessary.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ni had quietly slipped away from Moonvilla under the cover of night, returning to Blossom Valley Sect at his command.
Though she had begged to remain by his side for good, Qin Wei firmly told her that her power was not enough to protect him. He had gently asked her to break through to Rank-7 first, if she wished to continue protecting him.
Reluctantly, she had obeyed.
As for Roulan, she remained as vigilant as ever, checking on him each day with expectations of sparring and training as ordered by Li Yujin in order to test his manipulation of external Qi. But Qin Wei turned her away with a tired smile and the same excuse: "I'm not in the right mood today."
As for the excuse, he used the Weeping Guinyan Tears had no effect on him, and he needed this time to be with himself. But in reality, he was waiting.
Patriarch Li Yujin received the news in silence. Li Xue, on the other hand, said nothing at all. Not that it surprised Qin Wei, he hadn't seen her since they first arrived at Moonvilla. They may as well have been two strangers living in the same compound.
And on the sixth day after moving into Moonvilla, a knock came at the door, soft but firm.
Qin Wei stirred awake, blinking blearily at the sunlight pouring in through the silk-draped windows.
He sat up, rubbing his neck as the door opened and Roulan stepped inside, dressed in her usual dark blue martial robes, her hands neatly folded in front of her.
"Young Master," she said, her tone as calm as ever. "Lady Xue has departed for her sect early this morning. She instructed me to inform you that during her absence, I will be acting head of the residence."
Qin Wei's heartbeat rose a little bit. "Yes, finally… the freedom is here."