The Young Master was bordering on the neurotic with frustration. After once again dealing with Ying Bokong's persistent questioning, Jun Moxie abruptly stood up, performed the entire sequence of the Nine Forms of the Ghost Eagle in one go, and then summarily abandoned the Grand Supreme Elder to seek some fresh air.

I'm clearly not cut out to be a master! Jun Moxie told himself.

By the small courtyard's flowerbeds, Guan Qinghan stood, clad in white as snow, her expression somewhat complicated.

"Sister-in-law, when did you arrive? Why didn't you have Ke Ce notify me?"

Jun Moxie's spirits lifted, and he stepped forward to engage her.

Compared to facing Ying Bokong's tombstone face, although Guan Qinghan was as cold as a snow-capped mountain, seeing her after Ying Bokong felt like moving from a sea of hellish blood to a heavenly garden.

It was truly an incomparably pleasing sight.

"I saw you were busy before, so I didn't want to disturb you!" Guan Qinghan’s usually aloof expression was tinged with complexity today; she seemed deeply preoccupied, her cool yet melancholic gaze fixed on the flora within Jun Moxie's courtyard. She murmured, "I suspect that across the entire capital, the flowers and plants grown by the Jun family are far more lush than anywhere else. It is already late autumn, and flowers that should have long since withered are still blooming—a truly remarkable sight."

"And within the Jun family estate, the plants in our three adjoining courtyards—yours, mine, and Third Uncle's—are the most vigorous. Among these three, yours surpass both mine and Third Uncle's. I don't know how Third Uncle tends to his, but every blade of grass and every tree in my section is meticulously cared for by me, yet they still fall short of the flowers here that were originally left untended. Heh, is there some secret to this?"

Jun Moxie's heart jolted.

Guan Qinghan had perceived an anomaly that others could not, one that he himself had noticed but was utterly incapable of concealing! They said women were perceptive; it was true.

He was cultivating constantly, whether drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth or utilizing the pure energy constantly circulating within the Hongjun Pagoda. Though people couldn't sense it, the trees and plants certainly benefited immensely, thriving with vitality. Even now, deep in autumn, within a certain radius centered on Young Master Jun’s residence, it was like an earthly paradise where a hundred flowers bloomed perpetually—a clear violation of natural order!

Jun Moxie had long been aware of this, but it was something he couldn't control.

It was tolerable for now; everyone was accustomed to it and didn't think much of it, as some plants could indeed grow well into autumn with proper care. But what if, during the dead of winter, his small courtyard remained a picture of lush greenery and vibrant life? That would draw too much attention. By then, even a fool would realize something was amiss.

"What's so strange about that? Isn't it just because the Jun family has good Feng Shui? Haha! So, Sister-in-law, your coming to our house means you're in for a good life, haha!"

Jun Moxie laughed heartily, his mind racing on how to remedy the situation. If necessary, he could simply switch to planting plum blossoms—the proud, frost-defying plum—which would naturally bloom in the deep winter without issue.

"Heh heh, a good life," Guan Qinghan's beautiful eyes fixed on a green leaf before her, and she murmured, "No, have I really been enjoying life?"

The Young Master immediately realized he had spoken wrongly. He nearly slapped himself; his mouth was utterly inept at conversation! Despite her respected status in the Jun family, Guan Qinghan was ultimately a Wangmen Gua (a widow whose marriage never materialized). What sort of life was she enjoying?

"You've had a hard time these past few days," Guan Qinghan managed to compose herself, and a rare, faint smile touched her usually cold and beautiful features. "Brother, I have a few things I wish to ask you. Is now convenient?"

"Sister-in-law, why ask such a thing? Please, ask away. I shall answer everything without reservation." Jun Moxie was forthright.

"Though I don't know how you achieved it, I heard from Third Uncle that you claimed the matter of the Blood Soul Manor was resolved, and Third Uncle actually believed you. I truly find that hard to accept. Now, look at me and tell me: has it really been resolved?" Guan Qinghan kept her head lowered, still watching the flowers. A slight breeze stirred, gently sweeping the soft strands of hair near her temples, revealing the delicate skin of her face and a stretch of her fair neck.

"More or less," Jun Moxie murmured, "At least, it's resolved for the time being." He inadvertently noticed that patch of delicate skin and allowed himself a lingering look—a free indulgence, a rare opportunity.

"Since you are so certain, even with my doubts, I am compelled to believe you. I suppose that in coming and going alone these past weeks, though I don't know precisely what you did, you managed to invite a Supreme Being into our home. This must have been the preparation you made to deal with the Blood Soul Manor and the Frostwind Silver City?"

Guan Qinghan offered a small smile. "I heard Third Uncle mention this. He holds you in high esteem. In my memory, Third Uncle has never truly admired anyone besides Grandfather and Father. You are the third person he has admired!"

Jun Moxie grumbled inwardly: Why is this Third Uncle suddenly such a blabbermouth, leaking everything? What use is it that he admires me? It would be better to offer some tangible benefits...

"That, well, I suppose so. Heh, heh, it was mostly coincidence." Jun Moxie rubbed his nose, his eyes still lingering on that exposed patch of fair neck, so absorbed he barely registered his own incoherent speech. Guan Qinghan, head bowed, seemed completely unaware of the unsavory gaze of the rogue before her.

"I also heard Third Uncle say that during our sparring matches recently, you were deliberately holding back, that your true abilities far surpass mine, and you restrained yourself specifically to avoid injuring me."

Hearing this, Guan Qinghan seemed to recall something, and a faint blush suddenly colored her beautiful face. The delicate blush on her fair skin was exceptionally alluring, a visual feast for Jun Moxie.

Jun Moxie’s eyes widened, he swallowed hard, and managed with difficulty, "Third Uncle is exaggerating. Don't believe him!"

"Why wouldn't I believe it? If you possess the capability to resolve all the crises facing the Jun family single-handedly, then possessing strength far beyond mine is entirely plausible." Guan Qinghan sighed with relief. "Moxie, you’ve grown up. You are no longer the..."

Jun Moxie broke into a cold sweat!

His sister-in-law, Guan Qinghan, looked barely twenty-two years old, yet she was adopting the posture of an elder to lecture him—a man who had been over thirty in his past life—telling him, "You’ve grown up." Jun Moxie suddenly felt his mind short-circuiting.

"Sister-in-law, you are also only in your early twenties... why do you speak with such an air of maturity? It’s unbearable." The Young Master’s face crumpled. In the past, if he had dared to say such a thing to her face, he would have earned a one-sided beating where he couldn't even strike back!

"Third Uncle said you have always been concealing your talents, and everyone misunderstood you," Guan Qinghan chuckled, and the ice on her face instantly melted, like a glacier dissolving to reveal a burst of blooming flowers. She tilted her head slightly, with a hint of coquetry, "However, there is one thing I truly cannot understand: were all your previous follies and misdeeds also part of that 'concealment'?"

"Uh... yes, yes, yes," Jun Moxie's brain spun rapidly, his eyes darting around. "Uh, Sister-in-law, you know our Jun family's predicament... I had no choice, I truly had no choice, ha ha!"

"The Jun family’s predicament is one thing, which I understand. But does it really have anything to do with the mischief you used to cause in front of me?" Guan Qinghan’s pretty face hardened, instantly turning cold again. She turned to face Jun Moxie for the first time, her phoenix eyes glaring.

"That, well, that was also... pretense, an act." Jun Moxie mentally cursed the original Jun Moxie: That brat caused trouble, and now I have to take the fall for him!

"Pretense? An act? Hmph!" Guan Qinghan stared at him with an icy expression. "If you have any more of this 'pretense' in the future, I will—I will—I will leave the Jun family and never return!" Guan Qinghan had intended to say, "I will hit you," but instantly remembered she couldn't possibly beat him now, so she quickly changed her words. However, because the threat wasn't delivered smoothly, regardless of her original intent, the meaning she meant to convey was completely lost. "...Yes, yes! I won't dare again, truly won't dare," Jun Moxie grinned, saying he wouldn't dare, but anyone could tell he hadn't taken it to heart.

"Hmph! A woman's reputation, how could it be..." she started angrily, "...used by you for a joke?"

"Then... what is it used for?" Jun Moxie let the words slip out before his mind caught up. The moment the sentence left his lips, the Young Master knew it was disastrous. This phrase was a major transgression. Not just now, but even in his past life, such words would be considered utterly despicable.

"You..." Guan Qinghan instantly trembled with rage, her eyes turning red. She took a deep breath, her expression freezing over. "So you haven't changed at all!" She turned sharply and walked away.

Look at my mouth!

The Young Master stood stunned for a moment, a suffocating feeling swelling in his chest. Suddenly, he roared, "***, Tang Fatty, are you planning to retire here? How long will this accounting take? Give me a straight answer! I'm unhappy today, don't force me to help you lose weight!" He ended up taking his anger out on Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan tumbled out in response, "Alright, alright! It’s done, it’s done!" waving a stack of papers in his hand. "Look, Master, Boss, I’ve organized everything based on the rough outline you gave me. See if this works; it should be pretty good."

Jun Moxie snatched it over and, after glancing at it for less than two pages, shoved it back, his eyes wide. "It’s fine, it’s fine! Excellent, truly excellent!"

"You haven't even looked closely yet," Tang Fatty felt wronged, as if his hard work was being ignored.

Jun Moxie rolled his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want to look closely; it was that he was utterly lost and couldn't comprehend the material. The Young Master realized that merely sketching out the rough framework from his past life's memories had resulted in this thick stack of plans and documents under Tang Yuan's hands. This Fatty is too talented. How did I never notice before?

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