Chapter 281 - 269: Exposed?

Chapter 281: Chapter 269: Exposed?

Just as Jiang Xu was so full of regret he could have beaten his chest and stomped his feet, the sound of soft footsteps from nearby suddenly put him on alert.

He quickly shifted his gaze, focusing his attention on the person approaching.

’Huh?’

The woman before him took Jiang Xu by surprise.

She was a Female Cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Great Perfection Realm. She looked to be only in her twenties, yet she already possessed such a profound Cultivation, which was truly rare.

Her bright eyes sparkled like stars, her teeth were like pearly shells, and her features were exquisite. She wore a light purple dress, ethereal and graceful, which complemented her temperament perfectly.

Under Jiang Xu’s stare, the Female Cultivator showed no unusual reaction and simply walked up to his side.

"Hello," she said.

’Hmm?’

’What does she want?’

Jiang Xu was dumbfounded.

She probably had no idea. That simple greeting was enough to make Jiang Xu break out in a cold sweat, his mind a chaotic mess.

’Who is she?’

’What is she planning?’

’Why say hello?’

’Couldn’t she say a little more and give me some other information?’

’And why is she talking to me? Is my disguise flawed? Did I mess something up?’

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Jiang Xu’s mind, only to be dismissed one by one.

Finally, after some deliberation, Jiang Xu decided on a perfectly safe reply.

"Hello."

The Female Cultivator actually chuckled out loud upon hearing his reply.

Her eyes curved into two little crescents, a brilliant starlight seeming to dance within them.

Her perfectly white teeth glinted in the sunlight, and her laughter was like a string of silver bells ringing in the wind—melodious, sweet, and captivating.

"I saw you thinking for so long, I thought you were going to say something profound. Turns out you were just going to repeat what I said," she teased after a few laughs.

"Ahem." Jiang Xu was struggling to keep his composure. "This... Clan Sister, may I ask what you need?"

Her interruption had almost made Jiang Xu call her "Fellow Daoist." Thankfully, he caught himself in time.

In Sun’s Immortal City, "Fellow Daoist" was not a common form of address at all; it was what you called outsiders.

Here, all forms of address were based on seniority.

If two people were not familiar with each other and didn’t know the other’s specific seniority, they would address each other based on Cultivation.

A Cultivator with a lower Cultivation would call a Cultivator of the same Realm with a higher Cultivation "Clan Brother" or "Clan Sister."

For someone a Realm higher, they would be called "Clan Uncle" or "Clan Aunt."

"Oh, it’s nothing. I was just a bit bored and happened to see you looking torn between Magical Artifacts and Elixirs. I thought I’d offer some help."

That was unexpected. Jiang Xu never thought he would hear such an answer.

Never before had Jiang Xu encountered a strange Cultivator who offered to help of their own accord.

In Dinghai State, Cultivators were generally selfish and wouldn’t even think of helping others.

Even when someone did offer help, most would assume the worst, always feeling that the person had ulterior motives.

Jiang Xu was no exception.

But for some reason, he felt that this Female Cultivator’s motive for talking to him was, in all likelihood, genuinely to help him.

Now that he knew her intentions, Jiang Xu lowered his guard and began to chat with her casually.

"You’re right, Clan Sister. I am having a hard time choosing. It’s just that the things I want require too many Spirit Stones, but I’m not willing to settle for something inferior, so I’m stuck."

"I see," she said, nodding thoughtfully. "How about this? I’ll lend you some Spirit Stones, and you can pay me back after you get your monthly allowance. What do you think?"

"Huh?" Jiang Xu’s eyes widened.

’Someone in a Cultivation Clan is offering to lend Spirit Stones to a stranger?’

’Aren’t they all just a little too kind and loving here?’

’Maybe I should stop being a Jiang and just become a Sun!’

"Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?" Jiang Xu said with an awkward smile.

"So you don’t want them?" She looked a little disappointed and made a show of leaving.

"I do, I do, I do!" Jiang Xu quickly reached out to stop her. ’How could I refuse Spirit Stones being handed to me on a silver platter? There’s no such logic in this world!’

But her attempt to leave was just a pretense. Seeing Jiang Xu stop her, she immediately turned back with a beaming smile and teased him.

"So it’s not too much trouble now?"

"Not at all."

"You may want them, but I can’t just give them to you directly."

"..." Jiang Xu was speechless. ’If you’re not going to give them to me, why are you running your mouth?’

"This is a loan, not a gift. At the very least, you have to let me know who I need to find to get my Spirit Stones back, right? Oh, right, you haven’t told me your name yet!"

’So that’s what she meant.’

Jiang Xu relaxed and laughed to himself.

’I’m not part of the Sun Family. Once I’m gone, she can search all she wants, but she’ll never find me.’

"My name is Sun Yuanming. What’s your name?"

"My name is Sun Zixuan."

After saying this, Sun Zixuan’s eyes widened as if she had just remembered something.

"Oh! I remember now! I’ve heard of someone named Sun Yuanming! He’s... he’s a clan junior from Fourth Elder’s branch!"

After saying this, Sun Zixuan happily clapped Jiang Xu hard on the back.

"You should’ve said so earlier instead of beating around the bush! Our two branches are the closest! I’d only heard of you before, never met you. Now that I see you today, you really are handsome and talented! Not bad, not bad at all!"

Jiang Xu was in no mood to appreciate the considerable force of the pat on his back. He was completely stunned.

He truly hadn’t expected this.

’How could a name I just made up on the spot actually belong to a real person?!’

But then Jiang Xu thought about it again. Perhaps such a coincidence was inevitable.

After all, there were so many members of the Sun Family, and the name "Yuanming" was full of profound meaning, so it was probably used quite often.

With such a large population, the probability of a fabricated name matching a real person’s was bound to be high.

However, this also served as a wake-up call for Jiang Xu.

’You really can’t just pick names randomly. It can easily lead to trouble.’

’For now, though, I just need to deal with this Female Cultivator.’

"Haha, Clan Sister, I didn’t expect this either. No wonder I felt such a connection the moment I saw you. Um... Clan Sister, you see, about those Spirit Stones..."

"Easy, easy!" Sun Zixuan’s eyes danced, her gaze enchanting. "But I have one more question for you. As long as you answer it correctly, then everything—Spirit Stones or otherwise—is negotiable."

"What question?" Jiang Xu asked, confused.

Sun Zixuan set up a Sound Insulation Shield around them, then stood on her tiptoes and whispered into Jiang Xu’s ear.

Her breath was like the delicate fragrance of a night-blooming cereus—faint, sweet, yet tinged with an elusive, cool elegance. It was very pleasant.

Her words, however, sent a chill down his spine, making him feel as if he had been plunged into an ice cave.

"I just want to ask..."

"As an outsider, why have you come to our Sun Clan? And how dare you be so brazen as to shop in our stores without any attempt at concealment?"

"I heard a ship from Dinghai State docked at Greed Wolf Island two days ago. Don’t tell me... you actually came from that ship?"

’She actually found out!!!’

Jiang Xu froze on the spot, completely still.

His mind once again descended into chaos.

’How?’

’When did she figure it out?’

’What mistakes did I make that gave me away?’

’It can’t be! I was so careful!’

’What’s she going to do next?’

’Is she going to expose me right here and now?’

’Or is she going to use this to blackmail me into obeying her orders?’

’Should I make a move on her right now?’

A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator could easily deal with a Qi Cultivation Cultivator, even one at the Great Perfection stage.

But to quickly and silently eliminate a Qi Cultivation Great Perfection cultivator in a public place, especially one protected by an Array, was extremely difficult.

Even Jiang Xu couldn’t do it.

’It seems I can only take this one step at a time.’

"How could that be, Clan Sister? You must be joking. How could I be one of those despicable outsiders? Ah, that’s right, I remember Clan Uncle needed me for something urgent. I won’t borrow those Spirit Stones after all. You can keep them for yourself."

Laughing it off, Jiang Xu tried to make a quick escape, but Sun Zixuan had no intention of letting him leave. She grabbed his sleeve and said fiercely:

"Hey, are you a man or not? How can you lie and then not even dare to admit it?!"

"There’s no one named Sun Yuanming in Fourth Elder’s branch, and besides, his branch has the worst relationship with ours!"