AUOF - 145

The brief astonishment made her tears catch in her throat, lingering without falling.

Si Tu haphazardly wiped away her tears. “Wishful thinking.” But no matter what, her mood had certainly improved significantly.

“Hasn’t rebuilding the divine temple for your mother always been something you wanted to do?” Sang Li wasn’t joking. “They’ve only lost their trust in your mother, but that doesn’t mean they’ve lost their faith.”

Si Tu lowered her head in thought.

Sang Li’s words weren’t without reason. After all, for ten thousand years, the people of Desolate Water had believed in the Saintess so devoutly. Now, the flame had temporarily died down, but perhaps one day, it would rekindle a faint glow...

Si Tu couldn’t help but look behind her.

The Saintess closed her eyes, holding the Sea God Pearl in her hands. Despite her battered state, she still looked upon the world with compassion.

Sang Li decisively took her hand. “Come on, let’s go back and discuss it with Ji Hengyu. I’m sure there’ll be a way.”

The two walked out of the Saintess Shrine arm-in-arm.

Nearing Qinggu’s house, they happened to run right into Qinggu returning.

He was carefully supporting a white-haired elder. Judging by the situation, that must be Qinggu’s grandfather.

Before Sang Li could even greet him, she saw the elder’s narrowed eyes suddenly widen, as if he had seen something incredible. His finger trembled as he pointed at Si Tu, his beard shaking. “You, you—!”

He was too shocked to speak, almost losing his breath.

The people around them looked worried, then they heard him say with full voice, “It really is you! When Qinggu came to find me, I already had my doubts, and now I see it’s true! Get out! Desolate Water does not welcome the child of a sinner!!”

The child of a sinner?!

As his words fell, everyone around them gasped.

The eyes that surrounded them held various expressions: suspicion, surprise, and also deep rejection and disgust.

Si Tu couldn’t help but take two steps back, her face beneath the veil suddenly drained of color.

Sang Li glanced at Si Tu, frowned, and stepped in front of her. “What ‘child of a sinner’? Don’t spout nonsense.”

The elder sneered, fiercely tapping the ground with his cane. “The Desolate Water clan is born with keen senses. When I was a child, I once saw a portrait of the sinner. You are identical to her, and your spiritual aura is also different from the Desolate Water clan. There’s no mistake, she must be Xiao’s daughter!”

The old man’s voice was strong and resonant, echoing around, causing much uproar.

Caught off guard, a stone was thrown from the crowd, hitting Si Tu’s shoulder. She looked over in anger, only to meet the eyes of a young child.

“Get out! Leave Desolate Water!”

He yelled in a childish voice, showing no fear.

“Go away!!”

“Sinners of the world are not allowed to step foot in Desolate Water!”

“Desolate Water doesn’t welcome you! Go quickly!!”

Suddenly, the crowd became enraged, and various objects were hurled.

Sang Li unhesitatingly shielded Si Tu, pulling her tightly into her embrace, letting the thrown vegetable leaves and eggs land on her own body.

Si Tu’s fingers loosened and tightened, indignation burning in her chest. She couldn’t bear it any longer, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes. Just as she was about to pull out her Flowing Cloud Whip, Sang Li quickly grasped her wrist, shaking her head in disapproval.

The Desolate Water clan already held prejudices against Xiao and Emperor Qi.

What Emperor Qi did, although it couldn’t be blamed on Si Tu, couldn’t be simply dismissed either. If they wanted to change the current situation, they absolutely couldn’t create conflict now. Resistance would only make things worse.

The noise outside finally caught Ji Hengyu’s attention.

He fanned out his bone-drawing fan to set up an array, and a barrier instantly formed, deflecting all the objects being hurled by the surrounding people.

The anger in the crowd had not subsided. Everyone followed their gaze and angrily shouted, “He’s with them! Come on! Drive them all out! Drive them out of Desolate Water!”

Ji Hengyu closed his jade fan and gracefully approached the crowd.

He paid no attention to the shouting behind him, his eyes intently fixed on the elder. Then he smiled, “It’s been a thousand years, and A’Song has also grown old.”

The elder squinted, scrutinizing Ji Hengyu several times.

The Desolate Water clan could live at most six hundred years, and this elder was already over eight hundred years old. Sensing the familiar aura, and after confirming his identity, he immediately paled with shock. He hastily pushed away Qinggu’s supporting hand, about to kneel before Ji Hengyu. “Is it really Grand Ancestor??”

Ji Hengyu smiled faintly, extending his hand just in time to support the elder’s arm, his voice gentle: “It is I. There’s no need for such ceremony.”

The elder’s eyes brimmed with tears, and he covered his face with his sleeve, sobbing softly.

Such a scene was truly startling in this setting.

Not only the Desolate Water clansmen, but even Sang Li and Si Tu were dumbfounded.

Si Tu temporarily forgot the previous conflict and whispered to Sang Li, “What’s going on? Does Ji Hengyu have a grandchild?”

Sang Li was also extremely bewildered. “I don’t know.” She paused and said, “He does have a junior who looks about eighty years old.”

Thinking of the unpleasant memory from Wuding Sect, Sang Li couldn’t help but shiver, forcibly banishing that disgusting experience from her mind, and focused on the current situation.

The elder was so emotional that he almost fainted from crying, but Ji Hengyu timely gave him a spiritual pill, which helped him regain his composure.

Qinggu was equally confused about what was happening. He gratefully glanced at Ji Hengyu and bowed to the elder, asking, “Grandfather, do you know them?”

The elder shook his head. “More than that,” he said. “Eight hundred years ago, when my great-grandfather was alive, he traveled to Bujimen Sea. His entire merchant fleet encountered a shipwreck. Thanks to Grand Ancestor passing by and saving them, my great-grandfather was grateful and recognized Grand Ancestor as his master. So, I also follow suit and call him Grand Ancestor.”

Tears shimmered in his eyes. “Although I was a child then, I always remembered Grand Ancestor’s life-saving grace. Now that I am old, to be able to see Grand Ancestor again is truly a blessing.”

“It was merely a small favor, yet you remember it to this day; I am truly honored.” Ji Hengyu said, glancing at Sang Li and Si Tu beside him, his voice gentle. “These two are my wife and my beloved wife’s friend. A’Song, could you perhaps do us a favor and not make things too difficult for them?”

The elder was utterly flustered upon hearing this and profusely apologized to Sang Li.

She frowned upon hearing him, neither accepting nor refusing, her face cold as she dealt with the filth on her clothes.

Remembering their previous impertinence, the elder couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. He ordered Qinggu to disperse the onlookers, and then called a maid to attend to them, ushering them into a side room to change clothes, and respectfully welcomed them into the house.

After Sang Li and Si Tu changed their clothes, they didn’t go to the front hall to join the commotion. Instead, they stayed in the room, eating the small snacks and fruits unique to Desolate Water.

Currently, she had no good feelings for the Desolate Water people at all. Even looking at the elder made her feel he was hypocritical. If it weren’t for Ji Hengyu’s influence, they might have been driven out by now.

Bah!

Hypocrites.

Given Ji Hengyu’s nature, he could actually chat with him for so long.

“Is this the ‘different method’ Ji Hengyu mentioned for those who don’t agree?”

“Probably,” Sang Li said indifferently, cracking melon seeds while glancing out the window.

The courtyard was empty. Ji Hengyu hadn’t returned yet, likely still chatting.

Suddenly, Si Tu moved closer, reaching out to lift her clothes. Sang Li quickly pulled her sleeve, her eyes full of vigilance. “What are you doing?”

Si Tu rolled her eyes: “What I have, you have too. You’re not going to get hurt, are you? I just want to see if you were injured.”

“Oh.” Sang Li let go of her hand, her eyes darting around. She leaned close to Si Tu’s ear and whispered, “I’m not stupid. When they threw things at me, I used a spell to block them, but they didn’t notice.”

Seeing her looking quite pleased, Si Tu felt both helpless and amused. “Why go through all that trouble? If you can’t fight back, can’t you at least leave? Standing there and taking the abuse.”

Si Tu was accustomed to such vexations. When she was little, she would be scared and hide behind pillars to cry. Later, she thought, why should she suffer such humiliation? So, she started trying to fight back. If she could win, she’d fight; if not, she’d quickly curse them a few times and then run. In short, she wouldn’t let herself lose out.

Slowly, the words “arrogant and overbearing” became imprinted on her forehead.

Sang Li shook her head in disapproval.

She sat up straight, cleared her throat, and lectured, “You don’t understand. That group of villagers outside... no, your clan members have deep prejudices against us. If they can’t vent their anger, prolonged suppression will only make things worse. They say to return good for evil. Later, when we help them and they remember this kindness, they will only feel guilty and make it up to us tenfold. In short, we won’t lose out.”

She spoke with sound reasoning, leaving Si Tu stunned.

After a moment, she finally responded: “From what you’re saying, you have a plan?”

Sang Li smirked mischievously, wiggling her toes, and raised her chin, looking rather pleased: “I won’t tell you yet.”

Perhaps truly happy about this idea, her brows danced, and her expression was exceptionally lively. Si Tu’s heart warmed, and she suddenly felt that all the previous embarrassments she had experienced were irrelevant.

Si Tu lowered her gaze in thought. “A’Li, you and Ji Hengyu have other matters to attend to. You really don’t need to...”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Sang Li quickly interrupted her. “Since we’re already here, doing one thing is doing it, doing two things is also doing it. Besides, it’s not a conflict; it could even kill two birds with one stone.”

The more Sang Li said this, the more Si Tu couldn’t suppress her curiosity.

The two waited for a long time, finally seeing Ji Hengyu’s figure appear at the doorway.

Sang Li eagerly went to meet him. “How did it go?”

She came down hastily, a small, uncleaned water mark from plum fruit still on the corner of her mouth. Ji Hengyu reached out to wipe it clean for her, then shook his head: “The location where the sword jade fell is a forbidden area of Desolate Water. Forcibly entering might cause trouble.”

Each clan had its own rules.

In the current situation, unless absolutely necessary, Ji Hengyu did not want to create more enmity with Desolate Water.

“Did your old grandson tell you that?”

Her sarcastic tone made Ji Hengyu chuckle. Knowing she had a grudge, he figured if he didn’t explain now, she’d probably hold it against him later.

“I’m not that kind. Actually, it was Qi who saved them back then; the credit just fell to me.” Ji Hengyu said, “Desolate Water is, after all, a place where dragon veins reside. I thought that there would always be a need in the future, so I took the opportunity to sell this favor.”

Coincidentally, it came in handy now.

Sang Li pouted, still feeling annoyed. “All the harm was done by Emperor Qi. Xiao, as the Saintess of the Water God, protected Desolate Water’s peace. It’s one thing that they aren’t more grateful, but now they even blame Si Tu. He can remember your small favor, but he doesn’t appreciate Lady Xiao’s eight thousand years of blood and sacrifice for Desolate Water. They’re just hypocrites who preach righteousness, yet you could talk to him for so long.”

Ji Hengyu chuckled after hearing this. “Are you mad that I talked to him for so long, or that I left you alone here for so long?”

Sang Li was hit in a sensitive spot and awkwardly averted her gaze, unwilling to look at him.

Ji Hengyu’s smile deepened. He couldn’t help but gently rub her earlobe. Seeing her about to brush his hand away, he smoothly gripped her wrist and lowered his head to kiss the inside of her wrist.

The two were openly intimate, completely disregarding the living person behind them.

Si Tu was first embarrassed, then angry, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, she let out a loud cough, forcibly reminding them of her presence.

Only then did Sang Li remember Si Tu. She hastily pulled her hand back, stood obediently, and tried to compose herself, saying to Ji Hengyu with a very serious expression, “Oh, right, we also need to discuss proper matters.”

Ji Hengyu had always been thick-skinned. Not only was he not embarrassed, but he enjoyed seeing her so flustered.

He poured himself a glass of cold tea and naturally sat down. “Mmm, you tell me.” He smiled at Sang Li. “I’ll listen to you.”

Sang Li couldn’t fail to see he was teasing her.

She pursed her lips, then angrily kicked him.

Behind them, Si Tu let out another heavy—

“Cough!”

That’s enough. The sun hasn’t even set yet.