Chapter 851: Side Story 4: 88

Liu Junyan had been away for ten years.

Later, although they could meet at night, they always came and went in a rush.

This made Xiao Jiu always feel that his return was only temporary, and he would leave again soon.

Speaking from the heart, as time passed, Xiao Jiu missed Liu Junyan more and more.

That longing was buried deep in the bones, unable to be expressed to outsiders, something only oneself could slowly digest, and it was very tormenting.

Because of the uncertainty.

Although they were both cultivators who could live a long life if nothing unexpected happened, Xiao Jiu was unsure whether Liu Junyan would be able to return, when he would return, and when he would leave again.

It was precisely because of this uncertainty that Xiao Jiu became somewhat anxious about gains and losses.

She wanted to seize every moment of having him.

Liu Junyan placed his large hand on Xiao Jiu's head, pressed it toward himself, and lightly kissed her forehead; Xiao Jiu then heard him say: "After a while I might still leave, but if things go smoothly, I'll be back soon."

Xiao Jiu furrowed her brows: "What if things don't go smoothly?"

Liu Junyan didn't answer right away, and Xiao Jiu instinctively felt uneasy: "Is it related to that ancient great demon in the Suedi waters?"

"Yes." Liu Junyan said, "I've already traversed the entire Huaguo's dragon veins; only this last stop in Suedi still has a troublesome loose end. I must regularly go maintain the tower that suppresses it, otherwise problems could arise at any time."

Speaking of this, Xiao Jiu told Liu Junyan everything about Qiu Honglin: "I've had Grey Fifth Lord send people to watch him; so far he's behaved quite normally, that furnace of pills hasn't been finished yet, and I don't know whether anything will happen after it's done."

Xiao Jiu didn't think that furnace of pills was being refined for Qiu Honglin to eat himself.

He had begun taking the medicine made with two pieces of turtle shell as a guide; his body had indeed improved greatly, but it was still far from the level where he could take pills refined from turtle shell.

That was five pieces of turtle shell, plus many other precious medicinal ingredients; the pills refined from them could be imagined as extremely domineering.

It's obvious that these pills are being refined by Qiu Honglin for someone else.

To sell them outside?

Xiao Jiu thought the likelihood was low.

After all, when he pawned gold sand earlier, he said he lacked no money.

Then, who are these pills being refined for?

Although no connection has yet been found between Qiu Honglin and that ancient great demon in Suedi, Xiao Jiu still felt it better to be cautious.

Just in case.

And Liu Junyan had just returned from Suedi, so he might know some additional details.

Even if he knew nothing, having him around made Xiao Jiu feel more at ease.

Liu Junyan fell silent for a while before speaking: "Our Stabilize River has been rapidly growing; that's good. As for other uncertain factors, they're beyond anyone's control, so we should just let things take their natural course."

He then added: "Has the one in seclusion at Stabilize River not come out yet? May I go see him?"

Xiao Jiu shook her head: "Not yet, don't rush; when he's about to emerge, Lord Xiaoye will give us advance notice."

Liu Junyan acknowledged, then said: "Then I'll go see Shan Shan first; I haven't hugged my precious daughter in a long time."

"Shan Shan and Ranran have both grown into graceful young ladies; don't be overly affectionate, or you'll invite gossip." Xiao Jiu reminded, "Both girls are my heart's treasure; you must not favor one over the other."

Liu Junyan laughed: "No way; in my absence, that little rascal Ranran surely gave you plenty of warmth and comfort, and as her foster father I won't fall short."

Only then was Xiao Jiu satisfied.

The two then lingered affectionately for a while, chatting about many things.

They didn't get up until around ten o'clock.

Xiao Jiu was fiddling with her phone, planning to order takeout to get by, when Hui Moqiong and Li Qingying, the couple, came over.

They brought big and small boxes of dishes, all freshly packed from the restaurant, still hot.

Then came another round of greetings.

Li Qingying began plating the dishes, while Xiao Jiu went to pick a few bottles of good wine.

When Xiao Jiu returned to the dining area, she was somewhat dumbfounded.

Whose leaked news is this? Half the table is already full.

Xiao Jiu glanced at Hui Moqiong, who gave a silly grin.

From the moment he saw Liu Junyan, Hui Moqiong's big tooth has never stopped showing.

Surely it was him who spread the word.

The result was that from noon until night, Yin Dang Hang never had a moment of peace.

Everyone came one after another, and the dining tables were moved from the back restaurant straight to the front reception hall.

A large round table was set up; as they ate, drank, and chatted, every face beamed with genuine smiles.

When Hui Moqiong notified everyone, he must have given special instructions, because almost nobody arrived empty-handed.

Some brought cooked food, some brought desserts, some brought hot pot ingredients…

The children weren't left out either.

The hot pot began to bubble, the grill was set up, several tents were pitched beside the Zhu Pan River, and the kids will be camping tonight.

Xiao Jiu also witnessed Liu Junyan's "not falling short" in action.

Each child received a gift: a uniform little goldfish, shiny gold, one each.

Privately, Shan Shan and Ranran each received another gold bracelet, feeling heavy with age.

Of course, Xiao Jiu also got one.

Xiao Jiu felt embarrassed; this man has always been so simple and brutish.

What surprised Xiao Jiu even more was that this time even Hu Sanmei and Hu Yulin came.

Yin Mountain suffered heavy damage; initially the fox clan almost faced extermination, but with sufficient manpower from Yin Dang Hang and the Jiuyan District, Hu Yulin has steadily assisted Hu Sanmei in rebuilding the fox clan of Yin Mountain.

Rebuilding the fox clan is no easy task.

The destroyed parts of Yin Mountain can be rebuilt quickly, but the deceased clan members will never awaken again.

The turnover of personnel in a clan takes a very long time.

Among newborns, those with cultivation talent are already few, and nurturing them is also time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Absorbing new members from outside requires even more vigor and spirit.

In the first few years, Hu Sanmei needed to enter closed-door cultivation to recover quickly; the entire Yin Mountain was under Hu Yulin's sole control.

Later, Hu Sanmei emerged from seclusion, and the two again jointly managed Yin Mountain affairs.

They have gone through life and death together, endured hardships together; whether it's major affairs concerning the whole clan or trivial matters, they always discuss them together.

People, after staying together for a long time, will inevitably develop some different feelings.

Xiao Jiu didn't know who of the two first pierced that layer of window paper; in any case, one day she suddenly noticed that the Qìchǎng between the two of them seemed off.

Mysteriously... amorous and ambiguous.

Xiao Jiu keenly noticed.

But at that time she pressed Hu Sanmei for answers, and Hu Sanmei only said: 'The eight characters haven't even got a stroke; besides, Yulin is currently at the critical stage of breaking through to nine tails, so he might later ascend like Seventh Lord does. Our Yin Mountain fox clan needs such an existence. As for personal romantic feelings, they're just a seasoning in a boring life— for me, they're optional.'

Thinking of this, Xiao Jiu deliberately observed their interaction.

Heh.

What a supposedly optional thing...