Qin Gengyun and Qiu Zhihe’s expressions changed. With a wave of Qiu Zhihe’s delicate hand, the porridge, bowls, and chopsticks on the table were instantly stored into the Storage Bag, the messy bed on the bed became tidy, and all traces of joy were erased.

At the same time, the three of them reverted to their appearances as He Zhiqiu, Ruo Mei, and He Su.

Qiu Zhihe opened the door, her eyes red, looked at Wei Wan outside, and ran away covering her face.

Liu Su shouted from behind, "Junior Sister Ruo, don’t run, my brother didn’t mean that, oh no, you misunderstood!"

As she spoke, she turned back and tugged at Qin Gengyun, "Brother, hurry up and catch up, Junior Sister Ruo must think you’re a rogue, hurry and explain!"

Qin Gengyun sighed, "Junior Sister Ruo already rejected me just now, what use is it to catch up?"

The three of them each played their roles, and the originally questioning Wei Wan was left in a daze, only asking after a moment:

"What were you all doing here?"

Qin Gengyun opened his mouth but hesitated to speak, while Liu Su chattered away:

"It’s like this, Senior Sister Wei, my brother has always liked Junior Sister Ruo, so he asked her to meet here tonight, but my brother couldn’t speak properly and scared Junior Sister Ruo away!"

Liu Su spread her hands in a helpless gesture, as if to say her brother didn’t understand girls at all.

Wei Wan listened, her brows furrowed, looking the siblings up and down, feeling something was off.

Her upbringing and unique background made her unfamiliar with matters of the heart, making it hard for her to judge whether Liu Su was being truthful.

She then asked Qin Gengyun, "You want to speak with Junior Sister Ruo, why not do so in Qinhe Garden? Why come here?"

Qin Gengyun said ’helplessly’, "I originally planned to meet at Qinhe Garden, but Junior Sister Ruo was afraid of being spotted by fellow disciples, so I found this secluded place."

Wei Wan stared at Qin Gengyun, seeing the frustration on his face, seemingly still immersed in the gloom of rejection.

Wei Wan recalled when she returned to Qinhe Garden during the day, He Zhiqiu called out to Ruo Mei, only for Ruo Mei to respond with three slashes, which matched the siblings’ current story.

No,

Wei Wan remembered something and asked, "If Junior Sister Ruo had no interest, why agree to meet you here at night?"

Qin Gengyun was stunned, while Liu Su giggled and said:

"Oh, Senior Sister, aren’t you a woman too? How could you not understand this? Junior Sister Ruo must like my brother, that’s why she agreed to the date. But my brother was too hasty and scared her off. Brother, you really don’t understand a girl’s heart!"

Qin Gengyun scratched his head, "How would I know? This romance stuff is harder than cultivation!"

Liu Su chuckled, "Never mind, there will be more opportunities in the future, brother, let’s head back."

Qin Gengyun agreed, and the two bowed to Wei Wan, "Senior Sister, we’re heading back to Qinhe Garden."

Wei Wan nodded, watching their figures quickly fade into the distance, her eyes filled with doubt:

"Could they really have been talking about romance just now?"

...

The next day.

The disciples of Zhenyang Sect left Yunling Town, heading towards Zhenlian City.

Fang Xue’s leg injury had not healed, and Yunling Town needed someone to keep an eye on Yan Mengsheng, so Wei Wan left her in Yunling Town.

Before they set off, Xu Caihe received a message from Xu Jiangxing; Zhenlian City was still under control, and Xu Jiangxing’s wife and Zhou Ling’Er’s parents were all safe.

Xu Caihe and Zhou Ling’Er felt relieved and were in good spirits throughout the journey. They whispered with the other female disciples during breaks, occasionally glancing over at Qin Gengyun.

"Junior Sister Xu, I heard that last night, Junior Brother He seemed to have returned late with Junior Sister Ruo,"

one female disciple whispered, immediately catching the interest of others, who quickly asked:

"Really? How do you know? What did they do outside?"

The female disciple chuckled, "Alone and unsupervised, meeting late at night, what else could it be?"

Xu Caihe bit her lip, staying silent, while Zhou Ling’Er snorted:

"It could just be a coincidence. Yesterday, I noticed Junior Sister Ruo being indifferent to Senior Brother He, why would Senior Brother He embarrass himself?"

She told Xu Caihe, "Caihe, didn’t you say you were going to deliver clothes yesterday? Go now while it’s still daytime!"

"It’s daytime now, is that really appropriate?"

Xu Caihe instinctively touched her Storage Bag, feeling a bit anxious.

"What’s wrong with it? If you don’t go, Senior Brother He will be snatched away by a Fox Spirit!"

Meanwhile, Qin Gengyun was staring at Qiu Zhihe, who was now playing the role of Ruo Mei, sitting in a corner, perfectly portraying a gentle and shy Junior Sister Ruo.

She was waiting for Qin Gengyun to come pursue her.

The couple decided last night to use the identities of He Zhiqiu and Ruo Mei so that Qiu Zhihe could experience being courted.

Qin Gengyun got up and approached Qiu Zhihe, but saw that Shi Ying had reached her first, handing her a water jug:

"Junior Sister Ruo, have some water."

"Senior Brother Shi? Could he also be interested in Junior Sister Ruo?" The surrounding people were immediately excited to watch the scene unfold.

Qiu Zhihe was waiting for her husband to come and court her, but an unexpected person came first. She suddenly looked up, her eyes flashing with a cold light.

Shi Ying was so startled by her gaze that he took a step back, while Qin Gengyun had already walked over, holding a bouquet of wildflowers he’d picked at some point, and presented them to Qiu Zhihe:

"Junior Sister Ruo, you are as beautiful as this flower."

"?" Those around were stunned.

Mo Xiaolan widened her eyes in confusion, wondering what Qin Gengyun was doing.

Liu Su was dumbfounded, questioning whether her brother-in-law understood anything about courting girls.

The words were so cheesy!

Everyone else was cringing, but Qiu Zhihe’s face turned slightly red as she looked at the bouquet of wildflowers, her gaze filled with bashfulness.

Flowers from her husband were so beautiful!

He even said she was as lovely as the flowers, how sweet!

Qin Gengyun continued, "Junior Sister Ruo, why don’t we become cultivation partners?"

"?" Everyone was dumbfounded.

Liu Su raised her hand to her forehead, Oh dear, does my brother-in-law think this is what courting is?

But looking at my lady’s expression, she looks like she might actually agree?

"Oh my!"

An exclamation shattered the sweet yet awkward atmosphere.

Xu Caihe was pushed between Qin Gengyun and Ruo Mei. Her face was flushed, and encouraged by Zhou Ling’Er’s look, she mustered the courage to hand over the clothes to Qin Gengyun:

"Senior Brother He, your clothes got torn yesterday, and I happen to have a new set for you."

With that, she pressed the clothes into Qin Gengyun’s hands, turned her flushed face, and ran off.

Qin Gengyun, puzzled, looked down at the clothes in his hand.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort snapped him out of his daze. He looked up to see his wife, who was about to agree to him, now turned cold, turning away.

"No, Junior Sister Ruo, let me explain."

Qin Gengyun wanted to catch up, but Qiu Zhihe’s icy voice reached his ears:

"Pursue me for a month, and I might agree! If you flirt again, make it a year!"