Chapter 7: The Lioness

By the stream, the snow from the mountain has just melted, being bitterly cold but incredibly clear.

Ye Chen removed his shoes, took off his shirt, and dived into the water wearing only trousers.

Ren Haotian saw everything and mumbled to himself, "He's definitely from the countryside."

Su Zhanze overheard him, and said, "He's our brother!"

Only then did Ren Haotian smile and reply, "I understand. I'm not looking down on him."

"No ridiculing in the future," Zhanze warned.

The three of them were by the stream, and the bank was covered with round pebbles, similar to donkey dung.

Noticing the depth of the water, and with half of his long arms submerged, Ren Haotian asked, "Ye Chen, can you reach the bottom?"

Ye Chen started to wade around and replied, "Don't worry, this is indeed deeper than our paddy fields back home, but it's quite clear. I can see the bottom."

"Do you need any help?" Haotian asked.

"If possible, help me set up a fire."

Su Zhanze urgently nudged Yuan Jingxing who, upon hearing this, went to gather dry firewood.

Ren Haotian sat down on a pile of stones.

"Should I get things properly prepared?" Su Zhanze wondered if he should welcome Guo Yuqing in the grandest manner now that she was on her way.

Ren Haotian took a look at him, smiled slightly and said, "Preparation is necessary, but I'm worried that you'll only get more nervous. And strenuous planning might lead to sleeplessness."

His words resonated with Su Zhanze, who admitted, "I can't help it. For some reason, I get super nervous whenever I see her. It's as if I'm bewitched."

Ren Haotian chuckled, "You are just trying too hard. You want to present your best to her, but the more you do, the more mistakes you make, and things become less ideal. She's just a woman, why bother overthinking things?"

Swoosh, swoosh...

Ye Chen tossed several lively fish back onto the shore.

Ren Haotian stood and exclaimed, "Wow, you actually succeeded in catching some fish!"

"Hmm, quite a few," Ye Chen replied, busy as ever, also asking them if they knew how to scale fish.

Ren Haotian shook his head and suggested, "Let me call a maid over."

Right. How would they know how to clean fish? Ye Chen relented, "All right, just keep the fish from jumping back into the water. I'll catch a few more, then come to deal with them."

"Okay, hurry up," Ren Haotian replied, picking up a branch to block the fish from escaping back into the water.

Jiang Shizi, followed by her maid Bi Chun, crossed a bridge from the other side of the river and noticed the group.

Yuan Jingxing was lighting a large fire.

But they saw a shirtless kid, seemingly unaffected by the cold, wading in the water. Shizi asked, "Who's that kid?"

Upon hearing, Bi Chun shook her head and replied, "I don't know. I've never seen him before, but I did hear that the Sect Leader brought back a new Junior Sister and a kid yesterday."

"Let's go and have a look," Shizi suggested.

The busy trio of Su Zhanze didn't notice Jiang Shizi approaching.

They only look up when they heard someone remark, "Where did you find this country bumpkin?"

Ren Haotian turned and started to snicker.

Zhan Ze retorted, "Can't you speak nicely for once?"

Having found a nickname for Jiang Shizi that sounds like 'lioness', Zhan Rose usually referred to her as 'Mother Lion'.

Jiang Shizi, angered by the nickname, threw her wild pear at Zhan Ze, but he easily dodged it.

Zhan Ze called out, "Ye Chen, you can stop now. We have enough fish."

Ye Chen agreed, still holding a fish tightly in his hands as he hurried to shore, shivering from the cold.

"Hurry up and get dressed," Su Zhanze handed over Ye Chen's clothing.

Jiang Shizi took a better look at Ye Chen. He had a decent face and tanned skin. A little too rural, perhaps. She asked, "So he's the kid your father brought back from the countryside?"

"Yes, so what?" Zhan Ze replied, then to Ye Chen said, "This is Jiang Shizi, just call her 'Mother Lion' in the future."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shizi warned, "You wouldn't dare!"

Having buttoned his shirt, Ye Chen gave her a once-over. Indeed, the beauty of the girls in Immortal City was unmatched. Her face, soft like lotus just out of water, made it irresistible not to caress.

Zhan Ze teased further, "This maid here, her name is Bi Chun. If you want to make her your wife, just let me know, I'll make it happen."

Ye Chen could only laugh at this nonsense.

Bi Chun, getting anxious, said, "My Master Ze, what are you talking about!"

Ye Chen, now in his shoes, took out a small knife from his bag, went to deal with the fish that were about to jump back into the water.

Zhan Ze instructed, "Bi Chun, you should go and help out!"

"No!" She responded as if getting too close to the kid would poison her.

"Are you even a maid! I tell you, from now on, Ye Chen is our brother, the fourth among us."

Upon hearing this, Bi Chun pouted.

Jiang Shizi nudged her, "Go help!"

Ye Chen, although a little naive, understood their reluctance. But he kept motivating himself, 'You must hold your ground as a country bumpkin!' He insisted, "It's fine. I can handle it myself."

Jiang Shizi picked up an egg-shaped stone and began throwing it into the water, making waves.

"Why are we so hungry we had to fish in the river?" Jiang Shizi questioned.

Zhan Ze replied, "What's wrong with catching fish? We're just having fun."

"Oh, no, it's fun," she agreed casually.

Ren Haotian, who was sitting by the stream, looking at it dreamily, suddenly asked, "Lioness, does Qing'er have someone she likes?"

His words nearly made Jiang Shizi explode, "Bullshit! How is it possible for Qing'er to have someone she likes? If she did, wouldn't I already know?"

"Then why is she still indifferent despite our Zhan Ze doing his best?" Ren Haotian asked.

Jiang Shizi squatted down and said, "Qing'er isn't good at expressing her feelings, and she thinks we are too young to think about this stuff."

Zhan Ze asked, "So you said she's coming to Immortal City?"

"Hmm!" Jiang Shizi answered.

"When?"

"The exact time hasn't been determined, but it should be in the next few days, depending on the weather," she replied.

Remembering Haotian said she was not happy, Zhan Ze wondered, "I heard she came here to blow off some steam, it seems she isn't happy at the Demon Palace."

Hearing this, Jiang Shizi sighed deeply and explained, "You know, her stepmother despises her dead birth mother and vents all her resentment on Qing'er, tormenting her every chance she gets."

Zhan Ze was left speechless.

"But don't worry. She's gotten used to it. As long as she's here, we should keep her happy," Shizi suggested.

They didn't need Shizi to tell them that. Zhan Ze knew perfectly what to do.

Ye Chen skewered the cleaned fish on a bamboo stick and brought them over.

Yuan Jingxing suggested, "Let's roast them like this. Should we get some seasonings?"

Ye Chen took out a white bottle from his bag, "Seasonings."

"You carry this with you?"

"The kids who herd cattle in the countryside often go out too far to return for lunch, so we always carry some with us," Ye Chen explained.

"But I'm not really good at grilling."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen volunteered, "Then I'll do it then!"