12: Chapter 12 Prepare for the Enemy!

After bringing the Qingyuan Carp back to the manor... inside the courtyard, he saw Cuier busy renovating the place.

It was now autumn. When Shen Yi left yesterday, the peach trees in the courtyard had already gone dormant, leaving the place looking desolate.

But today, upon stepping into the courtyard, he inexplicably felt a hint of moisture... and saw flowers that remained evergreen throughout the seasons.

It was completely devoid of the dryness typical of the San-Shan Plains.

Only one thought crossed Shen Yi's mind...

Is this what you call a disgraced woman?

An evergreen Formation... this thing... consumes Spirit Stones, right?

Just what is this wealthy woman's background? How did she end up in such a state?

Wait... where is my study?

How did it get turned into a garden?

Wait... where am I supposed to sleep tonight?

Just as Shen Yi stood there in bewilderment, Cuier, who was bending down to plant seeds, noticed someone coming and quickly turned around.

"Master... you've returned?"

"I'll go inform the Young Miss immediately..."

"Master... the Young Miss says you may enter."

Shen Yi felt something was amiss...

Entering the room, Shen Yi felt even more bewildered.

"Wait... where is my three-legged stool?"

"What the heck is this small sandalwood-leaf yellow rosewood?"

"Why is incense burning?"

"Spiritual Qi... there's Spiritual Qi here too?"

"Did I invite a great Buddha into my home or something?"

He slowly looked up and saw Pei Lingshu sitting upright in the main seat, her expression calm. Only in her eyes did a flash of cold light seem to flicker.

He quickly smiled and stepped forward...

"Miss Pei... why are you up so early today?"

Pei Lingshu glanced at him and said indifferently.

"Early? What time do you think it is?"

"If it were any later... my dowry would have been spent by you!"

"Do you not realize that this is my dowry? Even if my status is that of a disgraced official's daughter, it is still mine!"

"How could you not consult me about such a big matter?"

Shen Yi quickly coughed twice and brought out a few food containers.

"Miss Pei... calm down. I imagine you're angry because you haven't eaten all day."

"I saw you didn't enjoy your meal yesterday, so today I specially packed a portion of every dish from Tianxiangju Restaurant."

Pei Lingshu was momentarily stunned.

[Anger Value - 25%]

Seeing the table full of food, the anger in Pei Lingshu's heart diminished slightly.

Shen Yi quickly rolled up his sleeves, placed a piece of fish on a plate, picked out the fish bones, and held it to Pei Lingshu's lips with his chopsticks.

Pei Lingshu reluctantly opened her mouth. Shen Yi said with a smile.

"Miss Pei is truly endowed with the spiritual essence of nature; even when angry, you are so beautiful!"

"Hmph!"

[Anger Value - 50%]

Pei Lingshu's face flushed slightly as she huffed,

"Next time you have something to do, you must tell me in advance..."

But Shen Yi said with a serious expression.

"I took the money, but not for myself... I was thinking of giving these commoners a sense of security."

"During the day, I discovered a Yao Beast nest that had come to scout Qinghe Town... I couldn't help but worry."

"That's why I thought to borrow from your dowry to purchase some necessary items."

"This is also for Miss Pei's safety."

Pei Lingshu was silent, then nodded imperceptibly.

"Understood."

Shen Yi quickly handed her a hazelnut pastry.

"I know that Miss Pei has a cold exterior but a kind heart; if you had known, you certainly wouldn't have blamed me."

"That's why I was so bold just now."

"Next time, I definitely won't be so rash."

"Hmph!"

[Anger Value - 25%]

Shen Yi took the jade hairpin from the rouge shop out of his pocket and said with a smile.

"On my way back, I happened to pass by the rouge shop, and I remembered that Miss Pei always ties your hair up with a band."

"So I thought of buying a jade hairpin."

"I'm a rough man and don't know how to pick these things... but I heard this was crafted from a South Sea pearl."

"I figured Miss Pei would like it."

After speaking, Shen Yi leaned forward slightly. The somewhat sour yet extremely masculine scent washed over her, making Pei Lingshu's eyes look unnatural and her face become shy.

She let the jade hairpin be tucked into her hair... The anger in her heart instantly hit rock bottom.

Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's.

"At least you still have some conscience..."

But the peace didn't last long; the next moment, the warm atmosphere was interrupted by a rough voice.

Outside the door, Wang Meng shouted,

"Sir... these Dao soldiers are ready!"

"Coming! Coming!" Shen Yi apologized and quickly ran out.

Pei Lingshu watched that figure in the green shirt and hemp robe... the back of which was already soaked with sweat. Far from looking disheveled, he actually had a unique charm...

Her gaze became somewhat strange, and then she said softly,

"Uncle Fu."

The old man's figure appeared out of thin air and bowed slightly.

"Young Miss..."

"What... did he buy?"

"City walls from the Pavilion of Craftsmen... um, a military household, artisans, able-bodied men... Ores, and things of that sort."

"And nothing for personal use?"

"It seems... there really isn't any."

"The only personal use... might be... might only be."

A smile curled at the corners of Pei Lingshu's mouth. She stroked the jade hairpin, which was not particularly precious to her.

"That's more like it..."

Having said that, she picked up the hazelnut pastry, put it in her mouth, and chewed on the faint deliciousness.

But Uncle Fu was somewhat puzzled.

"Young Miss... didn't you say hazelnuts always have a strange taste?"

"Oh... I have a cold, I can't taste it."

Uncle Fu looked depressed.

"Don't you hate these flashy decorations the most?"

"I want to change my style recently."

"..."

On Shen Yi's side, he arrived beneath the rakshasa statue.

These people were already wearing armor... although their height was far inferior to Wang Meng's, they were at least two meters tall.

The Evil Qi in their eyes was not strong, which was normal.

Most Dao soldiers in the Immortal Dynasty were veterans of many battles, tempered by sword fighting and bloodshed.

Right now, these were just for show.

However, with combat... two or three small battles would be enough to ignite the ferocity of the Rakshasa Guard. By then, Qinghe Town could rest easy!

Shen Yi didn't waste time either, simply distributing the food packed from Tianxiangju Restaurant... it could be considered a treat.

Afterward, he went on patrol and checked on the blacksmith shop. The construction of this blacksmith shop was also something the Pavilion of Craftsmen did while they were at it.

Only the Formation required the Immortal Dao consultants from the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce to build.

In about two days, it was already completed... and the Pavilion of Craftsmen really did their job after taking the money, without taking a single bit of graft from Qinghe Town.

Three days passed in a flash. In the early morning, Shen Yi washed his face... and when he looked outside, he was immediately delighted.

A city wall fully six or seven meters high firmly surrounded Qinghe Town. A yellow stone wall rose on the frontier, and five huge siege crossbows were built on top of it.

The four-sided city walls had two entrances. And those Cultivators from the Pavilion of Craftsmen... were already long gone.

Seeing this, Shen Yi's confidence increased greatly. Looking at the rate of return in his heart, he let out a long breath.

"Today, the diluojiang will certainly greatly increase the ferocity of the Yao Beasts."

"There will be a Yao Beast riot."

"That snake Yao nest will likely take advantage of the chaos!"

"Must be prepared!"

"It's happening today!"