173: The Chu family's "ancestor"

When she clearly saw the two figures slowly stepping out from the spatial ripples,

especially when she saw the man with his arms crossed and a signature mischievous grin on his Face,

Chu Qianqian, who had been exuding Killing Intent, froze on the spot.

"It's you?!"

Her eyes, which were usually as cold as ice and snow, were now wide and round.

In the next second, the door in her mind that she had forcibly Sealed seemed to be kicked open.

Those buried, unbearable memories flooded back like a tide.

That was before at Yaochi, in that misty Spirit Pool... She had forced this matter to the bottom of her heart and had almost succeeded in self-hypnosis, letting herself forget it.

But now, seeing Lu Yi, the "culprit," standing right in front of her and smiling,

those scenes instantly became incredibly clear, even playing on a loop before her eyes.

"Shua!"

Almost instantly, her shame transformed into overwhelming rage.

On Chu Qianqian's beautiful Face, which was originally like an iceberg snow lotus, her aloof mask instantly crumbled.

In its place was a touching blush and a gnashing of teeth in shameful indignation.

"Lu... Yi!!"

She glared at Lu Yi, grinding her silver teeth, her eyes seemingly spitting real flames.

She was about to question this lecher about why he was here and if he was stalking her again with ill intentions.

However, before Chu Qianqian could erupt,

Shen Yueyao's eyes lit up as she looked at the woman before her, whose temperament had changed greatly but whose appearance was still familiar.

Although she and Chu Qianqian belonged to different factions, they had felt a connection after meeting during a previous training expedition.

Shen Yueyao completely ignored the strange and tense atmosphere.

She stepped forward and actually took Chu Qianqian's hand very affectionately, greeting her with a Face full of excitement:

"It really is Qianqian! I thought you looked familiar just now, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me! We haven't seen each other since we last parted! I didn't expect to run into you here!"

"Uh..."

Shen Yueyao's enthusiastic and familiar greeting directly forced the harsh words Chu Qianqian was about to say back into her stomach.

As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling Face.

Chu Qianqian could only force herself to swallow her shame and anger.

The corners of her mouth twitched wildly, and the expression on her Face was so stiff it looked like she was crying:

"Yes... yeah... long time no see..."

She responded to Shen Yueyao's words sporadically, trying her best to maintain a surface level of politeness.

But her eyes were like hooks.

Taking advantage of Shen Yueyao not paying attention, she would glare viciously at Lu Yi from time to time.

That look clearly said:

"You bastard! Just you wait! This isn't over!"

How delicate was Shen Yueyao's mind.

Coupled with the fact that the two had just finished their "Physique Resonance" Cultivation, her perception of Lu Yi's emotions was terrifyingly sharp.

She naturally noticed Chu Qianqian's eyes, which were constantly glued to Lu Yi, and the changes in Lu Yi's mood.

They didn't look like they were looking at strangers at all, but rather like they were looking at... a bickering pair?

"Hmm?"

Shen Yueyao's gaze circled between the two, her expression gradually becoming playful.

She asked, pretending to be casual:

"By the way, Qianqian. Looking at your reaction... you and Lu Yi have known each other for a long time? And it seems... your relationship isn't exactly shallow?"

Hearing this, Chu Qianqian almost exploded.

"Who knows him?!"

She jerked her gaze away, turning her head to the side as if struck by lightning, leaving them with only a tsundere profile.

She snorted coldly, her tone stiff, hurried, and full of an attempt to cover something up:

"Who knows this lech... cough, this guy! I don't know him! I've never seen him! How could I possibly know such a shameless person!"

Seeing Chu Qianqian's typical "protesting too much" display,

Lu Yi shrugged helplessly, spreading his hands to show his innocence, and didn't expose her on the spot.

After all, their relationship was indeed... not shallow.

Meanwhile, Shen Yueyao understood everything perfectly.

"Heh, you don't know him? If you don't know him, why are you so agitated? It seems... there are quite a few stories here."

However, to save her Face, Shen Yueyao did not delve deeper into the topic.

She blinked and skillfully shifted the focus.

"Alright, alright, if you don't know him, you don't know him."

Shen Yueyao looked at Chu Qianqian with curiosity and asked:

"Let's not talk about that. What I'm more curious about is... Qianqian, as the Yaochi Saintess, why did you come to Cangyuan City? And..."

Shen Yueyao pointed towards the Chu family gate and said, stifling a laugh:

"That Chu Siyao just now actually called you 'Old Ancestor'? Your seniority has risen way too fast, hasn't it?"

At the mention of the title "Old Ancestor,"

a trace of extreme embarrassment and helplessness flashed across Chu Qianqian's beautiful Face once again.

Obviously, for a young and magnificent girl in her prime,

being chased and called "Old Ancestor" by a group of people every day was indeed a form of mental torture.

"Sigh..."

She sighed, rubbing her temples with a headache, and explained helplessly:

"This... is a long story. I came here mainly because, by chance, I obtained a Legacy in some ancient ruins."

"And the owner of that Legacy... as luck would have it, happens to be an ancestor of the Cangyuan City Chu family who failed their Ascension a thousand years ago."

Chu Qianqian looked utterly dejected:

"As soon as I arrived in Cangyuan City, those old men of the Chu family sensed the tokens and the aura of the Cultivation Technique on me. They then insisted that I am the Reincarnation of their ancestor, or the only successor chosen by the ancestor."

"They insisted on honoring me as the Old Ancestor and even wanted to give me control over the entire Chu family. It was useless no matter how much I explained; they are just stubborn, and I'm quite helpless too."

Shen Yueyao listened in shock and couldn't help but click her tongue:

"That works too? Just because of a Legacy, they recognize you as their ancestor? These Chu family people... are they too open-minded? Or are they just too desperate to cling to someone powerful?"

This kind of forced kinship seemed strange and absurd no matter how you looked at it.

While the two women were still discussing the rationality of the Chu family's "ancestor recognition" move,

Lu Yi, who hadn't spoken, was stroking his chin, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

He looked at Chu Qianqian, a knowing smile slowly curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Hehe..."

Lu Yi pondered to himself, instantly seeing through everything:

"Legacy? Reincarnation? That might fool Yueyao. If I'm not mistaken... what those old men of the Chu family recognize is probably not Chu Qianqian, but..."

Lu Yi's gaze seemed to penetrate Chu Qianqian's body, looking at a deeply hidden Soul fluctuation within her:

"It's that Soul that has been residing in her and ran away when things looked bad last time at Yaochi, right?"

"So... that accompanying 'Old Grandma' is the Old Ancestor of the Chu family. This is getting interesting."