Chapter 41: Not Acquainted
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Just as Xu Ning'an was about to fall into Han Jie's arms, a force suddenly caught her firmly, preventing her from brushing even the corner of his robe.
Han Jie smiled. “Thank you for your trouble, Junior Sister Xu. Once you return, please convey my thanks to Senior Brother Shen on my behalf.”
After setting down the box, Xu Ning'an floated over to Han Jie's side. “Senior Brother Han, what are you doing?”
She was dressed in a pink pleated gauze dress with tassels, and a vivid pink camellia was tucked into her hair. The flower made her fair skin appear even more delicate and her figure more slender.
“It is only some routine work for the Medicine Hall,” Han Jie replied. “I have no time to entertain you, Junior Sister Xu. Please forgive me.”
Xu Ning'an blinked, then obediently stepped aside and focused on watching him speak with the others.
How strange. She had thought that after becoming accustomed to the extraordinary beauty of the senior brothers on Snow Crane Peak, she would look down somewhat on someone as unremarkable in appearance as Han Jie.
Yet Xu Ning'an simply could not take her eyes off him. The longer she watched, the more she felt that Han Jie possessed an extraordinary bearing and an undeniable charm.
When he spoke with others, his expression was affable and approachable, without the slightest hint of arrogance.
And yet, there was an ineffable calmness about him that made those nearby instinctively hold their breath, not daring to act rashly.
The last time Xu Ning'an had sensed such an aura was in the presence of her master, Immortal Lord Cloud Hermit.
Han Jie suddenly turned to look at her. “Junior Sister Xu, should you not return and report to Senior Brother Shen?”
Xu Ning'an wrinkled her nose. “Are you trying to send me away, Senior Brother Han?”
“Of course not,” Han Jie said with a smile. “It is only that you cannot help much here, nor can you join the conversation. I was afraid you might feel awkward.”
Xu Ning'an smiled like a blooming flower, shallow dimples appearing in her cheeks. “Not at all. I think it is very interesting to watch Senior Brother Han work! Just ignore me and go about your business.”
Han Jie smiled faintly but said nothing.
Only after he had finished did Han Jie prepare to return to his cave dwelling, when Xu Ning'an called out to him.
“Senior Brother Han, are you free recently?”
“I cannot say for certain,” Han Jie replied. “Is there something you need?”
Xu Ning'an beamed. “My Third Senior Brother’s spirit pet discovered a nest of Crystal Soul Sky Spiders. There are quite a few spider eggs inside, so we are planning to bring people from our sect to subdue them in a few days. Crystal Soul Sky Spiders are quite useful to cultivators of medicine too, aren’t they? Would you like to come with us, Senior Brother Han?”
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Han Jie smiled. “I am not one of your sect members, and I am unfamiliar with the others. How could I shamelessly tag along and claim a share of such precious demon beasts?”
Xu Ning'an shook her head, her face full of confidence. “There will be no problem as long as I mention it to my Third Senior Brother and the others! My senior brothers dote on An'an. As long as someone is approved by An'an, they will approve of them too.”
Han Jie thought for a moment before asking, “Will Junior Sister Jiang be going as well?”
The question brought Xu Ning'an up short. She pressed her lips together hesitantly, then smiled. “She probably will not. She has been very busy lately and has repeatedly told everyone not to disturb her. None of us dares to make her angry.”
“If Junior Sister Jiang is not going,” Han Jie said, “then I will not go either.”
Xu Ning'an froze for a moment, then tried once more to tempt him. “Are you really not going, Senior Brother Han? They are Crystal Soul Sky Spiders! If you miss this opportunity, who knows when another one will come...”
“Thank you for your kindness, Junior Sister Xu,” Han Jie replied. “However, I only like acting together with people I know, and for the time being, I have no intention of making new acquaintances.”
The words were so blunt that no matter how much Xu Ning'an pretended not to understand, she could not ignore their meaning.
Her face flushed faintly. Biting her lip, she turned and ran away.
After returning to Snow Crane Peak, Xu Ning'an seemed dispirited.
Listlessly, she plucked at the flower in her hand, dropping the petals one by one into the small lake atop the mountain.
A fellow disciple from the peak happened to pass by and was astonished.
How could An'an, who was always smiling and cheerful, look so unhappy?
Knowing that he was in no position to comfort his junior sister, the disciple hurried off in secret to inform several of her senior brothers.
Xia Zhiyu was away and had not returned, while Shen Yanchu was busy handling all manner of affairs on the peak and could not be disturbed. Thus, only Huo Shiqing and Jiang Huaixu learned of it.
The two happened to meet when they arrived at the summit, so they went over together.
Xu Ning'an had just plucked her flower completely bare and was about to pick a new one when a breathtaking shower of blossoms suddenly began falling from above.
It was Huo Shiqing. With a smile, he withdrew the spell from his fingertips. “What have these spirit flowers done to An'an that they deserve such torment?”
Xu Ning'an’s eyes brightened slightly when she saw her two senior brothers, but they soon dimmed again.
Pouting faintly, she hugged her knees. “Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, am I really very unpleasant?”
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Huo Shiqing frowned slightly. “How could that be? Who said something offensive to you?”
Xu Ning'an spoke softly. “I went to the Medicine Hall today to deliver something. Senior Brother Han was cold to me and spoke very rudely. But I have never done anything to offend him. I do not know why he has such a strong grudge against me. It is so strange.”
The moment she said this, Huo Shiqing’s expression darkened considerably, while Jiang Huaixu’s gaze also grew somewhat colder.
Huo Shiqing gave a cold laugh. “What else could it be? That woman must have said plenty of nasty things about you in front of Han Jie. Now that he is the only person she has by her side, she will naturally do everything she can to distort the truth, lest others see through her true nature and distance themselves from her.”
Jiang Huaixu finally spoke. “Shall I go talk to Han Jie?”
Xu Ning'an hurriedly waved her hands. “No, no. Wouldn’t that make it seem as though An'an is bullying someone by relying on her senior brothers? Don’t go looking for Senior Brother Han. He will only dislike me even more.”
As she said this, the disappointment on her face became even more apparent, and her voice fell lower.
“In any case, I was only being kind. I wanted to repay him for what he did for me last time. If he does not appreciate it, then so be it. Hmph...”
Although Xu Ning'an had forbidden them from going to Han Jie, Huo Shiqing and Jiang Huaixu could both tell that unless they quickly changed Han Jie’s attitude toward An'an, she would be unable to lift her spirits for days to come.
That was simply the kind of person An'an was—gentle by nature and deeply concerned with how others viewed her.
And she was especially fond of Han Jie. How could she not be heartbroken to be disliked by the person she admired?
The two exchanged a glance and tacitly stopped mentioning the matter, instead doing everything they could to coax Xu Ning'an into smiling.
That night, after Huo Shiqing returned to his own cave dwelling, he sent a voice transmission summoning several disciples from the peak.
“What orders do you have, Senior Brother Huo?” they asked eagerly.
Expressionless, Huo Shiqing said, “Quietly investigate Han Jie for me. Find out everything about his origins and his past, then report to me as soon as possible. Remember, do not alert anyone else.”
The disciples were puzzled, but they still agreed respectfully before scattering at high speed.
Huo Shiqing leaned back on his couch and slowly sipped from his wine cup.
His loathing for Han Jie had deepened yet again, mixed with many inexplicable motives that even he himself could not understand.
He was nothing more than an ordinary man of utterly unremarkable appearance. Just what sort of seductive tricks had he used? Not only had he bewitched Jiang Heng that woman into revolving around him and abandoning all regard for kinship, but he had even captured An'an’s attention?
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