Chapter 25: Being a Woman Is Never Easy

With the matter resolved, Qin Guan turned and walked over to Jiang Lianyue's side. "Miss Jiang, may I have a word with you in private?"

Jiang Lianyue nodded, and the two of them walked off toward a more secluded spot.

"Rou'er, why aren't you following them?!" Nan Yunqi watched the pair disappear into a small grove of trees and hurried over to Nan Rou in a panic.

Jiang Lianyue's beauty was every bit a match for Nan Rou's, and her status was far more distinguished. For a man, resisting the temptation of such a woman was no easy feat.

"My husband has business to discuss with her. It would only get in the way if I followed." Nan Rou said, unbothered.

The last time, back at the Nan Family estate, she had been afraid of losing Qin Guan. But now that she and Qin Guan had truly become husband and wife, there was nothing left to worry about.

Besides, a man could never truly be chained down. What she needed to do was fulfill her duties as a wife — to serve her husband well. Everything else was not her concern.

"You foolish girl!"

Seeing Nan Rou's complete indifference, Nan Yunqi was absolutely furious.

On the other side, Qin Guan and Jiang Lianyue came to a stop beneath a large tree.

Qin Guan looked at Jiang Lianyue with a smile. "Miss Jiang, the Wei Kingdom's Black Armor Army saved my wife. How about we let them have that Jade Bone Immortal Orchid?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lianyue's delicate brows immediately furrowed, and she replied with displeasure, "Qin Guan, it's one thing for you not to help me, but asking me to give it up willingly? I can't believe you'd even suggest that!"

"This girl has quite the temper."

Qin Guan hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Jiang Lianyue. He glanced at her and suddenly noticed the blade in her hand.

A spirit-grade weapon?

Given Jiang Lianyue's status and standing, she was still using a spirit-grade weapon? It seemed that Qingzhou truly was as impoverished a place as his master had described.

On the Yuanyin Continent, weapons were ranked by quality: Mortal-grade, Spirit-grade, Soul-grade, Life-grade, Profound-grade, Saint-grade, Divine-grade, Dao-grade, Immortal-grade, and Emperor-grade.

"Say... what do you think of this blade?" Qin Guan suddenly produced a snow-white Embroidered Spring Blade and held it out tentatively.

"A soul-grade weapon!"

The moment Jiang Lianyue laid eyes on the exquisite blade in Qin Guan's hand, her beautiful eyes lit up instantly.

A soul-grade weapon — even a single one would be enough to set every major power in Qingzhou scrambling. And yet Qin Guan had simply produced a soul-grade blade!

"What about it?" Jiang Lianyue raised an eyebrow and looked at Qin Guan.

"It's yours." Qin Guan said, extending the Embroidered Spring Blade toward her.

"Are you serious?" Jiang Lianyue was somewhat skeptical. A soul-grade weapon like this was worth an enormous sum — and he was just giving it away?

"How about this — you take the blade and give up the immortal herb?" Qin Guan asked with a smile.

Jiang Lianyue hesitated at that.

"Miss Jiang, if this puts you in a difficult position, I won't press the matter. This blade was always meant for you anyway." Qin Guan said with a smile.

Jiang Lianyue was taken aback. "It was always meant for me?"

"This time in the Secret Realm, I owe a great deal to Miss Jiang for the information you provided," Qin Guan said. "And going forward, I'll need to rely on you to help me gather intelligence on Senior Yang's whereabouts."

"So it seems Young Master Qin found what he was looking for in the Secret Realm?" Jiang Lianyue's beautiful eyes turned toward him.

"Only a small part of what I was looking for." Qin Guan said with a smile.

Then he quickly added, "Of course, I wouldn't ask for help without offering something in return. If Miss Jiang ever needs anything in the future, I will do my utmost to assist."

Upon hearing that, Jiang Lianyue snatched the Embroidered Spring Blade right out of Qin Guan's hand. "I want that Jade Bone Immortal Orchid. Go take it for me!"

Qin Guan was left speechless. This woman really knew how to work an angle.

Just then, a figure appeared in the distance — upright and proud, clad in a striking red robe.

Wei Hongyan, radiating an air of haughty confidence, strode over toward them.

She stopped beside Qin Guan and gave a slight bow. "Wei Hongyan greets Young Master Qin."

Qin Guan nodded. "Miss Wei, is something the matter?"

"If Young Master Qin could do me a favor, I would be willing to give the Jade Bone Immortal Orchid to Miss Jiang." Wei Hongyan said.

"What kind of favor?" Qin Guan looked at her.

"If Young Master Qin could spend one month training the Black Armor Army for Wei Kingdom, I will not only give the Jade Bone Immortal Orchid to Miss Jiang, but also pay ten million gold coins as compensation." Wei Hongyan said sincerely.

She had already witnessed Qin Guan's strength firsthand. With Wei Kingdom beset by internal strife and external threats, the Black Armor Army was sorely in need of an instructor with Qin Guan's mastery of body techniques. If he could train and guide them, the Army's overall strength would improve dramatically.

Qin Guan frowned slightly. After a moment, he smiled. "Miss Wei, I'm afraid I cannot accept."

"Ten million gold coins, plus five lower-grade Spirit Stones." Seeing Qin Guan refuse, Wei Hongyan hesitated briefly before making another offer.

Spirit Stones were extraordinarily rare and precious — a single lower-grade Spirit Stone was worth three million gold. Five lower-grade Spirit Stones amounted to fifteen million gold. That was already an exceptionally generous price.

"Princess Wei is truly generous!" Jiang Lianyue couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement upon hearing the offer.

Wei Hongyan paid Jiang Lianyue no mind, her sharp, bright eyes fixed on Qin Guan.

"Miss Wei, it's not a matter of money. I simply don't have the time. If I did, I'd certainly want to earn it." Qin Guan waved his hand with a smile.

"Is Young Master Qin worried that the Spirit Sword Academy might move against the Nan Family?" Wei Hongyan asked.

Qin Guan nodded. "That's part of it."

Wei Hongyan fell silent. Qin Guan had killed an Elder of the Spirit Sword Academy — if Wei Kingdom stepped in openly, it would be a direct challenge to the Academy, and the consequences of antagonizing the Spirit Sword Academy were not something Wei Kingdom could afford to bear.

After a moment's thought, Wei Hongyan glanced at Jiang Lianyue standing nearby, then turned back to Qin Guan. "Young Master Qin, may I have a word with you in private?"

"Of course." Qin Guan nodded and followed Wei Hongyan further away.

"Hmph!"

Watching Wei Hongyan deliberately pull Qin Guan away and exclude her, Jiang Lianyue turned her face aside in disdain.

A short distance away, Wei Hongyan and Qin Guan stopped beside a large boulder. Wei Hongyan lowered her voice. "Young Master Qin, how do you plan to deal with the Spirit Sword Academy going forward?"

Qin Guan replied nonchalantly, "I haven't given it any thought yet."

Wei Hongyan's brow furrowed slightly. "Young Master Qin, do you understand the Spirit Sword Academy's strength?"

Qin Guan shook his head. "Not really."

Wei Hongyan was momentarily stunned. Was this man just supremely well-backed, or did he simply not know the meaning of fear?

He went and killed one of their Elders without even knowing how strong they were?

"Miss Wei, if you have something to say, please say it. The others are waiting for me." Qin Guan said with a smile.

Wei Hongyan nodded. "Young Master Qin, the Spirit Sword Academy will certainly not let this rest. While Wei Kingdom cannot openly confront them, I can secretly dispatch several powerful experts to serve at your command."

Qin Guan considered this quietly. The Nan Family members were all relatively weak in cultivation, and he couldn't possibly stay awake around the clock to guard them. If Wei Kingdom could send some capable hands, it would save him a great deal of trouble.

With that in mind, Qin Guan looked at Wei Hongyan. "And your conditions, Miss Wei?"

"First, to forge a connection with a talent like Young Master Qin," Wei Hongyan said. "Second, to ask Young Master Qin to help train the Black Armor Army."

"Alright, I agree — but only after the matter with the Spirit Sword Academy is settled." Qin Guan nodded.

"Wonderful!" Wei Hongyan was genuinely pleased that he had agreed.

"Then it's settled. We'll meet again another day." Qin Guan nodded and turned to leave.

"Miss Jiang, please keep a close eye on things. I may not be skilled in many areas, but if there's ever a fight, call on me anytime."

After exchanging a few words with Jiang Lianyue, Qin Guan strode away.

Once Qin Guan had gone, Jiang Lianyue turned to Wei Hongyan. "Are you truly not willing to give up that Jade Bone Immortal Orchid? I can trade you something else for it."

"Miss Jiang, it is truly very important to me. I'm not trying to pick a fight with you over it."

As Wei Hongyan spoke, a flash of pain crossed the depths of her eyes, and her slender jade fingers unconsciously drifted to touch the swell of her chest.

"You have a problem there too?" Noticing Wei Hongyan's small gesture, Jiang Lianyue asked curiously.

"What do you mean?"

Wei Hongyan looked over at the prominent curves of Jiang Lianyue's figure.

"Never mind. You can have it." Jiang Lianyue shook her head. With that, she turned and walked away — but stopped after only a few steps.

"Miss Wei, a word of friendly advice: the Jade Bone Immortal Orchid can indeed remove scars from the body, but first you must understand exactly what kind of injury caused them."

"What do you mean?" Wei Hongyan frowned.

"For example, if the wound was caused by sword qi, then when taking the Jade Bone Immortal Orchid, it must be supplemented with powerful sword qi to aid the healing. If it was a blade wound, it requires powerful blade qi. In short, do not take it carelessly — otherwise it will backfire, and the scars will only grow worse." Jiang Lianyue said.

Wei Hongyan's brow furrowed slightly at that. Truthfully, she had only heard that the Jade Bone Immortal Orchid could enhance beauty and remove scars — she had no idea how it was supposed to be taken.

"Why are you telling me this, Miss Jiang?" Wei Hongyan asked, genuinely puzzled. She couldn't understand why Jiang Lianyue would be so kind as to warn her, especially after the two of them had just been fighting fiercely over the very same herb.

"We're both women. It's never easy for us." Jiang Lianyue said, and then she left.

* * *

Four hours later, Qin Guan and the others returned to the Nan Family estate.

Qin Guan gathered everyone in the main hall.

Everyone knew that Qin Guan had obtained something valuable in the Secret Realm, and all eyes were now fixed on him.

Qin Guan swept his gaze across the room before settling on Nan Yunqi. "Father-in-law, I'll be honest — when I first came to the Nan Family and learned that you had neglected Rou'er, I had quite a few grievances against you."

Upon hearing those words, Nan Yunqi's face, which had been full of eager anticipation, immediately fell.

He had thought Qin Guan was about to present him with some treasure, but instead this little brat was lecturing him in front of everyone. That said, Qin Guan wasn't wrong — he truly owed Nan Rou far too much.

"That said, your conduct of late has genuinely moved me, Father-in-law!" Qin Guan suddenly shifted his tone and produced a cultivation technique manual. "So this Profound-grade Advanced Palm Technique is a gift from Rou'er and me to you."

The moment those words left his mouth, every person in the hall felt their heart lurch violently, and every gaze snapped to the manual in Qin Guan's hand.