On a street bustling with endless traffic, a middle-aged man in his thirties stood as straight as a javelin in the middle of the road, blocking Lin Xiao's path. He emitted no killing intent, yet he carried an intimidating, soul-stirring presence.

Of course, only Su Qingning, who was sitting in the front seat, could feel this. The middle-aged man ignored Lin Xiao, his gaze fixed solely on her. When he saw Su Qingning's devastatingly beautiful face, a wicked smile spread across his lips.

Seeing that smile, Lin Xiao knew the man was here for Su Qingning. Su Qingning felt extremely uncomfortable, as if she were prey being sized up by a predator. Instead of getting out of the car immediately, Lin Xiao glanced at Shen Jingzhe in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

Shen Jingzhe was already looking at him. Their eyes met in the mirror.

Shen Jingzhe immediately understood Lin Xiao's meaning. She said nonchalantly, "He might be drunk. I'll go check it out."

With that, she got out of the car. She walked right up to the middle-aged man and asked directly, "Sir, have you had too much to drink?"

"Little girl, mind your own business. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!" the man sneered.

"It looks like you really are drunk."

"Little girl, I think you…" the middle-aged man began coldly, but he couldn't finish his sentence. He was suddenly unable to speak. Not only that, but his eyes, when he looked at Shen Jingzhe, now held a trace of fear.

A moment later, he meekly followed Shen Jingzhe to the side of the road.

Since Shen Jingzhe's back was to the car, no one inside saw what had transpired. All they witnessed was Shen Jingzhe seemingly exchange a few words with the man, after which he obediently followed her to the curb.

After dealing with him, Shen Jingzhe quickly got back into the car.

"What was that about?" Lin Xiao asked deliberately.

Shen Jingzhe explained calmly, "Oh, just some drunkard acting up. He saw how pretty Qing Ning is and asked me for her name and if she had a boyfriend!"

Hearing this, Su Qingning couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. The man's leering smile had made her feel incredibly uneasy. She had thought he was some sort of criminal, but it turned out he was just a drunk.

Shao Mei'er, however, laughed. "Even a drunkard can see it. It's obvious the Madam is truly captivating!"

"Mei'er, stop teasing me!" Su Qingning said, blushing.

"I'm not teasing you, Madam. Just look at how our Master is utterly fascinated by you!"

As soon as she said that, Chu Xiangxue chimed in with a laugh, "Exactly! Our Master is so completely bewitched by you that he doesn't even spare a glance for Mei'er and me!"

Su Qingning was speechless.

Lin Xiao laughed and chided, "Hey, stop blurting out such obvious truths!"

Chu Xiangxue and Shao Mei'er both burst into laughter. Even the perpetually serious Shen Jingzhe let the corners of her lips curve upward.

The car slowly pulled away from the scene. Through the rearview mirror, Lin Xiao clearly saw the man from before collapsed on the ground.

Looks like Shen Jingzhe made her move discreetly after all. She deserves a huge thumbs-up.

When they arrived safely at the villa, Chu Xiangxue and Shao Mei'er escorted Su Qingning inside first.

Shen Jingzhe didn't follow, seemingly having something to say to Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao smiled. "Something on your mind?"

Shen Jingzhe nodded.

"What is it?"

"Yang Fan is gone?"

"How did you know?"

"Your wife told me."

Lin Xiao smiled. "I see."

"How did you know there was something wrong with Yang Fan?"

"What, you noticed something was off with him too?"

"I'm not an idiot. His acting was atrocious, and the actors he hired were just as bad. The whole thing was riddled with holes," Shen Jingzhe said coldly.

Lin Xiao gave her a thumbs-up. "Jing Zhe, you're really sharp!"

"Cut the flattery," she said. "I'm asking you, was Yang Fan after your wife?"

"That's right."

"So, what's the deal with that world-shocking cultivation inside your wife's Dantian?"

"What, you noticed that too?"

"I noticed it the very first time I met your wife," Shen Jingzhe stated coolly.

"You have sharp eyes, Jing Zhe."

"Stop changing the subject. Is the cultivation inside your wife's Dantian yours?"

"No."

"Do you take me for a three-year-old?" Shen Jingzhe asked indifferently.

Lin Xiao's eyes roamed over her for a moment. "I certainly don't take you for a three-year-old. After all, a three-year-old isn't nearly as… developed… as you are."

Shen Jingzhe's fist slammed into Lin Xiao.

Oof. This girl doesn't pull her punches like Su Qingning, he realized. She's actually trying to hurt me. She nearly broke my bones. He knew she was still holding back, though. Otherwise, the force of his own body would have rebounded the attack right back at her.

"I'm asking you again. The cultivation in your wife's Dantian. Is it yours or not?"

"You want to know? How about we make a deal?" Lin Xiao grinned.

"What deal?"

"Why does your master make you wear a veil?"

On the way back, Chu Xiangxue had mentioned to Shao Mei'er that it was Shen Jingzhe's master who required her to wear the silk veil. The comment had piqued Lin Xiao's curiosity, and now he wanted to know why.

"Fine, I can tell you," Shen Jingzhe said coldly. "But you have to answer my question first."

"Deal. And yes, you're right. The cultivation in my wife's Dantian is mine."

Even though she had already guessed it, hearing Lin Xiao admit it himself still sent a jolt through Shen Jingzhe's heart.

It was just as her master said. When she was leaving the mountain, her master had told her that Lin Xiao's cultivation was incredibly heaven-defying, just a single step away from being unmatched in the world. She had been specifically warned to act with caution. Yet, when she first saw Lin Xiao, she found his cultivation was merely at the Divine Martial Realm. At the time, she had wondered where his world-shocking power had gone, since she knew her master would never lie. It wasn't until she met Su Qingning that she began to suspect Lin Xiao's cultivation had been transferred into Su Qingning's Dantian.

"Can you take it back?"

"I can," Lin Xiao said.

"How?"

"That's not suitable for children," Lin Xiao said with a mischievous grin.

"You jerk! I already told you I'm not a child!"

"No, no, Jing Zhe. I didn't say *you* were a child. I meant the *process* of getting my cultivation back is not suitable for children."

WHOOSH!

This time, Shen Jingzhe understood. Her face instantly flushed crimson and felt burning hot.

"Pervert!" she muttered under her breath.

Lin Xiao chuckled. "Now, it's your turn to answer my question."

"No comment."

"What the hell? Are you messing with me?"

Shen Jingzhe just snorted coldly. "I'm not messing with you. Yes, I agreed to tell you, but I never specified *when* I would tell you."

Lin Xiao was speechless. He truly hadn't expected this girl to be so sly.

"Fine. If you don't want to say, I won't force you. How did you handle that guy who was blocking the road?"

"I crippled his cultivation."

"You didn't even ask where he was from?"

"Couldn't be bothered."

He was so exasperated he couldn't speak. He just shot Shen Jingzhe a thumbs-up. "Jing Zhe, you're really something else!"

"Thank you for the compliment. I'll be sure to keep it up!"

No matter how he heard it, her voice seemed laced with triumphant gloating. With that parting shot, Shen Jingzhe walked into the villa with a graceful, swaying gait.

Watching her receding back, Lin Xiao gritted his teeth in frustration. That woman…!

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