Today, The Villain Couple is Settling Scores Again

The Earth Fruit was just one of the main medicinal ingredients, but there were many other herbs involved, and the process of refining them was quite time-consuming.

Granny Medicine wasn't sure if it would work; everything was uncertain, and Ran Mu'er wouldn't recover so quickly.

To find out who took the True Bodhi Pagoda, they could only wait for now.

Jian Huan, on the other hand, was happy to settle down in the sect for a while, reading talisman books, attending lectures from the elders, and focusing on cultivation to improve her skills.

Now that she was an inner sect disciple, she wanted to follow in Shen Jizhi's footsteps and secure a "golden rice bowl."

As a Golden Core stage talisman master and the top scorer in the entrance exam that year, Jian Huan, with her solid foundation in talisman studies, effortlessly joined the Talisman Hall.

Jiang Mian was also there.

After finishing dinner, the two close friends didn't return to rest but instead headed back to the Talisman Hall to draw talismans.

The talismans they created were sold through the Treasure Pavilion, which had a "brand name" effect. The prices there were the highest in the entire cultivation world, and they earned a good amount from it.

At night, the Talisman Hall wasn't as crowded as during the day.

While drawing talismans, Jian Huan said to Jiang Mian, "Cotton, besides earning money by drawing talismans here, do you want to make some extra spirit stones?"

Unlike Jian Huan, whose brush strokes were wild and chaotic, Jiang Mian drew with meticulous care. She bit the end of her brush and asked vaguely, "How?"

"I'm planning to open a shop. You can help me out, and I'll pay you a monthly salary," Jian Huan said. She had been thinking about this for a while, but she had been too busy running around outside to give it much thought. Now that she had some free time, the idea had taken shape in her mind. "You know I sell talismans on the Xuantian Mirror, right?"

"Yeah," Jiang Mian nodded, raising her hand proudly. "A lot of junior disciples who can't afford the Treasure Pavilion's talismans, I told them to come to you!"

Jian Huan muttered, "No wonder I've been getting more and more orders. I can't even finish them all."

Not being able to finish was one thing, but the key issue was that taking orders directly from the Xuantian Mirror wasn't very profitable.

Now that she was at the Golden Core stage, drawing expensive talismans for the Talisman Hall was more lucrative.

But Jian Huan couldn't bear to give up the orders from the Xuantian Mirror.

Three years had passed, and the reputation of the "Money Money Talisman Shop" on the Xuantian Mirror had grown steadily. Word spread quickly, and she had no shortage of customers.

Wealthy cultivators naturally bought from the Treasure Pavilion, where the quality was guaranteed, and it was a matter of pride.

But the majority of cultivators in the Nine Provinces were those with limited funds and lower cultivation levels. They couldn't afford the items in the shops and would go to places like the Immortal Storage Tower.

However, in the Immortal Storage Tower, the talisman sellers came and went, and finding a good one was a matter of luck.

Therefore, selling low-end, affordable talismans on the Xuantian Mirror had a vast market.

Jian Huan planned to target these low-level cultivators, as the potential numbers were staggering.

Moreover, most major sects were focused on running high-end shops, so there wasn't much competition.

Jian Huan's dark eyes sparkled like stars as she spoke slowly, thinking out loud, "I plan to gather first-year disciples and those who are short on money but can't join our Talisman Hall. They can draw low-grade talismans, and we'll sell them through the Xuantian Mirror. Since I'm often away from the sect, and you're always here, Cotton, could you help me coordinate with these junior disciples? Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly!"

Jiang Mian agreed without hesitation, "Sure, I happen to know a lot of junior disciples!"

The two chatted for a while longer.

Jiang Mian would essentially be the HR manager for her shop, and Jian Huan wanted to find some reliable junior disciples to act as customer service representatives.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The "Money Money Talisman Shop" account received too many messages for her to handle alone, so she could train them to handle the communications.

This would free up more time for her to earn more spirit stones.

Jian Huan quickly tossed the completed talisman aside and started drawing on a new sheet. After a moment of thought, she chuckled, "Not just talismans, but spiritual tools too. I'll talk to Shen Jizhi about it tonight."

Once the talisman and forging businesses were thriving, she could expand into the alchemy side as well.

Jian Huan could almost see the bright future of counting money until her hands cramped.

The night on the small hillside was quiet.

The carved wooden window was open, and the branches of the spirit tree where the Earth Fruit spirits rested stretched halfway into the room. The rich spiritual energy lingered around her nose.

Jian Huan's slender legs were crossed on the table as she leaned back in her chair, balancing on a single leg while the other three hovered in the air.

She flipped through a talisman book she had borrowed from the library, reading and silently reciting.

The book stated that the path of cultivation was filled with obstacles.

For a talisman master to advance from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, they needed to create their own unique talisman.

Her own talisman?

Jian Huan swayed her white shoes, her delicate brows furrowed.

When she reached the Golden Core stage, she had realized her Dao, which was the Dao of Vitality. Vitality existed in all things, invisible and intangible, allowing her to kill without a trace.

So, what would her own talisman be?

As she pondered, there was a knock at the door, and Shen Jizhi's voice came from outside, "Jian Huan, it's me."

Jian Huan snapped out of her thoughts, and the chair thudded back onto the ground.

She put the book down and ran to open the door, peeking her head out before stepping outside, "Why are you back so early today?"

For the past few nights, she hadn't known when he returned, as she was already asleep by then.

"I've taken care of most of my tasks," Shen Jizhi replied. Between Thunder Sword Peak, the Equipment Forging Hall, and the Immortal Storage Tower, he had been busy for days. His expression carried a hint of fatigue as he glanced at her. He opened the square wooden box in his hand and nudged it toward her, asking, "Want some?"

Inside the box were seven small, vibrant fruits. Six were arranged in an outer circle, surrounding the brightest one in the center, exuding an enticing aura.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was just a few days away, and this was the Jade Clarity Sect's gift box for each hall.

Six of the fruits were the cheapest seventh-grade spirit fruits, while the one in the center was a more expensive fifth-grade spirit fruit.

The Talisman Hall also distributed them, but Jian Huan had just joined and hadn't been there for a year, so she wasn't eligible to receive one.

Jian Huan's eyes were drawn to the fifth-grade spirit fruit, but she only took one of the seventh-grade ones.

The fruit was small, and she finished it in one bite. She smacked her lips, then lifted her chin and said, "I actually have something to discuss with you."

She repeated what she had told Jiang Mian earlier, then glanced at him and asked, "What do you think?"

"Sounds good," Shen Jizhi replied, picking up another seventh-grade spirit fruit and gently pressing it to Jian Huan's lips. His gesture was intimate, but his tone was calm and businesslike. "How will we split the spirit stones afterward? Still fifty-fifty?"

Jian Huan had initially thought of refusing.

Before she learned about the talisman brush and the sect leader's intentions, as his creditor, she could eat his food without guilt, treating it as collecting a bit of interest.

But now that she knew his feelings, she felt awkward about freeloading.

However, hearing his question, she immediately opened her mouth and ate the fruit he offered, scoffing, "Fifty-fifty? You dare suggest fifty-fifty?"

Shen Jizhi raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"This is my idea!" Jian Huan pointed to her head, furious. "Do you know how valuable ideas are? The Xuantian Mirror account has always been managed by me. I'm the shop owner, and at best, you're just a shop assistant. You actually want to split it fifty-fifty? Dream on!"

She was quite fierce.

Shen Jizhi glanced at her, "What I meant was—"

He paused, feeding her another fruit, "We'll split the earnings from the spiritual tools fifty-fifty, and I won't take a single spirit stone from the talismans."

Jian Huan bit into the fruit, rolling it into her mouth.

Her lips were slightly moist from the fruit's juice, glistening enticingly under the moonlight. She muttered, "That's more like it..."

Shen Jizhi watched her for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing subtly.

The young man's dark lashes lowered, concealing the depth in his eyes.

With a flick of his slender fingers, he picked up the fruit in the center and suddenly said to Jian Huan, "This is a Golden Wood Fruit, compatible with your spiritual roots."

After a pause, he asked casually, "Do you want it?"

Jian Huan blinked, but before she could answer,

he spoke again, his voice as soft as the evening breeze, lingering and unhurried, "If you want it, you can take it yourself."

As soon as the words left his lips, the young man parted his lips slightly.

He bit into the greenish-golden fruit and leaned down, his warm breath brushing against Jian Huan's fair, delicate forehead.

"..." Jian Huan looked up.

The face before her was so close, his brows and eyes so cold, the sharp lines of his jaw resembling the contours of a glacier.

The faint green hue on his lips resembled the tender green plums hanging from branches in the late spring and early summer, so fresh and succulent that it made one's mouth water just by looking at them.

Jian ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‍Huan stared at him for a moment, her dark, clear eyes shifting slightly before she suddenly reached out to snatch the golden wood fruit he was biting.

Serves him right for acting so shamelessly at night!

Shen Jizhi tilted his head to avoid her, letting out a soft chuckle. He tossed the wooden box onto the table inside the room, grabbed Jian Huan's hand, pinned it behind her back, and leaned in, his knee pressing against her leg as he bent down to kiss her.

With a loud thud, the half-open door slammed against the wall, causing the wooden door to shake and Jian Huan, who was leaning against it, to tremble slightly.

She tilted her head back.

The golden wood fruit carried a rich spiritual energy, slightly cold to the touch.

But Shen Jizhi's breath was scorching. He pushed the fruit into Jian Huan's mouth, his lips and tongue following immediately.

He held her hand, his thumb gently caressing her wrist, sending waves of tingling sensations through her.

Yet, the kiss itself was far from gentle. It was like a sudden summer evening downpour, the raindrops crashing down with a ferocity that seemed intent on destroying everything in its path.

The golden wood fruit dissolved in her mouth, its spiritual energy soothing her, only to be disrupted by Shen Jizhi's mischievous actions.

Jian Huan's breathing grew erratic, her gasps becoming quicker and more urgent.

The air grew heavy and oppressive, like fish in a lake desperately leaping to the surface, struggling to breathe.

Jian Huan was nearly suffocating, her breath catching as she gripped him tightly. "...Shen Jizhi."

The storm abruptly ceased, everything coming to a sudden halt.

The young man abruptly ended the kiss, his arms tightly wrapped around the girl in his embrace. He lowered his head, resting his chin on Jian Huan's left shoulder, his face buried in the crook of her neck as he closed his eyes, trying to calm his noticeably ragged breathing.

Her scent filled his nostrils.

His eyelashes fluttered, his discomfort palpable as he murmured, "Jian Huan."

Whether it was because of the golden wood fruit she had just consumed or something else, Jian Huan felt as though she were floating. But due to something less pleasant, she was pressed against the door, her face flushed with embarrassment as she dared not move. "Hmm?"

Shen Jizhi's voice was soft, almost like he was whining to her. "You said you'd help me earlier... does that still hold true now?"

Jian Huan pushed him away, her voice tinged with both shyness and annoyance. "Of course not! That offer expired!"

Shen Jizhi didn't let go, simply humming in acknowledgment. He didn't say anything more, just held her quietly.

After a while, he finally released her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead before pushing her back into the room. He closed the door behind her and then turned to leave.