clergé

Chapitre 74

"Your second uncle has an adopted daughter? What's her name? How old is she? Where is she now?"

She clung to He Qinglu's arm.

He Qinglu smiled smugly, "My second uncle has another identity: Sang Shangsheng, the boatman you saw on the Cuihe River. His adopted daughter is almost twenty-one this year." He winked at her, his expression mischievous, "Speaking of which, she's exactly the kind of innocent, pure girl you aspire to be. It's said she's quite famous in the martial arts world now; people call her Fairy Sang Chan. Have you heard of her?"

Pang Wan cried out "Ah!" and staggered back a step.

—Who would have thought that Sang Chan was not only Gu Xiju's junior sister, but also He Shaoxin's adopted daughter and He Qinglu's cousin! And Mei Wu was Sang Chan's personal maid!

The news hit Pang Wan like a bomb, exploding in his heart.

"Then, what about the legendary Ninth Prince?" She thought of the three top handsome men Wang Gang mentioned in the book, and cautiously looked at He Qinglu. "It is said that the Ninth Prince still reserves the position of his principal wife for her?"

“Ah, that guy.” He Qinglu smiled slightly. “Yes, that’s true. He had a crush on my cousin and proposed to her five years ago, but she rejected him.” He shrugged. “Maybe he still harbors that thought.”

Pang Wan was surprised to see him teasing the prince in a mocking tone, but she was too embarrassed to ask any further questions.

—I never imagined that Sang Chan would have such a distinguished family background. She is indeed a pampered and favored daughter of heaven.

Pang Wan sighed inwardly, lowered her head, and remained silent.

“It’s no use asking my second uncle to investigate Mei Wu’s death.” He Qinglu couldn’t help but comfort her when she saw her dejected face. “She grew up with Sang Chan and they were very close since childhood. Asking Sang Chan is the right thing to do.”

Pang Wan nodded and looked up at him earnestly, asking, "Where is Fairy Sang Chan now?"

"She is in the villa of the Ninth Prince of Linyi."

As the clear voice faded, a handsome man gracefully entered the room.

"Hello, niece-in-law."

The man squinted his long, narrow peach blossom eyes and smiled at Pang Wan, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, his whole demeanor was outstanding and his spirit was high.

Having seen countless handsome men in the Mary Sue world, Pang Wan was still quite shocked when he first saw this face, so shocked that he was almost stunned.

"Wake up, he's thirty-two years old, old enough to be your father," He Qinglu whispered in her ear, his expression displeased.

"Hey! You brat! What did I say about your second uncle?" He Shaoxin's eyes widened, then he turned back to Pang Wan with a dashing smile. "How about it, niece-in-law? Isn't your second uncle handsome? How about you dump this cold-blooded fiancé and wander the world with your second uncle..."

Before he could even utter the word "cliff," a hidden weapon flew towards him. He Shaoxin, quick-witted and agile, caught it in his hand. Upon seeing that the weapon was a human skull, he dropped it as if electrocuted, yelling, "Ouch! Nephew, why do you always play with these weird things!"

He Qinglu wrapped her arms around Pang Wan from behind, silently warning him in a protective manner.

"Boring." He Shaoxin pouted, a bored look on his face. "I thought I'd have a silly niece-in-law to play with, but with you protecting her all the time, it's just so boring."

"If you want to have fun, go find someone yourself." He Qinglu pulled Pang Wan behind her to block her view, her face showing displeasure. "If you're really bored, how about I send a message to Jin Buyao to tell her you're finally back?"

"Oh dear nephew, please forgive me!" He Shaoxin jumped up high. "I won't joke about my nephew's wife anymore, please don't tell Protector Jin, please don't!"

He hurriedly bowed to Pang Wan and said, "Niece-in-law, your second uncle has offended you! Please, for the sake of me betraying my own daughter, say a good word for your second uncle!"

Although Pang Wan knew he was acting, she still tugged at He Qinglu's sleeve from behind and whispered, "Forget it."

Hearing the cat-like humming, He Qinglu turned her head and saw the girl's peach-red cheeks. Even her heart, forged from black iron, melted instantly.

"Hmph!" He glared at He Shaoxin and said nothing more.

He Shaoxin then laughed and walked towards the two of them.

"Niece-in-law, don't say I didn't remind you, my daughter is really easy to take care of these days." He looked at Pang Wan with a smile.

“Although I picked her up myself, she was sent away to learn martial arts when she was six years old. I only see her once a year, so I don’t really know what she’s thinking now.” He was about to reach out and pat Pang Wan’s shoulder, but stopped under He Qinglu’s intense gaze. He pulled his hand back and put it on his sleeve to wipe it in a pretentious manner.

"Remember to be careful in everything you do!"

After speaking, he waved with a smile, turned around and left with light steps.

"Is Sang Chan really your second uncle's adopted daughter?"

After the handsome figure had walked away, Pang Wan emerged from behind He Qinglu.

“Genuine, no doubt about it.” He Qinglu turned to look at her.

"How could he talk about his daughter like that? It's as if... as if he has no feelings for her at all," Pang Wan murmured.

"You think so too?" He Qinglu raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Jin Buyao also criticized him, saying that he seemed affectionate but was actually heartless."

Pang Wan suddenly realized that the heartless person that Granny Jin was talking about was He Shaoxin, the master of the Lonely Palace.

"By the way, where is Granny Jin?"

She touched the brocade pouch at her waist and finally understood why she had been able to cross the Emerald River safely back then.

“As soon as we returned, Uncle Gong disappeared. Jin Buyao is now searching for him all over the world with his bag.” He Qinglu frowned, looking rather helpless. “They’re all old and still playing this game of hide-and-seek. It’s disgusting.”

Pang Wan couldn't help but gasp as she thought about the way the two of them got along.

"By the way, why did your second uncle suddenly come here today?"

After a long silence, Pang Wan suddenly remembered an important question.

"Well, he probably removed his disguise and wanted to show off in front of you."

He Qinglu, recalling her second uncle's childish nature, raised her eyebrows dismissively: "Don't worry about him."

Heading to Linyi

More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and Pang Wan was finally able to get out of bed and walk and run. She couldn't wait to ask He Qinglu to let her go down the mountain.