Chapter 341: Jealous?

Chen Erbao walked out of the living room and into the yard, just as Zhao Ruoying was pushing the gate open to come inside.

Zhao Ruoying wore a loose short-sleeved shirt with a denim jacket over it and a pair of jeans, perfectly highlighting her slender figure.

"Er Bao, what are you doing here?"

Seeing Chen Erbao, Zhao Ruoying was taken aback and asked in confusion.

Chen Erbao rubbed his nose, his expression a little unnatural. "I came looking for you, but you happened to be out…"

Zhao Ruoying casually closed the gate, saying:

"Two families in the village were having a dispute and almost came to blows, so I went to mediate. By the way, my cousin is inside. Did you see her?"

Chen Erbao cleared his throat. "Yeah… I saw her."

Sensing something strange about him, a thought crossed Zhao Ruoying's mind, and her beautiful eyes narrowed as she stared at him.

"You didn't get into any trouble, did you?"

"What could I have done? I just came in to say hello. She said you weren't here, and I was just about to leave when you got back."

Chen Erbao lied smoothly.

Zhao Ruoying gave him a strange look. "Then why are you so nervous?"

"Who's nervous?"

Chen Erbao rubbed his nose again.

Zhao Ruoying chuckled, two faint dimples appearing on her fair cheeks. "You always rub your nose when you lie!"

Chen Erbao gave an awkward laugh. "Haha… let's talk inside!"

'Any more of this and the cat will be out of the bag!'

The two entered the living room and found that Zhao Xiang'Er was gone.

"Ruoying, why is your cousin staying with you?"

Chen Erbao sat on the sofa and took a sip of water to calm his nerves.

Zhao Ruoying took off her jacket and sat down beside him, leaning against him. She stretched lazily, her impressive bust straining against the fabric of her shirt.

"Xiang'Er hasn't been feeling well lately, so she's on leave. She came here to relax. The air in Bailong Village is good; it's rejuvenating…"

"Oh…"

Chen Erbao nodded and took another sip of water.

"So, what did you need me for?"

Zhao Ruoying poured herself some tea and turned to ask Chen Erbao.

Chen Erbao scratched his head. "Well, since we're going to be busy with the new factory starting the day after tomorrow, I figured I'd come chat with you. Your second uncle helped me out a lot, so we should find an opportunity to pay him a visit and thank him properly."

Zhao Ruoying smiled. "There's no need. You're the one who helped my second uncle immensely; otherwise, he might have… Besides, I heard from him that you cured his chronic ailment. He's the one who says he should come and thank you in person!"

Her words reminded Chen Erbao that he had written a virility-boosting prescription for Zhao Feng. 'He must have tried it,' he thought. 'And it seems the effects were pretty good.'

"How about this: once I'm done with the factory business, we'll go pay him a visit. As it happens, I have a few things I'd like to ask him anyway."

'The poison Zhao Feng had was Spirit Poison,' he recalled. 'Anyone who can use Spirit Poison is no simple character. I need to find out who was behind it, or I won't be able to rest easy.'

"Alright… Where did Xiang'Er go? She's always admired you so much. Why is she nowhere to be seen?"

Zhao Ruoying glanced toward the bedroom but didn't see Zhao Xiang'Er, so she asked in confusion.

Chen Erbao averted his gaze. "It's late. Maybe she went to bed?"

Zhao Ruoying walked to the bedroom door and peeked inside, finding Zhao Xiang'Er indeed lying on the bed, asleep.

"Let's go talk in the yard so we don't disturb her."

Zhao Ruoying and Chen Erbao went out into the spacious yard and sat under the large pagoda tree to enjoy the cool air.

The weather wasn't actually hot anymore. A cool breeze rustled by, carrying even a slight chill.

Fortunately, both of them were accomplished in their Cultivation and weren't bothered by the slight cold.

"I ran into Liu Xian downtown today. We had a bit of a clash. I'm worried he might try to cause trouble for the factory."

Chen Erbao recounted the events of the afternoon.

After listening, Zhao Ruoying's brow furrowed slightly.

"Liu Xian… The man is extremely calculating and very petty. With the Liu Family backing him, he's always acted domineeringly. He's a very unpleasant person!"

Chen Erbao took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Zhao Ruoying's waist, pulling her into his embrace.

"I heard the Zhao Family wants you to enter a marriage alliance with him?"

Zhao Ruoying glanced at him and smiled, her tone taking on a strange, teasing quality.

"Are you jealous?"

Chen Erbao scoffed, his expression unchanging.

"Why would I be jealous of him? Aside from his family background, in what way is he possibly better than me?"

Zhao Ruoying looked at him and giggled like a young girl, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry… a marriage alliance between us is impossible. Leaving aside our personal feelings, the current political landscape alone makes it impossible for our two families to become entangled."

Chen Erbao knew exactly what she meant.

'If the Liu Family and the Zhao Family were to join in marriage, wouldn't Jiangnan Province become their personal backyard?'

'The spheres of commerce, politics, and the military would all be firmly in the hands of the Noble Families. The powers that be would never allow that to happen.'

Chen Erbao was puzzled. "Then why would the Liu Family even have such an idea?"

"The Liu Family wants to advance its position, and some of my own clan uncles have ulterior motives, which is what allowed this to progress. But don't you worry. My father and my second uncle both oppose it, and they've already turned them down!"

Hearing this, Chen Erbao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"When I visit your family in the future, I'll show your parents what a perfect son-in-law looks like!"

Chen Erbao was full of confidence.

Zhao Ruoying rolled her eyes at him. "You'll have to work hard then. Your current strength is nowhere near enough."

Chen Erbao clenched his fists, full of conviction.

"Don't worry, it won't take more than a few years!"

'I have to visit not only the Zhao Family, but also the Lin Family of Medicine King Hall. Visiting both families at the same time, though… that's going to be difficult…'

'If both families find out, they'll probably beat me to death!'

'It's a long and arduous road ahead!'

Seeing Chen Erbao sigh, Zhao Ruoying couldn't help but tease him.

"You really have a knack for provoking the country's top young masters, don't you? Ma Qiming might seem unimpressive in Jiangnan Province, but in Guangnan Province, his family is in a league of its own. Wang Ming… I don't really know him, so you probably don't have to worry about that one."

Chen Erbao spread his hands helplessly.

"It's not like I wanted to. They're the ones who came looking for trouble. What was I supposed to do?"

"When you travel to other places in the future, you need to learn how to get along with the other young masters. It's fine to offend one group, as long as you befriend another. It's not like they all get along with each other anyway."

Chen Erbao nodded in agreement.

'I can't just make enemies everywhere. That would make things difficult.'

"Ruoying, how has your Cultivation been lately?"

Chen Erbao could actually sense a change in Zhao Ruoying. Although she was still at the Early stage of Qi Refining Second Layer, her aura had become remarkably stable. If he wasn't holding her in his arms, he might not have been able to sense it at all.

Zhao Ruoying raised her delicate fists and shadowboxed a couple of times, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"I've been practicing the Divine Abilities and techniques recorded in the Pure Maiden Divine Skill, and my Realm has stabilized. It's just a shame I haven't had anyone to spar with, so I don't really know how strong I am now."

"Want me to spar with you?"

Chen Erbao suggested.

"Okay!"