Chapter 122: Only Responsible for Killing, Not for Burying
“Miss Gu, thank you for your kindness, but I really can’t accept it.” Jian Xu politely declined again. “I’ll take your good intentions to heart, and I believe you’ll stand up again soon too. Thank you.”
With that, she hurried off to find Chi Qian.
Gu Hua stood there holding the bank card, confused. “System, didn’t you say she desperately needed money right now, and she would definitely accept my help?”
The system replied, “That is how the plot is supposed to go. Jian Xu pays off her debt, returns to school, then later re-enters the entertainment industry, step by step becoming a top agent.”
“Normally, she’d remember your kindness and later offer to be your agent.”
Gu Hua muttered, “Then I’ll just find another chance to talk to her. This connection, I must secure it!”
She had no idea that the “ace agent” she dreamed of was already moving closer to Chi Qian.
“Shallow… Sister Shallow…” Taking advantage of Shen Jiashu’s absence, Jian Xu nervously approached Chi Qian, looking flustered. “Um…”
Chi Qian was lounging on a beach chair, propping her cheek with one hand, her chubby baby face squished even rounder, making her look extra soft and cute.
Jian Xu’s heart felt like it had been shot by an arrow—so adorable her soul trembled.
“What is it?” Chi Qian turned to her.
“I-I…” Jian Xu was at a loss.
Chi Qian pointed at her. “You’ve got a nosebleed.”
Jian Xu: !!!
Panicking, she rubbed at her nose with her sleeve, but then a clean tissue appeared in front of her, pressing gently to her nose.
Chi Qian told her not to move. “Lower your head.”
Jian Xu instantly obeyed.
Soon, the nosebleed stopped, but with Chi Qian leaning so close, her heart was about to explode.
So close! So cute!
“All done.” Chi Qian tossed the tissue aside. Seeing Jian Xu staring blankly, she blinked. “You okay?”
Jian Xu stammered, “I-I’m fine. I just wanted to thank you… thank you so much…”
Chi Qian assumed she was referring to the voting earlier, so she waved it off. “It’s because your dance was good.”
Being praised made Jian Xu’s cheeks turn redder. “Actually, I’ve studied dance since I was little. I always dreamed of becoming a dancer.”
Chi Qian thought for a moment. “You definitely can. The dance you just did, I’d call it the number one performance in the cultivation world.”
In the cultivation world, the Xuanji Sect had a tradition of “cultivating through dance.” After centuries of seclusion, they once appeared at a sect gathering, saying they’d “present a little performance.”
And indeed, it was embarrassing.
They performed a… rural-style line dance.
Graceful beauties with elegant figures, swaying awkwardly in folk-dance style.
If you think about it carefully, it’s even funnier.
Back then, watching the live broadcast through the water mirror, Chi Qian thought: If they can go on stage, I can too! Why am I stuck raising pigs, dragons, and a gluttonous beast?
And in her spare time, she had to feed a giant flying fish.
Those ingredients—she’d eaten them so often they were boring.
So, seeing Jian Xu’s peacock dance, Chi Qian felt her eyes had finally been cleansed from years of being polluted by that ridiculous line dance.
At this, Jian Xu’s eyes reddened.
She had never let go of her dream of dance. She practiced every day, but colleagues mocked her, saying that without proper dance school training, she’d never achieve anything.
In her heart, she had always felt a creeping sense of inferiority, a suffocating bitterness with no one to confide in.
She had never been acknowledged like this before.
Chi Qian was the very first person to recognize her.
She said she was the best in the world—she truly believed she could be!
Jian Xu felt as though her whole body was brimming with strength. She wanted to dance—so badly, so very badly.
“Shallow-sis, thank you.” Jian Xu, overcome with emotion, clasped Chi Qian’s hands. “I’ve figured out what I should do from now on. No matter what happens, I’ll never forget your encouragement.”
Chi Qian blinked, a little confused.
Had she… encouraged her?
When?
Before she could think further, Jian Xu suddenly hugged her tightly, then turned and ran off.
Chi Qian opened her mouth but still couldn’t make sense of what just happened.
Maybe that pretty sister just liked the sapphire too much.
Well, that was fine.
By custom, after every live broadcast, the guests would have a group dinner.
The production team would take that chance to draw questions from the livestream barrage and put the guests on the spot.
But tonight…
The chief director and planning team had all collapsed.
Gu Hua, Ling Qian, and the Xia sisters had also collapsed.
There weren’t enough people, so they simply canceled the segment. Instead, it turned into—“The First Year of Emperor Shallow’s Reign: a Banquet for All Ministers, While the Consorts Vied in Beauty!”
[She’s still a kid, program team don’t go too far! Stop sending all these beauties to her side! If you’ve got guts, send them to me!!]
[Tonight, a new star has risen in the Great Shallow Dynasty!]
[That beauty just secretly touched her hand while feeding her fruit! Reported!!]
[Best Actor Chi’s expression: So, there’s no use for me here anymore?]
The next morning.
The livestream had ended, and all the guests were preparing to return home.
But before departure, a helicopter descended from the sky.
Chi Yanliu jumped down and walked straight over to Chi Qian and Chi Fengxiao.
“Third Brother.”
“Why are you here again?” Chi Fengxiao immediately pulled Chi Qian protectively behind him, full of suspicion.
Chi Yanliu said bluntly and swiftly: “A terrorist group has targeted Chi Shui. They set an ambush at the airport to capture her alive. She can’t return home for now. Father ordered me to take her away for a few days to lie low.”
He emphasized that it was their father’s command—clearly, he wasn’t happy with the arrangement himself.
Chi Fengxiao’s expression grew grave. “Can you handle them?”
“I can, but it’ll take some time.” Chi Yanliu glanced at the girl behind him. “She’ll stay at my place. I can’t guarantee anything else, but her safety won’t be an issue.”
Chi Fengxiao nodded, but worry still lingered. “Do you even know how to take care of a child?”
Chi Yanliu shook his head. “No. But I can kill people.”
“…That’s not what I asked.”
After discussing the follow-up plan, Chi Fengxiao was still anything but reassured.
Who could rest easy handing a child over to a man who killed without blinking?
But he couldn’t stay either, or their presence together would make them too big a target.
All he could do was pray Chi Yanliu would keep Chi Qian safe.
And so, under her third uncle’s deeply sympathetic gaze, Chi Qian followed this supposedly youngest uncle onto the helicopter.
The two sat across from each other in silence.
After a long moment, Chi Yanliu finally spoke: “At most a week and you can return. Though Father told me to take care of you, given my lack of experience, you’d better rely on yourself.”
“For safety reasons, don’t go out unless necessary. Stay put at home, don’t cause trouble. And don’t come to me if something happens—I usually only kill, I don’t bury.”
“So, let’s save each other the trouble.”
Chi Qian understood: this little uncle was the bloodthirsty type, even worse than her cold-but-softhearted second uncle when it came to disliking kids.
Just look at him, treating her like some contagious germ.
Chi Qian stuffed her little hands into her pockets and gave a lazy “oh,” then slouched in her seat like a salted fish.
She could flop down and rest anywhere.
Chi Yanliu didn’t bother paying her any more attention and shut his eyes, feigning sleep.
Meanwhile, in the distant heart of the Kemiya Desert—
On the smooth surface of the yellow sands came a soft pffft as something poked out.
First, a twig.
Then, a tiny bundle, no bigger than a hand.
A few more pfffts, and a small figure struggled up from beneath the sand, shaking the dust off.
It slung the twig through the bundle, hefted it onto its shoulder, and started its journey on foot.
