CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: REJECTION

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

The three of them from Nan Hua often travel outside and excel in survival skills. This time, with the young ones, Gu Qingqing and Jun Wu, tagging along, they didn’t skimp on preparations. Ever since Gu Qingqing joined, even the ever-focused-on-swordsmanship Si Lin from the Spirit Hidden Mountain has been trained to cook a decent meal, not to mention Nan Hua and his companions.

Being outdoors, they didn’t have the best amenities. Rong Ye had hunted a rabbit and a wild chicken, which Mu Chen marinated with his homemade sauce, and was now roasting over the fire.

Soon, the aroma of roast meat filled the air, drawing Gu Qingqing’s gaze to the roasting chicken on the rack, which amused Nan Hua and the others.

"Little Qingqing, stop staring; any longer and your drool will fall down." Rong Ye teased Gu Qingqing, glancing at the corner of her mouth as if saliva was indeed there.

Gu Qingqing instinctively touched her mouth and found nothing, thus glaring at Rong Ye in anger.

"Haha, Little Qingqing, you’re just too cute!" Rong Ye hadn’t expected Gu Qingqing to actually touch her mouth, laughing heartily.

Gu Qingqing snorted and turned her back on Rong Ye.

"Little Qingqing?" After laughing for a while, Rong Ye noticed Gu Qingqing had turned away and realized she was upset. He hastily approached her like a coaxing spouse, tugging at her clothes, "Little Qingqing? Don’t be mad, your senior was just joking!"

Seeing Gu Qingqing turn her head the other way, still ignoring him, Rong Ye flashed a trace of regret in his eyes, feeling irritated at his loose tongue.

"Little Qingqing, I didn’t mean to mock you, I was just playing; please don’t be mad. I promise, I won’t tease you again!" Rong Ye forced his face in front of Gu Qingqing’s, almost ready to swear by the sky to prove his sincerity.

Gu Qingqing stared at Rong Ye fixedly until sweat broke on his forehead, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Pointing at Rong Ye, she laughed heartily.

Rong Ye paused for a moment, realized he had been tricked by Gu Qingqing, feeling speechless yet indulgent as he watched her laugh herself silly.

"Alright, as long as you’re happy!" Helplessly, what else could he do for his junior sister but pamper her?

Nan Hua and the others had been watching the scene unfold, and now couldn’t help but smile.

"Such a wonderful smell; could you share some of your roast meat with us?" A clear voice suddenly chimed in as a woman appeared beside Gu Qingqing and the group.

By then, it was already evening. The moonlight wasn’t too bright, but they had the campfire, allowing them to just make out the woman’s appearance.

She was wearing an elegant robe. The hairpin in her hair glimmered faintly in the moonlight, showing it wasn’t cheap, and her figure was curvaceous, with attractive features—a classic beauty.

Nan Hua and his companions had noticed her earlier but hadn’t intervened because they didn’t grasp her intentions; now, faced with her presence, they remained calm, while Gu Qingqing alone was taken aback.

Born with a love for beauty, that was why she was moved by Rong Ye’s face initially and resolved to save him. Now, seeing the woman, her curiosity piqued, yet she couldn’t speak, only stared wide-eyed at the beauty.

"Miss, I’m sorry, these are made for my junior sister and can’t be shared." Typically, Nan Hua would take the stage when facing beauties; his looks were indeed quite appealing even to women, but his words did not match his dashing appearance.

The woman, none other than Nalan Qing, had eyes shining at the sight of Nan Hua, yet when she heard his words, her cheerful expression froze.

Nalan Qing, the fourth young lady of the Nalan Family, was smart and gifted. Although the Nalan Family prized its male members, her status wasn’t low. She was renowned for her looks, and ever since blossoming into beauty, admirers were countless, granting her supreme confidence in her attractiveness.

Having noticed the group initially, she hadn’t planned to interact but changed her mind upon recognizing the faces of Nan Hua and his peers in the firelight and assuming their status was not trivial, she proceeded to forge connections.

Before approaching, she believed Nan Hua and company would welcome her. Who could have imagined that Nan Hua, while appearing as a refined gentleman, would speak with such lack of sentiment.

"Sir, I’ll exchange spirit coins if you could spare us some of your roast meat?" Not one to surrender easily, even after Nan Hua’s rejection, Nalan Qing felt her competitive spirit ignited, desiring even more to get close to him, relishing the challenge.

"Could you not understand plain words? My senior said we didn’t want to share with you!" Rong Ye was far less polite; Nalan Qing’s unabashed gaze upon Nan Hua was repulsive to him, reflecting in his tone.

Upon hearing this, Nalan Qing’s expression froze again.

If not for years of discipline, she would’ve spewed curses, potentially aiming them all at Rong Ye!

"Alas, I have disturbed you all. Pardon this lady, I bid farewell!" Managing to maintain a smile, albeit strained, she glanced at Nan Hua’s group, realized they completely disregarded her, clenched her fists by her side, drew a deep breath, and turned to leave.

The dry twigs underfoot cracked loudly, hinting at her anger, as Nan Hua and company didn’t spare her a glance.

Even Nan Hua, who alone showed interest in women, ignored her, let alone Mu Chen and Rong Ye who were indifferent to them.

"Odd, you didn’t flirt today, did you, Third Brother!" Rong Ye couldn’t resist tainting Nan Hua’s reputation in front of Gu Qingqing, speaking cynically once Nalan Qing was out of earshot.

Nan Hua glanced at Gu Qingqing, noting she was also watching him, curled his lips slightly, "I don’t flirt with just anyone; women like her, I’ve seen too many of, and lost interest long ago."

He shot a warning look at Rong Ye.

Though warned, Rong Ye, wanting to feign ignorance, couldn’t fight back, so he shrugged, "Well, it’s a pity; she clearly fancied you."

Nan Hua ignored Rong Ye’s comment and noticed Gu Qingqing still staring at him, patting her head, "The roast is ready, hurry up and eat."

With that, he sliced off a piece of meat with his knife and placed it in the bowl Gu Qingqing held, shifting her focus to the food, dismissing the gossip about Nalan Qing and Nan Hua.

Having been flatly rejected by Nan Hua and company, Nalan Qing returned to her camp, greeted by her sister Nalan Xin’s inquiries.