Chapter 169 Unreliable

Inside the private compartment of the Mingxuan Pavilion, Jiang Yan, Mo Shiyu, and Immortal Venerable Bailing sat together in a harmonious and serene atmosphere.

A man dressed in blue robes was displaying his exquisite tea-brewing skills, pouring tea for the three of them in turn.

Another man played a melodious tune nearby, adding a touch of elegance to the gathering.

"Jiang Yan, try this tea."

Immortal Venerable Bailing gestured for Jiang Yan to taste it.

Jiang Yan was not well-versed in the way of tea, but his third senior brother, Xie Lingzhou, loved drinking tea, and he had tasted plenty of it by association.

He picked up the delicate teacup, and an invigorating tea fragrance immediately wafted up to greet him.

After taking a small sip, Jiang Yan praised, "Truly a fine tea!"

Mo Shiyu had already drunk several cups, her cheeks flushed with a rosy glow.

Seeing the congenial atmosphere, a warm smile appeared on Immortal Venerable Bailing's face, resembling a gentle spring breeze sweeping past.

"As long as you like it," he said softly, before turning to the two men. "You may withdraw for now."

"Yes, Immortal Venerable." The two men bowed respectfully and then silently exited the private room.

Immortal Venerable Bailing turned his head and reminded Mo Shiyu in a tender tone:

"Shiyu, do not indulge too much. Given your current level of cultivation, this tea should not be consumed in large quantities."

Seeing that Mo Shiyu still wanted to continue, his slender fingers gently grasped her hand, halting her movement.

At this sight, Jiang Yan almost spat out the tea in his mouth.

What was going on here? Wasn't he here to listen to Mo Shiyu's sophistry? Why was he being force-fed dog food again?!

Mo Shiyu remained completely oblivious to anything being amiss, acting spoiled as she said, "Master, just one cup, this is the very last one. I've already poured it out, what a waste it would be not to drink it!"

Before her voice had even faded, Immortal Venerable Bailing lightly picked up the teacup from Mo Shiyu's hand and drank the tea in a single gulp.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Jiang Yan ultimately could not hold it in. After forcibly swallowing the tea, he broke into a fit of violent coughing.

Seeing this, Mo Shiyu asked with hurried concern, "Cousin, are you alright?"

Noticing Mo Shiyu's attention being diverted, a trace of imperceptible dimness flashed through Immortal Venerable Bailing's eyes, though they quickly returned to calm.

"I'm fine," Jiang Yan said.

He added silently in his heart: I'm stuffed to the brim with dog food.

Immortal Venerable Bailing spoke calmly, "Shiyu, the misunderstanding between the two of you should be cleared up now."

"Master, you're going to listen too?" Mo Shiyu asked uncertainly.

With her master present, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to perform well...

"Just pretend I am not here."

Immortal Venerable Bailing wore an aloof expression, as though he were merely an insignificant bystander.

Jiang Yan felt that having Immortal Venerable Bailing present was quite good; at least this girl Mo Shiyu wouldn't be thick-skinned enough to lie without blinking an eye.

"Mo Shiyu, explain yourself right now," Jiang Yan said straightforwardly.

Mo Shiyu retrieved a piece of paper from her storage pouch and waved it at Jiang Yan.

"Cousin, do you still remember this?"

At the sight of the prominent words "IOU," Jiang Yan's thoughts were instantly pulled back to the events of that day.

Jiang Yan gritted his teeth. "Of course I remember! That Marrow-Cleansing Pill was truly wonderful—one careless moment and I would have been sent straight to the netherworld."

"Cousin, didn't I already apologize? Why are you still..."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Mo Shiyu's voice gradually tapered off.

Upon hearing the words "Marrow-Cleansing Pill," Immortal Venerable Bailing raised an eyebrow.

Could this girl have taken the flawed Marrow-Cleansing Pill he had refined that day?

"Shiyu, where did you obtain that Marrow-Cleansing Pill?"

Immortal Venerable Bailing's voice remained gentle, yet Mo Shiyu felt a pang of guilt.

Mo Shiyu pressed her lips together and confessed in a small voice, "Master, I was wrong. I sold the flawed Marrow-Cleansing Pill you refined to my cousin. Didn't you say it wasn't entirely impossible to consume? I just wanted to let my cousin try it..."

Hearing the word "try," Jiang Yan's mouth twitched, and he desperately wanted to ask:

My dear cousin, didn't you know that a "try" could easily turn into a "farewell to life"?

Why did both master and disciple seem somewhat unreliable?

One dared to say it, and the other dared to believe it?

Immortal Venerable Bailing flicked Mo Shiyu lightly on the forehead, a hint of reprimand in his tone: "Why didn't you ask me for one? How could you sell such a flawed product to your cousin?"

With that, he retrieved a small bottle of pills from his spatial ring and handed it to Jiang Yan.

"Jiang Yan, I am truly sorry that you had to ingest such a Marrow-Cleansing Pill. This bottle contains top-grade Primordial Chaos Pills. If taken when reaching a cultivation bottleneck, they can assist you in breaking through. Please accept this as an apology."

Joy surged wildly in Jiang Yan's heart, and he retracted his previous thought that this Immortal Venerable was unreliable.

He was far too reasonable and understanding!

Brother, I believe in you! Mo Shiyu belongs to you from now on.

Jiang Yan even began to mentally picture the grand wedding scene of Mo Shiyu and Immortal Venerable Bailing, a smile curling the corner of his lips.

Splendid! Give him plenty more brothers-in-law like this...