Today, The Villain Couple is Settling Scores Again

After the Lantern Festival, heavy snow fell for several more days.

The hillside residence was still under construction and couldn't be lived in, so Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi had been staying temporarily at Elder Hall for the past few months.

One morning, Jian Huan woke up and found that Shen Jizhi had already gotten up.

She pulled the blanket over herself and sat up.

The clothes scattered all over the floor the night before had been neatly folded and placed at the foot of the bed.

Jian Huan grabbed a shawl and wrapped it around herself, then ran over to open the window barefoot.

Snow was still falling heavily.

The winding mountain ranges were all covered in white snow, and the distant Elder Halls stood among them like clusters of white cloud mushrooms.

Jian Huan stood by the window and sighed after a while, looking worried. "When will this snow stop?"

Behind her, the curtain of the inner room swayed, and Shen Jizhi, carrying a freshly brewed cup of tea, entered from the outer room. He lowered his head slightly as he walked in. "The diviners say it will clear up by tomorrow morning. Today is probably the last heavy snowfall."

"Really?" Jian Huan's eyes lit up, and she pumped her fist in excitement. "Finally, it's going to clear up!"

Shen Jizhi glanced at her. "Aren't you fond of snowy days?"

"Of course I am," Jian Huan closed the window again and said matter-of-factly. "But that doesn't mean I want it to snow non-stop. A couple of days is enough. Look at this snow, we have to pay someone to shovel it, and it's delaying our house renovation."

Shen Jizhi, already dressed in his white disciple robe, looked as if it were floating as he walked.

Hearing Jian Huan's words, he paused for a moment, then continued as if nothing had happened, sitting down in a chair.

He carefully placed the white jade teacup on the table, slowly spinning it, his gaze fixed on it without blinking. Although his expression was cold and detached, his glassy eyes were filled with admiration.

Jian Huan pondered.

This look of his... was quite similar to the one he had when they first dual-cultivated and he took off her clothes.

Jian Huan: "......"

Jian Huan shook her head to banish the odd thought from her mind, then went to sit beside him, propping her hands on the table and placing her bare feet in his lap to warm up. "By the way, how much longer will it take to finish our courtyard? I want to rent out Elder Hall. Gong Feihong's little cousin is also coming to Jade Clarity Sect and is looking for a place to stay."

"Oh?" Shen Jizhi placed a hand on Jian Huan's slightly cold foot and looked up, his gaze flickering as he thought for a moment. "Within five days, it should be finished in five days."

Seeing that Jian Huan was about to say something else, Shen Jizhi gently patted her foot and nodded toward the white jade teacup. "Take a look at this cup. How is it? I bought one yesterday and found it quite good. If you think it's alright, I'll buy more for our new place."

Jian Huan picked up the teacup and examined it carefully. She had to admit, Shen Jizhi's taste was indeed good.

She asked, "It's not bad. How much does it cost?"

Shen Jizhi said casually, "Ten taels each."

Jian Huan: "???"

Jian Huan almost dropped the teacup, unsure if she had heard correctly. "Isn't that a bit too expensive?"

They had just entered the realm of wealth, and their consumption habits were still in a state of flux, often alternating between "That's expensive!" and "That's cheap!"

Shen Jizhi gently rubbed her ankle and leaned back in the chair. "It's fine. After all, it's for our new home. We should buy something nice. It's one spirit stone each, and a thousand of them would only cost a thousand spirit stones."

His personal savings were already in the millions.

A thousand spirit stones... was that expensive?

Jian Huan hummed thoughtfully. Lately, she had been reviewing the accounts of Qian Duoduo's Treasure Pavilion, where they made at least tens of thousands a day, sometimes reaching a million.

A thousand was nothing.

"It's indeed not too bad," she nodded, waving her hand generously. "Buy them. Get some in different styles too. It's too monotonous with just one kind."

Shen Jizhi: "Agreed."

As night fell, on the hillside.

An old man with two little mustache tufts in hand, holding a wine jug, stormed into the backyard, his face full of anger.

"You unfilial disciple! You unfilial disciple!" Gu Shan took a big gulp of wine. "I just hung two lanterns, and they were a bit too close to each other? That's all! Even God himself wouldn't notice, and Jian Huan certainly wouldn't mind! But this disciple of mine is so picky, accusing me of poor eyesight and not knowing how to hang lanterns?"

"Me, poor eyesight?" Gu Shan pointed at his own nose, rolled up his sleeves, and started shouting toward the main courtyard. "I am a Nascent Soul Stage expert, you know! If it weren't for considering my disciple's wife, I'd have sliced this unfilial disciple with my sword!"

In the distant main courtyard corridor, the white-robed youth wore a cold expression as he slowly moved the red lanterns with spiritual energy, ensuring they were evenly spaced and aligned.

Spring would arrive in a few days, and tonight was probably the last heavy snowfall.

He was busy, while Gu Shan had nothing to do but wander over to interrupt him after hearing his plan, insisting on helping with the lantern arrangement.

But the lanterns were hung poorly. They were supposed to be sixty feet apart, but one moment it was sixty-three, and the next it was fifty-eight.

And now he had the nerve to shout?

Shen Jizhi sneered, "Hmph."

In the backyard, by the cliff, stood a towering spirit tree.

Its leaves were covered in snow, faintly glowing green under the candlelight.

Suddenly, a green little figure sprang up among the branches, shaking the snow off in chunks.

Earth Fruit Spirit waved its matchstick-like hands, its gender-neutral childish voice sounding very sympathetic. "Exactly! The other day, I saw him working hard all by himself, so I wanted to help out of the goodness of my heart. But he criticized me for being useless and just causing trouble! Ridiculous!"

Gu Shan patted his chest, which was about to burst with anger, and wailed, "Oh heavens, I, Gu Shan, am suffering, having such a disciple!"

Earth Fruit Spirit crossed its arms. "Oh heavens, I, Earth Fruit Spirit, am suffering, having such a family!"

Shen Jizhi scoffed, still hanging his lanterns, and sent a mental message, "If you're suffering so much, why are you still staying here?"

The little spirit swung from the branches, angrily yelling, "Shameless human, you can't just use me and then discard me! You took care of me, made me bear fruit, and now that you're rich and don't need my fruit anymore, you want to get rid of me?!"

The spirit patted its first-class spirit tree, crossed its arms, and tilted its green head toward the sky, exclaiming proudly, "Not a chance! I'm staying right here, I'm not going anywhere!"

"Well said!" The old man exclaimed, shook his empty wine jug, put it back in his robe, stretched, and asked the Earth Fruit Spirit, drunk, "Going for a drink?"

"Pew!" The spirit tree's branches swayed.

Earth Fruit Spirit jumped onto the old man's messy hair nest, gripping his hair with both hands, its green eyes sparkling. "I'm in! The same place as last time?"

Gu Shan and the Earth Fruit Spirit left far away, whispering somewhat shadily, "Let's try a different place. I heard the wine there is good, and the ladies are pretty..."

"But I don't like ladies. I like trees," Earth Fruit Spirit said. "The tree outside the last place wasn't good, it was rotten. Ugh, disgusting. The one before that was fine. Does the place you're talking about have a tree...?"

One person and one spirit's voices gradually faded away, soon disappearing among the mountains.

Shen Jizhi's cold expression slowly softened.

Finally, they were gone.

They had been so noisy, it was unbearable.

As the night deepened, when Shen Jizhi finished his work and returned to Elder Hall, it was already late in the night.

The moment the door was silently pushed open, dim candlelight spilled out, enveloping the young boy in a warm glow.

The bedroom was quiet, only the soft breathing of the girl could be heard.

Shen Jizhi closed the door, turned his spiritual energy, and dispelled the snow from his body.

He lifted the curtain and glanced at the bed.

Jian Huan was sleeping in her nightgown, her pillow propped up high behind her head, an ancient book on formations covering her face, her head tilted and sleeping soundly.

This must be her falling asleep while reading.@@novelbin@@

Didn't he tell her that she didn’t have to wait for him and could go to sleep first?

Shen Jizhi quietly sat by the bed, reached out, and took away the ancient book, gently poking Jian Huan's rosy cheeks with his fingertips, a bit mischievously.

The sudden coldness made Jian Huan shiver.

She drowsily opened her eyes, saw it was him, and closed them again, rolling toward the inner side of the bed and mumbling, "You're back... go to sleep..."

"Jian Huan," Shen Jizhi called softly, leaning over to pull the person who had rolled to the inside back. "Jian Huan, wake up."

Jian Huan was so sleepy that she could barely open her eyes: "Is it dawn? What time is it?"

Shen Jizhi reached for the crimson undergarment laid out beside the bed, naturally beginning to unbutton Jian Huan's nightgown: "It's the hour of yin (around 3-5 AM)."

"Yin hour?" Jian Huan, still half-asleep and held in the young man's arms, suddenly felt a chill. His fingers were ice-cold, like snow made tangible, and as he dressed her, the cold tingling sensation jolted her awake. Her voice sharpened slightly, "Yin hour! It's not even dawn yet. Why are you waking me up?!"

Shen Jizhi's eyes stayed downcast as he meticulously helped her change clothes: "We're going to climb a mountain to see the sunrise."

"..." Jian Huan raised her gaze, looking at him as if he were a lunatic. Finally, she clasped her hands together pleadingly, "Can't we wait until it's a bit warmer? It's snowing outside, and it's freezing!"

Before they went to the Elder Hall, they had written down numerous tasks to accomplish in their ledger.

And over these past few months, Shen Jizhi had been dragging Jian Huan along, checking off each task like completing a checklist.

Shen Jizhi remained unmoved, his face stern and uncompromising: "Both of us are at the Nascent Soul Stage. We don't fear the cold."

Jian Huan: "..."

Jian ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍Huan mumbled: "But I'm so sleepy..."

As she spoke, she slumped back toward the warm remnants of the blankets.

Shen Jizhi pulled her back, draping a red fur-lined cloak over her shoulders before crouching down in front of the bed, patting his back: "Coming?"

Pretending to be dead on the bed, Jian Huan blinked, then cautiously asked: "What happens if I don't?"

The young man turned his head, revealing a menacing grin: "Want to find out?"

Jian Huan muttered to herself and reluctantly crawled out of bed.

Dressed in layers of warm clothing, she leaped up onto Shen Jizhi's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and playfully tightening them: "You know I'm at the Nascent Soul Stage and not afraid of the cold, so why dress me like this?"

"These are new clothes," Shen Jizhi replied easily as he stood up, carrying her toward the dark, snowy night. "It would be a waste not to wear them often."

Their boots crunched through the soft snow, leaving deep footprints that echoed with each step.

The streets were empty, the howling wind and falling snow turning the world into a vast, silent expanse.

Though snow obscured their surroundings in the dark, they could see and hear only each other.

Leaning against Shen Jizhi's back, Jian Huan recalled something and patted him, her words forming puffs of steam in the air: "By the way, your master came back. This morning, he visited me at the Qian Duo Duo Treasure Pavilion and even brought me some wine!"

"He also came to see me," said Shen Jizhi, "and the Earth Fruit Spirit pestered me all afternoon. My head is still buzzing."

Jian Huan glanced at Shen Jizhi.

She didn't mention that Gu Shan had come to see her again that evening with the Earth Fruit Spirit, spending most of the time complaining about Shen Jizhi. They criticized him for being too strict and predicted that the new disciples who joined the Jade Clarity Sect next summer and ended up under his tutelage would suffer greatly.

At the time, Jian Huan had wholeheartedly agreed.

But now...

Jian Huan kissed his ear, soothing him: "They're just old and talkative. Pretend you can't hear them..."

Shen Jizhi's ear twitched, visibly pleased: "I suppose that's all I can do."

As they chatted aimlessly, the two ventured far beyond the Elder Hall, walking deeper into the night.

Suddenly, Jian Huan sensed something was off.

She lifted her body, pressing against Shen Jizhi's cheek as she looked ahead.

The path was too familiar—ever since she first entered the Jade Clarity Sect over three years ago, she had walked this route countless times.

In the rainy dawns, scorching noons, gentle autumn afternoons, and starlit nights.

And now, in the windswept, snowy pre-dawn.

As they drew nearer, the silhouette of a vast complex of pavilions and courtyards emerged from the snowstorm, its lanterns breaking the surrounding darkness.

Shen Jizhi walked steadily, carrying Jian Huan up the steps, pushing open the crimson-painted doors, passing the screen wall, and turning left through a side door to reach the courtyard filled with spiritual bamboo. Crossing a decorated archway and walkway, they entered the inner courtyard.

Beyond the inner courtyard lay the back courtyard, which featured a frozen lake shimmering under the lantern light.

Jian Huan found the scene both familiar and strange.

It was familiar because the blueprint of this estate, every door and courtyard, was drawn by her.

It was strange because this was the first time she had seen the estate rising from the ground as per her designs.

At the center of the lake stood a pavilion.

Near the pavilion, Shen Jizhi set Jian Huan down, holding her hand as he raised his other to gesture toward it.

Jian Huan looked up and read aloud, her voice soft: "Zhi-Huan-Ting."

"Mmhmm," Shen Jizhi smiled lightly, "I wrote it myself."

Jian Huan clasped Shen Jizhi's hand tightly, her voice trembling slightly, unsure if it was from the cold or something else: "I know. I instantly recognized your handwriting."

"Is that so?" Not confirming nor denying, he suddenly reached out and pulled off Jian Huan's red fur hood.

"Of course," Jian Huan replied absentmindedly, caught up in her emotions. Her words were interrupted by surprise: "Why'd you take off my hat?"

It seemed like the snow was putting on a final show for this winter's last snowfall.

Snowflakes landed on them, turning him and her hair white.

"Today we share the snow, this life we share as one," Shen Jizhi lowered his head, his glassy eyes reflecting Jian Huan's figure. The fiery red of her cloak blooming before his gaze. The young man tilted his head slightly, a soft smile forming on his lips, "Jian Huan, the house is finished. Next, I'll prepare a ten-mile red wedding procession to marry you. What do you say?"

Jian Huan gazed up at him.

The world was frozen, the wind and snow relentless.

Though cultivators were immune to the cold, Shen Jizhi's nose and cheeks were still reddened by the chill, like a red plum blossom hidden in the snow, radiating warmth beneath the ice.

Jian Huan sniffled, her nose red in the snow-covered night, then nodded vigorously twice.

She stepped back, her arms outstretched as she shouted to him and the vast sky: "Yes—!"

Shen Jizhi stood in place, his eyes following her movements, a smile uncontrollably spreading across his face.

Then, as Jian Huan ran toward him, he caught her and held her tightly.