Master, don't tease me, you can't handle three of them.

Jing Shu, as if possessed, raised his head and looked towards the source of the sound.

A young man in white, carrying a pile of books, stood at the stall and asked the old man a question.

Jing Shu withdrew his gaze; it wasn't him...

Jing Shu stirred the wontons in his bowl, and for a moment, he thought his master had arrived.

The old man was still all smiles. "My wontons aren't expensive, only five coins a bowl. Would you like a bowl, sir?"

Jingran thought for a moment about the three coins she had left in her pocket, then shook her head. "No, thank you, sir."

A woman recognized Jing Ran as the winner of this year's Flower Goddess Festival at Zuixianlou.

So the woman stepped forward, blushing, and asked, "Young master, would you like some wontons? I can offer you some."

Jingran glanced at the girl, not understanding why she was blushing. Although she really wanted to eat it, she still refused.

"No need, young lady. I cannot accept a reward without having done anything in return."

"It's okay, I can treat you to a meal for free!"

Hearing Jingran speak to her, the woman quickly replied. Secretly, however, she was swooning. "Ahhh! His voice is so beautiful! He speaks so gently! I really want to date him!"

"I still need to take these books to the private school, young lady. I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, Jingran prepared to leave.

"and many more."

Jing Shu, who was in the corner, raised his head and called out to Jing Ran. Under Jing Ran's puzzled gaze, he slowly spoke.

"Young master, please have this. Sir, could you please make another bowl of wontons?"

"Okay!" the old man replied.

Jing Shu looked at Jing Ran, "Young master, would you do me the honor?"

“Okay.” Jing Ran was silent for a moment, then carried the books inside and sat down next to Jing Shu.

"!!!" Is that even possible?!

The girl stared in disbelief as Jing Ran accepted the request from another equally handsome young man.

So, if you're worried about being rejected when inviting someone to dinner, all you need to do is buy the food in advance! I've learned something new!

"Starting to show kindness again? What, are you trying to be a good person?" the Nascent Soul teased.

"No." Jing Shu didn't know why he did it.

Perhaps it's because I can't bear to hear the disappointment in this person's tone...

After sitting down, Jingran carefully arranged the books in her arms and placed them on the empty seat next to her.

He then took out three coins from his pocket and placed them next to Jing Shu's bowl.

"This is all I have right now, please accept it for now. I will pay you back after I deliver these scrolls to the private school and receive the money."

Although Jing Ran accepted Jing Shu's invitation, he still had to pay him.

"It's alright." Jing Shu continued eating his wontons. "I told you it was my treat, so there's no need to worry about it."

"You have to give it." Jing Ran looked at Jing Shu and said seriously, "You have to give it."

Jing Shu looked at Jing Ran and suddenly laughed out loud, "Okay."

"My name is Jing Ran. If you're not busy later, you can come with me."

Jingran?

Jing Shu raised an eyebrow slightly. Although Jing wasn't a rare surname, the sudden appearance of someone with that surname at this crucial juncture...

Could this person be after him...?

Although Jing Shu had some doubts in his heart, he smiled and said, "What a coincidence, I also have the surname Jing. My name is Jing Shu, it's nice to meet you."

Jing Shu. Jing Ran silently repeated these two words, feeling...somewhat familiar...

Before he could think any further, the old man brought over a bowl of wontons.

"Please enjoy your meal, sir."

Never mind, let's eat first!

Jingran decided to stop thinking about things she couldn't understand. She picked up a spoon and put a wonton in her mouth, savoring its flavor.

tasty! !

Jing Shu had already finished eating the wontons. He rested one hand on the table and looked at Jing Ran eating with his face turned to the side.

Watching Jingran eat wontons silently, but upon closer inspection, there was a subtle hint of satisfaction in her eyes.

The nascent soul also stopped joking and frowned slightly.

Why does Jing Ran eat so much like his master? He shares the same surname, Jing, and his mannerisms are so similar to his master's. This person is just too suspicious.

“Jing Shu, go with him right away, he’s very suspicious.”

The Nascent Soul cultivator suspected that Jing Ran was sent by an evil cultivator to test him; of course, it couldn't possibly be his master!

If it's your master, you can just acknowledge him directly. Why go through all this trouble?

“I know.” Jing Shu also harbored suspicions about the person in front of him.

After Jing Ran finished eating, Jing Shu paid the bill and left with Jing Ran.

"Jingran, are you working at the private school?" Jing Shu asked casually.

Jingran thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't think so... I should be considered... paying off a debt. But the private tutor and his family are very kind; they even give me extra money."

At this point, Jingran suddenly felt a little embarrassed and didn't want Jingshu to continue asking questions, so she changed the subject.

"Jing Shu isn't from Huacheng, is he?"

"How did you know?" Jing Shu asked.

“I didn’t see you at Zuixianlou during the Flower Festival, so you must have just arrived in Huacheng. If you had participated, I doubt I would have won,” Jingran said earnestly.

“You are very handsome, unlike me. Jing Shu seems very kind and will help even strangers.”

Jing Shu not only treated him to a meal of wontons, but also agreed to pay him when he insisted on doing so. Even though Jing Shu wasn't short of money at all—he had just seen that Jing Shu had given the old man a piece of gold! The old man had simply told him to put the money in the money box and hadn't noticed that Jing Shu had given him too much.

He is still willing to accompany him to deliver the books, so in Jingran's heart, Jingshu is a good person.

"..."

Completely unaware that he had been given a "friend zone" card, Jing Shu looked at Jing Ran's undisguised gaze and suddenly became speechless.

This person shouldn't be a heretical cultivator, right? What heretical cultivator would be bought off by a bowl of wontons?

The Nascent Soul also began to question its previous thoughts. Otherwise, could it really be just a coincidence that it was just an ordinary person?

"It's good that you didn't participate, Jing Shu. If you had, I probably wouldn't have gotten to drink the Drunken Immortal Brew." A hint of relief flashed in Jing Ran's eyes.

The Drunken Immortal Brew was truly delicious; I'm so glad I got to try it. It's a pity there was only one jar left, and it's already gone.

Jing Shu coughed lightly, "Where is the private school? Why haven't we arrived yet?"

"Almost there, look, that's it." Jingran looked up and gestured.

This place is far from the bustling town center, with fewer vendors' noise and more the sound of students reading aloud.

Jing Shu followed Jing Ran inside. The teacher, who was teaching there, told the students to study quietly on their own and then came over to take the book from Jing Ran's hand.

"Jingran, thank you so much! You helped me organize so many books." The schoolteacher said happily, and handed twenty coins to Jingran.

"This is your payment! The students are going to practice calligraphy next. Would Jingran be willing to help?"

"Of course I'd like to."

Jingran accepted the money and replied calmly. He also returned two coins to Jingshu.

"What's this?" The schoolteacher was so happy that he didn't notice that there was another person standing next to him.

"This is my new friend, Jing Shu. This is the schoolteacher here, Mr. Xu," Jing Ran introduced them to each other.

"Hello, Mr. Xu." Jing Shu nodded slightly as a greeting.

Xu Sheng was somewhat surprised. This person also had the surname Jing, and neither of them looked like ordinary people. Could they be friends or relatives?