Chapter 1426 418: Do You Prefer Sour or... Spicy?

When Zhou Qing reported the recent findings of his second uncle to Shen Hanyi, she just sat quietly in the chair, her expression unchanged.

"You... already guessed it?" Zhou Qing asked somewhat surprised.

Shen Hanyi gently shook her head: "No."

"Then why aren't you surprised at all?"

"If not him, then her," Shen Hanyi's voice was so calm that there wasn't a hint of emotion, "over the years, I've suspected anyone who should be suspected."

Hearing this, Zhou Qing let out a light sigh.

It wasn't that she wasn't surprised, but that her heart had long become cold.

The hall fell into silence.

Zhou Qing didn't disturb her, just quietly accompanied her, allowing her to slowly digest the news.

"Let me tell you about what happened after I went to see Auntie that day!" After a while, Shen Hanyi suddenly spoke, her voice very light.

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up, and a warm feeling surged in his heart.

The fact that she was willing to proactively share these personal stories was both surprising and touching to him.

Afterward, Shen Hanyi spoke softly and quietly, and Zhou Qing listened in silence.

After she finished speaking, Zhou Qing's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

If she had been born in the Taiqing Sect, with such talent, the masters and uncles would have certainly regarded her as a treasure, even protecting her at the cost of their lives.

Yet in this Shen Family, she ended up in such a situation.

No wonder Shen Yunzhou longed for that place so much after staying at the Taiqing Sect for a short time back then.

"Thank you!" Just as Zhou Qing was pondering, Shen Hanyi spoke again.

"Huh?" Zhou Qing was momentarily unresponsive.

Shen Hanyi quietly gazed at him, then slightly lowered her head after meeting his eyes: "Some clues, I've spent decades and can only uncover a trace, and always ambiguously. Yet you..."

Her voice dropped a bit: "In just a few days, you've helped me confirm so much. Auntie's imaging stone, Third Uncle's cover-up murder, Second Uncle's hire, Eldest Uncle's identity as a Level 4 Array Master..."

Zhou Qing replied with a gentle smile: "It's all luck. I'm very happy to be able to help you."

"It's not just these." Shen Hanyi looked up again, a gentle look in her eyes, "Earlier, you saved Yunzhou's life, including repairing the teleportation array in Celestial Wave City, also avoiding me falling into the Endless Void."

"Yunzhou's recent Spirit Severing breakthrough was also thanks to your Four-color Array, and the Heart-Burning Bone-Eroding Flame used by the Blood Contract Pavilion assassin last time..."

At this point, a blush quietly appeared on the tips of Shen Hanyi's ears.

Such a shy demeanor on her aloof person was like a red lotus blooming on a frozen lake, breathtakingly beautiful.

Zhou Qing was momentarily captivated.

Seeing Zhou Qing silent, Shen Hanyi looked up and met his burning gaze, her cheeks instantly turning crimson.

"What... are you looking at?" Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"You're so beautiful." Zhou Qing blurted out, immediately realizing his slip, he awkwardly scratched his head.

Shen Hanyi's ears turned so red they seemed to almost drip blood, the hall fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.

One could even hear each other's breathing, the ambiguous atmosphere growing stronger in the silence.

"Um..." After a few breaths, Zhou Qing cleared his throat, his eyes drifting to her still flat abdomen, his voice subconsciously softer: "Is your body... feeling any discomfort?"

Shen Hanyi gently shook her head, her fingertips unconsciously touching her belly, her voice faint as a mosquito: "St-still okay..."

"Then..." Zhou Qing's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice getting softer, "How long... generally does it take to carry?"

"I-I don't know..." Shen Hanyi's ears were burning red, "I guess... a long time..."

"Do you... usually crave anything?" Zhou Qing clumsily searched for a topic, "Sour or... spicy?"

"I..." Shen Hanyi's voice got smaller and smaller, "Fasting..."

"Oh..." Zhou Qing nodded awkwardly, yet his eyes couldn't help but linger on her belly.

Spirit Severing Realm nurturing life, perhaps only spiritual power is needed...

This thought brought a strange thrill to his heart.

Outside the hall, Second Uncle perked up his ears, listening to their awkward yet candid conversation, unable to hold back a chuckle, mischief in his eyes.

These two clearly are the prodigies of their time, yet they seem like clumsily in-love teenagers, adorably awkward.

"A pair of silly kids..." He shook his head lightly, eyes full of love.

Just then, a bright yellow light streaked across the sky, and Shen Yunzhou gracefully appeared.

Second Uncle's mouth twitched slightly at the sight.

Roaming the martial world for years, he rarely suffered losses, yet this kid made him take a big fall.

But this guy really annoyed him.

Especially during conversation that day, the kid's display of "Young buds just revealing their points", "Stuck in one's throat", and "Gushing forth" he experienced firsthand.

Very distinctive, though thankfully, the kid had some restraint, stopping in time, otherwise, his lifelong reputation might've been ruined.

"Hey, Master Situ, why are you outside again? Is my sister inside?" Shen Yunzhou asked with a cheeky smile.

Second Uncle made a silencing gesture, lowering his voice: "Come, come, sit here and chat with me."

Shen Yunzhou shook his head: "No, I have urgent business with Sis."

"Alright, then go inside and bother your Sis!" Second Uncle pointed to the hall door.

Shen Yunzhou immediately wilted and sat down beside him dejectedly.

Second Uncle looked at his flamboyant yellow hair and suddenly remembered something: "I recall you said a few days ago that you have a pet, right?"

Shen Yunzhou's eyes lit up instantly, his face full of excitement.

He rarely met someone who could appreciate his "realm", so he immediately took a blackened jar from his storage bag.

"Look closely!" He mysteriously unveiled it, a hard-to-describe stench instantly spreading.

A completely black, metallic shining dung beetle slowly crawled out, its shell still covered with suspicious slime.