Chapter 3 Regret and Apology

"Today, I brought Qianling here to make a sincere apology to you! Don't be nervous."

Seeing the tense, daggers-drawn atmosphere between Yu Shanshan and the others, Qian Meng quickly waved his hand and said.

"Hurry up!"

Just as Qian Meng was speaking in a soft, gentle voice, he turned his head and caught Qianling rolling her eyes at Yu Shanshan. Exasperated, he gave Qianling an angry slap on the arm.

Taking advantage of the moment her father was talking to Yu Shanshan, Qianling had been making mischievous grimaces and faces behind his back, only to be suddenly struck.

Startled into a shiver, she immediately reined in her eye-rolling and said with a huff, "I was wrong! I shouldn't have scolded you!"

Qianling deliberately dragged out her tone, devoid of any hint of genuine remorse, sounding more aggrieved than anything else.

As soon as she finished speaking, she stuck her tongue out at her father, looking thoroughly impish and elfin.

Before Yu Shanshan could make any response, Elder Qian could no longer stand by and watch.

"What did I tell you on the way here? Speak properly! Do you want me to pinch your ear?"

He raised his right hand, ready to grab Qianling's ear the moment she disobeyed.

"Don't, don't!"

Terror flashed across Qianling's face, and she raised her hands in immediate surrender under Elder Qian's menacing little hand.

It was bad enough that he used to pinch and tweak her when she was little, but now that she was grown up, he still kept grabbing her ears—it was terribly humiliating!

"Yu Shanshan, Linglong, it was my fault this morning. I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me and scolded you two; I didn't mean it! Please forgive me, won't you..."

Compelled by Elder Qian's oppressive might, the little witch forced out words that made her flush to the roots of her hair.

When Yu Shanshan and Linglong had first seen the two arrive, their hearts had been filled with deep apprehension. But then came the sight of Qianling making faces behind her father's back only to get caught and lightly struck.

Watching further, when Elder Qian deemed Qianling's tone insufficiently sincere and put on a show of threatening to pinch her ear, Qianling had shrunk her head back instantly like a turtle.

To think the haughty little witch could be reduced to such a state!

Yu Shanshan could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing, though with great restraint she covered her mouth so no sound escaped.

"Elder Qian, please don't be too hard on Qianling! She's still young, after all. Besides, those few harsh words—I'd forgotten them long ago and wouldn't hold a grudge!"

Noticing the two of them looking at her, Yu Shanshan swallowed her laughter, straightened her expression, and spoke with the poise of an approachable older neighbor.

"Since she knows she was wrong, she mustn't do it again. It hurts others and harms oneself!"

It was the first time since she had grown up that Linglong had experienced a boy gently petting her head. As Qi Di's hand hovered and shifted across her hair, her heart fluttered with an irrepressible itch, and her face burned with a shy blush.

She took a few steps to the side, silently vowing never to look at Qi Di again, nor to let herself stand so close to him. The flush on her cheeks gradually receded as she turned her gaze toward Qianling.

Linglong had initially harbored some resentment toward Qianling, seeing her as the indirect cause of their banishment to the Ancient God Path.

Yet now that the girl's parents had come in person to apologize, it hardly seemed right to pursue the matter further.

"Don't worry, I already interceded with the Head of the Law Enforcement Hall on the way here. The two of you can leave right now! You won't have to stay in the Ancient God Path any longer!"

Delighted to see the two girls being so reasonable and broad-minded, Elder Qian dropped a bombshell of good news.

"Why aren't you thanking my dad? You insisted on coming in here yourselves, and my dad had to go through a tremendous, exhausting amount of effort to talk them into this."

"Thank you, Elder Qian!"

Yu Shanshan and Linglong exchanged glances and smiled. They had only been trapped here for nearly half a day, yet their hearts were already fraught with agitation; the thought of staying a whole month was simply unthinkable.

Fortunately, Elder Qian had interceded!

How lucky they were!

Unlike Qi Di over there, who was sentenced to confinement for a whole month!

Heh-heh...

Hearing Elder Qian's announcement, Linglong's head immediately turned toward Qi Di, her eyes clear and filled with unexpected surprise.

Seeing the girls' gentle and courteous demeanor, Elder Qian felt immensely gratified; lowering his pride to beg a favor had been well worth it.

Yet the moment he turned his eyes back to his own daughter, the contrast only served to enrage him. There was simply no comparison! He concluded that he had been far too lenient in her upbringing and resolved to discipline her strictly from now on.

"Look at you! They are only a few years older than you, yet they carry themselves like refined young ladies of noble families, unlike you... Can't you ever give me some peace of mind?"

Hearing Qianling's previous remarks, Elder Qian's displeasure flared up anew. If she hadn't started out cursing at people, would he have had to lower himself to beg favors from others?

Qianling felt deeply depressed. Scold her if he must, why did he have to resort to physical violence? And to top it all off, he was her father, which meant she couldn't even fight back!

"Grumble! Grumble!"

Whose stomach was making that noise?

Yu Shanshan wore a look of mild embarrassment. Seeing the others turn to look at her, she playfully stuck out her tongue, rubbed her tummy apologetically, and made it clear that she was starving.

"Since you're hungry, I'll take you to get something to eat."

Elder Qian smiled at Yu Shanshan's adorable display and made a hand gesture signaling the return journey.

"Don't just stand there! Move! You dawdled the whole way here, and now that we're leaving, you're still dawdling."

Seeing that Qianling hadn't moved an inch, Elder Qian tilted his head, glared at the sulking girl, and gently spun her around to face the right direction.

"Didn't you say we were definitely going to be stuck here for a month? How come we're leaving right now?"

Yu Shanshan playfully patted Qi Di's chest and giggled.

"That must be because Elder Qian went through mountains of trouble to fish you out. After all, a favor from the Hall Master is no small matter!"

"No small matter? ... Well, let's go!"

Yu Shanshan pondered briefly, failing to grasp the deeper implications. In any case, as long as they could get out now, that was all that mattered! She waved dismissively at him, turned around, and grabbed Linglong by the hand to pull her along.

"Mm!"

Pulled along by Shanshan, Linglong's body shifted involuntarily. She cast a parting glance at Qi Di, her eyes brimming with reluctance.

"My name is Qi Di!"

"Though time flows on, my name... is Linglong!"

Feeling the warmth radiating from the palm of her hand, Linglong dared not linger any longer and walked away with a heavy heart.

"Hey! Are you harboring feelings for that Qi Di?"

Yu Shanshan turned her head back to glance at Qi Di, who was watching them depart.

"Nonsense!"

Linglong was instantly mortified. Every single one of her subtle reactions was laid bare before Yu Shanshan; her cheeks flushed bright red as she vehemently denied the charge.

"Hehe! Elder Qian, we won't be joining you for dinner; we have a few things to attend to!"

Yu Shanshan giggled and said, knowing full well that dining in the company of an elder would be terribly constrained—an environment she thoroughly disliked.

"Very well then! We'll be heading back!"

Seeing that the girls had no desire to share a meal with Qianling, Elder Qian readily agreed.

"Shall we go back and chat some more, then?"

Yu Shanshan teased, making a mock motion as if to turn right back around.

"Alright, fine! I have feelings for him, happy now?!"

Fearing that Yu Shanshan might actually follow through and drag her back into the Ancient God Path, Linglong suffered a jolt of panic and surrendered immediately.