The Poacher Has Arrived

Jiang Yao was pulled back and forth by the two, her face a picture of helplessness.

“Aren’t you two tired?” Jiang Yao asked, a wry smile gracing her lips. “You’re grown adults; why are you still acting like children?”

Yang Lu, however, was clearly displeased.

“Who is she, the ‘big wife’?” Yang Lu demanded, pointing at Yan Yun. “Is she the third wife or the youngest wife?”

Jiang Yao let out a heavy sigh.

“Neither,” she replied simply.

Yang Lu was stunned.

“What? Neither?” she exclaimed, her eyes wide. “But you two are acting so intimately, and you even mentioned that she was your wife in a past life. Wait a minute, among our group, the only one who fits that description… is your husband, right?”

Yang Lu’s realization dawned on her in an instant.

Jiang Yao nodded.

Upon receiving Jiang Yao’s confirmation, Yang Lu’s expression morphed into one of utter astonishment.

She lifted a trembling finger, pointing at Yan Yun, and stammered, “You, you’re Yan Yun?”

Yan Yun casually crossed her arms, a cheerful smile playing on her lips as she nodded. “Now do you understand whose wife she is? She’s my person, so stop calling her the ‘big wife’ for no reason. Even if she was before, she isn’t anymore.”

Yang Lu was utterly bewildered.

She immediately walked over to Yan Yun, circling her a few times.

“Holy cow, it’s real! It’s not fake!” Yang Lu exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You, you became a girl in this life?”

At the mention of this, Yan Yun immediately drooped her head and nodded dejectedly.

“Sigh! It’s not just me; those two changed too,” Yan Yun confessed, promptly pointing out Xie Yuyan and Bai Zhihua.

Yang Lu’s gaze instantly shifted to Bai Zhihua and Xie Yuyan.

“Them? No way,” she murmured, a flicker of understanding crossing her face. “That little loli just called them Third Sister and Second Sister. Don’t tell me these two were your brothers?”

Yang Lu immediately grasped the situation.

Bai Zhihua and Xie Yuyan immediately protested to Yan Yun, their voices filled with annoyance. “Hey! What’s wrong with you? Do you really have to drag us into this embarrassment too?”

“Oh, come on, it’s still early,” Yan Yun replied dismissively. “We’re brothers; if we’re going to be embarrassed, we’ll be embarrassed together.”

Yang Lu was utterly confused.

“And who are you two, exactly?” she asked.

Xie Yuyan let out a heavy sigh.

“I’m… I’m Xie Xuan.”

Bai Zhihua also quickly pointed to herself and replied, “I’m Bai Zhiqiu!”

After all, the three of them had been Yan Yun’s groomsmen, while Yang Lu and the other two girls had been bridesmaids. They must have met before.

“Bai Zhiqiu, you’re the First Senior Brother?” Yang Lu asked in astonishment, pointing at Bai Zhihua.

Bai Zhihua nodded weakly. The stark contrast of an eighteen-year-old handsome man transforming into a petite loli of merely one meter forty-something was truly astonishing.

“Hey, hey, hey, am I not handsome anymore?” Xie Yuyan quickly pointed to herself and cried out.

Yang Lu immediately rolled her eyes at Xie Yuyan.

“I know you,” she said bluntly. “Aren’t you the guy who loved to flirt? The moment we met, you came right over to hit on us.”

Yang Lu’s words were quite direct.

“Hey? What kind of talk is that?” Xie Yuyan retorted, clearly displeased. “If a man doesn’t actively flirt, will any girls like him?”

But then, just as suddenly, Yang Lu burst into boisterous laughter.

“Oh, hahahaha… I can’t take it anymore!” she guffawed. “I never imagined something like this would happen to you three. I’m going to die laughing! What’s it like for a man to become a woman? Why didn’t I get to switch genders? If I became a man, I could legitimately pursue the big wife!”

Yang Lu roared with laughter.

Her laughter echoed throughout the entire Qianjin Pavilion.

However, to others who overheard her words, their first reaction was that Yang Lu must be mad, spouting nonsense.

“What’s so funny? There’s nothing to laugh about!”

Yan Yun and the other three felt utterly mortified.

“Alright, alright, no more laughing,” Yang Lu said, waving her hand. “Yan Yun, lend me your wife for a bit. You three go play over there; we two need to have a little chat.”

With that, Yang Lu pulled Jiang Yao away directly.

Yan Yun’s face immediately darkened.

‘No wonder your nickname is ‘Lunatic’,’ she thought. ‘Can’t you speak properly?’

Despite her internal grumbling, the three of them didn’t follow. They could only watch as the two women walked away arm-in-arm, chatting and laughing.

“Third Sister,” Xie Yuyan teased, “your love rival has appeared. Be careful, or your wife might actually be snatched away.”

“Get lost! You’re a lone wolf, what do you know?” Yan Yun retorted, glaring at Xie Yuyan.

Bai Zhihua also chuckled, offering a suggestion.

“Second Sister, if you’re envious, then use your shameless persistence from your past life and win over Yang Xin.”

This suggestion made Yan Yun’s eyes light up.

“That’s right, Second Brother,” Yan Yun said, a mischievous grin spreading across her face as she clapped a hand on Xie Yuyan’s shoulder and winked. “I completely support you pursuing Yang Xin. Didn’t you always say you wanted a wife? What do you think of ‘Crazy Yang’? I think her personality is quite similar to yours. If you’re willing, my wife and I will definitely help you make it happen. How about it?”

Xie Yuyan glanced at Yan Yun, then at Bai Zhihua, and seeing their uncomfortable expressions, she immediately pushed Yan Yun away.

“Get out of here!” she exclaimed. “She’s not my type. I prefer someone gentle.” Xie Yuyan spoke with a look of longing expectation.

“Are you very familiar with her?” Yan Yun challenged. “How do you know she isn’t gentle? Let me tell you, when it comes to women, you need to get to know them deeply to understand what kind of person they truly are. Don’t be fooled by her cold exterior; she’s completely different in private. People have two sides, and the outer one is just for dealing with… You’d be wise to listen to me.”

Xie Yuyan, who had initially shown no interest, immediately perked up.

“Really? Is Yang Xin’s true personality actually the gentle and lovely type?” Xie Yuyan inquired.

Yan Yun chuckled mischievously.

“You’ll find out if you try; there’s no harm in it. You need to understand that you’re a woman now, and not many women in this world can accept same-s*x relationships. But Yang Xin is different. She knows you were a man in your past life, so deep down, she can still perceive you as male. Understand?”

The more Xie Yuyan listened, the more reasonable it sounded.

“That actually makes some sense,” she conceded. “Alright, I’ll listen to you and give it a try. Third Sister, my future happiness is in your hands now.”

The three of them then began to strategize on how to pursue Yang Xin.

Given Bai Zhihua’s intelligence, they were sure to come up with many excellent ideas.

Meanwhile, Yang Lu and Jiang Yao’s conversation turned to Yan Yun.

“Sister Xue,” Yang Lu asked curiously, “do you truly not mind Yan Yun’s current identity?”

Jiang Yao was the leader of their dormitory, which was why Yang Lu playfully called her “big wife.”

“No, I don’t mind,” Jiang Yao replied with a smile. “I accepted it long ago. You simply never had a boyfriend in your past life. If you had, you’d understand that love can overcome all obstacles.”

Hearing this, Yang Lu couldn’t help but sigh heavily.

“Sigh! You’re right,” she lamented. “I really should have dated in my past life. After reincarnating, quite a few people have pursued me because of my talent, but I just can’t accept the personalities and thought processes of people in this world.”

Indeed, putting aside everything else, the fact that men in this world could marry multiple wives was simply unacceptable to Yang Lu, who hailed from Earth.

What she desired was unwavering devotion and a partner whose values aligned perfectly with her own.

“I noticed that senior brother of yours seems to have an interest in you, doesn’t he?” Jiang Yao quickly recalled the young man who was often by Yang Lu’s side.

With the discernment of an experienced person, she could instantly perceive his intentions.

“Oh, him?” Yang Lu chuckled. “He does seem to have a thing for me, but I’m not interested in him. My senior brother is too soft-natured and introverted. Every time I talk to him, he gets all shy and can barely string a sentence together. I much prefer someone with a playful personality, someone who can joke around with me.”

Jiang Yao nodded in agreement.

“Truly, with your personality, you wouldn’t get along with an overly introverted man.”

“Hehe, why don’t you dump that annoying Yan Yun and we can become Dao companions?” Yang Lu suggested with a cheeky grin. “In this world, Dao companions aren’t limited by gender.”

Jiang Yao gave Yang Lu an immediate eye-roll, seeing her eager expression.

“Dream on,” she retorted. “Love and friendship are different. You’ll understand once you have a husband.”

The two continued walking and chatting, but as they proceeded, someone suddenly blocked their path.

“You must be Miss Jiang Yao of the Yunhua Sect, correct?” the person said. “Miss Jiang, I am Ji Yunfei, a personal disciple of the Jinyang Sect from Ji Country. Might we have a moment to talk?”

Their appearance was quite sudden.

“What does the Jinyang Sect want?” Yang Lu immediately questioned, stepping forward impolitely, assuming they were looking for trouble.

Ji Yunfei naturally recognized Yang Lu.

“Ah, it’s Fairy Qingluan of the Qinglan Sect,” Ji Yunfei said with a smile. “I didn’t expect you to have already struck up a conversation with Miss Jiang so quickly.”

He undoubtedly assumed Yang Lu was there to poach talent.

Poaching talent was, in fact, one of the primary objectives for the cultivators from Ji Country attending the Immortal Dao Assembly in Jiang Country.

“So what if I am?” Yang Lu retorted, waving her hand dismissively at the group. “Don’t block our way for no reason. Move aside.”

However, these people were clearly not going to heed Yang Lu’s words.

“Fairy Qingluan, we aren’t looking for you,” Ji Yunfei said, a smile plastered on his face as he fixed his gaze on Jiang Yao. “We are here for Miss Jiang.”

Jiang Yao immediately looked at Yang Lu.

Yang Lu quickly transmitted a message with her divine sense.

[They’re here to poach talent.]

Jiang Yao understood at once, and turning to the group, she stated, “My apologies, but we are not familiar with each other, so there is nothing to discuss.”

Having said this, she pulled Yang Lu along and walked past the group.

This blatant disregard for their presence naturally caused the disciples of the Jinyang Sect to frown.

“Ninth Prince, this woman is showing no respect.”

Indeed, this Ji Yunfei is not only a disciple of the Jinyang Sect, the foremost sect in Ji Country, but also the Ninth Prince of the Ji Country imperial family.

“Yang Lu must be interfering,” Ji Yunfei said, displeased. “The Qinglan Sect clearly intends to snatch people away from our Jinyang Sect.”

“Hm? Ninth Prince,” someone suggested, “perhaps it was a bit abrupt for a group of us men to approach her. Why don’t we find an opportunity for our female disciples to interact with her instead?”

Ji Yunfei pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Turning to where Yan Yun and her companions were, the three of them had been chatting merrily when a familiar voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.

“Miss Yan, we meet again.”

Yan Yun paused for a moment, then turned to face the newcomer. Upon seeing him, she realized it was Nan Xuanjin, the very person she had fought against earlier today.

“Oh, Fellow Daoist Nan,” Yan Yun greeted him immediately. “You’ve also come to the Qianjin Pavilion?”

Her initial impression of Nan Xuanjin remained quite favorable.