Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!-Chapter 99: A Beauty [5]

Fang Yuan sighed, long and quiet.

"...Fine," he said, followed by a curt nod. "I’ll have you settled in the eastern wing of the Phoenix Soul Pavilion."

"Eastern?" Lin Zhaoyue’s eyes lit up.

Her smile bloomed,"Husband... maybe we could even share a room?"

Fang Yuan turned to look at her, his gaze utterly flat, like a salted fish lying under the sun.

"...No."

He fished out his spatial ring, flicked his finger, and transferred a neat sum of spirit stones into hers before handing it over.

"Take it," he said. "But first, inform your father. Once you get a proper confirmation from him, come back and let me know."

Then, as if regretting every word that left his mouth, Fang Yuan pinched the bridge of his nose and added with grave reluctance,

"If this succeeds..." he sighed, "Maybe, just maybe, I’ll consider the room-sharing."

That was all she needed.

Lin Zhaoyue sprung to her feet like a girl promised the moon.

She smoothed out her sleeves, cleared her throat with all the grace of a palace maiden, and declared, "Ahem. Alright then. I’ll contact my father immediately."

She turned and began walking away, posture elegant and movements controlled—

But Fang Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

Despite her poise, her shoulders were visibly trembling.

He could see the joy leaking out from her back.

"...Did I do the right thing?" he muttered to himself, rubbing his temples.

Before he could sink deeper into regret, a familiar voice rang out—

"Brother Fang!"

Xiao Pei came sprinting in, panting slightly, followed closely by Doctor Mu, who, despite his age, was somehow keeping up with surprising stubbornness.

The old physician was already adjusting the strap of his medicine kit as he arrived.

Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow at Xiao Pei. "At the very least... you could’ve carried him."

Doctor Mu wheezed a laugh. "Indeed! This fatty could use the exercise. Ran the whole way at my speed, an old man’s pace!"

Xiao Pei’s face turned red. "H-Hey! I was being considerate, alright? I was matching your speed out of respect, not because I couldn’t run faster!"

Fang Yuan chuckled, and even the old doctor shook his head with a grin.

But then—

A chill sliced through the air like a sword.

Xiao Pei froze.

He turned, slowly.

Lin Zhaoyue was still nearby, standing by the corridor with perfect posture... and staring directly at him.

Her eyes were cold.

Her expression: emotionless. But that deadpan gaze carried the weight of a thousand threats.

Xiao Pei gulped audibly.

"...Did I say something wrong?" he whispered.

"Oh, you did nothing wrong."

Lin Zhaoyue stepped forward with perfect grace, her sleeves fluttering like petals in the breeze.

Her eyes remained on Xiao Pei just long enough for him to flinch before her gaze shifted, warm and poised, to the elderly man beside him.

"You must be Doctor Mu," she said with a gentle smile, bowing slightly. "I’ve heard many tales of your brilliance. Thank you for saving my husband’s grandfather. That was... a miracle. Especially coming from a mortal."

Her voice was silk-wrapped steel, humble in tone, yet subtly sharp with every carefully chosen word.

Doctor Mu let out a hearty, chest-deep laugh that echoed through the courtyard. "Aiya, I like this one! Is this the girl who needed treatment?"

He leaned forward, squinting at her with a mix of curiosity and approval. "Good, good. You’ve got manners, girl. Hard to find that these days."

Xiao Pei twitched, a protest dying on his lips as if strangled. He forced a stiff nod.

Of course. Doctor Mu was a mortal. He couldn’t feel the quiet, razor-edged pressure that wrapped around her like silk hiding steel.

Still, Xiao Pei swallowed hard and inched back, one cautious step at a time.

Lin Zhaoyue offered a demure tilt of her head, her smile as gentle as moonlight on water.

But then, a flicker.

Her gaze slid to Fang Yuan for just a heartbeat.

Not a word was spoken, but in that single glance, there was a whisper:

"See? I can be perfect, just for you."

Fang Yuan stared back, unblinking.

And then sighed.

Doctor Mu clapped his hands. "Come now, let’s go take a seat. The wind’s no good for frail meridians."

Lin Zhaoyue nodded with the obedient grace of a model disciple and began walking toward the wooden bench, her steps featherlight.

As she passed Xiao Pei, close enough for her breath to frost his neck she leaned in ever so slightly and whispered something, soft, almost musical.

Xiao Pei froze. His eyes widened a fraction as if her words had tickled the base of his spine with a cold feather.

Then, without another word, he shuffled over to Fang Yuan, clutching at his cloak like a child grabbing the edge of a parent’s sleeve during a thunderstorm.

Meanwhile, Doctor Mu eased himself down onto the seat with a grunt, patting the empty space beside him. "Alright, girl. Open your mouth. Stick out your tongue. Let me take a look."

Lin Zhaoyue came to a soft halt, lashes lowered. A breath passed, quiet.

Then a flicker.

Her spiritual pressure stirred, barely a pulse, like the shimmer of a blade unsheathing in the dark.

It wasn’t strong enough for a mortal like Doctor Mu or a cultivator like Xiao Pei to notice.

But Fang Yuan felt it, that brief ripple of indignation beneath her graceful exterior.

She smoothed it away a heartbeat later, her poise never wavering. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Her eyes, however, told the truth.

Just for a second, her eyes narrowing, not at the request, but at the fact that a mortal dared to examine her.

It was a glance that could’ve frozen spring blossoms mid-bloom.

Still, she complied with an air of amused indulgence, tilting her chin and slowly sticking her tongue out as if she were humoring a strange, stubborn grandpa.

Fang Yuan watched all this unfold, then turned to Xiao Pei, whose hand still clutched his sleeve in a death grip.

"...What did she say to you just now?" he asked.

Xiao Pei shuddered. "I-I don’t know. She asked something weird. Really weird."

He glanced sideways at Lin Zhaoyue and quickly leaned in close, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"B-Brother Fang... why would you...? She’s a beauty, sure, b-but her eyes—they look l-like they’ve already seen how I die!"

Fang Yuan nearly sighed.

He almost told him that the ’beauty’ he meant for him was never Zhaoyue, it had always been Aunt Jingyi.

But he glanced at his friend’s pale face, the tremble in his voice, and decided against adding more emotional trauma to the poor guy’s day.

Instead, he said gently, "Alright, alright. Just tell me what she said. I’ll handle the rest, Da Pang."

Xiao Pei hesitated, then muttered, still stammering, "...She asked me if I knew any girl... who smells like plum blossom."

Fang Yuan’s eyes sharpened.

Plum blossom? He recalled, clear as day—Lin Zhaoyue had once leaned into his robes, breathed in deep, and murmured that he smelled like plum blossoms.

His gaze snapped to her.

And sure enough, Lin Zhaoyue was already looking his way, tongue stuck out like a diligent patient but her eyes were anything but innocent.

A hunter’s glint sharpened in her eyes, patient, possessive, and perilously pleased.