Originally, Yvonne Jiang hadn’t thought much of Ian Song, even after he showed his skills by picking the Frost Lotus seed. But now, seeing Hannah Frost openly trying to poach him, Yvonne felt a sudden sense of urgency—and a bit of dissatisfaction toward Hannah as well.
"Sorry, I’m not thinking about jumping ship right now!" Ian Song shook his head.
He’d obtained a Void Fusion-level cultivation method from City Lord Jiang Yan, which counted as a favor, however slight.
He’d also signed a one-year contract as Yvonne Jiang’s guard—this year was his way of repaying Jiang Yan’s kindness.
Once the year was up, he’d leave and never be anyone’s guard again. So Hannah Frost’s attempt to poach him didn’t interest him at all.
Seeing Ian Song refuse, Yvonne Jiang felt secretly pleased, thinking to herself, “As if my guard could be so easily stolen!”
"Whatever pay Yvonne Jiang gives you, I can triple it!" Hannah Frost pressed, unwilling to give up.
Hannah Frost was clearly not ready to give up.
At that moment, Yvonne Jiang felt another twinge of pressure and couldn’t help but say, "Hannah, isn’t this a bit much?"
"Sis, he’s just a guard. If Hannah Frost wants him, why not let her have him?"
Hugo Jiang chimed in, his shoulders squared as he turned toward Hannah Frost.
Hearing this, Yvonne Jiang grew frustrated and snapped, "If he wants to go with you, then let him! I’m not going to bother!"
With that, Yvonne Jiang swept her sleeves and left.
"Heh, so what do you say? Are you interested?" Hannah Frost smiled, showing two cute tiger teeth.
"Sorry!"
Ian Song refused again.
Ian Song’s repeated refusal only made Hannah Frost more competitive. "What’s with you? I’ve offered triple pay—how about five times?"
"Yvonne Jiang chose you as her guard because she thinks highly of you. Don’t be ungrateful!" Hugo Jiang warned, his gaze toward Ian Song cold.
Ian Song didn’t respond, not bothering to pay Hugo Jiang any mind.
Suddenly, Hannah Frost seemed to guess something and asked with interest, "Hey, I’m offering you five times the pay and you still refuse—don’t tell me you secretly have a crush on Yvonne Jiang?"
"Him? He's just a toad dreaming of eating swan meat!" Hugo Jiang sneered.
Ian Song glanced at Hugo Jiang, said nothing, and then walked off to the side.
This made Hannah Frost quite annoyed.
"Hannah Frost, he's just a guard. I have a few strong ones myself—if you want, you can take any of them!" Hugo Jiang said, trying to curry favor.
"Who wants your guards!" Hannah Frost retorted.
Hannah Frost glared at him, clearly annoyed.
For a moment, Hugo Jiang looked embarrassed, then shot a resentful glare at Ian Song in the distance.
The whole point of this trip was to collect Frost Lotus. Although there were some complications, at least all three of them got a lotus seed. After a brief rest, they headed back to the city.
On the way back, Calvin Li suddenly rode his winged horse alongside Ian Song and spoke in a tone of regret.
"Ian Song, do you know what you missed out on?" Calvin Li asked.
Ian Song turned to look at him. "What?"
"That Miss Hannah Frost's surname is Dongli—she's actually a little princess of the Dongli Clan. By turning down her offer, you missed your chance to get in with the Dongli family!" Calvin Li said, looking genuinely regretful.
Ian Song had already spent several months in the Great Jin Imperial Court. Although he hadn't left Kunhe City, he'd picked up a lot of information.
The Dongli Clan is one of the Great Jin Imperial Court's super clans, and its patriarch is actually the lord of one of the twelve Wilderness-grade fortress cities.
Even after learning Hannah Frost's background, Ian Song didn't feel any regret, because his path and ambitions were different from ordinary cultivators.
"Do you regret it?" Calvin Li asked.
Calvin Li asked.
"What's there to regret?" Ian Song smiled, not taking it seriously.
"Heh heh!" Calvin Li laughed strangely.
With a strange laugh, Calvin Li rode his winged horse away from Ian Song.