Fake Daughter Is The Real Legend (Iris Sutton) novel Chapter 148

Chapter 148 The Herbs

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Finished

Ares had assumed the person was an illegal trespasser wandering into the mountains. He’d grabbed the stranger with enough force to subdue them–but the instant he realized it was Iris, his grip immediately loosened into a gentle hold.

In the deserted mountainside, the two stood staring at one another.

Awkward silence settled between them.

After all, they’d exchanged schedules that very morning.

Iris had said she was going to the office.

Ares had claimed he was meeting a client.

Yet here they were, standing together in the wilderness, one holding the other’s wrist.

Even the air seemed frozen.

“Out hiking?”

Ares broke the silence first, glancing at the heavy backpack on her shoulders.

Without missing a beat, Iris lied with a perfectly straight face. “Mhm. Getting some exercise.”

“Do you really need to carry a pack this heavy just to exercise?”

Hooking a finger through the backpack strap, he lifted it experimentally.

His brows knitted together.

“I’ll carry it for you. Want to hike together?”

Iris looked him up and down. He was dressed in professional hiking gear from head to toe.

“And you’re hiking too?”

Before Ares could answer, a voice rang out from above them.

“Iris? You finally brought your other half to visit me?”

Both of them looked up.

Standing at the top of the stone steps was Jet Xu, a woven herb basket slung over his back.

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Chapter 148 The Herbs

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His long hair gave him the look of an ancient scholar who had somehow wandered into the modern world.

He hurried down the steps and pulled Iris into a hearty bear hug.

Then immediately pulled Ares into it as well.

One arm around each of them.

After everyone had introduced themselves, Jet Xu took the lead, leaving the two younger people to walk side by side.

“You know him?” Ares asked.

Iris was still deciding how to answer when her master beat her to it.

“What’s the matter?” he said with a grin. “Too embarrassed to admit your mentor’s an old Chinese doctor? Why didn’t you tell him?”

Ares glanced at Iris, one eyebrow lifting. “Mentor?”

If Jet Xu had looked back at that moment, he probably would’ve seen murder in Iris’s eyes.

She quickly looked away.

For the first time ever, she regretted hauling all those cans of mushroom stew up the mountain.

Jet Xu was Zero’s mentor.

And also Iris‘ mentor.

As they climbed the steps, Ares quietly moved a little closer until their arms brushed together.

His voice was low, soft enough that it tickled her ear.

“Dr. Zero…”

“You certainly made me work hard to find you.”

He suddenly remembered what he’d once told Iris. That he was planning to hire someone to investigate Zero.

Under his unwavering gaze, Iris quietly gave up denying it.

Jet Xu strode effortlessly up the mountain trails every day and walked much faster than they did. When he looked back, the two were nearly shoulder to shoulder, far behind him.

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Chapter 148 The Herbs

He clicked his tongue.

“This girl was so aloof… How did she become this clingy after falling in love?‘

Unable to resist, he shouted down the trail,

Finished

“Young man! Stop crowding her! The path’s already narrow enough. Don’t make her fall!”

Iris: “…”

Inside the wooden cabin, Jet Xu poured each of them a cup of tea before heading outside to organize his herbs.

Ares lifted his teacup. “I wasn’t expecting your mentor to be this young.”

“He only looks young.”

Living carefree in the mountains every day, gathering herbs, growing vegetables, and eating medicinal cuisine–it would’ve been stranger if he didn’t look young.

After a moment of silence, Iris finally spoke.

“I wasn’t trying to hide it from you. It’s just…”

“I know.” Ares smiled. “Too many people are searching for Dr. Zero. Being cautious was the right decision.”

Outside, Jet Xu crouched in the courtyard, intending to turn over the herbs drying in the sun.

Instead, he kept sneaking glances toward the cabin.

He hadn’t seen visitors in so long that he’d been too excited to think clearly.

Now that he’d calmed down… he finally realized something. When did she get a boyfriend?

She’d been such a tiny child when she’d first become his apprentice.

He’d practically watched her grow up.

And now some punk had come along and swept her right off her feet.

The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.

18:39 Wed, Oct 14

“Who needs it?”

Purple Rosea was Jet Xu’s pride and joy. He’d developed the cultivation method himself, producing Roses with extraordinary medicinal value.

18:39 Wed, Oct 14

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