《The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead》 Chapter 1 Woman Fragrance ¨C ¡°I Will Wait For You To Make It Up.¡± Squatting in the corner, rubbing hands, Li Ruo Shui was trying to warm herself in the dungeon. It was March, and the wet and cold wind was coming in through the cracks in the wall. However she only wore a thin goose-yellow garment, the cold wind immersed, the two tapestries in front of her waist were stained with a bit of dampness. Li Ruo Shui looked at the other women in the dungeon and sighed faintly. At least she was able to rub her hands and stomp her feet, the others were drugged and weak, and they could only rest against the wet and cold walls. Some of them were so cold that their faces turned white and their lips were blue. ¡°System, when exactly is that supporting male lead coming?¡± [The host please wait patiently] Li Ruo Shui squatted in the corner with her arms folded, looking desolate, like a homeless vagrant on the street. ¡°If I am wrong, the law will punish me, not let me suffer in this book.¡± Li Ruo Shui was here entirely because of this system. The system sent Li Ruo Shui to this case breaking romance book called with the purpose of approaching that gentle and infatuated supporting male lead, Lu Zhi Yao. In order to establish the bond between Li Ruo Shui and Lu Zhi Yao, and increase the chances of success, the system made her into a cannon fodder who was ruthlessly abducted and sold in the first case. The system also sent him an exclusive bounty order, and according to it, the supporting male lead is now on his way to save her. It was just a mere saying, an hour ago the system said he was almost there, and now it is still telling her to wait patiently. ¡°No, it¡¯s too cold, if he doesn¡¯t come then I¡¯ll have to find a way to get out myself.¡± As soon as the words just fell, the door at the entrance of the dungeon was opened, the light that penetrated from the sky illuminated a small half of the dungeon, and a long shadow pulled in from the entrance. It was a tall and strong woman. Along with her were several men in black, holding shawls and cloaks, and speaking in flattering terms. ¡°Mama Yang, slow down, be careful of falling.¡± She walked down the stairs slowly, with strong steps, every step gave the vibes of oppressiveness and strangeness. The dungeon door shut again, the man in black lit the torch, and the warm orange light dispersed a little of the gloomy chills. Her face was hard and sullen as she walked up to the cell door, skimming her gaze as if she were looking at livestock, looking them up and down, judging their looks presumptuously and estimating their prices. Li Ruo Shui frowned slightly, and saw that Mama Yang looked over, with contemptuous eyes and impatient tone. ¡°You¡¯re the one who tried to run away yesterday and hurted two people?¡± ? Li Ruo Shui was stunned for a while, she only arrived today, could it be the original owner of the body? ¡°The temper is too stubborn, grind it before sending her out.¡± ¡°How, how to grind?¡± Li Ruo Shui screamed to the system in her heart, but there was no reply. No way! No sound again! Mama Yang took out a cloth bag, and inside it there were a row of cold glowing silver needles. ¡°This thing doesn¡¯t leave any wound, it can be pierced into the fingertips, and even the most stubborn cow will not dare to be stubborn.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at the row of silver needles, her eyebrows twitched, and she almost screamed out. Cow only has hooves, no fingertips! ¡°Wait, if I apologize, do you think I still have a chance?¡± A truly wise person is one who can bend and stretch, who can advance and retreat. Mama Yang sneered, then pulled out one of the needles and looked at her: ¡°What do you think?¡± Seeing Mama Yang¡¯s face coming forward, Li Ruo Shui helplessly pressed against the wall, unable to retreat. ¡°There¡¯s no need to come so close even if there¡¯s no chance¡­¡­¡± Mama Yang took her hand and said slowly. ¡°Little girl, you are beautiful and look smart, why were you so impulsive yesterday?¡± The silver needle reached her fingertip, and Mama Yang sighed. ¡°You should be more obedient when you serve others in the future. This set of needles will be given to the patron, and if you are naughty again, you will be like today.¡± ¡°Wait! Someone broke in!¡± Li Ruo Shui quickly jerked her hand back, but she couldn¡¯t pull it out. She could only stare at the entrance of the dungeon with her eyes. The men in black picked their ears ignorantly, Mama Yang sighed and took out another silver needle, the warm light reflected from the silver needle reflected in her empty eyes. ¡°Playing tricks? Another one.¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes widened, she tried to withdraw her hand, but her hand strength could not match with Mama Yang¡¯s. ¡°No! I¡¯m just kidding!¡± She only wanted to survive, couldn¡¯t she be given the chance! At that moment, the wooden door at the top of the dungeon opened with a creak and the dark interior was lit up again. A figure was pulled in, followed by a wooden blind cane into the wooden door, tapping the stairs. Mama Yang and the others stood up immediately, frowning and looking at the door. The person who walked in through the entrance was dressed in white, with waist-long hair and a long sword hanging on his waist, his face could not be seen, and he walked slowly down the stairs nearing the cell door, followed by the hunting sound of the fire torches. His eyes were slightly closed and with a soft smile curved up, he was like the unmelted spring snow, luminous and clear, but without a trace of coldness. ¡°Someone deliberately sent me an exclusive bounty. I was really curious so I came to have a look.¡± ¡°So, who is Li Ruo Shui?¡± [The task target Lu Zhi Yao has arrived, host is required to grasp the opportunity, the strategy begins.] [Warm reminder, the name was written on the exclusive bounty, host please make your own discretion.] Li Ruo Shui heard the reminder and silently closed her open mouth. The original book said that before meeting the supporting male lead, she was the only person who knew Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s name. But she did not know him at all, so reasonably she would not know his name. ¡­¡­ Did she have a grudge with the system in her previous life! Why does it keep pitting her! There was no echo in the gloomy dungeon, and strangely enough, Mama Yang and others did not move either, but only stared firmly at him. A young girl leaning against the wall propped up her body and broke the silence with a feeble voice. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Li Ruo Shui silently inclined her head to look at her. Even if it wasn¡¯t her, this girl still strived for this one opportunity to survive. So is this like, rather you than me dead? Lu Zhi Yao raised his eyebrows slightly and tapped his bamboo cane towards the cell. Mama Yang stared at him, but her footsteps kept going backward, one of the men in black raised a knife and marched forward, only to be knocked away to the cell door, spitting a large mouthful of blood. Li Ruo Shui took a deep breath, her heart in doubt, isn¡¯t he a gentleman? Isn¡¯t this fighting style a little acting out of character? Lu Zhi Yao turned his head to that direction, and smiled: ¡°If I were you, I would have stayed still and silent.¡± He walked to the place where the young girl spoke and squatted down, his snow-white robe spreading out on the ground, gleaming the firelight, like a white udumbara bloom (TL/N: sacred flower from heaven) tinted by the sunset. ¡°Are you Li Ruo Shui?¡± His voice was as warm as a clear spring, which dissipated the girl¡¯s nervousness. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then do you know my surname?¡± The young girl was suddenly at a loss for words, she only knew the bounty order but neglected the exclusive word before it. She was annoyed at herself for being too impulsive, but out of gambler¡¯s mentality, she said a surname. ¡°Su.¡± Li Ruo Shui: ¡­¡­ It seems logical to have guessed this surname, afterall the surname for someone so good-looking must be uncommon. Lu Zhi Yao lowered his head and chuckled, stood up and faced the crowd. ¡°Interesting. Knowing my name, but still hiding yourself? I¡¯m more curious now.¡± He raised his eyebrows slightly and raised a smile as pure as fresh snow. ¡° Why don¡¯t we play a game. Find out who is Li Ruo Shui?¡± If you ignored his smile, his aura and words were more like a villain than the other villains. Mama Yang glanced at the dungeon entrance, and stiffly hooked up a smile. ¡°How does the Lord want to play?¡± ¡°I¡¯m blind, I can¡¯t see.¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled, and a firelight flashed across his curved eyelashes, as if sprinkled by fragments of gold. ¡°How about this, whoever can prove that she is Li Ruo Shui, then I will bring her away.¡± As soon as they heard this, the young girls who were like wilted cabbages a moment ago, stood up and started babbling. Some of them even recited the ¡°Hundred Family Surnames¡± book. Everyone was trying to guess his surname. There was nothing bad about guessing, there will be hope to live in case one got the right answer. Li Ruo Shui was the only one who looked at him, with a heart overflowing with doubts. Isn¡¯t Lu Zhi Yao a gentle, infatuated and kind supporting male lead? How could he give her a dangerous feeling? Her intuition has always been strong and because of this, she has avoided many calamities in the past. She never doubted her own feelings, so there must be something wrong with Lu Zhi Yao, but his character in the book was clearly infatuated and gentle¡­¡­ ¡°Found you.¡± A figure suddenly crouched down in front of her, with white clothes and black hair, eyes slightly closed, and ¡°looking¡± at her with a smile. Li Ruo Shui leaned back and pressed against the wall again, sighed at her miscalculation. She was so absorbed in her thoughts just now that she forgot to shout with the others. Lu Zhi Yao came close to her, the white jade beads wrapped around his wrists jingled several times, and the dangling tassel swept across the back of Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand, tickling it. ¡°What¡¯s my surname?¡± With curvy eyebrows and rising tail sound, the expectation in his tone was almost overflowing. ¡°Lu.¡± Li Ruo Shui loosened her shoulders. She had to get to know him anyway, so she might as well say it directly. Lu Zhi Yao was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed, his eyebrows gentle and delicate. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who knows my own name in this world. How did you know? Tell me. I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a very long time and yet I couldn¡¯t figure it out.¡± Li Ruo Shui moistened her dry lips. She didn¡¯t know how to say it. As a matter of fact, she didn¡¯t even figure it out herself yet. However, her intuition told her that Lu Zhi Yao just wanted an interesting answer, an answer that was interesting and could arouse his curiosity again. ¡°It¡¯s a very peculiar reason. Why don¡¯t you rescue us first, and then I¡¯ll talk to you properly.¡± Lu Zhi Yao stood up and the Buddha beads around his wrist jingled. ¡°Well then you have to think faster, because I kill people quickly, and if the reason is not peculiar enough, you will end up worse than them.¡± He turned to the crowd, pulled out his waist sword, and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll give her some time to make it up, so it¡¯ll be slower. Who comes first?¡± Mama Yang clenched her teeth and exchanged glances with the men in black around her, several of them attacked, striking every death point without any slightest mercy. The glint and flash of swords swept across the dungeon and the fire flickered, but Lu Zhi Yao was not the least bit disadvantaged even when he was against many. [Warning, disclosure of system and strategy is prohibited, violators will be forcibly eliminated.] Upon hearing this, she really wanted to take the system out and beat it up, because the system was the cause of all this! She already figured out that this journey was not a good thing at all, and according to the description in the original novel, she was only a cannon fodder. ¡°Hmm?¡± A soft cry drew Li Ruo Shui¡¯s attention back, she looked up and almost exclaimed ¡°good heavens¡±. The villains didn¡¯t even last a few rounds before they fell to the ground and died instantly. The torches fell to the ground, illuminating the small red trickle on the ground. Lu Zhi Yao turned to face her after letting a soft sigh. The firelight on the ground made his face look blurry. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a little excited, so it¡¯s faster.¡± Li Ruo Shui swallowed her saliva. This was too fast! Villains stand up, give her more time! The other young girls who leaned against the wall were so frightened that they fell silent, afraid that making the slighted noise would attract his attention. He raised his feet and walked over, stepping over the blood, splashing blood on the corners of his robe, and finally stopped in front of Li Ruo Shui. Lu Zhi Yao curved his eyes and bent down. The sound of blood dripping from the sword in his hand, manifested particularly clear in this quiet dungeon. ¡°Have you made it up? Your peculiar reason.¡± Chapter 2.1 Woman Fragrance ¨C ¡°You want to bet against me?¡± (1) If Li Ruo Shui was given another chance, she would definitely not open the novel, nor would she be chosen by the system to transmigrate into the book, let alone encountering this awkward situation. No, if she had known that she was going to transmigrate into the book, she would have made a good reading note, and analysed the book properly from all aspects. The female protagonist of the book, Lu Fei Yue, was a female officer of the Case Patrol Division. The male protagonist, Jiang Nian, was the number one flying thief she had been chasing for a long time, the two have collaborated to solve many cases, over time they have mutual affection, but have never expressed their feelings. Hence, the author arranged a supporting male character to enhance the love development, and this person was Lu Zhi Yao. In order to show that the male lead and female lead were the destined couple, the male lead and supporting male lead roles were intentionally designed to be completely opposite. Jiang Nian was only good at lightness skill, but Lu Zhi Yao had unsurpassable skills; Jiang Nian was debauched and unrestrainable, but Lu Zhi Yao was gentle and self-disciplined; Jiang Nian expressed his feelings hesitantly, whereas Lu Zhi Yao was outspoken. Based on this logic, Jiang Nian¡¯s family was harmonious, then Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s family was unfortunate. Jiang Nian looked cold but he was actually caring for others, whereas Lu Zhi Yao was indifferent and did not care about the life and death of others¡­¡­ Li Ruo Shui took a glance at the cold glowing sword tip, and then looked at his warm spring breeze smile, and she could not help but to have some cold sweat on her back. ¡°Are you done thinking?¡± Lu Zhi Yao squatted down, letting the blood-colored trickle slowly seeped and crawled up the corner of his robe, showing faint red patches. Li Ruo Shui paused for a moment, stared closely at his expression and opened her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s all because I had a dream.¡± Lu Zhi Yao nodded, holding his jaw with both hands, but his expression did not show much surprise: ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°In the dream, I was caught but you saved me by mistake¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is this peculiar?¡± He smiled helplessly and stood up, swung the sword in his hand, blood droplets splattered and created an arc. ¡°Also, I didn¡¯t know your name after you rescued me, until we fell in love and got together, only then you told me your name is Lu Zhi Yao, the name your master gave you.¡± Li Ruo Shui hurriedly finished off this sentence and patted her chest to ease her breathing. She then noticed that Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s gentle smile changed slowly, it was difficult to describe that kind of smile, it seemed amazing, but also seemed scornful. His face was still good-looking, but his smile was strange. Li Ruo Shui pondered for a while and immediately spoke when he raised his sword. ¡°We later solved the case with two other people, whose names I also know. One is called Lu Fei Yue, a police officer of the Case Patrol Division, and another is called Jiang Nian, a top wanted criminal.¡± ¡°We can make a bet if you don¡¯t believe me!¡± Lu Zhi Yao let go of the sword in his hand and squatted down again: ¡°Bet? Bet on your dream?¡± Li Ruo Shui sighed in relief, her cold sweat-soaked dress was even colder, and the wind blowing in from the cracks in the wall made her shiver. ¡°Yes, bet that everything in my dream will happen in the future.¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled: ¡°You want to play games with me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Li Ruo Shui stared at his expression, afraid that she missed any of it. The beginning of the relationship between two people must have originated from curiosity about each other. No matter whether Lu Zhi Yao had a gentle or quirky personality, starting from this point must be correct. Lies cannot be completely false, half-truths always puzzled people more. As long as the premise that the ¡°dream was real¡± was proved correct, then all the lies she made up will also become true. For example, about their relationship, even if he did not believe it, but the dream was real, and that was when the seed was planted, just waiting to germinate and grow. Lu Zhi Yao was intrigued, gently twisted the beads on his wrist, and asked her: ¡°What¡¯s you bet then?¡± ¡°If I lose, I will swallow your sword.¡± Once Li Ruo Shui set her resolution on the spot, she stood up and moved two steps away from him. Lu Zhi Yao chuckled and stood up: ¡°If I lose¡­¡­¡± ¡°Unnecessary.¡± Li Ruo Shui stopped him with great confidence. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely lose, owe it first, talk about it later.¡± How could one use the rigid method of the system to increase the bond? Of course the two people had to owe to each other, unresolved and finally ended up in a mess. Li Ruo Shui could not help but feel impressed by her own wits, and moved another step away from him. In the original story, the supporting male lead indeed solved cases with the main male lead and main female lead, but without her. If she messed up this, there was another content in her bet that could buy her more time ¡ª- long-term relationship. It did not matter whether love was born or not, what matters was the days were long. ¡°Then pray that we can really meet these two people this time. As for the long term relationship, it doesn¡¯t need to be counted in the bet ¡ª¡± Lu Zhi Yao drew his sword back, smiling: ¡°I don¡¯t know about love.¡± Li Ruo Shui: ¡°¡­¡­¡± According to the famous ¡°true fragrance law¡±, it could be concluded that, once such absolute words were said, the final result could only be true fragrance. The torches inside the dungeon were completely extinguished, but the entrance to the dungeon was still bright. Li Ruo Shui shivered and looked at the weak young girls around her. She gave them the antidotes she found from the men in black, and they walked slowly out of the dungeon. ¡°Can you help me find the blind cane?¡± Lu Zhi Yao called out to Li Weishui, looking gentle and natural, without any sense of guilt about wanting to raise his sword to kill her just now. Li Ruo Shui picked up his blind cane from the corner. It was made of mahogany, not very heavy, and the top of the cane was carved with three wavy lines. Chapter 2.2 Woman Fragrance ¨C ¡°You want to bet against me?¡± (2) She took a closer look, it seemed like the lines were drawn casually, but were extremely precise, and the interval between the three lines was the same. Lu Zhi Yao took the blind cane and smiled like a spring breeze: ¡°Thank you.¡± Li Ruo Shui said no thanks, but she was actually screaming in her heart that if he really wanted to thank her, then they should just get along well and not think about hurting each other. There was not much about Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s background in the novel, only a simple sentence ¡°abandoned by his mother when he was young, his master died a tragic death in front of him¡± summarised his life¡¯s experience, and the rest of the description was his role as the supporting male lead. This was too difficult. What¡¯s the use if she only knew the story plot, her understanding of Lu Zhi Yao was completely based on the perspective of the female lead. People were multifaceted, who knew what his attitude was in front of the people other than the main leads, for instance the gentle and infatuated persona she knew, maybe that was true, but it was definitely not for her. Li Ruo Shui walked behind him and sighed unconsciously, the path was long and difficult. The women walking in front of them suddenly let out a short scream. Li Ruo Shui moved beyond Lu Zhi Yao to exit the dungeon first, and she was shocked when she saw the scene in front of her. There were so many men in black lying on the ground. There was no bloodstain at the scene, but their necks were all twisted to the point of death without exception. The horrific state of death scared many women. As Lu Zhi Yao walked out of the dungeon, he did not seem to understand everyone¡¯s bewilderment, and with self-confidence, he just threw out his blood-soaked outer robe. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He raised a smile and walked out of the courtyard with his blind cane. If it wasn¡¯t for the corpses in the courtyard, he would probably still be that kind of person who smiled like a new snow in Li Ruo Shui¡¯s heart. She crossed over the dead bodies and quickly followed him. ¡°The way you kill people is really peculiar.¡± Lu Zhi Yao lowered his head and chuckled, as if he was discussing with her whether the breakfast was good this morning. ¡°It¡¯s because I couldn¡¯t wait to see you, so it¡¯s a little faster.¡± If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he almost swung his sword towards her, Li Ruo Shui would have misunderstood the meaning of his words. In the book, Lu Zhi Yao can be described to be unsurpassable in terms of combat power, killing people with just a slash of sword, and sometimes easily excited. Li Ruo Shui used to classify that excitement as abhorring evils as deadly foes, but she never thought that his excitement was just pure excitement, it was not mixed with other emotions. Just like the things one did when one was drunk, there was no purpose, it was just because of drunkenness. However, other people were merely drunk, but he was obsessed with killings. * Most of the arrested people were the locals of Yun City, and they all went home crying after entering the city. Li Ruoshui and Lu Zhiyao had a bet, so she stayed at the inn with him, waiting for the arrival of the female officer and the flying thief within two days. As for the others, they had no money on them, so they could only go to the government to report the case, and then go home by official road. Knowing that they were going to the government, Li Ruo Shui hurried to their side and muttered in a low voice. ¡°I found out that there was a secret passage in the dungeon before, remember to tell them that if they would like to go through the secret passage, come to me at any time.¡± It was always wise to be cautious and prepared for the one risk in a million. What if there was a butterfly effect due to her involvement, what if the male lead, female lead and supporting male lead did not meet in this case? Then she lost and she had to swallow the sword on the spot. Also, the strategy mission failed and she could never return back home again. The original female lead of the novel, Lu Fei Yue must be discussing countermeasures in the government at this time. As long as the original female lead was there, then she could prove that her dream was not fake. The sky was already dark, Li Ruo Shui was about to return to her room with the thick clothes she bought, but stopped when she passed by the door of Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s room. The door to his room was left open. She stood at the door and looked inside, only to see a figure sitting by the window with his back to her, looking slightly thin, with a straight back, and the black hair fluttering and stirring behind him seemed to want to trap him in the dark. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± He turned his head, and the water-like moonlight sprinkled on his lightly closed eyes, clearly outlined his outstanding side face, which made him look like jade and immortal. But Li Ruo Shui only felt that there was a strange madness surging under that indifferent face. His current emotions were not as soft as they appeared, on the contrary, there was an indescribable madness. She always felt that if she went one step further, she was afraid that her head would be removed from her. ¡­¡­ Could this be the days that men will have every month according to the legend? After only a second of deliberation, Li Ruo Shui took a step back, and her voice was as clear as a bell in this silent night. ¡°Thinking that you threw away your outer robe today, I asked Xiao Er (TL/N: common name for inn¡¯s staff) to bring you a new one, which will be delivered tomorrow morning¡­¡­It¡¯s cold in March, so it¡¯s better to have less contact with blowing wind, see you tomorrow.¡± Hearing Li Ruo Shui¡¯s quick footsteps running back to her room, Lu Zhi Yao suddenly laughed in a low voice, and he could not stop laughing for a long time. At the end, his exclamation words echoed throughout the night, and there was a hint of laughter at the end of his voice. ¡°How perceptive.¡± Chapter 3.1 Woman Fragrance ¨C Violent Destruction (1) Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s sword was very unique. From the cracked fine lines on the sword, the silhouette reflected on it was cut into countless pieces, as if it was going to shatter anytime. The blade was light and thin, and it was saturated with coldness under the sunlight. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s sight swiped across the blade, and her heart could not help but palpitate: ¡°Why do you wipe your blade?¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled gently, and his long curled eyelashes casted sunlight, revealing some gold-like lustre. ¡°It has never been drawn down from the throat, it will be nervous if it is not appeased.¡± Li Ruo Shui stood up uncomfortably, wandered over to the window to look at the moving pedestrians below, licked her lips and laughed awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s only been three days¡­¡­¡± She looked at the table where Lu Zhi Yao was concentrating on polishing his sword, and her heart defence was gradually collapsing. From the former mighty self-confidence to the current statue rock standing by the window. It had been three days! Why were the male and female leads not here yet! Could it be because this inn was not very conspicuous! Or because those girls did not send out the message! If no one comes then she will have to swallow the sword on the spot as entertainment! She was not sure if he had specially commanded this, but there was no paper or pen in the room at all. His sense of hearing was very good, and even a few mutterings could be heard by him, let alone say something to Xiao Er. She had been standing by the window for two days, not sure if there was any effect. Horse carriages moved back and forth below the window, street vendors shouting and selling, and in the flow of the people, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s sight met with the two of them. A man and a woman, the vigorous looking man wore black clothes, and the woman wore a long red and black dress, carrying a knife in her arms, with serious expression. The two people were looking directly at her. Who else would they be if they were not the male and female leads, Jiang Nian and Lu Fei Yue with this classic dressing and matching! Li Ruo Shui turned her head and glanced at Lu Zhi Yao, then hurriedly waved to them slightly with a surprised look. Lu Fei Yue¡¯s eyes narrowed, and she came over with the knife without hesitation. Jiang Nian also quickly followed after he took a glance at Li Ruo Shui. Li Ruo Shui was secretly delighted, sat back at the table in relief, and poured herself a cup of tea. ¡°Looks like they came?¡± Lu Zhiyao stopped wiping his sword and turned his ear sideways to her, from this angle she could see his curled up long eyelashes. Li Ruo Shui could not suppress the raised corners of her mouth, so she nodded, pretending that nothing mattered to her. ¡°That¡¯s how it was in the dream.¡± Lu Zhi Yao lowered his eyebrows and chuckled, and slowly retracted the sword into its sheath. The sound of irons scraping against each other made her smile tightened up and her hairs standing on end. The handkerchief used to wipe the sword was just picked up by him, and the next moment, a sharp arrow passed through it and pinned it to the windowsill. He raised his eyebrows at Li Ruo Shui and smiled warmly: ¡°Is it also like this in the dream?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± Of course it was not like this. In the original novel, the first meeting of these three people was very peaceful. After all, the two main leads were good people, he was a hypocrite, and everyone was at peace with each other. The wooden door was forcibly broken open. Lu Fei Yue took a good look at the situation inside the room, drew her knife and attacked without hesitation. She also pushed Li Ruo Shui, who was standing by the side, out of the door. The aggressive knife was caught between Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s fingers when it was about to pierce his chest, and could not advance any further. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s lips curved up, and his fingertips tapped the blade. ¡°You are?¡± Lu Fei Yue made a strong effort to pull the knife out, raised her proud eyebrows, and took out a token (TL/N: an object used to prove official identity). ¡°Case Patrol Division, Lu Fei Yue.¡± Li Ruo Shui walked in through the door: ¡°He can¡¯t see¡­¡­¡± Ignoring Lu Fei Yue¡¯s choked look, she hurriedly walked to Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s side: ¡°But I testify that, that is indeed the token of the Case Patrol Division.¡± ¡°Female officer right.¡± After Lu Zhi Yao said so meaningfully, he picked up his blind cane and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m just a blind man, why do you want to arrest me?¡± Lu Fei Yue sneered, her sword still pointing to him: ¡°We suspect that you have imprisoned this young girl.¡± Chapter 3.2 Woman Fragrance ¨C Violent Destruction (2) ¡°That means you don¡¯t know her.¡± Lu Zhi Yao no longer said anything, he stood there with his eyes closed, as if he was listening to something. Li Ruo Shui speculated for a while, then leaned forward and tentatively pulled his blind cane and turned him in a different direction. ¡°Your handkerchief is over there.¡± He was stunned for a moment, then raised his lips and smiled: ¡°Thank you.¡± As Lu Zhi Yao went to get his handkerchief, Li Ruo Shui hurriedly explained to the other two. ¡°He didn¡¯t imprison/captivate me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been observing you for two days.¡± Jiang Nian walked in from the door, holding ¡õ¡õ, and stood beside Lu Fei Yue. ¡°You stood by the window every day, looking depressed. I asked Xiao Er, and he said that he hadn¡¯t seen you go out. Even if this isn¡¯t considered imprisonment, it is still restricting your freedom, right?¡± ¡°No, he has bad eyes, I have to take care of him.¡± Li Ruo Shui glanced at the two of them and pretended to be sad: ¡°I am distressed because I just escaped from the dungeon, and I haven¡¯t recovered yet. When I think that I will be abducted and sold¡­¡± Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian looked at each other and hurried up to ask her, ¡°Where did you escape from?¡± ¡°Yes. I escaped together with several other people, they have gone to the government to report.¡± When Jiang Nian heard this, he suddenly let out a sarcastic laugh and took the ¡õ¡õ to his back waist. ¡°I said why you were suddenly sent to the bamboo forest in the east of the city that day. It turned out that there were witnesses hidden in the government office.¡± He leaned against the door with his arms folded and looked at Lu Fei Yue: ¡°I told you earlier, not everyone is like the people in your case patrol division.¡± Lu Fei Yue gritted her teeth secretly, her cold eyebrows slightly frowned, then raised her eyes to look at Li Ruo Shui. ¡°Can you take us to the dungeon to investigate?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Li Ruo Shui answered promptly: ¡°It¡¯s still early, why don¡¯t we set off immediately?¡± Li Ruo Shui answered too quickly, Lu Fei Yue could not help but stunned for a moment, then turned her head to look at Jiang Nian. Jiang Nian walked to Lu Fei Yue, looked at Li Ruo Shui with downcast eyes: ¡°We don¡¯t know how the girl escaped yet?¡± Li Ruo Shui choked for a while, how would she explain to Lu Zhi Yao about the letter, also saying it was a dream? ¡°I¡¯m the one who rescued her.¡± Lu Zhi Yao fumbled for the handkerchief, but instead of taking it back, he threw it into the small stove. ¡°I received a confidential letter asking me to go there to save people.¡± He did not explain about the reward order, nor did he mention about the bet with Li Ruo Shui, but only implicitly turned the matter over. Lu Feiyue pressed Jiang Nian¡¯s shoulders, stopping what he was going to say next, and nodded slightly to Li Ruo Shui after skimming over Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°Before it¡¯s too late, let¡¯s go now.¡± ¡°So are you going this time?¡± Li Ruo Shui turned around and asked Lu Zhi Yao, with a hint of nervousness in her eyes. In fact, if you would like to win this bet, the right to choose was in Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s hands. He could completely refuse to cooperate and let this case fail. ¡°Go.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s eyebrows were soft, and he looked very kind: ¡°Isn¡¯t there me in the dream, how can I not go?¡± Li Ruo Shui was a little baffled, did he want to win or lose? They walked out of the door together, Lu Zhi Yao smiled like a spring breeze and took the lead, Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian were whispering at the back, Li Ruo Shui walked in the middle looking at Lu Zhi Back¡¯s back and pondering. She really could not figure out what this man was thinking. He seemed moody and uncertain, but he always smiled like a spring breeze. He seemed gentle and harmless, but he could stab you without hesitation. If she was guilty, the law would punish her, not make her come here to fall in love with a psycho. * The place where they were imprisoned was in the middle of Luming Mountain, where a simple house was built, with a dungeon beside it. The men in black who were killed three days ago were still lying in their original state, paving the way from the gate to the entrance of the dungeon. Lu Fei Yue frowned slightly at the scene in front of her, while Jiang Nian glanced at Lu Zhi Yao with disapproval in his eyes. Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t see all this, he just stood quietly at the door of the house with a smile on the corner of his mouth, but Li Ruo Shui felt that he was dazing. Chapter 3.3 Woman Fragrance ¨C Violent Destruction (3) ¡°Lu officer and the other already went to check the dungeon, let¡¯s go inside and take a look?¡± Li Ruo Shui wanted to take advantage of his cooperation to quickly complete the rescue as she was afraid of what would happen if it was too late. In the original book, the abduction and trafficking base camp that Lu Fei Yue and the other two found was not here, but it was said in the beginning that there was a secret passage in the house here, and she had to go and see it. ¡°Don¡¯t you have the process of our rescue in your dream? Li Ruo Shui had already entered the house, but there was nothing except the basic table and chair, and it looked unusually empty. With something to do in front of her, she involuntarily lengthened her tone when she replied, appearing indifferent. ¡°Dreams are usually vague, one can only remember a few fragments.¡± ¡°Really.¡± Lu Zhi Yao lifted his foot and entered the house, his blind cane tapped lightly on the ground. Li Ruo Shui knocked on the wall for a while, and suddenly recalled a news article she had read before¡ª People born with blindness have no colour in their dreams, only sound, and they are very prone to nightmares. Feeling that what she just said was not quite right, she opened her mouth again. ¡°Though the things in the dream are vague, I remember you very clearly.¡± ¡°Is it so.¡± Lu Zhi Yao responded, not knowing what came to his mind again, and laughed out in a low voice. Li Ruo Shui turned and looked at him silently. She absolutely had no idea which part had aroused his excitement again. Her sight fell on his lightly closed eyes. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s eyes were very beautiful, slightly long but not too small, long, slender eyelashes, curved like a crescent moon in the sky, which tickled the heart of the people when they looked at it for a long time. She just did not know what kind of glow such beautiful eyes would show when they are opened. ¡°You¡¯re looking at me. Why?¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s eyes could not see, but his other senses are extremely sensitive, especially his hearing ability. He had helped the male and female leads to solve several cases in the original novel. However, one would not admit to peeking without being caught on the spot. ¡°This house is quite small.¡± Lu Zhi Yao seemed to be very interested in this question, he raised his eyebrows and faced her directly. ¡°Why do you keep looking at me?¡± His eyes were obviously closed and he was smiling, but it still gave Li Ruo Shui an inexplicable sense of fright, as if she was being stared at by something. Li Ruo Shui touched her neck uncomfortably, then walked behind him and knocked on the wall. ¡°I think the mechanism might be here..¡± When Lu Zhiyao heard her words, his face revealed a sudden sense of realisation, and even that smile showed a bit of sincerity. ¡°So you are looking for the mechanism.¡± Otherwise? Was she doing percussion here? Lu Zhiyao listened carefully for a while, then raised his feet and walked to the southwest corner of the house. He put the blind cane in his hand aside, untied the sword hanging from his waist, and plunged it straight into a certain tile. The tiles splitted in a cobweb-like manner and cracked in all directions, with the sword as the centre, making an unbearable clicking sound. Lu Fei Yue duo, who had just returned from the dungeon, heard the sound and rushed into the door. When they entered, they were stunned by the scene in front of them. The tiles that had long been firmly sealed were like a fragile piece of thin ice under Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s hands, shattered when gently pressed, revealing what was hidden inside. Four or five large and small iron-grey gears appeared below, one of which was clattering and turning. ¡°Found it.¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled gently, but at the next moment he pulled out his sword, and inserted the scabbard once again into the rotating small gear, and it was stuck against the blade. Then there was a rumbling sound, and a half-metre large black hole appeared two steps away, blowing cold winds from it, seemed deep and bottomless. Looking at the scene in front of her, Li Ruo Shui said well done. Other people could only open the mechanism after putting in lots of thought, but he was so good, he did not even have to look for it, he broke it open violently, and went directly to the internal device of the mechanism. Li Ruo Shui took two steps to go over to see what was going on, and the pinion gear that was still hitting the scabbard suddenly stopped, not trying to turn anymore. The original half-metre black hole suddenly expanded to one metre, and happened to expand to the ground below Li Ruo Shui¡¯s feet. ¡°Fuck¡ª¡± Before she fell, Li Ruo Shui grabbed Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s clothes. Chapter 4.1 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (4) ¨C ¡°So You Will Also Be Confused By Skin Appearance¡± The hole in the ground was very deep. Gusts of cold wind blowing upward, interspersed with a shivering dampness, and this inverted spring cold in March seemed extraordinarily cold. Li Ruo Shui was cold and frightened, one hand clinging tightly to his neck, and the other hand unconsciously probing into his torn garment, trying to absorb his heat. Just when she was worried that she would fall to her death, Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s hand wrapped around her waist, and the long sword in his hand was inserted into the side, making a long mark before they finally slowed down. Li Ruo Shui calmed down her unsettled heart and sighed inwardly, feeling fortunate that the one she grabbed was Lu Zhi Yao. If it was someone else, wouldn¡¯t she fall into pieces of cake? After hearing that Li Ruo Shui¡¯s heartbeat calmed down, Lu Zhi Yao suddenly smiled lightly, and with a strong hand, he jumped upward with Li Ruo Shui in his arms, and then fell and stepped on top of the long sword that was still inserted into the side. The sword under his feet was not too firm, and Li Ruoshui held Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s garment tightly, afraid that the sword would not be able to hold the two of them if they moved too much. The cold wind with thick water vapour constantly blowing up from the bottom of the hole, making a whirring sound, lifting the corners of their robes, and the blowing made them full of spirits. ¡°Guess what will happen if we just jump off like this?¡± Li Ruo Shui glanced down, there was only endless darkness, she could not see anything clearly, and she could not determine how deep it was. ¡°We will fall to our death.¡± Lu Zhi Yao was interested, the clear sound echoed in the hollow, bringing an inexplicably touch of warmth. ¡°Then did we fall to death in your dream?¡± She did not know whether she was dead or not in the original story, but anyway, Lu Zhi Yao and the other two main leads were definitely not dead. ¡°No, but that¡¯s because we cherished our lives, and if we mess up now, we will die for sure.¡± She said this just to let Lu Zhi Yao take it easy, but she did not expect to suddenly make him excited. She could not see his expression, but could hear a trace of madness from his smiling words. ¡°I¡¯ll cherish my life?¡± He could not help laughing, as if he could not restrain it, from a low laugh at the beginning to a loud laugh later, causing body vibration which made Li Ruo Shui, who was leaning in his arms felt numb in her ears. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try and see if your dream is more powerful or the reality is more powerful.¡± He wrapped his arm around Li Ruo Shui¡¯s waist and suddenly swayed. She was so frightened that she quickly held onto one side of the wall and grabbed his collar stronger to prevent herself from falling down from here. ¡°Wait, wait, young man, don¡¯t act impulsively!¡± Lu Zhi Yao held onto the side of the wall, somehow managed to balance, and led her to step on the long sword then sway back and forth, they never fell. Li Ruo Shui was forced to sway in the air, and the movement of the sword under her feet strangely reminded her of the seesaw she played with when she was a child. His raised long hair brushed through Li Ruo Shui¡¯s forehead, gently and softly, and then his laughing tone echoed in the dark hole. ¡°Afraid? Then tell me why you kept staring at me just now.¡± Li Ruo Shui was a little frantic at this point. So in the end he did such a dangerous move just to ask this question! ¡°I¡¯m looking to see if there is any mechanism behind you.¡± ¡°Liar.¡± He said immediately. Li Ruo Shui was helpless. She knew that his senses were sharp, but she did not expect to be so sharp. There was a moment of silence between them, when Lu Fei Yue¡¯s anxious voice suddenly transmitted from the top of the hole. ¡°Miss Li, Mr Lu, are you alright?¡± Li Ruo Shui breathed a sigh of relief, and replied to her as well: ¡°It¡¯s okay, we are just stuck in the middle, trying to figure out a way to get down.¡± She licked her lips, her heart was a little nervous: ¡°Why don¡¯t we think of a way to go down first, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Lu Zhi Yao sighed softly, let go of the wall and the shaky long sword was slightly inclined again. ¡°Wait, wait!¡± It seemed that if she did not give a convincing reason, she would just fall down like this. Wasn¡¯t he too stubborn? Anyway, it was just the two of them here, she could say anything. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help staring at you because you are good-looking, sorry.¡± It did not matter if this statement was false, but the shameful part was that it was true, she was really dumbfounded by his appearance. Lu Zhi Yao paused for a moment, then what rang in her ears was his uncontrollable laughter, he did not expect such an answer. Chapter 4.2 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (4) ¨C ¡°So You Will Also Be Confused By Skin Appearance¡± ¡°It turns out that you are also a person who will be confused by the appearance of the skin.¡± Li Ruo Shui did not feel ashamed about it, but admitted it generously, it was nothing, who did not like to look at good-looking people. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m exactly the kind of person who is attracted to the appearance of the skin.¡± The cold wind blowing from the hole made her sniff, and she was still clutching on his garment, just in case he wobbled down by accident. ¡°Oh, so I must be very good-looking then.¡± Lu Zhi Yao nodded with a smile in his words. No one ever said that he was good-looking, but someone once pointed to his appearance and said he was disgusting. ¡°You¡¯ve been nice to me these days because of my looks?¡± Li Ruo Shui was a little surprised. She thought he was oblivious but he actually felt her kindness like an ordinary person. ¡°Not really¡­¡­¡± Mainly because I still want to approach you. ¡°I heard that when people fall, everything from the skin to the internal organs would be damaged, and even the most beautiful face will be torn apart.¡± Li Ruo Shui felt a chill down the bottom of her heart, she always had a bad premonition. ¡°You tell me, will you still stare at me then, and be good to me ¡ª¡± He came close to Li Ruo Shui¡¯s ear, exhaling warm breath, his words pressed with anticipation. ¡°Or will you scream, be afraid, or punch me out of fear?¡± Li Ruo Shui: ??? Bro, do you have some kind of disease? Just as Lu Zhi Yao finished his words, he chuckled lightly, pulling Li Ruo Shui backwards without a sign of warning. ¡°Fuck¡ª¡± Plum blossoms bloomed twice, Li Ruo Shui uttered a vulgar word twice today. The long sword was completely released after the two of them fell, following their descent. The piercing cold wind made Li Ruo Shui¡¯s ears hurt. The fear of rapid falling caused her blood vessels to expand, her heartbeat faster, and a thin layer of sweat seeped out of her back. What kind of sins did she commit in her previous life, that she had to come to approach this psycho in this life! Lu Zhi Yao pressed her carotid artery tightly with his fingers, feeling the thumping rhythm, and laughed out unconsciously. ¡°How come you are afraid now?¡± ¡°Afraid of your grandmother¡¯s mouth!¡± Irresistibly, Li Ruo Shui opened her mouth to curse, and felt that the depression in her heart suddenly decreased by half. Just die then, perhaps she could go back home this way. The further down they fell, the clearer the gurgling sound of water, Li Ruo Shui had a glimmer of hope again, afterall falling into the water was better than falling to the ground. But before she fell into the water, she bumped into Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s arms. Something stopped them and slowed down the momentum of the fall, there was a clicking sound of mechanical sliding around. It was the sound of pulleys and rails! A net woven with soft ropes was tied to the rails and was carrying them to slow down and slide down, giving them a cushioning force. Li Ruo Shui covered her hurt teeth with tears in her eyes. Was this how the rest of her life would feel like after the calamity! The sound of the long sword piercing the wind fell from above, and before the long sword approached them, Lu Zhi Yao raised his hand to catch it and put it on the net beside him. ¡°It turns out that we can¡¯t fall.¡± Lu Zhi Yao sighed regretfully, his tone was not so excited anymore, his disappointment could be completely felt by other people. Ding dong (TL/N:jingle) ¡ª The net bag slid to the end, the pulley and the bottom of the rail suddenly collided with a loud noise, shaking the two people in the net up and down. Li Ruo Shui was originally lying in front of his chest and after such a bump, a scene that even romance novels were unwilling to write happened. ¡ª The two of them kissed. Li Ruo Shui: ¡­¡­ There were too many flaws, she did not know which to complain, and she even forgot to get up. Beep ¡ª The system that had been silent for a long time was finally online. [HE system at your service. Congratulations to the host for achieving a kiss in the early stage of the strategy, and now, gifting you a special reward, a memory fragment.] [Hope that the host will continue to work hard.] Another pitfall. Li Ruo Shui got up by pressing his shoulder and looked around, but could not see anything, only the sound of rushing water could be heard. In complete darkness, one¡¯s alertness would immediately increase, followed by a sense of panic in trying to figure out the surroundings. So much so that she completely ignored that she was sitting on his waist. It was so dark that she could not see anything, so she subconsciously stretched out her hand and patted Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Should we get off the net?¡± Lu Zhi Yao reached out and grabbed her wrist, his fingers were colder than hers, like a fine piece of jade, delicate but cold. His voice tone was no longer with laughter and madness like before, but with some confusion. ¡°What was that just now?¡± Chapter 5.1 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (5) ¨C No One Had Ever Been So Close To Him The cold fingers on her wrist seemed to be a little colder than the cold wind, so cold that made Li Ruo Shui shivered and got some goose bumps. It was only then that she remembered that Lu Zhiyao seemed to be wearing very little all these while. A middle garment with arrow sleeves and an outer robe were what he wore in March. His smile could still be seen even when the cold wind was blowing, at first glance, it was docile and warm, but in fact it was almost like a self-abuse smile. She always thought that he was not cold, but his hand expressed otherwise. She recalled his undisguised madness just now, all this made Li Ruo Shui puzzled. What revealed after he took down the spring-like smiling mask was actually the appearance of an Asura evil ghost who wanted to see blood at any time. Li Ruo Shui had misjudged him at the beginning entirely due to the original novel, which did not spend time to describe Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s life background, resulting in her stereotypical impression of him, being gentle and infatuated. It was the fault of the original novel. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s thoughts drifted away, and she sighed faintly. ¡°What was that just now?¡± Lu Zhi Yao did not get a response from her and sat up, the distance between them was only a finger¡¯s length, but the darkness and cold blurred the distance. It was only until she heard his words that she realised how close they were. ¡°Why did you bite me?¡± His clear breath was so near, and Li Ruo Shui hurriedly sat back, keeping a little distance away from him. ¡°Who bit you?¡± Lu Zhi Yao reached out his hand, touched the long sword beside him, and with a clatter sound, he pulled out most of it. Cold sweat seeped out from Li Ruo Shui¡¯s back again upon listening to the sound of the long sword being unsheathed and she hurriedly pressed his hand. ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t mean to kiss you.¡± Lu Zhi Yao paused for a moment, then nodded with sudden realisation, and the stagnant atmosphere suddenly loosened up a lot. ¡°So this is a kiss.¡± At first Li Ruo Shui did not feel anything, but after being stimulated by his strange and pure voice tone, she suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of shame, and subconsciously reached out and touched her lips. It was then, Jiang Nian¡¯s shouting voice broke from above. ¡°Have you reached the bottom?¡± She also had her energy concentrated, and shouted her reply back to the top. ¡°We are at the bottom!¡± After a while, another sentence came from above. ¡°Then here we come!¡± Li Ruo Shui hurriedly groped the net and crawled to the edge, carefully getting off the net, for fear of stepping on something and falling, while Lu Zhi Yao landed on the ground just by flipping over. After they got off the net, the rails on the side slowly pulled the net up again, and with a clicking sound, it stuck at the position that caught them earlier. In this extreme darkness, Lu Zhi Yao was walking as if he was on the flat ground, behaving no differently from usual. He listened calmly for a while, then turned to go somewhere, but Li Ruo Shui grabbed the corner of his robe. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Go out. When you are underground, just follow the water current and wind to get out. I did this before.¡± Li Ruo Shui pulled him over along the corner of his robe, her tone was rather nagging, just like an old mother who was advising her child thousands of times. ¡°We still have to wait for the two of them. It¡¯s too dark here, I really can¡¯t see anything, it¡¯s better if there are more people, we can still help each other if something happens.¡± Lu Zhi Yao followed according to her strength and stood beside her, and then after a moment of silence he said, ¡°Yes.¡± People are selfish in the face of life and death, he wanted to see how Li Ruo Shui would react when she was left behind by the other two. Would she then beg him to save her, just like before. This hole was very dark, even fingers could not be seen, and the ground under the feet was also muddy and uneven, covered with a lot of stagnant water. The sound of the river flow was quite loud, and it was quite frightening in this empty space. Li Ruo Shui was like blind person here, but Lu Zhi Yao could move freely and consciously took her aside to the wall and waited. As if he did not like this kind of silence, Lu Zhi Yao opened his mouth. ¡°Was it fun to jump off just now?¡± His tone was rarely hostile, it seemed like his madness had been put away and returned to the original warmth, with a unique tenderness of Jiang Nan people. However, Li Ruo Shui had gradually become resistant to this gentleness. ¡°Not fun.¡± Want to read more chapters and support us? Ple Chapter 5.2 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (5) ¨C No One Had Ever Been So Close To Him Li Ruo Shui did not want to comment on his sudden madness just now. Anyway, she now knew why he was issued a ¡®good guy card¡¯. Because how could someone like Lu Fei Yue fall in love with a hidden psycho. ¡°I already answered you just now, why did you still jump off?¡± Lu Zhi Yao heard her words but he just smiled and replied softly. ¡°I don¡¯t seem to have said that we would stop playing if you answered.¡± Li Ruo Shui suddenly choked, he really did not say that. Lu Zhi Yao smiled and reminisced about what he had just done, and said, ¡°I wanted to see your reaction, but I accidentally discovered another interesting thing¡ª¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± She really did not want to hear it. Jiang Nian¡¯s shout came from above the hole, they should have come down, but Lu Zhi Yao continued to talk about the interesting things in his mind as if he had not heard it. ¡°So there are people whose heartbeats can beat this fast.¡± His fingers tapped on the sword, the sound increased gradually, and then he chuckled. ¡°It actually makes my heart beat faster too, it feels amazing.¡± Her physical reaction was due to fear, but his was completely due to excitement. I have to say, his excitement was fantastic. Li Ruo Shui silently took a step away. ¡°Your body heated up at that time, and it became hot instantly, like fire.¡± Lu Zhi Yao stopped laughing, but the upward trailing voice still revealed his state, like a child who found a new toy that his heart desired, his words filled with indescribable novelty and laughter. ¡°It¡¯s a normal reaction when a person is faced with a life or death threat, and you feel it¡¯s like fire because your body temperature is too low.¡± Who did not have a surge of adrenaline when they were scared? But he even enjoyed dying, so how could he have such an experience. In the darkness, Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s voice tone was no longer concealed by his appearance and expression, and hence the madness within him suddenly became prominent. No one would still think that he was a gentle person after hearing such a tone. It was indeed true that people need a skin to cover up. The shouting from above was getting closer and closer, the duo were probably arriving soon. The rails on the side clattered again, the duo had already fallen into the net, and Jiang Nian could be heard nervously asking Lu Fei Yue. ¡°Fei Yue, are you alright? Did I hurt you?¡± This was followed by Lu Feiyue¡¯s somewhat irritated voice: ¡°Get up!¡± The two fumbled down from the net, and then lit up a little green fluorescence, illuminating their faces. Lu Fei Yue took the fluorite and walked to Li Ruo Shui¡¯s side, and gave her the brightest one. ¡°It¡¯s a habit to bring fluorite when handling a case, but it¡¯s really too dark here, and the light of fluorite is not enough, but let¡¯s use it first for now.¡± Jiang Nian also walked over with the fluorite, raised his head and glanced at the top of the hole, with some pride in his words. ¡°Although this hole is deep, I can go up as long as I use some hidden weapons as a focus point.¡± Li Ruo Shui nodded, took over the large fluorite, and recalled the stinky male lead in the novel, and habitually made some jokes. ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t even need to bring hidden weapons, you just need to step on your left foot with your right foot and you can go up.¡± Lu Fei Yue, who was very serious at first, suddenly laughed out, an irresistible kind of laughter. She seemed to think that this was not very cool, so she turned her face to the other side, but she still could not hold back her smile. She looked a little less mature this way and a little more active like how a young girl should be. Jiang Nian opened his mouth, he chased Lu Fei Yue and took a closer look, then moved to Li Ruo Shui¡¯s side. ¡°How about I learn to tell jokes with you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­talk about it only after going out.¡± Lu Fei Yue coughed and walked forward along the river holding the fluorescent stone, Jiang Nian immediately turned around and followed her. The humid and cold wind blowing towards her back. Li Ruo Shui turned around to pull Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s sleeve, holding up the fluorite and then followed the two of them. ¡°Your blind cane is still in the dungeon, so I¡¯ll take you with me temporarily.¡± Lu Zhi Yao paused for a moment, then resumed his previous smile: ¡°Many thanks.¡± They were holding fluorites, and they could only take a rough outline of the underground river. The water flow beside them was not very deep, but relatively rapid and turbulent, occasionally rushing out some display skirt corners. Although this was underground, the air flow was very smooth, and there was no feeling of suffocation. The only terrible thing was that it was a little cold. Chapter 5.3 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (5) ¨C No One Had Ever Been So Close To Him Especially after Li Ruo Shui had cold sweats, the blowing cold wind felt even colder now, her body could not help shivering and she sneezed. ¡°Achoo¡ª¡± She rubbed her nose and heard Lu Zhi Yao chuckled, his laughter baffled her. They continued to walk forward, the river gradually became wider, but the water flow was narrowed and turbulent, yet the water depth was much lower than before. Three holes with different heights appeared at the end of the river, and the turbulent river branched out from the three holes and disappeared into the darkness. There were a few large rocks in the river, about half an inch away from the entrance of the cave, as if saying come and step on me and enter the hole from here. Jiang Nian took the lead and stepped on it first. He held the fluorite and carefully illuminated the three holes. But because the light source was too dim, it could not illuminate too far. He turned around and looked at the three of them: ¡°Although there are three holes here, we definitely can¡¯t walk separately, that¡¯s very dangerous.¡± Lu Fei Yue nodded in agreement and stepped on the boulder. ¡°We can explore each hole once, only check until halfway, there will definitely be traces if someone has walked through it.¡± Seeing that the duo were checking out the holes, Li Ruo Shui pushed Lu Zhi Yao back a little and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°You wait here for a while, and I¡¯ll go take a look with them.¡± In the original novel, the two protagonists did not take this path when they caught the kidnapping gang, it was also out of her expectation that they fell down to the hole. If no bandit was found this time, and Lu Zhi Yao lost interest on the way, she had no doubt that her blood would be splattered on the spot. Li Ruo Shui just stepped forward, but the next moment Lu Zhi Yao grabbed her collar and pulled her back to the shore. ¡°Go this way.¡± He pointed to the third hole. Lu Fei Yue also went to have a look at the third hole, then turned to look at him: ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because of the sound of water.¡± Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian did not doubt his ears at all. After all, he was the one who could find out the internal location of the mechanism. The duo looked at each other then nodded to Li Ruo Shui: ¡°Then let¡¯s go and have a look first.¡± Li Ruo Shui asked him to let go of her, and took the first big step onto the stone. The icy cold river water spread over her feet, soaking her shoes and socks, bringing a stinging chill. ¡°Hiss, it¡¯s so icy.¡± Li Ruo Shui shuddered, and then stepped on the water with her feet to indicate position for him, for fear that he would not be able to get over. ¡°Step over here, can you identify the location?¡± Under the green fluorescence light, his face was not very clear, but she could still see a smile on his face. ¡°Yes.¡± He took a step forward without hesitation and reached the edge of the river. ¡°One more step and you¡¯ll fall into the river.¡± Li Ruo Shui held up the fluorite to have a look, and called out to him in a panic: ¡°Give me your hand, I¡¯ll pull you.¡± Li Ruo Shui subconsciously forgot that this was the world of martial arts, and none of them needed her to worry about their abilities to step on the stones. Lu Zhi Yao hung the sword on his body, stretched out his hand forward, and then he was grabbed by a touch of warmth on his fingertips. ¡°You jump a little in this direction, so that you don¡¯t fall into the water.¡± So such was the feeling of being grabbed by someone. Lu Zhi Yao raised his eyebrows slightly, listening to the sound of the water flow and jumped in front of Li Ruo Shui. The two of them collided face-to-face, Li Ruo Shui quickly held his waist to stabilise his body, and then went into the hole with her arms wrapping around his waist. ¡°Hurry up, else we won¡¯t be able to catch up with them later. It¡¯s so dark and cold here, we can¡¯t be the only two left.¡± The touch on the waist was extremely clear for him, the smile at the corner of Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s mouth suddenly froze, and his walking seemed a little unnatural. It was too close, no one had ever been this close to him. Everyone else either hated him or were afraid of him, no one would approach him in a protective manner. So¡ª Should he break her wrist or cut her neck vein now? He did not know if Li Ruo Shui would be hot when she was about to be killed by him, and if the heartbeat would speed up, bringing some different rhythm to this cold underground. There was some pleasure. Lu Zhi Yao chuckled softly, put his right hand on the scabbard, took a deep breath to calm down his trembling hand ¡ª ¡°Be careful!¡± He was pulled by Li Ruo Shui, they fell to the stone wall, and he was buried in the cotton-like warmth and softness. Chapter 6.1 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (6) ¨C He Suddenly Did Not Want To Do It Anymore Li Ruo Shui had always been a person with strong intuition. In this cold and damp hole, she inexplicably felt an even colder chill, from the back of her neck to her spine. The chill reached its maximum after hearing Lu Chi Yao¡¯s laughter. Her heart always felt some strangeness, Li Ruo Shui found an excuse to move his arm to the side, and unsurprisingly, she heard the clanging sound of the long sword into the sheath. She suddenly felt a little frustrated, they were just walking in the hole, how did this outrage him? After scolding the system a hundred and eighty times in his heart, Li Ruo Shui adjusted her emotions and asked in a low voice. ¡°Just now I saw a dark figure running over, so I pulled you over in a hurry. Are you alright?¡± Of course he was alright. Li Ruo Shui became a meat cushion for him and her back was numb, but she still wanted to express her concern. Lu Zhi Yao was buried in the cervical part of her neck, there was a faint fragrance lingering on the tip of his nose, he could not tell what kind of fragrance it was, but it smelled very comfortable. The earlier restless emotions calmed down a lot, and he suddenly did not want to do it anymore. He almost forgot that she would have to swallow the sword if she lost the bet and he thought it would be more interesting if she slit her own throat with her own hand. Lu Zhi Yao took a deep breath and straightened his body slowly, with a smile at the corner of his eyes and a gentle expression. ¡°I¡¯m alright, thank you for protecting me.¡± Li Ruo Shui pursed up a fake smile, if she believed this face then she must be dumb. ¡°No, it should be me thanking you.¡± Lu Zhi Yao seemed to understand the meaning beyond her words, but also seemed to just answer her: ¡°Not at all.¡± Jiang Nian was walking in front and the sound of the water he stepped on echoed in this narrow hole. ¡°Why is the water getting deeper and deeper?¡± He asked suspiciously. The water that had only reached his ankles earlier had already reached the middle of his calves. ¡°There must be something odd here. The flowing water should be leaking out, not accumulating here.¡± Lu Feiyue knew that something was wrong. The sound of the water flowing forward had gradually reduced to almost nothing, plus with this slowly deepening stagnant water, there must be something strange ahead. She turned her ears to listen to the sound of running water next door. Although it was not very clear, she could also hear the rapid and fast sound, which was completely different from here. Suddenly, Jiang Nian stopped walking, stopping the people behind him, and he held up the fluorite to explore ahead. The hole upfront was no longer so low, the upper part was dark and unclear, but it was visible that there was a deep pool of water below, and if he took one more step, he would step into it. This was definitely not natural terrain. He raised the fluorite to look around again, and he could see a twine rope the thickness of a baby¡¯s fist hanging down in front of the hole, which appeared odd but rational. Rational in the sense that they went to the right place, but the odd was the function of this rope. Li Ruo Shui also looked up to see the rope. There was a moment of silence, as everyone was unsure whether to pull the rope or not. ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask Li Ruo Shui.¡± Lu Zhi Yao spoke with a relaxed tone: ¡°She must know, right?¡± Under the faint green light, Li Ruo Shui looked at their eyes, then looked at Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s smile, and she couldn¡¯t resist gulping down her saliva. Till now, Li Ruo Shui knew very well that even if Lu Zhi Yao could not figure out why she knew his name, he would also never believe in dreaming about the future. This bet was just like a layer of window paper, he did not poke through it just because it was interesting, but she could not break the pot and reveal that it was fake. ¡°Pull, I believe there must be a way out here.¡± Although she did not know the plot, the two people in front of her were the male and female leads. She was betting on the protagonist¡¯s halo. Lu Zhi Yao raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised by her affirmative tone. After a moment of silence, Lu Fei Yue nodded her head: ¡°Stay further away, it should be much safer in the cave.¡± They retreated into the cave. After Jiang Nian saw that everyone was standing properly, he stretched out his hand and pulled the rope. After a creak, there was a rattling sound of gears spinning in all directions, and the water in the pool seemed to have found an opening valve and poured forward like the sea. The waterline gradually decreased, a small boat suddenly turned out of the pool, swinging leisurely for a few times, and seemed to be ready to follow and to go along with the current. ¡°Get on the boat!¡± Lu Fei Yue pulled Jiang Nian and jumped onto the boat, but Li Ruo Shui did not know martial arts so she could not jump so far, and there was a slight fear in her heart. Lu Zhi Yao seemed to sense her retreat, chuckled lightly, wrapped his arms around her waist, and jumped towards the deep pool with a slight touch on his toes. ¡°Still so afraid after you have dreamed all of it?¡± After the one-sided joke, they both landed on the swaying boat, and the four of them rushed out along the current. The boat hit the rocks along the way, bumping here and there, but the speed did not reduce at all. The rough stone surface rubbed against their arms, and icy cold water splashed on their faces. Due to the force of the collision, they had to pull the rope inside the boat to stabilise their bodies. Jiang Nian hugged Lu Fei Yue tightly at such a moment, and the restraint between them seemed to be non-existent at the moment. Compared with the pair of cuddling lovebirds, Li Ruo Shui was much more miserable. She was not able to grab the rope, so she could only grab Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s clothes tightly, eyes closed and letting the water splashed on her. Lu Zhi Yao did not grab the rope at all, let himself go and swayed along with the boat, and together with her, they looked like a pair of swaying rootless duckweeds. The boat rushed down a small torrent, Li Ruo Shui and Lu Zhi Yao vacated for a moment, and then fell back into the boat along with the water splash. She closed her eyes and recited the cursive script, her hands trembling, and she prayed for the blessings of various gods and Buddhas. The small boat hit on a slightly lower rock again, and she and Lu Zhi Yao almost tumbled out of the boat, the corners of their robes were thrown into the water. Chapter 6.2 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (6) ¨C He Suddenly Did Not Want To Do It Anymore ¡°Ahhh Amitabha¡ª¡± She could not resist but called out. Lu Zhi Yao laughed softly, in a pleasant tone. ¡°Are you so afraid? Your body temperature has risen again.¡± Li Ruo Shui clutched his clothes tightly, she was so nervous that she could not hear what he was saying. The boat slammed and rushed forward, and a fresh wind suddenly blew in the cave, this was different from the long gloomy coldness of the cave, and this breeze also carried a little pear fragrance. ¡°It¡¯s almost near the exit.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s smooth black hair was also dampened, and cold water droplets dripped along the hair strands into her neck, bringing coolness intermittently. After a sudden turbulence, the boat fell into a calmer pond, there was no rock around, the boat reduced its speed, and was pushed along by the slowing current. They drifted out of the narrow mountains and rushed into a wide river with snow-coloured pear blossoms blooming all the way along its banks, winding forward. Pieces of petals fell into the river and drifted forward along the river, like fine snow falling on the lake. Jiang Nian and Lu Fei Yue looked at each other, suddenly let go of their hands, and shifted their sights uncomfortably. Among the people on the boat, the only person who looked unhappy was Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°Let go.¡± At this moment, Li Ruo Shui was being embraced by Lu Zhi Yao in his arms, but she did not feel ambiguous at all. His hand was resting on her carotid artery, pressing all the way, so Li Ruo Shui thought he had murderous intentions again. She had been worrying all the way, about boat capsizing and that he would silently strangle her to death. Li Ruo Shui lifted the hair stuck on her face, and slowly opened her eyes after adapting to the light. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s dazzling fair neck and a black mole on his collarbone. His clothes were torn apart by Li Ruo Shui, and had opened up a little. His half-wet hair was hanging on his chest, lining his red lips and white skin, and there were a few droplets hanging on his long eyelashes, flashing a little halo. He currently only had three colours of black, white and red, like a piece of heavy-coloured oil painting, and his whole person gave out a sense of indescribable fragility. Once he was under the sunlight, Lu Zhi Yao gave the impression of returning to the apricot blossoms that sprouted in March. It was quiet and gentle, and there was nothing wrong at all. ¡°You¡¯re looking at me again.¡± Lu Zhi Yao turned his head to ¡°look¡± at her, with a smile on his lips. Not only was he not shy, but he stretched out his body for her to look at. Li Ruo Shui speechlessly turned her head to the sides, pretending that she did not see this flirty posture of his. ¡°There are a lot of flowers here.¡± A light gust of breeze blew the petals on both sides to the river surface, like falling snow, and the layers of petals piled up and flowed downstream. The boat slowly drifted to the shore, the pear blossoms on the surface were washed and adhered to the hull of the boat. The waves hit, the yellow and rotten petals at the bottom were turned over, and it seemed that the petals had been accumulated here for a long time. The pear trees planted around were not simply just a row, but a dense forest, extending infinitely from the shore. Lu Fei Yue looked at the scene in front of her with doubts: ¡°Is there such a paradise in Yun City?¡± The four of them went ashore and stepped on the ground paved with flower petals. The shoes sank softly, and the liquid squeezed out stuck to the circumference of the shoes. Jiang Nian bent down and brushed away the newly fallen petals on the surface, revealing the brown flower mud at the bottom. It could be seen that this forest had been planted for a long time. Lu Fei Yue looked up at these quiet trees again, and frowned slightly. ¡°The petals act rather like snow, a sprinkle and a blow of petals can cover the traces tightly. It¡¯s just that these trees don¡¯t look like they could be planted so well within a year or two, so why did the owner of this place put so much thought into it?¡± The scenery here was beautiful, but for Lu Zhi Yao, it was not as interesting as listening to the wind around them. They walked along the mountain road, and the further they went, the denser the flower forest became, and later it was completely towards the trend of roadblock. Just when they could not figure out the direction, a horse neighed not far away. A few people quietly moved to the vicinity, the pear trees planted there were taller and thicker, and the years were much older than this pear forest. They stepped on the pear tree and looked down. Some petals fell occasionally into the courtyard, where a two-story wooden hut was built. There were many masked people standing in the courtyard, and there were several horse carriages. The horse pulling the carriage was eating hay and snorted occasionally. The carriage behind them was very luxurious, not only hung with fine curtains, but even the wheels were covered with a layer of soft leather. However what was most shocking was not the amount of the luxurious carriages, but the dozen or so iron cages placed at the entrance of the hut. Each of the cages lay one or two weak young girls, and the cages had notes with the names of various places on them, from small states and counties, to the names of cities located on major transportation routes, and one with the imperial city on it. These women were very well-dressed, with embroidered fabrics, light veils, and graceful figures. Each of them has a different colour and style of clothes, but all more or less exposed at certain parts. They looked at the sky numbly, and occasionally the white pear flower fell on their faces, but they did not even have the intention to brush it away. The way they stayed in the cages were no different from the animals waiting to be slaughtered. One of them turned her eyes to look around, and suddenly a glare of light flashed her eyes, and some physiological tears suddenly aroused in her eyes. However, she did not care about the tears, but just looked straight ahead and saw a different white colour from the intricate petals. That whiteness hung gently between the petals, swaying lightly with the wind. Chapter 7.1 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (7) ¨C It¡¯s More Fun to Tease Her Than to Tease Birds (1) ¨C unedited Li Ruo Shui looked at the scene where the jade bodies (TL/N: delicate bodies of young women) were laid out in front of her, and she was sure that this was the place written in the original book. However in the book, there were fewer people when Lu Fei Yue and the others arrived. There were only two or three young girls in the cages, and there were not many masked people surrounding the courtyard, so that was why both of them managed to capture the leader. But now there were so many masked people in the courtyard, and they did not know how many more were there in the building. How could they save them? Lu Fei Yue also frowned over there, and seemed to be thinking about a solution to this matter. Jiang Nian had already gone up to the roof from the back of the hut to check, and soon returned to Lu Fei Yue¡¯s side, shaking his head solemnly. ¡°There are many black-clothed guards in the building, about the same number as in the courtyard. We must not attack hastily.¡± After hearing this, Lu Feiyue stood up and observed the surroundings. This place was located in a remote area, and even if the signal flares were released, the reinforcements would not be able to arrive in a while. They could not let them sell these women to other places, once they are sold, they would not know when they would be rescued. She set her eyesight aside, on the blind Lu Zhi Yao. He was sitting leisurely among the trees, the pear blossom branches swaying in the wind covering half of his face, revealing only his delicate jaw and silky black hair. He didn¡¯t look like he arrived here after encountering some obstacles with them, but he looked like he came here for an outing. Lu Fei Yue was willing to follow them here mainly because she believed in Li Ruo Shui. Some human characteristics could be read from the eyes. Li Ruo Shui had clear eyes and no bad intentions, however she could not see through Lu Zhi Yao. Although this person was always smiling and gave people a good feeling, even Jiang Nian said that he looked like a kind person, but she had a strange feeling from the bottom of her heart that she did not like this person. Her intuition also told her that it would be better to stay away from him. However in such a situation, the chance of winning would definitely increase a lot with his help. Lu Fei Yue¡¯s gaze moved to the figure in front of Lu Zhi Yao, a goose-yellow figure was squatting and poking her head to look at her. She really could not understand how a person like Li Ruo Shui would have a relationship with him, was it only because she was rescued by him before? Their eyes met, but Li Ruo Shui did not understand the doubts in Lu Fei Yue¡¯s eyes, and thought the gaze was asking her for a solution. How could there be any solution to this situation now? Everyone came here with only weapons. Besides retreating or attacking, there was no other way. People had to learn to put themselves in the right position. For example, if they wanted to attack, then they would have to let Lu Zhi Yao take the lead. Li Ruo Shui turned her head thoughtfully, only to see Lu Zhi Yao sitting on the tree with his legs crossed, his eyes closed, and the light between the flowers swaying on his body, like a Buddha statue in a temple holding a jade bottle, revealing ineffable peace and tranquillity. He was playing with a bunch of green mulberries he picked at some point with one hand, and a modest bird was resting on the fingertips of his other hand. She saw a bunch of wild mulberries in the pear forest earlier, but because the mulberries were not ripe yet, she just looked at it and left. When did this person pick it? The bird stared at the mulberries in his hand, and wanted to peck a bite, but he always dodged from the bird before it could eat the mulberries. Lu Zhi Yao chuckled after doing this several times, and when Li Ruo Shui thought he was going to feed the bird, he raised his hand and waved the bird off. Probably because the pear trees around here still haven¡¯t fruited, there was nothing to eat so the birds were greedy, fluttered their wings and flew back, but halfway through, they were hit by a green and hard mulberry on their tail feathers. A grey-black feather fell from its back and whirled down to the ground. He smiled and shook the fruit in his hand, his expression soft, and the words he uttered were not sharp at all. ¡°Be good.¡± The birds chirped a few times and then flew away with beady eyes, as if they were running away. Chapter 7.2 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (7) ¨C It¡¯s More Fun to Tease Her Than to Tease Birds (2) ¨C unedited ¡°It might be scolding you.¡± Li Ruo Shui was a little speechless, what did he need to contest an innocent bird? He also knocked off its back feather. Lu Zhi Yao raised his eyebrows, his closed eyes were facing forward, and pieces of pear blossoms fell into his black hair like snow, adding a bit of softness to him, but what he said was still unpleasant. ¡°Oh? Do you understand bird language?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± For a moment, she didn¡¯t know if he was really puzzled or scolding her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± For a moment, I didn¡¯t know if he was really puzzled or scolding her. ¡°You¡¯re looking at me again.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, I¡¯m looking at you because you¡¯re good looking.¡± Ignoring his laughter, Li Ruo Shui turned her head to look at the situation not far away, everything was as usual, so she turned back to continue to get close to him. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on down there?¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s face was in the light and shadow, both real and illusory. When he heard Li Ruo Shui¡¯s question, he pointed to his eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°There are ten girls down there locked in cages with lots of guards around them, and we¡¯re going to rescue them.¡± ¡°That sounds a little pitiful.¡± Lu Zhi Yao nodded: ¡°If I don¡¯t go to save them, will it prove that your dream is false?¡± ¡­¡­ Li Ruo Shui looked at him carefully and uttered the famous travel saying: ¡°Well, we are here already.¡± She couldn¡¯t figure out what he was thinking for a while, Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s mind was unpredictable, who knew if he would agree. Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t speak while playing with the mulberry in his hand, he seemed to be thinking. Suddenly, ten people dressed as generous-looking coachmen walked out from the second floor. They were holding horse whips, sat with one leg straddled across the carriage, looked forward without saying a word, expressionless, and their eyes were dull. The man in black pulled a cage with Yao State written on it, and the girl inside was carried along with the cage to the side of a carriage. The bottom of the carriage was opened, revealing a black square frame. They put the cage in regardless of the girl¡¯s powerless struggle. The wooden planks at the hole were tightly fitted, leaving only a few small holes for ventilation. Subsequently, they also lifted the rest of the cages in the courtyard. Li Ruo Shui turned his head to look at Lu Zhi Yao when he opened his mouth. ¡°You want me to help you, so that not only will you save them, but you can also win the bet.¡± He always spoke the truth with the gentlest tone. Li Ruo Shui did not deny it, and answered very simply: ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Zhi Yao raised the thing in his hand, and his closed eyelashes also curled up: ¡°Do you want to eat the fruit?¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at the fruit in his hand that the birds had been thinking about for a long time, and suddenly understood. What he was more interested in now was getting her to eat this. Anything with the rescue and the bet have to be in the back row. The current needs have to be met first. Although she didn¡¯t know what was interesting about eating fruit. Every girl in the cage whimpered, but couldn¡¯t find a way out. They could only wait to be loaded into that dark place. The girl with the imperial city label on the cage pulled the iron cage with one hand, her hand trembled a little. She looked at the direction of a loquat tree and cried so hard that even the man in black who was carrying the cage hesitated for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t look at her anymore, someone softened their hearts last time, and ended up getting their eyes gouged out, and became useless people. The man in black nodded hurriedly, but also couldn¡¯t resist looking at the direction along her line of sight. ¡°What is she looking at?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The two looked in the same direction, the other masked people in the courtyard who were also curious about what they were looking at, followed them and looked up too. Lu Fei Yue followed their line of sight and saw the two of them, Li Ruo Shui and Lu Zhi Yao who were whispering something to each other. Lu Zhi Yao was chuckling lightly with his eyes closed, picking fruits in his hands, while Li Ruo Shui squatted in front of him with a speechless face expression. Neither of them could see the eyes slowly gathering sight behind them. There were actually not many mulberries in a bunch, but they were all green and hard, lying nicely on his white jade-like palm, green and white colours set off each other, which was actually pretty, but Li Ruo Shui was not in the mood to appreciate them, she only felt the sourness in her mouth. Chapter 7.3 The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead Chapter 7.3 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (7) ¨C It¡¯s More Fun to Tease Her Than to Tease Birds (3) ¨C unedited Li Ruo Shui gave a wry smile, the bird had wanted to eat it but had failed to do so, but it was now going into her mouth. She squatted on the tree trunk, took a deep breath, and just when she reached out her hand, he stopped her: ¡°I¡¯ll feed you.¡± Could he see? Li Ruo Shui could not resist but reached out her hand and waved in front of him, and he grabbed her hand again, ¡°I¡¯m indeed blind, there¡¯s no need to examine. How about just eating it?¡± Sighing softly, Li Ruo Shui grabbed his wrist, and the white jade Buddha beads on his wrist jangled with a few crunching sounds, the coolness causing her to shiver a little. Li Ruo Shui raised her head and stuffed the mulberries into her mouth without further hesitation. The unripe mulberries were green and hard, and as soon as she bit into it, she could taste the terrifyingly sour juice, her saliva secreted frantically, the teeth felt sour and soft, and she trembled reflexively. This time it was not cold, but sour. Sensing Li Ruo Shui¡¯s trembling, Lu Zhi Yao laughed out in a low voice, as if hearing the interesting sound of a cat whose tail was stomped on. On the other side, Lu Fei Yue saw Li Ruo Shui¡¯s grimace and was almost anxious to death, how could the two of them still be tasting mulberries at such a moment?! She waved her hand trying to get Li Ruo Shui¡¯s attention, but Li Ruo Shui squinted her eyes due to the sourness and could not see at all. ¡°Someone¡¯s there!¡± A man in black discerned the dangling piece of clothing from a snowy white patch and shouted before leaping upwards with his sword. As soon as he jumped into the air, he was hit on the knee by a stone, a small piece of his black robe moistened a little, and he fell down with a cry. Lu Zhi Yao withdrew his smile slightly, stood up, as cheerful as a spring breeze, he pulled up Li Ruo Shui and leaped into the courtyard. ¡°Then I¡¯ll fulfill the agreement we made earlier, and help you save the people.¡± Sure enough, it was right to pick this bunch of fruits, which was much more interesting than teasing the birds. As soon as the rest of the two saw that Lu Zhi Yao had made a move, they no longer hesitated and leaped down from the tree together. At the window on the first floor of the wooden house, there was a woman dressed in velvet with a white silk flower on her head. She was young, looking around 25 or 26 years old, with a calm expression. The woman in white swept her gaze across them, paused at Lu Zhi Yao, and suddenly her pupils were shrinking. Her originally calm expression turned into gnashing teeth, and her hands gripping the windowsill so hard that they turned white. ¡°Bastard!¡± The insult came so suddenly that not only Li Ruo Shui and the others were stunned, but the group of men in black also failed to hold back their surprise and turned to look at the woman in white. That gaze was as frightening as seeing a young lady of the boudoir rolling up her sleeves and plucking the weeping willows. The woman in white was so furious that her eyes turned red and she forgot about her business, she grabbed her sword and rushed down towards Lu Zhi Yao. The masked men surrounding them did not expect her to join the battlefield and were at a loss as they did not know whether to advance or retreat. The woman in white had a furious look in her eyes and her stances were fierce, her only target at the moment was only Lu Zhi Yao. However, she was no match for Lu Zhi Yao, and her repeated strikes could only touch his sword, but she could not advance any further. Lu Zhi Yao took her strikes as he recalled. ¡°Your moves are very familiar, I seem to have encountered it before. But it was so long ago that I can¡¯t remember well anymore.¡± Those words were like pouring a handful of oil on a raging fire, torching till the woman¡¯s face turned red, and the sword in her hand kept thrusting forward. ¡°Catch him for me! Dead or alive!¡± The woman in white gave the word, and naturally the masked men around him all moved towards him, while Li Ruo Shui and the other two standing outside the encirclement as if they were air. Halfway through the fight, Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian, who had been prepared to go to support him, stopped, and could not help backing away to protect Li Ruo Shui, who did not know martial arts. Looking at the man in the centre of the encirclement, listening to his laughter, Li Ruo Shui also could not resist taking a step back. This was the first time she met such a crazy person. Chapter 8.1 The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead Chapter 8.1 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (8) ¨C ¡°I believe in you.¡± (1) ¨C unedited Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s sword danced lightly, but his moves were incomparably fierce, each one going straight for his opponent¡¯s throat without the slightest hesitation. He started off with an ordinary kill, until the warm blood stained his face and moistened the corners of his robe, and he finally could not hold back his killing impulse. A smile was lifted on his lips, his brow raised with joy, his closed eyelashes trembled slightly, and his eyebrows looked more beautiful and attractive. His sword was no longer as light as before, but had a kind of silent frenzy, making it impossible to guess what his next move would be, and yet his attack remained unabated. One could possibly take a few moves from him earlier, but now one could only be slashed by him. Li Ruo Shui had no doubt that if they dared to approach him now, they would end up in the same position as the men in black who were lying down. The encirclement gradually expanded with Lu Zhi Yao as the center. The men in black looked at each other in disbelief, but no one dared to come forward to provoke this lunatic. The cracks of the thin sword were soaked in blood, but the next moment the blood scattered like little plum blossoms on the ground as he flung his sword carelessly. ¡°I¡¯m having a good time, why escape?¡± Playing with the hilt of the sword, and the rising tail sound, all these indicated Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s happy mood at the moment. He laughed in a low voice for a moment, then tapped his toes, stepping on the blood on the ground and rushing violently towards the men in black. Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian protected several people and retreated backwards, for fear of being affected and losing their lives. Li Ruo Shui regretted at this moment, the kind of regret that could swallow a ton of regret medicine. She thought that what she unleashed was the ultimate force of the book, but who would have known that it was a monster who could not distinguish between the enemy and own people! In the original book, Lu Fei Yue had to struggle for a while, every time before she went to him for help, so it was not shyness, it was fear! Why did not the author say so earlier! If she knew it earlier then she would not have eaten those mulberries, souring her teeth for nothing. Now the current situation was completely reversed, not that they were being surrounded, but those in black were being hunted and killed. The woman in white had long since broken away from the central circle, holding her sword furiously. ¡°This beast has refined his martial arts skills again. What a monster, he didn¡¯t die from such an injury back then. I¡¯ll definitely send you to your death today!¡± She said so, but her eyes were full of fear. She hesitated to enter the arena despite having her sword in her hand, and she stepped back. Lu Fei Yue leaped up and pulled away several women near the center of the storm, leaving only Li Ruo Shui alone. At that moment, several men in black retreated right in front of Li Ruo Shui, and Lu Zhi Yao was already rushing over with his sword. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t hurt the wrong people!¡± Li Ruo Shui waved her hand as she backed away, hoping that her cry would awaken his conscience of not killing his own teammates. The tall man in black fell down before her eyes, revealing Lu Zhi Yao with his sword and red-stained robe corner. The sharp blade of the sword reflected his lightly closed eyes and her expression of regret plus fear. Lu Zhi Yao smiled faintly and thrusted the tip of his sword out. In a flash of lightning, Li Ruo Shui gritted her teeth and stabilised herself, it seemed like she was going to take the attack. Just as Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian, with their eyes wide open, were about to go to the rescue, the sword stopped between Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyebrows. The sword was so close to the center of her eyebrows that she could even feel the tiny fluff on the center of her eyebrows being pressed against the tip of the sword, just one more movement and the sword would pierce into the flesh. Damn! Li Ruo Shui¡¯s heartbeat was like thunder, her heart rate was close to 120, her palm was dampened with cold sweat instantly, and her legs were a little weak. In a thousand words, she only wanted to thank herself for this powerful intuition. With the tip of the sword still hanging between her eyebrows, the owner of the sword opened his mouth and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± Afraid, scared to death, she had never been so afraid, her back was already soaked in cold sweat, and God knows how much effort she had put into stopping her escape. But she obviously could not say that, she could only speak the common phrase of the heroine of the novel. ¡°I believe in you.¡± Chapter 8.2 The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead Chapter 8.2 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (8) ¨C ¡°I believe in you.¡± (2) ¨C unedited The surroundings became quiet, and the scorching March sun casted shadows of flowers through the pear trees, giving the illusion of a summer day. After saying these words, Li Ruo Shui not only did not calm down, but her heartbeat became faster because she was afraid that this sentence would blow his fuse. Lu Zhi Yao suddenly opened his mouth and laughed, laughing so hard that his hands were shaking, and Li Ruo Shui raised her head a little backward in fright, afraid that he would stab in if he was not paying attention. ¡°Although it¡¯s a lie, I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± Without further delay, he turned around to attack the other men in black, but he obviously had a clear sense of strategy now, so the fight was not so fatal anymore. It was just as if he was teasing his prey on a full stomach. The woman in white who was not far away saw this scene, her eyes lit up, and without hesitation she raised her sword and moved towards Li Ruo Shui. Li Ruo Shui did not know martial arts, so of course he could not manage to run away from her, so she was caught as a hostage. ¡°Bastard, your lover is in my hands, so if you are tactful, surrender now or I will kill her.¡± Everyone else looked at Lu Zhi Yao, but not Li Ruo Shui. She knew this man too well, if he stopped, she would rip her head off and use it as a ball to kick. As expected, in the smug eyes of the woman in white, Lu Zhi Yao did not even give her the slightest reaction and continued to kill for fun. ¡°Big sister, we¡¯ve only known each other for less than 10 days, perhaps you¡¯re taking me too seriously.¡± Li Ruo Shui sighed faintly, moving her neck sideways to dodge the sword blade. ¡°Impossible, you survived under his sword¡­¡­¡± The woman in white fell into self-doubt, and then found a reasonable explanation for herself. ¡°A beast is a beast, emotionless and cold-blooded beyond belief, a desperate lunatic¡­¡­¡± While she dwelled in her shattered thoughts, Jiang Nian, who saw the opportunity, flipped over and subdued her to the ground. However, her first reaction to being subdued was not to call for help, but to order the others: ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, kill him immediately, and cut him to pieces!¡± The way she would rather die really made people wonder what Lu Zhi Yao had done to her to make her hate and want to eat him. But no one was stupid, what was the point of fighting with a madman when the leader had been arrested. Seeing the crowd stop and hide far away, the woman in white was furious, but there was nothing she could do, she could only stare at Lu Zhi Yao. Lu Zhi Yao walked over slowly, his hands were still trembling with excitement, his eyes closed and smiling as if he was enjoying the aftertaste of a feast, gorged and happy. Li Ruo Shui was completely enlightened. This was clearly a madman who did everything according to his preferences and did not care about his own life and death. Lu Fei Yue looked at Lu Zhi Yao, who was coming, and stood sideways in front of Li Ruo Shui, and at the same time setting off a flare to the sky to inform the others of the patrol division to come. She turned her eyes to look at the ten carriages in the courtyard, her eyebrows furrowed tightly, and her hand holding the knife so hard that it turned white. ¡°How many times have you done such things?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been five years, I can¡¯t remember anymore.¡± The woman in white did not care one bit if she would reveal anything. She even found it annoying to look at Lu Zhi Yao so she turned her eyes to the other side. ¡°Who¡¯s the mastermind behind this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s someone you can¡¯t afford to mess with.¡± She rolled her eyes and said with a smile: ¡°If you kill him, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Jiang Nian¡¯s gaze turned to Lu Zhi Yao and he frowned slightly. He felt that this woman¡¯s obsession was too strange. ¡°You know Lord Lu?¡± Hearing this sentence, the woman in white glared at him, her eyes barbed with surprise, and the astonishment in her eyes was clearly visible. ¡°His surname is also Lu?¡± She observed Lu Zhi Yao up and down, as if she wanted to see every strand of his hair clearly. The woman in white stared carefully at Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s appearance, staggering and shaking her head. ¡°Bastard, what is your father¡¯s name?¡± Before Lu Zhi Yao could answer, Li Ruo Shui opened her mouth. ¡°Why? Want to claim his father as your grandfather? The Lu family wouldn¡¯t want a granddaughter like you.¡± The woman in white choked on her words and stopped talking. She only looked at Lu Zhi Yao with an even more complicated gaze. Chapter 8.3 The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead Chapter 8.3 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (8) ¨C ¡°I believe in you.¡± (3) Lu Fei Yue and Li Ruo Shui lifted the young girls out from the bottom of the carriages. Judging from their weak bodies, they must have been drugged even more than what Li Ruo Shui suffered before. Li Ruo Shui walked up to the woman in white, ¡°Where¡¯s the antidote?¡± She looked up at Li Ruo Shui, and thought of Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s actions earlier, and laughed silently. ¡°Little sister, if you kill him, I¡¯ll give you the antidote.¡± ??? Maybe she expected too highly of her. Li Ruo Shui put her hand into her lapel directly to search. She really could not understand these villains very well, she was already tied up and yet she insisted on saying these. ¡°What are you doing!¡± Amidst the startled exclamation of the woman in white, Li Ruo Shui took out two porcelain bottles, one flower and one white. She opened the stopper and smelled it, one fragrant and one stinky. Li Ruo Shui stood up and patted her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn when you¡¯re all tied up.¡± The scent of the porcelain bottle was too familiar to Li Ruo Shui, hence the opposite smell must be the antidote. Several young girls who sniffed the antidote lay one by one under the tree, looking at the white pear petals blowing out in the air. There was only a sense of joy after being saved from this desperate situation. Lu Zhi Yao was also sitting under the tree. He was not resting, but wiping his sword, and at the same time reminiscing about what had happened since he met Li Ruo Shui. The meeting with Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian could be explained, perhaps she had known about their mission before. The subsequent falling in love with him was even more ridiculous. However, it was only the matter of his name that puzzled him. His name had never been told to anyone before, and the person who gave the name to him died that day, so no matter how he thought about it, Li Ruo Shui should not have known it. Did she really dream about him? The hand that was wiping the sword paused slightly, and the smile on his lips subsided a little. With the sound of her footsteps in his ears, Lu Zhi Yao began to believe a little in this story, otherwise it was impossible to explain how she knew his name. While he was thinking about this, he suddenly felt that someone gently pulled the corner of his clothes, and gentle words rang out beside him. ¡°My lord, thank you for saving me, otherwise, I would probably be sold to the imperial city to be played with by others.¡± Lu Zhi Yao tilted his head slightly and his slightly red lips curved up into a gentle arc. ¡°Miss, you think too much, it wasn¡¯t me who saved you.¡± This young girl was the one whose cage had been labelled with the imperial city, and she was also the one who saw Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s robe. She had already seen him before she was carried into the carriage, and God had not failed her prayers, as this gentle and powerful gentleman in white had indeed come to her rescue. He killed the people who hurt her in such a powerful way, and he calmed her fears with such a gentle smile. ¡°My lord, I¡¯ve nothing to repay you for saving me, but if you wish, I can serve you for the rest of my life.¡± She regarded Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s answer as being modest and her goodwill was instantly rejuvenated. Lu Zhi Yao raised his eyebrows slightly, seemingly interested in this reply. ¡°You want to take care of me too? Why? Is it because I look weak?¡± The girl¡¯s gaze traced over his long eyelashes, high nose, red lips, and finally lowered her head shyly. ¡°Because my lord, you saved me.¡± Lu Zhi Yao put away his sword, his white clothes glowed brightly in the sunlight, and his long eyelashes casted a small shadow, which further accentuated his beauty. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m good looking?¡± The young girl only looked up, her heart was even more than pleased, but her mouth was still a little modest. ¡°No, I¡¯m more interested in the lord¡¯s character, and a gentle and kind person like you is naturally very attractive.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Lu Zhi Yao agreed softly, and then smiled softly: ¡°Then the person you want to take care of is not me.¡± The girl was obviously panicked, and waved her hand quickly, regardless of whether he could see it or not: ¡°No, my lord, I want to take care of you. You saved my life, you are my benefactor, and I will naturally repay you with my whole life.¡± ¡°So according to you, all the women here have to marry me?¡± Thinking of this, Lu Zhi Yao chuckled: ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that the girls have to marry Li Ruo Shui too? She is cowardly, how can she stand ten wives?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s words, Li Ruo Shui, who had just come over, paused in her steps, took a deep breath and turned to the other side. I really want to punch him. Chapter 9.1 The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead Chapter 9.1 Woman¡¯s Fragrance (9) ¨C Transmigrating in a Dream (1) Lu Zhi Yao heard the footsteps. He turned back to face Li Ruo Shui with a relaxed expression and a smile on his lips. ¡°You came?¡± The girl raised her eyes and saw Li Ruo Shui. She was in a complicated mood. Sure enough, she also saw the scene of Lu Zhi Yao and Li Ruo Shui being together, but she was still feeling a little uncontent. Li Ruo Shui saw the young girl¡¯s eyes and instantly understood what was going on. ¡°No, I¡¯m just passing by.¡± As soon as she finished her words, Li Ruo Shui turned around and left without hesitation. Facing such a young girl who was deceived by his skin, she expressed her understanding. After all, even she had been fooled by it in the beginning. Perhaps this person will also be scared away by Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s nature soon afterwards. As she watched Li Ruo Shui turn away, the young girl¡¯s original words of temptation and demonstration were all held back in her mouth, which made her feel depressed and uncomfortable. She had already prepared tea and was ready to perform, but Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t even want to take the challenge? The young girl took a breath and shifted her words to Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°My lord, my family is in Yuncheng, and I also have some family money, if you don¡¯t mind¡­¡­¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered me, if I marry you, do I have to marry someone else too?¡± Lu Zhi Yao listened to Li Ruo Shui¡¯s distant footsteps and smiled. He began playing with a flying knife in his hand, which was as thick as his index finger, it seemed incredibly sharp and was flashing with an eerie cold light. ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡± The young girl looked at the others who were still lying not far away and bit her lip, ¡°I was the one who saw you first, and I was the one who prayed in my heart, so naturally, I should be the one to accompany you, my lord.¡± Lu Zhi Yao nodded and understood something. ¡°So it was you who saw it.¡± The flying knife in his hand reflected the sunlight. The young girl narrowed her eyes and nodded quickly, ¡°Yes, it was the light of this small knife in your hand.¡± Lu Zhi Yao sighed regretfully with a bit of distress on his gentle face: ¡°Since you saw it earlier, why didn¡¯t you call out earlier? I thought no one had seen it.¡± His expression changed. He was no longer as gentle as before. Without his smile, he looked a little more distant. The sense of distance did not last long before it was replaced by a smile, a smile like an apricot blossom in March, clear and light but with a special colour. ¡°But it was also good that you didn¡¯t scream, otherwise how could I feel Li Ruo Shui¡¯s trembling movement due to the sourness.¡± He turned his head to her and the slightly deepened smile on the corner of his mouth felt slightly odd, causing the young girl to feel a little discomfort. ¡°Have you ever seen Li Ruo Shui feeling sour to the point of shivering, like a bird shivering from the cold, but hers is due to sourness, isn¡¯t that funny?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it¡­¡­¡± The young girl withdrew her hand that was grabbing the corner of his clothes. His smile was still as gentle and warm as ever, but she looked a little uncomfortable. Lu Zhi Yao nodded, stood up and wanted to leave, but he suddenly paused and turned his head to her. His long eyelashes were like sprinkled with a layer of broken gold, and his smile was gentle. ¡°Do you still want to take care of me for the rest of my life?¡± There were mottled tree shadows on his face, his smile remained the same, but it was unclear like a mist, adding on more coldness to it. She shook her head and said slowly, ¡°If my lord doesn¡¯t want to, I won¡¯t force it¡­¡­¡± ¡°Boring.¡± Lu Zhi Yao laughed out in a low voice, the small knife spun a few times in his fingertips before walking towards her, ¡°You said you wanted to take care of me, why did you back off now? Yet Li Ruo Shui was standing in front of me all the time.¡± She sat on the ground trembling and tried to step back, but could only retreat a little because her body had not fully recovered. The cold light from the tip of the knife was no longer a hope in her despair, but a talisman that wanted to take her life. The tip of the knife was getting closer and closer to her. She wanted to say something, but she could only open her mouth but could not make a sound. Suddenly, a flash of pale yellow stopped in front of her eyes. ¡°What is this conversation you are having?¡± The young girl raised her eyes to see Li Ruo Shui, who had gone and returned. Li Ruo Shui was shielding in front of the young girl with a bit of sympathy in her eyes, and she even reached out to help the young girl up. She lowered her eyelashes and slowly moved behind Li Ruo Shui: ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just thanking my benefactor.¡± Li Ruo Shui took her by the shoulders and left with a laugh: ¡°Look at you, those two are your benefactors, you need to keep your eyes open in the future.¡± Li Ruo Shui laughed awkwardly and led her towards Lu Fei Yue, but she did not dare to look back. The young girl bit her lip and glanced back, only to find him standing in the shadow of a shaded tree, looking lonely. But he was no longer the heroic figure in her eyes. She turned around quickly, thinking to herself that she should indeed wipe her eyes. ¡°Miss, are you and that lord¡­¡­I feel that he does not seem to be as he looks, so you have to be careful.¡± Li Ruo Shui was stunned when she heard her words, then smiled and patted her shoulder. ¡°Just get used to it.¡± Li Ruo Shui suddenly thought of the system reward, the memory reward that she got after kissing Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°System, when will this reward be activated?¡± This is indeed a help, like charcoal delivered in the snow, a care given to her by the system. [HE system at your service.] [Does the host want to use it?] ¡°Use it¡­¡± [Okay, activating the reward now.] ¡°Wait wait¡­¡­¡± This was just an exclamation, not a statement! Shouldn¡¯t we make an appointment! Chapter 9.2 The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead Chapter 9.2 Woman¡¯s Fragrance (9) ¨C Transmigrating in a Dream (2) ¡°Miss Li!¡± The young girl beside her was already weak, and when Li Ruo Shui suddenly fainted and knocked on her, both of them fell to the ground together. Lu Fei Yue, who rushed over, hurriedly pulled up Li Ruo Shui, while Jiang Nian helped up the girl who became a meat cushion, and the two of them brought them to a resting place. After Jiang Nian examined Li Ruo Shui¡¯s pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief, revealing his white teeth and smiled: ¡°It¡¯s okay, she¡¯s probably too tired and fell asleep.¡± Lu Fei Yue let out a sigh of relief, and relaxed her wrinkled eyebrows, and helped her to rest at the table. ¡°If anything bad happens because she came along with us, I¡¯ll be a big sinner.¡± Jiang Nian sat on the stool, looked up at the rising warm sun, and leaned against the table to eat the pie: ¡°When will the reinforcements come? Your men from the case patrol division seem unreliable.¡± Lu Fei Yue looked at him and sighed helplessly. She poured herself a glass of water while wrapping her arms around Li Ruo Shui. Suddenly, a shadow projected on the table and the corner of a snow-white robe appeared in her peripheral vision. ¡°Mr. Lu.¡± He tilted his head and smiled, but just stood there quietly. Anyone who looked at him would only feel a sense of affinity, even though the affinity only came from his appearance. ¡°Is something wrong with Li Ruo Shui?¡± ¡°Nothing, she¡¯s probably too tired and fell asleep.¡± Jiang Nian helped him to sit down beside him and patted his shoulder, the two of them were only a seat away from Li Ruo Shui. ¡°I see.¡± Not far away came the sound of footsteps, and soldiers in light armour rushed in, led by several men who were clutching a gilt sword just like Lu Fei Yue. Lu Fei Yue wanted to go forward to explain the situation but Li Ruo Shui was leaning against her, so she could only lay her gently on the table. She then clutched her knife and went forward. Jiang Nian naturally wanted to follow her. The only people left on the small square table were Li Ruo Shui, who was still sleeping, and Lu Zhi Yao, who was pouring tea and sat quietly. Suddenly, the person lying on the table let out a few murmurs, as if she was saying something. Lu Zhi Yao leaned over with interest. He heard her mutter a few words, the exact phrases were not quite clear, except for the name she called at the end which stunned him for a long time. ¡°¡­¡­Ah Chu¡­¡­¡± ¡ª The sun was shining brightly and the heat was intense, yet the air still carried a damp and muddy smell. The cicadas outside the courtyard wall were buzzing desperately, and there was no doubt that this was a real summer. Li Ruo Shui stood in the middle of a courtyard with a strange household shape, a rectangular courtyard, only three or four metres wide but about ten metres long. The house and the courtyard gate, one in the north and one in the south, at its furthest distance. In the courtyard stood potted plant after potted plant with flowers, each of which was about the height of Li Ruo Shui¡¯s waist, and there were a few butterflies surrounding the flowers, as if they also liked to come and flutter in this labyrinth of potted plants. There was a stone table in front of the house in the courtyard. On the stone table sat a child dressed in white, who was looking up at the sky with his back to her, not knowing what he was looking at, but he seemed to be watching with great interest. Li Ruo Shui also looked up, but her eyes were stung by the sunlight and it took her a while to recover. She looked down at her slightly transparent hands and was left a little speechless. ¡°Isn¡¯t it about memories? How can it be like real transmigration?¡± [Host, originally the memory recollection should have started from the owner¡¯s memory and you can just view it in the dream, but Lu Zhi Yao is naturally blind, he can¡¯t dream at all and he also can¡¯t see any scenery, so we sent your soul here.] ¡°¡­¡­.¡± There was no way to trust the system at all. It was usually quiet, but when it spoke, it was then when the system wanted to trap her. ¡°Why is this courtyard so strange, and the way the flower pots are placed is as if they are deliberately arranged to prevent people from walking?¡± Dozens of potted flowers were scattered across the yard, and they were arranged in an unruly manner, making it more confusing. She mumbled a few words while moving her body naturally through the pots to the stone table, trying to see if this was Lu Zhi Yao during his childhood. Rounding the table, she then got a good look at the little boy. He looked like a delicately carved jade, very cute, and his long hair was cut neatly at his shoulders. A string of white jade Buddhist beads, one circle larger than his hand, was hanging from his wrist, always slipping off, and his white clothes did not fit his size, falling loosely on him like a child who had stolen an adult¡¯s clothes. His beautiful appearance had quite the resemblance to the grown-up Lu Zhi Yao, however, it was not his look that was different, but his eyes. His eyes were open. Little Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s eyes were large but not very bright. His eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist and they looked dull. Just as Li Ruo Shui moved closer to take a closer look, Little Lu Zhi Yao suddenly turned his head, and his gaze seemed to meet her eyes, frightened her into taking a few steps back. ¡°Is there anyone there?¡± He spoke in a cute voice and asked out in that direction. Li Ruo Shui patted her chest and calmed down, secretly sighing that he was indeed the unsurpassable force in this book, his five senses were simply different from ordinary people. Before Li Ruo Shui could recover her heartbeat, a string of Buddha beads suddenly flew straight through her forehead and fell on the rose behind her, pressing the flower and tilting it further back. Little Lu Zhi Yao withdrew his hand, with some doubts in his words, but still ¡°looking¡± in this direction. ¡°Is it an illusion?¡± Li Ruo Shui: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Was he so aggressive as a child? Shouldn¡¯t she move? But with so many things lying around here, could he walk properly if he could not see? Li Ruo Shui turned to look around and when she was wondering, the courtyard door opposite the stone table suddenly opened, and a woman in a plain white dress with a peach branch hairpin on her head walked in. She was carrying a food box and had a smile on her face like a young girl who was innocent and unaware of the world, and her voice was like a lark in the woods. ¡°Ah Chu, mother brought you something to eat.¡± Mother?! Was this Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s legendary mother, Bai Qing Qing, who had abandoned him after she remarried? Chapter 10.1 The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead Chapter 10.1 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (10) ¨C His nickname was Ah Chu (1) Lu Zhi Yao was abandoned by his mother when he was a child. He wandered around for half a year before he met his master and only then did he have a full meal. The original book did not elaborate on Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s background, but in Li Ruo Shui¡¯s imagination, his mother was a vicious woman who kicked away her disabled son after ascending into a wealthy family. She must be a person who looked beautiful but had a mean temperament, wearing gold and silver, and sneered at her children, not this woman who dressed lightly and had the temperament of a young girl. Apart from being pretty, she was nothing like what Li Ruo Shui had imagined. With bright eyes and white teeth, glorious as a spring flower, she was an incomparable beauty. She resembled Lu Zhi Yao by half a dozen points, with a faint smile on the corner of her mouth. She was not as gentle as Lu Zhi Yao, but more naive than him. Bai Qing Qing walked around the cluttered flower pots on the ground for a while and put the food box in her hand in front of Lu Zhi Yao, the red sandalwood beads on her wrists jingled. She looked at Little Lu Zhi Yao carefully and took his hand. Her original innocent smile then retracted, she frowned slightly and her tone a little anxious. ¡°Ah Chu, where are the Buddha beads that mother gave you? Why are they missing?¡± Only then did Li Ruo Shui realise that his nickname was Ah Chu, which sounded rather like a girl¡¯s name. Little Lu Zhi Yao reached out his finger and pointed to the direction of Li Ruo Shui, and his voice was clear. ¡°Probably there.¡± Bai Qing Qing raised her eyes and saw a string of white Buddha beads, and all of a sudden she was back to her innocent expression. ¡°Mother thought you threw it away.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at her sudden change of expression and suddenly sighed, indeed they were biological mother and son, this speed of face changing was exactly the same as Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s. Bai Qing Qing opened the food box, took out the food inside and placed it on the table. She then went around the flower pot to pick up the string of Buddha beads, chattering while walking. ¡°This was begged from the Buddha to bless our family to stay together and to bring your father back to us.¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao did not reply, but he groped and picked up a steamed bun then chewed it. Li Ruo Shui stepped forward to look at the dishes and suddenly choked up. A child of five or six years old had only steamed buns and green vegetables in front of him, there was no meat and not even a bit of minced meat in sight. However, Little Lu Zhi Yao seemed to be eating with relish, not feeling anything wrong at all. Was this child abuse??? Sure enough, Bai Qing Qing was not a good thing, she was a mean woman who kicked her son with one foot, and Li Ruo Shui was almost deceived by her appearance! Li Ruo Shui turned her head to look, only to see Bai Qing Qing finally came in front of the rose, she lifted her skirt a little and bent down, with a faint smile still on the corner of her mouth. This scene was reminiscent of a young girl sniffing flowers gently in the sunlight. However, this young girl unhesitatingly grabbed the thorny flower stem, snapped it and threw it down. The pink rose was thrown to the ground and the dews on the flower spread like teardrops on the ground. The butterfly that was still sucking the nectar fluttered its wings hurriedly and left the area. The delicate rose was thrown onto the slate floor, the petals crushed by the feet turned into a decadent dark red and were rubbed on the white slate. ¡°Ah Chu, this is what mother begged for father.¡± Bai Qing Qing put the Buddha beads back on his wrist, and the words were changed from family to father. She sat on the stone bench, her cheeks resting on her hand and watched Little Lu Zhi Yao eat, her eyes full of love. ¡°You eat like your father. You¡¯ve only met a few times, but blood ties are such a wonderful bond.¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao remained silent, as if he was used to her talking to herself. ¡°If only I had such a connection with him.¡± Hearing Bai Qing Qing¡¯s words, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes widened immediately. She had never heard of anyone willing to take the initiative to be someone¡¯s son. Sure enough, his mother was also a person with abnormal brain circuits. Seemingly annoyed by what she said, Little Lu Zhi Yao sighed, licked the steamed bun crumbs on his fingers and raised a smile as a perfunctory response. ¡°Is that so.¡± Bai Qing Qing continued to look at him, the more she looked, the more fascinated she became, and there was a bit of infatuation in her expression. ¡°Ah Chu really looks more and more like your father, but he¡¯s still gone.¡± ¡°How good would it be if he was blind too? Then he would have had to rely on me.¡± ¡°Ah Chu, Mother used to say that I wanted to give your father a pair of ear piercings, but he¡¯s gone, so why don¡¯t I give them to you?¡± Seemingly caught up in some wonderful fantasy, Bai Qing Qing cupped her reddish cheeks, her demeanour at the moment was like a young girl in love, and she looked at Lu Zhi Yao with passionate eyes. ¡­¡­ Help! It turned out that his mother was an insane person! This scene gave Li Ruo Shui no less of a shock than when she was pulled by Lu Zhi Yao and jumped down into the cave. She was completely stunned. This was like treating Lu Zhi Yao as a substitute for his father. He was just a child! His father had run away, his mother was sick, and he was used as a replacement for his father, trapping him in this small courtyard. She understood Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s characteristics all of a sudden. How could one not change in such a hard and twisted life background? But Little Lu Zhi Yao looked as if he was used to all these, his expression was same as usual. He did not touch the plate of vegetables after eating the two steamed buns, he just raised his head and ¡°looked¡± at the sky in silence. Li Ruo Shui felt mixed emotions when she saw this silent look of him. Chapter 10.2 The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead Chapter 10.2 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (10) ¨C His nickname was Ah Chu (2) Bai Qing Qing reached out her hand to help him tidy up the white clothes that obviously did not fit for him, her eyes were indistinct, as if the one she was looking at was no longer Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°This white clothing still fits you so well, I thought you didn¡¯t like it when you threw it away.¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t give her any glance, he seemed to be in a daze but also seemed to be thinking about something. Be it whether he was thinking about something or not, Li Ruo Shui saw the word ¡°boring¡± in his expression. Bai Qing Qing was immersed in it for a while, and then seemed to suddenly remember something. The smile on her face turned into a loving one, she stretched out her hand to cup Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s small face, and the red sandalwood beads on her wrist collided with a crisp sound. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to get the ears pierced? Is Ah Chu ready yet?¡± It was only then that Little Lu Zhi Yao responded, his misty eyes turned to Bai Qing Qing¡¯s direction, and he nodded indifferently. ¡°Do you know why mother likes you? Because Ah Chu is very obedient and no matter how much I love you, you will never leave.¡± She took out the silver needles and medicinal wine that she had prepared from the food box. Little Lu Zhi Yao did not respond, his misty eyes looking straight ahead but failed to focus. Bai Qing Qing soaked the silver needle into the medicinal wine, and while stirring it, she smiled brightly, as relaxed as going on an outing. ¡°Mother got the news from your father the day before yesterday, he seems to be married.¡± The yellow wine was slightly turbid, the silver needles swirled in between, stirring up the herbs in it, and the innocent expression still remained on her face. ¡°But it¡¯s not his fault, didn¡¯t Mother take you and remarry too? Your father is angry with me, isn¡¯t he?¡± A gust of wind blew in the narrow courtyard, and the petals that had been crushed into flower mud stuck to the stone floor, like a smear of blood that could not be dissolved. The fragrance of flowers could be smelled in the air, but it was more obvious that there was a strong smell of wine. However, Little Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t care, he just wondered how big the courtyard was and why he hadn¡¯t been able to touch the door after walking many times. ¡°Are you angry with me? Because I remarried, is that it?¡± Bai Qing Qing wielded the medicinal wine aside, the porcelain bottle swayed twice on the table, but still steadied its body and stopped. The silver needle in the bottle collided against the top of the bottle, and the clinking sounded very nice. He was almost fascinated. Having received no response from her beloved, Bai Qing Qing moved forward and took his arm, smiling innocently, but there were tears in his eyes, as if praying, but also a little frantic. ¡°Why don¡¯t you answer me? Is it because you are jealous that I remarried again, so you took another wife? Our Ah Chu is blind, he needs you, why don¡¯t you come back?¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao turned his head to ¡°look¡± at her, his eyes remained unfocused, all that was in those eyes was the misty rain of the south of the Yangtze river, gently and softly obscuring the sky light that wanted to penetrate through it. ¡°Mother, are you going to pierce the ears already?¡± Bai Qing Qing smiled and cupped his face, her tone was soft but her tone suppressed with a few tremors. ¡°Now, don¡¯t say anything else, say you¡¯re jealous, you¡¯re jealous because I remarried.¡± His tiny face was pinched and deformed, his sweet red lips were almost pulled behind his ears, and his dark pupils couldn¡¯t find focus, like a puppet being bullied and manipulated arbitrarily. Li Ruo Shui was frightened even when she was an adult, but Little Lu Zhi Yao was only a five or six years old child, so how could he not be afraid? She tried to pull Bai Qing Qing¡¯s hand away, but it was useless, it just passed through every time, which made her a little helpless. Bai Qing Qing¡¯s tears could no longer be stopped and flowed all over her face, looking self-pity, but the words she uttered seemed to be quenched with poison. ¡°Back then, in order to keep you from leaving, I took the medicine that made our Ah Chu blind, but you left without the slightest pity, you are so cruel. Now you¡¯re jealous, aren¡¯t you? Are you jealous?¡± Hearing these words, Li Ruo Shui was stunned and looked at Lu Zhi Yao, feeling extremely sad. None of his parents had really looked forward to his birth and even his eyes were poisoned by his mother. ¡°Is that so.¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao raised a soft smile, but the smile became strange because the corner of his mouth was pulled. Just like an Udumbara flower in the night, quiet and silent, with an unknowingly fragility. He opened his mouth and his clear child¡¯s voice sounded naturally innocent: ¡°I¡¯m jealous, I¡¯m jealous that you are married to someone else.¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao said this sentence with great effort. It felt as if a switch had been flipped within Bai Qing Qing, and her tears stopped flowing. She smiled and wiped away the tears on his face, touching affectionately at the tip of his nose, like a young girl in love. ¡°Of course I know you¡¯re jealous. But don¡¯t feel bad, it¡¯s just because this man bears some resemblance to you. I just love you so much that I¡¯m going crazy thinking about you.¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao chuckled as if he had heard some joke, then spoke, ¡°Mother, are we still getting the ear piercing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bai Qing Qing took the medicine bottle again, the tears on her face were not dry, but she gently hummed a song with a strong nasal voice. She took out the silver needle that had been soaked in the medicinal wine, curved her eyes, and leaned forward to hold Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s earlobe. The piercing went without hesitation, and the bright red blood beads fell off the earlobe like small red beans, dripping drops of plum blossoms on his white clothes. ¡°Look, this is the ear stick I¡¯ve been looking for for a long time. It¡¯s made from the bones of a white-feathered chicken. It¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± With both ears pierced, Bai Qing Qing took out two tiny ear sticks and dangled them in front of his eyes. Her eyes curved like crescent moons and there was a bit of a call for credit in her words. She forgot that her child could not see anything at all, and just joyfully inserted the ear sticks into his earlobes, which were still beetling with red beans. The cicadas outside the courtyard were still calling desperately, as if this summer would never end. Li Ruo Shui did not hear Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s exclamation. He just stared blankly into the unknown place and in his eyes, no matter where he looked, there was nothing but emptiness. Chapter 11.1 The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead Chapter 11.1 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (11) ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve only known her not long ago¡± (1) The afternoon in March was scattered with sunlight, chasing away the chill in the air, making people very comfortable and the mind lazy. Pear flowers were blown into this small courtyard occasionally, like flakes of falling snow, creating a beautiful picture. On the table in the courtyard, Li Ruo Shui was still sleeping, while Lu Zhi Yao approached her as if he was having some fun, and listened. ¡°@#£¤¡­¡­¡± There were a lot of mumbles, and it was hard to hear what she was saying, but the light fragrance on his nose made him dazzled for a moment. It was as if he had smelled the same fragrance before when he had been close to her. The warm breath brushed past his ears and the sound of her murmuring made him rub his fingertips. He had heard that if someone pinched a person¡¯s nose when the person was half asleep, the person would wake up, but he had never tried it. His long and slender fingers slowly moved towards it and pale green veins could be seen on the back of his white jade-like hand. His fingertips slided down from her forehead, stopped at the tip of her nose, and then his fingers pinched together. Lu Zhi Yao counted the time silently in his heart. One, two, three¡­¡­ When the count reached twelve, Li Ruo Shui jerked her head up, breathing heavily like a fish out of water and in a blink of an eye, she saw Lu Zhi Yao who was smiling gently by her side. That smile overlapped with the blank-eyed him when he was a child made Li Ruo Shui feel a little dazed. It turned out that his eyes could be opened¡­¡­ What happened afterwards was not seen, and how he was abandoned by his mother was not clear either, it was too bad. ¡°System, can we continue?¡± [No, this time the extra reward has ended, the host can wait for the case to end to get it again.] Is the case over? It should not be long now¡­¡­ Not hearing Li Ruo Shui¡¯s voice after a while, Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s smile faded. Why didn¡¯t Li Ruo Shui say a few words to him? ¡°I¡¯m the one who pinched your nose.¡± His tone was soft as he emphasized these provoking words, and the atmosphere of pity and love dissipated immediately. The sadness and complexity in Li Ruo Shui¡¯s heart suddenly vanished. Li Ruo Shui said: ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me.¡± Lu Zhi Yao nodded and returned to his original expression, indicating that he was comfortable. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely go to hell!¡± Someone was yelling and cursing behind her, and Li Ruo Shui tilted her head to see that it was the woman in white. After the cloth ball was removed from her mouth, she did not answer the case patrol division¡¯s question, instead she cursed at Lu Zhi Yao and the plain white silk flower on her head fell off. Lu Fei Yue turned her head to look at Lu Zhi Yao and asked her in a deep voice, ¡°You know Lord Lu?¡± ¡°I would know him even if he turned to ashes, this bastard, trash! I can¡¯t wait to drink his blood, eat his flesh, and I can¡¯t wait for him to go to hell!¡± Lu Fei Yue was holding a booklet in her hand to record the facts of the case, and then her pen which kept wandering gave a pause as she asked a question that had nothing to do with the case. ¡°What did he do to you?¡± The woman in white gave her a hateful look, her bound body struggling to rush over, but was pulled by the men of the case patrol division like a mad dog. ¡°He knows it in his heart! Wouldn¡¯t saying it out loud make him proud again?¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled with a little doubt: ¡°It¡¯ll make me proud? Then I¡¯ll have to think about it.¡± ¡°You!¡± The woman in white choked and her clenching teeth were about to shatter. Li Ruo Shui approached the woman in white and looked at her resentful expression, full of doubts. ¡°You¡¯re not sick, are you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s sick!¡± The woman in white¡¯s eyes were red, and consequently she hated Li Ruo Shui as well. ¡°He is an evil person who is going to hell, so what are you?¡± Li Ruo Shui straightened up, her goose-yellow skirt slid across as she turned and pointed at the young girls resting under the tree. ¡°Have you seen them? How many lives have you ruined and why don¡¯t you say you should go to hell?¡± The woman in white stared at her with an aggrieved look, ¡°We did it all for the Madam! For the family! Madam has done many good deeds in the past and they have received favours, so what¡¯s wrong with repaying them!¡± As soon as the words left her mouth, she realised that she had said something she shouldn¡¯t have said, so she immediately shut her mouth and stopped speaking, only glaring angrily at Lu Zhi Yao. Li Ruo Shui turned to look at Lu Zhi Yao and she was wandering in her heart, why did these people want him dead? Chapter 11.2 The Correct Strategy to Approach the Yandere Supporting Male Lead Chapter 11.2 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (11) ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve only known her not long ago¡± (2) But then again, this man was not loved by his father nor his mother and he had many enemies when he moved around the society. In addition, he was also a person who was too crazy to be sober, it was not easy to grow up until now. Li Ruo Shui walked back, and when Lu Fei Yue and the others interrogated who the woman¡¯s madam was, she leaned closer to Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s ear and spoke in a low voice. ¡°What kind of feud do you have with them? Say it out and I¡¯ll help you to analyse, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely not tell anyone.¡± There it was again, that calming and light fragrance. Lu Zhi Yao curved his lips and leaned down, slightly inclined his head close to her ear, his lowered voice unconsciously carrying a bit of hoarseness. ¡°¡­¡­I can¡¯t recall at all.¡± Li Ruo Shui, who thought she was going to get some big news: ¡°Then you look all mysterious? Do you think you¡¯re very humorous?¡± The fragrant scent left his nose and Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s slightly bent body straightened back up as he was still thinking about the smell. Since he was born, his sense of hearing and smell were more sensitive than ordinary people. For as long as he could remember as a child, he could smell the strong red sandalwood smell on his mother¡¯s body, a dense and compelling smell that one could not break away from. Later, when he met his master, it was always the smell of blood that lingered in his nose. In his limited experience with people, he had never smelled anything like it, not that how fragrant it was, but it just smelled pleasant. At least he was comfortable. The mood of the two people over here was drifting, none of them with their minds on the interrogation, while the two people over there, Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian, had a bit of a headache. The woman in white had not said a word since she had said Madam, and no matter how much she was asked, she could not pry her mouth open, so they had to give up. ¡°Things have changed, don¡¯t hand the person over to the magistrate of Yun City.¡± Lu Fei Yue handed the record book to the person from the case patrol division. ¡°Take her back for a retrial. This time it¡¯s a rescue, it steers towards the trafficked maidens who were nowhere to be found. They have a record booklet, so be sure to find out where this booklet is.¡± Jiang Nian stood beside her and his originally playful tone took on a serious tone. ¡°As long as you could ask for the location of the booklet, I¡¯ll definitely steal it for you.¡± Lu Fei Yue pursed her lips and smiled, and her eyebrows loosened: ¡°You¡¯re still in the observation period, so you can¡¯t commit another crime. If you steal again, I¡¯ll have to escort you back to the prison.¡± Jiang Nian turned and sat down on the bench, dressed in elegant white clothes but looking somewhat unruly. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve always put them back after a bit of fun. The real big cases have been blamed on me by others.¡± Lu Fei Yue also sat down and opened the secret letter handed to her by the case patrol division as she replied. ¡°What¡¯s the point if I¡¯m the only one who knows? The others don¡¯t believe you. Also, this time you came out to catch these people so that you can justify your name.¡± Jiang Nian nodded with a helpless expression: ¡°Just say it if you¡¯re asking me to do a free job, needless to use such a reason.¡± Lu Fei Yue looked at the contents of the secret letter and sighed. ¡°This secret letter is really¡­¡­¡± When Jiang Nian was about to come over to see it, she immediately withdrew it, looking a bit unnatural. ¡°Secret letter for the officer, not for idle people.¡± Jiang Nian sneered and turned to look at Li Ruo Shui and Lu Zhi Yao who were standing on the other side, squinting his eyes slightly. ¡°What¡¯s the background of that Lord Lu? All the people in this abduction case have hatred against him.¡± Lu Fei Yue tucked the letter into her arms and followed his gaze, only to see Li Ruo Shui was dazing while Lu Zhi Yao was smiling at the side, the two of them did not seem to be on the same line at all. ¡°The enemy of the enemy is a friend.¡± She picked up the gilded sword, got up, and walked towards the two of them: ¡°Next, I¡¯ll go to Cangzhou, a farewell would be mountains away then.¡± The two of them headed there together, only after they took a few steps, a man in black suddenly appeared behind the house, holding a metal cylinder and blowing it around his mouth. ¡°Watch out for the hidden weapon behind you!¡± Lu Fei Yue stilled for a second and immediately exited to warn. Jiang Nian flew up with a tap on the ground, his lightness skill was extremely good. In an instant, he caught the silver needle as thin as a cow¡¯s hair with his fingers, and after seeing the poisonous light on the needle, he immediately threw the needle out. Chapter 11.3 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (11) ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve only known her not long ago¡± (3) The young girls under the tree suppressed the screams from their mouths and huddled together to look around as the officers and men of the case patrol division drew their swords towards the roof. Suddenly, another man in black appeared next to the man in black. The two shot poison needles together, but Jiang Nian only had time to stop one. The cold light swept past, and the other needle flew towards Lu Zhi Yao. It was too late to catch it, but it was blocked midway by a person. Black blood immediately oozed out from her goose yellow sleeve, so poisonous that Li Ruo Shui collapsed in Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s arms before she could utter the heroic lines. The poisonous needle that stabbed Lu Zhi Yao in the original was now caught by her. [Please don¡¯t worry host, the poison is not lethal in a short time] What¡¯s lethal? How short is the short time? Lu Zhi Yao was fine for a long time after he was poisoned, she wouldn¡¯t die in two or three days, would she?! Wait a minute, this heroic rescue wouldn¡¯t get herself killed right? She screamed aggressively at the system in her heart, but she did not get any response. Seeing that at least one person had been hit by the hidden weapon, the two men on the roof looked at each other and nodded approvingly. They immediately headed to a path back to their house and swept off into the snow-white pear forest, with several officers and soldiers from the case patrol division going after them. The woman in white was so angry at the sight of this that her veins burst out and she shouted angrily at the two who had left. ¡°What an idiot! Beat that guy in white!! Fuck!¡± Li Ruo Shui: ¡­¡­ so everyone has two faces. The woman in white looked at Li Ruo Shui with hatred, even if the poisoned person was a stranger it was fine, as long as she could make that beast suffer! ¡°Hmph, brat, this poison won¡¯t kill you immediately, but it will cause your lover great pain.¡± Sitting up in shock from her dying illness, Li Ruo Shui immediately turned her head to look at her, her almond eyes rounded. ¡°What pain? Say it clearer!¡± This was not written in the book! The woman in white watched Li Ruo Shui¡¯s reaction with satisfaction and she spat out her next words word by word. ¡°Every mid-month, her whole body will be cold and shivering, like falling into an ice cellar, her body frosty, and when she is near to the source of fire, her body will ache and itch like knife cut. Unless the fire grass is found, the poison will not be cured.¡± Hearing this overly magical poison, Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t help but complain while being scared at the same time. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it sounds strange to you¡­¡± ¡°As long as it can make this beast suffer, it makes no difference whether it is you or him who is poisoned.¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes gradually lost their lustre and she leaned against Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s arms with her sleeves gathered, like an old lady who has experienced vicissitudes of life and seen through the world. How innocent and pitiful she was, not only did she need to approach the lunatic, but also to bear so much pain for him. In the original story, it was Lu Zhi Yao who was poisoned, but the symptoms were not so severe. She had thought she would be fine too, but she had overlooked one truth. The physique of people cannot be generalised. Luckily, she knew that the fire grass was in Cangzhou, so she wouldn¡¯t get herself killed, and Lu Zhi Yao would always be a little touched because of this¡­¡­ ¡°Pain? Because of her?¡± Lu Zhi Yao tilted his head slightly and the smile on his lips remained the same. There was no sign of uneasiness, guilt or pain at all, instead he was happy as if he had heard a joke. ¡°You seem to have misunderstood. I¡¯ve only known her not long ago.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at him in astonishment and seemed to hear the sound of her teenage girl¡¯s heart breaking. Even if it was not a lover, but a stranger who was injured trying to save someone, whoever was rescued would be somewhat a little moved, right? Wasn¡¯t it true that a lunatic could not be counted as a human? So when will she be able to go home? Li Ruo Shui was very angry, she took a deep breath and gave him a headbutt before standing up and walking over to Lu Fei Yue. The woman in white stared at Lu Zhi Yao who was rubbing his jaw and laughing, her eyes wide with anger. ¡°Indeed, those raised by beasts are also beasts, you are just like your master, ruthless and inhumane. You will definitely be exposed to the wilderness like her, with no one to collect your corpse!¡± Li Ruo Shui paused for a moment and immediately turned her head to ask Lu Fei Yue, ¡°How many days are left until the middle of the month?¡± ¡°¡­¡­three days.¡± Damn. Chapter 12.1 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (12) ¨C She Looks Like a Cat (1) The spring was cold and precipitous, interspersed with the slightest drizzle to moisten the earth. There was a simple carriage driving on the official road, with a string of wind chimes hanging from the eaves of the carriage, tinkling as it walked. Lu Fei Yue lifted the curtain and looked at the drizzle with worry. They had a mission to go to Cangzhou, and it happened that the detoxification herbs Li Ruo Shui needed were also in Cangzhou, hence they travelled together so that they could also take care of each other on the way. The carriage had been travelling for two days. It was the 15th of March and it was also the first night of Li Ruo Shui¡¯s poison outbreak. Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian were both worried and feeling a little guilty. After all, they were the ones who let Li Ruo Shui lead the way, so they felt responsible for what had gone wrong during the journey. The atmosphere inside the carriage was not solemn, except for Lu Zhi Yao, who was unsurprisingly sleeping, and Li Ruo Shui, who was looking out of the window at the spring rain, forgetting all about the sadness she felt on the day she was poisoned and cried so hard her eyes were red and swollen. Lu Fei Yue patted her on the shoulder with a serious look: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cangzhou has fire grass, your poison won¡¯t last long.¡± Li Ruo Shui smiled back at Lu Fei Yue and patted her hand in relief. ¡°Sister Lu, you don¡¯t have to blame yourself, this is all my own choice, it has nothing to do with you.¡± Jiang Nian, who was at the side, thought of how dejected she looked on the day of the poisoning and couldn¡¯t help but come over and asked her. ¡°You were so sad before, why is it like nothing¡¯s wrong now? I heard that the poison is very powerful.¡± Lu Fei Yue covered his mouth, glared at him, and turned to Li Ruo Shui with an apologetic smile, ¡°His mind is not well, don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Li Ruo Shui was inexplicably cold and lowered the curtain that was shielding the wind: ¡°I was afraid at first, but nothing has happened in the past two days, so my mind has naturally relaxed.¡± She pointed her finger at Lu Zhi Yao, unsure if he was really sleeping or not: ¡°He said that he had been poisoned by this poison before, and there was nothing particularly uncomfortable about it except the cold.¡± Li Ruo Shui had read the original book and heard Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s story of the poisoning, so her heart had already relaxed a lot. Afterall in the book, he didn¡¯t seem to be in too much pain when he was injured, he just covered himself with an extra layer of quilt. Lu Fei Yue shook her head in disapproval: ¡°We can¡¯t be careless, we can¡¯t stay in the carriage tonight, we have to find a place to rest.¡± Li Ruo Shui nodded but her mind was not on this. Compared with the poison, she was more worried about the bet with Lu Zhi Yao. Logically speaking, she must have won but what if he didn¡¯t play by the rules and forced her to swallow the sword, what should she do? The man beside him who seemed to be asleep suddenly moved, his eyelashes twitching slightly, as if he was about to open them in the next second. Li Ruo Shui looked into his eyes and recalled what happened to him during his childhood, and she couldn¡¯t help but sighed. His temperament had been a little twisted when he was a child, and it had become even more twisted when he grew up. Furthermore, the way he curled his lips up in a smile looked like his mother, could this be the power of blood? ¡°You¡¯re looking at me again.¡± Lu Zhi Yao, who was leaning against the wall of the carriage, moved his body slightly, and his bodice spread a little, revealing the small mole on his collarbone. Some people were born with good-looking collarbones. Li Ruo Shui averted her eyes and responded as usual, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re good looking.¡± She didn¡¯t know why she always said yes to him, but it had become a habit for her to turn her head to look at him whenever she had nothing to do. The spring breeze blew in through the curtain of the carriage, and the rain had dwindled to a dense mist. It was not going to rain tonight. The carriage rocked on, pressing through puddles of mud and grass, and finally stopped in front of a ruined temple. This was where they would rest for the night. The temple was in a state of disrepair for a long time, with several holes in the roof and stagnant water in several places in the temple. They went to the open space in front of the Buddhist altar to rest. They lit the dry firewood they had collected and baked flatbreads and steamed buns over the fire in a circle. After a day¡¯s journey, Li Ruo Shui and the others had long been hungry. Except for Lu Zhi Yao. He just casually ate a steamed bun and sat aside, tapping his fingers lightly on the pillar, holding a steamed bun in his other hand, not knowing what he was doing. ¡°Look at this Buddha statue.¡± Jiang Nian looked around and his eyes settled on the stone Buddha next to them. This Buddha statue was missing half of its face, leaving only one eye and a compassionate smile. Jiang Nian pretended to be scared and approached Lu Fei Yue, his head resting slightly on her arm: ¡°Will there be anything strange at night?¡± Lu Fei Yue straightened her back, she looked at the Buddha statue carefully, and found nothing strange. ¡°What¡¯s strange¡­¡­your head, move over there!¡± She quickly glanced at Li Ruo Shui, a little embarrassed, and hurriedly reached out and pushed Jiang Nian away. Jiang Nian had an idle temperament. He was still in front of Li Ruo Shui back then, but now that he was familiar with her, his true nature was revealed. He glanced at Lu Zhi Yao and called Li Ruo Shui with a low voice, as he came closer to ask. ¡°You and him¡­¡­¡± Looking at Jiang Nian squeezing his eyebrows, Li Ruo Shui immediately shook her head, then remembered her mission and nodded hesitantly, pointing to herself. Curiosity was human nature, even a serious and self-disciplined person like Lu Fei Yue couldn¡¯t help but raise her eyebrows, somewhat surprised. It was hard to interpret the details of how people got along with each other. She had been a constable for so many years, she could see very clearly who had love with whom, but she could not feel Li Ruo Shui¡¯s preference for Lu Zhi Yao at all. However, she took the poison in his stead, so it seemed that the feeling of love was justified. Chapter 12.2 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (12) ¨C She Looks Like a Cat (2) Lu Fei Yue sighed in an old-fashioned way, and sure enough, ¡®love¡¯ was the most difficult word, hard to judge and hard to break. Compared with Lu Fei Yue¡¯s uncertainty, Jiang Nian immediately believed it, probably because he felt the same way. In his eyes, Li Ruo Shui was like a friend in an unrequited love who needed to be enlightened. ¡°Look on the bright side, I¡¯m the same, just get used to it.¡± He shoved the baked steamed bun comfortingly into Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand and turned his head to start baking the flatbread. Li Ruo Shui looked at the browned steamed bun in her hand and felt speechless. They were obviously fundamentally different. She turned her head to look at Lu Zhi Yao, who had only eaten one steamed bun, and sighed quietly: ¡°The steamed bun is baked, do you want to eat another one?¡± ¡°No need.¡± Lu Zhi Yao not only had a small appetite but also had a low desire for food. Sweet, salty, spicy, numb, he could eat them all, but none of them were his favourite. In the past few days, they had eaten only dry food so they thought about having a big meal when they arrived in Cangzhou. While in the carriage, they were thinking about delicious food, but he was the only one who listened to everyone with a smile, not very interested. It was hard for Li Ruo Shui to imagine that there were people who were not interested in food. Li Ruo Shui got up and walked over to him, bending over with her hands on her knees to watch his fingertips tapping on the pillar with some curiosity. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Feeling the long hair falling beside his ear, the seated Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s lips curled up and he suddenly increased the force of his palm as he tapped on the pillar. During the vibration, a soft thing landed right on Li Ruo Shui¡¯s head. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Li Ruo Shui grabbed his collar violently. Lu Zhi Yao withdrew his hand and relaxed his shoulders, allowing her to pull him over. He smiled. ¡°I¡¯m luring the cat over.¡± An orange and white tail dangled in front of Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes, and she suddenly sighed in relief, letting go of the hand clutching his collar. ¡°I was scared to death, I thought it was a mouse.¡± The standing Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian sat back again, exchanging glances and did not bother. Thinking it was a mouse, Lu Zhi Yao became interested. He stretched out his hand and pulled Li Ruo Shui¡¯s sleeve to sit in front of him, looking a little curious. ¡°It¡¯s also an animal, why are you afraid of mice but not cats?¡± Li Ruo Shui took the cat down from the top of her head and put it on her lap, and gently stroked its neck to calm it down. ¡°How are cats and mice the same? Cats are so cute.¡± Lu Zhi Yao had a sudden realisation and chuckled: ¡°As expected, appearance is still very important.¡± Li Ruo Shui broke off a piece of steamed bun to the orange cat¡¯s mouth. Seeing that the cat stretched out its pink tongue to curl the steamed bun into its mouth, she couldn¡¯t help stroking the cat. The depression of the past few days was instantly soothed. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t like good looks?¡± She stroked the cat¡¯s smooth fur and its fleshy cat paws, relaxing as she spoke to Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°If you can see, look in the mirror every day when you are unhappy, your looks can definitely save you from being unhappy.¡± Lu Zhi Yao lowered his eyebrows and smiled, as if the March apricot blossoms were blooming on the branches, and the flowers were prosperous and delicate, showing spring and tenderness. Li Ruo Shui said this with a clear conscience. Looking at the way he smiled, she did have a feeling of being healed. Lu Zhi Yao lified his left hand, the white jade Buddha beads swaying about on his wrist, the bright red silk ribbon draped over the bridge of his nose, one red and one white reflecting each other. His fingertips were placed between his eyebrows, then slowly slid down. ¡°Under the skin, it¡¯s just pus, blood and bones, dirty and ugly. The eyes, nose and mouth are just pieces of flesh piled up. I really don¡¯t understand, where is the beauty?¡± The room was quiet, his smile was no different from that of the loving Buddha, the same gentleness and compassion, but his words were shocking. Jiang Nian silently took out the mirror and looked at himself, and suddenly felt that what Lu Zhi Yao said made some sense. ¡°What a joke.¡± Li Ruo Shui pulled his cold hand down, always feeling that the string of beads was a bit disturbing. ¡°Don¡¯t impose your ideas on others. Everyone on the street has their own looks, if you look at the appearance, what else?¡±¡¯ Feeling an inexplicably chill, Li Ruo Shui realised that she was too relaxed, how could she say such a thing to Lu Zhi Yao! ¡°Surely, there are people with high ideological awareness, like you, who don¡¯t care about other people¡¯s appearance, but pay attention to their hearts.¡± Before he could open his mouth to say something shocking again, Li Ruo Shui hurriedly took his hand and placed it on the cat¡¯s back. Fluffy heals everything! ¡°Why don¡¯t you feel it too, isn¡¯t it comfortable?¡± The orange cat was much more relaxed after continuously petting, but as soon as Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s hand touched it, the cat jumped up in alert as if its tail had been stepped on, hunched over and growled at Lu Zhi Yao. Li Ruo Shui: ¡­¡­ I have never seen such a person who was disliked by cats and dogs. It seemed like this was not the first time that he had been treated like this. Lu Zhi Yao was not surprised at all, on the contrary, he felt that this was the right way. ¡°Look, cats won¡¯t be tricked by my appearance.¡± Lu Zhi Yao said it naturally, with a passing sense of pride that his opinion was the correct one. Li Ruo Shui tossed the rest of the steamed bun to it, then rubbed her cold fingertips, ¡°It¡¯s just a cat, don¡¯t force it.¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled but did not say anything. If he had to say something, he felt that Li Ruo Shui and the cat were very much alike, the same way they both tended to get agitated when they got too close to him. However, Li Ruo Shui could control herself, but the cat could not. It was getting dark outside and Li Ruo Shui felt the temperature had dropped so much that she rubbed her arms and got up to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll go warm myself up by the fire.¡± Hearing this, Lu Zhi Yao paused for a moment, rubbed his fingertips a few times, and then raised a smile on his lips. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s warmer by my side than you staying beside the fire.¡± Li Ruo Shui ignored his words and sat by the fire, rubbing her hands together to warm herself. The dry firewood crackled in the blazing fire, and occasionally sparks spattered out, a sudden stinging pain rose in the palm of her hand. She sucked in a deep breath, thinking that the ember hit her hand, so she retracted her hand reflexively to check. Seeing this, Lu Fei Yue put down the scones, turned around and pulled out the ointment: ¡°Did you get burned?¡± ¡°No¡­¡­¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s palms were clean. Not only that, but her legs near the fire also felt a stinging pain like a knife. She stood up abruptly away from the fire and hesitated for a while. ¡°It should be the poison.¡± Chapter 13.1 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (13) ¨C The irritability within surprisingly calmed down (1) [It was night. Lu Fei Yue and the other three were on their way to Cangzhou and had yet to find a place to rest. Lu Zhi Yao knocked on the table and looked somewhat apologetic: ¡°Sorry, the poison in my body seems to have reacted.¡±] [The two hurriedly stopped the carriage and pulled out the thick quilt from the carriage to give it to him. This gentle man did not refuse, and after a soft thank you, he put the quilt over his body and said no more.] [The night was as cold as water, but he didn¡¯t feel the slightest discomfort. He just leaned against the wall of the carriage with his eyes closed as if he was asleep, his voice was still gentle.] [¡°It¡¯s okay, we can go.¡±] This is the description of Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s poisoning in the book, in just a few sentences, without pinpointing any pain, so Li Ruo Shui thought that the poison was not so unbearable. After all, when the supporting male lead suffered, the author must have written a big story out of this to make him win the female lead¡¯s love and pity. If the author did not write much, maybe the poison was nothing. Now is the time for her to pay the price for her ignorance. The coldness gradually emanated from her body, and the closer she got to the source of the fire, the more obvious the pain became, like a knife cutting through flesh and blood, a sharp pain. Li Ruo Shui had already retreated to the top of the Buddhist altar, and the knife cut-like pain was much less, but what followed was a chill that radiated from the inside out. She was shaking like a sieve but it did not help much. Li Ruo Shui sat on the Buddha¡¯s altar hugging herself tightly, breathing out on her palms, not knowing if it was an illusion, her breath also seemed to be cold. Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian hurriedly went to get the quilt from the carriage with their umbrellas. There were only two people and one cat left in the temple. The orange cat rubbed up against her side and looked at her curiously, casually sticking out its tongue to lick her hand, only to be agitated by the cold temperature and shivered and sneezed. ¡°Ha, ha.¡± Li Ruo Shui thought it was funny but she could only laugh stiffly due to her shivering, the words popped out one by one. The temperature of this tiny ball of fluff was like a warmer to Li Ruo Shui, and without hesitation, she took it into her arms, not realising that her temperature was so low that even a cat with fur would dislike it. The orange cat couldn¡¯t help struggling. Li Ruo Shui gasped and let it go with a shudder. She then rubbed her hands together for warmth, but the temperature did not rise. ¡°Why did you let the cat go?¡± Lu Zhi Yao had been poisoned and naturally knew how comfortable the animal¡¯s body heat was to her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t want to keep me warm, why force it.¡± Lu Zhi Yao stood up, his dark hair falling behind him, and slowly approached the Buddhist altar. ¡°Now that you have tried the poison, do you regret blocking the hidden weapon for me?¡± Li Ruo Shui glanced at him, so cold that she couldn¡¯t speak too clearly: ¡°To be honest, yes, a little.¡± ¡°Is it painful?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too painful.¡± If Li Ruo Shui could look in the mirror, she could probably see that her lips were slightly bluish. ¡°Really.¡± Lu Zhi Yao stood in front of the Buddhist altar, pulled out his sword and handed it to her, smiling kindly. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you finish yourself off, so you don¡¯t have to suffer from the pain, and you can still honour our bet.¡± ??? She thought he had found his conscience and wanted to come over to tell her how to relieve the symptoms of the poisoning, but she never thought that this guy would be so mad! Li Ruo Shui shivered. Originally she was cold, but now she was angry, she could speak a lot more quickly. ¡°I¡¯m not going to mention who I was poisoned for again. As for the matter of our bet, I won, right? We met Lu Fei Yue and saved the others. It was exactly the same as what I said before.¡± The smile on Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s lips narrowed a little. In the past few days during their journey, he had been focusing on one thing, and that was Li Ruo Shui. An exclusive document with his name on it, tempting him to make a bet with her, paying little attention to him, using her life to protect him from poison, all of these things were in front of him, but it was difficult for him to find out what she was up to. The smile remained on his face but he was actually very annoyed. Originally, he was just having fun with her, but now these things were like a thorny cage, slowly haunting him, making him think about them all over again every day. Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t know what these feelings were, but he didn¡¯t like these very much. Only by cutting out the root of this worry could he return to the peace he used to have. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to love someone, so the future bet will not come true. It¡¯s better to die under my sword now than to be tortured by poison later.¡± ¡°How do you know you won¡¯t fall in love with me when the future isn¡¯t even here! I found that you are too outrageous.¡± Maybe it was because she was a little emotional, her body temperature had warmed up a little. Li Ruo Shui was like a hungry tiger rushing towards food, wrapping her arms around his neck with her legs crossed around his waist, full of unwillingness. ¡°What¡¯s better, do you think you are a primary school student who is making sentences? Then why don¡¯t you say that instead of watching me die of cold, you should sacrifice your life to warm me?¡± Being so close, if he had made a move, she would definitely take him away too. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s body was cold, but it still felt like the cat he had held as a child, soft and warm, but it didn¡¯t take long for it to run away. Lu Zhi Yao suddenly withdrew his sword and stroked her hair with his right hand, smoothing it over and over again. The irritability within was strangely calmed down. Chapter 13.2 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (13) ¨C The irritability within surprisingly calmed down (2) Li Ruo Shui, who had no idea that she was being treated like a pet, was a little confused. She thought she was about to be punished by this maniac, but she didn¡¯t expect him to stop. What has stimulated this person again??? A chill ran down her back, but her instincts told her not to move, so Li Ruo Shui stiffened up and let him stroke her hair. His cold fingers slid down the back of her head, and Li Ruo Shui thought to herself, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m still alive, and I don¡¯t need to brush my hair tomorrow.¡±. The technique was too much like her stroking a cat. In such gentle treatment, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s stiff spine loosened up, plus the warmth of Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s normal body temperature¡­¡­ Forget it, knowing when to yield and when not to is her virtue. Now is the time to yield, don¡¯t make trouble for herself. Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian hurriedly took the quilt into the temple and stopped simultaneously when they looked at the posture of those two, but then Lu Fei Yue came forward with the quilt in her arms. ¡°Brother Lu, it¡¯s rainy and cold in this temple, it¡¯s better to cover up with the quilt.¡± Sitting on the Buddhist altar with Li Ruo Shui in his arms, Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s quiet and gentle appearance resembled the half-faced Buddha statue behind him, warm and affectionate. His closed eyelashes trembled slightly, as if he was somewhat displeased at being disturbed, but he nodded anyway. ¡°Thanks.¡± Li Ruo Shui struggled to break free and turned her head to look at Lu Fei Yue even though she was encircled in his arms, her smile full of gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Sister Lu!¡± The heroine was worthy of her name, she was beautiful and thoughtful. Unable to resist a shiver, she hurriedly wrapped herself tightly with the quilt. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s body temperature was not very high, and for some reason, he started to use his internal energy to raise his body temperature, and the temperature under the quilt rose all of a sudden. No matter what Li Ruo Shui thought of him before, but at this moment, he was the Bodhisattva descended to earth. She patted this life-saving benefactor¡¯s shoulder, without the slightest inclination, without the slightest hint of strategy, but with great sincerity she said thanks. ¡°Thank you very much too, otherwise I don¡¯t know how I would have made it through tonight.¡± The chill that rose from within, the way her palms could not be rubbed warm, the gradual stiffening of her entire body, the painful sensation of her bones being so cold that they seemed to freeze and shatter, were something she really did not want to experience again. She was thankful that someone was doing this to warm her up. Lu Zhi Yao did not say anything in return, but slowly ran his hands through her hair, from the roots to the ends, slowly stroking it back and forth, without a hint of teasing or ambiguity. Jiang Nian glanced at the calm Lu Zhi Yao, intending to ask about this poison. ¡°Speaking of which, Brother Lu said he had also been poisoned by this poison, where it was, let¡¯s see if we can look for clues in it.¡± Lu Zhi Yao was silent for a moment, as if he was recalling, and as if he did not want to pay attention to him, but finally he raised a smile in the usual way. ¡°Back then, I went with my master to steal a chicken for food and accidentally got poisoned, but I don¡¯t know where it was. In short, it was a big manor.¡± Master? Li Ruo Shui recalled the plot in her mind, but she only thought of the words before his master¡¯s tragic death, the rest of the information was not written down, not even what her name was. After deliberating for a while, Li Ruo Shui still asked, ¡°Is your master very good?¡± In Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s short life, there were two people who had deepest contact with him, one was his mother and the other was his master, and only by knowing these two could she learn about his past. I already knew that his mother was an uncompromising sickly woman, what about his master? ¡°Is my master very good?¡± Lu Zhi Yao chuckled softly with a pleasant tone. ¡°She¡¯s got her arms and legs tendons ripped out, so she¡¯s a cripple, otherwise how would she look up to me, who is also cripple?¡± In other words, his master did not seem to be a good person either. A scumbag father, a mad mother and a despised master, Li Ruo Shui wondered what kind of physique he was, as all he bumped into were evil people. Jiang Nian was a little embarrassed to hear this, thinking he had uncovered someone else¡¯s scars, so he hurriedly waved his hand to explain. ¡°Who said that, Brother Lu is so good at martial arts, he is a rare martial arts genius.¡± After the words were spoken, it was not easy for him to continue inquiring, and Lu Zhi Yao did not reply to him either. The atmosphere was suddenly silent, except for the crackling of firewood. Li Ruo Shui, who was huddled under the quilt sighed that Jiang Nian was still too young, he should have continued asking him while he was in a good mood. When Lu Zhi Yao was in a good mood, he answered all the questions, and from what she had observed, he did not look like someone who would feel uncomfortable about such things, so she might have been able to ask him more if she went along with his words. However, the topic had already been closed by Jiang Nian. If she asked again, she would definitely attract Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s attention, so she could only find another opportunity. ¡°The rain is leaking and windy in this temple. It¡¯s a bit wet and cold. Ruo Shui, why don¡¯t the two of you go and rest in the carriage?¡± Lu Fei Yue threw a thunderbolt into the silence, Li Ruo Shui and Jiang Nian blinked at her as if their tails had been stepped on, one in fear, the other in shock. Lu Fei Yue was also startled by their reactions, and her originally decisive tone was tinged with a bit of hesitation. ¡°It is indeed cold here, going back to the carriage can be a lot warmer ¡­¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡± Nobody knows how long this poison will last. The only person here who could help Li Ruo Shui was Lu Zhi Yao. Despite his strange temperament, he was not a vulgar person, and there was nothing wrong with this in order to save lives. Lu Fei Yue had often been injured when she was out on missions before. If she cared too much about those vain politenesses, who knew how many bowls of Meng Po soup she would have to drink. (TL/N: According to Chinese mythology, Meng Po soup wipes the memory of the person so they can reincarnate into the next life without the burdens of the previous life.) ¡°Okay.¡± The physical pain overcame the psychological fear, Li Ruo Shui nodded quickly and agreed. After all, pain relief was the most important thing now. The temple was indeed so damp that a casual windblow could echo the poison in her body, making it even colder. Lu Zhi Yao nodded slightly and leapt down from the Buddha¡¯s altar with her in his arms, walking lightly and dressed in white, like a little Bodhisattva walking out of the temple. ¡°Then thank you for your hard work.¡± Chapter 14.1 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (14) ¨C Rambling Thoughts (1) Thunder boomed and pea-sized raindrops hit the roof of the carriage, clattering like pearls falling all over the ground. A silvery white bolt of lightning cut through the night sky and this intense light shone through the carriage windows illuminating the interior for a moment, reflecting two silent figures. The carriage was not very wide and the two of them sat in the middle surrounded by the quilts, with seats around them, making it really difficult to turn around, but it was certainly warm. Even though Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hands and feet were still cold, it was a lot better than the bone-chilling chill she had felt before. She leaned against Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s arms, unable to sleep. The surrounding was pitch black, so she opened her mouth in a moment of boredom. ¡°Did you feel the same as me when you were poisoned? Also surrounded by quilts?¡± Lu Zhi Yao held her quietly, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, his voice seemed ethereal in the darkness. ¡°The sky as the quilt, and the water as the bed.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Lu Zhi Yao chuckled and did not answer her question directly, but continued to stroke her hair and asked rhetorically, ¡°Do you know how to relieve the cold poison?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it like now? Using internal strength?¡± Li Ruo Shui had just raised her head, but was gently pressed back down again as she listened to him narrating the story. ¡°A person who is poisoned will break his tendons and veins if he uses internal strength to resist. If you want to make yourself less uncomfortable, you can only draw heat from the outside. My master was a disabled person and had no internal strength, but even if she did, she couldn¡¯t possibly help me.¡± Li Ruo Shui let out a small sigh and reached out to pat his shoulder to express comfort. ¡°At that time, I was still young and didn¡¯t understand that pain was also joy, so I cowered in the reeds to keep warm.¡± Hearing this, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand stopped patting his shoulder. ¡°But reeds are just reeds, they don¡¯t dissipate heat, so I tried to walk out, but because I couldn¡¯t see, I fell into the lake. It was the edge of the lake and the water line just reached my waist. If it had been deeper, I would have sinked in the lake and fed the fish. However, that was also how I discovered that the best way to relieve the cold poison was to soak in the water.¡± At the end of the story, Lu Zhi Yao even laughed a few times, as if he was having fun recalling his own childhood anecdotes. Li Ruo Shui listened to the story with mixed feelings, pity, speechlessness, horror and other emotions, which finally converged into one sentence. ¡°How about I teach you how to swim sometime?¡± Raindrops clattered down, thunder boomed and a gust of wind blew the closed carriage door creaking as if it was about to break in the next second. There was an eerie silence in the dark carriage, and Li Ruo Shui¡¯s mind began to wonder if she had said the wrong thing. ¡°That is, in case you fall in the water next time, you won¡¯t sink into the water to feed the fish¡­¡­¡± After explaining a few words, it seemed even more strange. Li Ruo Shui simply closed her mouth and began to count sheep in her heart, hoping to make herself fall asleep immediately, escaping this awkward and weird atmosphere. When she counted to the eighteenth sheep, Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s gentle voice echoed again in the darkness. ¡°Is this a second promise with me?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Li Ruo Shui thought carefully, ¡°This should be a discussion.¡± ¡°Are you asking for my permission?¡± As if he had heard something new, his tone rose a little, no longer as soft and casual as before. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly force you and throw you into the water, right?¡± Li Ruo Shui imagined the image of herself forcing him and couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Now all I can think of is you being forced to swim and yet you have to smile gently.¡± She was leaning against Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s left chest, but when she laughed, her laugh shook his heart along with her, a very strange feeling. While laughing, Li Ruo Shui suddenly thought about the drifting boat ride in the cave back then. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to swim, then how come you weren¡¯t afraid at all when you were on the boat in the cave and you let go of your hand?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to swim, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m afraid of falling into the water.¡± True enough, how could people who were not afraid of death be afraid of falling into the water. Li Ruo Shui yawned, her eyes misting up, ¡°I¡¯m sleepy.¡± She had always slept on time, so she was sleepy when the time came. It was the same when she was in the carriage previously, she was listening to the conversation between Lu Fei Yue and the two of them, and when she opened her eyes again, it was already dawn. The rain outside the carriage had no tendency to subside, the leaves in the nearby forest were rustling and there were occasional roars of thunder, but all these became a lullaby to Li Ruo Shui¡¯s ears. The warmth of the quilt and the slightly higher body temperature gave her a great sense of security, and before Lu Zhi Yao could reply, she tilted her head and fell asleep. The small carriage became silent for a moment. As Lu Zhi Yao was blind, his five senses were naturally very sensitive, so the rainy night was too noisy for him. The sound of rain hitting the forest leaves, beads falling on the carriage, and thunder tumbling into his ears, and the muddy smell of the road during the rain plunged into his nose unavoidably. ¡°Rain can be a real turn-off.¡± A similar sigh escaped his lips as he ran his hands unconsciously along Li Ruo Shui¡¯s black hair, then twitched his nose as if he smelled something. It was that faint scent again. He brought the tip of his nose closer to Li Ruo Shui, and the light fragrance lingered gently and softly, obscuring most of the earthy smell, and her shallow breathing drowned out the sound of the rain. Lu Zhi Yao leaned his ears in to listen carefully for a moment, and surprisingly, he too felt a little sleepy, and he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s really amazing.¡± He moved his body slightly and let her lean against his neck, letting the breath spray over his ear. Listening to this soft rhythm, Lu Zhi Yao fell asleep. A night without dreams. The sun was high in the sky, and still-dry raindrops reflected the sunlight, creating a dazzling landscape. The land was washed clean from the whole night rain, the leaves looked new, a faint smell of earth was in the air, and a moist breeze blew across the carriage and into the broken temple. Chapter 14.2 A Woman¡¯s Fragrance (14) ¨C Rambling Thoughts (2) Lu Fei Yue woke up in the broken temple, looking dazedly at Jiang Nian who had already tidied up, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shifted uncomfortably as she tried to find her cold persona. ¡°You woke up quite early today.¡± Jiang Nian smiled as he extinguished the fire and replied to her. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t woken up earlier, the wind would have blown the door away.¡± Lu Fei Yue nodded with a tense face, got up and picked up her sword, casually straightening her clothes. ¡°Many thanks.¡± Jiang Nian had long since accustomed to this serious look of hers. He also got up with his bag and shook his head with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see how the two are doing in the carriage.¡± They walked to the carriage, the horse hiding under the eaves snorted, and then lowered its head again to nibble on the grass in front of the broken temple. Lu Fei Yue opened the carriage door and was stunned when she saw the two people inside, and didn¡¯t take another step forward. It was just that the scene before her was too harmonious. The carriage window had been opened at some point and the sun was able to peek in through the window, wrapping warmly on the two of them as they slept in embrace They could not see Li Ruo Shui¡¯s expression as her back was turned to them. Lu Zhi Yao sat with his knees bent and his head tilted sideways, his black hair covering half of his face, and his left hand was still holding Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hair ends. The tiny dust in the beam of light kept fluttering around them and the atmosphere seemed peaceful and serene. Everything was blending together, like fish and water, like light and trees. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s body moved slightly, and the black hair covering his face slipped down from his cheeks, revealing his jade-like face. ¡°Is it dawn already?¡± His voice was clean, without a trace of dry hoarseness, making it hard to tell if he had just woken up or not. Jiang Nian froze for a moment, then nodded, remembering that he couldn¡¯t see, and answered nervously, ¡°It¡¯s dawn.¡± The morning air was clear, the birds were chirping on the branches, and the slightly cool breeze blew into the carriage, waking Li Ruo Shui, who was still half-asleep. The sun was directly shining on her. She frowned and opened her eyes after getting accustomed to the light. When she saw the two people standing outside the carriage, she was confused for a moment, but then shame came over her and she immediately got up to gather the quilts to make room in the carriage. ¡°Sorry Sister Lu, for making you stand outside for so long.¡± Her hair slipped from the palm of his hands, Lu Zhi Yao rubbed her fingertips a few times and got up to sit aside. Lu Fei Yue took the quilt and put it in the bottom compartment, with a natural demeanour and without a trace of embarrassment. ¡°It¡¯s alright, we just arrived.¡± A strange quiet atmosphere lingered in the air as Jiang Nian drove the horses outside the carriage and the other three were in the carriage. But it seemed that only Li Ruoshui felt the hint of embarrassment in the silence. Last night, her body was too painful to think about anything else, but now that she was fine, the things she should and shouldn¡¯t have dwelled on came in like a tidal wave. In the past, she had always thought that he was a crazy person who only cared about his own pleasure, but she had never thought that this time he would be willing to use his inner strength to help her, and he had even helped her all night. Li Ruo Shui was now in a complicated mood. On the one hand, she knew what he was like, and that he must not have done it because his heart was tempted, but she didn¡¯t know why. On the other hand was herself. Although Li Ruo Shui had a big heart, she could not sleep unconsciously and unusually sweetly when she was alone with a man. Even if it was because of the poison last night, she wouldn¡¯t be so lax as to fall asleep right away. There was only one explanation: she had subconsciously begun to trust Lu Zhi Yao. This was even more shocking to Li Ruo Shui than finding out that he was a mad person. If this momentum continued, in all likelihood, she would get herself involved, and that would be like trying to steal the chicken only to end up losing the rice. Li Ruo Shui was like sitting on a carpet with needles, looking at the two of them. Lu Fei Yue had a cold face but was actually dazed and lost in thought, while Lu Zhi Yao was leaning against the wall of the carriage with a smile on his lips as usual. Then, his slightly pale fingertips tapped against the seat, making a slight thumping sound, the rhythm gradually accelerating, clearly in sync with the sound of her heartbeat ¡ª ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the scenery around Cangzhou is good, I¡¯ll go and have a look.¡± Without waiting for the two of them to respond, Li Ruo Shui had already rushed out of the carriage and sat on the yoke. Hearing the sound of suppressed laughter, Lu Fei Yue was startled back to her senses and looked blankly at Lu Zhi Yao who was covering the corners of his lips with the back of his hand. Did she miss something? The cool breeze blew on her face and the inexplicable heat finally subsided. Li Ruo Shui breathed a sigh of relief and turned her head to see Jiang Nian, who was pulling on the reins and looking at her with an envious expression. Li Ruo Shui: ¡°?¡± ¡°The same people but different lives.¡±Jiang Nian sighed quietly, ¡°Fei Yue and I have known each other for two years, but we haven¡¯t progressed as fast as you guys.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that so.¡± Li Ruo Shui complained silently, recalling that the two of them didn¡¯t confess their feelings until two hundred chapters in the original novel. In such a long chapter, Lu Zhi Yao, the second male lead, was not given a little more background introduction, which made her clueless now. Although it was March, there were a lot of flowers blooming along the way. In order to suppress her troubled thoughts, Li Ruo Shui reached out to pluck them one by one, and weaved the wreath. Jiang Nian looked at the wreath that was gradually taking shape in her hands and couldn¡¯t help but sigh: ¡°A master, how could I not have thought of that!¡± Before he could finish his sentence, he used his lightness skill to pick the flowers along the road, and the horse, which had no one to hold it, headed for a place with more grass. ¡°You pull the horse!¡± Li Ruo Shui reached out to hold the reins, but the carriage suddenly jolted, her body stumbled and when she was about to fall, a cool hand grabbed her. She turned her eyes to see that Lu Zhi Yao was getting out of the carriage and sitting on the yoke, his hand slid down her wrist and took over the reins. ¡°You tell me the directions.¡± Listening to his voice, with some coolness still lingering on her wrist, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s heart suddenly calmed down. ¡°Go a little to the left, back to the main road.¡± Her hands picked up speed and a wreath was made, her voice no different from the usual: ¡°For you, I made it on purpose.¡± Soft flower branches twisted with the vines, with a rich floral fragrance, were placed in his arms. Lu Zhi Yao was quiet for a moment, the corners of his lips raised again in a familiar curve, but he simply put the flower wreath aside and replied with a warm voice. ¡°Thanks.¡± Li Ruo Shui replied softly and then stopped talking. Her goal had always been to return home after her strategy was successful, and she couldn¡¯t be held up by these rambling thoughts. Chapter 15.1 Substitute Marriage (1) ¨C ¡°If I want it, then it must be all of it.¡± (1) Black tiles, white walls, and endless stream of horses and carriages. The wide streets were lined with caravans from all over the world, where rare spices, jewellery, ingredients and medicinal herbs could all be bought. This was Cangzhou, the most prosperous and developed place in the world apart from the Imperial City. [The progress of the host¡¯s strategy has reached a quarter, and the task rewards will be issued according to the results of the strategy.] [Rewards issued, any memory fragment *1, 20 taels of broken silver. Overall rating: Medium.] [Host, please adjust the direction, make further efforts and become self-reliant.] ¡°Ahem!¡± Li Ruo Shui put down her teacup and covered her mouth as she coughed incessantly, seemingly choking. What the hell? She had almost died several times before, and the rating was actually only medium? How come she didn¡¯t know there was a rating thing earlier? [The rating is related to the emotion fluctuation of the target of the strategy. Medium is not bad. Please don¡¯t belittle yourself.] [The success of the strategy does not depend on each rating, but at the end, so the host shouldn¡¯t be discouraged, but work hard to get home.] After coughing for a while, a slightly cold hand reached over to pat her back, the white jade Buddha beads on his wrist jingled. ¡°Slow down.¡± His voice was as soft as a warm stream, and when the others in the inn heard it they couldn¡¯t help but sneak a glance, before turning back and whispering with amazement in their eyes. When Li Ruo Shui had smoothed out her breath, he withdrew his hand and continued to pick up his chopsticks to eat the food in his bowl, then arched his eyebrows with interest. ¡°Are you sure the antidote is in Cangzhou?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Li Ruo Shui gave him a piece of roast chicken: ¡°I also know where it is, I just don¡¯t know how to get it.¡± In the original book, Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian brought Lu Zhi Yao to Cangzhou. Although they said they were helping him find the antidote, they were mainly here to carry out a mission, but they happened to find the fire grass in the mission target¡¯s house, which helped him to cure the poison. If he wanted to cure the poison, he could just wait for the right moment and finally complete the mission, then Lu Fei Yue would be able to get the fire grass. But it was too slow, and in the meantime the poison would react, which was too painful. The fire grass was in a rich merchant¡¯s house and it was impossible to splurge money to buy it. If she wanted to try to steal it, Lu Fei Yue was definitely not willing, and she herself did not know martial arts¡­¡­ ¡°Are you interested in taking the bounty order now and help me to fetch the antidote?¡± Lu Zhi Yao ate the food she gave, with his brow relaxed and his smile gentle. ¡°I volunteered to save you last time, but this time it¡¯s going to cost money. I¡¯m very expensive.¡± Li Ruo Shui covered the twenty taels she had just received, with a bit of hesitation on her face, ¡°How expensive?¡± Lu Zhi Yao showed a number without a haste, and after hearing Li Ruo Shui¡¯s inhalation sound, his smile softened even more. ¡°You¡¯re too evil, aren¡¯t you? I blocked the needles for you, shouldn¡¯t you help your saviour?¡± ¡°Rather than talking about life saving, how about this.¡± Lu Zhi Yao put down his chopsticks and looked serious. ¡°Give me your hair and I¡¯ll get the antidote for you.¡± Lu Zhi Yao speculated that his good mood was due to her hair yesterday, so if he could rub it every now and then, his mood would probably relax a lot. ¡°What do you need the hair for?¡± Li Ruo Shui covered her head and moved away from him like her tail had been stepped on, her eyes full of disbelief. What the hell? At such a time, it was either money or people. What kind of psycho would want hair?! Lu Zhi Yao thought seriously for a moment, with a smile on his lips, ¡°To make a doll, so I can touch it when there¡¯s nothing to do, and also put it beside my pillow at night to sleep well.¡± The sunlight on his body was warm, and his shoulder blades loosened up when he talked about sleeping well, as if the mere thought of it made him feel comfortable. Li Ruo Shui bit her chopsticks and looked at him, couldn¡¯t help swallowing, her eyes looked complicated. So he wasn¡¯t just crazy, he was also a pervert. Her strategy path was too difficult. ¡°Do you want long hair or short hair?¡± Li Ruo Shui felt that she could salvage a little more. ¡°If I want it, then it must be all of it.¡± Wouldn¡¯t that mean she had to be bald? ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± Li Ruo Shui sternly refused, ¡°I¡¯d rather be in pain a few times than shave my head.¡± Lu Zhi Yao sat straight, the white jade Buddha beads on his wrist plated with sunlight, he was not surprised by this answer at all, instead he curled his lips. ¡°Remember to come to me when it hurts.¡± They ate at the inn while Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian were in the main storyline. Lu Fei Yue had received a confidential letter from the Case Patrol Division earlier. The Zheng family of Cangzhou was a royal merchant, and the Case Patrol Division suspected that they were related to a corruption case and wanted Lu Fei Yue to search for some evidence. However, the Zheng family was on guard because of the illness of Zheng¡¯s second son, so they couldn¡¯t infiltrate as their subordinates, but it happened that the Zheng family was recently matchmaking for the second son¡¯s wedding, so they want Lu Fei Yue to seize this opportunity. Two figures, one black and one green came to the door, but they were separated from each other, folding their arms and looking gloomy. The people who came were Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian. They sat down on the stools without a word, lifting their bowls to themselves and eating without communication between them. The table was by the window of the inn, and on the window sill hung two cages of domestic sparrows, chirping in a lovely manner. They were specially fed to amuse the guests. Chapter 15.2 Substitute Marriage (1) ¨C ¡°If I want it, then it must be all of it.¡± (2) Lu Zhi Yao seemed to be unaware of the silence. He was teasing the birds with a bunch of red fruits and listening to the chirping of the birds moving up and down to eat the fruits. The atmosphere was so depressing that Li Ruo Shui put down her chopsticks and looked at Lu Fei Yue, ¡°Sister Lu, what¡¯s wrong with you guys?¡± If she guessed correctly, it was probably because Lu Fei Yue¡¯s mission had been seen by Jiang Nian. This time the mission was an undercover visit, requiring Lu Fei Yue to marry into Zheng Mansion, to delve into the enemy¡¯s situation and find out the truth. Jiang Nian¡¯s face was expressionless, no longer playful like before, he looked up and asked Li Ruo Shui. ¡°Let me ask you, if your leader asked you to marry as an undercover visit, are you willing to do so?¡± Although the question seemed silly, Li Ruo Shui understood what he meant. ¡°It depends on the situation, but usually not.¡± Li Ruo Shui was not as straight as Lu Fei Yue, and with such a pitiful secret order, the odds were that she would find a way to skip it. But the original setting was set up that way only because the plot was too slow and wanted to give the male and female leads some stimulation. Hearing her reply, Jiang Nian seemed to have found reinforcements and immediately nodded his head in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s what a normal woman thinks.¡± Li Ruo Shui was silent, there was a reason why Jiang Nian hadn¡¯t been able to chase after Lu Fei Yue for so long. Who would compare the person they liked to someone else to their face and say that you were inferior to her? Lu Fei Yue¡¯s face was cold, her lips tightly pursed, and the words she uttered were a few degrees colder. ¡°I¡¯m a constable of the Case Patrol Division, it¡¯s my duty to follow orders. Ruo Shui, do you think I¡¯m not normal?¡± ¡°Sister Lu is daring to take responsibility¡­¡­Lu Zhi Yao don¡¯t know how to feed the birds, I will go and take a look.¡± When lovers quarrel, idle people better flash away. Li Ruo Shui immediately put down the tablewares and went to the window, quietly sighed in relief. Noticing that Li Ruo Shui had also come over, Lu Zhi Yao raised a smile and shook the red fruit in front of her. ¡°This is very sweet, want to try it?¡± Li Ruo Shui pressed his hand and moved towards the bird cage, ¡°I¡¯m full, you¡¯d better feed the birds.¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled, his dark hair blowing behind him by the breeze, revealing his jade-like face, no other embellishments were needed, just the curved lips were enough to make people fall into. Li Ruo Shui propped up her jaw and looked at him, even though she knew his nature, she could not help but be enchanted by this face. Sensing the gaze beside him, Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s smile, which was originally deepening, abruptly diminished at a certain moment, and the curved corners of his lips even flattened a little. He reached out and plucked a red fruit, flipping his wrist and knocking the red fruit out. What made Lu Zhi Yao show such a look, even the fake smile was withdrawn. Her curiosity skyrocketed for a while, Li Ruo Shui stretched out half of her body to look, but found nothing. ¡°Ruo Shui, the Zheng family will have a martial art competition later as matchmaking, I¡¯m going to participate. Are you guys going to stay here or go together to check it out?¡± Lu Fei Yue¡¯s breathy voice could still be heard as she rose up clutching her sword and stopped looking at Jiang Nian. Li Ruo Shui pondered for a moment and nodded. ¡°Go.¡± Lu Zhi Yao was never interested in such things, but nodded too, while Jiang Nian, although angry, followed the others as they left. The matchmaking arena for the Zheng Mansion was set up in front of the tavern, which had obviously been chartered. On the second floor of the tavern sat two elegant and luxurious old men and a woman in a lake blue gown, who were staring at the arena in silence, their expressions solemn and serious. A few pieces of red silk were hung casually on the arena, without any festive atmosphere. It was not like matchmaking for a wedding, but like recruiting bodyguards. In theory, few people would attend such a martial art matchmaking event, but because it was the affluent Zheng Mansion, there were more than a dozen people on the sidelines doing warm-up preparations. In contrast to the taciturnity of the people in Zheng Mansion, the crowd around them was extremely lively, and even the nearby tavern was full of people. There were those who were eating sunflower seeds and those who were eating melons and fruits, and they all gathered around the arena and discussed loudly. Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian had gone to register, while Li Ruo Shui and Lu Zhi Yao were still struggling in the crowd. Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t see, so Li Ruo Shui pulled his wrist tightly and rushed forward, and later on, she had no choice but to hold him by his waist. ¡°Bear with it a little more, we¡¯ll rush to the front soon.¡± Lu Zhi Yao looked thin, she didn¡¯t expect his waist to be strong and lean, and it felt very good to hold. ¡°You seem to be afraid that I¡¯ll lose control?¡± Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t help but grab his waist and held his right wrist without knowing it, which was indeed restraining him to some extent. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡± Lu Zhi Yao pursed a smile and didn¡¯t say anything back, letting her pull him forward. Speaking of which, he hadn¡¯t even used a blind cane in a long time. After Li Ruo Shui replied perfunctorily, she led him forward with all her might, and by the time they reached the front row, her hair was all messed up. The Zheng Mansion¡¯s match was a one-on-one round battle, and the winner would be the one who would marry into Zheng Mansion three days later. There were already women fighting in the arena, their moves were fierce, but they would not cause serious injury, it was more like a martial arts discussion. ¡°Knowing martial arts looks really cool.¡± Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t help but murmur, feeling how handsome her sister was. ¡°Do you want to learn martial arts?¡± Lu Zhi Yao seemed to have heard something interesting, and the smile on the corners of his lips all looked more sincere. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it.¡± ¡°How about I teach you?¡± His mind turned completely to Li Ruo Shui, not knowing what he was thinking again, his smile became more and more gentle. Although she wanted to refuse upon looking at his smile, she still nodded: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s find another time.¡± Raiders were like that, even if you were reluctant, but if it would promote the relationship, you would have to nod even if you don¡¯t want to. Not to mention she wasn¡¯t really that reluctant. As the top notch martial power in the book, she could definitely learn a lot from practising with him, and maybe even become a master one day. ¡°Find the time?¡± Lu Zhi Yao inclined his head towards her, his dark hair slowly sliding down his body, streams of light flashed across his long lashes, and the smile on his lips became more genuine. Without hesitation, he placed the sword in her hand. ¡°When you go to the arena tournament, you can learn it right away. You can practise the fastest in actual combat.¡± Chapter 16.1 Substitute Marriage (2) ¨C Fish and Bear Paw (1) The cold and slightly heavy sword in his hand often hung on the side of Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s waist, never leaving his body. She thought about how precious it might be, but now he shoved it into someone else¡¯s hands without hesitation for his own pleasure. ¡°What actual battle.¡± Li Ruo Shui asked helplessly, holding the sword. ¡°Although my master was a disabled person, she was quite good at teaching people. After teaching the sword technique, she threw me into a dangerous situation. I didn¡¯t need anyone¡¯s guidance, I used the sword technique by instinct and I progressed rapidly.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t even taught me the moves, and you want me to progress quickly?¡± ¡°The moves are not difficult.¡± He listened to the sound of the wind in the ring. ¡°When my master taught me, he tied a rope to my joints and taught me the moves like a puppet, it was fun and memorable.¡± It seemed to make sense. Hmm? This puppet playing method didn¡¯t make sense, what if she¡¯s being assimilated! Li Ruo Shui immediately slapped her face in fear, trying to pull herself back to normal thinking, and looked at him strangely. ¡°Why are you suddenly so interested?¡± Lu Zhi Yao closed his eyes and took Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand to grip the hilt of his sword with a soft tone. ¡°You¡¯re timid and don¡¯t like to move, but you¡¯re better with a smart brain. It must be interesting to teach you martial arts, and maybe one day, you¡¯ll have the ability to kill me.¡± Li Ruoshui has long been accustomed to his occasional morbid words from time to time. She helplessly stretched her hand out and clutched the sword. Killing him would mean cutting off her way home completely. Li Ruo Shui was not so foolish. ¡°Then your hopes are going to be unfulfilled. Not only will I not kill you, I will always protect you.¡± Ordinary people should be moved when they hear this, but the maniac himself was different, he was not happy. Lu Zhi Yao restrained his smile and withdrew the hand that had been gripping her, his voice faint. ¡°It¡¯s not fun to lie to people.¡± This person is so strange. When she set him up, he was happy, smiling like the scorching sun in spring, but when she told the truth, his face turned cold and his lips flattened. It was so inscrutable. ¡°What I said is true.¡± After Li Ruo Shui emphasised again, she changed the sword she was holding in her arms with a slight exasperated manner and stopped looking at him. Naturally, she missed Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s obviously distracted look. Several rounds had already been fought on the stage, and as they were all point-to-point sparring matches, the competition progressed so quickly that even Lu Fei Yue, who had signed up later, had already had several matches. According to the number of people left on the field today, if she wins another group, she will be able to compete for the top four. The gilt sword in Lu Fei Yue¡¯s hand had been given to Jiang Nian, and now she was holding an ordinary sharp sword facing off against the winner of the other group. ¡°Bai Shuang versus Lu Fei Yue, start.¡± Lu Fei Yue was dressed in black, while the woman named Bai Shuang, who had a delicate face, was dressed in plain clothes and wore a silk flower on her head, how mournful she looked. However, she gave the impression of being very much like the woman in white from the previous abduction case. Lu Fei Yue obviously noticed this too, and when she fought with her, she made a real move, wanting to test it out. As luck would have it, the sword stance and movement technique were exactly the same as the woman in white. Lu Fei Yue was reluctant to give up this coincidental breakthrough, so she put a lot of effort into her fight, determined to take her down. Between the sword and the light, the moves gradually changed, and everyone could sense there was something in between. When a bird chirped in the distance, Bai Shuang immediately changed her stance, and her moves were so fast that the crowd around her dropped their melons. Lu Fei Yue grew up practising martial arts and has been handling cases for many years. She fought with Bai Shuang without losing out, taking every move with aplomb. But at a certain moment, she stopped her body, dropped to one knee and hastily raised her sword to block. Jiang Nian, who was not far away, was about to step forward, but stopped when he saw Lu Fei Yue¡¯s eyes and could only keep a close eye on Bai Shuang. The two of them continued to fight. Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t help frowning. In the original story, Lu Fei Yue was the best player all the way to the top. Was the original story wrong again? ¡°Lu Fei Yue was hit by a hidden weapon.¡± Lu Zhi Yao said this lightly, ¡°Is there anything wrong with the person she is fighting against?¡± ¡°It must be someone related to that abduction case.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at Lu Fei Yue, who was holding strong in the ring, and had a little guess in her mind. This was probably the butterfly effect. In the original story, it had been a long time since the three of them found that pear forest and they did not run into that woman in white. They only arrested some people who were cleaning up and rescued two or three young girls who had not been sent out. But that time, when Li Ruo Shui took them there, not only did they run into the leader, but they also found a lot of evidence. Although it all turned out to be a rescue and no real culprit was found, there were a lot more details in between and the corresponding plot were also changed slightly. Lu Fei Yue, who was supposed to have skipped Bai Shuang, recognised her. I didn¡¯t know where Lu Fei Yue was injured, but her attack slowed down significantly, gradually becoming passive, and her lips turned white. Bai Shuang looked at her coldly, her sword did not slow down: ¡°We don¡¯t want your life either, just stop and admit defeat.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± Lu Fei Yue steeled herself and gritted her teeth to resist, but it was a fact that her body could not keep up and her arm was slashed by the sword. ¡°Trying to seize a breakthrough and at the same time trying to complete the mission of infiltrating the Zheng Mansion.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s voice rang out next to her ear, ¡°Unfortunately, you are not strong enough to do both.¡± ¡°Trying to complete it despite not being strong enough, this is what makes people admire you.¡± Li Ruo Shui gave him a look, ¡°Such things cannot be forced, some people understand it and some people will never figure it out.¡± Lu Zhi Yao nodded, seeming to think of something, and put his hand behind Li Ruo Shui¡¯s waist. ¡°Which kind are you then?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do what she does, so naturally I admire her very much.¡± Lu Zhi Yao lowered his head and smiled. Li Ruo Shui instantly felt furtive inside, raised her feet and walked to the side, but he grabbed her around the waist and stopped her from going. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and help her?¡± A palm strike to the back waist and sent Li Ruo Shui to the ring where the battle raged. Lu Zhi Yao took out some broken silver from his money pouch and handed it to the passerby beside him. ¡°Can I buy some peanuts from you?¡± With a face like a crown jade, a smile like a spring breeze, and his eyes slightly closed, this very deceptive face once again deceived the passerby. ¡°All, all for you.¡± ¡°Many thanks.¡± Li Ruo Shui reached the stage and landed impartially right next to the two of them. Chapter 16.2 Substitute Marriage (2) ¨C Fish and Bear Paw (2) Bai Shuang raised her sword and stabbed towards Lu Fei Yue, the cold glowing tip of her sword pointed directly at Lu Fei Yue, but the attack was blocked by a scabbard. Li Ruo Shui held the sword with both hands, obviously not knowing martial arts, but with dexterity, her attack was half deflected. Lu Zhi Yao listened carefully and his eyelashes curled up. She was indeed talented, she even knew how to use her strength to strike. Lu Fei Yue¡¯s lips were white, sweat was pouring down from the corners of her forehead, and she could only use her sword to support her body. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that she was not in good condition. Bai Shuang put away her sword and glanced at her, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance, get off the ring by yourself, this poison is not strong, the sooner you cure it, the better.¡± Lu Fei Yue kept her lips tightly closed and did not speak. The poison had already been struck, and it is unlikely that she would win again subsequently, but once this opportunity had passed, not only would the mission not be completed, but she would also let Bai Shuang escape. Did both the fish and the bear paw have to be thrown away. ¡°She couldn¡¯t compete, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Li Ruo Shui stood in front of Lu Fei Yue, somewhat sheepishly squeezing the cold scabbard of her sword and straightening her back to look at the crowd. ¡°Who are you.¡± Bai Shuang looked at her with her sword in hand, her eyes contemptuous. ¡°I¡¯m here to sign up too.¡± She turned and raised her hand at the registration desk, ¡°Li Ruo Shui.¡± Seeing the people from the Zheng Mansion had written down the name, Li Ruo Shui turned her head to look at her. ¡°The first round is two by two, you still have to fight me for one more round.¡± Bai Shuang snorted, her eyes falling on Lu Fei Yue behind her. ¡°You can¡¯t even hold a sword, so you might as well take her down with you.¡± Jiang Nian had long since reached the ring and helped Lu Fei Yue up, the two of them looking worriedly at Li Ruo Shui. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Sister Lu, you can¡¯t marry, so I¡¯ll go.¡± Anyway, the fire grass she needed to cure the poison was also at the Zheng Mansion, so it was a perfect opportunity to get rid of the poison earlier. Lu Fei Yue raised her eyes to look at Li Ruo Shui, and although she was also not at ease, she still nodded when she saw Lu Zhi Yao who was smiling freely below the stage. ¡°Be cautious.¡± Jiang Nian hurriedly led Lu Fei Yue away, leaving only two people on stage. Li Ruo Shui took a few steps back, distancing herself from her. ¡°According to the rules, the person who enters the next round will have to be decided between you and me.¡± Void was certain, but after glancing her eyes at Lu Zhi Yao below the stage, Li Ruo Shui inexplicably settled her mind and looked at Bai Shuang with a bit of cunning in her eyes. She slowly drew the sword in her hand and raised her eyebrow at Bai Shuang: ¡°Look what this is.¡± The thin sword gleamed with a cold light, streaks of broken fine lines etched on the blade, splitting the reflected figure into many pieces and appearing somewhat distorted. As soon as the sword came out, not only did Bai Shuang¡¯s eyes widen, but even the birdsong in the distance sharpened. ¡°Ooh.¡± Li Ruo Shui opened her eyes and looked around, surprised with a little amusement. This was too good to be true, almost like a trained dog hearing a bell. Without another word, Bai Shuang came with her sword, stabbing straight at her heart, as if she wanted her to die immediately under it. Li Ruo Shui drew her sword to block, and suddenly a hard object struck her calf, taking her with it as she viciously raised her leg to kick Bai Shuang¡¯s right hand. Not only herself, but Bai Shuang also did not react and suffered from this kick. Outsiders thought it was because Li Ruo Shui was powerful, but Bai Shuang knew that just as there was someone behind her, Li Ruo Shui also had an expert behind her to help her. Looking at the sword again, it was not hard to think of who it was. Bai Shuang hadn¡¯t seen this person¡¯s face back then, so after looking behind Li Ruo Shui, she still couldn¡¯t find anything wrong. Li Ruo Shui saw her brows condensed and her expression was heavy as she attacked with her sword, her expression was like a tragic death. Bai Shuang¡¯s sword was fast, so fast that Li Ruo Shui had no time to react, but she received every move forcefully. Her arms, her knees, her calves, every place was flooded with pain, and there was no need to guess that this was the handiwork of Lu Zhi Yao. It was not only Li Ruo Shui who was doubting her life on the field, but also Bai Shuang. The more she fought, the more puzzled she became, the more resigned she became, and she couldn¡¯t help muttering to herself. ¡°How is it possible, to make her take the move, it needs to be done in advance, unless he has even predicted my move¡­¡­¡± Thinking of this, a chill ran down her back, and Bai Shuang attacked again, leaving no residual power. ¡°Ding¡ª¡± The two thin swords fought against each other, and Li Ruo Shui caught the move Bai Shuang slashed at, and her cracked sword was unscathed, but instead, she cut a gap in Bai Shuang¡¯s sword. ¡°Wow!¡± Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in a low voice as she looked at the gap. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s sword looked like it could shatter at any moment, but she didn¡¯t expect it to be this strong! When she raised her eyes to look at Bai Shuang again, Li Ruo Shui noticed that her eyes were not on herself, but were cruising through the crowd. There was anger, resignation and fear in her eyes, and even her hands were trembling a little. Li Ruo Shui paused for a moment and immediately raised her sword with her backhand at her while she was distracted, and as Bai Shuang dodged, she hit her waist without hesitation, knocking her out of the ring with that brute force. The crowd erupted in unexpected laughter as the long fight ended in such an unexpected way. Bai Shuang clenched her teeth and looked around. She decided that she wanted at least either the fish or the bear paw, so she wanted to capture Li Ruo Shui back. She took the sword and stepped into the ring, but halfway through the step, she was hit in the right knee, a sharp pain hit her and she fell back down again. ¡°Once you fall out of the ring, you have lost. There is no going back.¡± The man¡¯s voice was like a spring breeze in March, blowing warmly into her ears, but it made Bai Shuang feel like she had fallen into an ice cellar. Although she had never seen the man¡¯s face, she had heard him speak in this tone. The surroundings seemed to be quiet, as if she could only hear the soft footsteps, slowly stopping in front of her, the white hem of the robe was like a clean night-blooming cereus, which only bloomed for a moment and then retracted. The man leaned over and a soft voice sounded in her ears. ¡°Or, are you trying to disturb my pleasure?¡± Chapter 17.1 Substitute Marriage (3) ¨C ¡°Why don¡¯t you bite me.¡± (1) The blood-red memories came flooding back and her hands couldn¡¯t stop trembling as she seemed to hear the whimpering wind of that day again and felt the pain of the cold blade slashing across her back. With trembling eyelashes, Bai Shuang looked at the clean hem of the robe. This person smiled like a spring breeze, his face was pretty, his thin lips curved slightly in pity, but his eyes that should have been most remarkable were closed, and the eyelashes casting small shadows beneath the eyes. Even though he had grown up, even though she had not seen his face before, at this moment, she was sure that he was that person. There was no one else in the world who could blend gentleness and cruelty so well. Ignoring the curious stares around her, Bai Shuang gritted her teeth and pulled out the dagger from her sleeve. She knew in her heart that this lunatic would not care if anyone was present, and that anyone who displeased him would be eliminated. No longer able to retreat, Bai Shuang suppressed her instinctive tremor and stabbed him in the eye without hesitation. No one could avoid it at this distance. The sharp dagger sliced through the flesh, drops of blood fell, and the tip of the blade stopped in front of his eyes, just a point short of stabbing in. It failed. Bai Shuang let go of the dagger and covered the wound on her knee absentmindedly. ¡°Are you mad? Why didn¡¯t you dodge when you could!¡± The young girl¡¯s voice was not small, tinged with annoyance and a few trills of pain, recalling Bai Shuang back from the tense disorientation she had felt. Her eyes focused again, the focus fell on Li Ruo Shui¡¯s bloodied hand and on the corner of Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s lips with a gentle smile. Someone had actually blocked the knife for this lunatic. ¡°I¡¯m asking you, why didn¡¯t you dodge?¡± Li Ruo Shui threw away the dagger in her hand, her tone suddenly turned worse all of a sudden. No matter how she looked at it, she suspected that this person was doing it on purpose. Although the distance was very close, he would never be unable to dodge. She had seen this person hold Lu Fei Yue¡¯s knife with his fingers. ¡°¡­¡­What are you laughing at?¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at his smile, and suddenly felt cold again. She couldn¡¯t help but take a step backwards. ¡°I¡¯m laughing, you won the match.¡± After Lu Zhi Yao replied, he picked up the dagger from the ground and ¡°looked¡± at Bai Shuang with gentle eyes. The dagger twirled around his fingertips, staining the pale fingers bright red. ¡°I should have taken your life for disturbing my pleasure, but now, for the sake of merit, I will only take your arm.¡± Memories flooded back, Bai Shuang tried to escape, but her legs refused to obey, so she could only stay there in a daze. Li Ruo Shui looked at Bai Shuang¡¯s trembling like chaff, her lips turned white, and raised her hand to stop Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°Wait, go to bandage with me, the blood is running dry.¡± Once he heard this, Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t understand what she meant, he smiled helplessly and withdrew his hand. Bai Shuang gave the two of them a look and escaped with her lightness skills, enduring the pain in her knees. Li Ruo Shui won against Bai Shuang and made it to the final four, where the four of them would draw lots for two more rounds to decide the winner. However, due to Li Ruo Shui¡¯s unexpected injury, the match had to be suspended. The Zheng family had chartered the restaurant and hired a doctor on the ground floor in case of emergency, so Li Ruo Shui was here to heal her wounds. ¡°You didn¡¯t calculate that I would come and block the attack for you, did you?¡± The more Li Ruo Shui thought about it, the more it didn¡¯t seem right, and she didn¡¯t beat around the bush, but asked it directly. ¡°I can¡¯t see.¡± Lu Zhi Yao raised his hand and pointed at his own eyes, ¡°How can you dodge if you can¡¯t see?¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking with your eyes open.¡± Couldn¡¯t see but still help her to take so many moves from Bai Shuang? Lu Zhi Yao chuckled and lifted her hand, clearly in a good mood. ¡°I¡¯m talking nonsense whether I open my eyes or not.¡± Li Ruo Shui: ¡­¡­ Li Ruo Shui, who had been trapping others and was inexplicably trapped, didn¡¯t reply to him and turned her eyes to the doctor. ¡°Doctor, why don¡¯t you take a look at his eyes?¡± The white-bearded doctor glanced at him and packed up the things on the table, ¡°I can¡¯t cure what is carried from mother¡¯s womb.¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes widened with a little surprise, ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been practising medicine for decades, and I can tell.¡± The doctor took the gauze and medicinal wine from the medicine boy and began to treat the blood stains on her hand. Just when Li Ruo Shui was sighing, the coolness of his grip on her wrist slowly contracted, and the sigh instantly turned into a tremble. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s other hand tapped the tabletop, his tone lilting, ¡°And how did you know this?¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes fluttered and she subconsciously straightened her back: ¡°I¡¯ve lived for more than ten years, I can tell.¡± Doctor: ¡°¡­¡­¡± The blood around the injured area was cleaned up, and the doctor began to disinfect the wound with the gauze dipped in medicinal wine. ¡°It hurts a lot, bear with it.¡± The tawny medicinal wine brushed around the wound, bringing a burning stinging sensation that hurt so much that Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes burst into tears. ¡°Girl, don¡¯t shake, the more you shake, the more it hurts.¡± Li Ruo Shui held back her tears, her voice trembling, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to shake, I can¡¯t control it.¡± Hearing these words, Lu Zhi Yao immediately pulled her right hand away with both hands, stopping her subconscious movements. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s wounds were not shallow, and it took some effort to disinfect them. The wounds on her palms and fingers were wiped with medicinal wine, and the pain caused her hand muscles to twitch involuntarily, but she habitually shut her mouth and endured it. Lu Zhi Yao seemed to have thought of something and leaned in slightly, bringing his shoulder to her mouth and spoke softly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you bite me.¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s tooth root had already been bitten by her to the point of soreness, and now that the culprit¡¯s shoulder was right here, it was a waste not to bite. She wasn¡¯t polite at all and opened her mouth for a bite. This bite was not just to relieve the pain, but also carried other inexplicable emotions. Thinking of all that had happened before, Li Ruo Shui bit even harder, trying to release all the emotions that had been pent up for days in this bite. But for him, the pain in his shoulder was not pain, it was pleasure. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s brow arched and his smile grew warmer and warmer as he opened his mouth encouragingly. ¡°A little harder.¡± Blood and flesh were bitten hard, pressing out the pain with force, and he enjoyed it delicately, feeling the pleasure welling up from the bottom of his heart. Such pleasure from just one bite, if he were to be killed by Li Ruo Shui one day, would it be the so-called ultimate pleasure? Chapter 17.2 Substitute Marriage (3) ¨C ¡°Why don¡¯t you bite me.¡± (2) However, before he could enjoy sufficiently, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s wound was cleaned up and the doctor was now applying a cool ointment to her. Li Ruo Shui lifted her head and let out a long breath, ¡°Cool!¡± Whether it was her wound or her heart, only the word ¡°cool¡± could express her inner feelings at this moment. ¡°Doctor, apply more of this ointment.¡± ¡°My ointment is expensive.¡± The doctor gave Lu Zhi Yao an odd look and continued to apply the medicine to her. ¡°You are here to participate in the match, have you thought about it?¡± Li Ruo Shui nodded her head indifferently and blew on the wound, ¡°I have thought well about it.¡± There was nothing to think about, she would leave once she got the fire grass and the correspondence. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes were clear and did not appear to be fake, while Lu Zhi Yao was also smiling and unconcerned. ¡°I¡¯m really old, I don¡¯t understand you young people.¡± The doctor shook his head and took out two green porcelain bottles from the basket. ¡°Change the medicine three times a day for three consecutive days.¡± Li Ruo Shui withdrew her hand and covered her pitifully small twenty taels of silver. ¡°Doctor, I don¡¯t have any money.¡± ¡°No need to pay.¡± The doctor filled up the two medicine bottles and handed them to her: ¡°The Zheng family covers it.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at her right hand, which was wrapped in gauze, and walked back to the ring with Lu Zhi Yao, holding the medicine bottles. Halfway to the ring, Lu Zhi Yao suddenly spoke. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me break one of her arms just now? Don¡¯t you want to take revenge?¡± ??? This person¡¯s brain circuit was too difficult to keep up with. ¡°I don¡¯t seem to have any grudge against her, right?¡± Lu Zhi Yao paused at her words and raised his eyebrows slightly, ¡°She hurts you.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at him and raised her eyebrows like he did. ¡°According to this statement, you could have dodged but didn¡¯t. You bet that I would go to your aid, so can I count you as indirectly hurting me?¡± Lu Zhi Yao froze for a moment, then raised his lips and smiled, as bright as a spring flower. ¡°This is an interesting angle, then you can take it.¡± Looking at the arm raised in front of her, Li Ruo Shui casually slapped it away, slightly speechless. ¡°Are you kidding me, I¡¯m not a pervert.¡± Lu Zhi Yao withdrew his hand, rubbing the blood on his sleeve, his eyes and brows were soft, and his words came out almost like babbling. ¡°This is not a joke.¡± Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t hear what he said and raised her hand to poke his shoulder, ¡°I didn¡¯t bite through the skin here, did I?¡± Lu Zhi Yao was stunned for a moment and shook his head, ¡°No.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Li Ruo Shui whispered, then pulled him outside. ¡°Keep close since you lost your blind stick, there are tables and chairs everywhere in this restaurant, bumping into these would cause your tendons numb and painful tears.¡± By the time they returned to the ring again, the women who had come to the tournament were sitting aside, making a congratulatory gesture to her. And the masters of the Zheng family were all sitting under the ring, as if they had been waiting for a while. The servant of the Zheng family came up, holding a pen and paper in his hand, and asked, ¡°When is the young lady¡¯s birthday?¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at the others in confusion: ¡°What does this mean?¡± Madam Zheng, who had been silent all along, opened her mouth, her serious expression finally loosening a little. ¡°Miss Li, we would like to betroth you directly, what do you think?¡± Mrs. Zheng¡¯s tone did not sound like she had found a good wife for her son, but rather like she had recruited a good and attentive bodyguard. This came too suddenly. ¡°What about the others?¡± Li Ruo Shui pointed to the other women who had come to participate. ¡°Originally, it was the winner who entered my Zheng family, but now since we were the one who had breached the contract, we had given them compensation. And now, we are just waiting for your consent, Miss.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at the people around her and then at Lu Zhi Yao, nodding hesitantly, ¡°Agreed.¡± She really didn¡¯t understand what this Zheng family saw in her. The lady in blue from the Zheng Mansion came up. She looked up and down at Li Ruo Shui and then looked at Lu Zhi Yao who was following her. ¡°You can¡¯t have love debts when you enter my Zheng Mansion. What is the relationship between Miss Li and this person beside her?¡± Li Ruo Shui said without hesitation, ¡°A friend.¡± The lady in blue nodded her head and gave Lu Zhi Yao another glance, raising her eyebrows slightly as she stood domineering behind Madam Zheng. Madam Zheng stepped forward and took Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand, looking a little cautious. ¡°Girl, are you afraid of ghosts?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Li Ruo Shui was abruptly pulled by her hand, then reacted to her meaning and shook her head, ¡°Not afraid.¡± She knew that what happened in Zheng Mansion was man-made, there were no ghosts or monsters at all. Hearing this, Lu Zhi Yao could not help chuckling, obviously not believing it. But Madam Zheng believed it. ¡°Miss, your birth date is not on the 15th of June, right?¡± Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t know the birth date of ¡°Li Ruo Shui¡±, but whether it was 15th June or not, she could only say no now. ¡°No.¡± Mrs. Zheng burst into tears, grabbed Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand and patted it, ¡°Good child, in three days, we will come to take you in.¡± This was probably the most hasty betrothal. The crowds present were dumbfounded, and Li Ruo Shui was even more so. The Zheng family had not even conducted a background check on her, and there was no letter of engagement and no consent from her relatives. But whether there is fraud or not, for Li Ruo Shui, agreeing to it would do more good than harm. This time it¡¯s not just about getting the antidote and finding evidence, Li Ruo Shui has another purpose. In the original story, being in a substitute marriage was a catalyst for Lu Fei Yue¡¯s relationship, so naturally it could also be a catalyst for her relationship with Lu Zhi Yao. Li Ruo Shui knew in her heart that Lu Zhi Yao clearly treats her differently from the others, but he didn¡¯t seem to realise it. Whatever the reason for the difference, she had to take this opportunity to make him understand it. If he was the least bit jealous or out of sorts, she would be able to strengthen her strategy. Chapter 18.1 Substitute Marriage (4) ¨C The heart palpitations were probably due to poisoning (1) It didn¡¯t take long for word to spread all over Cangzhou that the Zheng family had found their daughter-in-law and were about to host a banquet to celebrate the occasion. The news became a topic of conversation among the common people. The second son of the Zheng family was well-known to everyone in Cangzhou. At the age of three, Zheng Yan Qing could read a thousand words, and at the age of seven, he was familiar with ancient poetry, and at the age of ten, he wrote good essays and became famous in Cangzhou. At the age of twelve, he took part in the children¡¯s examinations and ranked first place. He was well-known in Cangzhou and a role model for scholars. However, perhaps because of his early wisdom, Zheng Yan Qing became very ill soon after the examination and his health deteriorated, so he missed the provincial examination. The Zheng family visited many famous doctors but to no avail, so they turned to metaphysics and invited a famous Taoist priest to come for fortune telling. The prophecy revealed that Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s life was not long, and that the only way to break the situation was through a wedding. Soon after that, Zheng Yan Qing had frequent nightmares and strange things always happened to him. Because of this, no one dared to marry him and the wedding was delayed again and again. Seeing that the estimated auspicious day was coming, they could not find a suitable bride for a long time. In desperation, they had no choice but to turn their attention to the martial art people and raise the banner of this competition to find a bride. The crowd thought that this time they would get a chivalrous girl with excellent kung fu, but they didn¡¯t expect an outsider with inadequate martial art skills. Everyone was betting on how long this girl would stay at the Zheng Mansion. Li Ruo Shui was applying medicine in the inn at the moment, unaware that she had already made a name for herself in Cangzhou. It was Lu Fei Yue¡¯s mission to sneak into Zheng Mansion, but because of her own problems, she had to let Li Ruo Shui carry the burden, which was really guilt-ridden. ¡°Ruo Shui, Zheng Mansion will come to pick up the bride tomorrow. If you don¡¯t want to, we can still leave now.¡± Li Ruo Shui, who was being pulled by Lu Zhi Yao to apply the medicine, pulled a stiff smile out of the corner of her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s okay Sister Lu, I don¡¯t take this marriage seriously. Besides, the antidote I want is also in Zheng Mansion, you don¡¯t need to be so ¡­¡­ hiss, I don¡¯t think I need to apply this medicine anymore.¡± For unknown reason, Lu Zhi Yao was so excited about giving her medicine, like the cuckoo bird in the alarm clock. When it is time, it starts to say, ¡°time to apply medicine, time to apply medicine¡± every day. ¡°The scar has already begun to recover, so there¡¯s no need to apply medicine on it.¡± Li Ruo Shui felt that the ointment was strange, as it was hot after the application. ¡°The doctor said that it will take three days, just wait until this afternoon and put on another one.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s tone was gentle but he pressed her hand and slowly applied the ointment to the wound. He couldn¡¯t see but he managed to apply the ointment so accurately, not even the position of the wound on her finger was spared. Li Ruo Shui sighed and went along with him. ¡°Are you sure that the fire grass is in the Zheng Mansion?¡± Jiang Nian looked at her suspiciously. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve already gone through the Zheng Mansion and not only did I not find any correspondence, the herbs were only common medicinal herbs like lingzhi and ginseng.¡± (TL/N: lingzhi is a type of mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine, namely ganoderma lucidum) Li Ruo Shui thought about the plot carefully. This fire grass was given to Lu Fei Yue by Madam Zheng, it was not written where it was taken from, but it must be in the Zheng Mansion. The system did not allow spoilers, but after deliberating for a moment, she reminded Jiang Nian. ¡°Zheng Mansion is huge and wealthy, I¡¯m sure there must be fire grass. As for the correspondence, it must be somewhere where you haven¡¯t searched, no need to rush, search again.¡± Lu Fei Yue clutched her gilt sword and lowered her head, her cold temperament was no longer there, but instead revealing some meekness brought on by guilt. ¡°Originally, I brought you here to detoxify the poison, but now I need you to help me to complete my mission instead, and you still comfort us.¡± Li Ruo Shui laughed dumbly and brushed away Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s hand, stepping forward to pat Lu Fei Yue¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This isn¡¯t comforting, it¡¯s the truth, and I really don¡¯t care about the title of marrying someone.¡± Lu Fei Yue lowered her head, sniffled and gave her a quick hug before turning to open the door. ¡°I¡¯ll go get you something to eat.¡± Jiang Nian patted Li Ruo Shui¡¯s shoulder and hurriedly followed her out, and it didn¡¯t take long for the two figures to disappear around the corner of the stairs. Li Ruo Shui closed the door and just as she turned around, she saw Lu Zhi Yao sitting in the same position with his head down, his dark hair covering the side of his face, unable to see his expression clearly. She didn¡¯t pay much attention to it and sat back down. She picked up the sliced apple on the plate and put it in her mouth. ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯ll eat something to distract myself.¡± Lu Zhi Yao answered and raised his head again, picking up the white gauze on the side and wrapping it up around her fingers little by little. It was now April and the weather was gradually getting better. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hands seemed to follow the changes of the four seasons. Her hands were also warm, which was different from his temperature. After being brushed away by her hand, that inexplicable agitation surfaced again in his heart, and he could not find a catharsis for it. ¡°Does this wound still hurt?¡± Li Ruo Shui chewed the pulp and nodded, ¡°A little bit, hurry up, or I¡¯ll finish the apple.¡± ¡°If it hurts, you can still bite me.¡± Lu Zhi Yao stopped his hand and spoke very seriously. Only that kind of pleasure could cover up this agitation. Li Ruo Shui looked at him carefully, her cheeks puffing out, and the room resounded with the crisp sound of fruit being bitten off. ¡°Come closer then.¡± Chapter 18.2 Substitute Marriage (4) ¨C The heart palpitations were probably due to poisoning (2) Like a seafaring man lured by a siren after losing his direction, Lu Zhi Yao slowly leaned over and brought his shoulder closer, a smile lifting at the corners of his lips. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± Although it was strange, Lu Zhi Yao opened his lips slightly. His thin lips were slightly red, and the way he leaned over and opened his mouth was inexplicably well-behaved. A piece of apple was put in his mouth. The flesh was cold and sweet. He subconsciously chewed it, and the sweetness immediately ran through his lips and teeth. ¡°Hahahahaha.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at his bewildered look as he ate the apple, and couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud. ¡°If your teeth itch, eat something to grind them. I don¡¯t have a hobby of biting people.¡± The pure laughter resounded in his ears, and Lu Zhi Yao inexplicably felt a momentary palpitation that happened in a flash, a feeling he had never felt before. Lu Zhi Yao swallowed the apple, the smile no longer on his lips, and he reached out to touch his heart. It was a strange sensation, as if his heart was being rubbed, and there was an indescribable comfort and satisfaction. When Li Ruo Shui saw that he suddenly stopped laughing, she slowly withdrew her laughter and sat back a little. Could it be that she had gone too far, was he angry? She subconsciously went to look for his sword and was relieved to see it on the bed. If his brain was short-circuited again, she¡¯d still have time to manoeuvre. ¡°What¡¯s this.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s hand that was touching his heart tightened, looking a little dazed. Li Ruo Shui glanced at it and replied hesitantly, ¡°That¡¯s your chest.¡± Could it be that this person become stupid after eating an apple? Lu Zhi Yao frowned and put a hand on his wrist, and focused on it to distinguish his pulse. Li Ruo Shui leaned over to look and unconsciously lowered her voice: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Lu Zhi Yao withdrew his hand and replied in a warm voice: ¡°I thought I was poisoned, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be so.¡± ¡°Poisoned?¡± Li Ruo Shui was filled with disbelief, ¡°Who could have poisoned you?¡± Only then did Lu Zhi Yao loosen his frown, lowered his eyebrows and chuckled: ¡°It¡¯s just you and me here, what do you think?¡± ??? Is this a human being saying? Li Ruo Shui walked over to him, and despite knowing that he couldn¡¯t see, she waved her gauze-wrapped right hand in front of his eyes. ¡°Do I need to poison you? Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I just let her poke you blind the day before yesterday?¡± Lu Zhi Yao put away the medicine bottles and gauze without hurry, the corners of his lips smiling unabatedly. ¡°I¡¯m already blind long ago, what does it matter about these two eyeballs. Besides, I can dodge it.¡± ¡°You finally admit it!¡± The anger on Li Ruo Shui¡¯s face was replaced by a smile, with a bit of ¡°I caught you¡± glee. ¡°I knew you were tricking me on purpose!¡± Lu Zhi Yao sighed slightly, looking distressed, ¡°You noticed it.¡± ¡°I¡¯d immediately figured it out at that time.¡± At this moment, Li Ruo Shui was so happy that she clenched her fists. This was the first time she had completely guessed Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s thoughts. She was so immersed in this joy that she overlooked the fact that she had been set up. In this harmonious and cheerful atmosphere, the door of the inn was opened and two plump and fat-assed matchmakers walked in, one red and one green. Behind them were Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian who had hurriedly followed them in. ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t this the future young lady of the Zheng family, her look is outstanding.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not proper to be alone in a room with a man.¡± The two women sang and commented on Li Ruo Shui, then covered their mouths with their handkerchiefs and muttered a few words. Lu Feiyue, who was holding the roast chicken, walked to Li Ruoshui¡¯s side in three or two steps, a little flustered. ¡°These are the two matchmakers sent by the Zheng family. They said that they will dress you up tonight and the palanquin will arrive tomorrow morning.¡± After the two matchmakers had discussed the matter, they clapped their hands to the floor below, and the three servants immediately entered the room carrying the box. The matchmaker told them to put the box next to the dressing table and pulled Li Ruo Shui over to the table affectionately. ¡°This gentleman, can you make way?¡± Lu Zhi Yao, who was sitting at the table, hooked the corners of his lips, lifted the tray of gauze and ointment and got up to give way. These two matchmakers surrounded Li Ruo Shui in the middle, and gave Li Ruo Shui a lesson in words. It was obvious that Li Ruo Shui did not have a family, so they came today not only to dress her up and give her betrothal gifts, but also to explain the rules of marriage to her from the beginning. As the two matchmakers were talking passionately, Lu Zhi Yao slowly sat down next to them. The matchmaker in red turned her head to look at him: ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lu Zhi Yao said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know the custom of marriage either, so I¡¯m a little curious.¡± Not only Lu Zhi Yao, but both Jiang Nian and Lu Fei Yue also sat down. Not only were they curious, they also wanted to figure out the process so that they could find time to investigate the Zheng Mansion in depth. The matchmakers didn¡¯t refuse the opportunity to show off, but instead amplified their voices and continued to speak. ¡°¡­¡­Our place is not quite the same as other places. The bride does not have to enter the bridal chamber immediately after worshipping heaven and earth, but she has to sit in the hall with the groom and distribute the wedding candies piled up on the plate.¡± Li Ruo Shui also became interested and listened to this completely as if it were a local custom. ¡°Why do you have to hand out the candies, don¡¯t you cover your head?¡± ¡°No need.¡± The red-clothed matchmaker waved her hand: ¡°We¡¯re open-minded in Cangzhou, and we don¡¯t care about covering the head. It¡¯s good to show the appearance of the bridal couple, so it doesn¡¯t matter whether you hide it or not.¡± The green-clothed matchmaker then added: ¡°Marriage is a happy event, and the candies are tainted with the blessings from the bride and groom, so giving out candies is to spread good fortune.¡± The two of them continued to talk about the rules, making Li Ruo Shui¡¯s head spinned. It was only when the afterglow of the setting sun slanted into the inn that these two finished talking. They handed a modest brocade box to Li Ruo Shui with joy on their faces. ¡°This is the betrothal gift from the Zheng family. There are some shops and mansions that were bought without names, and they are all yours now.¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand trembled a little as she opened the brocade box and looked at the stack of land deeds inside. She couldn¡¯t help but gulp down her saliva. This was too affordable. The two matchmakers opened the other two small wooden boxes and placed the contents on the dressing table one by one, looking festive. ¡°To give out wedding candy, your face is very important, so let us draw you a beautiful makeup tonight.¡± Li Ruo Shui was pulled to the dressing table, a thin thread was pulled over her face to open her complexion and that was when the long dressing session began. Chapter 19.1 Substitute Marriage (5) ¨C ¡°The newlyweds are giving out wedding candy, can I eat one too?¡± (1) The gongs and drums were loud and the firecrackers were blaring. After a night, the welcoming team to escort the bride to the groom arrived in front of the inn early. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes were dull and she was yawning. She was dragged by the matchmakers and dressed up all night and now she was so sleepy that she could fall asleep sitting. She didn¡¯t really care about the marriage, she just wanted to find the fire grass before the middle of the month and get rid of the poison first. The matchmaker in front of her put on lipstick for her lips and her eyes suddenly lit up when she looked at her. Almond eyes, high nose and smooth skin. The most remarkable thing was her eyes, which seemed as if they could speak and were so full of vitality that anyone who looked at them could not help but feel happy and relaxed. ¡°Miss Li, you are really beautiful. I haven¡¯t seen such a vibrant person like you in a long time.¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyelids drooped. She didn¡¯t know how she could see the vibrant aura from her exhaustion, so she just nodded her head. With her make-up finally done, Li Ruo Shui braced herself from the exhaustion and dragged her long wedding dress behind the door, from where she pulled out a plain style blind stick. ¡°Lu Zhi Yao, catch it.¡± Lu Zhi Yao was sitting on the windowsill, playing with a nine-linked ring in his hand. After hearing Li Ruo Shui¡¯s voice, he raised his hand to catch the flying object and touched it with his hand. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a blind stick. I asked Sister Lu to buy it. You have to use this when you¡¯re acting alone.¡± Li Ruo Shui made a point of emphasising ¡°alone¡±, wanting to remind him of the fact that she would not be around later. Lu Zhi Yao ruffled the hair that had blown to the corner of his lips and pursed a smile, ¡°Thank you.¡± He didn¡¯t notice the accent in her tone at all¡­¡­ Forget about it, how could it be easy. She had to find a chance to use the system rewards and get to know him a bit more. ¡°Can I go now?¡± The matchmaker smiled as she covered her head, helped her open the door, and slowly descended the stairs to the entrance of the inn. ¡°The bride has arrived!¡± Many people had gathered around, chattering and clamouring, either asking for red envelopes or eating melons and spectating the ceremony. Li Ruo Shui looked from under the headcover and saw that there were many people around, with a few children occasionally poking their heads in to see the bride from underneath. Li Ruo Shui met the eyes of a little girl with pigtails, smiled and winked at her, and the little girl covered her mouth and ran away. As the two matchmakers spoke auspicious words along the way, the servants around them scattered the wedding money, and Li Ruo Shui was helped to the front of the palanquin. When she entered, a piece of white robe seemed to flash through the corner of her eye. ¡°Rise the palanquin.¡± The welcoming team blew and clanged as they made their way from the inn to the Zheng Mansion. All along the way, the copper plates tinkled and trumpets and suonas were in full force, making Li Ruo Shui drowsy. Of course, she didn¡¯t make things difficult for herself, as she fell into deep sleep in no time, as if she wanted to make up for all the sleep she had missed from staying up late. * ¡°The auspicious time is perfect, and the couples are in pairs. Will the groom please invite the bride?¡± The matchmaker shouted out, and Zheng Yan Qing, the second son of the Zheng family, walked out. Even in his bright red wedding clothes, he still looked bad, making him even paler and weaker. Zheng Yan Qing covered his mouth and coughed a few times before slowly walking towards the palanquin. ¡°According to the rituals, the groom has to carry Li Ruo Shui on his back. Is this Young Master Zheng up to it?¡± Jiang Nian and Lu Fei Yue were standing on the roof not far away. Jiang Nian looked at Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s feeble steps and had some doubts. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lu Fei Yue shook her head, ¡°Have you seen Lu Zhi Yao?¡± According to that day at the broken temple, Li Ruo Shui probably had her heart set on Lu Zhi Yao, but this time she had married into the Zheng Mansion for them. Even if it was a false intention, she didn¡¯t want to hurt their feelings because of this. Jiang Nian pulled Lu Fei Yue to his place and pointed to the side of the sedan chair. ¡°There, he has always been following.¡± The palanquin blocked Lu Zhi Yao completely from that viewpoint, and it was only when Lu Fei Yue changed to this side that she saw the whiteness. She hesitated for a moment and looked closely at Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s expression, ¡°He seems to be enjoying himself.¡± Jiang Nian nodded and let out a long sigh, ¡°It¡¯s over now, Lu Zhi Yao doesn¡¯t like her at all, and Li Ruo Shui¡¯s unrequited love will have to end in vain.¡± Who in the world could watch the person he likes get married to another person? Even he himself was so jealous that he was about to explode when he first heard that Lu Fei Yue¡¯s mission was to marry into the Zheng Mansion. Zheng Yan Qing had already walked up to the door of the palanquin and reached out his hand to knock, signalling for the bride to come out, but after waiting for a while, there was no movement inside the palanquin. He waited for a while, then raised his hand and knocked again. The crowd around the palanquin slowly lowered their voices and looked around to see what was happening, and some even speculated that the bride had escaped from the marriage. Amidst the puzzled faces of the crowd, only Lu Zhi Yao closed his lips and smiled softly. He heard the long breathing from inside the palanquin and knew that Li Ruo Shui was asleep. As Zheng Yan Qing raised his hand to knock on the door again, he picked up a wedding candy at his feet and flipped it in, hitting Li Ruo Shui¡¯s forehead with a bang. The hit was not heavy, but Li Ruo Shui was awakened by the hit. She opened her eyes and was stunned for a moment as she looked at the red colour, then remembered that she was in a palanquin and was about to get married. The palanquin door rang three times and she remembered what the two matchmakers had said. After yawning, she stretched out her hand to lift the palanquin curtain and took the red wedding silk from the man¡¯s hand. It was only then that the surrounding spectators stopped whispering and began to talk aloud. ¡°This Young Master Zheng is really not bad, good-looking and talented. If it weren¡¯t for the evil deed, those who wanted to marry him would have had to break the threshold of the Zheng family.¡± ¡°Right.¡± As the two were talking with a sense of pity, a man in white ahead of them turned his head and asked with a warm smile. ¡°Is Young Master Zheng very good-looking?¡± The two men saw his closed eyes and the blind stick in his hand, looked at each other with understanding and nodded their heads. ¡°Young Master Zheng is one of the best men in Cangzhou in terms of looks.¡± Lu Zhi Yao raised his eyebrows slightly and his curled lips flattened a little: ¡°How does that compare to me?¡± There are also many men who love to compare their looks, so these two men were not surprised, but looked at him carefully. ¡°In terms of appearance, you are indeed much better than Young Master Zheng.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s eyebrows relaxed and the corners of his lips curled slightly. ¡°But it¡¯s hard to say who looks better. If I have to draw a comparison, you are like a flower, soft and beautiful, but Young Master Zheng is like a bamboo, clear and straight. It¡¯s difficult to compare when both are different.¡± ¡°Yeah, if I were a woman, I would find someone like Young Master Zheng better looking¡­¡­Don¡¯t be angry, Young Master, of course you are good-looking too.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change much, and by the time the people from the Zheng Mansion announced to enter the door, he followed the stream of people into the Zheng Mansion with his blind stick. Except for the mistake during the knocking of the palanquin door, the wedding went smoothly. It didn¡¯t take long for the worship of heaven and earth to be over, and it was time to uncover the head cover and hand out the wedding candy. Chapter 19.2 Substitute Marriage (5) ¨C ¡°The newlyweds are giving out wedding candy, can I eat one too?¡± (2) The red cover was lifted and Li Ruo Shui, who had been bored all morning, was finally able to see the light of day. The relatives of the Zheng family looked at the two newlyweds in the hall and could not help but applaud and laugh. ¡°What a talented man and a beautiful woman!¡± Li Ruo Shui hooked up a commercial fake smile, and when she turned her head she finally saw what the unlucky second son of the Zheng family looked like. His face was delicate and harmless, his body was thin and his skin was pale, and it was obvious that he was not in good health. When this Young Master Zheng captured Li Ruo Shui¡¯s gaze, he only nodded his head in greeting and smiled gently, giving the impression that he was very quiet. They were then taken by the maid to sit in the middle of the hall, where a tray of paper-wrapped crispy candies was placed in their hands respectively. The candies were piled up like a small mountain, waiting for them to finish handing them out one by one. Li Ruo Shui sat there and when someone came, she gave a candy with a smile and casually said some random words of blessings. She didn¡¯t feel like a bride, but more like a shop assistant in a supermarket selling candies. When someone came to try it, she sold it with a smile. A little girl ran up to her with her skirt up and cupped her hands. Li Ruo Shui grabbed a few more for her and uttered those words under her expectant gaze. ¡°Study hard.¡± As soon as the little girl heard that, she deflated her mouth and ran away. Not only did Li Ruo Shui laugh, but Zheng Yan Qing, who had been absent-minded beside her, also laughed. As the two laughed without saying anything, a flash of white slowly arrived in front of them. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyebrows jumped, and the look in Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s eyes took on a bit of expectation. Quickly say some sour words, say some sour words¡­¡­ ¡°The newlyweds are giving out wedding candy, can I eat one too?¡± Lu Zhi Yao arched his eyebrows and held out his palm to her, the white jade Buddha beads on his wrist reflecting the red candles around him, tinged with some warm red colour. Damn it. Was it really useless after all the suffering she had gone through before? Wasn¡¯t there anything that touched his heart? Li Ruo Shui sank into that slight disappointment, took a deep breath, and forgot to give out the candy. Seeing this, Zheng Yan Qing immediately grabbed a handful of crispy candies and tried to put them in his hand but was dodged. He raised his eyes to look at the man in white and inexplicably felt a slight chill. Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t seem to notice Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s movement and continued to speak. ¡°Can¡¯t you give me one?¡± Only then did Li Ruo Shui come back to her senses and pour most of the plate for him, and then began to recite. ¡°I wish you¡­¡­¡± He didn¡¯t seem to be very interested in academics, careers and love. ¡°I wish you can walk without a blind stick in the future, have someone to serve you food at dinner, and have someone to warm your bed when you sleep.¡± That was what she had observed for so long, and she was also reminding him of one thing ¡ª She had done all of these things, so hurry up and get attached to her, quickly fall in love with her, and let her go home earlier! ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Lu Zhi Yao pursed his lips and smiled, walking out of the hall with the small pile of crispy candies. ¡­¡­ He still didn¡¯t get her hints today. Li Ruo Shui sighed and continued to be a relentless candy dispensing machine in the hall. Lu Zhi Yao took the small pile of crispy candies back to his seat, completely unaware that Jiang Nian was looking at the candies in his arms with a sympathetic look. With a smile on his lips, Lu Zhi Yao placed the candies on the table, peeled one open and ate it. Sensing Jiang Nian¡¯s gaze, he casually picked one: ¡°Brother Jiang wants to eat this?¡± Jiang Nian shook his head like a rattle, and then asked hesitantly. ¡°What are your thoughts on Li Ruo Shui¡¯s marriage?¡± Lu Zhi Yao was playing with the candy wrapper in his hands, his face still had that smile that made it impossible for people to tell his true thoughts. ¡°Thoughts? It¡¯s just a marriage.¡± Jiang Nian moved over, looking like a good student: ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Marriage is just about two people going through a ceremony, covering the fact that each of them is living their own lives separately.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Jiang Nian was silent for a moment: ¡°Who told you that?¡± ¡°No one told me, I found it out on my own.¡± Jiang Nian shook his head: ¡°Only people who don¡¯t love each other will do that.¡± Lu Zhi Yao laughed out in a low voice: ¡°Maybe.¡± Just like his mother, just like his master, what was the point of becoming married when it was nothing more than pain when it was just torturing each other. However, if she and Zheng Yan Qing were to torment each other and fight, according to his physique, he would most likely be beaten down by Li Ruo Shui, so he didn¡¯t need to worry about it. Jiang Nian got up and looked around, whispering, ¡°Brother Lu, I¡¯m going to find Fei Yue. We¡¯re going to explore the Zheng Mansion today, so you eat first.¡± Lu Zhi Yao nodded casually, not caring what they were going to do, and just leaned back in his chair, eating the crispy candies one by one. ¡°Blessings spread to all families, a hundred years of harmony, the bride enters the bridal chamber!¡± The high tone came from the hall, the sound of blowing gongs and drums sounded again, and Li Ruo Shui was led to the bridal chamber. He peeled the candy wrapper and suddenly felt inexplicably annoyed. Chapter 20.1 Substitute Marriage (6) ¨C Agile and Clever (1) Once the bride was in the bridal chamber, the groom had to stay here for wine toasting. However, Zheng Yan Qing was not in good health, so he could only use tea instead of wine, and toasted table by table. Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t touch the food at the wedding banquet, but just peeled open the crispy candies one by one and ate them one after another as if he wasn¡¯t tired of them. The child sitting next to him ate the duck meat and glanced at him from time to time. Lu Zhi Yao was so pretty and ate so deliciously that it completely tickled the child¡¯s cravings. But he somehow felt that there was something scary about this man and dared not go up to him to make conversation. Seeing how his eyes were closed and couldn¡¯t see, he boldly reached out to touch a crispy candy. ¡°Want to eat candy?¡± Lu Zhi Yao reached out and grabbed the child¡¯s hand with a gentle smile. The child relaxed at the sight of his smile and nodded, ¡°I want to eat it.¡± Lu Zhi Yao turned to him, with a candy bulging out of his left cheek and he looked so harmless. ¡°I seem to be in a bit of a bad mood, how about this, you give me a finger, and when I¡¯m happy, I¡¯ll give you a candy, how about that?¡± He took out a shiny dagger from his sleeve and twirled it between his fingers, the stream of light that spun from the dagger crossed the child¡¯s eyes. The child looked at the small knife in his hand and was so frightened that he dropped his duck legs to the ground. Hearing the movement, Lu Zhi Yao put the dagger back and sighed helplessly. ¡°Boring.¡± He continued to eat the crispy candy as his fingertips kept tapping the tabletop. As if something finally occurred to him, he put the remaining crispy candies into his arms, took the blind stick on the side and walked outside, with a much brisker pace. * Li Ruo Shui was lying on the couch covering her stomach, hungry and sleepy. The sun had almost set outside the window, but she hadn¡¯t eaten anything yet. Are married people not human? Just when she was looking out of the window in boredom, a group of people suddenly arrived outside with a lot of noise. She turned over and sat up, looking through the paper window, only to see Zheng Yan Qing and his maids and servants behind him slowly walking towards the room. Li Ruo Shui lifted her skirt off the couch and the door was pushed open just as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Zheng Yan Qing smiled apologetically at her and went forward to sit beside her. The maids and servants carried the food and dried fruits, and after they arranged the food, they stood in a line in front of the two of them. Li Ruo Shui looked at them, not remembering for a moment what the process was. ¡°What is this¡­¡­¡± Two of the maids came forward, each holding a tray of dried fruit containing dried dates and peanuts. ¡°May the young master and young lady have a precious child early and be blessed for a hundred years.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, she tossed all the dried fruits in her hands over. Looking at the two trays of dried fruits, Li Ruo Shui reflexively closed her eyes and remembered the process of this ¡°blessing¡±. How could this be a blessing, it was obviously just a grudge! The dried hard nuts fell on the clothes and the bed, making a thumping sound that was painful to hear. It was nothing if it hit her body, but she was just afraid that it would hit her face. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes were shut tightly the whole time and her hands were clutching the hem of her skirt. In such a situation, what she feared most was not being hit, but the nervousness of being hit. What kind of marriage is this? This is clearly a punishment. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, the maid seemed to be afraid of disrupting the auspicious time, yet she could not just pour it all out, so she had to speed up the frequency of the blessings. ¡°May the young master and young lady have a precious child early and a hundred years of good fortune¡­¡­¡± The maid said that while throwing, although she had already paid attention to the direction, she still could not avoid hitting the face¡ª Hit Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s face. Zheng Yan Qing was in a daze, his face had already been hit with several red marks. Li Ruo Shui closed her eyes and was nervous, but none of them hit her face. When the two trays of dried fruits were finally emptied, the maids sighed in relief and left the place in a hurry after saluting them. Li Ruo Shui opened her eyes, patted her chest thankfully, and said after the disaster. ¡°Luckily I didn¡¯t get hit in the face.¡± When she turned her eyes to look at Zheng Yan Qing, she couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter, ¡°You¡¯re so miserable.¡± Zheng Yan Qing not only had red marks on his face, but also had a few peanuts in his hair, and he looked in a terrible state. ¡°I had already foreseen this coming yesterday.¡± Zheng Yan Qing gestured to the food on the table: ¡°Do you want to eat some?¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯m hungry too.¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand was chafed as she got up. She picked up something and couldn¡¯t help but twitch the corners of her mouth. ¡°Never mind if it¡¯s dates and peanuts, why have to go as far as spreading crispy candy?¡± It was a small piece of broken crispy candy, with sharp-edged and a sweet fragrance. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s posture and tone of voice were so natural that Zheng Yan Qing not only felt much less awkward, but strangely more of a touch of brotherly affection. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± He turned to look at the bed and paused for a moment: ¡°¡­¡­there are quite a lot.¡± The red bed surface looked very conspicuous with many crumbled pieces of crispy candy scattered between the dried dates and peanuts. ¡°Luckily I¡¯m fine.¡± Li Ruo Shui sighed again, threw the crispy candy back on the bed and sat down at the table with Zheng Yan Qing to get something to eat to fill her stomach. To be precise, she hadn¡¯t eaten anything since the two matchmakers came to her door yesterday afternoon. Chapter 20.2 Substitute Marriage (6) ¨C Agile and Clever (2) ¡°Miss Li, are you marrying me of your own free will?¡± The words had been brewing for a long time, but Li Ruo Shui¡¯s words and behaviour inexplicably made him feel close, as if it didn¡¯t matter what he said. Li Ruo Shui wasn¡¯t surprised at all when she heard what he said. ¡°No.¡± Zheng Yan Qing sighed with relief at her words and his expression turned more natural. He took out a piece of letter paper from his wedding dress and put it on the table apologetically. ¡°Miss Li, this is the contract I wrote.¡± Li Ruo Shui ate her food and took a look at it. It was a hand-stamped contract, agreeing that he will separate with her after half a year. ¡°No.¡± Li Ruo Shui put down the paper: ¡°One month at most.¡± Zheng Yan Qing was stunned for a moment, nodded and smiled. He coughed a few times and then put the paper back. ¡°It seems that Miss Li has come prepared.¡± He picked up his chopsticks relaxedly, his expression unchanged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry that I¡¯ll tell anyone, it¡¯s better that you turn this place upside down.¡± Li Ruo Shui nodded at him with a deep expression: ¡°You must think highly of me.¡± All she did was to approach Lu Zhi Yao. As for the main line of the original book, about the male and female protagonists storyline, she didn¡¯t worry about it at all. ¡°Cough cough cough!¡± Zheng Yan Qing heard such words for the first time and uncontrollably coughed for a long time. Li Ruo Shui thought it was because the window was open, and that he was coughing due to the cold wind, so she got up to close the window. Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian, who had been searching the Zheng Mansion over and over again, happened to pass by. Originally they just passed by to see if anything had happened, but seeing that the window was closed, they approached there immediately. The wedding banquet was not yet over, and most of the maids and servants were helping in the front hall, so the place was basically unguarded. Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian went under the windowsill and were looking in through the window when they suddenly heard a soft sound from above. They looked up and saw Lu Zhi Yao sitting on the beam of the corridor with his knees bent, and his hands flipping a few dark yellow candy wrappers. They could not see his expression from below. Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian looked at each other with some doubts in their minds. Jiang Nian climbed up the beam and asked him in a whispering voice. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Lu Zhi Yao threw the candy wrapper down and that familiar smile curled up on his lips again. He pulled out a green porcelain bottle from his pocket and returned in the same whispering voice: ¡°To give her medicine.¡± Jiang Nian: ¡­¡­ He really couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°Then we will go and search again, and you keep an eye to prevent Young Master Zheng from doing anything bad to her.¡± Lu Zhi Yao paused his hand which was playing with the porcelain vase and raised his head slightly: ¡°What kind of bad thing? Will he kill Li Ruo Shui?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that kind of bad thing.¡± Jiang Nian waved his hand, opened and closed his lips as he spoke out euphemistically, ¡°It¡¯s something that a married person would do.¡± ¡°Lock her up?¡± ¡°What¡­¡­¡± Jiang Nian took a deep breath, but still kept his voice down: ¡°No matter what it is, you should pay attention to it. If something goes wrong, go in and knock Zheng Yan Qing unconscious.¡± ¡°Like this.¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled and nodded his head. Jiang Nian¡¯s reminder did make him realise that he should indeed go in and knock him out. After Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian had both left, he immediately descended the beam and did not wait a moment longer. Inside the room, Li Ruo Shui had already eaten and washed up. She was sitting on the side waiting for Zheng Yan Qing to redraft the contract. But she was really too tired and sleepy. She had stayed up all night yesterday and had been busy all day today, so she could not stay up long and fell asleep on the table. After Zheng Yan Qing finished writing the contract, he looked up and saw this image, and couldn¡¯t help but laugh in disbelief. He put the contract away, tapped Li Ruo Shui¡¯s arm and called her several times, but there was no response. Zheng Yan Qing sighed. He took a thin blanket from the side and draped it over her, helping her up from her seat. ¡°Excuse me.¡± But his physique was weak, and it was difficult to lift Li Ruo Shui up. Just when he was considering whether he should carry her on his back, a pain in the back of his neck caused him to faint. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s tone was gentle and he smoothly caught the fallen Li Ruo Shui. After hugging her, a stream of light flashed over his hand. It was a sharp dagger. His eyelashes curved and he was about to attack when he heard a few murmurs from Li Ruo Shui. The dagger in his hand turned around between his fingers, but returned to his sleeve. He then held Li Ruo Shui in his arms and lifted his foot over him. The candle in this room had long been extinguished by him, and at this moment only the moonlight through the paper window was left to illuminate the room slightly. He didn¡¯t need the light in the first place. He could still walk without his blind stick, just a little slower. Carrying Li Ruo Shui to the bed, he reached out and touched the surface of the bed. There was no more dried fruit as it had already been cleaned up. Lu Zhi Yao put Li Ruo Shui on the bed and bent his knees to sit on the footrest himself. He took out the porcelain bottle and pulled Li Ruo Shui¡¯s right hand, preparing to apply medicine to her. ¡°There¡¯s still one last time left.¡± A soft sigh echoed through the silent room, and Li Ruo Shui, who hadn¡¯t slept behavingly, rolled over again to face him, with long breathing. Lu Zhi Yao touched the bruises on her palm and fingers, not knowing what he was thinking. Suddenly, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand lifted and landed right on the side of his face, gently stroking his cheek. He had been sitting on the beam for a long time, and he didn¡¯t like to wear much, so his body temperature had always been low. When he suddenly touched the temperature of her palm, it was as scorching as fire. It was so hot that it made his heart skip a beat. The hand was very restless, touching and kneading him every now and then. The scar on her palms was rubbing against his cheeks, bringing a numbing and tickling sensation, like comforting and pleasing. Lu Zhi Yao was silent for a long time, and then laughed in a low voice. He laughed for a long time and the corners of his eyes curved up with infinite spring love. He took Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand down and applied the ointment for her, sighing softly. ¡°So agile and clever even when you¡¯re asleep.¡± Chapter 21.1 Substitute Marriage (7) ¨C Haunted (1) ¡°Cackle¡ªcackle¡ª¡± The sound of bones turning reverberated in the room, and wind blowing from nowhere lifted the bed curtain, burrowing into the neck and stirring up a chill. The bedpost seemed to be gnawed by something, rattling. A blood-red eye appeared on the top of the canopy, which had been changed several times before, reflecting the moonlight in an eerie way. The body was so stiff that it was uncontrollable, like a ghost pressing on the bed, so that one could only look straight into those red eyes. There seemed to be someone under the bed, and he was scraping his sharp fingernails against the bed board, each stroke feeling like a scratch on the back. The interior room was so lively, and there was naturally no rest outside the door. The knock on the door sounded all night, and the closed wooden door creaked as if it would be broken open the next moment. Li Ruo Shui, who was lying on the bed, could not help trembling, but she was unable to move, and her back was already soaked with cold sweat. ¡°Brother and sister, open the door and let me in.¡± The children¡¯s voice rang outside the door, sounded innocent, but the door was slammed even harder. Li Ruo Shui turned her eyes towards the spot where the latch was pressed into an arc, and a pair of eyes appeared between the open crack, staring straight at her through the crack. ¡°Damn it!¡± Li Ruo Shui cursed out as her heart was beating wildly and her hairs stood on end due to the violent shock. She tried hard to make a move, but still she couldn¡¯t control her body. ¡°I¡¯m coming in!¡± The gap in the door seemed to widen as he grinned cheekily and continued to push, making the door creaked and screamed. There was a rustling sound and the locked paper window was poked through, revealing a pair of dull eyes staring at her. The scratching sound under the bed intensified, and the sound gradually moved from the middle towards the edge of the bed until a bloody hand snapped up onto the edge from under the bed. ¡°Motherfucker! I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± During the internal and external attack, a pain shot through her shoulder and she suddenly gained strength. With the restraints gone, Li Ruo Shui rose violently, picked up a wooden stick from the side and swept it under the bed. She then opened the door, carrying the wooden stick, and shouted at the empty corridor like a faultfinder. ¡°I know someone¡¯s up to something, come out and fight me one on one if you can!¡± ¡°Hiring child labour, do you pay them!¡± Finally done venting, her inner fear and anger were relieved. Li Ruo Shui leaned against the door, panting and staring intently around her. She knew that someone would come and play a trick on her, and she had made preconceptions for herself, but she didn¡¯t expect that she would be afraid when she actually encountered it. The clothing she was wearing was all wet, and now was rubbing against her back with a dry, hard touch, reminding her of how scared she was. Li Ruo Shui took a deep breath and turned to close the door. She pushed the table against the door and then walked to the couch. Zheng Yan Qing was lying upright on the couch, motionless, and only his eyes could turn to look at her. ¡°Are you alright¡­¡­don¡¯t look at me.¡± Li Ruo Shui took a step back, seeing him like this, she could not help but think of those eyes between the crack on the door. Zheng Yan Qing turned his eyes back and spoke apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you for so long when it¡¯s obvious that I¡¯m the target.¡± Li Ruo Shui waved her hand, tossed the stick aside, lit three or four oil lamps, and the room slowly lit up. ¡°Wait until tomorrow and I¡¯ll catch them.¡± Although it was indeed frightening, the hardest part was that the harassment for several days in a row had seriously affected Li Ruo Shui¡¯s sleep. She was originally a punctual sleeper, but because of this, she had to make up for her sleep during the day and stay awake at night. She had had enough of this reversed routine. ¡°Why didn¡¯t your parents just send someone to keep watch, instead they had to find someone to tell fortunes?¡± Hearing her talking about his family, the apology look on Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s face faded a little. ¡°I told them before. However, nothing appeared after a month of guarding, but as soon as the guards left, there was something again. They thought I had struck an evil spirit and they wouldn¡¯t listen to any explanation from me.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at him and asked tentatively, ¡°So what do you think of your illness?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bad fate and illness, and it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Zheng Yan Qing knew that this ghost pretending act was deliberate on someone¡¯s part, but he never suspected that his illness was also related to it. Li Ruo Shui nodded and pretended not to care as she mentioned, ¡°Maybe your illness isn¡¯t an accident either.¡± [Host, please do not reveal the plot] Li Ruo Shui:¡­¡­ This system is usually useless, but it talks a lot when it shouldn¡¯t appear. Zheng Yan Qing was stunned for a moment at her words, but then smiled: ¡°Perhaps.¡± So what if he knew who did it, he was already in a cage, so why bother to worry about this minor illness. ¡°Miss Li, go to sleep if you¡¯re sleepy, I¡¯m used to not being able to move, so it¡¯s fine.¡± Li Ruo Shui yawned and lay on the table, ¡°I¡¯d better continue sleeping here. I¡¯ll sleep in the bed when I¡¯ve caught the man.¡± Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian had searched Zheng Mansion upside down but hadn¡¯t found any letters. They had reported to the branch of the case patrol division in the past two days. So it was likely that she would have to stay here for a few more days. ¡°Did you find out where the fire grass I asked you about is?¡± ¡°My mother said I didn¡¯t need it, so she didn¡¯t give it to me.¡± Zheng Yan Qing was even more apologetic: ¡°I only know there is a dark room, but I don¡¯t know where it goes.¡± Maybe it could have been kept in the same place as the letters. It was written in the original book that the secret room was found in the study, and the way to open it was not complicated, but Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian had not found it, so there was probably something wrong with it. I¡¯ll have to wait until the two of them return and mention it again. Life is too hard, worrying about everything. Li Ruo Shui sighed, her voice still hoarse from her previous scream. ¡°It¡¯s strange, this is your home but you don¡¯t know anything about it.¡± Zheng Yan Qing forced a smile and bit his lip in silence for a while, ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know anything.¡± When no more sound came from the table, he guessed that Li Ruo Shui had fallen asleep. Zheng Yan Qing looked at the roof and laughed silently. He thought Li Ruo Shui would escape the first night she was frightened, but he did not expect that not only did she not leave, but instead she rushed out to resist with a wooden stick. ¡°Miss Li, you¡¯re really bold.¡± * Chapter 21.2 Substitute Marriage (7) ¨C Haunted (2) ¡°Hello, Young Lady.¡± Li Ruo Shui was embarrassed for a moment when she heard this title. She nodded her head and continued to walk outside. If she wanted to catch the ghost, she had to find Lu Zhi Yao, but she had spent the last few days making up for her sleep in the daytime and being harassed by the ¡°ghost¡± at night. Counting the days, she had not seen him for four days. He couldn¡¯t have left Cangzhou already, could he? It was Li Ruo Shui who had dragged him to Cangzhou in the first place, so if he had left in the past few days, it would be more of a loss than gain. Thinking of this possibility, Li Ruo Shui hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran, the more she thought about it, the more wrong it became. She had actually let Lu Zhi Yao stay by himself for four days! ¡°Sister-in-law, wait!¡± At the front door came a woman in a blue gauze dress with a graceful posture and dignified demeanour, but the end of her upturned eyebrows were a bit sharp and her pursed lips carried a bit of arrogance, she did not look good to approach. This is Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s sister, Zheng Mei. Li Ruo Shui was a little anxious, but still stopped: ¡°Sister Zheng, I have something to do ¡­¡­¡± Zheng Mei stopped her and spoke concisely. ¡°I just have one question. You said that the white-clothed gentleman you competed with last time was at the Fulai Inn, but why didn¡¯t I see him when I went there this morning.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t see him?¡± Li Ruo Shui froze for a moment, then frowned, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t care about Zheng Mei¡¯s actions, she was preoccupied with the fact that he wasn¡¯t at the inn, and lifted her skirt and ran away like a gust of wind. She had slept too much a few days ago, and she hadn¡¯t even gone looking for him once. Wasn¡¯t this a proper loss in goodwill! When she entered the Fulai Inn, Li Ruo Shui ran up to the second floor in one breath and pushed open the door. She was relieved at the sight of the white colour by the window, and her heart relaxed. ¡°I thought you were gone.¡± Li Ruo Shui gasped and went to the table to pour tea. She hadn¡¯t rested well for a few days, and now that she suddenly ran so far, she felt a little dizzy for a while. ¡°Are you afraid of ghosts?¡± Lu Zhi Yao sat by the window with his back to her, the sunrise casting a golden edge over him. ¡°I¡¯m afraid.¡± Li Ruo Shui took a sip of tea and frankly admitted it. ¡°Is that so.¡± Lu Zhi Yao replied in a vague way. Then something seemed to twist in front of him, causing him to lean his shoulders slightly, pressing his arms forward, and the fastened robe outlined his waist even more visibly. So thin. Li Ruo Shui silently put down the teacup and stood up, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± A half tail appeared in his arms, and then the thing jumped to the top of his head. The short-haired cat had its ears hanging down, and its dark pupils were staring at her. Li Ruo Shui: ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been playing with this cat for four days, have you?¡± Lu Zhi Yao turned to face her. The cat also turned around on top of his head and continued to stare at Li Ruo Shui. Although it was said that staring at a cat for too long would lead to an attack, Li Ruo Shui did not feel that it wanted to attack her, but instead it wanted her to go over and hold it down. Lu Zhi Yao stroked the dangling cat¡¯s tail with a pleasant expression, his eyes and eyebrows showing a kind of satisfaction and tenderness, and he pondered for a moment before speaking. ¡°I played with another cat for four days.¡± ??? Did he have a cat outside? Li Ruo Shui forgot about ghost hunting for a moment, as all her attention was taken away by the cat. He was usually hated by everyone but there was a cat willing to play with him for four days? ¡°What kind of cat?¡± ¡°Long-haired, big-eyed, timid, and afraid of ghosts, but very good at pleasing people.¡± There was no such cat. Li Ruo Shui held back her laughter, saving face for him by not exposing it. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and stepped forward to carry the cat off his head. ¡°Be careful not to make the cat anxious or it will scratch your face.¡± The extremely nervous short-haired cat suddenly relaxed, cuddling Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand palm and meowing non-stop. ¡°Scratch my face?¡± Lu Zhi Yao tilted his head slightly, as if he suddenly remembered something. ¡°I forgot, you are a woman who looks at faces.¡± Lu Zhi Yao uttered these words softly, but inexplicably with some mockery, which sounded new to Li Ruo Shui. ¡°You can actually be sarcastic, I thought you only had one intonation.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s eyes were closed, leaning his head against the window, ¡°looking¡± at her against the light, and said with a smile: ¡°What kind of intonation.¡± ¡°Just like smiling all the time, talking to people as if you are borrowing money, incredibly gentle and polite.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an interesting metaphor.¡± Lu Zhi Yao pursed his lips and chuckled, returning to that intonation, ¡°So you came to me to¡­?¡± Li Ruo Shui was stroking the cat, leaning on the windowsill two centimetres away from him, and tilting her head to look at him. ¡°Looking for you to catch a ghost, that could be interesting, do you want to go or not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very expensive.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any money.¡± Li Ruo Shui shortened the distance by two centimetres, touching the corner of his clothes, and shoved her head into his hand, and spoke in a deep voice. ¡°As long as you go to hunt the ghost, feel free to stroke it.¡± She remembered that Lu Zhi Yao was very fond of her hair. It was not a loss if she let him stroke it and could get a good night¡¯s sleep. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s fingers moved slightly and touched her cheek. Warm, soft, unlike anything before, and even the smooth hair wasn¡¯t as attractive as before. His eyelashes trembled slightly as he pulled his hand out and touched the end of Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hair as usual, and asked a question softly. ¡°Who looks better, me or Mr. Zheng?¡± Chapter 22.1 Substitute Marriage (8) ¨C Sensitive (1) ¡°Who looks better, me or Mr. Zheng?¡± This sentence was clueless, and Li Ruo Shui was at a loss for words. Her head spun around in Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s hands, she tried to pull it out but failed, so she replied frankly. ¡°What are you asking this for?¡± Li Ruo Shui remembered that he said before that he didn¡¯t particularly care about the appearance, so what did he mean by this question? ¡°Just curious.¡± She would be a fool if she believed it, it was definitely not curiosity. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s head was being held by him, but her mind was spinning fast and she began to analyse the pros and cons of the situation. Firstly, he had an opinion only about her just caring about appearance, secondly, he didn¡¯t care about appearance, but lastly, he still thought from the bottom of his heart that she was a person who only care about the appearance, so¡ª ¡°I think you two are similar.¡± After a brief analysis, Li Ruo Shui chose to be fair. Rubbing his hand on the end of her hair, he murmured, ¡°I see.¡± Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t see his expression and his tone didn¡¯t change much. She pondered it over for a while, and she thought that what she said and being fair were good. ¡°Do you often look at him too?¡± A cold fingertip touched her neck, stirring a wave of goosebumps, and Li Ruo Shui subconsciously shrank her neck. Her analysis told her to be fair, but her subconscious told her she should follow her heart. ¡°Of course not.¡± She chose to trust her subconscious mind and chose to follow her heart. The cat in her arms was being held nervously in her arms, meowed and escaped, running through the door and out of sight. ¡°Your cat ran away.¡± Li Ruo Shui turned her head with difficulty , so he let go of her head. ¡°Didn¡¯t run away.¡± Lu Zhi Yao came down from the edge of the window, tossing the black hair that had slipped in front of him behind him. He picked up the blind stick that was set aside with a soft expression. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s catch ghosts with you tonight.¡± He looked like one of those compassionate people who help others with their swords, and even Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t help but have the absurd thought of ¡°he¡¯s so nice¡±. Li Ruo Shui smoothed her hair and ran after him, ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast first.¡± Morning in Cangzhou was lively, with people starting work early, and there were many breakfasts on the streets. Wontons, fried dumplings, noodles, everything was available. The mist that rose when the lid was lifted drifted across the April sky. Li Ruo Shui took Lu Zhi Yao to sit at the side of the street, ordered two bowls of soup wontons, and excitedly handed him a spoon. ¡°I knew his wontons were fragrant as soon as I smelled them, and sure enough, there were shrimps mixed in it, and it must taste fresh.¡± Lu Zhi Yao tilted his head towards her, ¡°What is shrimp?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very small shrimp.¡± Li Ruo Shui took a sip of the soup and had a feeling that her soul had returned to her body. ¡°Do you like to eat it?¡± Lu Zhi Yao still looked as usual, and didn¡¯t react much even when he lowered his head and ate a wonton. His mother gave him steamed buns since he was a child, and he didn¡¯t have a good life with his master later on, so it was logical that a child who grew up like this usually loved food. But not only did he not love it, his appetite was very small, as if eating was a form of torture. Even such wontons with thin skin and many fillings and mellow soup were not able to catch his eyes. After eating five or six of them and drinking some of the soup, he slowed down. Li Ruo Shui, who intended to make him eat more, struck up a conversation. ¡°How come you¡¯re not curious at all to hear me talking about catching ghosts?¡± Hearing this, Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t restrain himself from curling his lips, and the porcelain spoon touched the edge of the bowl, making a clunk sound. ¡°Of course it¡¯s because I was there.¡± Now it was Li Ruo Shui¡¯s turn to be stunned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I was sitting on the roof listening when the ghost tried to enter the room, and it was interesting to hear you swear for the first time.¡± Li Ruo Shui: ¡­¡­ The atmosphere seemed even scarier at the thought of Lu Zhi Yao smiling behind them, but¡ª ¡°Why were you on the roof?¡± ¡°Waiting for something to happen.¡± He was waiting for the scene where the two newlyweds had a big fight, and when that happened, perhaps he might make a mistake and send Zheng Yan Qing to heaven, and everything would return to the original track. Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t know what he was waiting for, but she wasn¡¯t going to dwell on the question any longer, intuiting that she might have a heart attack if she kept asking. Li Ruo Shui sat on a stool, felt the morning breeze blowing and stretched out. All the fatigue of the previous days was greatly relieved. ¡°There aren¡¯t many wontons in this bowl, so eat them all. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Lu Zhi Yao paused for a moment at her words and put down the porcelain spoon: ¡°I¡¯m already full, let¡¯s go.¡± Li Ruo Shui stared at him for a moment and her dark eyes tinged with a slight smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Without arguing with him about how much to eat, Li Ruo Shui put down the coins and led him away. She didn¡¯t go straight back to Zheng Mansion, but took a long detour and led Lu Zhi Yao around the streets. ¡°This soup dumpling tastes weird, try it.¡± Li Ruo Shui not only ate it herself, but also picked one up and naturally handed it to his mouth: ¡°See if it¡¯s different from what you¡¯ve eaten before?¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s lips smiled as he felt the warmth on his lips and subconsciously opened his mouth to eat it. It was just the taste of ordinary dumplings, there was no strange taste. Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter and patted him on the shoulder, there was an undisguised laughter in her words. ¡°This one is probably not right, try this one again.¡± Knowing what she meant, Lu Zhi Yao still smiled softly, but there was something indescribably strange in his heart. He kept smiling, but never opened his mouth again. Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t force him either and ate the soup dumpling herself. The street was so long, so if he ate a little at one stall, he would have eaten almost all of it by the time he reached the Zheng Mansion. ¡°Someone is selling crystal cake over there.¡± The crystal cake was made from fruit, the steamed crust was crystal clear and the glutinous rice cake wrapped between it looked soft and lovely, it must taste good. Chapter 22.2 Substitute Marriage (8) ¨C Sensitive (2) Li Ruo Shui took Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s wrist with one hand and pulled out a copper coin with the other. ¡°Boss, give a few more.¡± When Lu Zhi Yao first arrived there, a sweet fruity fragrance rushed into his nose, and just smelling it made his mouth feel sweet and nourishing. Seemingly unable to bear the sweetness, Lu Zhi Yao, who was smiling, frowned slightly and took a step back. This made Li Ruo Shui curious. This man was not afraid of death, but he was afraid of the smell of crystal cake. What is the reason for this? Taking the paper wrapped sorbet, Li Ruo Shui picked up a piece and put it in front of his nose. ¡°Does it smell good? Do you want to eat it?¡± Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t even smile. He pursed his lips and took a step back: ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat it.¡± ¡°Take a bite.¡± This was the first time she forced Lu Zhi Yao back, Li Ruo Shui was so excited that she didn¡¯t even keep a safe distance and crashed into his arms, taking a big bite of the crystal cake. ¡°Then I¡¯ll eat it.¡± The fragrance of the bitten crystal cake wafted out of Li Ruo Shui¡¯s mouth: ¡°Are you afraid?¡± The young girl moved forward intently, with the sweet scent lingering near his ears, and for a moment he lost his dominance, like a weak woman being dallied by a bully. But instead of getting angry, he jumped for joy, seemingly happy about being out of control. His heart throbbed again, uncontrollably. ¡­¡­how to get rid of this strange sensation. ¡°The horse is shocked! Get out of the way!¡± A series of iron hoof beats came breaking through the wind, and pedestrians on the street hurriedly avoided it, spilling a lot of things on the street. Li Ruo Shui wanted to dodge too, but she was pulled by Lu Zhi Yao with a smile and stood in the middle of the road, unable to move at all. Feeling Li Ruo Shui¡¯s intense heartbeat, he calmed down, as if everything was back to his control. He bent his eyelashes and touched Li Ruo Shui¡¯s neck vein, softly spitting out three words. ¡°Afraid or not.¡± A big man in front of him couldn¡¯t dodge in time and was knocked to the ground by a horse, its iron hoof stepped on his leg, probably broken. Li Ruo Shui cried out in her heart about how unlucky she was. How could she run into something like a frightened horse when she had such an easy chance! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m wrong, I shouldn¡¯t have teased you!¡± Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t expect to get such an answer and raised a smile. ¡°Is this a teasing? So I¡¯m also teasing you now?¡± What kind of brain circuit is this! ¡°Sort of, you can find another opportunity to tease me, but you wouldn¡¯t have the chance if I was hit.¡± Li Ruo Shui pulled his waist and tried to take him away from this position with her. She didn¡¯t know which sentence moved him, but this fellow rubbed his fingertips against her neck vein and tapped his toes when the horse arrived, taking her with him as he landed on one side. Li Ruo Shui patted her chest to catch her breath. It was so thrilling that she seemed to feel the horse¡¯s snorting breath just then. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, teasing is so interesting.¡± A soft exclamation came from behind her, and Li Ruo Shui was left speechless. Trying to explain to him the difference between teasing and murder was difficult, so she decided to shut up. She was already used to his sudden outbursts anyway, and didn¡¯t care if it happened more or less. Mentally trained, Li Ruo Shui quickly recovered from the shock and was even able to take out a piece of crystal cake without changing her expression. ¡°After teasing, you have to compensate for it and eat this crystal cake.¡± Lu Zhi Yao was a pervert, but in a way Li Ruo Shui was not an ordinary person either. In terms of alertness in conversations, Li Ruo Shui could even rival him. ¡°Compensation?¡± Lu Zhi Yao inclined his head away from the sweet pastry, ¡°Why do you always want me to eat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too thin, and although you have some muscles, the food you ate just isn¡¯t enough for you to consume, that¡¯s why your hands and feet are cold all the time.¡± Li Ruo Shui really couldn¡¯t resist poking his slender arms, prominent butterfly bones and slender waist¡­¡­ Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t help but tremble, and the smile that had been hooked up froze at the corners of his mouth as he subconsciously touched the hilt of his sword beside him. Li Ruo Shui poked his waist again, and this time not only his body, but also his eyelashes trembled along with him. ¡­¡­ So sensitive. Her face turned slightly red. Li Ruo Shui felt that her behaviour was a little perverted, so she retracted her hand and shoved the crystal cake into his hand. ¡°You, you eat it, this is not greasy.¡± She still wanted to pull his wrist, but then she remembered something and turned to pull his sleeve, leading him towards the Zheng Mansion. Li Ruo Shui always felt that she had discovered some unfathomable secret and was afraid that she would be killed by him in a second the next moment, so she kept pressing the sword at his side while pulling him. Lu Zhi Yao was dragged forward with a crystal cake in his arms, his steps were stiff, and the numbness that ran through his tailbone a moment ago had long since disappeared, but he was still a little absentminded. And Li Ruo Shui was also no better. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s expression caught her eyes just now. His trembling body, his trembling eyelashes, and his pursed lips, all of these were different from what he had shown in the past. Inexplicably, he made people want to bully him. Li Ruo Shui shook her head, trying to shake this terrible thought out of her head, silently chanting not to make a fool of herself. But his trembling look was really beautiful. Damn, it was a bit of a turn-on. Chapter 23.1 Substitute Marriage (9) ¨C ¡°You trapped me again!¡± (1) The Zheng Mansion was strictly guarded, and except for the members of their own family, other people would need an invitation to enter and leave. Even if Zheng Yan Qing and Zheng Mei wanted to bring someone into the Zheng Mansion, they also had to inform Madam Zheng first, let alone Li Ruo Shui. She stood at the door with Lu Zhi Yao, waiting for the servant to go in and report. After a while, not only the servant, but also Zheng Mei, the eldest daughter of the Zheng family, came. She had obviously dressed up carefully, with a plum blossom painted on her forehead, and the snow gauze covering her body, swaying as she walked, carrying a fairy aura. Zheng Mei stopped in front of the two of them and looked at them with her chin raised slightly. ¡°Strangers entering the house have to be examined.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at her suspiciously, and then nodded. She always felt that there was something wrong with this Zheng Mei. Yesterday, she asked her about Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s residence, and this morning she went to look for him. Could it be that she had taken a fancy to Lu Zhi Yao? P¡±Where do you live, who are there in your family, are you married?¡± When Li Ruo Shui heard Zheng Mei¡¯s question, the question in her heart was answered, and she immediately looked at Zheng Mei with a bit of admiration. Zheng Mei¡¯s appearance was cold and beautiful, but it¡¯s different from Lu Fei Yue¡¯s cold and beautiful appearance. Lu Fei Yue had a touch of warmth in her cold beauty, while Zheng Mei¡¯s beauty was accompanied by an unconcealed arrogance. Even her question at this moment had a slight hint of condescension. ¡°Me?¡± Lu Zhi Yao crumpled the empty paper packet in his hand, and smiled a little: ¡°I¡¯m an orphan.¡± All of Zheng Mei¡¯s questions were blocked with just four words. Zheng Mei frowned subconsciously when she heard this condition, but she loosened her brows when she thought that such a family background was easy to handle. She looked Lu Zhi Yao up and down before revealing a satisfied smile, and then grant them a way. ¡°Go in.¡± Li Ruo Shui lifted her foot and crossed the threshold, but Lu Zhi Yao was still standing in the same place without moving. He harboured a smile that was a few degrees warmer than the sun this April, making Zheng Mei¡¯s heart throbbing wildly. ¡°Forget it this time, next time you look at me like that, I¡¯ll gouge your eyes out.¡± Li Ruo Shui lifted her eyebrows and she hurriedly stepped forward to press his arm: ¡°He¡¯s joking, we still have things to do, so we won¡¯t stay here much longer.¡± Zheng Mei looked at Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hurried steps and couldn¡¯t help but sneer, and her arrogance was undoubtedly revealed. Only people like them were so cautious, how could such words scare her, she was Zheng Mei, and she has countless masters, he would not dare even if she gives him a hundred guts. However, only a man of such a kind would be worthy of her. ¡°And what a way to show beauty to the blind.¡± She touched the flower between her eyebrows and turned to her maid: ¡°It¡¯s all right, it¡¯s nothing about being blind when he looks like that. I¡¯ll go and talk to my mother about this.¡± Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s room was in the East Court, and it was not far, but there were many twists and turns along the way. Besides that, they were the only ones living in the East Court, so it was very quiet. The only people they met along the way were the patrollers. ¡°These people are really useless. They patrol every night, but they have never caught those who pretend to be ghosts.¡± Li Ruo Shui mumbled a few words and led Lu Zhi Yao into the room. Zheng Yan Qing read here every day, but again, it wasn¡¯t any classics, mostly some travelogues and strange stories. ¡°Miss Li, you¡¯re back¡­¡­¡± Zheng Yan Qing put down the book in his hand and stopped when she saw Lu Zhi Yao who was following behind her, ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°His surname is Lu, and he is a friend I invited to catch ghosts.¡± Li Ruo Shui replied casually, led Lu Zhi Yao to sit at the table and handed him a piece of almond pastry. ¡°Quickly try it, this is the best pastry they made at the Zheng Mansion.¡± Li Ruo Shui was inexplicably relieved that he had eaten the crystal cake she handed to him just now, and she wished she could feed him more. This was probably the joy of having a pet. The faint milky fragrance was brought to his lips. Lu Zhi Yao originally did not want to eat anymore, but for some reason, he opened his mouth and ate it. The taste of milk and almonds mixed, filling his tongue, accompanied by Li Ruo Shui¡¯s murmuring voice. Lu Zhi Yao could not help but curl up his lips and relax his shoulders and neck. He turned his head slightly to the left ¡®looking¡¯ at Li Ruo Shui. His ink-like strands of hair faintly covered his left eye, revealing a straight nose bridge and fan-like eyelashes, showing an indescribable beauty and tenderness. ¡°Won¡¯t you let Mr. Zheng discuss it.¡± Li Ruo Shui: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Why did he say this so strangely. Zheng Yan Qing smiled and sat down, looking a bit formal, and Li Ruo Shui was speechless. This was clearly the Zheng family right, shouldn¡¯t the two of them swap their attitudes? ¡°It¡¯s okay, Zheng Yan Qing can¡¯t even move at night, he can just lie down, the main output is still you.¡± Li Ruo Shui patted his shoulder and spoke in a serious manner, ¡°Whether I can sleep well or not all depends on you.¡± Although Lu Zhi Yao was an unpredictable person and prone to some outrageous behaviour, Li Ruo Shui trusted his ability very much. Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s eyes flicked between the two of them, thoughtfully but didn¡¯t reveal it, and just nodded along. ¡°In order to have a good energy for the night, I¡¯ll catch up on my sleep first.¡± Li Ruo Shui yawned and fell on the bed, and fell asleep after a while. Zheng Yan Qing looked at Li Ruo Shui who slept in seconds, and had a better understanding of their relationship, Li Ruo Shui never slept this fast before. ¡°Mr. Lu, what do you want to do next, I can¡­¡­¡± ¡°No, just wait until it gets dark.¡± Lu Zhi Yao stood up and walked slowly outside the house. He sat on the swing which then squeaked and swayed. Zheng Yan Qing didn¡¯t say anything else. When he picked up the book, he looked at the courtyard again, with some doubts in his mind. How did he know there was a swing there? * Chapter 23.2 Substitute Marriage (9) ¨C ¡°You trapped me again!¡± (2) The night was dark and windy, and three clappers sounded. A group of night guards passed by outside the door. Li Ruo Shui who was inside the house stared at the bed tent with a nervous expression. It wasn¡¯t long before the pattern appeared again on the top of the replaced tent. This time, it wasn¡¯t red eyes, but a few messy bloody handprints. The window that had been locked suddenly opened with a creak that echoed in the stillness of the night. The moment the window opened, Li Ruo Shui was unable to move, unable to even speak at this point, and she returned to that horrible feeling of a ghost pressing on her bed. The trees swayed and rustled in the deep night air, bells rang from the corridor and the windows creaked in the night breeze. Perhaps it was because of the resistance last night that annoyed them. The ¡°little ghost¡± who never broke into the door and window, stuck his head out of the window and cracked a smile at Li Ruo Shui. Li Ruo Shui took a deep breath and sang in her heart: I send you 365 blessings, auspicious light, surround me¡­¡­ The little ghost pulled the window door with both hands and leaped on the window sill. The bells on his body rang eerily and he giggled, not like a child, but like an adult. He jumped into the room, jingling, and then drew a knife from his feet. If it was a mental attack before, now it might be time for a physical attack. Zheng Yan Qing, who was lying on the couch, widened his eyes and whimpered, but couldn¡¯t move. Li Ruo Shui could only lie down too, her eyes glancing around at the roof, but she could not see where Lu Zhi Yao was sitting. ¡°Young girl, you scared my grandson last night, it¡¯s time to collect some debt from you today.¡± The little ghost approached slowly with the knife, and when he stepped into a beam of moonlight that peeked in diagonally, his face finally became clear. There are wrinkles on the child-like face, and the eyes are narrow, as if only black pupils are left, how bizarre it is. ¡°Which girl have you ruined!¡± Li Ruo Shui stared at him with wide eyes, her acupuncture points were unlocked at some point, and she couldn¡¯t help but utter the spit in her heart. ¡°What did you say!¡± The little ghost was poked and prodded, no longer slow, and with a tap of his toes he brought the knife to Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes. He smiled wickedly. The tip of his knife reflected light in the moonlight as he looked into Li Ruo Shui¡¯s dark eyes and said with a smile, ¡°Beautiful eyes, let¡¯s take this first.¡± Just as he was about to swing the knife, his expression froze and he quickly retreated three metres away. A sword stood at the same place where he was standing. The snow-white scabbard glowed brightly in the moonlight, the tassels swayed, the sword broke through the wooden floor and was making a clanging sound. Li Ruo Shui stood up, looked around the beams of the room, and finally saw him above the bed tent. The little ghost was very arrogant at the beginning, but when he looked up and saw Lu Zhi Yao, he couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back. His expression was so serious that the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes flattened. Lu Zhi Yao was leaning against a beam, sitting with his knees bent, fiddling with something in his hands, and streams of light flashed through occasionally. The lustre was like spider silk under the moonlight. ¡°You promised me to catch ghosts.¡± Li Ruo Shui drew the sword and retreated below Lu Zhi Yao, only to feel bad in her heart. ¡°I didn¡¯t break the promise.¡± Lu Zhi Yao curled his lips in an idle manner. ¡°I¡¯ve already experienced the pleasure through the fight last time, and this time it¡¯s time to teach the stances.¡± Stances? Teaching? Li Ruo Shui suddenly realised, no wonder he agreed to do it so simply this morning. She thought that he had been moved by her, but she didn¡¯t expect that he was waiting for her here! ¡°You trapped me again!¡± ¡°Trap?¡± A few streams of light passed between Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s hands, and when his wrist moved, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s limbs and waist were wrapped: ¡°I¡¯m teaching you, how many people begged for it but couldn¡¯t get it.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at the silver threads wrapped around her wrists and felt a headache. She just wanted to give this blessing to others. The little ghost¡¯s eyes were fixed on Lu Zhi Yao and his mind turned around a few times, intuiting that he had stumbled upon a tough fight, and he planned to slip away, but before he could leave, he was wrapped in the silver thread around his ankle. Lu Zhi Yao laughed softly, his face exposed in the moonlight was as gentle as water, and his gesture looked like a compassionate Buddha who has mercy on all. ¡°It would be best to stay and practice martial arts with her.¡± He pulled the silver thread in his hand and a few drops of blood immediately oozed out from the little ghost¡¯s ankle. No way, he actually knows this move, but it¡¯s not written in the book. And looking at this dialogue, how come he was more like a villain than a bad guy. With a bitter face, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s right hand was manipulated to touch the hilt of the sword. ¡°Hold the sword with your five fingers and use force with purlicue.¡± Li Ruo Shui had no choice but to do as she was told, and the next moment she was led and pulled out the sword. ¡°Point the sword to the ground, relax your body and keep your legs apart to maintain a good balance.¡± From the beam came Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s gentle voice, he sounded more patient than the best master in the academy. He retracted the silver thread from the little ghost¡¯s ankle and spoke in a soft tone, ¡°If you want to live, you¡¯d better attack directly, and maybe you have the chance.¡± The little ghost looked at Lu Zhi Yao, who was smiling and laughing on the beam, and then at Li Ruo Shui, whose expression was full of hopelessness. He gritted his teeth and rushed forward with a dagger. He might have a chance of survival only if he fights with this girl. Chapter 24.1 Substitute Marriage (10) ¨C ¡°I really don¡¯t want this blessing.¡± (1) This little ghost, no, it should be said as this little old man, was quite nimble. He managed to rush to Li Ruo Shui in just two or three steps. His dagger tried to cut the silver wire ruthlessly but was blocked by Li Ruo Shui¡¯s backhand, and the tip of her sword almost scratched his neck. ¡°In close combat, it is not the shortest weapon that gives you an advantage. Learn to use your sword as your own hand, both long and short.¡± When Lu Zhi Yao finished this sentence, he moved his fingers slightly, and Li Ruo Shui¡¯s foot uncontrollably lunged forward, thrusting her longsword along. ¡°This is called thrusting. Gathering force at the tip of the sword and a forward thrust can break all laws.¡± Li Ruo Shui sighed and was forced to withdraw her hand. She took a few steps backward and couldn¡¯t stop muttering. ¡°Just teach, why are you nagging me.¡± Lu Zhi Yao lowered his eyebrows and chuckled. The silver threads at his fingertips moved slightly, pulling Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hands into a clasped fist pose, then bowed, as if she was apologizing to someone. ¡°Talking while doing it at the same time is to ensure that you remember better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at her hands which were forced together, and her eyes were filled with nothing but weariness. It wasn¡¯t like he was treating her as a toy, because he was indeed teaching her seriously. However, it also wasn¡¯t like he was teaching her seriously, as he was always manipulating her hands to do strange movements. The little old man was only as high as Li Ruo Shui¡¯s waist. He was probably so angry that he jumped two meters at once. He had short knives in both hands, and the shadows of his knives were coming in an overwhelming manner as if he had woven a net. Lu Zhi Yao pulled Li Ruo Shui back a few steps and then raised her sword to resist. ¡°This is called blocking. There¡¯s no need to look at his sword, trust your muscle memory.¡± Lu Zhi Yao stood up and his fingers tapped on the silver thread, moving fast. ¡°I don¡¯t have muscle memory.¡± Li Ruo Shui was resisting the attacks with a physical movement that was not hers, which felt different from in the ring. In the ring, she was forced to endure the moves, receiving as many blows as she could without game experience. But this time, she had a deep sense of involvement and even had an illusion that it was all her own achievements. ¡°Smart.¡± Lu Zhi Yao nodded in satisfaction, walking on the beam as he led her forward to attack. ¡°Next are the sword moves. I came up with them myself, but there is no fixed method. You can also create your own.¡± Li Ruo Shui and the little old man stared at each other, both looking at the other in horror. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand was so fast that not only was it difficult for the little old man to fend off, but even Li Ruo Shui herself was frightened. Lu Zhi Yao was walking on the beam, as if he didn¡¯t notice the rejection of the two people below, and shook his head indifferently. ¡°It¡¯s a pity there¡¯s not enough silver threads to teach you how to turn your wrist.¡± Enough is enough! Couldn¡¯t you see that the little old man was getting lower and lower, and she felt a kind of whack-a-mole joy? The little old man rolled on the ground to avoid the blade, then gritted his teeth and decided to put up one last fight. He bounced up violently, catching the slashing sword with both of his short knives. Using his internal force, he shook the sword out of Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand and plunged it deeply into the bedpost. When he found an opportunity, he threw the short knife fiercely forward, aiming straight for Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes, but was cut off halfway by a flying knife. What kind of monster was that on the beam? How could he still have the strength left to knock down his short knife? The little old man didn¡¯t wait any longer. He immediately escaped through the window. Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t hesitate either. He flipped down the beam and chased after him with Li Ruo Shui on his back. ¡°I can¡¯t see, so you have to show me the way.¡± ¡°If you know you can¡¯t see, then don¡¯t chase after him!¡± Li Ruo Shui wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders. At this point, she was devastated. She must have committed a terrible crime in her past life that she was pulled by the system to approach this lunatic. This life is so miserable. ¡°Jump! About three or four meters!¡± Li Ruo Shui was being carried on Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s back at this time, darting across the roof. It was like riding a roller coaster without safety devices. She stared closely at the road ahead, not daring to get distracted for fear of falling down if she wasn¡¯t careful. The little old man in front of her looked back every now and then, cursing and swearing, and picked up speed. Lu Zhi Yao, on the other hand, chased on without the slightest hesitation, not worrying whether there would be a trap ahead. His dark hair fluttered lovingly in the night wind, and his clear laughter escaped from his throat. Among the three people present, he was the only one who was happy. Li Ruo Shui was infected by his emotions, and surprisingly, she also felt somewhat comfortable with this speed and could not resist curling up the corners of her mouth. However, she couldn¡¯t smile in the next second. On this empty street stood not only the little old man, but there was also a carriage with many people in black gathering around it. A woman in white was getting into the carriage, and the figure seemed a little familiar. The little old man looked at them coldly and spat, his expression no longer as panicked as before. Lu Zhi Yao took Li Ruo Shui down the street, and the blooming corners of his robe revealed a hidden joy. Li Ruo Shui looked at the large army in front of her and took a deep breath. She pulled Lu Zhi Yao back a few steps and whispered in his ear. ¡°We left in such a hurry that we forgot to bring the sword. Let¡¯s slip away first.¡± ¡°Want to escape?¡± The little old man stood proudly beside the carriage. He was about as tall as that wheel. ¡°If you dare to come after me, you must be prepared for the consequences.¡± A little old man alone was already so powerful, so it would be foolish not to run. Knowing when to yield has always been Li Ruo Shui¡¯s strength. Li Ruo Shui immediately jumped on Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s back and patted him. ¡°Run!¡± ¡°Nice try!¡± One of the men in black rushed up. Lu Zhi Yao lifted Li Ruo Shui¡¯s collar and pulled her to his front. He snatched the sword from the man in black, slit his throat with his backhand, and put the sword hilt into Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hand. His movements were clean and sharp. It was as if the murder had never happened before. Chapter 24.2 Substitute Marriage (10) ¨C ¡°I really don¡¯t want this blessing.¡± (2) ¡°Who said the sword is important? There is nothing that cannot be parted with,¡± he spoke in a soft tone, like a gentle summer breeze, without any sense of loss. ¡°A sword ¡ª isn¡¯t there one right here?¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at the corpse at the side with wide eyes. Her heart was beating fast, and her palms were sweating as she gripped the hilt of the sword. What did Lu Zhi Yao mean? He wouldn¡¯t want her to kill someone, would he? ¡°I¡¯m just a novice¡­¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite lucky to have just learned sword moves¡ª¡± Lu Zhi Yao stood behind her, slipped his hand to her wrist, and raised the sword to the crowd. ¡°And you already have an opportunity to learn how to carry the sword and move it.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t want this blessing.¡± Li Ruo Shui regretted it now. She knew his temperament, yet she had thought he had some kindness in him. ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± The men in black on the other side were originally shocked, but some soft sounds came from the carriage and they had to attack. As the crowd charged forward with their swords, the curtain of the carriage was lifted a little, revealing a corner of the white skirt and a pair of girl-like curious eyes. Li Ruo Shui froze, her mind spinning around, but was interrupted and distracted by the men in black who rushed forward. ¡°Here comes the sword.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s tone rose as he held Li Ruo Shui¡¯s wrist and began to teach her what he called sword movement, looking exuberant. Between the clashing sound of the swords and knives, Lu Zhi Yao took the initiative to step into the encirclement with Li Ruo Shui, letting out a low laugh that only a villain can have. He pressed Li Ruo Shui¡¯s neck vein with his left hand and held her wrist with his right hand, leading Li Ruo Shui to resist and attack. His pace was brisk and his laughter melodious. He seemed to be the happiest man in the world at that moment. ¡°Killing is such a joy, you¡¯ll love it.¡± Bullshit! Blue veins appeared on her forehead, not because she was angry, but because she was using all her strength to control the sword and trying to fight against Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s grip. She was tired, but Lu Zhi Yao found it more interesting. Every time the sword was about to touch someone¡¯s heart, he could hear the sound of Li Ruo Shui inhaling a deep breath, and she would pull the sword away from him with extra strength, after which he could hear her unconsciously mumbling something as she let go of her breath. She was probably cursing him or begging the useless gods and Buddhas. It was strange that she didn¡¯t come to him no matter what happened, but instead, she begged towards those nebulous things. ¡°I¡¯m just a novice. There¡¯s a long way to go, brother. It¡¯s too much to kill someone right away!¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s pace was messy. While trying to block the sword, she also needed to suppress the madness of the man behind her. No one was more tired than her. Perhaps the moonlight was beautiful tonight, or perhaps he was just too happy. He withdrew his hand and pushed Li Ruo Shui out of the encirclement. ¡°Learn well.¡± Li Ruo Shui staggered out of the encirclement and raised her eyes to look at him with dismay. At this time, Lu Zhi Yao seemed to have been unsealed. The smile on his lips was as clear and soft as the moonlight tonight, but his strikes were deadly and ruthless. The person in the carriage lowered the curtain and knocked on the wall of the carriage. The little ghost immediately leapt on and cracked his whip to accelerate and leave this place of dispute. Li Ruo Shui looked at Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s intoxicated expression and frowned. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s smile looked kind and gentle, but in reality, he simply treated people like animals to be slaughtered. To him, killing people was just a game that brought him excitement, but in order not to cause unnecessary trouble, he chose to do this thing that was within a reasonable range. That was why he would choose to take bounty orders for a living back then. But at the end of the day, people are nothing more than game props and lambs to be slaughtered by him. Even with Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian, his attitude was only a bit nicer. If killing those two could cause an interesting incident, he would definitely draw his sword without hesitation. He would say a few high-sounding remarks and then do it directly. So in his eyes, is she just one of the lambs to be slaughtered? She had previously received a medium rating from the system, indicating that the previous strategy method was undesirable or not enough. But¡ª As he had said before, how could a person love when they didn¡¯t have love in the first place? Would she always be at a medium rating? Would everything she did be useless? Could she return home at all? The men in black fell one by one, littering the ground in the carriage¡¯s departure. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s clothes were stained with blood, turning a deep black in the night, like a landscape painting made by splashing ink on his robes. With a long sigh, he threw the sword in his hand to the ground with a clanging sound. The inexplicable depression and irritation he had felt for so long dissipated at this moment. He laughed, suppressing his eyelashes and fingers which were trembling with excitement, and turned towards Li Ruo Shui. ¡°How is it? Is there anything you don¡¯t understand about the moves just now?¡± He asked her in a half-crouch, his robes disheveled, his eyelashes slightly arched, and the warm blood slid down his cheeks, revealing a faded yet soft beauty. But halfway through the question, his body stilled itself. The depression and irritation that had been vented returned, even worse than before, and overwhelmed him as if to drown him. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of me too.¡± Chapter 25.1 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (1) ¡°You¡¯re afraid of me too.¡± The tone of his voice was cold and his expression was frigid. Lu Zhi Yao knelt down on one knee. He no longer had a smile on his gentle face and even showed a hint of annoyance for the first time. However, Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t reply for a long time. He didn¡¯t know what she was doing, and he couldn¡¯t see her expression at all. With a long sigh, Lu Zhi Yao took off his soaked robe and tossed it aside. Beneath the soft, draping outer robe was a white suit with red stripes, a black waistband framed his waist, and the arrow sleeves were sharp, just like the man he was. ¡°You¡¯re always like this.¡± Always so unpredictable that it made him unable to control himself. Even though he had just killed a lot of people, he was no longer happy at the moment. Lu Zhi Yao spoke, lowered his head, and wiped the blood from his hands. His face was hidden in the shadows, and his smile completely gone. So annoying, kill her. Kill her and these strange feelings will be gone. Kill her and be free. Be sure to kill her before she gets tired of being afraid. Lu Zhi Yao wiped his right hand clean. His white fingertips touched her neck, rubbing the vein there with a slight sense of attachment, and then he slowly tightened his grip without giving her a chance to argue. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it from you. You¡¯re only lying to me.¡± His fingertips were cold, as they always were. Even after being stained with so much warm blood, it did not warm him up. [Warning! Warning! Real danger detected, please respond in time!] [Once you die, the strategy cannot be conducted, and the host will be stuck in the book world!] This system usually doesn¡¯t make a sound, but now it¡¯s ringing so loudly, making her head hurt. Perhaps this little lunatic really wanted to kill her. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s mood changed abruptly. The two of them went from working together to catch a ghost to this current situation of her being strangled. It was a little unexpected, yet it was also unsurprising to her. If it was Lu Zhi Yao, it was no surprise that he would do anything, including killing her. The hand on her neck slowly tightened. Li Ruo Shui tilted her head and felt a pressure she had never felt before. The pain in her throat was unbearable. The vein in her neck was gradually squeezed, and the blood flowed a little slower. She choked and grabbed his wrist, struggling to squeeze out a question. ¡°You, why, like¡­¡­killing¡­¡­¡± Her words were mostly gasps, and it was hard to discern what they meant, but Lu Zhi Yao understood. He had made up his mind to not hear another word from her, but he still subconsciously loosened his grip at this point, giving her a chance to catch her breath. Lu Zhi Yao rubbed his fingertips against the soft side of her neck, suppressing his irritability and evoked a smile. ¡°What else do you want to say? Do you still want to bet? I¡¯m getting a little annoyed with this now.¡± Given a chance to catch her breath, Li Ruo Shui gasped, ignoring the vague pain in her neck, and repeated in a hoarse voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bet. I just wanted to know why you like to kill people.¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled, his thumb holding up her chin, forcing her to look up at him. ¡°Because it¡¯s fun. You¡¯re happy when you tease the cats, and I¡¯m happy when I kill people.¡± As if something occurred to him, Lu Zhi Yao tilted his head and raised a light smile on his lips, looking clean and quiet, just like the moonlight behind him. ¡°You also want to say, put down the butcher¡¯s knife and become a Buddha?¡± The shallow smile suddenly widened and became slightly distorted, like the sunlight being split by the dark shadow. As if his own thoughts were too absurdly amusing, Lu Zhi Yao could not help laughing in a low voice. ¡°No.¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s voice was hoarse, and she coughed a few times every now and then. Looking at his laughing appearance, she was not afraid and her moist eyes looked at him quietly. ¡°The more you give, the more you will reap. Killing is just a matter of the moment you use your sword, and the pleasure you get is nothing more than that.¡± ¡°To have joy in this world is not as simple as killing people. Don¡¯t you want to know what others are happy about?¡± Lu Zhi Yao stopped smiling, withdrew his hand, and said nothing. The words were all too familiar to him. He was imprisoned in the courtyard since he was a child. He had wanted to go out, but only after he went out did he realize that the world was just as filthy and meaningless as that courtyard. He had heard a lot of laughter but could not relate to it. But then he plunged his sword into someone else¡¯s body for the first time. The warmth, the excitement, and the peace of mind ¡ª all of it shocked him. But now, this pleasure didn¡¯t seem to be enough to fill the void in his heart. ¡°¡­¡­I want to know what makes you happy.¡± The others were none of his business, and he never cared, but he wanted to know what Li Ruo Shui was thinking. It was funny. He had clearly wanted to kill her just a moment ago, but right now, he was still distracted by her words. Li Ruo Shui squeezed the corner of her clothes and swallowed her saliva, her voice fluttering a little. ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Before Lu Zhi Yao could nod, he felt Li Ruo Shui move closer. He thought she was going to resist, but instead she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her breath approached gradually. She had a lot of almond pastry today, so there was a faint scent of milk in her breath. But she was a little nervous and trembled as she came closer to him. Lu Zhi Yao stiffened his body and did not move. His heart was beating wildly as if he knew what was going to happen, but he really couldn¡¯t tell. It was only when a breeze blew through his palms did he realize that he was already sweating. Nervousness, curiosity, heart palpitations, pleasure, and so many other unspoken emotions emerged, and even his breathing was subconsciously curtailed. The sweet scent came closer and closer, almost mingling with his breath. He had never been this close to anyone before, and he seemed to be able to feel the warmth coming from her body. Lu Zhi Yao subconsciously leaned back a little. His slightly red lips lay bare to the moonlight and glistened with a subtle sheen, and his eyelashes trembling slightly as if he was awaiting punishment or guidance. Chapter 25.2 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (2) A soft and cool touch fell on the corner of her lips, and she gently pursed them like a dragonfly touching the water that then quickly withdrew itself. Li Ruo Shui had been struggling because she had never kissed anyone before. After struggling for a while, she chose to kiss the corner of his mouth. It was like ice cream, and she felt an inexplicable sweetness. She squeezed the corner of her clothes, and her hand was trembling a little. Aside from her nervousness, she also felt a little inexplicable excitement. She did this for a simple purpose: to make him distinguish her from a lamb to be slaughtered and notice that she was different. Originally, she wanted to do it gradually, but the situation was so tense that she had to resort to this big trick. At this moment, Lu Zhi Yao raised his head slightly, put his hands behind his back, and was staring in a dazed manner as if he was at her mercy. ¡°Are you happy?¡± Li Ruo Shui leaned closer to his ear and asked this sentence with a hoarse and trembling voice. The night breeze whistled softly, blowing the words into his ears, only to tickle them. The corners of Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s lips moved slightly as if he was about to say something, but then Li Ruo Shui fell into his arms. He froze for a moment, then took her pulse and let out a sigh of relief. She had only fainted. Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t tell what he felt in his heart at that moment, only that it was like raindrops falling on the leaves, pattering, and every leaf trembled at the touch of the raindrops. He sat on the ground, holding the unconscious Li Ruo Shui in his arms, not knowing what he was thinking. Li Ruo Shui fainted so subtly, but of course she didn¡¯t faint for real. Her psychological quality wasn¡¯t that weak. However, she knew that the best thing to do at this point was to sleep and hide, so she turned on the system¡¯s memory reward and immediately fell into a dream. No, it should be Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s past, the real past. At this moment, she landed lightly on the street and looked over to a spot in the corner. * ¡°Mother, please let me take someone to find Miss Li.¡± Zheng Yan Qing lowered his eyes, not making the slightest bit of eye contact with Madam Zheng. The sound made by the two of them was loud enough to alert the guards of the Zheng Mansion, who were startled to see Zheng Yan Qing lying on the couch and hurriedly sent him to Madam Zheng. He was in no mood to listen to what Madam Zheng was worried about. He just wanted to bring someone to help Li Ruo Shui. Madam Zheng lit the candlelight and illuminated the room brightly, fearing that such a dim light might hurt her son¡¯s eyes. She waited until her candlelight was all lit before she let the serving maids out and turned to look at him. With a pleasant smile, Madam Zheng led him to the side room just like coaxing a child, acting as if she didn¡¯t hear what he just said. ¡°It¡¯s already late. Just sleep in the side room tonight. You still have to study in the morning, and the provincial exam is not far away.¡± Zheng Yan Qing lowered his eyes and did not look at her. His hand was clenched into a fist, and his words carried a deep sense of helplessness. ¡°Mother, did you hear what I just said?¡± ¡°I heard you.¡± Madam Zheng patted his collar lovingly, ¡°But she¡¯s just here for the wedding. We can still find another, just as long as you¡¯re fine. You don¡¯t need to worry about these things.¡± Again. Even though he had almost lost his life just now, his mother didn¡¯t feel distressed at all. Her words were all about the provincial exam in a few months. His existence was not for himself but for the glory of the family. ¡°I asked about the whereabouts of the herbal medicine earlier and you said that I shouldn¡¯t worry about it, so what can I worry about? You keep me in the courtyard all day. What do I know about this family? Zheng Yan Qing broke away from Madam Zheng¡¯s hand and looked straight at her. Madam Zheng panicked when she saw that worried expression on his face. She had heard that many students couldn¡¯t study all day because they were in a bad mood. Although her son was talented and intelligent, it would be bad if he couldn¡¯t concentrate on his studies. ¡°Look at you, it¡¯s just a trivial matter as herbal medicine, and you want to get angry with your mother?¡± Madam Zheng went over to close the window, talking while she did so. ¡°Since you don¡¯t need to use this herb, I put it in the dark room of the study. You don¡¯t have to worry. We are not trying to hide it from you. I¡¯ll get you whatever you want, so just read your book. There¡¯s no need to bother with such a thing.¡± ¡°The Zheng family is very rich, but they have only been in business for some generations. No one has ever passed the exams ¡ª they couldn¡¯t even pass the township exams. Many people use this to ridicule us. Now there is you. If you hadn¡¯t suddenly fallen ill a few years ago, you would have won the best scholar award by now.¡± Madam Zheng looked at him with hope. Although her eyes were gentle, they had always lacked motherly love and had more of a sense of entreaty. ¡°The family business is taken care of by your elder brother and sister. It¡¯s good for you to be an officer. Everything your mother has done is for you¡­¡­Yan Qing!¡± Zheng Yan Qing had been tired of listening to this since childhood. Now that he knew the location of the herbal medicine, he didn¡¯t want to waste time here. If the family didn¡¯t send people, he¡¯ll go by himself. Li Ruo Shui was dragged into this by him, and he couldn¡¯t let anything happen to her because of himself. ¡°Where are you going¡­¡­Follow the Second Young Master!¡± Mrs. Zheng¡¯s originally gentle voice suddenly became sharp. She waved her hands for the guards outside the courtyard to follow him for fear that something would happen to him. Zheng Yan Qing was in poor health and had been drinking medicine for years, so he obviously couldn¡¯t outrun the well-trained guards and was stopped before long. He frowned and headed for the gate stubbornly. A group of people marched up to the gate of the Zheng Mansion, and the house guard opened it hesitantly under his gaze. The lacquered red gate opened, revealing the figure of Lu Zhi Yao, who was carrying Li Ruo Shui on his back with a smile. ¡°Zheng Mansion is not safe. I wanted to take her straight back to the inn, but my sword is still in your room. Excuse me, can you return it to me?¡± Chapter 26.1 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (3) ¡°The imperial concubine smiled upon seeing the horse raising red dust; no one knew that it was lychee coming.¡± The sun was shining and the cicadas were singing in summer. There was a school down the street, and the sound of children¡¯s voices was loud and clear with a sense of hope and beauty. Outside the school¡¯s courtyard, there was a cherry tree of considerable age. It bore many tender red cherries, each one so small and lovely that it pulled the branches down a little. However, it seemed like the cherries had been hanging for a long time. They were already ripe but no one picked them, so they fell to the ground one by one. A bird flew in, pecking at the cherries, and accidentally dropped one onto the head of a man under the tree. It was a little boy with shoulder-length black hair, which was tied in a bun, wearing slightly tattered gray clothing. His body was thin, his face smeared with grime, and the only color on his body was the two red feather earrings hanging from his ears. He was leaning against the cherry tree with his eyes closed, but when the fruit hit him, he opened his eyes with a shudder. It was like fresh rain in the well-watered Jiangnan, south of the Yangtze River, so hazy that just looking into those eyes reduced some of the heat. His fingers ran through the air. It was unknown what he was thinking about. Although he looked a little younger than before, Li Ruo Shui was still able to recognize him at once. His eyebrows were as good-looking as ever. Knowing that no one else could see her, Li Ruo Shui walked straight over to him but stopped a few steps away. Sure enough, Lu Zhi Yao, whose five senses were extremely sensitive, turned his head. Thinking that there was someone here, he flashed a smile. His younger self already had a bit of the charm like the grown up him. Based on the estimated time, he would have been abandoned by his mother by now, but it couldn¡¯t be sure if he had met his master. Li Ruo Shui looked closely at his clothes. The cuffs were torn with a few holes, and there were quite a few bruises on his exposed arms. His trousers only reached his ankles, and his shoes seemed to be too small. In general, a street beggar was better dressed than him. Fortunately it was summer. Otherwise, with just these two pieces of clothing, he would have died after two steps in winter. ¡°Lychees are sweet and delicious, and it¡¯s in season this time of year. Go back today and buy some, then write it down as a testimonial, and hand it in tomorrow.¡± The teacher¡¯s voice came from within the courtyard wall. Perhaps it was too hot in the house, so he conducted the lesson with the children in the courtyard, just a wall away from Lu Zhi Yao. The one inside the wall shook his head while reading. The one outside the wall tapped his fingertips against the tree. Then he remembered the little thing that had fallen on his head. He lowered his head and shook it off. Seemingly a little bored, he moved back and forth under the tree, stepping on a number of ripe cherries on the ground during his actions, and the ground was full of bright red juice. Li Ruo Shui had no idea what he was doing here, so she sat on the ground, propping her jaw up and watching him. The red feathers under his ears swayed as he walked around, his dark hair just covering his jaw, and the red silk tied to the top of his head fluttered around, looking like a homeless little girl. Suddenly, he picked up a fruit core wrapped in soft and rotten pulp from the ground and hit Li Ruo Shui without saying a word. The situation was so familiar that Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t even dodge, and she watched as the fruit core passed through her head and hit a vendor¡¯s cart. Perhaps his internal strength was not enough, the fruit core didn¡¯t get embedded and bounced off with a thud. Lu Zhi Yao tilted his head in a slightly suspicious manner. It was unknown what he was thinking again. The stall owner, who was painting sugar figures when the car shook, looked over with an impatient face and walked over to the tree with the sweet scent of maltose all over him. Li Ruo Shui hurriedly stood up and subconsciously stepped in front of Lu Zhi Yao, but she couldn¡¯t stop anyone. She could only watch as the stall owner walked through her and stood under the tree with his arms crossed. ¡°Whose kid are you? Why are you throwing stones around?!¡± Lu Zhi Yao lifted his small face. His eyes were dark and unfocused, but he still drew a smile at the stall owner. The corners of his lips were already slightly upturned. This smile made him even more good-natured and cute, even Li Ruo Shui¡¯s heart softened a lot. ¡°Where are your parents?!¡± The stall owner, however, did not soften his heart one bit. Instead, he became even more aggressive when he saw that he was vulnerable. The sun was scorching hot. There were not many pedestrians on the street, and his candy melted easily, so he had been in a sulking mood for a long time. Now that he finally found a punching bag, how could he let it go so easily? Chapter 26.2 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (4) Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit timid, and after a moment of silence, he raised a sweet smile again. This smile was even bigger than the previous one, showing off his teeth and curved eyes, but it just looked a little too exaggerated, a little incongruous in its sweetness. The stall owner fanned himself with his hand and stood in the shade, the scent of sugar on him growing more sticky. ¡°You¡¯ve ruined a lot of my sugar paintings, let your parents pay for them.¡± Lu Zhi Yao frowned slightly and took two steps away from him, standing in front of Li Ruo Shui by mistake. ¡°No money.¡± This stall owner looked at his eyes, then looked up and down at his clothes, choked for a long time, and pouted. ¡°If you don¡¯t have money, use those earrings of yours to pay for it.¡± The workmanship of the pair of red feather earrings looked very natural with no trace of smearing or variegation. The red was pure and gorgeous. ¡°These are from my master, and she¡¯ll be angry without them.¡± From Li Ruo Shui¡¯s point of view, she could see his little head shaking. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a little puzzled. Could it be that he was indeed innocent and cute when he was a child? The stall owner was annoyed that he didn¡¯t want to trade with him, so he stretched his hand out, ¡°I¡¯ll be angry if you don¡¯t pay me back!¡± There was a flash of cold light. The stall owner withdrew his hand in shock and stared at him with wide eyes. Li Ruo Shui looked at the blade in Little Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s hand with a subtle peace of mind. Sure enough, this was him. ¡°It seems that smiling doesn¡¯t always work, but it¡¯s still interesting.¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao spun his blade towards him. Li Ruo Shui knew that this man would not survive today just by looking at his posture. Suddenly, a sharp bird chirping appeared and Little Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s footsteps stopped. The smile on his lips faded as he withdrew the small blade in his hand. ¡°Do I still need to pay for it?¡± The stall owner snapped back to his senses and was shocked, but when he left, he still mocked him. ¡°Seeing that you are blind, I won¡¯t dispute with you. What the hell, bad luck.¡± Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t seem to hear it. He withdrew his smile and continued to stay there in a daze. Li Ruo Shui looked at his misty eyes and suddenly recalled the last time she saw Little Lu Zhi Yao. He was locked up in the courtyard by Bai Qing Qing, and although he loved to smile, it was never the same expression he had when he grew up. He didn¡¯t smile all the time when he was a child. Who had taught him that mask-like smile? The brass bell rang within the courtyard walls, and the children cheered as they hurriedly ran out of the school to the stall of sugar paintings that had been turned into sugar water. For a penny a stick, some asked for rabbits, others for little flowers, and there was a lot of laughter with no trace of what had happened here. A young boy in a school uniform bought a sugar painting and surprisingly ran towards the tree. His eyes were bright with the innocence that a child should have. ¡°You¡¯re here again.¡± He came to look for Lu Zhi Yao. Knowing that Little Lu Zhi Yao actually had a friend, Li Ruo Shui covered her mouth and there was a hint of relief in her eyes. However, Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t react much. Although he was smiling, Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t see any real happiness. It was as if he was just being perfunctory. The little boy looked at the cherries all over the ground and couldn¡¯t resist picking up quite a few intact ones from the ground. ¡°Cherry, do you want one?¡± Lu Zhi Yao tilted his head, a little confused: ¡°What¡¯s a cherry?¡± The boy picked one out and gave it to him, ¡°This is it.¡± The round thing swirled around in his fingertips. He had a rough outline in his mind, and only then did Lu Zhi Yao show some interest. ¡°Is this edible?¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t you know?¡± Lu Zhi Yao shook his head and put the soft cherry in his mouth, then nodded. ¡°Sweet.¡± The long-ripened cherry was a little soft, but it was sweet and tasty. Although he didn¡¯t really like sweet things, this tasted surprisingly good. The little boy nodded and patted him on the shoulder like a good brother. He then casually flipped through his bag. ¡°We were taught a poem today. The teacher said it was about lychees, but I actually ate them a long time ago, they were too sweet for my liking.¡± He finally pulled out a white sheet of paper and handed it to Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°This is the verse I learnt today. I¡¯ve copied it on the paper, so you can take it.¡± He was about to take it when a reproach stopped his movement. ¡°Put it down!¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao paused for a moment and let go of his hand without a moment of hesitation, and his unfocused eyes looked to his left: ¡°Master.¡± Chapter 27.1 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (5) The moon is as cool as water. Zheng Yan Qing looked at the man standing in front of the door. He was silent for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°Mr. Lu, even if you two are close friends, I can¡¯t let her, an unconscious woman, be alone with you.¡± Lu Zhi Yao frowned slightly, a little surprised: ¡°Do you think I¡¯m discussing with you?¡± The atmosphere was stagnant. The guards behind Zheng Yan Qing sensed that something was wrong and stood up in front of him. Zheng Yan Qing thought of the scene he saw in the room before and predicted that these people probably can not beat him, so he could only put it in another way. ¡°The condition of the inn is not good. It would be more appropriate for Miss Li to stay in the Zheng Mansion. We have all kinds of medicine here.¡± Lu Zhi Yao tilted his head slightly and lifted Li Ruo Shui up a little. After doing this, he nodded and stepped into Zheng Mansion: ¡°We are lacking one type of medicine.¡± The guards stopped him, looking at Zheng Yan Qing with a difficult face. ¡°Second Young Master, it has to be notified when strangers want to enter the mansion.¡± ¡°It was notified yesterday.¡± Zheng Yan Qing did not want to listen to such nonsense anymore and turned to lead the way for Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°Is Miss Li alright?¡± ¡°She¡¯s asleep.¡± The two people asked and answered and then fell into silence. Zheng Yan Qing wanted to break the awkwardness, but he struggled to find a topic, so he could only keep walking forward like this. His gaze looked to the side for a moment. Li Ruo Shui leaned her head on Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s shoulder and slept soundly. Her hair was sticking to the corner of her mouth and her cheek was puckered up, looking very funny. Zheng Yan Qing recalled the appearance of Li Ruo Shui carrying a stick out to catch ghosts, and the corners of his eyes were tinged with a smile. He could see that Li Ruo Shui was a person who was easy-going and had a dynamic mind, which was very different from him. ¡°Mr. Zheng, it¡¯s rude to peek.¡± Lu Zhi Yao paused his steps, changed direction, and walked to the other side of Zheng Yan Qing. Now Zheng Yan Qing could only see the back of Li Ruo Shui¡¯s head. Zheng Yan Qing: ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Lu, I have a question. I don¡¯t know if I should¡­¡­¡± ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t.¡± Lu Zhi Yao replied gently and took a few more steps away from him. ¡°I still want to ask, even if I shouldn¡¯t.¡± Zheng Yan Qing learned the essence of Li Ruo Shui¡¯s question. ¡°You love Miss Li, but why did you let her marry into the Zheng Mansion? Is it for your mission?¡± Lu Zhi Yao lifted Li Ruo Shui up a little again and then revealed his first sincere smile of the night. ¡°I love who?!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Miss Li.¡± ¡°She is very interesting, but you misunderstood, it¡¯s probably not love.¡± Zheng Yan Qing: ??? Could it be that he rarely went out, so his understanding of love has deviated? Are all best friends like this nowadays? Zheng Yan Qing entered the room with deep self-doubt. After Lu Zhi Yao put Li Ruo Shui on the bed, he turned around and pulled out the sword on the bedpost. His movement was smooth, not like a blind person at all. Lu Zhi Yao walked up to him and took out a silver ticket from his bosom. ¡°This is one hundred taels. How about selling me the fire grass in Zheng Mansion? It¡¯s not a loss.¡± Zheng Yan Qing looked at the silver note in confusion and suddenly remembered that Li Ruo Shui had asked about the herb before. Then he suddenly understood. ¡°No, this herb should be given to Miss Li as a gift from me.¡± ¡°How strange.¡± Lu Zhi Yao was a bit confused and put the silver note on the table. ¡°You guys are obviously just married, why do you say it like you have a better relationship with her?¡± Zheng Yan Qing: ¡°¡­¡­¡± What¡¯s wrong with tonight, how come there were always things that confused him? Lu Zhi Yao put down the silver note as a completed transaction with him. He ignored Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s words and walked out of the room with his sword. ¡°Mr. Lu, the medicine is in the dark room of the study.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Li Ruo Shui had reminded Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian that the herb was in the study, but they had been in the study for several days yet failed to find it. Lu Zhi Yao had been waiting for Li Ruo Shui to come to him and sat on the roof for a long time with an inexplicable emotion, but Li Ruo Shui did not say anything. It was difficult to wait until she came to him, but all she asked him was to catch ¡°ghosts¡±. Although the result was also very interesting, something was still missing. What will her expression be when she wakes up and sees the fire grass? Ah, he could not see, but it did not prevent him from listening. Perhaps she will be happy enough to laugh all day. Moreover, she wouldn¡¯t be scared when he killed people again in the future. After all, he would be her benefactor who cured the poison, and everything that the benefactor does is right. Lu Zhi Yao nodded in satisfaction, anticipating what would happen afterwards. His pace was much lighter. * Chapter 27.2 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (6) Li Ruo Shui, who was unaware that she already had a ¡°benefactor,¡± was following behind Lu Zhi Yao and watching the two people walk slowly. There were only a few lines that described Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s master in the original story, and it was a little shocking to see the real person now. His master was different from his mother. She was beautiful and aggressive. She had upturned eyes, but she was not charming at all and was as sharp as a scimitar. The exact opposite of her stern appearance was her physical state: her lips were pale, her hair was dry and withered, like a rose at its critical point of drying up, and it would die if it lost any more water. Her hands exposed from the cuffs were full of scars, shaking uncontrollably. She quickly retracted her hands into her sleeves. Her walking speed was not fast, and she limped while walking. Lu Zhi Yao had said that he was a disabled person, and his master was also the same. It seemed that the two were in a worse situation than he had said. One was blind, the other was handicapped, and one of them walked slower than the other. Li Ruo Shui walked around in front of them only to see Little Lu Zhi Yao continue walking, and he was smiling at her. His empty eyes were curved into crescent moons, and the red feathers under his ears fluttered along the wind, looking very good. Li Ruo Shui took a deep breath and stood to the side subconsciously. She was doubting that this kid could see her. [Host, don¡¯t worry. This system has no loopholes, and Lu Zhi Yao is blind, so he absolutely can¡¯t see you.] It better be so, but she no longer had much faith in this system, which was useless except for the playback ability. Li Ruo Shui waved her hand in front of his eyes and then waved it in front of his master¡¯s eyes, and she was relieved to see that neither of them responded. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s master did not say a word. Her forehead was sweating while Lu Zhi Yao was inclined to listen to the noise on the street with a smile. The two walked slowly from the bustling market to the sparsely populated outskirts of the city and entered a dilapidated hut. As soon as they entered, Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s master took two crutches from the side of the door to help herself into a wheelchair. Li Ruo Shui looked with an open mouth and couldn¡¯t help but feel what kind of strong woman this was. A person in a wheelchair had walked in the city for so long. Lu Zhi Yao seemed to have said that his master¡¯s hand and feet tendons had been broken. ¡°Come here.¡± His master¡¯s stern eyebrows looked straight at him without the slightest trace of warmth. Little Lu Zhi Yao did not resist. He stood in front of her obediently and bowed his head. His shoulder-length short hair covered his face, making it difficult to see his expression. ¡°I asked you to be friends with him, but as I said, do not accept anything from that bastard, it¡¯s disgusting!¡± ¡°Even a dog doesn¡¯t eat what was given to him in contempt, and yet, you ate what he picked up from the ground to give you. Shameless!¡± ¡°Have I not said that people have self-respect so don¡¯t rush to flatter others?!¡± His master seemed to be extremely angry. Her hand trembled more and more but managed to take the crutch and threw it at him without hesitation, knocking him into a stumble. Li Ruo Shui shook reflexively and looked at Little Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s back, which was probably swollen. This force was not small. Even an adult couldn¡¯t handle it, let alone a child. If it was Li Ruo Shui, the pain for sure would immediately drive her to tears. However, Little Lu Zhi Yao only frowned slightly to endure the pain and his footsteps staggered a little. His master was displeased with this reaction and lifted his jaw with the crutch, staring at him closely. ¡°I said before, smile. Smile no matter what happens. Smile so that people won¡¯t hate you.¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao frowned then drew a well-behaved and gentle smile again. His master then withdrew her hand and looked at him coldly: ¡°Is there any news this time?¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao nodded, covering his throat and coughing. The corners of his eyes tinged with a slight dampness from the cough. ¡°He said,¡± a cough, ¡°his birthday will be in a few days, and his parents will be here.¡± His master didn¡¯t care about his condition at all. She sneered and looked out the window with a look of impending furious revenge. ¡°It¡¯s finally coming, but I¡¯m not in a hurry. I¡¯ll play with you first and wait until you¡¯re all terrified before I kill you all.¡± Her eyes turned to Little Lu Zhi Yao. Her gaze was frantic, her hands and feet trembling ceaselessly. ¡°This is my ultimate work, my sharpest sword, and you will pay the price for daring to insult me to this point.¡± She turned the wheel to the cabinet, took out a tray of silver wire from it, and knocked on the door: ¡°Come over here.¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao groped his way forward and walked up to her after bumping the corner of the table once. His master tied the silver wires to his wrists and ankles, dragged him out into the courtyard, and continued to manipulate him with her trembling hands. ¡°Since we are going to have a little fuss, we must be prepared and practice more today.¡± This scene was very familiar. Not long ago, she had been treated like this by Lu Zhi Yao, but his actions were far more gentle than this. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s master treated him as if she was polishing a weapon. The enthusiasm in her eyes was not for him, but for the joy of her own successful polishing. The restrained Lu Zhi Yao was thrown around and made to perform many tricky moves that were very anti-human, twisting his body horribly. The only fortunate thing was the fact that he had practiced like this since he was a child; his body was flexible, so he was not hurt. Li Ruo Shui stood there and looked at him with mixed feelings. Why could others go to school and buy sugar paintings, but he could only grow up practicing martial arts and be used as a weapon of revenge by others? The silver wire embedded in the wrist and strangled a red scar. Little Lu Zhi Yao didn¡¯t seem to feel pain, but he looked a little bored. His master¡¯s fingers were trembling, and the tip of her nose was sweating. It took a lot of physical and mental effort for her to control, but for the sake of the future revenge, this hard work was nothing. Li Ruo Shui sat on the table in the courtyard, watching the tiny figure and fell into deep thought. What is his master going to do? Lu Zhi Yao was still a child, and no matter how powerful he was, it was difficult to beat others. Wouldn¡¯t this be like sending food to the predator¡¯s mouth? Despite knowing that he grew up without missing an arm or a leg, he must have suffered a lot during this time. Was this what he said about practicing martial arts with actual combat? Li Ruo Shui sighed deeply. Her bright eyes dimmed a lot, and her brows were full of sorrow. Why did no one seem to love him? Chapter 28.1 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (7) Maybe the outside world was very stable so no one bothered her. Li Ruo Shui stayed in this place for three days and had been watching Lu Zhi Yao all this while. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s life was extremely boring. In the morning, he meditated and practiced martial arts. After eating the unpalatable steamed buns and pickles at noon, he continued to practice martial arts. At night, he ate steamed buns and salted vegetables. After listening to his master talk about her resentment and anger over the years, he smiled habitually and then practiced martial arts. Even though his five senses were sensitive and his talent was very good, his ability to become the best in martial arts was inseparable from his diligent practices. Li Ruo Shui looked at the master and the disciple¡¯s meal and couldn¡¯t help frowning. When he followed his mother, he was dressed well even though he ate only steamed buns and vegetables. But now when he followed his master, he was dressed in only normal clothes but still ate steamed buns and vegetables. He had eaten more steamed buns than Li Ruo Shui when he was young. Perhaps that was why he grew so tall and strong. ¡°It¡¯s today. Go and turn their birthday banquet upside down.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s master was extremely excited. As soon as it was dawn, she turned her wheelchair to wake Little Lu Zhi Yao and reminded him of what to do. Little Lu Zhi Yao opened his eyes with a lazy expression. His unfocused eyes ¡°looked¡± at his master and nodded, then he got up and groped to wash up. Little Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t comb his own hair. No one had ever taught him. Even the red silk tied on his head was pondered by himself. Li Ruo Shui never dreamed that in such a life, what really troubled Little Lu Zhi Yao was how to tie his hair. He knelt down and looked with his eyes open out of focus as he picked up the upper part of his hair with his hands, bit the red silk with his teeth, and kept pulling back the loose hair. But when he tried to tie it up with red silk, his hair came loose and the red silk was loose. Little Lu Zhi Yao took a deep breath and maintained a smile on the corner of his mouth. He grasped the hair on the top of his head with his hands tightly and wrapped it again with red silk. At the end, the tied hair drooped to one side and he looked more like a little girl than boy. So this was the reason why he never tied his hair when he grew up. After getting his hair done, he ate two steamed buns as usual, ignoring the master who was immersed in joy. He picked up the steamed buns, his sword, his puppet and then left the hut. Little Lu Zhi Yao had no friends, so he made a few puppets for himself. These puppet dolls had strange shapes and were very scary in color. Li Ruo Shui had only been there for three days and she was frightened a few times. He seldom went to the city, and when he was resting after practicing martial arts, he always liked to take the puppets for a walk in the bamboo forest. That was the most leisurely and childlike time of his day. Little Lu Zhi Yao was walking on the way to the city, holding a puppet in one hand and exploring the way with a sword in the other. The strange looking puppet was manipulated to make twisting movements and the wood on its body touched and made a clanging sound. Li Ruo Shui followed behind him, worried. How could a young child go to the banquet alone? How could the child leave with just the puppet in his hand? Li Ruo Shui slandered his master, then shook her head and sighed like an old mother behind him. She had completely forgotten that Little Lu Zhi Yao was going to kill people. ¡°What are you looking forward to do today?¡± He asked the puppet. His misty eyes reflected the terrifying puppet, but his eyes couldn¡¯t focus on it. Naturally, the puppet couldn¡¯t speak. It could only be controlled by thin lines and made corresponding movements. Little Lu Zhi Yao pulled its arm again: ¡°Are you looking forward to it?¡± Li Ruo Shui: ¡­ It¡¯s just an ugly puppet, why bother with it? ¡°It¡¯s boring.¡± She saw Little Lu Zhi Yao sighed faintly. He raised the puppet with a smile and frowned slightly with regret. ¡°I thought it would be good if you couldn¡¯t speak, but now it seems that it¡¯s not enough. What¡¯s the point of not being able to speak?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to stay here with these silent bamboos.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, he did not hesitate to insert the puppet into the bamboo and continued to drag the sword forward. Li Ruo Shui looked at the puppet with half of its head in the bamboo joint and couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill in her head. She wished she would not be treated like this in the future. Looking at the small figure in front of her, Li Ruo Shui once again felt a familiar chill. Sure enough, a lunatic wasn¡¯t a normal person, even when he was young. Not long after walking, it started to rain, and Little Lu Zhi Yao turned into a ruined temple without hesitation. This temple was probably dedicated to the City God, but the statue can no longer be seen. Only the red robe corners showed some of the glory of the past. He couldn¡¯t see it so he groped and dragged a futon, sat in a meditative posture, propped his jaw boredly, and began to empty himself. He had seen darkness since he was a child, so he probably didn¡¯t feel anything scary here at this moment. However, Li Ruo Shui was afraid. Although she was an outsider who could not be seen or touched by anyone, and even though she was the strangest person in the temple, she was still afraid. It was dark on a rainy day, even more so in the temple. The robe of the City God was strangely red. Just by looking at this depressing scene, she had already made up 100,000 words for a supernatural novel, ¡°The City God¡¯s Temple.¡± Suddenly there was a rustling sound in the corner, and Li Ruo Shui jumped to the side of the Little Lu Zhi Yao with amazing force. She was trying to block herself with his thin, ten-year-old body. Little Lu Zhi Yao obviously heard this movement. He was not afraid and even became interested in it. He raised his beautiful eyebrows slightly, beckoned to that place and called out in a very similar way: ¡°Meow.¡± Li Ruo Shui stuck her head out from behind him, and saw that a calico cat stuck its head out from the corner of the wall. They looked at each other and she felt embarrassed. Fortunately, no one saw her like this. People were often not scared to death by the truth, but by their own brains. Li Ruo Shui looked at the cat and immediately had a deep understanding of this sentence. Chapter 28.2 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (8) The calico cat walked out of the corner. It was so thin, and it walked a few laps in the distance, seeming to be a little anxious to escape. However, it was raining outside, so it had to meow a few times at this place. Little Lu Zhi Yao grinned. He took out the steamed bun from his arms, tore a small piece and swayed it tantalizingly in the air. The thin calico cat probably hadn¡¯t eaten for a long time. Between instinctive appetite and escape, it chose appetite. The calico cat walked on its paws silently and aimed at the steamed buns that were still swaying in the path. Standing aside, looking at this person and a cat, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s fear was replaced by a little nervousness, but she still had an intuition that the cat would be disappointed. Sure enough, the calico cat hunched over and jumped up, but still couldn¡¯t cross the path quickly. Not only did Lu Zhi Yao pull back the torn buns, but he also put them in his mouth. The cat was still young, so naturally it was annoyed, but the cat couldn¡¯t jump up that high, so it could only hiss menacingly while grinding its claws below. ¡°Interesting.¡± Little Lu Zhi Yao chuckled with a grown-up demeanor, then tore off a piece and threw it to the cat again. ¡°This is your reward.¡± The cat jumped up, grabbed the steamed buns and devoured it, watching him vigilantly while eating. As if he could sense the gaze from the cat, he tore off another piece and threw it over. Only half of the steamed buns remained in his hand. ¡°Is it delicious?¡± The cat ignored him and continued to eat after a meow. ¡°What¡¯s the point of eating? Fine, I¡¯ll please you, so I¡¯ll give you all of this.¡± He threw the remaining steamed buns. He didn¡¯t save a bite for himself even though he hadn¡¯t had breakfast today. ¡°In my opinion, the most interesting thing is watching others struggle.¡± After eating the buns, the cat licked its paws and looked at him from a distance, meowing from time to time. Little Lu Zhi Yao raised a smile at the cat, as if he had finally found a listener who would respond. ¡°When master has gotten her revenge, I will leave her. How about I come to you? I have never raised a cat, and I have always wanted to try it.¡± The cat looked outside the temple. The cat seemed to be already planning an escape. Little Lu Zhi Yao listened to the sound of the rain and looked a little lost. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the sound of beating leaves through the forest, why not sing and walk slowly.¡± Very good, he remembered all the poems his Master said. Li Ruo Shui always felt that he was not trying to convey messages, but to learn. As a natural born blind person, apart from his ears and hands, the most important thing he needed in order to know about the outside world was the feedback given by others. However, no one ever told him that the grass was green, the sky was blue, and the blood was red. All he knew was that the grass was hard, the trees were rough, and the blood was warm. He was lacking not only theoretical knowledge but even common sense. He lacked a basic understanding of the world. No, Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t help scratching her head. She felt that the plan was getting more and more difficult. How can she talk about love with a person who lacks common sense? The rain stopped and there were only raindrops falling from the bamboo leaves. The calico cat couldn¡¯t wait to listen to Little Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s inner voice. The cat turned around and ran out of the ruined temple, never to be seen again. Lu Zhi Yao was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s still interesting, let¡¯s go back and be a puppet.¡± He walked out of the ruined temple with his sword in his arms and continued to walk towards his destination. Many people in the city were curious about this child who was holding a sword. His head was drooping, and red feathers dangled from his ears. They all could not help but glance at him. Little Lu Zhi Yao walked forward without any distractions and finally stopped at the corner of the street, facing the mansion. This mansion was very grandly built. There was a happy event in the He Mansion today. It was the birthday of his only son, and many guests were invited. Most of the people who arrived were from the Jianghu, garbed in strong suits and carrying swords. A small number were old men in luxurious clothes. His family should have closer contacts with Jianghu people. (TL/N: Jianghu here refers to the martial arts world and the people of that community) Li Ruo Shui looked at Lu Zhi Yao worriedly. He was only ten years old now, and no matter how good he was, it would be difficult to beat so many masters. Wasn¡¯t this like delivering a lamb to the mouth of a tiger? But before she could see what happened next, she felt dizzy, which was a precursory symptom of going back. ¡°No! I¡¯ve been staying here for three days, why pull me back at such a critical time?!¡± After a moment of dizziness, Li Ruo Shui opened her eyes in a daze, and what she saw was the dazzling sunlight which was different from what she had just experienced. Her eyes were focused on Lu Zhi Yao by the bed, and she felt as if a kitten was scratching her heart. Wasn¡¯t this just a plot? It was so uncomfortable. What the hell happened next? Had he been beaten up? She really wanted to know! Lu Zhi Yao felt her movement. He lifted a soft smile and faced her with the sunlight on his back. ¡°You¡¯ve slept for a long time.¡± ¡­ She took a good look at him. Damn, she now saw Lu Zhi Yao with soft light effects. Chapter 29.1 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (9) The sunlight painted a golden halo on the side of Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s face, and with his gentle and beautiful appearance, anyone who saw it would feel that a god from heaven has descended to the earth. However, Li Ruo Shui¡¯s focus was on his lips. His lips were as red as a cherry, and with a sprinkle of golden light, his lips looked even more delicious. He spoke with little amplitude. His lips were slightly flattened and the corners of his lips were turned up as if he was smiling. She tasted it not long ago. His lips were soft and sweet, and she could still feel his trembling. ¡­¡­ Li Ruo Shui sat up abruptly, trying to shake these terrible thoughts and strange adjectives out of her brain, but as if they had rooted in, the more she thought about them, the clearer the thoughts became. Thinking about it carefully, his appearance was indeed extremely in line with her aesthetics. But why does she have to think about it carefully?! She only approached him in order to go back home, so she should not end up getting herself involved! ¡°Look at what this is.¡± Lu Zhi Yao sat on the footrest and took out a packet of herbs from the side. Green leaves and red stems were piled up together quietly, showing a faint golden color in the pillar of light. Li Ruo Shui took a glance, and then her gaze involuntarily fell on his ears. When she saw the two pierced ears, she couldn¡¯t help but feel curious as to where the pair of feather earrings went. She genuinely thought the feathers looked unique on him. Li Ruo Shui shook her head again and turned her gaze to his face. Although Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s eyes were closed, the corners of his lips were slightly raised revealing his expectation. His appearance coincided with that of him when he was a child, causing Li Ruo Shui to overflow with love and affection, and she was afraid that she would mistake this feeling for love. Compassion is not the same as love. So she needs to clear her head. ¡°This is probably some kind of herbal medicine¡­¡­¡± Li Ruo Shui lifted the blanket and put on her shoes. ¡°I, I¡¯ll go find Zheng Yan Qing.¡± She just wanted an excuse to get out of here, so she just mentioned a random person. Looking at Zheng Yan Qing, she could not feel that kind of worldly desire/lust anymore, and she urgently needed him to calm herself down now. When Li Ruo Shui got up, she was suddenly pulled by the wrist. She did not dare to look at Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s face and could only look out the window. ¡°What, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you take a closer look at them?¡± Lu Zhi Yao sat sideways on the footrest with his eyes closed and brought the herbs to her eyes again. ¡°It¡¯s quite pretty.¡± Hearing this, Lu Zhi Yao laughed out again. His thin lips parted slightly and the words were blocked in his throat. ¡°But I have an urgent matter to find Zheng Yan Qing. I will come back to talk to you later.¡± Li Ruo Shui brushed his hand away and ran out in a hurry with red ears. Listening to her clattering footsteps, Lu Zhi Yao was silent for a long time. Gathering the herbs in his hands, his lips opened a few times but he didn¡¯t know what to say. Then he frowned and stretched out his hand to hammer his heart, feeling stuffy. ¡°I have to go see the doctor.¡± Lu Zhi Yao put the herbs in the cabinet. When he went out, he took a few steps in the direction Li Ruo Shui left. Then he came back to his senses and went straight up to the roof and took a familiar path. Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t even need to ask anyone. She ran straight to the Zheng Mansion¡¯s library, where she saw Zheng Yan Qing as expected. The library in Zheng Mansion was not small. There were more than a dozen bookshelves lined up together. There were many famous books and classics on them. There was a desk in the middle of the library. ¡°Miss Li, you¡¯re awake.¡± Zheng Yan Qing put down the travelog in his hand and looked at her with a slight surprise: ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping for a day and a night and couldn¡¯t wake up. You have scared us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you guys worry.¡± Li Ruo Shui fanned her slightly reddish cheeks. Then she casually picked up a book and flipped a few pages. ¡°¡­¡­Are there any Buddhist scriptures in your study?¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s look was very sincere, comparable to a monk who devoted himself to seeking scriptures. Zheng Yan Qing paused for a moment, then turned to the bookshelf to get a book for her. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Miss Li to like to read Buddhist scriptures.¡± Li Ruo Shui took the book, ready to shake off all the charming scenes in her mind, and replied casually. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Zheng to love travelogs instead of the classics.¡± Li Ruo Shui knew about Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s situation. This sentence was meant to be a joke, but Zheng Yan Qing was upset when he heard it. ¡°Both are books, so what¡¯s the difference between travelogs and classics? They all said that I¡¯ve been gifted and intelligent since I was a child, but no one ever asked me what I really like. They only gave me all the classics.¡± The heat on Li Ruo Shui¡¯s face has almost dissipated, and she felt calmer: ¡°Then what do you like?¡± ¡°I like going out for parades and adventures. But since I accidentally passed the exams when I was a child, I have never traveled far. He let out a long sigh. His eyes lost much of their sparkle: ¡°If my condition improves, I will not be able to escape the provincial exams in a few months.¡± ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at him incredulously. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen people who wanted to pass the exam, but I¡¯ve never seen someone who wanted to fail it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zheng Yan Qing stared at her dumbfounded. ¡°Just go to the provincial examination. Anyway, the examination place is not in Cangzhou. You can take the opportunity to travel and see the mountains and rivers. When you come back, you can just say that you can¡¯t pass the exam.¡± Li Ruo Shui coughed lightly and averted her gaze: ¡°I¡¯m not trying to teach you how to be bad.¡± In the original story, Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s weak constitution and occasional difficulty breathing were not true. He was actually given chronic poison. Lu Fei Yue caught the person who poisoned him. He was a scholar who had been jealous of Zheng Yan Qing for a long time, so he bribed a servant in the Zheng Mansion to poison Zheng Yan Qing. But things were not so simple. The Zheng family was well-managed and the servants were also loyal. It definitely took a lot of money to bribe for so many years, but now this person appeared very coincidentally as if he was deliberately sent to the door. Chapter 29.2 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (10) Lu Fei Yue also thought something was wrong. The Zheng parents were angry, but after the official sent that family out of Cangzhou, they focused on the Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s provincial exams, and no one brought up the subject again. Since the family members did not care anymore, it wasn¡¯t wise for Lu Fei Yue as an outsider to intervene too, so this matter was considered over. Li Ruo Shui also complained about it when she was reading the novel. Did the Zheng family care about their son or just the future scholar? Zheng Yan Qing has been cut off from the business family since he was a child. His parents kept talking about money and plotted how to expand the store, but they told him that everything was not important, only education was good and money was dirt. His parents locked him up in the courtyard and hired the best tutors for him. Even though they were in the same mansion, they said that they didn¡¯t see him more than a few times a year. His brother was a merchant and his sister was the head of Lingluo Silk in Cangzhou. However, he was told that the family¡¯s business was none of his business, and all he had to do was study. His name was Zheng Yan Qing, but no one really regarded him as a child of the Zheng family. Zheng Yan Qing looked at her thoughtfully and seemed to be really thinking about the possibility of doing so. Then Li Ruo Shui asked the most crucial point. ¡°You aren¡¯t lacking food and drink now, that¡¯s why you want to go on an adventure. But if you really go out in the future and your parents don¡¯t give you money, what will you do?¡± She could use the current strategy partly because the system rewards her silver, and she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food and drink as long as she used the money wisely. Otherwise, let alone strategy, even survival would be a problem. Zheng Yan Qing smiled bitterly: ¡°I really know nothing else except studying.¡± ¡°You can always learn.¡± Li Ruo Shui patted his shoulder, revealing a smile: ¡°Who was born to read.¡± After saying this, Li Ruo Shui froze for a moment, suddenly thought of something, and asked him, ¡°Do you know a suitable place to learn swimming in Cangzhou?¡± Zheng Yan Qing loved to read travelogs and knew the geography and sights of this dynasty well, so he immediately gave an answer. ¡°There¡¯s a small river in the northern mountains with a clear bottom. It¡¯s a good place.¡± ¡°Many thanks.¡± Li Ruo Shui nodded, returned the Buddhist scriptures to him, and ran out of the study room. Her own words reminded herself that no one was born knowing everything and one could always learn. Well, Lu Zhi Yao could also learn, even if he didn¡¯t know how to love. * ¡°The pulse is calm and steady. There¡¯s no major issue. Stick out your tongue and I¡¯ll take a look.¡± The doctor was the one who bandaged Li Ruo Shui¡¯s palm that day, and he recognized Lu Zhi Yao at a glance when he saw Lu Zhi Yao coming today. The doctor sighed silently when he didn¡¯t see Li Ruo Shui beside him and thought that the world lost a couple after all. Lu Zhi Yao opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. ¡°You¡¯re not eating properly. There are also dark shadows under your eyes, which are due to poor sleep quality. But in general there is no major problem.¡± The doctor shook his head and attributed his physical condition to his emotional injury: ¡°Just keep open-minded about it.¡± Lu Zhi Yao touched his heart, a little confused: ¡°Is it okay here?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you here?¡± ¡°Palpitations, chest tightness, sometimes it¡¯s beating fast, and sometimes there¡¯s some dull pain, but there¡¯s no poisoning. Is it any kind of disease?¡± Lu Zhi Yao was not afraid of death, but he did not like the feeling of losing control of his body. The doctor felt his pulse and shook his head again, ¡°There is no problem. I have been practicing medicine for decades, and I am still confident in my medical skills.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really strange.¡± ¡°What were you doing when the symptoms occurred?¡± The doctor asked carefully. Perhaps he might discover what he had overlooked. ¡°I was with Li Ruo Shui. Especially when she kissed me, not only did my heart beat hard, but even my arms and legs became weak. I was not like myself at all.¡± Although Lu Zhi Yao had a smile, he said it very seriously, without any charming feeling. The old doctor blushed when he heard it. ¡°You¡­¡­¡± The doctor held back for a long time, but he didn¡¯t come up with a result after doing this for a while. He originally thought it was some kind of major illness that was difficult to detect, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be a problem in this area. ¡°Although I have thought about poisoning, there is really no sign that she did it.¡± Lu Zhi Yao turned the medicine pestle and mortar on the table, seemingly contemplating something. The doctor licked his lips and opened and closed his mouth many times before he spoke out. ¡°You are not poisoned. This is only because you are too tired, rest more.¡± Since that girl has married into the Zheng family, there was no need to tell him the truth and let the world have another sad person. ¡°This time the consultation will be free of charge.¡± The doctor folded his hands and looked at him rather sadly. ¡°Of course, if you really can¡¯t figure it out, go to the teahouse in Smoke Willow Lane and listen to a book.¡± That place loved to talk about men and women throughout the ages, and maybe it could teach him something. Lu Zhi Yao pursed a smile and did not ask any more questions about this, but he brought up another topic. ¡°I know that my eyes can no longer be saved¡­¡­¡± His eyelashes trembled slightly, and the corners of his lips hooked up a sincere smile: ¡°Can you tell me, what does Li Ruo Shui look like?¡± The doctor was even more distressed. Perhaps he was a child who just fell in love; he couldn¡¯t let him fall into it again. ¡°That girl.¡± The doctor silently apologized to Li Ruo Shui and took out the medicinal herbs. ¡°She has ginseng eyebrows, mung bean eyes, and a bamboo leaf mouth. In short, she is just not pretty.¡± (TL/N: The doctor was describing Li Ruo Shui¡¯s looks based on medicinal herbs) What a sin. The doctor¡¯s conscience was a little troubled. That girl was as brilliant as the sunrise, as bright as a star, and she had a rare and wonderful aura at first glance. How could he describe her to this?! Lu Zhi Yao reached out and touched the several medicinal herbs with a smile on his lips. ¡°What an interesting look.¡± Doctor: ¡­¡­ ¡°Thank you.¡± Lu Zhi Yao still left the money when he left. He then stopped a person outside with a gentle look. ¡°Excuse me, where is Smoke Willow Lane?¡± Chapter 30.1 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (11) Cangzhou, located in the south, has frequent trade and abundant products. Many seasonal fruits had already arrived in the market. For example, cherries and lychees. But those were all early-maturing varieties, and there were not many people selling them, which made the price quite high. Li Ruo Shui hesitated for a while and bought a kilo of small cherries. She was carrying a small bamboo basket and was about to walk back when she ran into a woman in black clothes holding a knife. ¡°Sister Lu!¡± Lu Fei Yue, who was in a hurry, looked at her with a relieved frown. ¡°Ruo Shui, how are you doing in Zheng Mansion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Li Ruo Shui nodded. After all, Zheng Yan Qing was very special in the Zheng Mansion. Almost no one came to his yard except for the maids who delivered meals and the teacher. Lu Fei Yue nodded, and the corner of her tightly pursed lips curved into a smile. She knew Li Ruo Shui was a very clever person. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be long before we¡­¡­What¡¯s wrong with you here?¡± Lu Fei Yue raised Li Ruo Shui¡¯s chin, and stared at the bruises on her neck. The bruises? Oh right, the pinch marks left by Lu Zhi Yao the night before yesterday had not disappeared. ¡°The day before yesterday, someone pretended to be a ghost in the Zheng Mansion. I was unfortunately trapped.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you more about this later.¡± And before Lu Fei Yue asked a question, Li Ruo Shui changed the topic: ¡°You went to the case patrol division to report, how did things go?¡± Lu Fei Yue shook her head, took out a bottle of ointment and gave it to Li Ruo Shui. ¡°Once in the morning and once in the evening. There is a change in this matter of Zheng Mansion. The case patrol division in Cangzhou gave a secret order to stop this.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Li Ruo Shui was really puzzled. There was no such plot in the original story. Lu Fei Yue caught the poisoner and stole the information. How come this was not allowed now? Lu Fei Yue sighed slightly, her long eyelashes drooped to cover her pupils, and her original firm eyes were somewhat confused. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Li Ruo Shui was silent for a moment and raised the basket in front of her. ¡°Sister Lu, do you want to try some cherries? We¡¯ll continue to investigate the case after eating these.¡± Lu Fei Yue looked at her, softened her eyes, and patted her head affectionately. ¡°Thank you ¡­¡­ I¡¯m going to find Jiang Nian now. Do you want to come along?¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°The teahouse in Smoke Willow Lane.¡± Li Ruo Shui paused, her eyes a little subtle. ¡°Smoke Willow Lane, isn¡¯t it one of the biggest flower streets in Cangzhou?¡± Lu Fei Yue smiled and shook her head: ¡°But the storytelling in the teahouse is also the best in Cangzhou, and I often go to listen to it. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Li Ruo Shui nodded and then followed Lu Fei Yue to the teahouse in Smoke Willow Lane. * ¡°My lord, today¡¯s scene is about love, are you sure you want to go in?¡± Lu Zhi Yao was stopped by the boy at the door. He took a step back in some confusion and distanced himself from the boy. ¡°Why can¡¯t I enter?¡± Seeing that his eyesight was bad and he looked like he was new to this teahouse, the boy told him politely. ¡°Today¡¯s teahouse storytelling scene is not about sword fighting on a windy and snowy night, but about male and female love.¡± ¡°So?¡± Lu Zhi Yao thought for a moment: ¡°Is there any difference?¡± The background of the dynasty was set more open-mindedly in the original novel in order to highlight Lu Fei Yue¡¯s ability in solving cases. This kind of teahouse usually told normal storytelling, but there would also be some extra programs on a fixed day every month, perhaps telling horror and weird things, or just talking about lingering love stories. The teahouse in Smoke Willow Lane had superb storytellers and new stories. It had long been famous in Cangzhou, and many people came here admiringly. When Lu Zhi Yao entered, many people were already seated. Most of the people who came to listen were women, but in fact there were also many men. He paid for tea and then sat quietly in the corner, waiting to find the cause of his heart palpitations. Lu Zhi Yao had a slight smile on his lips with a gentle temperament, but it blended harmoniously with the noisy scene. ¡°Brother Lu!¡± Hearing the familiar voice, Lu Zhi Yao ignored it, still sitting there quietly. Jiang Nian ran down from upstairs and sat down next to Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you here. Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t come?¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled softly: ¡°She is not always with me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Jiang Nian picked up a peanut and threw it into his mouth. ¡°Although it¡¯s fake, she¡¯s considered married after all. She still has to be with Mr. Zheng.¡± Recalling how Li Ruo Shui ran to look for Zheng Yan Qing, Lu Zhi Yao fumbled and poured a cup of tea, facing the stage. ¡°Marriage is nothing.¡± Jiang Nian was taken aback. He covered his mouth to hold back his laughter and said in a buzzing voice, ¡°Yes, yes, I talk too much.¡± Snap¡ª The storyteller on the high stage knocked the gavel, opened his fan, and started his storytelling. ¡°Speaking of the love between a man and a woman, I have to talk about the Butterfly Lovers¡­¡± The audience booed, saying that it was too old-fashioned, and everyone had heard about it. ¡°The Butterfly Lovers is just a quote, everyone listen to me carefully.¡± Although the story of the Butterfly Lovers is a well-known story, with the storyteller¡¯s eloquence and humor, it is interesting to listen to it again. Everyone sitting in the audience was listening for fun. Only Lu Zhi Yao took it seriously. He had never heard the story or the book. This man¡¯s vocal skills were excellent, and he could give people the feeling of being in the scene. Lu Zhi Yao was immersed in the story. He was interested at first, but he slowly frowned later and suddenly laughed when he heard the two of them transforming into butterflies. Jiang Nian had been observing his expression and was somewhat curious at this point. ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± ¡°After fighting for so long, I finally watched them transform into butterflies and left.¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled and sincerely sighed that Ma Wen Cai¡¯s vision was too narrow. ¡°If it were me, I would have caught the butterfly, so that it could never fly away again.¡± Jiang Nian was silent for a while and then said, ¡°¡­¡­So why are you substituting Ma Wen Cai?¡± ¡°Is there anyone else in this?¡± Lu Zhi Yao was a little puzzled: ¡°Zhu Ying Tai? Or her mother?¡± Jiang Nian widened his eyes, somewhat shocked, and dropped some of the melon seeds in his hand. Chapter 30.2 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (12) ¡°Liang Shan Bo, this name has been mentioned so many times. Don¡¯t you remember his name?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Lu Zhi Yao thought carefully for a while and recalled the name: ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you moved by his love for Zhu Ying Tai?¡± Lu Zhi Yao was silent for a moment, then the corners of his raised mouth were lowered, and his good-looking eyebrows frowned slightly. ¡°He and Zhu Yingtai are in love?¡± ¡°What else?¡± Jiang Nian ate more melon seeds, thinking that listening to the story was not as interesting as his answer. ¡°It¡¯s really weird.¡± Lu Zhi Yao sighed slightly but had no other thoughts. The storyteller on the stage tapped the gavel and said with a smile, ¡°This was just an introduction, and the next is the real story.¡± ¡°This story is the same as the story of the Butterfly Lovers, which took place in a school.¡± ¡°More than ten years ago, our dynasty had not yet undergone changes, so women could not enter the school. There was a Bai Mansion in Linyi. The lady of the Bai family had been clever since she was a child, but she was also extremely playful, and she even disguised herself to enter the school¡­¡± ¡°Starting with throbbing, it is the arrival of a destiny. We all know that there is not only one destiny in a person¡¯s life, only a few overly paranoid people will take it seriously. Miss Bai happens to be like this.¡± The story began with vivid details, as if the storyteller had seen it with his own eyes. The mood of the young lady was imitated vividly, and the atmosphere was refreshing. Everyone seemed to be able to see Miss Bai¡¯s shyness, the gentleman¡¯s graceful demeanor, as well as the misty smoke, rain, and refreshing gardenias in Linyi. However, he only talked about the beginning and stopped abruptly before relaying how the two met. The storyteller folded his fan, waking up the crowd who was engrossed in the tale: ¡°This story is new. Not much can be said today, and you¡¯ll have to wait until next time if you want to know what will happen next.¡± The intoxicated young lady under the stage couldn¡¯t help but snicker: ¡°You storytellers just like to stop here and there.¡± The storyteller stroked his mustache and smiled noncommittally. ¡°I¡¯ve put a lot of effort into this story, so how can I finish it so easily?¡± The girl didn¡¯t hold back and laughed, ¡°How come the others in the academy didn¡¯t find out whether Miss Bai is a man or a woman.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The storyteller took back the folding fan painted with green bamboo, and took out a small fan to cover half of his face. It was inexplicably charming: ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this woman disguised as a man.¡± ¡°If there is a beautiful person in the academy, but he is actually a man, then another slightly less beautiful, will you still doubt whether she is a man or a woman?¡± Some audiences were not convinced: ¡°Are you saying that the gentleman is more beautiful?¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± The storyteller put away his fan and looked at the crowd with a smile: ¡°Five days later, please be early.¡± The beginning of this story was different from the others, and even Jiang Nian, who had traveled far and wide, found it novel and couldn¡¯t help but ask a question. ¡°Listening to the beginning, Miss Bai obviously does not like him. Why do you still say they are like the Butterfly Lovers?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, this Miss Bai is not Zhu Ying Tai.¡± The storyteller narrowed his eyes and nudged him with his folding fan, ¡°Besides, who said she doesn¡¯t like him.¡± Li Ruo Shui held the bamboo basket and looked carefully at the storyteller on the stage: ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem very much like a man.¡± ¡°She is a woman, surnamed Yao.¡± Lu Fei Yue stood straight, with admiration in her eyes: ¡°When I came to Cangzhou a few years ago, she was here to tell the story. There were few repetitions of what she said, but every time I came I could also listen to many new stories.¡± The storyteller cleaned up the desktop and continued the tradition of chatting after the storytelling. ¡°Love is a word. The mouth can lie, but the body can never lie. If she doesn¡¯t like him, how could she kiss that gentleman?¡± There was an uproar in the audience, and the spirit of gossip was kindled, asking him to say more. The storyteller feigned surprise and covered half of his mouth, ¡°I¡¯m too talkative. You all will have to come after five days, let me return some of my capital.¡± There was discussion about the subsequent development of this story, but only Lu Zhi Yao seemed to have understood something. So, Li Ruo Shui kissed him that night because she loved him? ¡°Jiang Nian.¡± After Lu Fei Yue brought Li Ruo Shui to that place, she discussed things with him. Li Ruo Shui held the bamboo basket in one hand and patted Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s shoulder with the other. She wanted to call him, but he dodged it sideways. Li Ruo Shui: ? ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Li Ruo Shui bent down to look at him and began to wonder if she had done something again. The sweet breath suddenly approached, and he, who could take it calmly at first, took a breath and unconsciously stroked the Buddha beads on his left wrist. The cold feeling calmed him down a lot. He raised the corners of his mouth as usual, squeezed his wrist, and thought about it. ¡°I was thinking about how to teach you sword skills.¡± Painful memories came flooding back. Li Ruo Shui pursed her lips, put the basket in her hands behind her, and silently made a move to hammer him. Not only did he pinched her till she felt like this, her joints which were being manipulated still hurt a little, and she actually thought of giving him cherries before this?! Damn it! ¡°Oh.¡± Li Ruo Shui responded faintly. She felt aggrieved when she thought of having to take him swimming afterwards to gain favor later. She wondered if there was a chance to beat him up in the future. ¡°There is something wrong with the secret order. It is impossible to suddenly stop checking it within a short period of time.¡± Lu Fei Yue clutched her sword and frowned as if she was thinking about the solution to this matter. ¡°There seems to be letters in the darkroom of the Zheng Mansion.¡± Lu Zhi Yao uttered these words, not caring about the shock of the three people there. Li Ruo Shui was the first to ask, ¡°When did you go in there?¡± ¡°Last night, I went to get some fire grass.¡± Li Ruo Shui, who had wanted to beat him up before, choked for a moment as a scene flashed through her mind. ¡°Could it be the herb with red stems and green leaves this morning¡­¡­¡± If it was true, then she could have committed a big taboo in the strategy. No wonder he was a little off today. Lu Zhi Yao smiled and the Buddha beads on his wrist tinkled: ¡°Yes, but you don¡¯t seem to like it very much.¡± Help! So because of her untimely shyness, she missed a good opportunity to gain his goodwill and save herself! Chapter 31.1 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (13) ¡°You lied to me, right? How could you throw it away?¡± The afternoon sun was bright and hot, warming the streets of Cangzhou. It was only April, yet it was already warming up. A man and a woman were walking in the middle of the market in Cangzhou, the blind man in white on the left, walking slowly, and the young girl in a goose-yellow jacket on the right, holding a basket of bright red cherries in her arms. ¡°There¡¯s only a few days left until the middle of the month. Did you really throw it away?¡± Li Ruo Shui was so anxious. She would have shaken him by his collar by now if she could beat him. ¡°You didn¡¯t like it.¡± Lu Zhi Yao sighed quietly, looking regretful. Li Ruo Shui felt very tired. She certainly didn¡¯t believe that Lu Zhi Yao threw away the herbs, and she also knew what he was waiting for. People can bend and stretch, their mouths don¡¯t match their hearts, and words don¡¯t mean anything, so¡­ ¡°Please, give me the medicine.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at the pedestrians around her. She walked with her chest and her head up as she mumbled her words aloud. Lu Zhi Yao heard what he wanted to hear, and the corners of his lips raised uncontrollably. He smiled like a spring breeze. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear it clearly.¡± The tight feeling in his chest he felt this morning dissipated at this moment. What the doctor said was a bit wrong. If he wanted to stop this throbbing, he shouldn¡¯t listen to books, he should listen more to Li Ruo Shui begging him. ¡°Please!¡± Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t help being in a good mood, and his tone became a little energetic. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to listen to you begging me.¡± Bullshit! Li Ruo Shui stared at him with wide eyes. She really wanted to smash this basket of cherries on his face. ¡°Fire grass is difficult to make into medicine, how about I help you?¡± The raised basket stopped in mid-air. Although she had a bad feeling, Li Ruo Shui could not really tell what it was. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cook the medicine for you.¡± Li Ruo Shui:¡­¡­ Do you think I believe it? The two of them talked to each other until they reached the door of Zheng Mansion, and then they walked in naturally. Ever since knowing that the ghost hunting matter depended solely on Lu Zhi Yao, the Zheng Mansion not only listed him as a regular guest, they even wanted to recruit him into the residence, but they were all rejected. ¡°We enter the residence too naturally.¡± Li Ruo Shui silently spat out a sentence. The people who didn¡¯t know might have thought that Zheng Mansion was their home. Lu Zhi Yao was silent for a moment and said softly: ¡°Aren¡¯t you the young lady of the Zheng Mansion?¡± Li Ruo Shui:¡­¡­ How come there was a strange atmosphere? * Although Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s small courtyard was cold and quiet, it had all the things one should have, such as a small kitchen located in the southeast corner. Lu Zhi Yao had prepared the antidote by himself in the past, so he was already familiar with brewing the medicine. ¡°The fire grass is always hot, so it¡¯s important to control the temperature when cooking.¡± The two of them moved the small stove to the courtyard, put the grinded herbs in it, and slowly fanned the fire. Li Ruo Shui sat on the swing beside him and swayed around to look at him. ¡°How did you get the herbal medicine last night?¡± Lu Zhi Yao fanned the bushel fan, tested the temperature with the other hand across the medicine pot, and pondered for a moment before replying to her. ¡°It was very dark inside, full of hidden weapons everywhere, and very dangerous.¡± Li Ruo Shui swayed on the swing thoughtfully but did not reply. ¡°There were a lot of herbs in the dark room, but I couldn¡¯t see them. I can only smell them one by one to distinguish them. Although it hurt my nose, I finally found the fire grass.¡± Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s tone was soft and melodious. Anyone who heard it would be somewhat touched. But Li Ruo Shui did not have this idea at all and even felt a little strange. ¡°You are not pretending to be pitiful, right?¡± The medicinal juice on the stove gurgled and bubbled, wafting out a bitter medicinal smell, covering up a soft sigh from Lu Zhi Yao. ¡°I¡¯m not pretending.¡± Lu Zhi Yao turned his head. ¡°Isn¡¯t it really pathetic?¡± Although this word had been said too many times today, she still wanted to say them at this point. Bullshit. Li Ruo Shui mouthed the word silently. Lu Zhi Yao chuckled, casually pulled out a silver wire to wrap around the swing, and slowly pulled it up. Li Ruo Shui hurriedly held onto the ropes on both sides. Looking at the increasingly high distance, she stuttered. ¡°What are you doing?! I didn¡¯t say anything bad about you!¡± She regretted it as soon as the words came out. How could she confess herself?! Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s hand force did not reduce. His drooping eyelashes were slightly curved, and he was in a good mood. ¡°Next time you say something bad, just keep it in your heart. Even if you just move your lips, there will be a sound.¡± Lu Zhi Yao felt that the height was not enough, so he leaped onto the tree and pulled the swing higher and higher until it was almost parallel to where he stood, and then his hand stopped. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s heart was beating non-stop. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth for fear that she would not be able to hold back the words in her heart. After closing her eyes for a long time, Li Ruo Shui opened one eye and looked forward. She saw Lu Zhi Yao standing among the trees, his face dappled with light and shadow, black hair quietly scattered behind his head, like a fairy in the forest. ¡°If you want to let the swing go, let it go quickly. There¡¯s no point in holding onto it.¡± Li Ruo Shui babbled and closed her eyes again. She said a lot of gibberish, trying to relieve her nervousness. ¡°The wind is coming.¡± The next moment, the swing descended abruptly with a panic-inducing sense of weightlessness. ¡°I hate¡­!!!¡± Lu Zhi Yao appeared by the fireplace, continued to cook the medicine, and asked casually ¡°What do you hate?¡± The swing swung from the highest point in front to the highest point in the back. One could only control the balance by relying on the buttocks and hands. Li Ruo Shui gritted her teeth and replied, ¡°I hate myself for not experiencing it sooner!¡± He must be beaten up in the future. Lu Zhi Yao stepped on the silver wire beneath his feet and fiddled with it repeatedly, not letting the swing stop. Li Ruo Shui grabbed the rope as the corners of her skirt fluttered in the air. The word ¡°tired¡± was written in her eyes, and she always felt that she was being fooled again. The smell of medicine in the pot slowly diffused. Lu Zhi Yao put out the fire of the small stove, stopped the silver wire with the tip of his foot, and pulled the swing to a halt. He grabbed the handle and poured the dark medicinal juice precisely into the porcelain bowl. Then he turned to smile at her. ¡°You can drink the medicine now.¡± ¡­¡­ Chapter 31.2 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (14) Hearing this, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the famous saying ¡°Da Lang, drink the medicine.¡± Li Ruo Shui stepped off the swing with soft legs. She straightened her messy hair and skirt and walked to the table. As soon as she got close, she smelled a stench that hit her soul. It reeked of rotten mud and fish that had been stinking for days. It smelled so bad that she was a bit dazed. Li Ruo Shui frowned and was ready to lift the bowl to drink it in one gulp, but Lu Zhi Yao stopped her. ¡°This medicine is strong, so you have to drink it one sip at a time.¡± Li Ruo Shui recalled the pain of the poison. She looked at the basket of cherries on the table and promptly sat down on the stone chair. ¡°Although you may be lying, come on!¡± Her hand reaching for the porcelain bowl was once again stopped. Lu Zhi Yao smiled without saying anything, his fingertips gently tapping the bowl as if hinting at something. Li Ruo Shui loosened her shoulders, her face full of helplessness: ¡°Does it have to be like this?¡± Lu Zhi Yao froze for a moment, raised his eyebrows, and smiled. ¡°You know what I mean?¡± ¡°You just want to see me in pain, right?¡± Li Ruo Shui pulled aside the cherries to get ready. ¡°You feed me the medicine.¡± Lu Zhi Yao could not suppress a smile. The corners of his eyes and eyebrows were soft. Even the early spring light was not as bright as him. Lu Zhi Yao stirred the medicine with an unbelievably gentle expression. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh in a low voice. ¡°I want to be a puppet like you.¡± Li Ruo Shui held his wrist and grabbed the string of white jade Buddha beads that collided with a few crunching sounds. ¡°Puppets are no better than real people.¡± What if the puppet person he made wasn¡¯t to his liking and he directly set his mind on turning her into a puppet? He was definitely the type to do that. ¡°Let¡¯s drink the medicine first.¡± It¡¯s better to divert his attention for now. Lu Zhi Yao smiled as he scooped up a spoonful of medicine and passed it to her mouth, saying softly: ¡°You can¡¯t spit it out.¡± Li Ruo Shui took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and drank the black medicinal juice. Her face wrinkled instantly, and she squeezed the Buddha beads on Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s wrist. This medicine was sour, bitter, and numb. It also had a spicy taste. The taste was so strong that she could only swallow it quickly and then immediately put a cherry in her mouth. ¡°This is too hard to drink.¡± Drinking medicine one mouthful at a time¡ª it was not medicine but punishment. ¡°Again.¡± The next mouthful of hot medicine cooled a bit before being passed to her lips again. Just by smelling it, she could feel a burst of bitterness in her mouth. Li Ruo Shui frowned and drank it. There was still some sweet and sour taste of cherries in her mouth, but now there was nothing left. She was a little glad at this moment that Lu Zhi Yao could not see her face that was distorted by the bitterness. ¡°Come again.¡± The cherries no longer worked. Li Ruo Shui¡¯s tongue was numb to the point where only the bitter taste remained. ¡°Must I drink it one sip at a time?¡± Li Ruo Shui hoped that he would find his conscience and stop when he had had enough fun. ¡°I¡¯m not as cunning as you are. This is indeed the truth.¡± Lu Zhi Yao blew the medicine in the spoon, looking very considerate, and brought it to her lips. ¡°You can drink it all in one gulp. I don¡¯t mind seeing you jumping into the well because of the heat.¡± After sighing, Li Ruo Shui slowly drank the medicine one mouthful after another without further complaints or delays. Lu Zhi Yao was in a good mood to feed the medicine and let her grab the Buddha beads on his wrist. He often heard people say that the greatest joy of raising a cat was teasing and feeding it. Teasing was indeed interesting, but he didn¡¯t expect feeding would be this fun. This feeling of clinginess was very pleasurable. But the most important thing was that Li Ruo Shui was well-behaved. ¡°There is only a little left.¡± Li Ruo Shui stopped his movements and drank the last bit of medicine in the bowl by herself. Only after drinking the medicine did Li Ruo Shui know that what he said was true because she did feel a little hot now, but fortunately the weather was still cool in April, so she would not feel uncomfortably hot. ¡°Finally relieved.¡± She leaned on the table. Her eyes were empty. She had spent a lot of energy just enduring the smell and bitterness. Lu Zhi Yao touched the Buddha beads that had been held and warmed up, moved his toes slightly, and the swing behind him was pulled to sway again. ¡°Want to play?¡± Li Ruo Shui, who was slightly feverish from drinking the medicine, raised her eyes to look at him while fanning her face. ¡°It¡¯s so boring, do you want to go swimming with me tomorrow at North Mountain?¡± The swing behind him stopped abruptly. Lu Zhi Yao lowered his eyebrows and smiled: ¡°You still remember?¡± ¡°How can I forget what I promised you?¡± Li Ruo Shui picked a cherry and gave it to him: ¡°Bring this to eat tomorrow, I¡¯ll teach you how to swim.¡± Lu Zhi Yao took the cherry and put the red fruit in his mouth to taste. As the tender red skin was broken, the sweet and sour juice danced on the tip of the tongue, and the soft flesh grinded between the lips and teeth. He unconsciously pulled the silver wire between his fingers, strangling all ten fingers with red marks, trying to suppress the inexplicable throbbing at the moment. ¡°When will you go tomorrow?¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 32.1 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (15) If Li Ruo Shui was given one more chance, she would definitely not say noon. North Mountain was in the northern part of Cangzhou. The road into the mountain was renovated into a stone road, just like the other old scenic spots, so it was not difficult to walk. There was only one downside: it was too far away. Li Ruo Shui drank the medicine made from the fire grass yesterday and was woken up by the heat several times at night. She had no energy to get up, let alone climbing the mountain at noon now. There were a lot of wild flowers along the stone road, but Li Ruo Shui was not in the mood to appreciate them at all. She supported her waist and fanned the fan. As Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t see, she tied the hem of the skirt to her knees, revealing her slender and fair calves. The tired expression on her face looked like an old lady who was halfway up a mountain and wanted to rest. . Li Ruo Shui simply sat on the steps, fanning the cool breeze constantly. On the other hand, Lu Zhi Yao, who was dressed in elegant white clothes, walked slowly among the green mountain forest with a bamboo basket in his hand. Occasionally, a few flying flowers fell into his hair and became embellishments. The comparison was a bit tragic, but Li Ruo Shui was not in the mood to complain at the moment. She only felt hot. This heat was not caused by the sun, but from the heat radiating from her body. Even hiding under the trees for shade was useless. ¡°Have you ever felt this hot after taking the medicine?¡± Li Ruo Shui raised her eyes to look at him, but because of the light, she couldn¡¯t help squinting her eyes and could only vaguely see the smile on the corner of his lips. ¡°Of course, I am also a human being.¡± However, he didn¡¯t know the properties of the medicine at that time. The medicine tasted bitter, so he just drank it in one gulp, and he suffered a lot later. Originally, he also wanted to tease Li Ruo Shui and let her finish it in one gulp. But on second thought, although she could bear the pain, if she cried, she would hold grudges. Although he would like it more if she cried, it was not known when she would take revenge on him. So Lu Zhi Yao reluctantly gave up this option and chose to let her drink slowly, but her reaction to drinking the medicine one spoon at a time did not let him down. It was still fun. ¡°You stand over a bit and cover the sun.¡± Li Ruo Shui pulled the corner of his robe and moved it to block the patches of light cast by the forest. The bushel fan in her hand shook with a whirring sound, but the wind brought by it could only bring coolness to the skin. The heat inside did not dissipate at all. ¡°It¡¯s really hot, and my legs are tired.¡± Li Ruo Shui pulled her sleeves up to her upper arms and tied her hair into a ponytail, but it didn¡¯t make the heat subside from her reddish cheeks. Lu Zhi Yao sighed and leaned down to ¡°look¡± at her. His drooping hair formed a small world, surrounding her. ¡°What do you want?¡± Lu Zhi Yao seemed to have a low temperature emanating from his body, just getting close to him made people feel a bit of coolness. Li Ruo Shui suddenly turned her fan towards him, grinning, and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you carry me there? Romance novels commonly used this method, so why not use it now. The corners of Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s originally calm mouth curved up, as if praising Li Ruo Shui¡¯s good idea. He straightened up and silver threads flew out from his wrists, tightly entwining Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hands and feet. ¡°I used to bring puppets up the mountain too. Look at me, how could I forget?¡± ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡­!¡± Help! This was not dreamy at all! Li Ruo Shui was controlled to step up one step after another, walking with an extremely stiff posture like a new human being who was still taming her legs. Coupled with the skirt tied to the knees, if anyone saw it, they would be shocked. Unbearable, Li Ruoshui roared angrily. ¡°How do you break this move!¡± When she was well-trained, she would definitely press and rub him on the ground. Hearing this, Lu Zhi Yao smiled with delight and immediately took the silver thread and walked to her side. ¡°Do you want to learn?¡± ¡°I just want to know how to break it.¡± ¡°If you want to break it, you must first learn. After a few days, I will give you something.¡± Now that the restraints were released, she would not let him manipulate her. Li Ruo Shui pretended to bend down and pinch her ankle. Then she got up and shook her wrists, whispering something in her small mouth, and wandered around behind him. Then, when he wasn¡¯t paying attention, she jumped on his back and strangled his neck in a throat lock. ¡°No need to learn, it can be broken like this.¡± Lu Zhi Yao still stood firm after being messed around by her like this. Although his neck was strangled, he just tilted his head slightly to avoid it, and smiled lightly. ¡°You are the first person to break the game like this.¡± He handed the bamboo basket to Li Ruo Shui, ready to hold her more stably, but he froze when he touched her leg. ¡°I accept the bet. Let¡¯s go, the sun is shining over again.¡± Li Ruo Shui used the non-existent bet as an excuse to pat him on the shoulder and urge him to go up the mountain quickly. The fire grass herb was so strong that it made the bones go soft. Li Ruo Shui was not lying, she really could not walk anymore. Fortunately, she spoke about coming to the riverside today. Otherwise, she might not be able to resist jumping into the pond in the Zheng Mansion to cool off the heat. Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s body temperature was not high. His body was relatively cold compared to hers. Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t help but put her arms close to his neck and rub her face against his skin, absorbing the coolness from his body. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 32.2 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (16) ¡°This is the first time you carried me, right? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll carry you too when I have the chance in the future.¡± Li Ruo Shui patted him, moving her hand away from the place that was covered with heat and pressing it against another place. Lu Zhi Yao curved his lips, smiled, but did not say anything. He lifted his foot to step on the next stone step. ¡°You take me there this time, and I¡¯ll teach you to swim when we get to the river.¡± Li Ruo Shui said this sentence as she lay on his shoulder and reached out her hand to block the glare of the sun. Her tone of voice was a bit drawled, but not at all perfunctory. Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t quite understand the kind of feeling, if any, that Li Ruo Shui had for him. She cared a lot about his opinion and his behavior. What was the reason for this unexplained concern? ¡°Another flower fell on your head.¡± Lu Zhi Yao walked forward with someone on his back. This time was completely different from the last time he carried her. This time, she was awake and not as quiet as when she fainted, and she loved to talk in his ear. Li Ruo Shui took the flower down and shook it at the tip of his nose: ¡°Does it smell good?¡± Wild flowers rarely have fragrance, but this one smells a little fresh. He was about to nod, but she stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t move, you¡¯ve got dandelions on your eyelashes.¡± Li Ruo Shui pressed his shoulders and pushed his head out, reaching out to pick the dandelions from his eyelashes. Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t help trembling. Then, he heard Li Ruo Shui laughing non-stop in his ear. ¡°I know cats and dogs hate you, but I didn¡¯t expect plants to like you.¡± There were flower petals in his hair, bamboo leaves rolled in the corner of his robe, and dandelions resting on his eyelashes. Those who didn¡¯t know might have thought he had rolled in the forest to get so many flowers and plants on him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t a flower fall on my head?¡± Li Ruo Shui looked up at the surrounding trees. She also wanted to try this kind of treatment similar to that of a heroine, but only bamboo leaves hit her head. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Flowers and plants love people with good colors.¡± Lu Zhi Yao slyly added: ¡°But you look interesting.¡± Li Ruo Shui did not say a word and immediately held his neck: ¡°Who told you that?¡± Lu Zhi Yao did not answer the question, just repeated: ¡°You look very interesting. Being interesting is much more important than being good-looking.¡± Li Ruo Shui: ¡­¡­ She wanted to hit people. * Zheng Yan Qing was indeed a man who has read so many travelogs. The river he recommended was really good. The surroundings were full of green trees, the river was clear, and there were two large stones standing in the center of the river, which were being washed out with rustling sounds. Li Ruo Shui deliberately wore a light jacket. The sleeves were just a layer of tulle, very light. Lu Zhi Yao, on the other hand, was as usual, wearing less clothes but wrapped tightly. He took off his sword and outer robe, revealing the inner garment with strange dark patterns and the arrow sleeves tied between his arms, and then he untied a mass of luminous silver thread and the white jade Buddha beads on his wrist. Li Ruo Shui fanned herself with a shocked expression on her face: ¡°You have to bring so many things to the mountain! It¡¯s really hard for you.¡± After he took care of his things, Li Ruo Shui pulled him along and walked step by step into the clear creek. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m good at swimming. I¡¯ll teach you in one afternoon.¡± The temperature of this river was neither high nor low, which was very suitable for Li Ruo Shui. She could feel the heat being dispersed the moment she entered the water. Li Ruo Shui found a relatively deep place, probably up to her chest. She held Lu Zhiyao¡¯s waist and slowly exerted force, trying to pull him down: ¡°I¡¯ll support you, you float up slowly first.¡± There was an unbearable itch on his waist. Lu Zhi Yao trembled. His right hand unconsciously wrapped around Li Ruo Shui¡¯s neck. He maintained a smile at the corners of his mouth, whispered this word, and put half of his weight on Li Ruo Shui. ¡°Itchy.¡± With just one word, the atmosphere at this moment became charming. But in Li Ruo Shui¡¯s vision, the purpose of this swimming lesson was to fulfill her promise and also to gain his favor. Therefore, teaching him to swim was the first priority. ¡°Then I¡¯ll hold here, you try to float first.¡± Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t notice the situation at this moment at all. She moved her hand above his waist, hugged him intently, and even slightly put force in her steps to stabilize her body. Li Ruo Shui was very patient when teaching people, especially swimming skills. She really hoped that Lu Zhi Yao could learn it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t choke.¡± After he could float, Li Ruo Shui held his shoulders and patiently taught him how to paddle with his legs. Lu Zhi Yao thought that Li Ruo Shui was just going through the motions, but he didn¡¯t expect her to teach so seriously. This feeling was very good. It didn¡¯t seem bad to be her puppet. ¡°Don¡¯t kick your legs.¡± Li Ruo Shui lifted his feet to help him adjust his movements, but she couldn¡¯t stand firmly and fell into the water herself, so Lu Zhi Yao also sank into the water. Li Ruo Shui stood up from the water, shook off the droplets on her face, and couldn¡¯t help but hold her breath when she saw the scene in front of her. Lu Zhi Yao was lying on his back in the water. His beautiful face was swaying with the waves. The lines on his white clothes seemed to be swimming, and the black hair behind him fluttered slowly along with the current, like a sea monster tempting the passers-by. Li Ruo Shui admitted that she was stunned at that moment. But, no matter how good his lungs are, he couldn¡¯t keep floating like that. She was not the kind of person who lusts after beauty, right? The river was not deep, he could completely stand up, but Li Ruo Shui still reached in to pull him up. As soon as the fingertips touched his wrist, Lu Zhi Yao slowly opened his eyes. They were like embedded black glaze and seemed to be obscured by fog, which made people want to explore more. The hazy black glaze shone with shimmering light, dazzling and beautiful, tempting people into the water. He grabbed Li Ruo Shui¡¯s wrist and pulled the flabbergasted her into the water. They faced each other, and Li Ruo Shui saw her own reflection in his eyes. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 33.1 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (17) Li Ruo Shui had seen him open his eyes when he was a child, but she had never seen what he looked like when he grew up. This time, she had seen it. His eyes were slightly longer than when he was a child, more attractive, but they still looked foggy, unable to focus on a certain place, and the line of sight looked straight through her. Lu Zhi Yao hugged Li Ruo Shui, opened his eyes, and the smile on his face was gone. She did not know what he was thinking. Li Ruo Shui admitted that she was seduced, but only briefly. Holding her breath, she tapped the center of his brow with her fingers, brushed away the dangling gauze skirt in the water, stood up, and pulled him up from the bottom of the water. Lu Zhi Yao closed his eyes the moment he came out of the water, and the transparent water drops could only slide down from his eyelashes, but she was no longer able to explore the glazed color at the bottom of the water. ¡°No matter how long you can hold your breath, you can¡¯t lay in it all the time. And by the time you realize the situation, you may have no strength to get out.¡± Li Ruo Shui brushed away the water droplets on his face and asked while panting, ¡°Why did you stay still just now?¡± Lu Zhi Yao hooked the corners of his lips, approached her with a slightly icy body, and sighed softly. Only she would ask him the reason at such a time. ¡°Because this slowly increasing sense of pressure is very comfortable and peaceful.¡± Lu Zhi Yao lowered his eyes, and a drop of water fell from his eyelashes, dripping onto Li Ruo Shui¡¯s skirt. She was the only one whom he could freely confide his twisted thoughts to. He gently embraced Li Ruo Shui¡¯s waist and subconsciously approached her, wanting to absorb some heat, but was pushed ashore by her the next moment. ¡°I think you may have soaked in the water for too long and a little entered your brain, causing you to hallucinate. Go up and bask in the sun.¡± After listening to her own explanation, Li Ruo Shui felt that it was unexpected but quite reasonable. If his brain circuit was normal, then it was not him. She smoothly pushed him onto the boulder in the river. The boulder was warmed by the sun, and it absorbed the water drops from the two of them. Sitting on it brought a feeling of being warmed and healed. The medicine in Li Ruo Shui¡¯s body has not been fully detoxified, so it was a little hot, but it was very comfortable. ¡°Strange, you could also attract the flowers in the water?¡± Li Ruo Shui was amazed when she saw a few bright yellow winter jasmine flowers mixed in his wet hair. She stretched out her hand to pick them off and put them in the water. Then the flowers floated away with the current. ¡°Really?¡± Lu Zhi Yao rubbed the corner of her skirt with his hands, listening to her every move with full attention. ¡°You should plant more flowers and plants in your yard in the future. Maybe the wind will blow them all over you.¡± Li Ruo Shui joked a little, then stood up, lifting the hem of her skirt across him to go into the water. ¡°Don¡¯t pull my skirt, I¡¯ll get some food.¡± Lu Zhi Yao let go of her hand and listened to the sound of water splashing as Li Ruo Shui walked away and came back again. Sitting on the boulder, Li Ruo Shui opened the bamboo basket. She took out a few lychees and put them in his hands. ¡°Eat something high in sugar after exercising. This lychee is very sweet. You should try it.¡± She originally wanted to bring only cherries yesterday, but she thought it would not be easy to teach him. Hence, Li Ruo Shui not only brought more lychees, but also prepared herself psychologically to deal with emergencies. ¡°How do you eat this?¡± Lu Zhi Yao turned his head and ¡°looked¡± at her. His long eyelashes still had fine drops of water, and his lips were more red than usual. ¡°Peel and eat the pulp inside.¡± Li Ruo Shui peeled the lychees without looking up at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know how.¡± Lu Zhi Yao turned sideways and put the lychees in her hands. The wet hair on his forehead made his complexion paler. Li Ruo Shui: ¡°¡­¡­have you never peeled an orange?¡± Although speechless, she still peeled a lychee for him and watched him eat it. However, she kept the film coat of the lychee intact. Li Ruo Shui covered her mouth, unable to hide the smile in her eyes, and waited for his bitter reaction. Lu Zhi Yao took the lychee, put it to his lips, then curved his lips into a smile and opened his mouth to bite off the flesh. The sweet juice soaked his lips into a moist red. He ate the white pulp in his mouth and even swallowed the bitter film. Li Ruo Shui wanted to see how he frowned, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any reaction. But yes, how could he be afraid of bitterness? Li Ruo Shui looked at the juice at the corner of his lips, blinked, and immediately turned her head, not daring to continue looking. For some reason, this person always had an indescribable desire to eat, and she couldn¡¯t help licking her lips when she saw it. ¡°I don¡¯t seem to know what you like to eat?¡± Li Ruo Shui asked casually as he lowered his head to peel the lychees. ¡°I¡¯m not picky about food.¡± As expected. ¡°But if I really have to say one, then it¡¯s lychees.¡± Li Ruo Shui¡¯s hands trembled slightly as she looked at Lu Zhi Yao in surprise, as if she saw her hope of returning home. ¡°Why?¡± Lu Zhi Yao turned his head to her with a gentle smile. ¡°Because it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve eaten it, and it smells very sweet.¡± ¡­¡­ If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 33.2 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (19) ¡°It¡¯s indeed sweet. After all, I bought the lychees.¡± Li Ruo Shui laughed dryly and stuffed him with a few more lychees, a little bit of bribery. This looked very much like a subordinate bribing a superior. ¡°Maybe it has something to do with me?¡± Lu Zhi Yao shook his head gently, and without missing a beat, he replied, ¡°Maybe it has nothing to do with you.¡± He knew that Li Ruo Shui liked him, but such a disgusting thing as love didn¡¯t match with Li Ruo Shui, so she had to be made to understand it earlier. Li Ruo Shui laughed twice, took back the lychee from his hand, got up, and stood behind him. ¡°Have you rested well? Let¡¯s keep learning.¡± She had to rely on teaching him how to swim to increase the good feelings. She had to keep progressing, right? ¡°But I already know how to do it.¡± ? ¡°But you have only been learning for this long?¡± Li Ruo Shui only learned to swim after half a month when she was a child. She had not even taught him long enough and this person had learned it? ¡°If you can swim back and forth, I¡¯ll eat this basket today.¡± Lu Zhi Yao stood up, brushed his half-dry hair behind him, and slowly got into the water. ¡°You don¡¯t need to eat the basket, just promise me one thing when the time comes.¡± Li Ruo Shui agreed, already thinking about how to save his face at that time, but this person really swam back and forth. What Li Ruo Shui taught him was her own swimming style, and Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s swimming was no different from hers. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It only took less than half an hour to teach him. How could she increase the goodwill at this rate? The chance for closer contact was gone. Lu Zhi Yao swam in front of her. His white, jade-like hands climbed onto the boulder and then covered Li Ruo Shui¡¯s knee. He raised his head and ¡°looked¡± at her with a warm smile still on his lips. His movements seemed to be begging for a reward, but his tone was commanding. ¡°You don¡¯t need to eat the basket, just carry me back.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at him on her knees, hesitant to speak. In Li Ruo Shui¡¯s eyes, Lu Zhi Yao was not only a slow learner but was also afraid of water. After all, he almost drowned once, so he was somewhat afraid of it. At that time, she could gently comfort him, open a warm embrace to him as much as she wanted and be his only driftwood in the water, using the drawbridge effect to the fullest. However, she didn¡¯t expect that this person was not only not afraid of water, but also liked to sink to the bottom where he felt peaceful. People who learn to swim fast have one characteristic, they are not afraid of choking and drowning. And there was only one reason why Lu Zhi Yao was faster than them, he was not afraid of death. After contemplating for a long time, Li Ruo Shui still opened her mouth and asked. ¡°I brought you to the river today. Are you happy?¡± Lu Zhi Yao was startled when he heard this, as if he didn¡¯t expect her to ask this question. Then he raised his eyebrows, his eyelashes glimmered with light, and there was an uncontrollable smile on his lips. ¡°Happy.¡± * ¡°I¡¯m also very happy now.¡± Lu Zhi Yao wrapped his arms around Li Ruo Shui¡¯s neck and put his weight on her without hesitation. If Li Ruo Shui was given another chance, she would definitely not agree to this request. Fortunately, she brought some clothes to change when she came. Otherwise, she would not only have to carry him, but also add the weight of the wet clothes. Although Lu Zhi Yao was thin, he was still a grown man. Li Ruo Shui trembled while carrying him on her back; she was like an old person in her dying years. Why did other people¡¯s strategy earn a hug and his life, but she not only had to carry him, but also had to be constantly vigilant not to give him her life. ¡°Did I really have to carry you all the way back to the Zheng Mansion? I only let you carry me from the mountainside to the river before.¡± Li Ruo Shui put him down, massaging her sore arms, trying to arouse the conscience that he might or might not have. Lu Zhi Yao squatted in front of her with a smile devoid of any hint of sarcasm. His expression towards her was as gentle as a Buddhist disciple in a temple sympathizing with everyone. ¡°Carrying you up the mountain is another matter. Carrying me down the mountain is a bet you lost. How can you mix them up?¡± It¡¯s a pity that the words he said were too different from his own appearance. He looked like a Buddha but had the heart of a devil. In Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s dictionary, there was no such word for caring for women. ¡°I am also a person who is willing to gamble and admit defeat. Let¡¯s go.¡± Li Ruo Shui carried him on his back and continued to walk down the mountain, trembling all the while ¡°Is that so?¡± Lu Zhi Yao sighed softly next to her ear, making her itch: ¡°If you were willing to gamble and admit defeat, you would have swallowed my sword long ago, but unfortunately I haven¡¯t seen it until today.¡± Li Ruo Shui choked for a moment: ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, that was because I won.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say you won.¡± The trembling Li Ruo Shui wanted to refute, but she really didn¡¯t have the energy to speak. She didn¡¯t know what kind of mentality Lu Zhi Yao had. Even if Li Ruo Shui wanted to rest after walking a few steps, he didn¡¯t feel bothered at all. He just stood aside and waited for her to rest, and then waited for her to carry him on her back. This level of persistence and patience would be applauded by anyone who saw it. By the time the two of them entered the city gate, it was already dark, and there were only a few vendors selling supper in the street market. ¡°My back is really going to break if I continue carrying you.¡± Li Ruo Shui sat at a wonton stall, eating wontons while rejecting Lu Zhi Yao. Lu Zhi Yao sat aside, put down his spoon, and pushed the wonton he had eaten aside. ¡°You have very good stamina. If you practice swords with me, you will definitely be able to defeat me.¡± Li Ruo Shui:¡­¡­ ¡°Your teeth are actually very good. If you follow me to eat well, you will definitely be able to defeat me in terms of appetite.¡± Lu Zhi Yao chuckled at her words and took over the porcelain bowl that had been pushed away. Under Li Ruo Shui¡¯s gaze, he finally ate a full supper for the first time. The two returned to the mansion under the moonlight, but they didn¡¯t expect that the Zheng Mansion¡¯s lights would be lit up this late at night. Li Ruo Shui was now in a peculiar and awkward position in the Zheng Mansion, so for sure they wouldn¡¯t be waiting for her. There was a carriage parked in front of the Zheng Mansion with a luxurious body and soft leather wrapped around the wheels. A young servant was standing by the side of the carriage, helping a young master on the carriage to get off. The man didn¡¯t directly enter the mansion. Instead, he turned around and looked straight across the carriage at Li Ruo Shui and Lu Zhi Yao. The distance wasn¡¯t close. Li Ruo Shui couldn¡¯t see his expression clearly and only knew that this person seemed to be waiting for them. Li Ruo Shui pondered for a while. It seemed that she had never seen any distinguished guests at the Zheng Mansion in the book. It was only when the two got closer that she could see his appearance clearly. He was six points similar to Zheng Yan Qing, elegant and easy-going. He was probably Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s elder brother. ¡°Sister-in-law.¡± Li Ruo Shui smiled awkwardly and hesitated for a moment before calling out: ¡°Mr. Zheng.¡± Before they could correct the title, the young servant hurriedly came over. ¡°Mr. Lu, I didn¡¯t see you when I went to the inn today. I wonder if you can come with me now. My wife wants to see you.¡± Li Ruo Shui turned to look at him. She thought he would refuse, but he nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 34.1 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (20) Looking at Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s back as he left, Li Ruo Shui was a little surprised. She thought that Lu Zhi Yao would refuse all these things, but she didn¡¯t expect him to agree so simply. ¡°Sister-in-law still calls me Mr. Zheng, it sounds a little distant.¡± A slightly smiling voice brought back Li Ruo Shui¡¯s thoughts. She looked at the handsome man in front of her and smiled. ¡°Brother.¡± This was Zheng Yan Qing¡¯s elder brother, Zheng Yan Mu. In Li Ruo Shui¡¯s impression, this person did not appear in the book. It was because the original book was too long, she skipped a lot of it, so she wasn¡¯t sure what she forgot about him. Zheng Yan Mu was wearing a dark green robe and a crown on his head. He was six points similar to Zheng Yan Qing, but his temperament was much more mature than Zheng Yan Qing, and he looked a little darker than him. Two young servants were leading the way with lanterns, and she and Zheng Yan Mu were walking side by side. She was a little embarrassed. After all, she wasn¡¯t the real daughter-in-law of the Zheng family. ¡°Not long ago, I was away on business abroad, so I didn¡¯t have time to attend your wedding banquet. I feel a little guilty.¡± Li Ruo Shui shook her head and replied politely: ¡°Brother is joking.¡± Help! She really didn¡¯t want to have an awkward chat with someone she didn¡¯t know, especially when this person was an elder! ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous, I don¡¯t eat people.¡± Seeing her restrained appearance, Zheng Yan Mu couldn¡¯t help laughing. Then he took a brocade box from the servant behind him. ¡°This is my gift to you for your wedding. Accept it as a token of my appreciation.¡± The mahogany brocade box was carved with peonies, and the box carried a faint fragrance. Furthermore, by the look of it, one knew how precious the things inside were. Li Ruo Shui looked at this gift and felt a little conflicted. The marriage between her and Zheng Yan Qing was fake, and the contract was written, so what¡¯s the point of receiving such a valuable gift? ¡°Brother, come to the East Court with me. Zheng Yan Qing must be there at the moment. It might be better to leave it to him.¡± ¡°Take it, it will make me feel better.¡± Zheng Yan Mu sighed slightly, put the brocade box into her hands, and gave her a few more books. ¡°No one can disturb him when he is studying. I will see him tomorrow at breakfast. These books, please give them to him, younger sister.¡± Li Ruo Shui held the brocade box and the books, unable to refuse, so she had to accept them with a smile. Give it all to Zheng Yan Qing. Since they are all his family¡¯s things anyway, let him handle it. ¡°Speaking of which, I don¡¯t seem to know where my sister-in-law is from.¡± What a coincidence, she also didn¡¯t know where this ¡°Li Ruo Shui¡± was from. ¡°A person from the rivers and lakes, without father or mother, and homes all over the world.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Zheng Yan Mu¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and he looked at her as if a little regretful: ¡°I was talking too much, and I said some inappropriate words.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Li Ruo Shui shook her head with a smile while holding something. The boy in front was holding a lantern. Occasionally, a few moths came from the darkness and bumped into the lampshade, but there was no way to get in, so they had to climb on the lampshade. The shadow of the large wings was projected on the ground and the tentacles squirmed, looking terrifying. The servant hurriedly patted it to the ground, looked back at the two of them, and breathed a sigh of relief. Zheng Yan Mu didn¡¯t look at it. He lifted his foot, walked over the moth¡¯s body, and asked with a smile. ¡°I heard that third brother¡¯s health has improved a lot recently, and his cough is not as severe as usual. It seems that the wedding is still useful, thanks to you.¡± Li Ruo Shui laughed awkwardly again: ¡°It¡¯s the doctor¡¯s effort, so I won¡¯t take the credit.¡± The Zheng Mansion was really too big and the East Court was really too far away. She had already quickened her pace, but there was still a distance to go. ¡°It¡¯s really admirable to hear that my sister-in-law and your friend caught the ghost that often haunted the mansion. You can talk about it with me if you have time.¡± ¡°There is time for sure.¡± As known, this sentence represents no next time. Zheng Yan Mu paused and continued: ¡°I wonder if my sister-in-law could tell me about that night. I have been in business all year round, so I am curious about these things.¡± The memory of that night was not very good, and Li Ruo Shui was not familiar with him, so she didn¡¯t want to mention much. As a result, she just laughed. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, why don¡¯t we talk about it next time¡­We¡¯re here at the East Court. Would you like to go in?¡± Li Ruo Shui stood in front of the courtyard and looked at Zheng Yan Mu with a smile. He looked up at the plaque on the courtyard door, then shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t want to disturb the both of you, get some rest early.¡± ¡°Okay, brother.¡± Zheng Yan Mu nodded to her, and then he led a group of people to the northwest. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 34.2 Cherry Red and Lychee Fragrance (21) Looking along the way, Zheng Mansion was lit up with lights tonight, so a welcome banquet must have been set up. ¡°Zheng Yan Qing is so pitiful. No one calls him when there is a banquet at home.¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at their backs, holding two gifts and muttering to herself. She didn¡¯t like this Zheng Yan Mu very much. His smile and words made her uncomfortable. He also wore a mask, but Lu Zhi Yao wore it much better than him. This man seemed to care about his younger brother, but he only asked about trivial matters. He said he felt guilty for the two of them, but he gave her the gift at the beginning and let her carry them all the way. He talked so much, but she didn¡¯t know what he wanted to get out of her. In comparison, Zheng Yan Qing who only wore a mask of pain was much cuter than him. Li Ruo Shui walked into the East Court with the things in her arms. She opened the door with her arm and instantly saw Zheng Yan Qing who was concentrating on reading the travelog. ¡°Why are you holding so many things?¡± Zheng Yan Qing hurriedly put down his book and came forward to take those books and the brocade box. ¡°Your elder brother gave it to you.¡± Li Ruo Shui sat on the chair, and her hands couldn¡¯t stop trembling while pouring the tea. She was already very tired from carrying Lu Zhi Yao, and now she had to carry things for such a long distance. She was lucky that her muscles were just trembling. When Zheng Yan Qing heard this, his hands that were packing the books stopped, and his fingers unconsciously clasped the book cover with a sarcastic smile on his face. ¡°When did my elder brother come back?¡± Li Ruo Shui looked at him and sighed faintly: ¡°Just now. Your family is hosting a banquet for him.¡± Zheng Yan Qing sat on the stool in a daze, staring at the carpet. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t care about your family.¡± Li Ruo Shui massaged her arm and began to mourn for her sore muscles tomorrow. ¡°Elder brother is the only one in the family who supports me in not being an official. I only care about him in this family.¡± Zheng Yan Qing looked at the books on the table in bewilderment and heaved a long sigh. ¡°Last time, you said that I don¡¯t have the ability to be independent. I thought about it for a long time, and it seems that I really can¡¯t find a way of living.¡± Li Ruo Shui was shuffling aside and answered him in a somewhat vague voice. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible. You can be a guide for others, and you can make money by travelling around mountains and rivers, and writing travel notes, can¡¯t you?¡± As if enlightened, Zheng Yan Qing looked at Li Ruo Shui with brightened eyes. ¡°Guide?¡± Li Ruo Shui didn¡¯t have the energy to pay attention to him anymore. She washed up, put down the curtain, and got into the quilt. ¡°As long as the brain still works, there are always more solutions than difficulties.¡± She was able to stay by Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s side till today because of this fact. * ¡°Mr. Lu, pay attention to the threshold and be careful not to fall.¡± With a reminder, the servant led Lu Zhi Yao to the side room. Lu Zhi Yao usually carried a walking stick. However, he didn¡¯t take it with him when he went out with Li Ruo Shui, so he had to be more careful when walking. There were quite a few people in the side room: Madam Zheng, Master Zheng, and a few servant girls. These people were watching Lu Zhi Yao, who came in with Li Ruo Shui. Madam Zheng and Master Zheng looked at each other and sighed silently. They were very satisfied with his outstanding appearance and good martial arts, not to mention he also possessed a rare gentle temperament. However, the only point of dissatisfaction was his eyes. How could they feel at ease if their daughter was with a blind man? They also didn¡¯t know whether their children would also contract eye diseases in the future. ¡°Mr. Lu, please sit down.¡± Master Zheng said: ¡°I invite you here today, mainly to thank you for helping my son, Yan Qing, a few days ago. I hope you didn¡¯t find it abrupt.¡± Lu Zhi Yao smiled unhurriedly and said in a gentle voice, ¡°It¡¯s just a little effort.¡± Master Zheng winked at Madam Zheng, and the two exchanged thoughts this way for a moment, as Lu Zhi Yao couldn¡¯t see. ¡°No more beating around the bush.¡± Madam Zheng cleared her throat and said with a smile, ¡°I wonder if Mr. Lu is interested in someone?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lu Zhi Yao answered without any hesitation. Madam Zheng nodded in satisfaction, and a few fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes. ¡°Then, what do you think of my daughter?¡± There was a smile on Lu Zhi Yao¡¯s lips, and the warm orange candle light shone on the profile of his face, showing a bit of warmth and softness. ¡°Excuse me, who is your daughter?¡± Madam Zheng and Master Zheng looked at each other, and the smiles on their faces gradually faded. Could it be that their daughter¡¯s feelings were only one-sided, and the two didn¡¯t even know each other? The maid standing beside her couldn¡¯t help but silently take a step back. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know via our discord so we can fix it as soon as possible. Chapter 34.3 cherry red and lychee fragrance (22) ¡°it¡¯s me, zheng mei. it¡¯s not the first time we¡¯ve met.¡± when zheng mei heard this, she couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. she came out from behind the screen, holding the corner of her skirt, and walked directly in front of him. ¡°i don¡¯t want to beat around the bush, i¡¯ve my eyes on you. would you like to enter zheng mansion and become my family¡¯s son-in-law.¡± zheng mei grew up learning to do business. she often dealt with strangers, so she was straightforward. if li ruo shui was here, she would definitely look at zheng mei with great admiration and applaud her. the main thing was to learn this courage and self-confidence from her. ¡°i don¡¯t want to.¡± lu zhi yao checked the prayer beads on his wrist. his expression remained unchanged. he thought that something interesting would happen here, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be such a boring thing. lu zhi yao stood up and returned a salute: ¡°thank you for your kindness, farewell.¡± zheng mei had always been arrogant, so she took a step to stand in front of him, not caring about his rejection. ¡°you can think about it again. you can buy anything you want when you join my family. i can also spend money to treat your eyes. it will be beneficial and come with no drawbacks for you.¡± lu zhi yao chuckled, took a step forward, and said softly. ¡°are you stopping me?¡± the smile was the same, compassionate and gentle. but even with his eyes closed, it still sent a chill down her spine. zheng mei subconsciously took a step back. ¡°we can talk about getting married later. you and i will go swimming in the lake tomorrow.¡± before lu zhi yao refused, she immediately said: ¡°i can grant you a request.¡± lu zhi yao twirled the cold prayer beads on his wrist, and a smile appeared on his lips. ¡°okay.¡± zheng mei breathed a sigh of relief, and mrs. zheng was also smiling. ¡°mr. lu, we have a banquet tonight, so come with us¡­¡± ¡°no need.¡± lu zhi yao saluted them briefly and left. zheng mei once again forgot the fear just now and looked at lu zhi yao¡¯s back with satisfaction. she began to think about the clothes she should wear tomorrow. however, she should bring more guards. * ¡°lu zhi yao, lu zhi yao¡­¡­¡± a few shouts came from the darkness. the voice was clear and clean, and he recognized it immediately. but there was only darkness in front of him, and even if he opened his eyes, he couldn¡¯t see anything. why did li ruo shui call for him? the sound of footsteps from afar came near to his ear mixed with the sound of jingling bells, but it didn¡¯t feel noisy. it just felt alive. he seemed to be sitting in the courtyard with a breeze blowing around him, the rustling of leaves, and the uninterrupted chirping of cicadas. is it summer? ¡°look what i bought.¡± the person ran to his side and hugged his shoulders with a burst of rich lychee fragrance. it smelled sweet and moist. ¡°buying lychees again?¡± he heard his own voice, mixed with helplessness and other emotions, which carried a meaning that he didn¡¯t understand at all. is this him? ¡°it¡¯s almost out of season. if you don¡¯t eat it now, you won¡¯t be able to eat it later.¡± the sound of peeling fruit came near his ears. a lot of juice splashed on the side of his face and eyelashes, tickling him so much that he couldn¡¯t help blinking his eyes. he then heard a stifled laugh. slightly cool fingertips touched the side of his face and eyes, wiping away the sweet juice. ¡°i¡¯ll peel them further away from you.¡± the bell rang again beside him, jingling non-stop. it was a tone he was completely unfamiliar with. li ruo shui seemed to be sitting on the stone table, and the faint fragrance of lychees wafted from in front of him. after she sat down, the bell was jingled by the wind. lu zhi yao¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly. he reached for the bell, touching her slender ankle and the cold anklet on it. there was not only the sound of the bell, but also his white jade buddha beads. the sun was hot and the cicadas were annoying. lu zhi yao let go of his hand, his voice dry. ¡°what is this?¡± ¡°the anklet you made.¡± the bell rang again, and the sweet fragrance of lychee slowly came and stopped in front of him. ¡°why?¡± her voice sounded helpless. ¡°isn¡¯t this what you prayed for?¡± the sound of cicadas suddenly increased, waking up lu zhi yao, who was absent-minded. he sat on the bed and remained silent for a long time. he seemed to still be able to smell the sweet fragrance, hear the bell, and feel her step on his leg. lu zhi yao sat quietly on the bed. the moonlight slowly climbed up from his wrist, brushing over the buddhist beads on his wrist, and shone into his half-opened eyes. there was moonlight in those misty eyes, which were shockingly beautiful. lu zhi yao unconsciously held the buddhist beads on his wrist, feeling puzzled. what was he praying for? Chapter 35.1 the mantis stalking the cicada (1) the news of zheng yan mu¡¯s return did not reach the east court until the second day when someone came early in the morning to invite zheng yan qing to have breakfast. li ruo shui, as the nominal daughter-in-law, was also among the people invited. ¡°come on, ruo shui, eat more.¡± li ruo shui took the dishes brought by madam zheng, nodded, and thanked her. she tried to make herself less awkward and stiff. she could handle having dinner with lu zhi yao, but it was a bit difficult to chat with this group of seemingly friendly people, so she decided not to say anything. ¡°i¡¯m done eating.¡± zheng mei put down the dishes and got up to leave. ¡°where are you going? it¡¯s a reunion with your elder brother today.¡± mrs. zheng looked at her with a disapproving face. ¡°i¡¯m going to swim in the lake with mr. lu today.¡± zheng mei straightened her skirt indifferently. ¡°i ate at the banquet last night.¡± zheng mei¡¯s words made li ruo shui and zheng yan qing pause their chopsticks at the same time. zheng yan qing smiled mockingly and continued to eat, ignoring the eyes of the elders of the zheng family. li ruo shui, on the other hand, looked straight at her. zheng mei noticed the gaze and thought of the closeness between her and lu zhi yao, so she couldn¡¯t help but straighten her back and stared at li ruo shui. ¡°sister-in-law, mr. lu and you are close friends. do you have anything to say?¡± she deliberately stressed the word ¡°friends.¡± she looked high-spirited, as if she was going to do something amusing. li ruo shui looked at her, put down the bowl and chopsticks, and opened her mouth cautiously. ¡°bring more guards, don¡¯t let the servants stay too far away from you, and be sure to stay calm.¡± li ruo shui blinked, then remembered something, reached out, and gestured to her. ¡°if you fall into the water, don¡¯t panic. it¡¯s easy to choke on the water. there are protruding handrails on the stern and hull, so it¡¯s easy to grab there.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± zheng mei thought li ruo shui was jealous. she patted her skirt nonchalantly, brushed her hair behind her, and left with her maid. li ruo shui looked at her back and sighed slightly in her heart. she could only help this much. the wind was rustling, the water was cold, and the people were gone¡­ she still hoped that zheng mei could return safely. lu zhi yao was moody and unpredictable. those who were deceived by his appearance were definitely in a ¡°dangerous¡± situation. she had even imagined the scene of zheng mei stepping on his bottom line due to her arrogant attitude and finally being thrown into the water. her imagination was so strong, even li ruo shui felt suffocated already. however, why did lu zhi yao agree to swim in the lake? she had to explore this carefully. maybe it would be of great help to her strategy. this little episode didn¡¯t last too long. after all, the purpose of this morning meal was for zheng yan qing to welcome his brother back home. ¡°it¡¯s really a happy event.¡± zheng yan mu changed the subject and smiled at zheng yan qing with a bit of brotherly kindness. ¡°you look much better.¡± zheng yan qing nodded with a smile but didn¡¯t say much. not long ago, li ruo shui said that there might be something wrong with his medicine and he should stop it for a while. he didn¡¯t believe it at first. but after listening to her more, he felt a little suspicious too. as a result, he didn¡¯t drink medicine for a while. although his body still could not be considered very good these days, it was indeed much more relaxed than before. at least there weren¡¯t too many coughs and wheezes. there was indeed a problem with this medicine, but who could he talk to? ¡°thanks to ruo shui, it seems the wedding ceremony is really useful!¡± madam zheng looked at li ruo shui affectionately. her eyes were full of gratitude. zheng yan mu looked at her and said meaningfully: ¡°indeed, i have to thank my sister-in-law.¡± ¡°it¡¯s nothing.¡± li ruo shui replied perfunctorily, but no one noticed the strangeness of her words. then, the topic continued about the provincial exam after march. after all, this was the zheng family¡¯s greatest concern at the moment. ¡°according to the situation, yan qing may be able to go to the provincial test after three months.¡± madam zheng glanced at li ruo shui. ¡°ruo shui, we don¡¯t want children for the time being.¡± ¡°mother! what are you talking about!¡± zheng yan qing blushed, and he didn¡¯t dare to look at li ruo shui¡¯s expression. ¡°understood.¡± li ruo shui nodded and smiled thoughtfully. in this awkward yet polite atmosphere, li ruo shui began to think about how to end this marriage farce. * there was ming lake in cangzhou, which was a good place for everyone to visit. it was april at this time. the willows were blowing on the shore, blue waves were rippling in the lake, and there were four or five boats floating on it, which looked very pleasant. zheng mei looked around and couldn¡¯t stop nodding. this decorated boat was personally selected by her. there was a floating lotus-colored veil, a tea table, and you could see the blue waves when you opened the window. it was very elegant. a small boat followed far behind the decorated boat, on which stood the guards she brought this time. she originally wanted to bring five or six to scare lu zhi yao, but before leaving, she thought of what li ruo shui said. after thinking for a while, she brought ten. it never hurts to have more. ¡°mr. lu, what do you think of this decorated boat?¡± zheng mei walked to lu zhi yao¡¯s side and took a closer look at his appearance. she immediately fell in love with him even more in her heart. ¡°sorry, i can¡¯t see it, but i think it must be good.¡± lu zhi yao was sitting by the coffee table, a carving knife in his hand, and was carving something. after waking up from a dream last night, he never fell asleep again. he took out the remaining materials and started to carve something. Chapter 35.2 the mantis stalking the cicada (2) looking at the wood that was gradually taking shape in his hand, zheng mei was a little surprised. ¡°you know how to make puppets?¡± she had never seen a blind man who could make a puppet, and this man was more than just a vase. lu zhi yao answered absentmindedly. zheng mei sat beside him, her back straightened, and she glanced at the puppet. ¡°most people who know how to make puppets are kind. li ruo shui told me to beware of you when i went out just now. it really is nonsense.¡± lu zhi yao¡¯s hands paused. he seemed to feel the weight of stepping on his legs and heard the bell again. ¡°how did she say it?¡± ¡°she asked me to bring servants and guards with me and said that you would push me into the water. isn¡¯t it funny?¡± the corners of lu zhi yao¡¯s mouth slowly curled up. his eyebrows unconsciously relaxed, and he let out a chuckle. ¡°funny.¡± he had always found li ruo shui interesting. ¡°do you know why i like you?¡± lu zhi yao continued to carve puppets and did not respond to her. ¡°it was before the martial arts competition.¡± zheng mei looked at the lake as if recalling the past. ¡°that day i went to the street to see the venue. perhaps it was a gift of fate, and i happened to see you smiling.¡± zheng mei had never seen such a person. his eyebrows and eyes were not like ordinary people. his smile was gentle but still charming. just at first sight, she could not look away. ¡°you hit me with a red fruit that day, and it left a scar here.¡± she rolled up her sleeves, revealing a bean-sized scar, but suddenly remembered that he couldn¡¯t see, so she sighed and put down the sleeves. if he wasn¡¯t blind, she would definitely like him more. lu zhi yao was pulling a few silver wires between his fingers and was polishing the fine details of the puppet when a few strands of forehead hair fell on his eyelashes and were brushed away by him. ¡°it¡¯s you.¡± in fact, he didn¡¯t remember, but he remembered what li ruo shui told him about how to end a conversation. as expected, knowing that he still remembered her, zheng mei didn¡¯t continue this topic. ¡°i then thought, you are so good-looking, so naturally you should match me.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± zheng mei looked outside the decorated boat while chatting with him. through the veil blown by the wind, she saw a decorated boat not far away with several luxuriously dressed women standing on it. zheng mei laughed involuntarily. there was a reason why she was so eager to go on a lake tour with lu zhi yao today. it wasn¡¯t only because she liked him, but also because she had already made appointments with other sisters long ago to let them see lu zhi yao today. ¡°mr. lu, let¡¯s go out and have a look.¡± ¡°i can¡¯t see.¡± lu zhi yao¡¯s hands did not stop, but his mouth was perfunctory as usual. the ladies on the other boat waved to him, but lu zhi yao was still playing with the puppet all the time and didn¡¯t give them any of his attention. she had bragged that they were in love with each other, but she didn¡¯t dare to really lead lu zhi yao there, so she excused herself and said that he was shy and it was good for everyone to meet from a distance. ¡°mr. lu, you promised me to come for the lake tour today.¡± lu zhi yao touched the prototype of the puppet¡¯s facial features and bent his eyes in satisfaction: ¡°aren¡¯t we here?¡± seeing the decorated boat slowly leaving, the sisters standing at the bow of the boat whispered something to each other. she didn¡¯t know what they were talking about. maybe they were laughing at her. zheng mei bit her lip and looked at the puppet in his hand. ¡°the puppet you carved is really ugly!¡± she snatched the puppet violently and threw it into the lake. the yellow-white puppet was thrown over the boat. afterwards, its round joints clicked and turned around, and it was pulled back by the silver wire wrapped around it before it fell into the water. lu zhi yao caressed the puppet¡¯s joints, and a smile appeared in the corner of his eyes. his smile was like the spring breeze that moved the willow branches. ¡°it seems that you like to enter the water very much. how about playing a little?¡± lu zhi yao put the puppet away. he then pulled off a piece of the lotus-colored veil and wrapped it around her wrist skillfully. before zheng mei could react, she had already tumbled out of the window and fell into the lake on the other side. the icy lake water instantly soaked her body and wet her carefully painted makeup. at this time, the only connection between zheng mei and the decorated boat was the veil, and she was almost dragged forward by it. the boatman who was rowing the oars turned pale with fright. he wanted to come forward but stopped when he saw lu zhi yao¡¯s smile, so he could only slow down the boat and wait for the guards to come from the back. ¡°how dare you treat me like this!¡± lu zhi yao was leaning against the window, concentrating on carving the puppet in his hand with a smile on his lips, and turned a deaf ear to her threats. zheng mei yelled in the water, seemingly with great momentum, but her eyes were fixed on the veil. the lotus-colored veil was soaked by the lake water and was no longer as delicate as before. after her struggles just now, the veil wrapped around her slowly loosened, and she might sink into the water at any time. zheng mei knew how to swim, but after being dragged by the veil and struggling for so long, most of her physical strength had already been exhausted. the veil had now become her lifesaver. she didn¡¯t understand why it suddenly became like this when everything was fine just now. the veil on her wrist was slowly loosening, but she didn¡¯t know when it would be completely taken off. this kind of unknown fear tortured zheng mei, but she was unwilling to ask for help. ¡°you help me up, and i¡¯ll give you as much silver as you want!¡± lu zhi yao was leaning against the window. his long eyelashes caught the sunlight and cast sparse shadows. he shook the puppet at her quite leisurely. ¡°do you think it¡¯s ugly?¡± Chapter 36.1 the mantis stalking the cicada (1) ¡°do you think it¡¯s ugly?¡± lu zhi yao was not anxious to hear her answer. he played with the puppet¡¯s hands and legs with his fingertips, occasionally twisting its head, and laughed happily. fragments of gold swayed on the blue waves, and the fine specks of light reflected between his brows and eyes, making him look like an immortal. even now, zheng mei couldn¡¯t help being dazzled by his smile. the boat was slowly moving forward. her body became colder and colder, and the lake water had already reached her lips. this panic brought her back to her senses. zheng mei frowned, staring at the puppet whose joints were turning. it was indeed ugly, but obviously she couldn¡¯t say so. but if she said that it was beautiful, what if this person said she was lying? how should she answer? zheng mei¡¯s thoughts were very confused now, and she couldn¡¯t calm down to think at all. looking at the boat that was speeding up behind her, she suddenly remembered li ruo shui¡¯s words. ¡°don¡¯t let the guards get too far away from you, be calm.¡± zheng mei bit her lip hard to suppress her fear. her heart was full of remorse. she should have let them be on the same boat as her in the first place. she looked at the puppet, calmed down a little, and replied, ¡°it¡¯s not ugly.¡± lu zhi yao tapped on the wooden window with his fingertips and sighed silently with a gentle and compassionate expression like a monk in a mountain temple. ¡°why can¡¯t you even lie?¡± if it was li ruo shui, not only would she answer without hesitation, but she would also praise the puppet. he ignored her but raised the puppet and said something to himself. ¡°it¡¯s not ugly, it¡¯s so interesting.¡± lu zhi yao¡¯s voice was gentle, as if he was chatting with her, but it sounded extremely absurd to zheng mei. how could someone like to hear others lie to themselves? ¡°it¡¯s beautiful!¡± zheng mei immediately added this sentence. ¡°if you are willing, i¡¯ll buy it for one hundred taels!¡± lu zhi yao propped his chin and rubbed the puppet with his fingertips with a faint smile on his lips. he didn¡¯t listen to what she was saying at all! ¡°you are committing murder! i can sue you at the court! did you hear what i said?!¡± zheng mei was terrified. she couldn¡¯t help but reach out and knock on the hull of the boat, splashing water on the corner of her eyes as her tears flowed down. the veil became looser, and the lake water had already covered her lips. she could only keep treading on the water to keep herself afloat so as not to be submerged. there was no way to ask for help. it was between life and death. why did she think he was an immortal back then? he was obviously an evil spirit who took pleasure in torturing people! zheng mei¡¯s tears were mixed in the lake water, and she felt extremely helpless. the veil would loosen completely at some point, but she was already tired from just treading water at this time. ¡°if you fall into the water, don¡¯t waste your energy by struggling too much. you can grab the hull and stern of the boat.¡± a clear voice rushed into her mind, and she suddenly thought of the second half of what li ruo shui said this morning. she really could predict the future! zheng mei hastily touched the hull of the boat, but there was only a smooth surface without any bulge. thinking of li ruo shui¡¯s serious expression, she gritted her teeth and prepared to gamble. zheng mei simply tore off the veil that could not be relied on, and she swam to the stern of the boat with the little physical strength she had. sure enough, she saw rows of wooden sticks protruding from the hull of the boat. she pulled the wooden bar to prop herself up, looked at the chasing boat with red eyes, and couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief. when they all arrived, she must make him pay the price! the boat in the rear was relatively small, and there were ten guards standing on it. the speed of the boat was very slow. it would take some time for them to catch up. two of the guards hurriedly jumped into the water and pushed zheng mei, who was weak from the soak, onto the boat. the rest of them drew their swords and pointed them at lu zhi yao with nervous expressions. they were all the guards of zheng¡¯s mansion who failed to catch the ¡°ghost¡± after so many night patrols until lu zhi yao came. zheng mei was wearing wet clothes, and her hair was dripping with water, soaking the wooden boards under her feet. she stood on the bow and shivered, then pointed her finger at lu zhi yao. ¡°go and catch him!¡± the guards stood in front of her and looked at each other for a while, but no one moved. no one wanted to be the first to lose their lives. zheng mei looked at the crowd. her pride was crushed twice in a day, and she laughed back in anger. ¡°after today, all of you no longer work in zheng mansion!¡± one of the guards looked at her in embarrassment. his hand holding the sword tightened and then loosened. he hesitated for a while before speaking. ¡°guarding is a precarious job of licking blood off the tip of a knife. we are not afraid of death if we dare to do it, but this is in the lake, so it¡¯s not so simple. when we land on the shore, we will definitely catch him in front of the young lady.¡± ¡°he¡¯s blind. how can he beat you?¡± zheng mei sneered and stopped talking. twelve people stood at the bow of the boat, causing the elegant boat to be high on the left and low on the right. the lotus-colored window screen was blown obliquely and spread on the tea table inside the boat. the man at the stern of the boat had his back to them, not caring about their conversation. it was unknown what he was thinking. suddenly, he moved, and the guards at the bow of the boat subconsciously shuddered. they held their breath. the hand holding the sword tightened again, and the hanging tip of the sword pointed straight at him. lu zhi yao suddenly turned over and sat on the window. the corner of his white robe and the lotus veil were blown up together. it seemed as if he was about to throw himself into the lake or ride away with the wind. he raised his hand, and the little puppet walked by the window. the rotatable joints were manipulated arbitrarily, dancing and making rattling sounds. lu zhi yao was leaning against the window, his legs dangling on the lake swayed with the hull of the boat. Chapter 36.2 the mantis stalking the cicada (2) ¡°i¡¯ll buy you a skirt. what color do you want?¡± ¡°what did you mean by what you said last night?¡± the puppet on the window jumped up and down, dancing sword moves and clattering, but couldn¡¯t reply. after jumping for a while, the puppet suddenly stopped moving. its round joints rotated once, and its limbs lay twisted on the window sill with silver threads as thin as a hair softly draped over its body. the little puppet tilted its head to lu zhi yao and looked straight at him with its small eyes. ¡°boatman, how long until we arrive at the shore?¡± lu zhi yao tilted his head and ¡°looked¡± over. the sun slanted across the wooden window hit his lips. haloed with a light gold, his smile was gentle without any trace of hostility. many people present were compelled by this smile, and they loosened their hands which held swords. the boatman had been speeding up to return to the shore. he paused for a moment, and his voice subconsciously softened a bit. ¡°we¡¯ll be there soon.¡± the boatman had been sailing for many years and rarely had he seen anyone as gentle as he was. but he also remembered that he threw miss zhang off the boat with the same expression. the boatman couldn¡¯t help speeding up. it was buddha¡¯s blessing that these people didn¡¯t fight on the boat. once they were sent to the shore, it was none of his business anymore. several guards standing in the back row even leaned over to help him row the boat for fear that the person on the opposite side would suddenly attack them. the boat slowly approached the shore, and the boatman¡¯s eyes lit up with hope. the guards took the cold-faced zheng mei off the boat and immediately pointed their swords to the painting boat, hearts beating fast. lu zhi yao held the hem of his robe and stepped onto the shore with his walking stick. the boatman left immediately after seeing everyone disembark, leaving only ripples to prove that he had been there. lu zhi yao smiled softly at the front and walked slowly. ¡°the scenery i saw today was very good, and the lake breeze was also comfortable. what do you think?¡± he learned this sentence in the teahouse. he didn¡¯t know what the meaning of this sentence was, but people in the storybook said it after a lake tour. it must be a convention. zheng mei¡¯s nose turned crooked when she heard this. she twisted the water out of her hair, and her teeth chattered from the cold. ¡°damn the lake tour, you murderer!¡± ¡°is that so?¡± lu zhi yao put the puppet into his arms indifferently. ¡°i am also very happy.¡± lu zhi yao walked forward with his walking stick, seemingly oblivious to the dozens of swords in front of him. ¡°by the way.¡± halfway through, he thought of something and said with a smile, ¡°as for the reward after the lake tour, a piece of xuan iron from zheng¡¯s mansion would do.¡± (tl/n: xuan means black) the so-called lake tour and invitation were no different from the reward orders hanging in the government here, and getting paid was a matter of course. ¡°you¡¯re dreaming! it¡¯s already good that i haven¡¯t sent you to the official, how dare you covet my family¡¯s xuan iron!¡± the ten guards standing in front gave zheng mei courage,and she pushed back her wet hair and looked at lu zhi yao arrogantly. ¡°that¡¯s it.¡± lu zhi yao was not annoyed and continued to walk forward, getting closer and closer to those sword tips. ¡°didn¡¯t li ruo shui tell you another thing?¡± he drew out his soft sword, reached zheng mei effortlessly, curved his lips, and clutched her neck. ¡°it¡¯s best to keep your word when you make a deal with me.¡± zheng mei never thought that they would get so close in such a painful way. the guards behind them wanted to step forward, but zheng mei was in his hands, so they didn¡¯t dare to act rashly. ¡°promise?¡± lu zhi yao held her patiently, enjoying her choking and pained voice. this was the reason why he loved to choke people¡¯s necks. he could slowly squeeze the pain into someone¡¯s throat, let them suffocate, and make them plead. and, it made him happy. he didn¡¯t feel this way when he strangled li ruo shui last time. he thought something was wrong with him, but now it seemed that he was still fine. zheng mei¡¯s breathing gradually became heavy, and the sound from her throat was like a duck¡¯s squawking. the broken intonation couldn¡¯t spell out a complete word. after enjoying it, his mood improved a lot. lu zhi yao relaxed his grip and gave her room to breathe. ¡°keep¡­i keep, promise¡­¡± zheng mei hurriedly said these words. her voice was hoarse. it was as if it had been sanded. ¡°louder.¡± lu zhi yao curved his lips, and his closed long eyelashes cast sparse shadows under his eyes. zheng mei frowned and amplified her voice: ¡°i will keep my promise, and i will give you the xuan iron!¡± lu zhi yao curled his eyes in a good mood and took out the puppet from his arms: ¡°answer me now¡­¡± ¡°does it look good?¡± ¡°looks good!¡± zheng mei said without hesitation, looking at that ugly puppet with anger. lu zhi yao nodded in satisfaction and let go of her completely. when he got up, he withdrew his sword, and put the puppet into his arms with a smile. ¡°i think it looks good too.¡± he put the sword back into its sheath and held the walking stick: ¡°i still have something to do, so i won¡¯t kill people today. can you get out of the way?¡± the guards hesitated but gave way. anyway, they would be fired when they went back, so it was better to save their lives now. zheng mei kept coughing, looking at the crowd with tears in her eyes. she was so angry, but she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. after all, she could tell that these people couldn¡¯t beat him at all. ¡°get the xuan iron ready, i¡¯ll pick it up some day.¡± lu zhi yao turned and left. his voice was like the spring breeze on the shore. zheng mei grabbed her drenched dress and looked at his back angrily. she wouldn¡¯t let him go! Chapter 37.1 the mantis stalking the cicada (3) the spring breeze blew over the sill, sweeping through the jingling bead curtains carrying away the strong smell of medicine in the house. ¡°ah choo!¡± zheng mei sniffed. she put the empty bowl aside and ate a few more candied dates. after the sweet taste rolled across the tip of her tongue, she hesitated for a while but finally spat out the candied dates. the bitter taste of medicine still lingered in her throat. she couldn¡¯t swallow hard food or speak loudly for the time being, all thanks to lu zhi yao. ¡°miss, why don¡¯t you send him to an official? if not, let¡¯s tell the master and madam.¡± zheng mei¡¯s maid helped her apply the medicine. seeing the purple bruise on her neck, she was really terrified. yesterday she received a message to pick up zheng mei at the back door. as soon as she went, she saw that zheng mei was soaking wet, wearing a guard¡¯s coat. her voice was hoarse, and she looked like she was being persecuted. ¡°that will make me lose face.¡± zheng mei suppressed her voice and could only speak in a breathy tone. she said yesterday that she was going to send him to the official, but she was just scaring lu zhi yao. if she really sent him to the official, wouldn¡¯t everyone in cangzhou know that she was thrown into the water by him? as for lu zhi yao, what was so great about reporting to an official? it was likely that the official couldn¡¯t even catch him. it was better to hurt him to his core and make him regret messing with her. ¡°how is your investigation going?¡± ¡°almost done.¡± the little maid replied while applying the medicine. ¡°after he came to cangzhou, he either came to our house to find li ruo shui or went to the teahouse in yanliu lane to listen to books. he didn¡¯t do anything else.¡± ¡°such a temperament, if he¡¯s not so dangerous, it is indeed to my liking.¡± zheng mei shook her head and put this terrible thought to the back of her mind: ¡°however, his relationship with li ruo shui is unusual.¡± zheng mei looked out the window, lost in thought. for a while, she couldn¡¯t think of how to get revenge. after all, although lu zhi yao looked gentle, she had already experienced his callousness. it wasn¡¯t possible to defeat him nor talk to him. this was so frustrating. ¡°miss, why don¡¯t you go outside to get some air? the doctor said you have typhoid fever and you need more sunshine.¡± ¡°okay.¡± they walked to the garden in the mansion to rest and bask in the sun. in the blink of an eye, they saw a light yellow skirt dangling on the side of the rockery, which was very conspicuous. zheng mei knew that this person was li ruo shui just by looking at the corner of her skirt. people in zheng mansion liked to wear stable colors. she herself mostly wore glaze blue. the only person who wore such a conspicuous and outstanding color in the mansion could only be li ruo shui. zheng mei and the little maid looked at each other. they moved their positions slightly and stood at a blind corner of the rockery to look there. they saw li ruo shui walking up and down holding a piece of letter paper, looking serious, as if she was thinking about something. and near her, zheng mei saw lu zhi yao without any surprise. he was sitting at the stone table, stroking a long bunch of red flowers in his hands, and seemed to be in deep thought. one was dressed in snow white, and the other was in light yellow. it looked like the sun was shining on the snowy mountain, which was perfect. although they did not communicate, the atmosphere was harmonious. zheng mei could feel the tranquility in it when she observed from such a distance. lu zhi yao shook the red flowers in his hand, and with a smile on his lips, he turned his head to ¡°look¡± at them. her neck seemed to hurt again. zheng mei trembled subconsciously, took a step back, and couldn¡¯t help looking away. ¡°miss?¡± the little maid supported her and patted her on the back: ¡°he is just a blind man, don¡¯t be afraid.¡± zheng mei took a deep breath to embolden herself. she couldn¡¯t resist the curiosity in her heart, so she looked there tentatively again. she wanted to see how the two got along. * ¡°how interesting.¡± li ruo shui looked at the letter paper in her hand. she said four words expressionlessly and felt dizzy. mrs. zheng¡¯s words about ¡°not wanting children for the time being¡± really shocked li ruo shui yesterday. she planned to root out the person who poisoned zheng yan qing in the mansion and get a divorce as soon as possible. if they could unveil the truth of the poisoning, the number of guards sent to protect zheng yan qing in the zheng mansion would be reduced. additionally, the letters they were looking for should be found soon. all in all, she intended to pull the curtains off the mystery. the boy who gave the drug in the original book was someone who had been in zheng mansion for many years, and she just needed to find that person. the method was very simple, but there was a problem. she couldn¡¯t remember the boy¡¯s name and only vaguely recalled his surname was chen. there were many little chens in zheng mansion. there were eleven of them raised in zheng mansion since childhood, eight of them had been near the medicine, and five of them were male. li ruo shui stared at the five names on the paper with a serious expression. she tried to recall some relevant memories, but the memories were not recalled. only one face came to her mind instead. ma dong mei. ¡­¡­ in the original book, lu fei yue happened to encounter a young servant who was poisoned and followed up for several days to obtain evidence before revealing it. but she wasn¡¯t lu fei yue, so such a thing wouldn¡¯t happen at all. li ruo shui simply threw the letter paper on the stone table, ready to relax and rethink. she turned her head to look at lu zhi yao who was studying the safflower and walked over to sit beside him. ¡°how is it? have you thought about how to eat it?¡± this bunch of red plants was planted in zheng mansion¡¯s garden. although it was april, there were quite a few flowers blooming, standing bright red in the flower pots. ¡°what¡¯s the point of eating this?¡± lu zhi yao closed his eyes and handed the flowers to her with a smile. ¡°didn¡¯t i say that you can only sit down after walking for an hour?¡± she just changed the subject because she didn¡¯t want to walk! li ruo shui leaned over the table, and suddenly there was a crisp clang, which made zheng mei and the maid tremble. they poked their heads out and looked over. their eyes widened at the same time, and their mouths were slightly opened. under li ruo shui¡¯s loose sleeves, two iron cuffs were exposed, tightly clasping her wrists, one black and one white contrasted sharply. the corners of her skirt blown up by the wind also revealed some dark and metallic luster. Chapter 37.2 the mantis stalking the cicada (4) zheng mei covered her mouth to block the exclamation that was about to come out. she couldn¡¯t help but think: did li ruo shui have such a difficult life every day? li ruo shui was trying to get rid of these two pairs of handcuffs. the iron chain made a piercing shriek on the stone table as she dragged her hands closer to him, pretending not to hear his question just now. ¡°there¡¯s nectar in this. it¡¯s very sweet, try it.¡± she plucked a small flower from the top, handed it over, and tapped his lips lightly. her voice was clear when she said, ¡°open your mouth and taste it. the nectar will come out when you suck it.¡± the unique softness of flowers tapped the corners of the lips, a little itchy and a little cold. lu zhi yao paused for a moment, then slightly opened his lips. he took the flower in his mouth and gently sucked the nectar onto his tongue. it was indeed sweet, but he had no interest in eating it. seeing that he didn¡¯t look surprised, li ruo shui thought that he didn¡¯t eat it. she pushed the flower in again, and her fingertip accidentally touched the tip of his tongue. li ruo shui pulled out her hand immediately. her wrist fell under the weight of the iron chain and hit the edge of the stone table hard. ¡°hiss!¡± the shame that had just surfaced was immediately suppressed by the pain. lu zhi yao came back to his senses and took out the red flower. he then reached out to touch the place li ruo shui was covering. ¡°shall i rub it for you?¡± no, he just wanted to press the wound and make her hurt. ¡°it doesn¡¯t hurt, i¡¯ll just do it myself.¡± hearing this, lu zhi yao withdrew his hand disappointedly and played with the bunch of red flowers on the table. li ruo shui looked at his expression and recalled the moment when he asked her to bite him, so she couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°do you like to hurt others or hurt yourself?¡± with that figured out, she could adjust herself as needed. lu zhi yao frowned and handed the sword to her with a more sincere expression than a martyr. ¡°why don¡¯t you stab me with a sword yourself? i won¡¯t dodge.¡± li ruo shui: ¡°¡­¡± if she really believed it, then the zheng mansion would have a funeral banquet to hold tomorrow. * li ruo shui rubbed the wound, pretending to cry out in pain to attract his attention. erstwhile, her eyes were carefully looking at the iron cuff on her wrist, thinking about how to undo it. the iron cuff on the wrist was just a simple flat ring, shaped like a wristband sold in modern times, which held her tightly without leaving a single gap. li ruo shui calmly pulled the iron chains with two fingers, trying to pull them apart, but failed so hard that her hands trembled. lu zhi yao put them together easily this morning. why was it so difficult to untie them? li ruo shui wasn¡¯t a person who admitted defeat so easily. she took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and tried again, but she couldn¡¯t help but let out a hard hum from her throat. the person beside her chuckled lightly, tapped the stone table with his fingertips, and waited for the result of her effort with a smile on his face. there seemed to be a movement of the buckle in the iron chain, but there was no movement after that. li ruo shui looked it over several times, but found nothing. finally, she decided to give up pretenses, and she simply asked directly: ¡°why can¡¯t this be opened?¡± lu zhi yao leaned over, and when zheng mei thought that li ruo shui was about to suffer, lu zhi yao opened the iron cuffs on her wrists. zheng mei: ¡°¡­¡± where was the person who threw her into the water yesterday because of a disagreement?! ¡°this is to exercise your hand strength. when you can pull it away, you won¡¯t need it anymore.¡± after the explanation, without giving li ruo shui any buffer time, the iron-black handcuffs were on her wrist again, as if it was just a show. li ruo shui: ¡°¡­¡± she had relaxed only for a short moment. lu zhi yao handed her the sword like a good teacher giving candy to his student. ¡°practice the basic sword moves i have taught you.¡± seeing this, zheng mei couldn¡¯t help clenching her fists. she just felt that lu zhi yao was unreasonable. how could there be such a person in the world? ¡°what about the leg cuffs?¡± zheng mei¡¯s angry expression froze when she saw li ruo shui put her feet on the stone bench, revealing the pair of heavy and ugly leg cuffs. when li ruo shui swayed, the leg cuffs collided with each other and clanked. ¡°do the feet also need to be practiced until the leg cuffs are pulled apart?¡± li ruo shui was not angry, nor did she care about the cuffs. instead, she responded with a joking attitude, like a clear spring in the mountains, not only refreshing but also without a trace of coldness. lu zhi yao curved his lips into a smile, his brows and eyes were soft. he raised his hand and touched the corner of her skirt, and then he went down to the leg cuffs. with only a light force, the leg cuffs were released in response. both of them knew that the leg cuffs were unlocked by hand. her words obviously made lu zhi yao happy. as long as he was happy, she could ask for anything. this was a sentence engraved in li ruo shui¡¯s brain. li ruo shui moved her ankles, dragged her sore arms to pick up the thin sword, and danced with the sword feebly. although she didn¡¯t know what the reason was, the act of practicing swords could definitely increase his goodwill. it was a bit tiring, but it was worth it. in terms of strategy, even though there were occasional overturns, she still felt that she had mastered it well. li ruo shui used force, which gave the appearance of trying to dance the sword, but her arm was only raised half an inch. the tip of the sword pointed to the ground, and the sword body was drawing circles feebly. paddling, she had always been good at it. ¡°i can hear you.¡± lu zhi yao sighed softly. he walked behind her and held her upper arm, lifting her hand parallel to the ground. then he smiled and touched her throat: ¡°painful groans should come naturally, how can you fake it?¡± li ruo shui raised her sore arm to practice the sword, and she really made a sound of genuine pain, which made the corners of lu zhi yao¡¯s lips twitch uncontrollably. he stood behind her, listening to the wind carefully, moving occasionally to help her adjust her movements. some people could make him happy by killing them, and some people could make him happy by torturing them. li ruo shui was probably the latter. looking at the two of them, zheng mei had many thoughts in her mind. she finally fixed her gaze on li ruo shui¡¯s ankle. for some reason, she had the feeling that even if the pair of anklets were still on li ruo shui¡¯s legs, she would find a way to untie them, and they couldn¡¯t restrain her at all. it seemed that the person being controlled was li ruo shui, but the one to take initiative between them seemed to have always been li ruo shui too. zheng mei unconsciously grabbed the corner of her skirt, looked at the two sword dancers, and raised her eyebrows slightly. she seemed to know how to take revenge on lu zhi yao. Chapter 38.1 the mantis stalking the cicada (5) after countless considerations, li ruo shui finally thought of a way to catch the culprit of the poisoning incident quickly. however, this method required zheng yan qing¡¯s cooperation, so she told him part of the truth. ¡°is the culprit really a boy in the zheng residence?¡± zheng yan qing looked at her. although his expression seemed only slightly doubtful, his unconscious grip on the cuff of his sleeve still revealed his own unease and loss. it made sense. no one in the family cared about his true feelings, and even the zheng family¡¯s servants, whom everyone praised as ¡°loyal¡±, would ignore his life for money. the loneliness of being left out was the most torturous. ¡°so you have to think about how to survive if you can¡¯t rely on your family in the future.¡± li ruo shui sat at the table, rubbing her sore muscles. she could not help but criticize lu zhi yao internally. perhaps she had worn the iron handcuffs for too long. though they were now removed, she still felt the weight of being locked up. zheng yan qing put down his pen, walked over to li ruo shui, and handed her the booklet in his hand with some expectation. ¡°i¡¯ve read so many travelogs, but most of them are compiled randomly by the authors, who wrote about everywhere they went. however, there should always be a clear direction when traveling, so i want to compile a guide.¡± li ruo shui took his book and saw three big words written on the cover, ¡°four times,¡± and she flipped through it and saw that a third of the book had been written, many of which were very detailed. zheng yan qing seldom talked to people. he mostly read books, walking around with an air of studiousness, and was modest and courteous, never overstepping. to be fair, li ruo shui admired him. ¡°very thoughtful.¡± after reading it carefully, she handed it back to him with a smile in her eyes and said, ¡°i think it¡¯s well written. you can try to submit it.¡± as if greatly encouraged, zheng yan qing took back the book and looked up at her. ¡°if the bookstore is willing to accept it, you can have the first copy published.¡± li ruo shui stood up and nodded. ¡°then you must hurry. we will probably have to divorce soon.¡± zheng yan qing froze for a moment. his grip on the scroll tightened slightly. ¡°have you finished with your business?¡± ¡°i think so.¡± there were two key points in the original case ¡ª catching the culprit of the poisoning incident and getting the letters. lu fei yue and the others had already gone to look for the letter, so things would come to an end once she caught the culprit. ¡°is that so?¡± zheng yan qing smiled and picked up the pen in his hand, ¡°then first of all, i wish you all success in your endeavors.¡± li ruo shui nodded and walked towards the medicine room of zheng mansion. to let zheng yan qing study peacefully, the zheng family arranged his compound in the most remote part of the east court, where there was no kitchen. his meals and medicine were always prepared and sent there by the main kitchen and medicine room. ¡°greetings, young mistress.¡± li ruo shui nodded slightly and glanced at the people sorting herbs in the medicine room; there were an equal number of men and women. ¡°i came to pick up the medicine for the second young master.¡± ¡°young mistress, the medicine will take a while. please have a seat first.¡± one of the round-faced little maids hurriedly vacated a chair for her and gestured for her to sit down. li ruo shui waved her hand and walked over to the medicine stove. she accidentally got smothered by the bitter smell that greeted her. she maintained her smile, imitating lu zhi yao¡¯s fake smile to a sixty-percent perfection as she turned to look at them. ¡°decocting medicine is indeed hard work, but thankfully, you all won¡¯t have to be so tired in the future.¡± the maid who was decocting the medicine fanned the stove while looking at li ruo shui suspiciously. the others in the medicine room also stopped the work in their hands and waited for her next words. ¡°as you all know, the second young master¡¯s health has gotten much better recently, so just reduce the dosage by half. he only has to take it once a day. this is the doctor¡¯s prescription.¡± the round-faced maid took the red-stamped letter. it did say to only consume the medicine once a day, and the amount of dosage was halved. she nodded, locked the letter paper into a small drawer, and asked someone to prepare a new decoction according to the dosage on the letter paper. ¡°great, finally the dosage has been reduced. second young master¡¯s illness has finally improved!¡± li ruo shui echoed those words, looking sincere. she said, ¡°it¡¯s thanks to my medicine. otherwise i don¡¯t know how long he would have been tortured.¡± the round-faced maid followed her and was about to ask further questions when she saw li ruo shui walking over to the medicine cabinet and looking at it demurely. to accomplish her plan, li ruo shui had to let these people know that she had medical knowledge. ¡°there¡¯s actually fire grass here?¡± among the piles of herbs, li ruo shui picked out a small seedling with green leaves and red stems with a surprised look. her surprise was real and not a pretense. she had actually stumbled upon a herb that could speak one, two, three, and this herb was also a rare kind of herb for common mass. the round-faced maid stood beside her and was also a little surprised. ¡°do you know this?¡± ¡°yes.¡± li ruo shui made a nostalgic look and explained, ¡°it¡¯s very precious. back then when i used it, i didn¡¯t control the fire well and wasted a lot of them. what a shame.¡± it was lu zhi yao¡¯s words when he helped her decoct the medicine, and she copied him. ¡°this herb is not known by ordinary people, let alone its medicinal properties.¡± the round-faced maid looked at li ruo shui differently and asked, ¡°you have medical knowledge, young mistress?¡± li ruo shui smiled but did not say anything. she pretended to shake her head in a profound manner and did not reply. the most important thing to do to make people misunderstand was to remain enigmatic and leave room for imagination. a human brain¡¯s ability to make up ideas did not distinguish between time and space. Chapter 38.2 the mantis stalking the cicada (6) ¡°i suddenly remembered something. keep preparing the medicine. i¡¯ll come back later.¡± after making a show, li ruo shui did not give them another chance to ask questions. she flashed an apologetic smile and immediately left. ¡°they say this young mistress is skilled, but i didn¡¯t expect her to also possess excellent medical skills.¡± the maids in the medicine room couldn¡¯t help but discuss. ¡°no wonder second young master¡¯s health has improved since she came. it¡¯s because she gave him a new prescription. i thought it was because of the blessing from marriage.¡± ¡°she even personally came to get the medicine. what a lovely couple.¡± ¡°maybe the second young master can really go to the provincial exams this year. the family will finally have a government official!¡± a young boy in the corner was seriously pounding medicine, seemingly unconcerned. but not long after, he got up and left the medicine room, leaving a medicine pestle rolling around on the floor. * li ruo shui returned to east court, threw herself head first into the couch, and rubbed her shoulder blades and arms, which were sore to this day. she was too tired and wanted someone to massage her. ¡°how did it go?¡± zheng yan qing stopped writing and raised his eyes to look at her. his gaze seemed vaguely excited, and he did not even notice the ink on the tip of the pen dripping onto the paper. this was the first time he had ever done such a thing. ¡°just wait. someone will be here soon.¡± li ruo shui sat up and rubbed her calves and arms. she only felt very sore. although she had made this vow many times before, she was going to do it again now. she swore that she would beat lu zhi yao up later, even though her hopes were slim. hearing li ruo shui¡¯s words, zheng yan qing lost even the mood to write a book. he was now so excited that he couldn¡¯t help pacing around the room while waiting for the person li ruo shui had spoken of. ¡°is this what it feels like to fight back?¡± he wondered. zheng yan qing grabbed his sleeves. his handsome eyebrows were full of joy, and he kept smiling. he couldn¡¯t help but guess who would be coming later. after a long time, there were suddenly many footsteps at the entrance of the east court, which was always empty. zheng yan qing quickly sat back at his desk and pretended to read a book, but his eyes that kept glancing outside revealed his thoughts. li ruo shui was also a little curious as to who was coming this time. when the footstep sounded closer, li ruo shui looked out the window until mrs. zheng, dressed in a vivid red dress, appeared in her sight. li ruo shui really didn¡¯t expect her to come today, and even zheng yan qing froze. the zheng family couple are the most unlikely people in the house to give him poison. mrs. zheng didn¡¯t have half a mind to make pleasantries and small talk, and walked straight to li ruo shui as soon as she entered. she left the maids and servants waiting outside the door. ¡°good job, my daughter-in-law! i heard that you cured yan qing¡¯s illness, is it true?¡± mrs. zheng warmly shook li ruo shui¡¯s hand. wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes, and she looked at li ruo shui with fervor. logically, mrs. zheng did not believe in metaphysics. the wedding was the last resort, but she did not expect the wife to be able to heal zheng yan qing. it was probably fate. she would have to find a chance to thank the taoist priest again. having never been treated with such enthusiasm, li ruo shui withdrew her hand. she controlled her expression, and addressed mrs. zheng awkwardly. ¡°¡­¡­ mother, i don¡¯t know medical skills.¡± mrs. zheng froze for a moment, originally thinking li ruo shui was joking, but her and zheng yan qing¡¯s expressions did not look like they were joking. ¡°but your sister told me someone informed her that ruo shui can heal sickness¡­ your sister wouldn¡¯t lie to me.¡± zheng yan qing lowered his eyes, picked up the book to resume reading, and faintly replied, ¡°i don¡¯t have to lie to you either.¡± mrs. zheng was really confused. she thought that she had received great news and that she could prepare for zheng yan qing¡¯s examination now, but she did not expect that it was just an empty joy. ¡°i must¡¯ve misunderstood then.¡± mrs. zheng smiled sardonically and let go of li ruo shui. ¡°don¡¯t worry. i will definitely find a way to cure you, and by then you will definitely be able to take the provincial exams.¡± like a basin of cold water was dumped on him, zheng yan qing¡¯s enthusiasm for catching the culprit faded, and he suddenly felt no longer interested. what difference did it make if he caught the culprit? his parents would only rejoice that he can take the exam. ¡°i¡¯m going to ask your sister what¡¯s going on. you should continue your study well.¡± after mrs. zheng¡¯s uneasy thoughtful reminder, she hurriedly left again with the others. zheng yan qing bowed his head and compiled his own guide. he never glanced outside again. li ruo shui watched him with a silent sigh. she could help with catching the culprit, but there was nothing she could do about his family affairs. after all, she had a more troublesome task to do. very quickly, the flowers in the courtyard were blooming and falling one after another, and the fallen remnants of red blew into the house along with the wind. li ruo shui looked at the flower petals on the ground and was a bit lost in thought. zheng yan qing was silent for a long time and finally asked, ¡°¡­¡­ do you think it¡¯s my sister?¡± ¡°no.¡± li ruo shui shook her head and continued to rub her shoulders. ¡°your sister has a proud nature. even if she wants to harm you, she won¡¯t do it through poisoning.¡± zheng yan qing let out a laugh, which sounded ironic. but it was true. after all, he has not seen much zheng mei since he was a child. they were basically strangers. she had no reason to persecute him. ¡°then what¡¯s your plan? one of the 36 plans?¡± ¡°no.¡± li ruo shui shook her head and gave a more apt answer. ¡°it¡¯s called, the wolf is coming.¡± * Chapter 39.1 the mantis stalking the cicada (7) it was june, and the sun was blazing. the food vendors in the market were all lazing around as business was slow, so they had little energy and were just fanning themselves with bushels to keep the heat away. however, there was a stall selling cold food at the corner of the street. two words were written on a crooked wooden sign: ice drink. the stall was filled with customers who came to escape the summer heat, among which a man and a woman were the most conspicuous. the man was dressed in white, with plumes as earrings. he ate cold dango without saying a word, while the woman was dressed in a yellow robe, with her sleeves generously pulled up and revealed her fair arm. [tl/n: dango should be easier to understand, yes?] the atmosphere between the two is strange, and everyone could see that they were a couple. however, what¡¯s odd was their lack of communication. a lot of gossiping guests often look over to them and want to know something about them. the woman put down the porcelain spoon and let out a long sigh. ¡°what¡¯s wrong with you? i feel like you¡¯ve been out of sorts lately.¡± ¡°nothing¡¯s wrong. it¡¯ll be over soon.¡± the man was still eating. he pursed his lips into a smile. there was nothing out of place with his movement, but it still didn¡¯t feel right. the woman also seemed to be a bit unhappy. she picked up the paper umbrella on the side and got up to leave. ¡°i¡¯ll go buy some other things. wait for me here.¡± after finishing the last cold dango, the man grabbed her wrist accurately. his fingertips rubbed her wrist delicately as he pulled her back. ¡°it¡¯ll be over soon,¡± he murmured the words and pulled her into his arms, gently stroking the ends of her hair as he drew his thin sword from the side. the sword was covered in cracks and reflected the man¡¯s smile into a crooked one; it looked eerie. the woman seemed to realize what was going on and began to struggle, but it was no use. the guests around them all screamed and left the place. some were ready to report to the police, some looked at them with both fear and curiosity, but none of them came forward to stop him. the man¡¯s eyes opened, revealing an unfocused, chaotic and dark as a swamp gaze. his right hand moved from the end of her hair to her trembling eyes and slowly covered her terrified eyes. ¡°it¡¯ll be quick. you won¡¯t feel the pain.¡± he stopped abruptly when the cold blade reached the side of her neck, then smiled somewhat helplessly. ¡°i had forgotten that you don¡¯t like me killing people with this.¡± he threw the sword aside and drew out the dagger he had brought with him. the tip of the blade traveled slowly down her thigh, almost intimately and comfortingly. its coolness caused her to shudder for a moment. in the end, the tip of the blade stopped at her heart. the woman sucked in her breath and took his hand, afraid he would strike the next moment. ¡°why? talk to me. i think i can still salvage the situation!¡± ¡°i don¡¯t like this pain, and i know you don¡¯t either.¡± the man patted her forehead soothingly and coaxed, ¡°but it¡¯ll be over soon. why do you always pick someone else? i will free us together.¡± the woman couldn¡¯t help but widen her eyes when she heard this, as if she understood something. ¡°wait, communication is important between people. how would i know if you didn¡¯t say it before. give me a chance-¡± there was no chance ¨C the tip of the knife dug deep into her heart. in that moment, she even felt the contrast between the coldness of the blade and the burning heat of her heart. screams rang all around her. some people fled, and others covered their eyes. the cacophony filled her eardrums. the man placed the dagger in her hand and without hesitation held her hand and stabbed himself. he pushed the dagger slowly into his heart. he leaned down and rested his forehead against hers and intertwined their fingers. ¡°i seem to understand why butterfly lovers end the way it did.¡± [tl/n: butterfly lovers is one of the chinese classics that tells a love story between liang shanbo and zhu yingtai. asian version of romeo and juliet basically.] a smile rose on his lips ¨C one that looked like a buddhist who had seen through karma and was able to attain enlightenment. ¡­¡­ li ruo shui sat up violently. her face was covered in cold sweat, and the silk jacket on her body had long been soaked. the night breeze carried coolness with it. she could still feel the chill on her chest, and she immediately touched there. li ruo shui only let out a long sigh of relief when she felt a steady heartbeat. ¡°fuck!¡± it was a dream. no. it¡¯s a nightmare. could it be a premonitory dream? ¡°system! is this a hint? come out and answer me! help me!¡± li ruo shui, whose heart was pounding violently, had begun to rattled nonstop and spouted swear words. [host, please sleep well, and don¡¯t scare yourself. trust yourself and don¡¯t worry too much]. after saying this, the system once again went offline, as if it had never appeared. the one who was killed wasn¡¯t you, of course you said not to worry too much! li ruo shui took a deep breath before forcing herself to calm down and began to think back on the fragments of the dream. what did he mean by always choosing someone else? i keep the mission in mind at all times. it¡¯s impossible for me to choose another. moreover, he didn¡¯t even understand the essence of butterfly lovers! li ruo shui thought about yesterday again, and she now had some regrets for not following him immediately. her dream felt like a bad ending no matter how she see it. unable to figure out the reason and experiencing such a strange and scary dream rendered li ruo shui restless for the whole night. she was in a trance when she woke up the next day. li ruo shui didn¡¯t dare to laze in bed and immediately began to wash up. Chapter 39.2 the mantis stalking the cicada (8) the task of catching the culprit and looking for the letter were all thrown aside. she had to go to the inn to ask for a clarification. for people like her with an abnormal train of thought, her imagination would only run wilder as time dragged on. zheng yan qing saw li ruo shui and hurriedly picked up the travel guide he had just written down from the table. ¡°ruoshui, this is the second volume of four times i just wrote.¡± li ruo shui smiled apologetically and said hurriedly, ¡°i have something to attend to at the moment. i will read it when i return.¡± as soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly headed outside. zheng yan qing was quiet for a while and put the book back, smiling a bit forlornly. she had probably gone to find lu zhi yao. right, she¡¯ll be leaving here in a few days. they are the real pair. * ¡°miss, do you want to lodge or eat here?¡± a staff had been watching this ¡°guest¡± pace around the entrance for a long time until it was almost time for lunch. seeing that she was still sighing, he couldn¡¯t help but go out and ask. li ruo shui looked at him, then shook her head. she held her chest and continued to pace back and forth. she had arrived at the inn a long time ago, but didn¡¯t dare to go in, fearing that she would be stabbed as soon as she pushed open the door to his room. the system wasn¡¯t much use anymore, so it was all up to her. ¡°is the blind gentleman who lives upstairs still here?¡± ¡°oh, i see.¡± the staff had a realization and said, ¡°so you¡¯re also here to see that gentleman.¡± li ruo shui was stunned and somewhat curious. ¡°there are other people visiting him?¡± ¡°yes.¡± the staff answered without any wariness, ¡°although this gentleman doesn¡¯t often stay at the inn, many of the girls in the neighborhood know about him. they often come and wait at the entrance of the inn for a chance to see him.¡± li ruo shui nodded her head. it was not surprising when she thought about it. after all, it was for him to attract attention with the way he looked. nobody would dislike a good looking person. ¡°in the past, he leaves early, but he¡¯s in for the whole morning today and never left. you came at a right time.¡± li ruo shui frowned and put down her hand covering her heart. ¡°he didn¡¯t eat breakfast?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know. in any case, he never ate here.¡± it¡¯s almost noon, there¡¯s no way he¡¯d also skip lunch, right? ¡°send lunch to his room later.¡± li ruo shui made up her mind and suddenly remembered something before going upstairs, ¡°oh, and don¡¯t casually divulge your guest¡¯s information to strangers.¡± the staff was confused. under the staff¡¯s puzzled gaze, li ruo shui took a deep breath and rushed into the inn with her head lowered. in a single breath, she went up to the second floor and knocked on the door of lu zhi yao¡¯s room. but the door to the room was not locked and clicked open in with a single knock. with a creak, the door opened a crack. through which a corner of a white robe could be seen, but there was little movement. ¡°¡­¡­ can i come in?¡± after asking, li ruo shui gently pushed open the door of the room and saw lu zhi yao lying on the bed. it was only then that she realized that after coming to cang prefecture, it seemed like she rarely came to him, and most of the time it was him who went to the zheng residence. li ruo shui slowly walked over to the bedside and called his name softly, ¡°lu zhi yao?¡± as if he had a nightmare, lu zhi yao¡¯s whole body trembled for a moment. then, his tightly furrowed brow loosened, and his fingers slightly flexed. it looked like he had woken up. what a surprise. he wasn¡¯t pretending to be asleep? li ruo shui froze. lu zhi yao had always been a light sleeper, so he would wake up to the tiniest movement. they were together for so long, and she has never seen him asleep. li ruo shui held her chest and came up to him to touch his forehead. ¡°are you sick?¡± the temperature she felt on her hand wasn¡¯t hot, so it shouldn¡¯t be a fever, but before she could feel the temperature properly again, lu zhi yao pushed her hand away. ¡°why are you here?¡± he asked. he sat up, and the sash on his body loosened, revealing the part below his collarbone. li ruo shui suddenly remembered the scene in her dream where he took her hand and plunged it into the left side of his heart. she averted her eyes and moved her hand behind her back first before she abruptly covered her own heart in a panic. ¡°i came to meet you for lunch,¡± li ruo shui said. she actually wanted to ask him directly what was wrong, but her instincts told her it was best not to. lu zhi yao arched his eyebrows as he stood up and walked over to the table, gingerly pouring himself a cup of tea. ¡°i thought you were supposed to be eating with zheng yan qing right now.¡± he turned his head and laughed, ¡°you are a couple after all.¡± huh? what does he mean? why is he bringing up the matter of being husband and wife? ¡°but we are a fake couple, and you know it. you even took a lot of wedding candies back then.¡± li ruo shui sat down next to him, vaguely feeling like she understood something but never quite catching the exact nuance. ¡°i heard a story at the teahouse earlier. it¡¯s called the legend of the white snake.¡± ¡°and?¡± li ruo shui was curious to know what strange epiphany he had gotten from the story again. ¡°aren¡¯t you going back to the zheng residence?¡± lu zhi yao asked with a smile as he changed the topic. li ruo shui¡¯s eyes widened, and she clenched her fists in disbelief that he¡¯d actually learned how to disengage at a critical point. ¡°i came to meet you for lunch.¡± there was no way in hell she was going to leave now for the sake of her life. she had to find out what was wrong with him. the timing was just right, as a knock sounded outside. ¡°sir, may i come in?¡± ¡°please enter.¡± li ruo shui answered before lu zhi yao did and stood up to take the lunch. the staff looked at her with even puzzled gaze. his whisper could still be heard as he closed the door, ¡°why would she sneak around outside if she knows him?¡± li ruo shui was speechless when she heard it. but she told lu zhi yao. ¡°it¡¯s time to eat.¡± ¡°i¡¯m not hungry,¡± he replied. li ruo shui did not get discouraged even after receiving a blatant rejection. this much isn¡¯t a problem to her. Chapter 39.3 the mantis stalking the cicada (9) ¡°you seem to be in a bad mood.¡± li ruo shui took his hand and put it on her head, ¡°i¡¯ll let you give me a nuggie.¡± lu zhi yao nonchalantly drew back his hand and smiled gently. ¡°you¡¯re probably hungry. aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡± li ruo shui touched her head and instantly felt that it wasn¡¯t a small problem. but she had stood outside all morning and was indeed hungry. therefore, li ruo shui lifted her bowl and thought about what to do while eating. lu zhi yao sipped his tea, and his expression remained the same. he didn¡¯t seem like he was troubled, but it wasn¡¯t like him to turn down the chance to touch her head. thus, she came up with an idea. ¡°i fell when i came to find you this morning. my hand seems to be scraped but i can¡¯t apply medicine on it properly. can you help me?¡± touching my wound is his favorite thing to do, and if this didn¡¯t work¡­¡­ ¡°no.¡± li ruo shui was shocked and her chopsticks fell to the ground. she moved closer to lu zhi yao and was really a bit worried. her tone eased considerably. ¡°what¡¯s wrong with you? can¡¯t you tell me about it?¡± ¡°i¡¯m thinking about something.¡± lu zhi yao pursed his lips into a smile, and the smile remain gentle. ¡°i¡¯ll probably tell you when i figure it out.¡± li ruo shui sighed deeply. she was afraid he wouldn¡¯t be able to figure it out. lu zhi yao did not say anything else, and li ruo shui did not probe further. after eating, she left spiritlessly. once she left, lu zhi yao sat at the table and took out that carved little puppet from his cuffs. then, he made it jump up again. yesterday li ruo shui asked him a question. ¡°what do you want me to do?¡± if lu fei yue and jiang nian had asked this question, he would have answered, ¡°no,¡± because he had not done anything for them. if asked by zheng yan qing, he would have answered ¡°go to hell.¡± there was no reason for it. it was a sincere answer from the bottom of his heart. no matter who asked him, he could give a sincere answer from his heart, but his mind came up blank when it came to li ruo shui. the way she defended zheng yan qing¡¯s words and actions yesterday made him feel bland. they were just husband and wife, but she appeared closer to zheng yan qing than when she was with him. li ruo shui was clearly on his side and should be on his side. he did not know what he wanted li ruo shui to do, but he did want her to do something. for example¡­ what? lu zhi yao fell into deep thoughts; into some inexplicable, overwhelming emotions that left him clueless on what to do. he grasped the wooden puppet and unconsciously tightened his grip. the puppet¡¯s limbs made a clicking sound, almost like a pained groan. * the sky outside gradually turned gray, and the setting sun was swallowed up by dark clouds. a fierce wind rose outside and blew the interior of the room into disarray. zheng yan qing hurriedly tidied up the fluttering pieces of paper, and squinted to close the creaking doors and windows. after which, he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°the weather today is really strange, changing at the drop of a hat. it¡¯s barely evening, and it¡¯s already raining heavily.¡± li ruo shui sat on the couch, transfixed with worry. her brows furrowed with anxiety. she was so deep in thought that she didn¡¯t even react to the raging storm outside. zheng yan qing looked at her and sighed, but he could only lower his head and continue writing his work. suddenly, someone knocked on the wooden door. it rattled a few times, and combined with the raging wind and rain outside, frightened zheng yan qing into shuddering briefly. he put down his pen and went to open the door, ¡°who-¡± the door opened and a surge of moist coldness greeted him. he was stunned to see the person before him, then immediately turned to call li ruo shui. ¡°mr. lu is here.¡± li ruo shui looked up in confusion and went to the door quickly. she couldn¡¯t help but be shocked by the newcomer. lu zhi yao was drenched and water dripped from his black hair. water droplets also hung on his eyelashes, and his red lips turned pale. he looked like he was hauled out of a pool. ¡°do you want to go to the swings?¡± he asked with a smile in his eyes. the way he sounded was almost as if he just asked about the weather. zheng yan qing looked at him in surprise and uttered softly, ¡°it¡¯s raining outside. how about you stay inside-¡± ¡°sure.¡± li ruo shui interrupted him and took out an umbrella. then, she led lu zhi yao to the swing in the courtyard. the two of them sat on it, and the winds rocked the swing slowly. at the same time, the umbrella covered them from the rain while the trees swayed from the wild wind. li ruo shui stared at him with a smile. she helped him wipe the water droplets on the corner of his forehead. ¡°have you figured it out?¡± lu zhi yao smiled, and he seemed like the only warmth in this storm. ¡°i know what i want. i want you to leave the zheng residence with me today.¡± li ruo shui didn¡¯t expect him to mention this. she hesitated for a long time but still opened her mouth to say, ¡°i have to help him find the culprit first. just wait a few days. it¡¯ll really only take a few more days.¡± lu zhi yao stopped smiling, and his eyelashes trembled slightly. the raindrops on them slid down like a teardrop falling from the corner of his eye. the rain crashed mercilessly on the umbrella, so li ruo shui¡¯s hand holding the umbrella trembled. at the same time, the trees on the opposite side of the street all had their branches bent and creaking because of the storm. in the midst of this cacophony of rain, she heard his voice. he asked, ¡°why must i wait? you were the one who asked me what i wanted you to do, and i came up with this.¡± lu zhi yao emphasized, ¡°you asked.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 40.1 the mantis stalking the cicada (10) dark clouds covered the sun, and the wind swayed wildly. the paper umbrella in li ruo shui¡¯s hand shook wildly from the wind, but it was still able to shield her from the rain and did not leave her face covered in rainwater. what¡¯s with this rain? it came too dramatically, and her mind unconsciously played clips from the many tv dramas she watched. she wanted to tell him ¡°let me explain,¡± but she held back several times. there was nothing to explain. regardless of her or lu zhi yao¡¯s point of view, both of them were not at fault¡ª it was just that their opinions clashed. the most important thing to do now was to make him understand her reason. ¡°i did ask you, and i will definitely leave the zheng residence. but i¡¯m only postponing my departure for a few days. is that not okay?¡± in other words, li ruo shui was asking, ¡°can¡¯t i do this much?¡± but lu zhi yao thought, ¡°of course not. why would she reject me because of zheng yan qing?¡± lu zhi yao smiled in the rain. it looked very reluctant but still has a hint of tenderness and tolerance. however, this smile looked pained in li ruo shui¡¯s eyes. no one could stay happy forever. they could choose not to laugh when they didn¡¯t want to without having to force themselves. of course she knew that agreeing with him was the easiest solution to appease him at this time, but she didn¡¯t want to. in another few days, everything at the zheng residence would end, so she didn¡¯t want to give up. she didn¡¯t like to abandon things halfway. ¡°someone in the zheng residence has poisoned zheng yan qing. just a few more days, and i¡¯ll be able to end this.¡± ¡­¡­ wait. why did he insist that i leave the zheng residence? li ruo shui shifted her eyes to his moist face and his drooping eyelashes. something suddenly occurred in her mind. no way. is¡­ is he jealous? the corners of li ruo shui¡¯s lips slowly curled upward. she suddenly thought the rain was nice. she asked, ¡°why do you suddenly want me to do this? i¡¯ve stayed in the zheng residence for so long and you didn¡¯t feel anything, so why do you have to make me leave today?¡± hearing her question, lu zhi yao¡¯s thoughts became even more convoluted. he was not thinking about the answer to li ruo shui¡¯s question, but rather, about her continuous refusals. lu zhi yao didn¡¯t understand. she likes me, so why would she defend zheng yan qing? and what did zheng yan qing¡¯s life and death have to do with her? the raindrops pitter-pattered on the umbrella and the trees. he was reminded of the story he had heard at the teahouse. the white snake, bai suzhen, also met xu xian during a downpour like this. bai suzhen originally did not love xu xian, but because of her past life, she had to marry xu xian to repay the debt and then use it to become immortal. however, she fell in love with xu xian after her marriage and was willing to be locked up for thousands of years in order to help him. ¡­¡­ that¡¯s what matrimony is, and that¡¯s the real reason behind a regular marriage. he always thought that people who got married would turn against each other, thought that people who got married were disgusted with each other, and thought that husband and wife was the funniest relationship under the sky. so he stayed at the zheng residence from time to time, on the roof of the house li ruo shui and zheng yan qing shared. lu zhi yao originally wanted to help her once zheng yan qing¡¯s true nature was revealed, so that she would not get hurt; after all, she was a stray that he met on the road, so he had the responsibility to take care of her. but that was not what happened. li ruo shui and zheng yan qing would talk about interesting things in the house. they would eat together, roam around together, and stay in the same room at night. all of this annoyed lu zhi yao. it was like the puppet he had worked so hard to make had been stolen. how could he leave the thief unscathed? he had put his sword on zheng yan qing¡¯s neck countless times, but always stopped himself at the last moment. after all, if li ruo shui liked him, zheng yan qing could not be considered to have committed theft. if lu zhi yao really killed zheng yan qing, it would instead prove that li ruo shui had been stolen from him. lu zhi yao would not permit that. at least that was what he had been thinking until yesterday. after all, li ruo shui had kissed him. wasn¡¯t that proof that she loved him? but it never occurred to him that love could change; that it could be altered by matrimony. it was good news that li ruo shui did not love him because he did not want her to get involved in things like love, but how could she change at will? one should keep one¡¯s word. since she said she loved him, she should keep her word. she was not an unfaithful person. the one at fault isn¡¯t li ruo shui. it¡¯s zheng yan qing. it was this disgusting thief who corrupted li ruo shui. his chaotic thoughts immediately quietened down as the questions that had been troubling him for a long time were resolved. lu zhi yao¡¯s knitted eyebrow relaxed, and the curved corners of his lips appeared to be much more relaxed. lu zhi yao tilted his head and laughed. he laughed so much that his body trembled, and the hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightened so much that his knuckles turned white. such a simple answer had taken him so long to figure out. ¡°i¡¯ve finally thought it through.¡± he stood up. perhaps because of his emotions or perhaps because he was laughing too much, the ends of his eyes reddened. coupled with his gentle face and long wet hair, he looked like a buddha who had come to give salvation. he drew his sword and walked toward the room. due to excitement, the sword in his hand trembled. soon, li ruo shui will be grateful to me for rescuing her from her suffering. ¡°you figured it out?¡± li ruo shui was relieved to see him get up and walk towards the house, so she said while holding an umbrella, ¡°finally you know to take shelter from the rain. this rain is so heavy. you might get sick tomorrow.¡± once entering the house, the constant dripping of water from his body seeped into the carpet and formed a dark patch. the cracks on his sword also reflected the candlelight into a twisted pattern and raised zheng yan qing¡¯s confusion. ¡°you forgot your scabbard.¡± li ruo shui placed her umbrella outside the door and took the scabbard to lu zhi yao. but her happiness didn¡¯t last long. in the next moment, she saw lu zhi yao roll his wrist and tilt his head slightly. she was too familiar with these two movements¡ª it was a precursor to him making a move. li ruo shui reflexively took a step back and covered her neck. as she was about to say something, she saw the blade of the sword slashing towards zheng yan qing. a cold light flashed by and then a clunking sound was heard; li ruo shui blocked lu zhi yao¡¯s sword with the scabbard in her hand. it had to be said that lu zhi yao¡¯s training did work, or at least it had begun to pay off on her. it happened in a breath¡¯s time. zheng yan qing hadn¡¯t even put down the pen in his hand yet, and just stared blankly at the sword above his head. ¡°¡­¡­ are you guys having a spar?¡± ¡°are you stupid? get out of the way!¡± li ruo shui raised her voice. her block was pushed down by a lot. even when she used two hands to hold up against the weight of lu zhi yao¡¯s sword, she was struggling. Chapter 40.2 the mantis stalking the cicada (11) zheng yan qing nodded in a panic and ran to the dining table in the middle of the room while clutching his book. he looked at them and wanted to say: ¡°even if it¡¯s raining outside, you can still spar at the porch. why do it inside?¡± in zheng yan qing¡¯s eyes, lu zhi yao was a gentle and courteous male, so he could never have imagined that the latter was here to kill him. lu zhi yao sighed and put away his sword. reaching out his hand to touch the side of her face, his cold fingertips stung li ruo shui. ¡°don¡¯t be fooled. that¡¯d be pathetic.¡± li ruo shui was confused. how am i being fooled? she couldn¡¯t understand if lu zhi yao was really jealous as she thought or not. but his behavior now didn¡¯t seem like it. li ruo shui really wished someone could give her an answer. lu zhi yao had just turned around when li ruo shui threw away his scabbard and embraced him from behind tightly without hesitation. she said, ¡°let¡¯s have a talk instead of using violence.¡± the roaring sound of the wind outside grew louder, causing the doors and windows to rattle and make creaking sounds. bits of the gust entering from the cracks fanned wildly against the candle flames and caused them to flicker. the room was suddenly much darker, so lu zhi yao¡¯s face was obscure, making it hard to see his expression clearly. zheng yan qing sensed that the atmosphere was not right. he hugged the book tightly and looked at the two, then had a vague guess. amidst the lighting, he saw the smile on lu zhi yao¡¯s lips; ever gentle but appearing bizarre and ghastly because of the dancing flames. lu zhi yao didn¡¯t hesitate much. he didn¡¯t move forward after being held by li ruo shui; he just raised his hand and threw out an inconspicuous dagger. zheng yan qing felt a weight on his chest and his eyes widened as he looked down towards his chest. an ancient black dagger stuck in that spot. he mumbled, ¡°my draft¡­¡­¡± li ruo shui peeked from behind lu zhi yao and couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw the situation clearly through the flickering candlelight. the dagger, although it was aimed towards zheng yan qing¡¯s heart, was blocked by the book he was clutching to his chest. this was probably a lucky break amongst misfortunes. lu zhi yao could still hear zheng yan qing¡¯s heartbeat, and he curved his eyelashes and smiled somewhat helplessly. not being able to see was indeed a bit inconvenient. he really should personally stab his sword into zheng yan qing¡¯s throat in order to feel at ease and happy. lu zhi yao gripped li ruo shui¡¯s wrist and pushed her away. ¡°i am helping you, but why are you stopping me?¡± li ruo shui looked a little anxious as he pushed her away. lu zhi yao couldn¡¯t listen to reason now, and she couldn¡¯t beat him, so she could only restrain him first. li ruo shui reached out and touched his waist, gently rubbing it. lu zhi yao couldn¡¯t help but tremble a little. in that instant, li ruo shui grappled his neck and forcefully pushed him to the ground. rolling over and mounting his waist, she reached out to press his wrists to the sides of his head. at this moment, she looked like a thug who was forcibly assaulting a woman. she turned her head to zheng yan qing and desperately signaled him with her eyes, ¡°go, now!¡± zheng yan qing finally understood what was happening now. he put down his book and walked over with a stool. ¡°ms. li, i won¡¯t abandon you and leave by myself. let me help you!¡± li ruo shui was speechless and thought: no thanks!!! i¡¯m only safe if you go! hearing zheng yan qing¡¯s approaching footsteps, lu zhi yao, who was originally put in a state of daze, returned to his senses, and his eyelashes quivered slightly. he sat up abruptly, leaving only an inch of distance between him and li ruo shui, who was sitting on his waist. their breaths were intertwined as if they were about to kiss each other. lu zhi yao picked up his thin sword and without hesitation hacked at the spot behind li ruo shui. the blade of the sword was so sharp that it cleaved through the stool blocking zheng yan qing¡¯s body and cut a gash in his arm. finally hurting him, lu zhi yao was so excited that his hands trembled. he could finally put an end to this tumultuous thought. hearing lu zhi yao¡¯s low chuckle, li ruo shui no longer hesitated and prepared to put her life-preserving trump card to use. she leaned forward and kissed lu zhi yao¡¯s slightly pale lips. lu zhi yao¡¯s body was already wet, so coldness seeped into his body and even his lips were chilly. they were like the bowl of cold dango in her dreams¡ªcold, soft, and sweet. her hand rested on his shoulder as she closed her eyes, savoring this feeling. li ruo shui originally just wanted to stop him, but there was an unspeakable joy within her. even her heart was pounding because of the kiss. ¡°i see.¡± in the interval between catching her breath, lu zhi yao¡¯s low, husky voice rang in her ears. she was puzzled. thus, she asked, ¡°what is it?¡± li ruo shui¡¯s voice was a little hesitant as she looked at lu zhi yao, forgetting for a moment that she was still sitting on his waist. lu zhi yao thought about that night when she trembled and kissed the corner of his lips again. she didn¡¯t kiss him because she wanted to make him happy, nor did she like him. she just didn¡¯t want to be killed. just like now, she only kissed him so he would let zheng yan qing go. lu zhi yao sighed softly. ¡°why kiss me if you don¡¯t like me?¡± she kissed him not because she liked him, but because she didn¡¯t want him to go crazy, just like everyone else. it¡¯s just the difference between others killing him and her kissing him. he was glad li ruo shui didn¡¯t fall in love because then, she is still herself and will not become hateful. lu zhi yao patted his throbbing heart and frowned as he helped the baffled li ruo shui up. ¡°how do you know i don¡¯t like you?¡± li ruo shui asked these words as she pulled on his sleeve. however, she did not realize the ambiguity of this sentence. what was originally a rhetorical question became an affirmation in lu zhi yao¡¯s ears. how do you know i don¡¯t like you? lu zhi yao did not reply and only felt that he should not stay here. so, lu zhi yao smiled and nodded. ¡°it¡¯s good that you don¡¯t like me.¡± he stood up in disheveled clothes. accompanied by that smile, he looked inexplicably fragile to li ruo shui. ¡°then i have no reason to kill him,¡± he added. lu zhi yao only wanted to kill zheng yan qing only because the latter had made li ruo shui break his trust. however, if li ruo shui did not like him, the premise of breaking his trust was no longer present. zheng yan qing didn¡¯t steal his puppet because lu zhi yao didn¡¯t have one in the first place. an attempt to kill began suddenly and also ended abruptly. following last night¡¯s sudden departure, today he was gone again. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 41.1 the mantis stalking the cicada (12) it has been two days since the dramatic moment in the rain that night. lu zhi yao did not come to the zheng residence once in these two days. li ruo shui went to the inn and teahouse but did not find him. knowing that he was hiding from her, li ruo shui could only set this problem aside and wait until she finished her work at the zheng residence to solve it. although there was no progress with lu zhi yao, lu fei yue and jiang nian found a clue from the cangzhou inspection department. the warrant that told lu fei yue to stop the investigation was a fake, and someone in the case patrol division was colluding with the zheng residence. not only that, but it seemed to be connected to the previous abduction case in cloud city. ¡°¡­¡­ so you guys came to me to get my help in investigating together?¡± li ruo shui looked at the duo in the courtyard and hesitated for a moment before asking. she hadn¡¯t read about this episode in the script, so she probably wouldn¡¯t be of much help by following along. lu fei yue felt a little embarrassed and opened her mouth several times but couldn¡¯t get any words out. jiang nian looked at her, sighed, and stood in front of li ruo shui. ¡°we have already found the place where they hid the letters, but we don¡¯t want to alert the enemies. we just want to get the things at once¡­ so we want to find zhi yao to be a safeguard.¡± li ruo shui pursed the corners of her lips and smiled somewhat helplessly. ¡°i haven¡¯t seen him for the past few days.¡± ¡°are you guys okay?¡± lu fei yue walked up with an apologetic expression on her face and asked, ¡°is it because of the substitute marriage to zheng yan qing?¡± ¡°no.¡± li ruo shui waved her hand, then paused for a moment before adding, ¡°probably not.¡± seeing lu fei yue secretly biting her lip, seemingly about to fall into self-reproach, jiang nian immediately changed the subject. ¡°we¡¯ve only seen him once in the past two days, and it was already very late at that time. he said that he had just completed the bounty order.¡± jiang nian rubbed his chin and had admiration in his eyes when he commented, ¡°i asked him. it¡¯s only been two days, but zhi yao has already done half of the tasks that were piled up. as expected of him.¡± li ruo shui: ¡°¡­¡­¡± no wonder i couldn¡¯t find him. he went to vent. jiang nian nudged her with his elbow and asked in a low voice, ¡°what happened to you guys?¡± in his opinion, li ruo shui and lu zhi yao were a very good match. both of them were equally gentle and non-temperamental, and neither of them was bad at expressing themselves, so they shouldn¡¯t have any misunderstanding. ¡°if there¡¯s any issue, it¡¯s probably jealousy.¡± li ruo shui sighed. when she spoke, she was not embarrassed but sounded disappointed. although she didn¡¯t know when he realized she liked him, it was surprising that his first reaction after misunderstanding that she didn¡¯t like him last night was to breathe a sigh of relief. this sigh he let out wasn¡¯t a strong attack, but it was a strong blow to her core. if it wasn¡¯t for the tense atmosphere at that time, li ruo shui would have grabbed his lapel and yelled, ¡°why?! if you think it¡¯s a burden, why are you acting like you¡¯re jealous!?¡± the premise of the strategy was to not let him disdain her proximity, and if her feelings would turn into a burden for him, then there was a high probability that the strategy was going to fail. perhaps it is true that normal people do not understand the heart of a psycho. looking at li ruo shui¡¯s despondent appearance, lu fei yue and jiang nian didn¡¯t know how to comfort her. ¡°tomorrow. tomorrow, i¡¯ll go look for him, and when i find him, we¡¯ll go together.¡± li ruo shui sighed and patted them on the shoulder, ¡°leave it to me, i also want things here to end quickly.¡± lu fei yue and jiang nian left somewhat guiltily. meanwhile, zheng yan qing entered in high spirits. the wound on his right arm was treated by li ruo shui. although the bandage was wrapped crookedly and very much out of shape, he looked happy. he asked, ¡°ruo shui, did mr. lu come today?¡± after zheng yan qing¡¯s ¡°act of bravery¡± that night, he suddenly developed a fantasy that he wanted to protect her from lu zhi yao. he often swung a stick around. his confidence was unbelievable when zheng yan qing couldn¡¯t even beat her. ¡°he won¡¯t do anything to me, but you¡¯d better pray you don¡¯t run into him when you go out,¡± li ruo shui remarked. she didn¡¯t know if lu zhi yao would do anything to her, but she knew that if lu zhi yao had a hit list, zheng yan qing would be at the top. li ruo shui had the intention of ending the matters at the zheng residence, so she headed for the medicine room without much verbal exchange with zheng yan qing. after hinting at her ability to cure illnesses last time, she would have to let those rumors resurface again. but this time, she wouldn¡¯t be just misguiding them and would have to say it outright. ¡°young mistress.¡± the round-faced maid in the medicine room was a bit surprised to see her, ¡°are you here this time to get medicine for the second young master again?¡± the medicine room was still filled with both men and women. some were stoking the fire, some were pounding the medicine, and some were transporting the herbs. many of them glanced over when they saw li ruo shui. ¡°no.¡± li ruo shui walked over to the medicine stove again and looked at it, ¡°i¡¯m here this time to tell you in advance that from now on zheng yan qing will drink the medicine once every week, so you don¡¯t need to make today¡¯s.¡± the round-faced maid looked troubled. ¡°do you have the doctor¡¯s letter?¡± of course not. the last one was only finally written by the doctor after she pestered him for a long time. ¡°it¡¯s in my room. i forgot to bring it.¡± li ruo shui glanced at everyone and smiled naturally. ¡°there was a rumor in the mansion earlier that i would cure second young master¡¯s illness. i don¡¯t know where it started, but the rumor was only half true. i don¡¯t know how to cure diseases, but i do have an elixir.¡± li ruo shui deliberately stopped there and waited to be asked. ¡°what elixir?¡± the round-faced maid put down her pestle and looked at li ruo shui curiously. ¡°root salamander pill.¡± li ruo shui put her hands behind her back and began to reminisce about the past. ¡°my ancestor once caught a giant salamander and accidentally discovered that the pills made from its skin could cure numerous poisons, so he made some. luckily, i still have some left after generations of inheritance.¡± the round-faced maid frowned and looked somewhat skeptical. ¡°can a giant salamander be used to cure diseases?¡± ¡°i also find it absurd.¡± li ruo shui nodded approvingly and raised her voice. ¡°but the world is too big, and there¡¯s too much we don¡¯t understand. then, i gave yan qing one as a trial, and he got a lot better. not only did he stop coughing, but not long ago he wrote half a book of ¡®on state policy¡¯ in one breath.¡± the maid who was sorting herbs seemed to remember something and said, ¡°i saw that second young master only coughed occasionally, and yesterday i saw him running all over the yard with a stick in his hand. he was not panting at all and seemed very happy.¡± the boy grinding the herbs nodded. ¡°the day before yesterday, second young master walked outside with a torn book. it was as if he had written that book himself, he looked heartbroken.¡± the suspicion in the round-faced maid¡¯s heart dispelled a bit. she justified herself based on the fact that zheng yan qing had indeed gotten quite a bit better. then, she said, ¡°it¡¯s probably because we really don¡¯t know much about medicine. second young mistress, what does this medicinal pill look like? can you let us see it?¡± they took the bait. li ruo shui thought. but she answered, ¡°it¡¯s yellow and has a pungent odor. there¡¯s not much left, so i won¡¯t show everyone.¡± since her purpose was achieved, li ruo shui walked to the door and suddenly remembered something, so she reminded them, ¡°by the way, zheng yan qing and i will be going out. i don¡¯t know when i¡¯ll send the doctor¡¯s letter over, so you can keep preparing the medicine if you think it¡¯s inappropriate to stop abruptly.¡± the round-faced maid relaxed and gave li ruo shui a grateful smile. ¡°thank you for your understanding, young mistress.¡± ¡°you¡¯re welcome.¡± on the contrary, li ruo shui had to thank this maid for playing along to her scheme so well. since she had cast the bait, all that¡¯s left to do is to wait for the fish to take it. li ruo shui rushed back to the east court and brought zheng yan qing to hide behind the bed while waiting for the proverbial fish to take the bait.