Die Tage, in denen man einen Bösewicht heiratet

Kapitel 5

"So, the young lady just wanted to ask me about Gongsun Yun's beauty?" Isn't that going off-topic?

She raised her eyebrows, looked at him, and said with a profound tone, "Otherwise, what should I ask you?"

He looked away and answered in a low voice:

"When I left the Central Plains ten years ago, Gongsun Yun already had the title of 'Young Master.' Yun Family Manor had Gongyu in literature and Mr. Fu in martial arts, who jointly managed Yun Family Manor. However, Mr. Fu passed away several years ago, and the title of 'Mr. Fu' has been vacant for a long time. Gongsun Yun is proficient in both literature and martial arts, and everyone regards him as the only master of Yun Family Manor. He can be said to be the most successful person of this generation."

She gave a half-smile. "It seems you're worlds apart from him. Ten years ago, you were at least a young hero, but now you're just a slave whom anyone can trample on."

"The girl is right." He wasn't annoyed.

"Famous figures are always deified. This shows that the Central Plains martial arts world has not produced any good talents in the past twenty years, which is why Gongsun Yun has emerged. It is not hard to imagine that if the Central Plains cannot produce any more talents, forty years from now, Gongsun Yun will be described as a person who has ascended to immortality." She found this possibility amusing.

Even knowing she was exaggerating, He Zai went along with her and said:

"That's certainly possible. Of the young heroes of that era, seven or eight out of ten either ended up like me, or were prodigies in their youth but never improved as they grew up. Girl, although you're alright now, it's best not to overexert yourself. Let me carry you back to bed."

She pursed her lips and remained silent for a long time until the sound of a wooden clapper rang out in the distance, at which point she finally hummed in agreement.

He Zai carefully picked her up and carried her back to bed.

She closed her eyes and let He Zai cover her with a thin blanket.

"Miss." The voice was low, almost whispering in her ear.

"Um?"

"The body in the coffin is not that of the old Zhuang family head."

She still didn't open her eyes.

He added, "Someone switched the old manor lord's body; his face was disguised."

"Is that so?"

"Can you guess what happened, young lady?"

"If I could guess the whole thing without any clues, I would have ascended to immortality even before Gongsun Yun," she said.

He Zai remained silent, not asking any more questions. He turned the stool to the side of the bed, sat there, and closed his eyes to rest.

Just when he thought she had fallen asleep, he heard her say:

"Well, I'm not trying to think about you for you, but look at me. I'm only a few years old, and I already have a lot of gray hair. People don't have the wisdom to think things through, but they insist on overthinking things, and that's how they end up like me. You should pity me. I want to have a full head of black hair for a few more years."

"...It was my fault for making the girl worry and exert herself."

"Perfect timing. Someone has poisoned me. I need to rest for a few days. You can find out what really happened at Tianhe Manor."

For some reason, he always felt that the word "just right" carried a strange and profound meaning.

He responded with a soft voice:

"We'll talk about these things tomorrow. You should get some rest, young lady." The two had been together for ten years, almost inseparable. In the first few years, they hadn't noticed it, but in the last two years, they had increasingly realized that there was indeed a difference in strength between men and women. Although she received immediate treatment after being poisoned, she was still physically exhausted and needed more rest.

She chuckled. "He Zai, do you know why I always say I'm lucky to have survived this long?"

"..." No, she wasn't just lucky, she was...

She could see right through his thoughts without even opening her eyes, and a slight smile played on her lips.

"I was lucky, but my luck was based on my beliefs and habits. The more delicious something is, the more problematic it is, and I shouldn't touch it; the more beautiful something is, the more likely it is to be poisoned, and I shouldn't touch it; the more intoxicating the taste, the more I should avoid it to avoid falling into a trap; the closer the person is, the more I should keep my distance, otherwise I'm likely to die a violent death. I've always followed these beliefs, which is why I'm still alive, but I never thought I'd still fall for it..."

JJWXC JJWXC JJWXC

"They slept in the same room!" He Ronghua said angrily, his fists clenched tightly. The night was cool as water, but his anger was soaring.

Gongsun Yun leaned against a pillar, her clear eyes half-lowered, and did not respond.

"I didn't expect this... I thought... but we're not husband and wife... Xianyun, what do you think of her...?"

"Which 'he'?" Was it him? Or her? Gongsun Yun's voice sounded particularly cold in the moonless night.

During the day, Tianhe Manor was in mourning, with people from all walks of life coming and going. But as night fell, it became exceptionally desolate, so desolate that it was chilling. This chill was somewhat similar to Gongsun Yun's temperament, always keeping people at arm's length.

He Ronghua swallowed her anger and gritted her teeth:

"Of course it's Wang Yun. A young woman, with no status or position, sharing a room with a grown man—doesn't she have any shame?"

"It's common to see people from all walks of life living together without any regard for formalities, so Ronghua doesn't need to take it too seriously." Gongsun Yun kept her eyes down, her mind elsewhere.

"You mean, these two didn't... didn't..."

"Probably not." The voice turned cold again.

"It's best to avoid suspicion in this kind of thing," He Ronghua said in a low voice. "I thought only one would come, but I didn't expect two... Who poisoned them? Only Wang Yun was poisoned, but there were five or six cups at the time. Who would have thought she would get the poisoned one? And if someone was going to be poisoned, it wouldn't be an unknown servant like Tiannu!"

Gongsun Yun did not answer him.

"Have you guessed it yet, Xianyun? He Ronghua relies on him very much."

Gongsun Yun broke off a thin twig, seemingly playing with it. He asked:

"Fifth brother, will Miss Wang suffer any aftereffects from the poison?"

Gongsun Zhi said, "This poison is very potent, but it can be cured quickly. The person who poisoned her must have known that I specialize in pharmacology and could save Miss Wang in time. Miss Wang has a good constitution; at most, she will need to rest for a few more days and will not suffer any aftereffects."

Gongsun Yun exerted a slight force with both hands, and the twig snapped instantly. "Ronghua, the answer is clear."

He Ronghua looked bewildered. Finally, he said, "I only know that it is neither Xianyun nor me."

"Young Master, what is the meaning of 'Leisurely Clouds'?" Gongsun Zhi reminded him.

He Ronghua was stunned, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"You mean... impossible! Even if he did poison her, it would probably be a conspiracy between the two of them..."

Gongsun Yun's clear, cold voice was like jade striking stone; he spoke without any mercy:

Believe it or not. The closer someone is to you, the easier it is to take advantage of them. She's keeping a tiger at home, and that tiger could turn on her at any time.

"Xianyun, should we give Miss Wang a hint?" Gongsun Zhi asked.

"We'll know who poisoned her once she wakes up; we don't need to get involved." Gongsun Yun released his grip, and the broken twig fell to the muddy ground. He lowered his gaze to the mud for a moment, then looked up with a completely natural expression.

"Ronghua, you need to be prepared. The snake mark on Tiannu's face is a special tattoo. Fifth Brother has studied it and knows it can't be removed. If you keep this person, the pressure Tianhe Manor will face in the future will be indescribable."

"I know," He Ronghua said, unusually composed. "Even if Tianhe Manor is forced back into its original form and forced to leave the martial world, I will absolutely keep He Zai here. It's just that Wang Yun is a bit of a problem. What if she stops He Zai, or goes back to the Huangfu family for help... Xianyun, what do you think? Shouldn't we strike first...?" Noticing that Gongsun Yun was staring coldly at him, he stammered, "Otherwise, what do you think?"

"If you want He Zai to stay, then don't touch her," Gongsun Yun said, stopping there.

He glanced at the guest room where Wang Yun and He Zai were staying that night, a complex emotion flickering across his handsome eyes.

Chapter 2

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Even the best of us can make mistakes. She shouldn't have lingered in the morning breeze and taken a nap in a place like this.

"Xianyun, it's my father's birthday next month, will you come?"

"It is Senior Deng's 60th birthday, and I, Xianyun, will certainly go to offer my congratulations. Even if it is inconvenient for me to go, the Yun Family Manor will send other young masters, so please rest assured, Miss Haitang."

The voice was overly polite, yet it sounded rather heartless. Wang Yun was originally leaning against the corridor railing, enjoying the breeze, with the old trees providing some cover for her, but they couldn't block out the conversation from the newcomers.

Haitang, Haitang… She remembered. When He Ronghua came to find He Zai that morning, she deliberately said in front of her that the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world was in Tianhe Manor, whose real name was Deng Haitang and whose title was Fairy Haitang.

At that moment, she paused for a moment because of this celestial title, but He Ronghua took it as her having self-awareness... She touched her face. Although such glamorous makeup could not reveal her true appearance, she thought that she was still charming and alluring. He Ronghua looked down on her like this. Could it be that the number one beauty in the martial arts world was really like a fairy?

The woman's vanity made her peek out slightly. In the courtyard, there was a man and a woman. Although the man's back was turned, her familiar moon-white brocade robe made it easy for her to recognize him as a celestial being from beyond the Nine Heavens. This celestial being, though only of superior appearance, possessed an elegant figure and an innate, otherworldly charm; even from behind, she was pleasing to the eye.

As for the woman… Wang Yun blinked. She was indeed an exceptionally beautiful woman she had never seen before, but… she thought, she hadn’t yet reached the standard of a fairy.

As expected, rumors in the martial arts world are often exaggerated. After the celestial being from beyond the Nine Heavens completely shattered her illusions, even the Fairy of Begonia made her feel a little like she wanted to shed tears.

Isn't it fun to mythologize her like this? If she were ten years younger, she would definitely have suffered a severe emotional blow and become a self-destructive monster.

She silently leaned against the pillar and closed her eyes to rest. In that one glance, she sensed the distant atmosphere between the two of them. From afar, they looked like overlapping mountains, but upon closer inspection, she realized that the distance between them was infinite.

And the one who drew this line between them was a celestial being from beyond the Nine Heavens.

"Xianyun...you're twenty-six this year...don't you...want to..."

"Miss Deng," the voice remained polite. "It's not that I don't want to get married, but I've seen many girls in the Central Plains, and none of them are the one I want."

In other words, even the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world couldn't win his heart. That was clear enough, so clear that Wang Yun could vaguely sense the impatience hidden beneath the politeness.

"Even me... even me..."

"A beauty should be paired with a hero." This time, he went even further and said, "This hero is no ordinary person."

"Xianyun, you said there isn't a single girl in the Central Plains who's to your liking. Is that rumor true? Do you really like Che Yanyan from the Baiming Cult? You're usually so stingy with your smiles, yet you smiled at Che Yanyan..."

Wang Yun almost tumbled off the railing.

A celestial being from beyond the Nine Heavens and that woman who's fond of men, Che Yanyan? What a perfect match! What a perfect match!

Wang Yun didn't bother listening to what was to come; she was only thinking about how to escape. She was able to save her life entirely because of her extreme caution, and the most important thing in being cautious was not to eavesdrop.

By not eavesdropping, she naturally avoids getting involved with others and stays out of this mess. Where can she go now? Fly to a treetop and jump out of the yard?

She simply closed her eyes and shut her ears, ignoring everything. Gradually, although there were still voices, she didn't bother to listen anymore. Her eyes closed gently, unable to hide her exhaustion, and she quietly drifted off to sleep.

As a child, she feared that one day the cult leader would poison her to death, so she took small doses of poison every day. But she couldn't bear the pain and gave up trying to adapt to the poison.

She made a fatal oversight, a mistake she brought upon herself. She lazily assumed that with He Zai by her side, no poison could reach her, little did she know that the one who poisoned her was the person closest to her…

She didn't know when the conversation stopped, as if everyone had left. She should have breathed a sigh of relief, but an inexplicable sense of alertness made her suddenly open her eyes.

She has someone by her side!

"Miss Wang, you're awake." The voice was calm and polite.

Fortunately, she had cultivated the ability to remain calm even when Mount Tai collapsed in front of her. Her expression remained unchanged. She simply took a deep breath and looked at Gongsun Yun, who was leaning against the railing, his expression mostly hidden by the shadows of the trees.

"...So it's Young Master Xianyun." she said softly.

His demeanor was as bright as the moon and gentle breeze, his temperament far surpassing his appearance. His eyes were exceptionally well-shaped, but his pupils were dull and lacked any mystery. Such a person was merely a decent, average male beauty. Where did his boundless charm come from to bewitch everyone? What exactly did the Fairy of Begonias and Che Yanyan see in him?

Was it his talent in both literature and martial arts that attracted them? Or was it his status?

Feigning ignorance, she deliberately yawned and asked sleepily, "Did I just fall asleep?"

"I slept for a while, probably from the time I rejected Miss Deng."

This man's skills are truly remarkable; he could even hear the slightest change in her breathing. She looked at him for a moment, then slowly said, "Young Master Xianyun, I didn't mean to eavesdrop just now." It was better to make things clear, lest he hold a grudge.

He glanced at her, gave a barely audible hum, and said dismissively: