After a long pause, he lowered his head and said, "I was blind and deserve to die."
Jin was satisfied: "There are some things it's better not to know..."
"Understood."
"Go down."
Hua Yunfeng agreed and turned to leave, but suddenly felt something was wrong. After realizing what was happening, he was very upset. This is my garden, okay? How dare they kick me out?
.
"What are you doing running around like that!" After Hua Yunfeng disappeared, Jin Huanlai was furious and pushed the person off him. "How many times have I told you? You're not allowed to leave the valley without Master's permission. You... this kid is no good. You even dared to let him hold your hand?"
After scolding her for a while, Jin suddenly noticed her blank expression and shut up helplessly. He was annoyed. The little girl thought all men were the same. Hua Yunfeng was always attracting women, but she treated him like a good person and didn't even know he was being taken advantage of. If he hadn't run into her today, who knows what might have happened in the future.
She can climb into a man's bed at will, hug a man at will, and smile at a man at will... Jin Hailai became more and more angry and bitter as she thought about it. How can I make her understand that men are dangerous things?
"Besides holding your hand, what else did that kid do to you?"
Qiu Lingling finally understood what he meant and shook her head.
If he really did something, I'll make sure he's dead. Jin breathed a sigh of relief, pondered for a long time, and then put on a stern face and forced a smile, instructing: "Listen, men and women should not touch each other. From now on, you are not allowed to let men hold your hand, nor are you allowed to let men touch you, and you are not allowed to sleep with men... cough cough! Men are all bad, stay away from them, understand?"
Qiu Lingling asked, puzzled, "You're a man too, aren't you?"
He couldn't very well leave the men's group, nor could he admit that the dignified leader was no good. Realizing the actual difficulty of the problem, Jin stared for a long time before finally managing to stammer, "I... of course I'm a man, I'm better than them."
Qiu Lingling suddenly realized: "That makes sense."
Suppressing the guilt of lying, Jin said, "Only good men can touch you in the future, remember that."
Qiu Lingling hugged him and giggled, "I know, you're my husband, I only let you touch me."
"Let me touch it?" Jin replied irritably. "I fucking can't touch it!"
"I am not your husband!"
"You just called me your wife!"
"I was helping you chase away a womanizer," Jin said, not wanting to continue the conversation, so he changed the subject: "How many people in the cult do you know?"
Qiu Lingling said, "There are many."
Did they ask you about Jinyuan?
"No."
That's more like it. Inquiring about the cult leader without permission is a capital offense. Jin is still satisfied. Now let's appreciate the glorious image of this cult leader: "Have they talked about me behind my back?"
"I said so."
"say what?"
"They said, nobody knows what you look like."
Jin is quite pleased with himself; not bad, he has a lot of mystery.
Qiu Lingling asked curiously, "Why did you disguise yourself to meet them?"
“I don’t like it when people see me clearly,” Jin said, crossing his arms and looking up at the sky. “What else did they say about me?”
"They also said that you might be a woman."
The expression on Jun's face froze for a moment. After a long while, his gaze slowly began to fall downwards. Jin Huanlai remained silent for a long time before gradually revealing a smile: "Who said that?"
“That’s what everyone says,” Qiu Lingling blinked. “You always dress up as a man, but never as a woman, so they say you might actually be a woman. The Wealth Protector said that’s called…” After thinking for a moment, she nodded in affirmation: “It’s called trying to cover up something.”
Trying to cover it up only makes things worse? Jin is spitting blood. How come I didn't realize my subordinates were so knowledgeable? These damn bastards are incompetent, but they have a real talent for gossip!
Losing both the beauty and the treasure
Yi Qinghan was not a gentleman, but he certainly did not have a reputation for being a womanizer. In people's eyes, certain things were just a normal way for men to satisfy their physiological needs. The word "womanizer" was only suitable for those playboys who did nothing but pursue pleasure and laughter all day long.
"Young master, Miss Chenyun has arrived."
"Send it back."
He personally requested it, and now it's being sent back without even being seen? Liu Bai was surprised, but he was already used to it. The young master never needed many reasons to do things, so he didn't say anything more, agreed, and left.
The young master called out to him, "Has the bounty poster been put out?"
Liu Bai honestly replied, "I released it, but there was no reaction."
"All guards have been withdrawn tonight."
"yes."
The young master said nothing more and smoothed his sleeve.
There are only two possibilities for why the Thousand Hands Cult members would dare to touch the Yi family's property: they either don't know the cult's rules or they don't know he's a member of the Yi family. In that case, he wouldn't mind giving them a heads-up.
The feeling between my fingers is still there, and those cunning big eyes are really attractive. What a playful kitten! Playing with it occasionally can be a pleasure, but I wonder what it tastes like?
.
As night fell, the garden lights came on, but one spot stood out brightly and attracted attention. Servants and children walked back and forth on the veranda, and a swallow hid in the dense shade of the trees outside the eaves.
"Is this the place?" Seeing that there were no guards at the entrance, she breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her sweat.
Knowing the origin of the Jadeite Azure Dragon Pendant and the rules of the Thousand Hands Sect, Qiu Lingling naturally dared not keep it any longer. So, without telling Jin Huanlai, she sneaked down the mountain at night, intending to return the item without anyone noticing. She originally planned to leave it in the hall, but was afraid that the servants would steal it. After thinking it over, she decided that it would be best to return it directly to Young Master Yi's room.
After thinking for a moment, she carefully avoided the servants and, using the trees as cover, quietly circled around to the back of the roof.
The bedroom was indeed on the west side, and the window on the south wall was wide open.
The bed curtains, desks, chairs and other furnishings are all exquisite. There are calligraphy, paintings and swords hanging on the walls. A sandalwood stand with gold phoenix head on the headboard stands. On the desk is an elegant silver vase. There are also incense burners, stone bonsai, books and pen holders and other items.
The young master held a book in his hand, seemingly engrossed in reading it.
How to send it back? Qiu Lingling had no other choice but to resort to her old tricks. She quietly crept to the window, picked up a stone, and threw it towards the garden gate with her inner strength. It made a whooshing sound, like a night traveler flying by.
The shadow darted out of the window like a ghost, almost in the blink of an eye.
What amazing lightness skill! I must return the item before he comes back. Qiu Lingling dared not hesitate any longer. She quickly jumped in through the window, walked to the table, took out the jade dragon pendant, and was about to put it down.
"From the Thousand Hands Sect?" A clear and steady voice sounded from behind.
Jin always protected her during missions, but this was the first time Qiu Lingling was on her own. She was already nervous and guilty, and she never expected him to come back so quickly. Startled, she instinctively pulled her hand away and turned around, causing the jade pendant to fall to the ground with a "crack" and shatter into several pieces.
The sudden turn of events left her completely stunned.
The young master frowned slightly, but quickly regained his composure.
It was indeed the boy in black from the daytime, but his attire had changed. He now wore a black cloak and a pair of small coral earrings. His hair was simply tied on top of his head with a red ribbon, hanging down and sparkling like a small waterfall. He was clearly a girl dressed like a tomboy. Long bangs covered his eyebrows, and his big eyes were staring at the shards on the ground. He would occasionally glance at him timidly, with a look of fear and panic, like a frightened kitten.
The young master looked at her without saying a word.
Her eyes were clearly gentle and smiling, yet the downturned tip of her nose hinted at a sharp edge. Qiu Lingling involuntarily took two steps back, stammering, "Don't be angry, I didn't mean to... I just... I brought it back to return it to you..."
Realizing that explaining was useless, she lowered her eyes and remained silent. She had already stolen the wrong thing, and now she had broken someone else's treasure, making the situation even worse.
.
After a while, the young master stepped forward and stood opposite him: "You've ruined my jade pendant."
Qiu Lingling said in a low voice, "I didn't mean to. Look, I brought it back to you. Who told you to scare me like that?"
The young master ignored her complaints, sat down on a chair next to him, and said in a flat tone, "If I'm not mistaken, anyone from the Thousand Hands Sect who steals from the Yi family should have one of their hands cut off. I wonder how Sect Leader Jin will deal with this matter?"
"Jin will not," Qiu Lingling pouted and turned her face away.
Seeing that although she looked uneasy, she didn't seem particularly afraid, the young master was initially surprised, but then a smile gradually appeared in his eyes. He said calmly, "Even if Master Jin won't cut off your hand, he will definitely be angry if he finds out about this, won't he?"
Sure enough, Qiu Lingling's face darkened. Thinking of Jin Huanlai's words, "You always cause me trouble," she couldn't help but panic. After a while, she raised her face and pleaded softly, "If you let me go, I will find a way to make it up to you."
The young master glanced at the jade fragments on the ground, leaned forward slightly, and nodded: "Very well, there is no other jade pendant like this in the world. It was originally bought for two million taels of silver and carved by Zhang Zhen, the best jade craftsman in the world. The cost of the carving was four hundred thousand taels of silver, making a total of two million four hundred thousand taels. Considering that your sect has a long history with my Yi family, I will only ask for two million taels from you. How about it?"
Qiu Lingling exclaimed "Ah!" and her face turned pale. It really was a priceless treasure, worth two million. The total value of everything she had stolen in the past two years was less than four hundred thousand!
The young master raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting for her answer.
Qiu Lingling lowered her eyes: "I don't have that much money, but Jin... my senior brother has the money to compensate you."
The young master smiled: "If you break the rules and don't punish them, it will be difficult to convince the masses. I'm sure Leader Jin will be in a difficult position. Besides, with such a big problem, won't your senior brother scold you?"
Qiu Lingling remained silent.
There was no need to confirm who that "senior brother" was anymore. She was an easy-going little kitten with poor kung fu skills, but she held a high position in the Thousand Hands Sect. She confessed so quickly. The young master looked at her with a smile and said, "Actually, you don't have to pay compensation."
Qiu Lingling was stunned for a moment, then tentatively asked, "You... you don't want me to pay for it?"
"Of course not," the young master shook his head. "You're asking me to lose so much silver for nothing, especially since this jade pendant was a gift from my elders. How can I just let it go like this?"
Qiu Lingling sighed, "Then what do you want to do?"
The young master did not answer, but instead asked, "What's your name?"
Qiu Lingling hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully, "My name is Qiu Lingling."
The young master sized her up with great interest, like a wolf eyeing a rabbit, enjoying the prey's terror and panic with nowhere to escape, while considering how to make his move. "Eating the prey elegantly would be more flavorful," he said, bowing slightly. "Or perhaps you could think of a way to avoid losing money. How about we make a deal?"
Qiu Lingling asked, puzzled: "A transaction?"
The young master glanced sideways and said, "Come here, and I'll tell you."
Knowing that this person's martial arts were far superior to hers and that escape was impossible, Qiu Lingling hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved in front of him: "You want to..."
Before she could finish speaking, the young master had already grabbed her left hand with lightning speed and pulled her into his arms.
.
"What are you doing?" someone exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" Her slender, delicate hands were soft and tender, just like during the day. The young master was satisfied and helped her onto his lap, his nose almost touching her face. The girl had a faint, sweet fragrance about her.
Qiu Lingling was frightened and struggled: "Are you going to take me to the government office?"
Upon noticing the little one trembling in his arms, the young master paused, then smiled, tilting his head to look at her: "The thing is already broken. Will it be of any use to take you to the authorities?"
Qiu Lingling felt slightly relieved: "Then you'll let me go?"
"I can let you go, but since you broke something so valuable to me, I should get something in return, shouldn't I?"
"What are the benefits?"