Bai Yuxiao still had something to say, but Qin Xiaoyou slammed the door shut without any mercy. Bai Yuxiao stood at the door for a moment, hesitated, and then turned and walked into Bai Qianqian's room.
Chapter 59, Affection Awakens
"Useless! You can't even handle this simple task!" Bai Qianqian's almond-shaped eyes widened as she angrily rebuked the man in black kneeling before her.
"Returning Envoy, Bai Yuxiao's strength has truly exceeded our expectations." The man in black's voice trembled slightly. It was unclear whether it was because he was afraid of the punishment that would follow his failed mission, or because he was still shaken by the memory of Bai Yuxiao's skills.
"An excuse!" Bai Qianqian refused to believe the man in black. "Since the sect leader said it was foolproof, then it truly is foolproof. You yourselves failed and you still have the nerve to make excuses. We don't keep useless trash in our sect. You yourself..."
"Qianqian, are you asleep?" Bai Yuxiao's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, interrupting Bai Qianqian's words.
Bai Qianqian was surprised, not understanding why Bai Yuxiao had suddenly come to find her. However, despite her surprise, she immediately put on a sweet smile and said in a low voice, "I'll spare your dog's life this time. Now get out of here." She then tidied her hair and went to open the door.
"Cousin, did you come to see me for something?" Bai Qianqian opened the door a crack and asked Bai Yuxiao with a smile.
Bai Yuxiao replied with a faint smile, "What, Qianqian won't even invite me into the room for a seat?"
"Haven't you had enough of sitting in Miss Qin's room? Why are you here?" Bai Qianqian pouted, looking displeased.
Bai Yuxiao glanced at her amusedly. "Since Qianqian is so unwelcoming to me, then I'll be leaving." With that, he turned and left. Bai Qianqian was left dumbfounded, not understanding what Bai Yuxiao was up to.
Had he noticed something? With this question in mind, Bai Qianqian tossed and turned in bed all night, unable to sleep. But she wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep that night, because when she went downstairs for dinner the next day, Qin Xiaoyou had dark circles under her eyes and was yawning, clearly showing signs of sleep deprivation. Only Bai Yuxiao looked energetic.
The three women ate breakfast with different thoughts in their minds. Bai Qianqian had already suspected that Bai Yuxiao had figured something out, and what was strangest this morning was that no matter how attentive she was to Bai Yuxiao, Qin Xiaoyou showed no reaction whatsoever, completely ignoring her. This was highly unusual. Could it be that Qin Xiaoyou already knew her identity and purpose, and therefore no longer cared? Bai Qianqian was restless throughout the meal, only managing a couple of sips of porridge before making an excuse that she wasn't feeling well and went upstairs.
After watching Bai Qianqian leave, Bai Yuxiao finally spoke to Qin Xiaoyou, "Xiaoyou, are you alright?"
"Huh? What?" Qin Xiaoyou seemed to be lost in thought.
Bai Yuxiao was quite surprised to see that Qin Xiaoyou didn't show any displeasure today. At first, she thought that Qin Xiaoyou had figured something out about yesterday's events, but it turned out that she was just sitting there lost in thought early in the morning and hadn't noticed her and Bai Qianqian. Bai Yuxiao smiled helplessly: "What are you thinking about? You've practically poked Baozi into crumbs."
Qin Xiaoyou glanced down, then guiltily pushed the plate in front of her towards Bai Qianqian, quickly picking up a small dish of side dishes and placing it in front of herself, pretending the steamed bun incident had nothing to do with her. Only after doing all this did Qin Xiaoyou belatedly realize that someone was missing from the table. Biting her chopsticks, she asked Bai Yuxiao with a puzzled expression, "Where's your cousin?"
“Qianqian said she wasn’t feeling well and went upstairs,” Bai Yuxiao replied.
"Oh." Qin Xiaoyou nodded to indicate that she understood, and then stopped talking and quietly began to eat her meal.
For the next few days, the atmosphere among the three remained strangely tense. The source of this strangeness was Qin Xiaoyou. For some reason, ever since Bai Yuxiao was injured saving her, Qin Xiaoyou no longer found Bai Qianqian disagreeable. And no matter how intimate Bai Qianqian and Bai Yuxiao acted in front of her, she showed absolutely no reaction. Not only was she not angry, but she would occasionally watch them with a detached, almost theatrical, expression. The two were putting on a great show, but the audience was completely uncooperative. Even the most skilled actor would begin to doubt their own abilities in such a situation.
Bai Qianqian, seeing Qin Xiaoyou's unusual reaction, kept reflecting on whether her acting wasn't convincing enough, and thus put on an even more enthusiastic performance. However, things in this world are never good in excess or deficiency. Qin Xiaoyou, having observed the two for several days, felt increasingly uneasy. Previously, she had been blinded by anger, but now, with a calmer perspective, she could see things more clearly. Bai Yuxiao's various acts of kindness towards Bai Qianqian were obviously deliberate. Having known Bai Yuxiao for so long, she knew he always had an icy demeanor towards strangers; his forced warmth now looked undeniably ridiculous and awkward.
Now that she understood Bai Yuxiao's actions were intentional, Qin Xiaoyou's gloom and frustration of the past few days vanished. As for why Bai Yuxiao did this, Qin Xiaoyou didn't presume to think it was Bai Yuxiao trying to make her jealous; she felt Bai Yuxiao wouldn't do something so childish at a time like this. So, on another night when Bai Qianqian returned to her room feeling down and had no mood to be affectionate with Bai Yuxiao, Qin Xiaoyou sneaked into Bai Yuxiao's room like a thief.
Young Master Bai had just taken a bath, wearing only his undergarments, his hair still dripping wet. He was taken aback when Qin Xiaoyou suddenly appeared in his room. Qin Xiaoyou, however, generously looked him up and down before exclaiming, "Nice physique!"
Bai Yuxiao chuckled, casually grabbed a dry towel to wipe her hair, and asked, "What? You can tell I have a good figure even through my clothes?"
Qin Xiaoyou smiled mischievously: "Or you can take it off and show it to me?"
Bai Yuxiao was surprised. Was this girl teasing him? A mischievous thought crossed his mind, and he said, "Didn't you get enough of looking at me at the Spring Breeze Pavilion?"
When Bai Yuxiao brought up the matter, Qin Xiaoyou blushed, remembering how she had embarrassingly mistaken him for a gigolo and all the idiotic things she had done afterward. She quickly changed the subject and said with a serious expression, "I came to see you tonight because I have something to discuss."
"What is it?" Bai Yuxiao, having dried her hair, began to put on her clothes.
"This," Qin Xiaoyou thought for a moment, then stepped forward and whispered in Bai Yuxiao's ear, "Is there something wrong with your cousin?"
The hot breath tickled Bai Yuxiao's ears, causing him to awkwardly shift his body slightly. Turning back, he saw Qin Xiaoyou looking at him with displeasure, clearly thinking he was disgusted by her. He quickly pulled her in front of him and explained, "It tickles."
Qin Xiaoyou didn't speak, but the slight upturn of her lips showed that she was in a good mood. Bai Yuxiao's slightly coquettish use of the word "itch" hit her sweet spot. Seeing that she wasn't angry anymore, Bai Yuxiao began to talk about Bai Qianqian.
It turns out that Bai Yuxiao does have a female cousin, but a male cousin. Bai Yuxiao's aunt always wanted a daughter, but unexpectedly gave birth to a son. After being heartbroken for a while, seeing how beautiful her son was, she found some little girls' clothes for him to wear and raised him as a daughter. Although the male cousin protested countless times, he couldn't resist his mother's tearful offensive and reluctantly agreed to wear girls' clothes at home.
"However, it's reasonable to say that everyone who serves them in their family knows that their cousin is a man. But when Bai Qianqian appeared under the identity of her cousin, she even said that she was mischievous and liked to wear men's clothing when she was traveling around the martial arts world, just to make me believe her," Bai Yuxiao added.
"That is indeed very suspicious. Do you think it's possible that Bai Qianqian's people have recently infiltrated your cousin's house, but that person doesn't know the real situation and only sees your cousin dressed as a woman at home and as a man when he goes out, so he thinks he likes to dress as a man, which is why Bai Qianqian said that?" Qin Xiaoyou asked.
Bai Yuxiao gave her an approving look. "That's what I was guessing too."
"So you decided to play along and see what her true intentions were?"
"Mm." Bai Yuxiao nodded.
"So you deliberately acted very intimate with her?" Qin Xiaoyou pressed on.
"You're half right." Bai Yuxiao's answer piqued Qin Xiaoyou's curiosity. "What's the other half of the reason?"
"I just want to see what I mean to someone?"
"Huh?" Qin Xiaoyou was stunned for a moment. After processing the words in her mind, she realized what Bai Yuxiao was talking about. Qin Xiaoyou felt a little annoyed, a little sweet, and a little confused. She was annoyed that Bai Yuxiao was so awful, deliberately making her jealous and embarrassed. Her ostrich-like mentality made Qin Xiaoyou unwilling to continue dwelling on this issue, so she changed the subject and asked, "Why did you save me that day? And, and you even got injured saving me. It was really dangerous, you know?"
Bai Yuxiao looked at her with deep affection in his eyes, "Because that person is you!"
Chapter 60, Jade Mountain Villa
"Because it was you!" Hearing this, Qin Xiaoyou blushed furiously, her heart pounding like a drum. Then, like a coward, she ran away. Back in her room, lying on the bed, rubbing her still-burning face, Qin Xiaoyou thought: Was he just confessing? At this moment, Qin Xiaoyou's heart was completely filled with Bai Yuxiao's affectionate face; any speculation about him approaching her for the "Blood Evil Manual" had long been forgotten. Now, with her heart overflowing with pink bubbles, Qin Xiaoyou thought that even if Bai Yuxiao directly asked her for the "Blood Evil Manual," she would probably immediately and eagerly hand it over.
After understanding Bai Qianqian's true identity, Qin Xiaoyou's inexplicable dislike for her disappeared, but she still couldn't stand the sight of Bai Qianqian. Although she repeatedly told herself to be polite and not let Bai Qianqian realize that they already knew her false identity, every time Bai Qianqian called Bai Yuxiao "cousin" with a sweet smile, she had a strong urge to slap her away. Yes, that's right, Qin Xiaoyou had reverted to her jealous state. She hadn't been jealous a few days ago because she was busy observing Bai Yuxiao and Bai Qianqian and didn't have the mind for jealousy. Now that she knew Bai Yuxiao was just putting on an act, she was still unhappy. Thus, the atmosphere among the three returned to its initial tension. However, this atmosphere made Bai Qianqian secretly breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed her acting skills were fine; Qin Xiaoyou must have lost her mind those few days.
Thus, amidst a host of disdainful looks, unreasonable demands, sarcastic remarks, and sarcasm, the three arrived at Yucheng Manor. Wenren Qi, Zui Linglong, and the others had arrived a day earlier than Qin Xiaoyou and her group, and upon hearing that Qin Xiaoyou had arrived at the manor, they hurriedly came out to greet her.
Upon seeing familiar faces, Qin Xiaoyou felt a special warmth. Leaving Bai Yuxiao and Bai Qianqian behind, she cheerfully walked towards Wenren Qi, affectionately calling out, "Brother Wenren!" Wenren Qi smiled, patted her head, and briefly inquired if she had encountered any trouble on the way. Looking up, he saw Bai Yuxiao's strange expression. Wenren Qi pondered for a moment, then glanced at Zui Linglong, who blinked, giving him a knowing look. To avoid being burned by Bai Yuxiao's burning gaze, Wenren Qi quickly pulled Qin Xiaoyou to Zui Linglong's side.
Qin Xiaoyou looked at Zui Linglong, exchanged a few casual words, and then suddenly remembered the sachet given to her by Wenren Qi and Luan Shanhun's mother, as well as the origin of Luan Shanhun's name. She hurriedly and mysteriously pulled Zui Linglong aside, saying that she had something important to tell her alone, and then left. Wenren Qi was left standing there, looking at Bai Yuxiao, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Bai Yuxiao, who had initially felt a pang of jealousy, gradually calmed down. He finally understood that Qin Xiaoyou truly only regarded Wenren Qi as her older brother. Moreover, seeing Wenren Qi and Zui Linglong exchanging glances just now, it seemed there was something going on between them. Once he figured this out, the last bit of hostility Bai Yuxiao had for Wenren Qi disappeared.
On the other side, Zui Linglong looked at Qin Xiaoyou, who had pulled her into the room and then mysteriously closed all the doors and windows, and asked with some confusion, "Xiaoyou, what are you doing?"
Instead of answering, Qin Xiaoyou recited a poem to her, swaying her head: "Yesterday the mountains were shrouded in mist, and when I came, my clothes were covered in clouds."
Zui Linglong was even more puzzled: "Xiao You, why are you reading this to me in such a proper way?"
Qin Xiaoyou looked at Zui Linglong expectantly and asked, "Doesn't this line sound familiar?"
Zui Linglong said helplessly, "I didn't major in Chinese literature in college, why are you asking me these things?"
"Oh dear, this is very important! Doesn't it sound familiar to you?" Qin Xiaoyou stamped her foot anxiously.
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou's expression, Zui Linglong put away her joking thoughts and lowered her head to think seriously. After a while, she looked up at Qin Xiaoyou and said earnestly, "Never heard of it."
Qin Xiaoyou scratched her head in frustration. "Never mind, it's okay if I haven't heard it before. I can't remember who wrote it either. But I have heard this line mentioned by someone in this world."
"What's so strange about that? It's just a line of poetry. It's not surprising that someone knows it. Oh wait, you mean someone in this world knows the words from our world?" Zui Linglong suddenly became excited.
Qin Xiaoyou nodded solemnly and looked at Zui Linglong, saying, "Was it because you casually recited that line while managing the brothel to attract customers, and someone overheard it?"
"Tch, this isn't a time-travel novel. You think you can become a talented woman just by reciting a couple of poems after traveling back to ancient times? Attracting customers relies on brains, not these poems." Zui Linglong looked at Qin Xiaoyou with disdain.
Qin Xiaoyou touched her chin, "That's strange, let me tell you..."
After listening to Qin Xiaoyou's rapid-fire explanation of her acquaintance with Luanshanhun and the similarities between the two sachets, Zui Linglong had a big question mark in her mind. There was indeed something wrong. What exactly was going on?
The two sat at the table, heads propped up by their hands, staring at each other, racking their brains for an answer. Suddenly, Zui Linglong spoke up: "I remember!"
Qin Xiaoyou asked excitedly, "What did you remember?"
“It seems we should go out for dinner. I heard that the mysterious owner of Yucheng Manor is hosting a banquet tonight,” Zui Linglong said.
"What a waste of your expression. I thought you had thought of something." After hearing Zui Linglong's words, Qin Xiaoyou sat back down on the stool listlessly.
"Xiao You, didn't you feel anything was wrong when you arrived at the manor today?" Zui Linglong asked.
"Is something wrong?" Qin Xiaoyou asked, looking confused.
"Haven't you noticed that there's hardly anyone in the village?"
"What's so strange about that? Maybe the manor owner just doesn't like having too many people, or maybe he's stingy and doesn't want to spend money to buy more servants."
"Oh dear," Zui Linglong said, looking at Qin Xiaoyou with a hint of disappointment, "What did Young Master Wenren say when he came to find you before? He said that a large number of martial arts practitioners had gathered at Yucheng Manor and had searched the entire manor."
"So what?" Qin Xiaoyou still looked uninterested.
Zui Linglong gave up on guiding Qin Xiaoyou's thinking and simply told her everything herself, "Before yesterday, there was a large group of martial arts practitioners gathered in this manor, making a noisy and chaotic scene. But then, the manor lord suddenly appeared, and as soon as those martial arts practitioners saw him, they immediately scattered. I heard from Young Master Wenren that the manor lord has been missing for many years. Those people dared to come to the manor and make a scene so brazenly because they knew the manor lord was not there. Even Young Master Wenren doesn't know the manor lord's background. He only knows that Yucheng Manor is very mysterious, and the manor lord is someone that older generations of martial arts practitioners would frown and shake their heads at the mere mention of his name."
"Oh, what do you mean 'even Young Master Wenren doesn't know'? Sister Zui, when did you start thinking Brother Wenren is all-knowing and all-powerful?" After talking for so long, Qin Xiaoyou's focus didn't seem to be on the mysterious manor lord, but instead she started teasing Zui Linglong.
"Xiaoyou, Linglong, it's time to go out for dinner." Wenren Qi's timely words from outside the door made Zui Linglong stop pinching Qin Xiaoyou's face. Rubbing her relieved face, Qin Xiaoyou smiled and opened the door, "I'll go out first to see what good dishes are available tonight. You two take your time." With that, she quickly left. Zui Linglong was left with a flushed face, feeling extremely uncomfortable in front of Wenren Qi.
Chapter 61, The Mysterious Manor Lord
"Wow, this manor owner is so stingy! There are so many of us, and there's only one dish on the table? What does that mean? It's true the dish is huge, but to serve guests like this is just... well, a bit too much." Upon entering the dining room, the first thing that caught everyone's eye was a huge dish that almost took up the entire space on the round table. Qin Xiaoyou pouted and muttered to Wenren Qi standing next to her.
"Xiao You, don't talk nonsense!" Wenren Qi said sternly.
Qin Xiaoyou stuck out her tongue nonchalantly, but inwardly she was thinking: What's so great about that? Does being stingy mean I can't even be criticized?
"Hehe, it seems a young man isn't entirely satisfied with the banquet I've prepared tonight?" With this booming voice, a round old man with a full head of white hair and a long white beard stepped forward. The servants beside him bowed their heads respectfully upon seeing the newcomer, saying, "Master."
The old man nodded. "You may all leave." "Yes." The voices were in unison again, and in the blink of an eye, only Wenren Qi, Zui Linglong, Bai Yuxiao, Qin Xiaoyou, Bai Qianqian and others remained in the dining room.
The old man smiled and looked at Qin Xiaoyou: "Little girl, you seem quite dissatisfied with me?"
"No!" Wenren Qi and Bai Yuxiao spoke at the same time, exchanging an awkward glance. Bai Yuxiao continued, "Xiao You just likes to joke around, Master, please don't take it to heart."
"Young man from the Bai family, I wasn't asking you, why are you so eager to answer?" The old man was a little unhappy.
Qin Xiaoyou was also unhappy when she heard him say that about Bai Yuxiao. She immediately stepped forward and stood up, saying, "That's right, I'm not satisfied with you. How can you treat a guest like this? You just serve him a dish."
"Oh, it sounds like you're really disgusted with this dish of mine?" The old man deliberately widened his eyes, trying to make a feigned angry expression, but unfortunately his round face was so cheerful that it had no intimidating power at all, which contrasted well with his voice.
Qin Xiaoyou couldn't help but burst out laughing when she saw the old man's expression. She waved her hand at him as she laughed and said, "Alright, alright, you look kind, so don't put on such a fierce face. It looks really funny."
As soon as Qin Xiaoyou finished speaking, Wenren Qi and Bai Yuxiao both broke out in a cold sweat. One of them quickly pulled Qin Xiaoyou behind him, while the other stepped forward to apologize to the manor lord on her behalf. However, the old man showed no sign of anger at Qin Xiaoyou's words. Instead, he stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Interesting, very interesting. You're the first person to call me kind. Little girl, do you know who I am?"
Qin Xiaoyou shifted her body and poked her head out, saying, "Of course I know, you're the stingy owner of Yucheng Manor."
Upon hearing this, the old man gave Bai Yuxiao a strange look. "Young man of the Bai family, you haven't told her who I am?"
Bai Yuxiao smiled wryly: "I only found out today that you are the owner of Yucheng Manor."
The old man blew on his beard unhappily: "You really don't care about me!"
Undeterred, Qin Xiaoyou retorted, "Why would he care about you? If he's going to care, it'll be about me!" As soon as she finished speaking, all eyes in the hall turned to her. Reconsidering her words, and realizing her mistake, Qin Xiaoyou quickly added, "Because we're good friends!"
"Hahaha," the old man laughed a few times, no longer dwelling on the matter, and invited everyone to relax and sit down. With a wave of his hand, Qin Xiaoyou saw her sleeve move slightly, and the large, overturned bowl on the table flipped over. A fragrant aroma wafted over, and Qin Xiaoyou took a few deep breaths, asking, "What dish is this? It smells so good!"