Every word is etched in my heart. I knew Old Man Luo was bad, but I never imagined he could go to such lengths. I knew Madam Luo was bad, but after all, she was just a mother. I knew Luo Ting was bad, but she hadn't done anything truly heinous; she was still just a child!
I reluctantly looked away, but I missed the scheming look that Old Man Luo was giving me.
"Jue, save her!" I heard Luo Ting's desperate cries and didn't want to listen anymore, so I had to ask Jue for help. I knew that the snakes hadn't approached us because of Jue, no, or Xiao Wu and the others had something that kept the snakes away.
Jue glanced at me, saw the longing in my eyes, and said nothing before flying towards Luo Ting.
Xiao Wu and the others wanted to tell their master to let them go, but their master went to rescue Na Luoting.
Jue came to Luo Ting's side, threw some white powder at the snakes, grabbed Luo Ting's clothes and tried to fly back, but heard Xue'er's voice.
"Ah, don't come any closer, don't come any closer!" I was horrified to see the snakes that had surrounded me. I suppressed the urge to vomit and glared at Old Man Luo, who was gloating from above. I never expected that Old Man Luo would be so bold as to push me down.
"No!" I trembled all over, closed my eyes, and tried not to look at those disgusting things to reduce my fear, but the hissing sound kept coming from my ears, which made my fear even deeper, and I froze.
A moment later, I fell into a warm embrace. I smelled a familiar scent, and my whole body went limp.
Jue picked me up and flew back to the original spot. He looked at Luo Laoyou with a sharp gaze that pierced through everything. The deepest part of his pupils seemed to be frozen into a solid block of ice, and his whole being brought a chill to the surroundings.
The sight sent chills down the spines of those behind, their faces turning ashen. Old Man Luo, in particular, suppressed his fear, his eyes fixed on Jue.
"Jue, Jue," I didn't know what to do, I just hugged Jue tightly, hoping to forget the fear I had just felt.
Jue picked me up, his cold and aloof eyes seemingly unfocused, his deep, dark eyes filled with anger. After glancing at Leng Mei, he carried me away.
No one knew what it meant, but Xiao Wu and Leng Tian, who had been by Jue's side for a long time, understood what their master meant by that look. It seemed that Luozhuang had come to an end. If their master didn't take action, it might have survived for a few more years before being destroyed by Gui Yao. But now, it seemed that they wouldn't be able to wait until then.
After Leng Mei sprinkled something down, the snakes hurriedly slithered away. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Leng Mei gratefully, which gave him goosebumps. He had never been looked at with such a thank you look before; the looks he received were always filled with disgust, hatred, and fear.
"Let's go." Xiao Wu looked at Luo Laoyou with a sinister gaze she hadn't shown since meeting Miss Luo, a cold smile playing on her lips. She stuck out her tongue and licked her lips in a circle, like a vengeful ghost from hell, watching her prey with relish.
Next came Old Man Luo's matter. Old Man Luo felt a pang of regret, a chill ran down his spine, and he felt as if he had offended someone he shouldn't have. But then he thought that Jue was just a small-time merchant and that it was nothing serious. However, the unease in his heart just wouldn't disappear; it seemed to grow even more exponentially.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
While I was finally able to settle down after being treated with utmost respect, chaos erupted on the other side. It was said that the lost treasures had fallen from Miss Luo and Madam Luo's person, which greatly alarmed Old Man Luo.
"This...this." Old Man Luo's eyes widened, his hands trembling as he held the luminous pearl that had fallen from Madam Luo's body, his breath caught in his throat.
"Master, this has nothing to do with me, Master." Madam Luo was in the back courtyard and naturally didn't know what had happened in front of her. She had only just stepped down from the platform when the luminous pearl fell out. She picked it up to take a closer look, but was startled by the words "luminous pearl" from the hall and let go of it, which made them realize that she was feeling guilty.
Luo Ting was still reeling from the shock of the snake when she finally came to her senses. She saw her mother trapped among the crowd, desperately pleading with her father. Remembering how her father had abandoned her earlier, she felt a surge of unbearable sorrow. All the grief she had felt earlier came together, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
"Master, Master," Madam Luo anxiously clutched Master Luo's sleeve, hoping he would believe her.
Old Man Luo was utterly exhausted today. So many things had happened, and he thought that getting rid of the snake would be the end of it, but now his wife and daughter had stolen things. He couldn't muster a smile anymore.
Old Man Luo's most important task right now is to appease those people. As for his wife, a little sacrifice wouldn't be too much to ask. Thinking of this, Old Man Luo took Madam Luo's hand and said expressionlessly, "Where did you get these treasures? Tell me the truth."
"Master, Master, I didn't steal it! I don't know what happened to those treasures!" Madam Luo was deeply hurt by her husband's resolute face as he abandoned her. How could he not believe her?
"Tell me, where did those treasures come from?" Old Man Luo's face grew even uglier. He had lost all patience, and Madam Luo had become his punching bag.
"Master, Master, I don't know either. How can I possibly explain this?" Madam Luo's eyes welled up with tears, which streamed down her face like broken beads. She collapsed to the ground, her once dignified face now disheveled and ruined by the tears. The gold hairpin in her hair fell off, and her once noble demeanor now appeared utterly wretched.
When Luo Ting saw her mother fall to the ground, she quickly ran to her mother's side and knelt down in front of Old Man Luo. However, as she knelt down, the Qilin Jade in her pocket fell into the eyes of the crowd.
Everyone was puzzled as to how the luminous pearl ended up in Madam Luo's hands, and some even speculated that someone had framed her. However, when Miss Luo knelt down and the jade fell from her hands, all the speculation vanished. The idea of framing her disappeared from everyone's minds, and they became even more certain that Old Man Luo wanted to line his own pockets.
"No wonder those snakes were following you; it turns out you stole the Qilin Jade from my gang."
"I see," everyone said, casting disdainful glances at Old Man Luo.
Old Man Luo never expected that even his daughter had lost a treasure. Seeing those gazes, he thought to himself, "When have I, the dignified Lord Luo, ever been looked at like that?" He couldn't catch his breath and fainted.
Everyone originally wanted to ask Old Man Luo for an explanation, but now that they saw that their host had fainted, they were too embarrassed to ask for one now, so the butler took them to the backyard to settle them down.
Upon seeing their master faint, Madam Luo and Miss Luo panicked and immediately shouted, "Quick, quick, help Master to his room, quick!"
Luo Ting held Madam Luo tightly as they followed the servants to her parents' room.
Just as I caught my breath and was gently crying while holding Jue's hand, I had no idea that such a wonderful scene was about to unfold.
"Alright, Xue'er, it's alright now." Jue looked at me with gentle eyes, but then seemed to remember something, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.
"Mmm," I just held on tightly to Jue.
"Okay," I said, once I had calmed down, I stepped out of Jue's arms and saw that his chest was wet. A little embarrassed, I said, "Jue, I'm sorry, I got your clothes dirty."
"It's okay," Jue patted my head, amused as he looked at the person who had just been crying so hard but was now so shy, his eyes filled with even more doting affection.
"Um, why don't you go change your clothes?" Seeing Jue looking at me like that, I felt awkward and my face turned red. Even though I had seen that look many times before, I could never resist the tenderness in his eyes, and I was afraid that I would accidentally pounce on him.
"Okay, you can rest now." Seeing that the fear in my eyes hadn't faded, Jue slapped my face and left.
Seeing Jue leave, I immediately called out, "Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu!"
Xiao Wu was already outside when she heard me call out, so she rushed in, looking flustered, and asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong, Miss?"
Seeing Xiaowu's anxious expression, I chuckled and waved my hand, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I just have something to ask you."
Hearing that I was alright, Xiao Wu breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing my teasing, she gave me a shy, glaring look—a look full of allure. Before I could even appreciate it, Xiao Wu's expression returned to its usual coldness. "What is it, Miss?"
I stroked my chin, looking Xiao Wu up and down, and said, "I never expected this, Xiao Wu, when you blush, it really makes me want to pounce on you!"
When I said that, Xiao Wu remembered what I had said when we first met, and her face turned as red as an apple. She called out, "Miss..."
"Okay, okay, I'm not teasing you anymore. By the way, what happened next?" Seeing that Xiao Wu was a little angry, I immediately withdrew my teasing expression and looked at her seriously.
"Ah, next..." Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment.
My eyes were wide open with anticipation as I stared at Xiaowu's mouth, hoping she would utter some exciting news.
"Next, I don't know..." Xiao Wu, having been teased by me so much, also felt like teasing me. Seeing my eager eyes, she laughed inwardly, but feigned innocence. (Author's note: Oh dear, you've corrupted Xiao Wu. Zi Xue said: Yes, indeed, you've surpassed me; Xiao Wu is almost catching up to me. Author said: You've raised another one to wreak havoc on society. Zi Xue said: Go away... The author flies away again.)
I sneered, staring at Xiao Wu in disbelief. I sighed and said, "Xiao Wu, you've gone bad. Sigh, I guess I'm getting old."
Xiao Wu looked at the young lady in front of her who was lost in thought again, speechless. She no longer had the intention to stop her from saying such things. Anyway, she couldn't change her ways no matter what, so why make things difficult for herself?
After being unconscious for a while, Old Man Luo woke up and dismissed the servants, pondering how to resolve the matter.
Madam Luo entered, carrying the medicine. Seeing that Old Master Luo had woken up, she happily went to him and said, "Master, you're awake! You scared me to death!"
"Hmph," Old Man Luo thought of the trouble Madam Luo had caused him, and his face didn't look pleasant.
Madam Luo placed the medicine on the table. Seeing her husband's expression, she felt terrible. Remembering that he had been driven to the brink of unconsciousness by his wife and daughter, she gritted her teeth and said sorrowfully, "Master, you must believe in me and Ting'er! We have no idea how that thing got on us!"
Old Man Luo thought about it and realized that they wouldn't take those things, and they certainly wouldn't embarrass Luo Zhuang in front of everyone. But who wanted to frame him, and who wanted to ruin Luo Zhuang's reputation?
Old Luo couldn't figure it out no matter what he did. He thought bitterly, "Whatever, what I need now is a scapegoat."
His expression softened considerably as he addressed Madam Luo, "Call Ting'er over, I have something to tell you." A wicked smile crept across his lips.
Chapter Seventy
I was happily listening to the news that Xiao Wu had found out from the maid, unaware that I was already being targeted.
"This, sir, how can this be? Wouldn't this mean turning against Young Master Jue? Otherwise, sir, let's explain. I believe everyone will know we are innocent." Madam Luo felt a pang of panic. Putting aside what Miss Zixue thought of Young Master Jue, judging from his anxious appearance just now, it was clear how much he doted on Zixue. However, the Luo family's status in the martial arts world was significant. As long as they explained, everyone would believe them. After all, the Luo family's reputation was not something to be boasted about.
"Shut up, you ignorant woman!" Master Luo flung his sleeves, his face ashen with rage. "Do you really think an explanation can resolve this? Didn't you see their words and looks today? They clearly don't believe me. Otherwise, why would I have offended that Young Master Jue? He's just a businessman, and Luo Manor has its own businesses; we don't need to rely on him. I refuse to believe that a mere brat could ruin my business. However, Luo Manor's reputation and status are given to us by the martial arts world. If what happened today gets out, Luo Manor will truly be finished."
"But sir, that young master Jue is connected to the palace, after all. If this causes trouble..." Madam Luo hesitated, her unease still lingering. The young master Jue was now connected to the palace, and if they offended him, the palace would surely destroy Luo Manor.
It's no wonder that Madam Luo had such concerns. In the palace, Jue's status and position were something even the Empress Dowager feared. She wasn't afraid that Jue would kill people, but rather that his economic power would greatly weaken the royal family's strength. This was also why Xingbin and the Empress Dowager didn't dare to openly oppose Jue.
"Hmph. The Imperial Palace? That Young Master Jue merely monopolizes the royal family's financial resources. As for us, the royal family wouldn't dare to touch us. Putting aside the strength of our Luo Manor today, the royal family has always avoided the martial world whenever possible. Even if Young Master Jue uses the royal family's strength to fight against us, he'll only be asking for trouble. The current imperial palace won't oppose the martial world. However, I don't believe this matter has nothing to do with Zi Xue. Ever since she came to the manor, something has always happened here. This matter must be related to her as well." Master Luo pondered for a moment, his disdain undisguised, and sneered.
"That's right, Mother, just do as Father says." Luo Ting couldn't wait to see Zi Xue's miserable state. She had disliked Zi Xue before, and now that she had the chance to trample her underfoot, she certainly wouldn't miss it.
"Shut up, you wretched girl! I originally wanted to get you and Young Master Jue together, so you wouldn't have ended up offending him!" Master Luo's anger had subsided by half, but upon hearing his daughter's voice, it flared up again. This daughter had been spoiled rotten since she was little, and now she had done such a terrible thing when asked to do something. Not only had she caused trouble, but he had to step in to resolve it and lose face. How could he, the dignified Master of Luo Manor, have fallen to the point of having to fawn over others?
"Father, how can you blame your daughter? It's that Zixue who's been pestering Young Master Jue all day long." Luo Ting felt wronged. Her father, who had loved her for so many years, not only scolded her in public but also abandoned her when faced with a horde of snakes. Even so, it was true that her father had loved and doted on her all these years. However, she was still very dissatisfied, mostly because of Zixue. It was that woman who was always pestering Young Master Jue, which made him ignore her. After all, she was a famous beauty in the martial arts world. How could Young Master Jue not be interested in her? It was all Zixue's fault for obstructing him in every way.
"Hmph, what ability does Zixue have to compare with you? Why don't you know how to seize the opportunity?" Master Luo felt frustrated and annoyed.
Luo Ting lowered her head in annoyance, knowing she was in the wrong, and did not argue.
"Go and tell everyone to come to the hall and say, 'The matter of stealing the treasure has been settled,'" Master Luo stopped lecturing his daughter and turned to Madam Luo.
"Yes," Madam Luo was still very worried, but seeing the situation, the only option left was the method the master had suggested. Even if she asked the master to give up the idea now, it would probably be impossible.
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The people who were originally led to the backyard to rest by the butler were suddenly told to go to the hall, saying that "the matter of the stolen treasure has been clarified". So everyone came to the hall in a daze, wanting to see what was going on.
Just as I was about to rest, I was notified to go to the main hall with Jue. I didn't know what it was about until Xiao Wu told me. I learned it was about the treasure. But even if I don't know why Old Man Luo wanted to see me, I'll go and see what he's up to.
Upon arriving at the lobby, Jue and I were seated in our original seats. We sat there and could hear the people behind us still whispering amongst themselves.
"Ahem, I've already investigated the matter of the stolen treasure," Old Man Luo said, coughing twice as he walked up to us, pausing briefly.
This statement caused a stir, with everyone starting to speculate.
Old Man Luo smiled and looked around with satisfaction, then said, "Everyone, listen to what I have to say."
Everyone stopped talking instantly, pricking up their ears to look intently at Old Man Luo, wanting to hear what he had to say next.
"I have found out that the theft of this treasure has nothing to do with my wife or any other woman. As for who stole the treasure and who framed the person, I also know." After saying this, Old Man Luo did not continue, as if he was waiting for something.
"Master Luo, please stop with your fancy words. What everyone needs to know now is who Master Luo has found out about!" one of the men shouted, and the others below shook their heads in agreement.
"That person is Madam Jue," Old Man Luo suddenly pointed at me.
I was drinking tea when I suddenly spat it out and stared in astonishment at the finger. What had I just heard? That I was a thief and a framer.
I kept my head down and didn't speak, but in my heart I was thinking, how could this be? How did that old man Luo know that I stole the treasure? But what does this framing have to do with me? I just bribed a servant, wanting him to expose old man Luo's hypocrisy in this situation. How did I end up being attacked by a swarm of snakes? Actually, I'm innocent too. That old man Luo actually pinned everything on me. Let's see how I deal with him.
Seeing that I didn't say anything, everyone started looking at me with reproachful eyes, and some even scolded me, saying, "You don't know what to do!"
"That woman is shameless."
"They truly have no sense of propriety, righteousness, integrity, or shame."
"Madam Jue, I have no grudge against you, so why do you target me at every turn? First, you destroyed my manor, and then you insulted my daughter. I can overlook these things, but why did you steal the treasure? Out of respect for Young Master Jue, I will not hold it against you. I hope Madam Jue will hand over the treasure, and I believe everyone will not blame you too much." Seeing that everyone was starting to be hostile towards him, Old Man Luo felt a sense of satisfaction and began to speak righteously and selflessly again.
"Drip, drip," everyone here possesses inner strength, so naturally they heard the sound of water hitting the table and all looked at me.