Just as she was feeling awkward and at a loss, the red lacquered wooden door was suddenly pushed open. Tang Ye's gaze shifted from her, and Hua Wuduo felt a wave of relief and weakness after being overly tense. At that moment, she heard a woman say in a trembling voice, "I have finally found you." Although her voice was soft, it carried an indescribable excitement, as if she had finally seen her long-awaited destination after traversing thousands of mountains and rivers.
Hua Wuduo was startled by the sound, immediately forgetting his embarrassing situation. He quickly looked towards the source of the sound and saw a girl in red standing at the door, gazing at Tang Ye with a complex expression. The girl's conflicted gaze seemed to carry a lot, a mixture of love and hate, joy and sorrow, and a sense of helplessness. Hua Wuduo, who was squatting on the wall, thought to himself: "Oh my, isn't this the young lady of the Qingcheng Sect from the teahouse outside Luoyang that day?"
The girl didn't notice that there was a person squatting on the wall behind the red maple tree.
The girl entered with composure and determination, but upon seeing Tang Ye, she seemed to transform into a different person. Her cheeks flushed, as if she were struggling and hesitating, or perhaps suppressing and waiting for something. Her unspoken expression made Hua Wuduo, who was crouching on the wall, a little anxious. At this moment, Hua Wuduo stared wide-eyed at the girl, a strange expectation in his eyes! What exactly was she expecting? Perhaps even she herself couldn't say for sure at this moment.
Tang Ye recognized the person who had come, but only gave a cold snort. He stopped looking at the girl and turned his head slightly towards the direction where Hua Wuduo was, saying, "Come with me."
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo was taken aback, but had no choice but to obediently jump down the wall and follow him.
At this moment, the girl's face was pale, she smiled sadly, and said bitterly, "I have searched and followed you all the way through most of the Central Plains, and it was so hard to finally see you, but you treat me like this, you don't even want to look at me, night... night..." The girl's voice was already choked with sobs.
Tang Ye didn't stop walking. Hua Wuduo followed behind, looking down and sighing inwardly, "Alas, how heartless."
But at that moment, the girl suddenly opened her arms and rushed towards Tang Ye without regard for anything else. Her eyes were filled with a desperate madness, as if she wanted to hug him from behind as he was about to leave. Just as the girl was about to get close to Tang Ye, Tang Ye suddenly struck without any mercy and sent the girl flying into the pond on the side.
The sudden splash caused Hua Wuduo to stare wide-eyed in disbelief, her hands tightly covering her mouth as if to prevent herself from screaming. The girl staggered to her feet, coughing up blood, seemingly suffering severe internal injuries. With a hysterical frenzy, she cried out to Tang Ye, "Kill me! Tang Ye, kill me! I can't make you like me, so kill me! I'd be willing to die by your hand!"
Hua Wuduo suddenly felt a deep respect for the girl. Seeing Tang Ye's gaze darken and his murderous intent rise, Hua Wuduo impulsively stood between the two, pointing at Tang Ye and saying to the heartbroken girl in the pond, "Why do you like him? He's a poisonous person, poison from head to toe. You can't touch him, you can't budge him. Look at those dead fish eyes, that heartless, emotionless look—he's like a living dead! He doesn't understand your feelings for him at all. Why torture yourself by liking such a cold-blooded person? You might as well like me; I'm a hundred times better than him!"
After saying that, he noticed Tang Ye and the girl looking at him, and when he looked down, he realized that he was wearing women's clothing today! At this moment, even if there was tofu in front of him, he would want to pick it up and smash his head against it.
She heard herself weakly question Tang Ye, "What kind of poison is the incense you put on the door? I'm sure I've already been poisoned..."
Tang Ye's maid
Anyone could sense that Tang Ye was displeased.
Silence fell over the moment. Hua Wuduo chuckled awkwardly, withdrawing her finger from Tang Ye's chest. Feeling guilty, she still tried to explain, "Actually, what I meant was that as a woman, Young Master Tang is definitely not as good as me." This was directed at Tang Ye. Seeing that Tang Ye's displeasure had turned into extreme displeasure, she quickly turned to the stunned girl in the pool and said, "Actually, I think it's normal for women to like other women, don't you think?"
The girl's face was deathly pale, and she was clutching her chest; her internal injuries seemed to have worsened.
Although Hua Wuduo said this, he had secretly put on the golden rings on his fingers. He thought Tang Ye would attack him, but Tang Ye said, "You smiled just now."
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo was startled and looked up at Tang Ye in horror. Her expression was barely visible due to the mask, but her eyes betrayed a great deal of her inner emotions. Good heavens! How could she have forgotten about the "Three Smiles of Madness"? The poison was originally called "One Smile of Madness," but in her case, it should be called "Three Smiles of Madness"! Therefore, Hua Wuduo secretly changed the name of the poison. She had come to get the antidote to save her life! Remembering this, she was not only horrified but also filled with shock! No longer caring about anything else, she hurriedly grabbed Tang Ye's hand and said, "What are we dawdling for!" She didn't care about Tang Ye's reaction, and with a kick, she left the stunned girl standing in the pool and disappeared into the buildings with Tang Ye. Fortunately, Tang Ye didn't struggle at all and went with her.
In a secluded spot, Hua Wuduo respectfully and obediently handed over the mask. Then, she heard Tang Ye say to her, "This is the antidote for the Mad Laughter." Hua Wuduo happily accepted the antidote, hesitated for a moment, and then swallowed it. She then put her hands on her hips, threw her head back, and laughed loudly several times, startling countless birds into flight before finally stopping. At that moment, she felt refreshed and invigorated. She initially wanted to express her gratitude to Tang Ye for not holding a grudge, but upon hearing Tang Ye's next words, she really wanted to pin him to the ground and give him a good beating. Tang Ye calmly said to her, "You just touched my hand and have been poisoned by the Unfreezing Poison."
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo looked at Tang Ye blankly. What did he mean by "unable to be carefree"? Brother Tang, why do you name every poison so elegantly? It sounds frightening!
Hua Wuduo's gaze was blank, as if he couldn't digest the meaning in a moment.
Tang Ye carefully tucked the mask into his pocket, glanced at her, and said calmly, "This poison is very difficult to cure; it requires fifteen days of continuous acupuncture and medication."
Hua Wuduo, suppressing his emotions, asked, "What will happen after being poisoned?"
Tang Ye replied, "It will cause itching that spreads from the site of poisoning to the entire body, leading to death from frantic scratching."
Hua Wu hurriedly looked at the hand that had just grabbed him and, sure enough, found a patch of strange red starting from the palm and moving upwards along the arm. The entire arm was covered with many small red bumps that had begun to itch.
Hua Wuduo asked in a sinister tone, "Can you help me detoxify?"
Tang Ye ignored her sarcastic remarks, took out a small pill, and handed it to Hua Wuduo, saying, "This is the first antidote. Take it first."
Hua Wuduo took it, took a deep breath, and looked at the antidote in his hand. He couldn't help but sneer. This poison was obviously more vicious than the Mad Laughing Poison. What was ridiculous was that it was called "Unable to Freedom" instead of "Crazy Scratching to Death"!
Tang Ye then said, "Sit down and roll up your sleeves."
Hua Wuduo sat down with restraint and rolled up his sleeves.
Tang Ye took out a cloth bag from his bosom, unfolded it, and took out acupuncture needles from it. He then applied several needles to the acupoints on her poisoned arm. The discoloration on her arm gradually faded, leaving only her palms still dark red.
Tang Ye said, "Take the antidote."
Hua Wuduo had no choice but to comply. Then she said heavily, "I will follow you every day for the next 15 days!" Her tone was firm, and she was definitely not trying to get Tang Ye's consent.
Tang Ye seemed unconcerned, saying only, "Okay, but you must do one thing for me."
Hua Wuduo already knew what was going on, so he wasn't surprised when he heard this. He simply asked, "What is it?"
Tang Ye said, "Impersonate someone."
"who?"
"The Fang family of Jinling has two daughters, Fang Ruoxi." Tang Ye did not look at Hua Wuduo when he spoke, and his voice was calm and showed no sign of anything unusual.
Hua Wuduo was taken aback upon hearing this. He shifted his gaze from his poisoned palm to Tang Ye, blinked, and then blinked again.
Tang Ye took out a portrait from his sleeve and handed it to Hua Wuduo, saying, "Disguise yourself as her and stay by my side for the next fifteen days as my maid."
Hua Wuduo was about to take the portrait when she suddenly heard the word "maid." Her hand froze in mid-air, her eyes widening as she looked at Tang Ye as if he were a monster. Tang Ye ignored her and placed the portrait in her hand. Hua Wuduo struggled to calm herself down and slowly unfolded the portrait. When she saw the person in the portrait, she was startled again.
The painting was incredibly lifelike; the artist was undoubtedly a master. Hua Wuduo immediately recognized the figure in the painting as her own disguised self at home. This might not seem like much, as her family had all seen her. However, what truly terrified Hua Wuduo was that the painting depicted her using a flying sword to shoot magpies in a tree, the posture so bizarre that only she could have done it. This scene was so familiar. As Hua Wuduo looked at the painting, her thoughts drifted back to the past. She clearly remembered that day when many small birds flew into the ancient tree in the courtyard from nowhere—magpies and swallows chirping incessantly. Unfortunately, they disturbed her concentration on her martial arts practice, so she decided to shoot down a few birds to roast and eat. She still remembered how she enthusiastically shot down the birds in the tree with all sorts of strange movements, while improvising a song on the spot—a Jiangnan folk tune with lyrics and music of her own—or perhaps a Jiangnan folk tune… Hua Wuduo wasn't really sure. The reason I remember this so clearly is because I later heard that a boy accidentally fell into the lotus pond outside the courtyard... That was more than three years ago.
Thinking of this, Hua Wuduo's lips twitched slightly. He pulled himself out of his thoughts and suddenly realized that Tang Ye's dark eyes were still staring at him. He quickly pretended to be calm and put away the portrait.
At this moment, Tang Ye asked, "When is the earliest you can make the mask?"
"Tonight." Hua Wuduo's words undoubtedly meant that he had agreed to impersonate Fang Ruoxi, the second daughter of the Fang family.
Tang Ye said, "At midnight tonight, disguise yourself like this and come to the west courtyard."
"Okay." Hua Wuduo suppressed his unease and answered calmly. Just as he finished speaking, he remembered something: the maid!?
*********************
Watching her retreating figure, Hua Wuduo felt utterly dejected. Since she began her adventures in the martial world, she had harbored lofty ambitions to become a renowned heroine, yet so far she hadn't accomplished a single earth-shattering feat. Instead, forced by circumstances, she had first become Gongzi Yi's bodyguard, and now she was to serve as Tang Ye's maid. In between, she had even been forced into thievery by Song Zixing… Let's not dwell on that; just thinking about Song Zixing made her anxious…
Sigh... Life is really tough.
Looking at his poisoned hand, Hua Wuduo couldn't help but grit his teeth, thinking to himself: Tang Ye! ...If this poison is cured, I will definitely...I will definitely! ...Never see you again in this lifetime!
Hua Wuduo carefully put away the portrait and walked away dejectedly.
The painting was taken back by Tang Ye the next day. Although Hua Wuduo wanted to tell Tang Ye that she had destroyed the painting, she ultimately didn't have the courage. Hua Wuduo tried to subtly inquire about the origin of the painting, but to no avail.
Actually, Fang Ruoxi's mask didn't need to be rushed; she already carried it with her.
At midnight that night, there was no moon, and the stars in the night sky blinked forlornly, watching as a beautiful young woman dressed in a floral dress and exquisite embroidered shoes strolled leisurely into the West Garden.
The gate to the West Garden was gently pushed open, and Hua Wuduo couldn't help but feel a little nervous upon realizing that Tang Ye was within sight.
The courtyard was completely silent; not even the chirping of insects could be heard.
"They've probably all been poisoned to death by Tang Ye," Hua Wuduo thought to himself.
As the night wind blew, Hua Wuduo, disguised as Fang Ruoxi, looked up and saw Tang Ye sitting on the roof, holding a long flute. He was still dressed in black with a purple belt, his gaze cold as he looked at her.
Facing Tang Ye's gaze, Hua Wuduo tugged at the hem of her skirt, stood still, and said in a seemingly respectful manner, "What are your orders, young master?" She was already acting like a maid, except for her slightly haughty posture and the slightly crooked corners of her eyes and mouth. Fortunately, the darkness of the night concealed her true identity, making it difficult to notice without close inspection.
In the darkness of night, Tang Ye's voice seemed to come from beyond the heavens, carrying an elusive and profound quality, yet it contained only four words: "Listen to me play the flute."
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo paused for a moment, glancing sideways. Seeing that Tang Ye wasn't joking at all, to be honest, even a ghost probably had never seen Tang Ye joking like this before. Hua Wuduo didn't expect to see any strange expression on Tang Ye's face, but still asked somewhat disbelievingly, "Just to hear you play the flute?"
Tang Ye did not say much.
Hua Wuduo suppressed his somewhat foolish surprise, gathered his strength, and flew to the rooftop, sitting to Tang Ye's left rear.
In the dead of night, Hua Wuduo, sporting panda eyes, lay sprawled on the roof, propping his head up with his hand and watching Tang Ye's back. After struggling for a while, he finally succumbed to the sound of Tang Ye's flute and fell asleep.
Noticing the long, even breathing of the person behind him, Tang Ye stopped playing the flute. At that moment, four people silently leaped in from outside the courtyard wall and respectfully greeted him in unison, "Young Master."
Hua Wuduo suddenly opened her eyes upon hearing the sound and looked down from the house. Although she couldn't see clearly in the darkness, she recognized the four people in the courtyard at a glance, all of whom she had seen before!
Two men and two women stood in the courtyard. One of them was Tang Feng, whom they had met at the Prince of Jin's residence. Tang Ye's older brother was now addressing Tang Ye as "Young Master," which was quite strange. The other two women were the two girls who had always followed Tang Feng at the Prince of Jin's residence, and the third was a round-faced scholar they had met recently.
Tang Feng saw Hua Wuduo, who was disguised as Fang Ruoxi, but did not seem to recognize her. The round-faced scholar also saw her, and seemed to have doubts, but did not show them.
Tang Ye asked, "How did things go?"
Tang Feng said, "Everything is proceeding according to plan."
Tang Ye nodded and said, "Wuyin, go and spread a message that the maidservant I bring with me is Fang Ruoxi, the second daughter of the Fang family in Jinling."
Tang Feng replied respectfully, "Yes." His voice was calm and indifferent, revealing no emotional fluctuations. He only glanced at Hua Wuduo behind Tang Ye.
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo was shocked. This "Tang Feng" was actually the infamous Wuyin from the assassin organization! The Wuyin who had hunted down his sister Fang Ruowei to the ends of the earth back then!?
Tang Ye, young master, who exactly is Tang Ye?
Tang Ye's maid is Fang Ruoxi. What will happen once this news spreads? People in the martial arts world will surely despise her. The second young lady of the dignified Fang family has become a maid for a man who abandoned her! If Father finds out, he will be furious. And if Sister is in Luoyang, this is terrible!
Thinking of this, Hua Wuduo broke out in a cold sweat!
She desperately wanted to question Tang Ye: "Fang Ruoxi hasn't done anything to wrong you, why are you doing this?!" But now, poisoned and controlled, her identity concealed, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and suppress her anger. A surge of resentment rose within her, and though she was tormented, she had to endure it. She secretly told herself that her only option was to play along, stay by Tang Ye's side, and wait for her opportunity. She wanted to see what Tang Ye intended to use her for. What would happen if Wuyin appeared in Luoyang just in time for her sister's wedding? Thinking of this, Hua Wuduo frowned. Now, what worried her most was whether Tang Ye knew her identity. If he didn't, perhaps she still had a chance to act; if he did, wouldn't she be trapping herself?
Hua Wuduo no longer cared about anything else. Even if she was in a den of dragons and tigers, she would fight to the end for her father and sister. No pain, no gain. She was not afraid of Tang Ye!
He had just gritted his teeth and encouraged himself, but when he looked up, he saw Tang Ye's unfathomable gaze sweep over him, and he immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
Aren't you afraid?
Yeah, right...
Hua Wuduo scratched her hair in frustration. Just then, she saw the round-faced scholar smile slightly at her. She immediately returned a forced smile, which probably looked worse than a grimace. The scholar looked away, but at that moment, he respectfully said to Tang Ye, "I have learned that Chu Tianxiu, the second daughter of the Chu family, is quite skilled in martial arts, especially in the bewitching charm of her zither music. Her mother is acquainted with You Xiao, the enchanter of music. Although You Xiao has not formally taken Chu Tianxiu as her disciple, she has diligently taught Chu Tianxiu the bewitching charm of music. Last night, the young master defeated her, and because the incident of throwing the embroidered ball the day before yesterday was disrupted by someone impersonating the young master, she hates the young master to the core. Today, she has posted a notice announcing to the world that whoever can defeat the young master will be her future husband. In addition, Xu Qingcheng, the eldest daughter of the Qingcheng Sect, and her eight entourage have also checked into the Qinglin Inn and are currently in the east courtyard."
Aunt You Xiao had once taught Chu Tianxiu? Hua Wuduo pondered to herself: Aunt You Xiao had said that her lack of musical knowledge wasn't necessarily a bad thing; at least the power of the Demonic Sound would be somewhat diminished in her hands. This was why she felt unusually agitated last night when she heard Tang Ye and Chu Tianxiu playing the qin and xiao together. Could defeating Tang Ye make him Chu Tianxiu's husband? Was Chu Tianxiu desperate for a husband? However, this was getting interesting. Hua Wuduo chuckled to herself as she thought of this.
Tang Ye said, "Chu Tianxiu's Demonic Sound Charm is indeed not to be underestimated, but unfortunately, there are always exceptions..."
Tang Ye's implied meaning unconsciously made Hua Wuduo assume that he was referring to her, but Hua Wuduo was quite dismissive of this.
The scholar's round eyes darted around, and he said, "Young master, how about I find an ugly and old beggar by the roadside tomorrow to fight you?"
Just as Hua Wuduo was about to applaud and praise the masterpiece, he heard Wuyin say, "Fang Yuan, stop fooling around."
The other two girls present burst out laughing.
Hua Wuduo secretly gave him a thumbs up. The scholar saw it, winked at Hua Wuduo, and seemed to feel a sense of camaraderie and mutual appreciation.
Then Tang Ye said, "You must be the one who's been impersonating me and causing trouble everywhere."
Tang Ye glanced sideways at Hua Wuduo, and the eyes of the four people below the room also focused on her. Hua Wuduo had already expected this moment and smiled frankly, "I am indeed the one who is talented."
The voice he used when he said this was exactly the same as Tang Ye's. No one in the world can match Hua Wuduo's ability to disguise and change his voice.
Tang Ye's gaze darkened, and he asked, "Who are you?"
Hua Wuduo said, "My surname is Hua and my given name is Wuduo. I am from the capital and I am the bodyguard of the second young master of the Marquis of Xijing."
Fang Yuan suddenly said, "The head of Wu Yi, the second son of the Marquis of Xijing, is worth 50,000 taels of gold."