Bad things happen often

Chapter 45

“I…” she gave a stiff smile, “I still have work to do.”

Lian Zhao's eyelashes twitched slightly, but he then smiled and said, "Okay. You go ahead and do your thing."

She nodded slightly, picked up the wine on the table, and quickly walked out.

As soon as she closed the door, she looked up and saw several servants staring intently at her.

She blinked, puzzled.

The servants watched for a while, then sighed one after another, and dispersed.

Xiao Xiao was utterly bewildered. She scratched her head, looked up and thought for a moment, but ultimately gave up trying to figure it out. She was carrying the wine, about to return to her room, when Yue Huaixi rushed over in a flurry, grabbed her, and pulled her away.

"Xiaoxiao, why are you only coming back now! There's a huge pile of clothes waiting to be washed in the yard!" Yue Huaixi shouted as she ran.

A little helpless. She really does have a lot of work to do...

...

When they finally managed to rest, the sun was already setting. Xiao Xiao sat on the threshold in front of the house, squinting as she watched the sunset.

Yue Huaixi brought over two bowls of noodles and said, "Xiaoxiao, I got you dinner. Eat up."

She thanked him briefly, took the noodles, and started eating.

"Wow, this is so dry. The manager is really heartless, feeding us noodles this dry," Yue Huaixi complained.

Xiao Xiao, biting her chopsticks, suddenly remembered something and said, "I have some wine, do you want some?"

Yue Huaixi immediately nodded, "Okay, okay."

Xiao Xiao went into the room, took out the pot of Tusu wine that had been opened, and also took two teacups, and poured some into them.

Yue Huaixi picked up a cup, took a sip, and said, "Wow, such a strong medicinal smell, is this Tusu wine?"

She nodded slightly. "You don't like it? I have another pot..."

Yue Huaixi smiled and said, "I drink it every year, so how could I not like it? But where would I get Tusu wine this season?"

"It was a gift from someone else," Xiao Xiao answered truthfully.

"Oh..." Yue Huaixi was about to continue drinking when she suddenly paused, her hand holding the glass still. She put down the glass, looked at Xiaoxiao, and said, "Hey, Xiaoxiao, who gave you this wine?"

Xiao Xiao was picking up a glass, ready to drink, when she was taken aback by the question. "The owner of the winery..." she replied.

Yue Huaixi's expression was somewhat strange. She said, "What a coincidence. Tusu wine can kill all kinds of ghosts and spirits, warm the body and replenish qi, and even poison Gu... Lingyou always keeps this kind of wine on hand to prevent the backlash of Gu poison. Sigh, now whenever I drink this, I feel like hundreds of worms are crawling all over me..."

Xiao Xiao was horrified by her description, but then she thought of something else. This pot of Tusu wine was a free gift from the owner of the "Qu Fang" wine shop. The "Qu Fang" had no less than a thousand kinds of wine, so why would he give her Tusu, which was out of season? Was it a coincidence, or was it intentional? If it was intentional, then it was obvious that the owner of the "Qu Fang" wine shop clearly knew about Gu poison and walking corpses, and this pot of wine was for her to use for self-defense.

Once Xiao Xiao understood, she immediately downed several cups of wine. The thought of those live snake venomous insects that could burrow into the human body made it clear that she had to be careful!

"Xiaoxiao, what's wrong?" Yue Huaixi, who was standing to the side, was embarrassed.

Xiao Xiao wiped her mouth, looked up and said, "Xiao Xi, I need to discuss something with you..."

Yue Huaixi, holding a wine glass and a bowl of noodles, swallowed hard and nodded, "Go ahead and say it..."

...

At the third quarter of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), all was silent. Two dark figures flashed through Jiyu Manor. The figures nimbly avoided the guards and arrived at the back door. After confirming their identities, the two opened the back door.

There were already people waiting outside the door; needless to say, it was Yin Xiao and Mo Yun. And the two "black shadows" were naturally Xiao Xiao and Yue Huaixi.

Seeing their all-black attire, with their heads and faces covered, Yin Xiao couldn't help but laugh.

"Girl, what's with this outfit? Are you trying to be a thief?" Silver Owl said with a smile.

She chuckled a few times, neither confirming nor denying. Sigh, what could she do? Her martial arts skills were so weak. If she didn't cover her head now, and someone saw her face, how would she live her life?

"And who is this person?" Yin Xiao asked, glancing at Yue Huaixi.

“I’m your helper!” Yue Huaixi replied.

"A helper?" Yin Xiao frowned. "Fine, just make sure they don't hold us back." He turned to look at Mo Yun. "Young Master Mo Yun, let's proceed according to plan."

Mo Yun didn't speak, but simply nodded.

"Wait a minute, drink this first." Xiao Xiao took out two bamboo jars and handed them to the two people.

Yin Xiao and Mo Yun accepted the papers, both looking puzzled.

“Our opponent might be a walking corpse under a spell, so drinking this Tusu wine is a good precaution,” Xiao Xiao explained.

The two didn't ask any more questions and finished their drinks.

Yin Xiao straightened his clothes, put on his mask, and said with a smile, "Then I'll be going first. Be careful, girl."

After he finished speaking, he leaped into the air. His silver robes flashed and he disappeared from the three people's sight. Soon after, the lights in the manor came on, and shouts from the guards and servants rose and fell.

The three exchanged glances and then leaped away.

Xiao Xiao and Yue Huaixi had worked as maids here for two days and knew the layout of the manor like the back of their hand. The three of them arrived at the main hall without any obstacles.

Two guards stood at the entrance of the lobby, on high alert.

Just as Mo Yun was about to make a move, Yue Huaixi pressed down on the hilt of his knife and shook her head. She smiled, picked up a tree branch, and swiftly rushed forward.

His movements were as swift as a startled swan. The two servants felt only a gentle breeze and a chill on the back of their necks before they fainted and lost consciousness.

Yue Huaixi patted the branch in his hand and, with a hint of pride, beckoned Xiao Xiao and Mo Yun to follow.

"The Seventeen Forms of the Storm Sword truly live up to its name," Mo Yun praised softly.

Yue Huaixi's eyes held a smile. "I think so too."

Xiao Xiao smiled unconsciously. Only Yue Huaixi could possess such candid confidence.

The three sneaked into the hall, and Xiaoxiao immediately found the pillar she had seen that night. She examined it closely; the base of the pillar was covered with nipple studs. She reached out and pressed each one. With a "click," a hidden door opened in the north wall.

"Xiaoxiao, you stay here and keep watch," Yue Huaixi said.

Upon hearing this, Xiaoxiao was almost moved to tears. She nodded vigorously and watched the two people go inside.

...

The passageway was pitch black.

Yue Huaixi took out a tinderbox from her bosom, lit it, and used it to illuminate the path ahead. But this light startled her, and her fingers loosened, causing the tinderbox to fall.

Mo Yun, quick-witted and agile, caught the tinderbox.

Yue Huaixi took a few steps back, her voice trembling slightly as she said, "Snake-Giving Gu!"

Indeed, the two were facing a path covered with tiny white insects. Tens of thousands of soft, writhing worms were quite disgusting.

Yue Huaixi took a deep breath and smiled, "Grandpa, you really are here..."

...

Three-location battle situation

Yue Huaixi took a deep breath and smiled, "Grandpa, you really are here..."

Yue Huaixi and Mo Yun exchanged a glance and stepped down at the same time.

In an instant, the white worms coiled around their feet, but just as quickly, they dispersed, revealing black floor tiles beneath their feet.

"Wow, amazing! No wonder it's Tusu wine." Yue Huaixi said with a smile.

“Let’s go,” Mo Yun nodded and said. He took a step, and just as he landed firmly, several long arrows suddenly shot out from the walls on both sides of the secret passage. Mo Yun took several steps back, narrowly avoiding them.

Yue Huaixi gently tapped her shoulder with the branch in her hand and said, "The Jiyu Manor has been home to skilled craftsmen for generations, and it is said that they have even built imperial tombs for several emperors. You can imagine how sophisticated these mechanisms are." She took a step forward, shot out a long arrow, and with a slight twist of her wrist, easily knocked down the hidden weapons.

“Hehe, Young Master Mo Yun, I know you’re eager to save people. However, we can’t be careless with these secret passages. Let me clear the way for you.” Yue Huaixi said, holding up five fingers. “Only five coins are required as payment, is that fair?”

Mo Yun glanced at her expressionlessly, then strode forward. Another volley of arrows was fired, but he easily sliced them all away with his blade. Then, he strolled on leisurely.

Yue Huaixi smiled and sighed, muttering to himself, "These days, making money is really not easy."

...

...This is a scene divider = =+...

Xiao Xiao watched as the light from the tinderbox gradually disappeared into the dark passage, knowing that the two had "entered the tiger's den." She sighed and turned to look outside the main hall. Because of Yin Xiao, chaos reigned outside, and no one cared about what was happening in the main hall.

Xiao Xiao sat down on the ground and stretched. With her mediocre skills, going down the secret passage would be suicide. Luckily, Xiao Xi was considerate enough to leave her to keep watch. She was touched. Are all the Yue family members like this? Xiao Jiang is, and Xiao Xi is too… How wonderful…

Xiao Xiao felt a pang of melancholy. She had been an orphan since childhood; she didn't even know where her parents were, let alone her siblings. And that wasn't all; years of wandering meant she didn't have a single friend. However, having no friends didn't mean she was lonely. For her, her master was enough. She had never gone hungry or cold, and the minor grievances and humiliations she had endured seemed insignificant under her master's comfort. Compared to most people, she was far happier.

She reached into her bosom and took out a packet of dried plums, picked one up, and popped it into her mouth. No matter how many times she ate it, she couldn't understand why her master liked it. Sour, salty, bitter, and astringent—these four flavors filled her mouth, causing her to unconsciously frown.

"It tastes awful..." Xiao Xiao muttered to herself helplessly. She looked at the dried plums in her hand; it seemed that this bag of things would take her at least six months to finish.

As she was reflecting on this, she suddenly felt a chilling wind coming from all directions. She quickly got up and put away the dried plums.

Four girls appeared around her. Each of them was as pale as a sheet, with empty, lifeless eyes, and their bodies twitching unnaturally.

The walking dead! Aaaaaaahh ...

She tried to calm herself down and looked at the situation. She was all alone, and dressed in the dark; calling for help would only make her seem suspicious.

At that moment, the lingering sourness in her mouth reminded her of other things. Her master had once looked at her with the most serious eyes and said, "If you can solve something by kneeling, then kneel down readily. However, one day, you will encounter a situation where you absolutely cannot bend your knees..." When her master said those words, his eyes had a sharp light that made people afraid to look directly at him, "When that time comes, you will definitely stand up straight."

You must stand up straight.

Xiao Xiao slowly drew her short sword "Fei," its blade gleaming and shimmering like the bright moon.

Xiao Xiao looked at the four girls' corpses and smiled faintly, "Don't be afraid, it won't hurt at all..."

Before he could finish speaking, the four zombies opened their mouths wide and lunged at him menacingly.

Xiao Xiao gripped the knife tightly in her hand and leaped forward to meet the attack.

...

...This is a scene divider = =+...

After taking the medicine, Lian Zhao slept soundly, but the noise outside the courtyard still woke him up. He put on his clothes, got up, and walked unsteadily to the door.

"What happened?" he asked, seeing the servants rushing around at the door.

The servant cried out in alarm, "It's Silver Owl... Silver... Owl is back again!"

Lian Zhao was astonished. Could it be another walking corpse? Ignoring the pain in his body, he ran out in a few steps.