"Uh, it doesn't hurt anymore..."
She was so embarrassed she could barely speak—how could she possibly tell Lan Cao that these were actually the work of their master?
Kelancao wasn't stupid after all. After carefully examining Hua Chongyang's injuries, she asked in confusion:
"Huh, why are there bruises on my back? I didn't have them yesterday..."
Hua Chongyang blushed.
Lan Cao realized what was happening, and after a long pause, she turned around, covered her mouth, and chuckled. After laughing, she pretended to shake her head and sigh in pain while applying the medicine to Lan Cao.
"Your Excellency is too impatient. Yesterday, the doctor specifically instructed that you shouldn't be touched for the next few days until you've recovered."
"……"
Hua Chongyang's lips twitched.
Who hired this perverted doctor... who would bring up something like this...?
"No wonder the Pavilion Master looked unusually cheerful when he left this morning, hehe, it turns out it was because of the 'stormy night' last night!"
"……"
"It's alright, it's alright, don't be shy, Miss Chongyang! What's there to be shy about—by the way, is our sect leader very fierce or very gentle?"
"……"
"Is it both fierce and gentle?"
"...orchids."
"Sigh, as expected of our Pavilion Master. After a night of wind and rain, he still managed to get up early to interrogate people. He's truly extraordinary!"
Orchid.
"Hmm? Miss Chongyang?"
"...Where did your hand go?"
The orchid looked down, then suddenly jerked its head up high:
"Ahhh! Miss Chongyang! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to touch your breasts!"
"……"
According to Lan Cao, Lan Wuxie had gone out on errands. Hua Chongyang had thought he would return early, but she waited until past noon for lunch, and Lan Wuxie still hadn't shown up. She listlessly ate a few bites, swayed back and forth in the dim light, and finally, bored out of her mind, called Lan Cao over.
Where did your sect leader go?
The orchid just smiled and shook its head:
"I don't know. Why would the Pavilion Master tell us his whereabouts?"
Hua Chongyang nodded.
She had a pretty good idea of Lan Wuxie's motives for "doing things." Last night, when she asked him, Lan Wuxie had said, "If you touch his things, you'll pay ten times the price." His going out at this time must be related to the kidnapping and assassination. But after drinking tea in her room for a while, she suddenly remembered something and hurriedly went outside to find Lan Cao:
"Lan Cao, I remember there was a maid named Lan Xiang in the kitchen."
Lan Cao was taken aback:
"Ah...yes..."
"Where is she? I want to see her."
"She..." Lan Cao stammered, then grinned and changed the subject, "Miss Chongyang, what would you like to eat? I'll have someone in the kitchen make it for you right away, you don't need to tell me yourself."
"I must see Lanxiang."
"Lanxiang…" Lancao stammered again, then whispered, "Lanxiang was taken to the pleasure boat by the Pavilion Master."
Upon hearing this, Hua Chongyang turned and walked away. Lan Cao grabbed her from behind:
"Where are you going, young lady?"
"Go to the pleasure boat."
"The Pavilion Master has always disliked being disturbed when handling palace affairs."
Hua Chongyang paused, turned around, and grabbed Lan Cao's arms:
"Orchid Grass, you keep telling me, what exactly happened to Orchid Fragrance?"
Before the words were finished, a commotion arose from the main gate of the Half-Blind Drunken Garden:
"Chongyang! Hua Chongyang! Let me go! I want to see Hua Chongyang! You all!"
Upon hearing this, Lan Cao, forgetting her entanglement with Hua Chongyang, quickly ran over. Hua Chongyang followed behind, and before they had even crossed the corridor, they heard Ye Laoqi's high-pitched and sharp voice from ahead:
"Hua Chongyang! Come out! Come out! I know you're in there!"
Turning the corner of the corridor, one could see Ye Laoqi being held back by several Lan Ying Palace disciples, struggling and shouting:
"Hua Chongyang! I know you're here! Lan Wuxie! Let our Master out!"
Lan Cao gestured for several Lan Ying Palace disciples to release Ye Laoqi, then stepped forward and clapped her hands.
"Someone from a brothel?"
Ye Laoqi straightened his sleeves:
"Yes! Where is our leader? Where did you take her? Where is Lan Wuxie? Tell him to come out and see me!"
"How dare you! Do you think you can just see the Palace Master as you please?" Lan Cao's face hardened. "This is Lan Ying Palace, not a place for you to run wild! Guards, take him out!"
With his arms trapped, Ye Laoqi immediately began to curse loudly.
Hua Chongyang couldn't bear to watch any longer and came out from behind the corridor:
"Lancao, let her go."
Lan Cao gave her a troubled look: "The Pavilion Master instructed..."
Upon seeing Hua Chongyang, Ye Laoqi swung his arms, breaking free from the restraints of the two disciples of Lanying Palace, and rushed over in a few steps:
"Double Ninth Festival!"
Hua Chongyang subtly withdrew his hand:
"Seventh Brother, what are you doing here?"
"Where's Lan Wuxie? You weren't with him?" Ye Laoqi rubbed his wrist, looking around. "I went back this morning and found the Master was gone. Someone in the building said she was taken away by the Pavilion Master Zhaoyang of Lan Ying Palace! Better safe than sorry, I wanted to find you and Lan Wuxie—"
"I don't know," Hua Chongyang interrupted her. "Lan Wuxie isn't with me, and I don't know where Ye Qinghua is now."
Ye Laoqi glanced at her, noticing her strange expression, and slowly loosened his grip on her sleeve:
"Chongyang, I know you're angry that the landlord locked you up, but now is not the time to be stubborn—"
Before Hua Chongyang could speak, Lan Cao sneered from the side:
"Sulking out of spite? If only Miss Chongyang were in the mood. If our sect leader had arrived even a moment later yesterday, you would never have had the chance to stand here and watch her plead for you."
Only then did Ye Laoqi realize something was amiss, staring back and forth between Hua Chongyang and Lan Cao:
What do you mean by that?
"What do you mean?" Lan Cao sneered. "You sealed Miss Chongyang's martial arts, yet sent a few incompetent fools to watch over her; yesterday, when our sect leader arrived at the place where you were holding her, someone was tearing her clothes and trying to force herself on her, and she could only watch helplessly. If we had arrived even a moment later, Miss Chongyang would have been raped and then killed by those scumbags."
"...What?" Ye Laoqi exclaimed in surprise, his eyes widening as he looked back at Hua Chongyang. "Chongyang, is it true?"
Hua Chongyang lowered his eyes, turned his face away, and remained silent.
Ye Laoqi's expression changed instantly: "Who are those people?! Why are they treating you like this?"
"Don't you know whether it's true or not?" Lan Cao raised an eyebrow, her voice cold and sharp. "Isn't it one of your own who stole from your own position?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Laoqi frowned and grabbed Hua Chongyang's arm with both hands:
"Impossible! Chongyang, this absolutely, absolutely couldn't have been done by the landlord! So many people want to harm you—Bo Jiang, it must be Bo Jiang! Isn't she looking for you too?"
Hua Chongyang frowned and remained silent.
She couldn't tell who did it.
She desperately wanted to believe Ye Laoqi that Bo Jiang had done it—but she just couldn't understand why, and she couldn't forgive Ye Qinghua for drugging her, sealing her martial arts, and locking her up. Even if she had no malicious intent, if Lan Wuxie had arrived a moment later yesterday, Hua Chongyang probably wouldn't know what would have become of her by now.
Just as she hesitated with a cold expression, Ye Laoqi suddenly knelt down in front of her and begged:
"I'm begging you! Chongyang! Please help me! Help me find her! After what happened yesterday, Lan Wuxie will definitely harm you—yesterday you were careless and almost got hurt, but she was ultimately doing it for your own good! If anything happens to her today—you'll regret it sooner or later!"
35. Painted Boat
Ye Laoqi knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and clung to Hua Chongyang's sleeve, pleading desperately.
Hua Chongyang felt a pang of pity.
She knew the girls in the brothel; they were called "smiling girls," but in reality, they were all worldly-wise, experienced, and had powerful backgrounds. They wouldn't even look at ordinary martial arts masters. If Ye Laoqi hadn't been so loyal to Ye Qinghua and had no other choice, he would never have lowered himself to beg her like this.
She let out a long breath and went to help Ye Laoqi up:
"Get up."
Old Master Ye, his eyes red, grabbed her sleeve and glared at her:
"If you don't agree to save the landlord, I'll kneel until I die, and I won't get up."
Upon hearing this, the orchid standing nearby immediately flew into a rage:
"Who do you think you are, daring to threaten people? You think Miss Chongyang is an easy target? Well then, you can kneel until you die. There are plenty of people in Lanying Palace willing to risk their lives; we don't need your worthless life!"
Ye Laoqi ignored him, staring only at Hua Chongyang's tear-filled eyes, as if he had truly made up his mind to die. Hua Chongyang looked up, closed his eyes briefly, and sighed.
"Get up, I'll go with you to find Lan Wuxie."
Hua Chongyang felt extremely aggrieved.
She had never been so humiliated in her life. She was inexplicably drugged and locked up by her best friend of five years, and almost raped by an ugly and fat old man. In the end, she was rescued and had to plead for the person who almost killed her.
But she really couldn't bring herself to abandon Ye Qinghua.
While waiting for the boat on the shore of West Lake, she saw Ye Laoqi pacing anxiously back and forth. She took a step back and whispered to Lan Cao:
"Lan Cao, I feel like a silly girl on a theatrical stage—she's clearly suffering and being taken advantage of, yet she still rushes to give herself away."
Lan Cao glanced at Ye Laoqi and patted the back of her hand to comfort her:
"Who knows? Our sect leader might just like your innocent, kind, and vulnerable nature. Maybe if you can influence him, he'll suddenly become devoted to good and want to join a reputable sect."