Husband-stealing story

Chapter 36

At that time, Xu Ziqing did not yet have Gu Yan.

Back then, the senior and junior students were inseparable, enjoying the peaceful and happy days without wanting to leave.

Or perhaps, only Tang Shijiu felt that life was peaceful and serene.

As Lin Liu, the sixth junior brother of Xiaoyao Manor, said, Senior Sister Tang is too formidable; she can only look up to her, and no man dares to marry her. If anyone were to marry her, it would surely lead to a lack of patriarchal authority and an inability to produce offspring.

When he said that, Gu Yan hadn't even gone up the mountain yet. When these words reached Xu Ziqing's ears, everyone could see that his expression was extremely unpleasant.

Perhaps from that moment on, he lost his true feelings for Tang Shijiu.

Tang Shijiu clenched his fists tightly, and finally buried his face in his hands on the table and burst into tears.

She hadn't been crying for long when she heard Shen Yuntan whisper in her ear, "You're down." Tang Shijiu smiled gratefully at him, wiped away her tears, and pretended to be indifferent.

Xu Ziqing had calmed down by now and thanked Tang Shijiu somewhat awkwardly.

"Sister Yan just suffered from heatstroke. I'm really sorry about what happened earlier."

He didn't miss those eyes, red from crying. He felt a pang of guilt, but more than that, a surge of pride welled up inside him. Subconsciously, he didn't want any other men around Tang Shijiu. Even if he couldn't be Tang Shijiu's man.

Tang Shijiu cleared his throat and said, "Junior brother, you've only said half of what you were doing here. What exactly is the purpose of your coming down the mountain this time?"

Xu Ziqing's knees buckled, and she knelt on the ground: "Senior Sister, Master... he's been poisoned."

Tang Shijiu was shocked: "Poisoned? What kind of poison?"

Xu Ziqing said sadly, "Those villains from Jinhu Manor have infiltrated the manor and poisoned Master! This time, my sister Yan and I came down the mountain to get the antidote from Jinhu Manor to save Master." She bowed repeatedly and said, "Senior sister, my sister Yan and I are not as good as you in martial arts. Please help us with this."

Nineteen hurriedly helped him up: "How can I not help with my own sect's affairs?" She spoke to Xu Ziqing, but her eyes were on Shen Yuntan with a questioning look.

Shen Yuntan looked stunned and completely innocent.

Nineteen's heart softened. Even if it was the people from Jinhu Villa who did the bad thing, it had nothing to do with Shen Yuntan. How could she blame him? Just as she was about to say a few words of comfort, Shen Yuntan had already taken her hand: "Don't worry, I will definitely help you."

She looked up and smiled sweetly: "You good-for-nothing, although you're not a member of the martial arts world, you truly have a chivalrous heart!"

He scratched the back of his head and grinned憨厚ly: "Nineteen, I suddenly feel like having a drink. Could you go out and buy some?"

One thing after another happened, and Tang Shijiu was getting annoyed. But when he heard about drinking, he readily agreed and went out with a smile.

Seeing Tang Shijiu leave, Xu Ziqing bowed and took his leave, preparing to go get medicine for Gu Yan.

He had just stood up when he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. He saw that Shen Yuntan, who had been standing at the door just moments before, had somehow moved closer and was pressing his long fingers against his pulse point.

"You think you can fool me with this kind of blatant lie? You can get away with lying to me?"

That handsome face wore a gentle smile, yet his hands showed no mercy. Xu Ziqing trembled all over, her wrist bones aching as if they were about to shatter, unable to even utter a sound.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Turtle

Shen Yuntan tightened his grip on Xu Ziqing's wrist, forcing Xu to obediently follow him upstairs. To onlookers, unaware of the situation, the two appeared extremely intimate, walking hand-in-hand. Some of the more dissolute young men even entertained wicked thoughts. Shen Yuntan entered the room, closed the door, released his grip on Xu's wrist, took a handkerchief from his robes and wiped it as if it were stained with something unclean. He then sat down casually at the round table, took out a fan from his robes, pointed it at the teapot, and, as if instructing a servant, said, "Serve the tea."

Xu Ziqing was always proud and arrogant. He was someone who refused to admit defeat when he was at Xiaoyao Manor. How could he endure such humiliation? He snorted coldly and turned to leave.

He had just reached the doorway when suddenly his vision blurred, and he was pulled back to his original spot. The same thing happened again the next time he tried to walk there. What was truly terrifying was that Shen Yuntan remained seated, fanning himself, as if he hadn't moved at all.

"You sorcerer! Kill me!"

Shen Yun's martial arts skills were so superb that he was somewhat afraid.

"Demon?" Shen Yun stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That's a good nickname. Next time I meet Tianxiu, I'll have to change the order and give him that as a nickname. Nineteen will definitely be happy."

His enigmatic smile and silence were even more frightening to Xu Ziqing than any direct attack.

He has a harmless and handsome face, and his smile is completely non-threatening. Even the most sensitive baby wouldn't refuse his embrace. However, when Xu Ziqing looks at him, he feels a chill run down his spine.

What exactly do you want?

Shen Yun pointed to the teapot with his folding fan.

Xu Ziqing, disheartened, picked up the teapot and poured some tea haphazardly for him. Still seething with anger, he spilled quite a bit. Shen Yuntan flicked his folding fan, causing the teacup to flip through the air and splash directly onto Xu Ziqing's head and face. The tea in the teapot was freshly brewed by the child, scalding hot, directly burning Xu Ziqing, who, disregarding his image, cried out in pain, his fair face instantly covered in red blisters.

Xu Ziqing was furious and kept cursing, saying that a scholar can be killed but not humiliated, and that he would give her his life at worst.

Shen Yun looked at him with interest and smiled.

This man did possess some of the so-called noble and upright character, spouting righteousness and morality, yet he dared not step forward to draw his sword and fight to the death, nor would he commit suicide by cutting his own throat—if he were to truly lose his temper and take his own life, Shen Yuntan would have no choice but to save him to avoid upsetting Nineteen. Thinking of Nineteen, he couldn't help but smile knowingly.

Xu Ziqing shouted for a while, but seeing the eerie smile still on the other person's face, he became increasingly frightened and had no choice but to pick up the teapot and pour the tea carefully. This time, he was respectful and proper, even more attentive than when serving his master. You see, Xu Ziqing always felt that he came from a prestigious official family, and although he was grateful to Xie Dongsheng for saving his life, he always looked down on the people at Xiaoyao Manor. Occasionally, when he read those storybooks, he couldn't help but feel resentful.

If only I hadn't offended the emperor back then...

However, it remains just a hypothetical. No matter how noble Xu Ziqing's family background may be, he is still an orphan who survived by clinging to life.

Shen Yun blew on it, took a small sip, and squinted his eyes as if thoroughly enjoying himself. He closed his folding fan and gently patted his shoulder: "Give me a squeeze."

Xu Ziqing was unwilling and cursed Shen Yuntan's ancestors for eighteen generations, and even his nineteenth generation ancestors, but he was at a disadvantage and could only do whatever he wanted.

Shen Yuntan remained calm and casually said, "It's your junior sister who's been poisoned, not your master, right? You're trying to trick Nineteen into getting the antidote for you. You've got a good plan."

Seeing that Shen Yuntan was completely unprepared, Xu Ziqing was filled with malice. He formed a knife in his hand and slowly slashed towards the back of Shen Yuntan's neck. His movements were slow and silent, and Shen Yuntan seemed to feel nothing.

"You probably couldn't have come up with such an idea with a brain as dull as yours. It was probably your delicate junior sister who came up with it, wasn't it?"

The chop was blocked before it could strike, startling Xu Ziqing. He saw that the object, having blocked the chop, was rushing straight towards him. He was greatly shocked and tried to dodge, but the other hand on Shen Yuntan's shoulder seemed to be glued on, unable to move.

"Smack!" In the blink of an eye, Xu Ziqing screamed and fell backward, his face covered in blood.