Aquí hay amor por trescientos taeles

Capítulo 41

The two chatted idly in the courtyard that day. When they mentioned that Sima Liuyun had gone to Fujian to look for Wanwan and wondered what the outcome would be, Yunran was lost in thought for a moment and sighed softly, "I just hope that Brother Sima will find Wanwan soon. I also want to see them again." Thinking that she might not have the chance to see the two of them one last time, even though she was usually calm and open-minded, a hint of sadness appeared in her eyes.

Qi Mo felt a pang of sadness. He pulled her close from behind, cupped her hands in his palms, and gently kissed the tip of her hair. He said softly, "Alright, when we get married on the eighth of next month, we'll invite them over." He paused, then added, "I'm leaving tomorrow morning to accompany... Marquis Chang Le to pay respects at my mother's grave. I'll leave you here alone... you..."

Hearing his somber tone, Yun Ran knew what was on his mind and smiled, "You'll be back in a day or two anyway. With Xie Feng and Shen Ye here to keep watch, what are you worried about?" She turned to look at Qi Mo's expression and comforted him, "Actually, I feel much better these past few days. You can go without worry."

Qi Mo stared intently and saw that the black aura on her forehead seemed to have faded a bit. He nodded with a smile, but his heart was filled with doubt and unease: Ranran had not taken the antidote, so there was no reason for the poison in her body to have weakened. Could it be that the poison had changed in some way? Still worried, he gave Yun Ran another Black Clam Snow Lotus Pill that night, held her anxiously, and slept through the night before reluctantly leaving at dawn.

After seeing Qi Mo off, Yun Ran felt a bit bored during the day without his company. She drank a bowl of bird's nest porridge sent by the kitchen and lay on the bed, half asleep and half awake, when she suddenly felt a figure flash past the window.

A thought struck her, and she got up and pushed open the door. She caught a glimpse of a figure in a blue dress hurrying out of the courtyard. She quickly followed, only to find Xie Feng standing guard outside with his arms crossed. He paused slightly when he saw her and asked, "Miss Yun, are you going out?"

Yun Ran asked, "Who came here just now?"

Xie Feng looked surprised and slowly shook his head.

Yun Ran knew that Xie Feng had been guarding outside the courtyard, and anyone entering or leaving through this gate would not escape his notice. After a moment's thought, she said to him sheepishly, "I must have been half asleep." Then she turned and went back into her room.

As night fell, the entire mansion was silent. Suddenly, a shadowy figure flashed in the southwest corner of the outer courtyard, and the wooden door of the kitchen was silently pushed open a little, allowing a person to quietly slip inside.

The man seemed very familiar with the place. He quietly crept up to the stove in the darkness and was about to make a move when he suddenly felt a flash of light. Someone had already lit a tinderbox behind him. He was slightly startled and immediately turned around.

Yun Ran stood quietly in the corner, her eyes filled with surprise, and said in a low voice, "I should have realized that the only one who could make Xie Feng cover up his actions while spying from outside the window is you. So... so you didn't die at Baique Temple. Xie Feng saved you."

The flickering flames cast shifting light and shadow on the person's face, making it appear and disappear. She stood frozen in place, listening to Yun Ran's words, her lips pressed tightly together, and she gave a cold snort. She was none other than A Luo, who had already been executed by Qi Mo.

Yun Ran couldn't help but recall that on the day Qi Mo went to exchange for the antidote, she had seen a very familiar figure from behind. Later, Xie Feng chased after her, and Wanwan then appeared, so she no longer suspected anything. Now that she thought about it, that person was undoubtedly A Luo.

She stared at A Luo's pale and beautiful face for a moment, and slowly said, "Since you were lucky enough to escape with your life, why did you come back? Aren't you afraid that Qi Mo will find out and investigate you for giving Wen Huaifeng the poison?"

A Luo trembled, lowered her eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, "Could you please not tell him? It will implicate Xie Feng."

Yun Ran deliberately sneered, "You sneaked into this place in the dead of night, aren't you afraid of implicating Xie Feng?"

A voice sighed softly from outside the door, "Miss Yun, please don't blame me. This silly girl wanted to save you." As soon as the voice fell, Xie Feng walked in from outside the door. His eyes, which were usually full of smiles, now showed a solemn expression.

He walked to A'Luo's side and whispered, "After she recovered from her injuries that day, she learned about the exchange of antidotes and rushed over to stop it. But she was too late; the chief had already gone to the Marquis's mansion. Later, A'Luo, fearing that you would find out, begged me to let her hide in the house and secretly put the prepared antidote into your food every day. Now most of the poison in your body has been removed, and you will be fully recovered in a few days."

He looked at Yun Ran and smiled slightly: "I noticed you were suspicious during the day and told you to leave quickly, but she said there was one last dose of detoxifying medicine tonight. Who knew that I couldn't hide it from you in the end."

Yun Ran had long felt that the poison in her body seemed to have stopped rising recently, and only now did she realize the reason. After a moment of stunned silence, she couldn't help but ask, "Don't you hate me to the bone? Why did you come to save me?"

A Luo frowned but did not answer. She only said, "Since you have already found out, I don't need to go through any more trouble. Here you go." With that, she tossed a porcelain bottle over.

Yun Ran reached out and took it. A Luo turned around and whispered, "If you're willing to let me go, then never reveal this matter." With that, she slipped out of the room and disappeared into the night.

※※※※

Half a month later.

Inside a secret room in the Chang Le Marquis's residence.

Yun Ran stood beside Qi Mo, looking at the jade sculpture of a beautiful woman and sighed, "Your mother was truly beautiful, no wonder..."

Qi Mo hummed in agreement and slowly said, "The name of the Absolute Killing Sect's 'Jade Luo Demon Blade' had already resounded throughout the martial arts world before she was married. In order to help my master find that treasure, she deliberately got close to Qin... got close to him, but who knew that she would be trapped in the Marquis's mansion because of this, ruining her own and my master's lives."

Yun Ran was silent for a moment, then reached out and grasped Qi Mo's hand, whispering, "Do you still hate him?"

Qi Mo lowered his eyelids slightly and said calmly, "It's not a matter of hatred or not. I was raised by my master since I was a child, and Lord Qin is just a stranger to me. As for Ling Shang, I didn't expect that he would still remember the kindness of his mother in raising him. After Qin Luo mentioned the ring, he decided to help me."

Yun Ran pondered and said, "This man is cunning and secretly keeps a group of assassins. Before he knew your identity, he was probably just pretending to cooperate with Wen Huaifeng, intending to use him to suppress Marquis Chang Le and avenge Lady Yu Luo."

Qi Mo raised an eyebrow and said, "Hmm, if Qin Luo hadn't been so unambitious and his actions were so despicable to Ling Shang, I'm afraid he wouldn't have resorted to such a desperate measure and gone to that point."

Yun Ran frowned slightly when he mentioned Qin Luo.

Qi Mo put his arm around her and said softly, "This kid is now a cripple, so don't be angry with me for what happened back then."

Yun Ran pouted and said, "I don't have the time to be annoyed with you. I just think that it's actually quite pitiful that Old Marquis Qin has three sons but none of them are willing to acknowledge him."

Qi Mo coughed and said, "Putting that aside, he spent most of his life guarding the treasure, and he was extremely loyal to your Wu family."

Yun Ran raised an eyebrow and glanced at Qi Mo with a half-smile, saying, "Now that you have the Imperial Seal in your hands, if you acknowledge him, the old man might be so pleased that he'll tell you where the treasure is."

Qi Mo looked at her with a deep gaze, his eyes full of amusement. Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed her lips, laughing, "You're testing me again. Since you don't want to touch this treasure, I naturally won't have any more interest in it. Do you think I, Qi Mo, am such a greedy person?"

Yun Ran was secretly delighted, but deliberately pursed her lips and said leisurely, "A few days ago, when I handed the Broken Lin Sword to Senior Brother Huo and asked him to pass on my position to Junior Nephew Chu Yan, I don't know who was sighing and lamenting, so reluctant to part with it."

Qi Mo raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Since you enjoy continuing to use 'Rouge Blood One-Point Kill,' the two of us can join forces in the future. Even without treasure, we can still make a fortune. Besides, I already have you, aren't I satisfied?"

He looked at Yun Ran's clear and rosy cheeks, the faint black aura on her forehead now completely gone, and couldn't help but wonder again, "I still can't understand how this poison could have been cured on its own for no reason?"

Yun Ran smiled slightly and turned her head, saying, "Even someone as shrewd as Chief Qi has things he can't understand? Perhaps I'm exceptionally gifted, or perhaps Heaven couldn't bear to see my Wu clan perish. So, Chief Qi, are you convinced now?"

Qi Mo stroked his chin, his smile ambiguous: "Of course, I've long since surrendered to Ranran." He squinted at Yun Ran's giggling, but always felt that there was a hint of cunning in her smile. He secretly made up his mind: Anyway, there's plenty of time in the future, and I must get this secret out of her before I die.

The two turned and left the secret room hand in hand, with voices faintly heard coming from the hidden passage:

“I have received a reply from Sima Liuyun, saying that he will set off in the next couple of days and will definitely arrive before our big day.”

"And what about Wanwan?"

What do you think?

"Lord Huo, please remain in the Marquis's residence to administer acupuncture to Qin Luo. Don't forget to reserve a seat for him at the main guest table."

"Of course. In fact, he has some connection with both of us. He's also quite gloomy. If we hadn't invited him, he might have found a chance to cause trouble for me someday."

"...Since we've invited him, why not invite Lord Qin as well? He is, after all, your father, and he has some connection with my family, so he is also my elder."

"Well, I'll naturally listen to you about the marriage, but you'll have to listen to me when we're in the bridal chamber tonight..."

—End of main text

Author's Note: Just a heads up, there will be two updates today, and there will be a bonus chapter later.

☆、68 Latest Chapter

As the sun sets, the tranquil valley is filled with the sweet fragrance of trees.

Along the way, flowers were just beginning to bloom, and the scenery was delightful. However, Sima Liuyun had no time to appreciate it. He kept urging his lightness skill on, almost as if he were riding the wind, just wanting to get to the riverbank as soon as possible.

His months-long, relentless search seemed to have become an obsession. Every night, she was destitute and alone, yet her unwavering devotion to him was something he couldn't bear to abandon. But it seemed there was more to it than that.

He still clearly remembers her mischievous and lively black eyes and the faint, alluring smile on her lips when they first met.

During their shared hardships, when she changed his dressings and wiped his body, her eyes were bloodshot and her face was haggard and disheveled. He saw this, but found it extremely gentle and pleasing.

Upon hearing about her background and seeing her humiliated, he felt a pang of sorrow in his heart, which made him step forward to protect her without hesitation, even at the cost of being condemned by his fellow martial arts practitioners.

Wanwan was different for him after all.

Sima Liuyun's brows relaxed, and suddenly he heard the sound of flowing water ahead. He walked up the small hill to the top and felt a surge of joy.

A small river meandered through the forest, surrounded by towering ancient trees. The last rays of the setting sun dappled through the gaps in the overlapping branches and leaves. In the dim light, a body as smooth as snow could be vaguely seen before it vanished into the river.

Although Sima Liuyun only caught a glimpse of her, he could clearly see that the woman with the ink-black hair and exquisite figure was indeed Wanwan, and at this moment she was completely naked. He felt a surge of heat rush to his cheeks, and his face immediately turned red.

Just as he was at a loss, he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his forehead; a pebble had hit him. The pebble flew without any force, and Sima Liuyun, in his daze, didn't even notice it. Then he heard Wanwan's silvery laughter, her voice languid, as she said seductively, "Hey, kid hiding in the shadows, if you want to see, just come out and look to your heart's content. Why hide like that?"

Wanwan had deliberately avoided Sima Liuyun that day, unaware of Granny Shi's letter. After arriving at Bat Valley with the Ghost Bat couple, she believed she would never see Sima Liuyun again in this life, and spent her days in seclusion, suffering the torment of unrequited love. Just now, she inadvertently glimpsed someone peeping at her bathing through the shadows of the trees on the slope. Enraged and fearing that this lecherous man would escape, she deliberately used a seductive voice to lure him closer before making her move, also determined to take this opportunity to vent the resentment that had accumulated in her heart for days.

Seeing the figure standing still, neither approaching nor fleeing, seemingly still hesitating, she suddenly poked half her body out of the water, her breasts partially exposed, and gently stretched out her arms to rest on the riverbank. She raised her hand to smooth her long hair, her smiling eyes filled with endless charm: "What are you afraid of? This young lady won't eat you."

The figure on the slope hesitated for a moment, then finally leaped out from the bushes.

Wanwan had been waiting for this moment. She sneered and threw out a handful of gravel. This time, the wind was strong and the gravel was thrown with great force, aiming directly at several vital points on the man's body.

But then the man reached out and grabbed at the air a few times, collecting all the pebbles in his palm. Without stopping, he swept to the riverbank in an instant.

Wanwan stared blankly at the suddenly appearing Sima Liuyun, momentarily stunned, and after a long while stammered, "What, what, it's you?"

Sima Liuyun's handsome face flushed slightly. His gaze paused in front of her, then he hurriedly turned to the side and stammered, "If it wasn't me, who else could it be?"

Wanwan remembered that she had just been naked outside and that he had probably seen everything. She was suddenly overcome with shame and wanted to swim into the river.

Sima Liuyun said urgently, "If you try to escape again, I'll jump into the river and catch you."

Wanwan's face flushed red. She spat and said in a trembling voice, "Sima Liuyun, you peeked at me and dare to threaten me like this. You are truly shameless." In the end, she still didn't dare to run away and could only desperately submerge herself in the water.

Sima Liuyun lowered his eyes and said, "I'm afraid you'll run away again." He composed himself, then raised his eyes again, his tone solemn: "Wanwan, stop avoiding me, come back with me."

felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She bit her lip and said resolutely, "What's the point of going back with you? You can't stand me killing people, and you don't like me lying. When I'm with you, I'll only make you angry and put you in a difficult position... Anyway, Granny Shi has already agreed to take me in. I'm living a carefree life in Bat Valley. You don't have to worry about me being alone anymore. Just go back to Sichuan and continue being your hero Sima. I'll continue being my demoness. We'll have nothing to do with each other from now on, wouldn't that be..." As she finished speaking, her voice trembled uncontrollably, and she felt a lump in her throat, unable to continue.

Sima Liuyun squatted down, looking at her slowly, and said, "If I protect you from now on and never let anyone bully you again, would you still have to kill someone?" Wanwan met his gentle gaze, her heart ached, and she pouted with tears in her eyes. Sima Liuyun continued, "Lying is indeed not a good thing. Hmm, if you stop lying from now on, I'll give you lots and lots of silver, more than you could earn from all that lying, like this..."

Wanwan's eyes welled up with tears, and she finally couldn't hold back her sobs, saying, "Sima Liuyun, I, Wanwan, am not the kind of greedy person you think I am!"

Sima Liuyun smiled slightly, his eyes clear and honest, and said in a low voice, "Of course I know you're not that kind of person. Wanwan, when I'm with you, I don't just feel angry and troubled, I also feel pity and joy." Seeing Wanwan's eyelashes tremble slightly, he continued softly, "Back then, you risked your life to save me several times, and took meticulous care of me when I was injured. I remember all of that. Later, when I heard you say you liked me outside the inn, I... I wasn't entirely without feelings either. Seeing you being bullied by that villain Su Rang, I wished I could tear him to pieces."

He saw two teardrops still clinging to Wanwan's delicate cheeks as she stared blankly at him. He pursed his lips, reached out to wipe away her tears, and said gently, "We haven't known each other for very long, and we don't really know each other well, but I've already developed feelings for you. I'm thinking of having you come back with me so we can get to know each other. If we're truly compatible, why should we care about what others think? At worst, we can live a secluded life in the mountains, a truly carefree existence..."

Wanwan's heart was filled with excitement, and tears fell like beads from a broken string. She sobbed, "No, you just promised to give me lots and lots of silver. I don't want to go to some remote mountain retreat to live in seclusion." As she spoke, she couldn't help but sneeze, and tears streamed down her face. She looked disheveled, but her eyes and face were already filled with smiles.