Anti-Bone Scarlet Song

Chapitre 3

"We need to arrange more patrols in the manor these next few days." Jun Ye'an looked up at the sky outside the window and instructed, "The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. For now, we should just wait quietly. They will definitely make another move. I'm afraid that Lady Wangyun's death in the few days since I returned to the manor was aimed at me."

Cang Qianlang's expression hardened, and he sighed, "Young Master, this time, we don't know what our adversary... wants."

Jun Ye'an's smile remained ambiguous: "You'll find out soon enough."

He spoke of it very casually, while outside the window, dark clouds loomed low, and a snowstorm seemed imminent.

Chapter Three

It was several days later when Chu Xia saw the young master again.

Thanks to proper care, her arms had long since healed, but she often had nightmares when she recalled the horrific scene of that night. One day, she was strolling in the garden with her maids when she saw several people walking towards her from the waterside pavilion.

"They seem to be a young master and his guests." Chu Xia glanced at them from afar, looked around, and then pulled her companion to hide among the artificial hills behind the path.

Just as Young Master Ye An was about to see the young master of the Di family in Luoyang off, he walked to the rockery while chatting and laughing. He glanced at it seemingly casually, then continued chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened.

The footsteps faded into the distance. Chu Xia emerged, smiling and patting her chest: "Let's go."

The garden of the Jun Mansion is called "Shu Garden". It was built by the old master based on the garden landscape painting that the painting master Dang Feng was most proud of. The paths follow the ups and downs of the garden, sometimes passing through lakes and sometimes entering bamboo forests. It is truly a painting that is like a landscape, and a landscape that is like a painting. When people walk in the garden, they can't tell whether what they see is a landscape or a painting.

"Early Summer, Early Summer!" Someone hurried up behind. "Early Summer! The young master wants you to go to the study."

Chu Xia stopped in her tracks and asked in surprise, "Young Master, are you looking for me?"

"Young master, Chu Xia has arrived."

Chu Xia gently pushed open the door and saw Young Master Ye An leaning against the couch, holding a book in his hand, looking relaxed.

This young master is truly as bright as a pearl, captivating all who look at him.

Chu Xia bowed respectfully and called out, "Young Master."

"Are you feeling better?" The young master shifted his gaze from the book to the girl who had her head down and eyes lowered.

"Alright." Chu Xia glanced at the young master furtively, feeling a strange sense of unease for some reason.

The young master said nothing more, only asked her to stand over, reached out to check her pulse, and nodded, saying, "She's better now."

Chu Xia blushed slightly and whispered, "There was nothing wrong to begin with."

She was about to push him away a few steps, but the young master still held her wrist tightly, his slightly cool fingers gently sliding down and probing into Chu Xia's palm.

"Young Master!" Chu Xia exclaimed in surprise, looking up at the young master's ambiguous smile, her cheeks flushing even more. "Young Master... Chu Xia is not a frivolous person..."

"If you are not a frivolous person, then I am?" Young Master Ye An smiled gently, turned her palm over, and gently rubbed it in his own hand, still unwilling to let go.

"Even though I am a servant, I cannot allow you to treat me so lightly, young master!" Chu Xia almost cried, her voice growing louder and louder, "Young master, please let me go!"

"These calluses on your hands, they must be newly formed?" the young master asked, releasing her.

"What?" Chu Xia was relieved and took several steps back, her little face full of vigilance, as if she was about to turn around and run away.

"Your ten fingers are slender and tender, and even calluses are a sign of new life." Young Master Ye An concluded calmly, "You are not used to being a servant."

“When my father was alive, everything was fine at home. Later, my father fell seriously ill, and the family fortunes declined. Before he died, he instructed me to sell the family property and come to Cangzhou to find my relatives.” Chu Xia frowned, perhaps sensing that the young master was not being disrespectful to her, and her expression gradually calmed down. “I came to Cangzhou a year ago, and my travel expenses gradually ran out. In the end, I went hungry for several days. Just then, the Jun family was recruiting people, so… I signed that contract of indenture.”

"What kind of marriage are you looking for?" the young master asked slowly, taking a sip of tea.

The fading rosy clouds instantly reappeared. Chu Xia pursed her lips and whispered, "The family of my betrothed since childhood."

The young master put down his teacup and smiled, "Now that you can't find her and have signed a contract of servitude with my Jun family, you might as well be a good maid."

Chu Xia lowered her watery eyes and nodded almost imperceptibly: "Yes."

"Was your wife kind to you when she was alive?"

“Madam was very kind to me.” Chu Xia’s nose tingled slightly. “She didn’t let me do anything, just things like tying her hair… I was very sad to see her die like this.”

"Then do you know who Madam associates with most often in the mansion?"

“There’s hardly anyone around,” Chu Xia frowned. “She hardly ever goes out of the garden.”

"Hmm..." Jun Ye'an pursed his thin lips slightly and handed the book in his hand to Chu Xia, "Can you read?"

"Huh?" Chu Xia nodded subconsciously.

"Read me a passage."

In early summer, she turned a page, cleared her throat, and read aloud: "If you go against the spring qi, the lesser yang will not grow, and the liver qi will change internally. If you go against the summer qi, the greater yang will not grow, and the heart qi will be internally deficient. If you go against the autumn qi, the greater yin will not be gathered, and the lung qi will be scorched and full. If you go against the winter qi, the lesser yin will not be stored, and the kidney qi will sink alone. The yin and yang of the four seasons are the root of all things. Therefore, the sages nourish yang in spring and summer, and nourish yin in autumn and winter..."

In the stillness of the room, the sounds of early summer were crisp and melodious, like orioles on branches or raindrops on banana leaves, captivating all who heard them. Young Master Ye An's expression softened further.

When Chu Xia read this, she secretly glanced at the young master's expression and saw him nod slightly, so she said, "Young master, is that enough?"

“Not bad. You can read and write, and you can punctuate. You’re more than qualified to be a maid in my study,” said Young Master Ye’an. “From today onwards, you will serve in my study.”

“…Yes.” Chu Xia took a moment to react and quickly nodded.

"Then grind the ink for me."

Jun Ye'an stood up, his white fur coat slipping off his shoulder onto the couch, but he didn't care and just walked forward.

Chu Xia hurried to the table, rolled up her sleeves, and began grinding ink in circles.

This is a fine inkstone, the ink is rich and thick but not sticky.

Gongzi Ye'an's fingertips were long and slender. With a slight movement of his wrist, his mind moved as he wrote, and his handwriting was as smooth as flowing water, yet with excellent strength and structure.

Chu Xia withdrew her hand and stood silently to the side.

From her perspective, the young master's posture while holding the brush was very serene, with a gentle smile on his lips, as if he were a noble young master from some family who loved only poetry and painting in his life... Could such a person be the one in the rumors of the martial arts world?

The man in the legend possessed an incomparably sharp Yuyang sword, capable of killing a man in ten steps;

The man in the legend is said to be unparalleled in his political and intellectual prowess, and there is no mystery in the martial arts world that he cannot solve.

The man in the rumors was dressed in light fur and rode a spirited horse; he was incomparably handsome and had stirred the hearts of countless young girls.

The person from the rumors was now right in front of him, within reach.

Young Master Ye An was naturally unaware of what the people around him were thinking. After pondering for a moment, he wrote "Miss Di's opinion" on the sealed desk before letting out a soft sigh of relief.

"Oh, it's addressed to Miss Di of Luoyang." Chu Xia's heart stirred slightly, but then she heard the young master instruct, "Take it to the servant at the gate. Tell him it's being delivered to the Di residence in Luoyang."

She responded and handed the door to the servant. Just as she was hesitating whether to go back in, she heard the young master's voice from inside the room: "What are you doing standing outside?"

She quickly pushed the door open and went in, still standing beside him, without saying a word.

"Did I put you in this study to be a bonsai?" Young Master Ye An looked up from among the books, his gaze fixed on Chu Xia, and asked calmly.

"I...I'm afraid of disturbing you, young master." Chu Xia opened her mouth slightly, her tone somewhat incredulous, "Then what does the young master want me to do?"

"Can you read between the lines? When you're free, you chat; when you're busy, you grind ink and serve tea. Can you do that?"

Chu Xia stammered for a moment, then said dejectedly, "Young Master, this is too difficult. I might overstep my bounds all the time, and then you'll blame me."

"I don't blame you now." The young master smiled. "Tell me, what family did your father betroth you to?"

"I... don't want to talk about it." Chu Xia pouted, somewhat unwillingly, "This is my private matter."

Young Master Ye An chuckled, though he didn't know why he enjoyed teasing the girl so much. As for appearance, the girl wasn't exceptionally beautiful, just pretty. Her only outstanding feature was her eyes: when silent, they were as still as autumn water; yet when she spoke, they were lively and spirited. Clear and bright, they were captivating at the slightest touch.

After exchanging a few words, Chu Xia felt less reserved and boldly asked, "Young master, I would like to ask you something."

"Hmm?" The young master drew out the last syllable of his voice, his tone slightly languid.

"Young master, you wiped out the villains in Ganliang Road, didn't you?"

Young Master Ye An raised his eyes, slightly surprised: "How did you know?"

“I once overheard people arguing in a teahouse. Some said that you had wiped out bandits in Ganliang, while others said that you had solved a strange case in Huzhou.” Chu Xia smiled gently. “But I know that you must have gone to Ganliang.”

These two matters were indeed the talk of the martial arts world, but Young Master Ye An never explained them, leaving them to be discussed by others. Only his confidants, such as Cang Qianlang, knew the truth. Hearing Chu Xia's words now, he couldn't help but feel curious.

"It's very simple. Young master, that day you rushed back through the night and covered me with that white fur coat—later I looked closely and it was full of yellow sand. If you came from Huzhou Prefecture, a water town, how could you be covered in sand like that?"

Young Master Ye An's eyes showed a hint of approval, but he only smiled ambiguously and said, "Little girl, you think you're so clever."

"Well?"

“The bandits are fierce and I need to deal with them personally; as for the unsolved case in Huzhou Prefecture, as long as I write a letter and offer some advice, someone will naturally clean up the mess.”

"So...so you did all of this?"

Gongzi Ye'an did not deny that Chu Xia's surprised expression made him feel very comfortable.

"Young master, the head steward is waiting at the door."

Young Master Ye An stopped joking and his expression gradually returned to normal: "Come in."

When Cang Qianlang saw Chu Xia, he was taken aback and looked at the young master with a questioning gaze. But the young master casually said, "I'll use this girl. She can grind ink and make tea for me."

He quickly replied, "Yes."

When Chu Xia saw him, her face paled slightly, and she unconsciously crossed her arms and moved a few steps behind him.

He gave a bitter smile: "Do you still hold a grudge against me? I am truly sorry for what happened that day. Since you are unwilling to forgive me, and I, as the steward, feel guilty and have no way to repay you, I can only bring you that indenture... Miss, you—"

Chu Xia's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she was about to reply when the young master casually interrupted, "Qian Lang, are you trying to use my Jun family to curry favor?"

Cang Qianlang hurriedly said, "Yes, I was confused."

Upon hearing that there was no hope of redeeming her, Chu Xia couldn't help but grumble to herself—didn't everyone in the martial arts world say that the young master was incredibly righteous? He could easily spend a fortune... How come he's being so stingy now?

Her eyes darted around, and she whispered a reminder: "Head Steward, you feel guilty, but you can't decide to burn my indenture, so I won't blame you... However, you can also pay for my redemption..."

This was the first time Young Master Ye An had seen Cang Qianlang with a blank expression. He couldn't help but find it amusing, but he casually glanced back at Chu Xia and said indifferently, "Your price is up to me to decide. I'm afraid even Steward Cang can't redeem you."

Cang Qianlang quickly replied, "Yes."

Chu Xia was inevitably disappointed and stood at the back without saying a word, but then she heard Cang Qianlang say, "Young Master, the Wuren Escort Agency has sent someone to deliver a message, saying that they will arrive at the Jun residence at dusk to deliver several items of goods."

"An unmanned escort agency?" Young Master Ye An repeated softly.

In the martial arts world, "Nobody Escort Agency" is the number one escort agency. Although the name "Nobody" is strange, its meaning is simple: even if there is not a single person in this escort agency, as long as its reputation exists, no one will dare to make a move.

"It was personally escorted here by the eldest son of the escort agency. Young master... did you entrust him with something precious?"

“No.” Young Master Ye An stood up, a slight smile on his lips. “You see, Qian Lang, I’m afraid some things… came uninvited.”

When the unmanned escort agency's caravan entered Cangzhou City, it was so large that it almost blocked half of the city gate.

The master of the Jun residence was an old acquaintance of Wu Renqing, the eldest son of the escort agency, so he greeted him at the gate. Seeing the colorful flags fluttering in the distance, he couldn't help but smile and said to Cang Qianlang, "The escort agency's delivery of goods is quite lively these days."