Lanting

Chapitre 14

Just from what Liu Zhi said, I guessed the general idea.

None of the three were the proactive type, which was already enough to drive anyone crazy. To make matters worse, Yi Moran and Que Yue were both reserved, and then A Di got dragged into it… The two boys pursed their lips; this was going to be quite a spectacle, but they decided to give up any hope.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

When Queyue emerged from Yi Moran's room, a warm, damp breeze blew past, causing her clothes to flutter, but a strange emotion suddenly welled up within her. It was faint, yet seemed to be expanding, and also like a sense of loss.

When she turned around, Yi Moran was still at the door watching her leave, her smile faint, as light as a cloud, as distant as the sky.

She didn't understand what emotions she was feeling at that moment; they were completely foreign to her.

She even had a faint hope that Crescent Moon or Jin Dilu could be by her side; perhaps they both knew, perhaps they could tell her...

She took two steps silently and saw Adi waiting for her ahead. Unconsciously, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Adi paused slightly, walked over, and glanced in the direction of Yi Moran's room. She then resumed her gentle smile, "You've seen it?"

"Um."

"How can I help you?"

Queyue looked up to meet his gaze, and the warm sunlight shone on Adi's face, causing her to squint slightly.

"Adi, thank you."

Adi was taken aback again, "Why are you suddenly bringing this up..."

"It's nothing, it's just that I haven't thanked you for what you did for me, and for saving me..."

"You thanked me, didn't you?" Adi asked, puzzled. Queyue simply lowered her eyes and didn't answer. She had thanked him, but not sincerely. It seemed that only today did she clearly feel that he had saved her—that she was still alive. Really, alive in this world.

As Adi had predicted, the disciples of the brothel were released the next day, and the brothel was no longer so deserted. Now that the people were back, business had to resume. Unlike other brothels, the brothel was a music hall, renowned for its music. Its main purpose was to recruit disciples and teach musical skills. Many noblemen and their sons and daughters came to learn, or hired specialists to teach them at their homes. In addition, high-ranking officials and dignitaries would hold banquets there to enjoy music together, or invite the brothel's disciples to perform at their residences.

There are indeed those who bully others and harass others, but compared to other places like this, this place is much more peaceful and elegant.

In this respect, one has to admire Yi Moran's skill; she managed to lead a brothel to its current status, where no one can underestimate her.

The area in front of the hall gradually became lively, with people coming and going, while the backyard remained peaceful as usual. Yi Moran followed Queyue's arrangements and focused on recuperating, temporarily entrusting the affairs of the hall to others. She simply received Queyue's conditioning and Adi's treatment every day, and occasionally played the zither with the two of them to exchange musical skills.

The sight of the three enjoying themselves together in the garden attracted the attention of passing disciples. Liu Zhi was right: Queyue was wise and calm, Adi was kind and gentle, and Yi Guanzhu was gentle and steady. The three of them exuded similar yet different auras, and all of them were handsome people with elegant bearing that attracted attention. Sitting together, they were as harmonious as a painting.

Seeing this scene, the other disciples thought Liu Zhi was overthinking things. The three of them seemed destined to sit together, so how could they be involved in the mundane affairs of love and relationships? However, the gossipy Liu Zhi didn't think so. She insisted that since ancient times, when three men and women are together, one of them must be superfluous.

But who will this woman with her misty blue eyes ultimately choose?

The three people involved were naturally unaware of these many private rumors, yet they got along quite harmoniously.

She knew how to detoxify the poison in the owner's body, but since she didn't have the antidote made by Crescent Moon, it took quite a bit of effort. She prepared the medicinal herbs, discussed it with Adi, and then asked Liu Zhi to start a fire and boil water. She arranged the herbs in the wooden tub for bathing, heated the water, and invited the owner into the tub.

Yi Moran glanced at her with slight hesitation. Que Yue simply rolled up her sleeves, oblivious to why Yi Moran hadn't gone into the tub yet. When he smiled helplessly and prepared to take off his outer robe, Que Yue suddenly froze and hurriedly turned her back to face the door.

This is insane! Do you want to watch a man take off his clothes?

She had grown accustomed to watching Xinyue treat Xiao Jiu at the waterside pavilion, and recently, because Adi needed treatment for her injuries, she hadn't hesitated to do so. But Yi Moran was an unrelated person; how could she have overlooked even this?

Adi carried the firewood that needed to be added into the house and looked at Queyue with a puzzled expression. "Zhijin, what's wrong? Your face..."

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

Queyue waited quietly for a moment, then turned around, her face still expressionless, showing no sign of anything amiss.

Yi Moran had already taken off his shirt, leaving only his undergarments, and entered the tub. Adi was there to administer acupuncture, while Queyue provided guidance from the side, occasionally testing the water temperature. Her eyes were slightly lowered, her gaze fixed straight ahead, but when she was applying pressure to acupoints, she had to focus on Yi Moran's body. He looked very thin, but not frail; one could tell he had practiced martial arts and possessed a refined physique.

"Zhijin, come help me. I need to channel my internal energy into one of his acupoints. You can insert the needle while I'm doing this."

Queyue paused slightly, "But..." She did know how to insert the needle, but she had no experience in applying the right amount of force.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'll teach you."

Queyue nodded, took the silver needle, and slowly weighed it in her hand.

Yi Moran turned her head, a faint smile playing on her lips, and asked, "Are you nervous?"

The crescent moon shook its head slightly.

"Are you worried?"

Nod slightly.

"Then shouldn't I be more worried than you? If even I'm not worried, what are you worried about?"

Queyue's heart stirred slightly, and her expression relaxed. She understood that although he didn't offer explicit comfort, he was trying to put her at ease.

The one who gets pricked doesn't care, so what's the one who pricked worried about?

She nodded to Adi, whose gaze swept between the two of them before he began to explain the process to her. He then slowly channeled his inner energy into Yi Moran's body. He occasionally reminded Queyue when to insert the needles and how much force to use. Queyue's hand was not steady as she held the needles because of the injury to her tendons and bones, but she carefully confirmed the position and slowly inserted them.

The icy fingers touched Yi Moran's skin, which was burning hot from the steam. The temperature gradually transferred to her, and she did not avoid it because she knew what was important.

The treatment took quite some time. As Yi Moran was getting dressed, Queyue had already stepped outside the door, her back to him, and said, "The medicinal bath needs to be done every two days. Please, Master Yi, do not overwork yourselves these two days and try to rest as much as possible."

Yi Moran seemed to pause slightly, a faint, helpless smile playing on his lips, before slowly fastening his belt—the lingering touch of those delicate, cool fingers on his back, which he had thought would gradually fade, seemed destined to continue. He… didn't want to remember the temperature of those fingers.

Episodes 29-30

However, contrary to Yi Moran's expectations, when he entered the room specially prepared for treatment the next day, Adi was already waiting there, but Queyue was nowhere to be seen.

He smiled slightly and asked, "Is Young Master Di alone?"

"And me too!" Liu Zhi brought in firewood and busied herself helping Adi pour hot water into the wooden tub.

"You...?" He had no idea when Liu Zhi had learned medicine.

Adi smiled calmly, "Master, there's no need to worry. I already understand the treatment method. I just need Liu Zhi to help." He glanced at Yi Moran, his smile unchanged, and added, "Or would Master Yi prefer someone else?"

“Young Master Di, your words are rather inappropriate.” He retorted in a neither soft nor hard manner, without revealing any of his emotions.

Adi's gaze swept over his face, but she couldn't see through his thoughts. She smiled apologetically and said, "I misspoke."

He was well aware of the inappropriateness of his words, but since he had seen the impact this person had on brocade weaving, he had to find out his attitude.

Before he could finish dressing, a disciple rushed in and said, "Master! Master Rong has come to visit!"

Everyone in the room was stunned. Before Yi Moran and Adi could react, Liu Zhi had already shouted, "How dare he show his face here! What are those constables doing? Why haven't they locked him up yet?"

Yi Moran gave him a look to shut up, then put her clothes back on and said, "I'll go see him."

"Master Yi, I'll go with you."

Yi Moran glanced at Adi, nodded, and showed a hint of gratitude in her eyes.

The two of them walked toward the front hall, where Old Man Rong was already waiting. When he saw them arrive, his smile was as cheerful as ever, and there was no sign of any grudge between them.

"Brother Yi, Young Master Di, why did you suddenly leave without saying goodbye? I was worried that I might have neglected you."

"Master Rong." Yi Moran smiled, but it was a cold and indifferent smile. It wasn't that she couldn't play along and act as if nothing had happened, but she really had no mood for it when facing this old friend who had betrayed her.

"Brother Yi, I'm afraid Old Man Rong's arrival will keep you occupied for a few days." Old Man Rong's attitude was so natural that it made one doubt whether the truth they knew was the truth. However, Adi had heard it with his own ears, and Yi Moran had expected it, so seeing such a smiling face only made him feel extremely cold.

It's not surprising that people's hearts are like this, but it's truly lamentable that they can be so hypocritical and pretentious.

Little did he know, given the circumstances, why had he come here in the first place? But one cannot hit a smiling face. Even though they both knew the truth, they hadn't broken off all ties, so Yi Moran couldn't make a scene. He could only be more careful.

"Did Master Rong come alone?"

"Yes...it's truly heartbreaking. I don't know which deity we offended this year, but the dance troupe has suffered so many misfortunes. First, Xiao Tao did that kind of thing...and now, sigh..."

"But what happened at the dance hall?"

"I've come to tell you what happened at the dance hall." A voice suddenly rang out in the corridor, and a person walked into the room—it was none other than Constable Long!

"Captain Long, what are you doing..."

Yi Moran glanced at the young servant at the door. The servant looked quite aggrieved. As soon as Constable Long arrived, he rushed inside in a flurry, without having time to announce his arrival.

However, it's not surprising that Long Yan, the chief constable of Shuiyue City, would come here. But the fact that he and Master Rong are following so closely suggests that something might have happened.

Before Long Yan had even stood still, he said, "Two days ago, the dance hall caught fire, and most of the disciples perished in the flames—Master Rong, although this matter is tentatively classified as an [accident], it is rather heartless of you to leave so quickly without staying to assist in the investigation."

"Captain Long, the man is already dead. Even if I stayed, I would only be reminded of him by his belongings, which would only increase my sorrow. Since it has been determined to be an accident, what is the point of me staying there?"

The three people here all know the truth. If Master Rong could abandon Xiao Tao, why couldn't he abandon the dance troupe? This fire happened suspiciously, and most of the dead were Master Rong's close disciples, especially the seven girls in different colored dresses. Three of them had already died before, and none of them escaped this time.

Unfortunately, even though Long Yan knew something was amiss, he couldn't find any evidence to support his claim. Upon hearing that he had dismissed the surviving disciples and left alone, Long Yan immediately gave chase.

Why is Old Man Rong staring so intently at the owner of the clothing store? What is he trying to do?

Old Rong gave a bitter laugh. "Now I'm all alone. If Brother Yi doesn't take me in, I'll have nowhere to go."

These words left no room for refusal, so Yi Moran could only reply, "Not at all, how could I possibly do that? Please allow Master to stay at Qinlou with peace of mind."

He glanced at Ah Di, and they both understood that only by keeping Master Rong around could they find out what he was really thinking. They should both keep a close eye on him.

"If Constable Long doesn't mind, please stay at Qin Lou for a few days."

"Alright!" Long Yan readily agreed, even forgetting to thank him, eager for an excuse to stay and see what other tricks Old Man Rong had up his sleeve. He glanced at Yi Moran and Adi, "Where's Miss Duan...?"

Adi smiled and replied, "You mean Zhijin? She's here, but she's been working too hard these past few days and is still resting."

“Oh…” Long Yan didn’t seem to care much… but he might have been a little concerned—Zhijin? Was that her real name? So she no longer dressed as a man, but he wondered what she would look like.

When no one was paying attention, Master Yi walked up to Adi and whispered, "I have arranged for Master Rong's room to be next to yours. I wonder if Young Master Di has any objections?"

Adi understood that his actions stemmed from his trust in him. Although he wanted to avoid trouble, he wouldn't refuse to help when it came to a pressing matter. Besides, even if he didn't want trouble, it might not be entirely unrelated to him.

The owner of the clothing store arranged for Master Rong's room to be next to Adi's, with Constable Long on the other side. Master Rong was sandwiched between the two rooms. Despite such an obvious arrangement, Master Rong showed no displeasure whatsoever.

However, for the sake of propriety, Queyue, who was originally next to Adi, was moved to next to Yiguanzhu.

Queyue was packing her things; she didn't have much to begin with—just two pieces of clothing and some medicine that Adi had given her. She looked up and saw Adi leaning against the door, watching her with gentle eyes.

She was momentarily confused by his gaze. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to say... I, Constable He Long, need to keep an eye on Master Rong. Even though you have Master Yi's help, you still need to take good care of yourself."

Queyue became increasingly confused. Why did these words sound like they were so worried about her? It was just a matter of moving from the front of the courtyard to the back; they were still in the same courtyard and would see each other all the time.

So she could only casually reply, "I know, I understand..."

"You're the one who doesn't know how to take care of yourself!" Adi said with a hint of helplessness. Yes, this woman was so intelligent, wise, calm, and sensible, but she just didn't know how to take care of herself at all. Ever since he found her, he had been supervising her daily life during her recovery period and had never let her out of his sight.