Seeing that their inquiries yielded no results, the martial arts figures grew impatient and spoke rather rudely: "Master Luo, I respected you as a man of integrity, but how could you treat our sect's treasures like this? It seems this Luo Manor is nothing but a facade."
Upon hearing this, Old Man Luo's face turned pale, but he forced himself to say, "This was my oversight, but something that has never happened before has actually occurred today. It must be the work of a human being!"
"What do you mean by that, Master?" The master, who had lost his treasure, was somewhat angry.
Before he could finish speaking, the fat, effeminate man with a grim face ran out, his flabby flesh jiggling as he approached Old Man Luo.
"Master, master, something terrible has happened! Five of the treasures in that room have been stolen!" The man's face flushed red, and his voice was urgent.
"What?!" The people sitting and watching the play stood up, their voices tense, fearing that their treasures had been stolen.
Old Man Luo was tempted to kill this man, but he didn't realize that he shouldn't say it out loud in this situation; it would be a slap in my face.
"Hehe," I covered my mouth and chuckled. I didn't expect this effeminate guy to be so stupid and clumsy. He actually kicked me at this moment. Old Man Luo's face looked so bad. It seems he really has met his match. The show is getting even more interesting.
"Xue'er" pulled my hand away and gave me a warning look.
Oh right, I can't laugh now, or I'll give myself away. But I've put those treasures in a really good place, you know. Thinking about it, I felt secretly pleased.
The people below began to shout, looking at the old man with dissatisfaction.
Old Man Luo, with a slight headache, gritted his teeth and said, "Bring out all those treasures and let everyone identify them, see what's missing."
After everyone acknowledged the loss, they learned which five treasures had been lost: Lord Luo's Moon Mirror, the Crystal, the Qilin Jade from an unknown gang, the Ningxiang Pill from one of the Five Villages, and the Night-Shining Pearl from the Mu Gang.
Those who found the treasure breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their seats to watch how Old Man Luo would handle this charade.
"Master Luo, how do you explain this?" Even a good-tempered person couldn't help but feel annoyed. What kind of situation is this? The truth is nowhere to be found.
"This, everyone, I will definitely give you an explanation," Old Man Luo said, suppressing his anger and bowing respectfully.
"Master Luo, forget about explanations, today I just want to know where my treasure is!" How could the master of one of the Five Manors miss this opportunity to strike at Master Luo?
"As you all know, my treasures have also been stolen. I'm very anxious. Could you please give me some time to find out who had the audacity to steal from my estate?" He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, as if I were the thief. (Author's note: You are. Zi Xue's words: Be more discreet. Besides, what I did wasn't stealing, it was taking.)
I tucked my hair behind my ear, rested my head on Jue's shoulder, and looked at Old Man Luo with a slight smile. Jue reached out and patted my head, as if to comfort me.
After hearing what Old Man Luo said, everyone exchanged glances and decided that now was not the time to escalate the conflict with Master Luo. They nodded to Old Man Luo and said, "Since Master Luo has said so, we won't make a fuss any longer. If Master Luo hasn't found the treasure of that manor in three days, it won't be a matter of just a few words."
It's time. I glanced at the door outside and heard footsteps. My smile widened. "Old Luo, let's see how you handle the next problem."
(Everyone, I have my final exams coming up, and I know I'll be updating very slowly. I'll speed up my updates after the exams, so please bear with me for the next three or four days. I'm so sorry.)
Chapter Sixty-Seven
A servant rushed up to Old Man Luo's steward and mumbled something unintelligible. The steward's face suddenly turned pale with fear, and he waved for the servant to leave.
The butler, looking displeased, ran to Old Man Luo and whispered something in his ear. Before he could finish, Madam Luo and Miss Luo suddenly rushed out, shouting in a panic, "Master! Master!" "Father! Father!"
She was already upset about her child being stolen, and now that they were causing trouble, she felt even worse, and her tone was also unpleasant: "What are you yelling about? What kind of behavior is this?"
"Father..." Luo Ting gasped, grabbing the old man's hand, "The room... the room is full of..." She stammered, unable to get the details out.
"What is all this? A young lady should be quiet. What kind of noise is this?" Old Man Luo knew what his daughter was going to say, but it was not appropriate to say such things in this situation. Seeing that his daughter could not speak, he immediately interrupted her.
Madam Luo, the "Master," was somewhat calmer, but a closer look revealed that her hands were trembling and her head was covered in cold sweat.
"Alright, now is not the time to talk about this," Old Man Luo waved his hand impatiently, then forced a smile and said to the people, "Everyone, I will give you an explanation in three days. Now, please rest in my manor." As he said this, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes, and then he turned to signal to the steward.
The steward understood his master's meaning, so he stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Please follow me, sir."
Seeing that the play was about to end, I was annoyed. How could it be like this? I had planned this play for so long, how could it end so soon?
Seeing Luo Ting's resentful expression after being scolded by Old Man Luo, he suddenly had an idea.
"Xiao Wu," I called softly, but I couldn't hide the schadenfreude in my voice.
Jue seemed to know what I was going to do. He changed his grip on my hand to his arm around my waist, and gently bit my ear, saying, "Xue'er, that's enough." His tone was helpless yet wicked.
I bit my lower lip, giving Jue a disgruntled look. 'I haven't teased you enough yet, have I?'
Looking at her big, bright eyes playfully blinking at me, her slightly upturned nose revealing a mischievous look, I felt a warmth in my heart. She lowered her head and kissed me from an angle where no one else could see.
I was shocked. I never expected Jue to dare to grope me in public. This is definitely not something Jue would do.
Seeing my stunned expression, Jue reached out and tapped the tip of my nose, saying, "Xue'er."
"Hmph," I said, my long hair hanging low, head bowed, cheeks flushed, eyes fluttering. I secretly peeked at him from under my hair and glared at him fiercely.
Clearly, my actions did not anger Jue; instead, they deepened the smile in his eyes, and he hugged me even tighter.
A scream of "Daddy!" pierced the sky, the shrill sound causing everyone present to frown; it was too awful to hear.
"Ting'er, stop fooling around!" Old Man Luo was startled by Luo Ting's shout. He came to his senses and said sternly.
"But, Father," Luo Ting hadn't expected her father, who had always doted on her, to scold her. Tears welled up in her eyes, as if they would fall at the slightest touch, making her already beautiful face even more fragile and arousing a genuine protective instinct in the boy.
I looked up at Jue, only to see him completely absorbed in playing with my hair, ignoring everything else. This further solidified my belief that Jue wasn't attracted to good looks, which put my mind at ease. The fact that he'd spoiled me like this after only knowing me for a few days made me realize my fear stemmed from my beauty. (Author's note: "A person who shames themselves is invincible," this saying is absolutely true. Zi Xue's words: I call this confidence, not self-deprecation.)
Some of the people present couldn't stand seeing Old Man Luo speaking to such a delicate woman like that, so some self-important individuals stepped forward and said, "Master Luo, why are you so angry? Let's hear what Miss Luo has to say. We all have time." They glanced at the people around them, and everyone echoed, "Yes, Master Luo, let Miss Luo speak." "Yes."
Old Man Luo cursed Luo Ting inwardly, then forced a stiff smile and said to her, "Speak, Ting'er, what is it that you have to say now?"
Jue glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and I shook my head frantically. This was none of my business. Since fate was on my side, why would I add fuel to the fire? Although I was very unwilling just now, I had thought of other countermeasures. Who knew that Luo Ting would cause trouble on her own?
"Father, snake!" she cried out in fear, then choked back sobs.
"What?" Luo Ting's words caused everyone present to exclaim in surprise.
"There were snakes in the room. My mother and I were greeting guests and wanted to go into the room to get something, but we found snakes all over the floor." As if recalling the horrifying scene just now, Luo Ting trembled even more violently, her hands tightly gripping her handkerchief, trying to reduce the fear in her heart.
As soon as Luo Ting finished speaking, people near the hall entrance cried out, "Snake...snake!"
Everyone turned to look, and even I looked at the gate with amusement.
Snakes crawled in from the doorway, swarming around the floor, their colors and shapes constantly shifting and changing. They writhed and twisted their soft bodies, a truly terrifying sight.
I clung to Jue in fear, and Jue carried me to the high platform, saying, "Xue'er, don't be afraid."
Xiao Wu and the others followed Jue's example and flew up, standing next to me and Jue.
Those who were close to the snake swung their swords to slay it, while those who were far away followed our example and flew to higher places. As for Old Man Luo, he flew to the rooftop in the chaos, grabbing his wife and concubine along the way.
He was helpless. How could so many things have happened at today's treasure appreciation event? First, the treasures went missing, and then a group of snakes appeared.
Old Luo's behavior undoubtedly left a bad impression on everyone present, especially those whose treasures had been lost. They were filled with hatred for him. Not only were they unlucky to lose their treasures, but now they had to deal with snakes here.
"What?!" I was completely baffled. How could so many snakes suddenly appear? I was certain that I didn't summon these snakes; I didn't have any special abilities.
Jue glanced indifferently at Luo Ting on the roof and said, "She carries sandalwood scent that snakes like."
"Sandalwood?" I rested my chin on my hand and thought about it carefully for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Could it be that piece of jade?"
I stuck out my tongue and looked apologetically at Luo Ting. "I'm sorry, I only wanted to play with you, but I didn't expect the snake to come after you. It seems you are really annoying, even animals can't tolerate you."
Jue lifted my chin, lowered his head close to me, and stopped when our faces were 0.1 meters apart. He breathed on my face and said, "You're just being ridiculous."
My cheeks flushed slightly, a little embarrassed. The people below were working hard to cut the snake, while the people above were watching the snake warily as it approached. And here I was, flirting with Jue. I really felt bad for them.
After Jue pulled his face away, he looked at the snakes calmly, as if he didn't care about them at all. Even Xiao Wu and the others didn't seem worried or afraid.
I stared intently, clutching Jue tightly in fear.
"It's okay," he patted my shoulder reassuringly.
"It's alright," I thought, but I was beyond tears. How could it be alright? If those snakes were poisonous, one bite would be fatal. I'm still young, I haven't even married Jue yet, and now I'm going to die? I'm so unwilling to accept this." (Author's note: You're still thinking about these things? Zi Xue cried: "Am I thinking about what to do after I die?!" She slapped the author away...)
Strange things happened
Chapter Sixty-Eight
As if directed by someone, the snakes bypassed me and Jue, crawling towards the people behind us, their red tongues flicking out from their mouths from time to time.
I looked on in astonishment, wondering what was going on. Did I have sulfur on me? Why did the snakes seem so afraid of us and not dare to come near?
I pulled up my sleeve and sniffed it, but there was no smell. I stared intently at the snakes, hoping to find the reason from them.
Clearly, I overestimated myself and those snakes; even with my eyes reddened, I couldn't see anything unusual.
He looked at Jue with a strange glint in his eyes, but Jue ignored him and just silently watched the chaotic scene below, as if those scenes were more attractive than his doubts.
Just as I was considering whether to applaud, a scream sent chills down my spine.
I looked in the direction of the sound and saw the snakes climbing up the pillar to where Old Man Luo was. They kept twisting their bodies as they approached Old Man Luo, sticking out their tongues as if they had seen something interesting.
"Father," Luo Ting was already in a state of panic. All she knew was to tightly clutch the old man's sleeve, her face and hands pale. Her eyes were only on the snakes, and she didn't see the old man's disgust at her behavior.
"Master" Madam Luo was also on the verge of collapse. Although she was more composed than Luo Tingxiang, it was clear from her constricted pupils that she was about to break down.
Old Luo was also a little flustered. He glanced around and suddenly looked at me, his eyes lighting up.
Feeling uncomfortable under Old Man Luo's unusually intense gaze, I tugged at Jue's collar and said, "Jue, look, could Old Man Luo have taken a liking to me? He looks at me like someone who's never eaten before is seeing pork—it's terrifying!"
"Are you pork?" Jue retorted, his gaze piercing like a sharp sword.
"Of course not!" I exclaimed, giving it a light tap.
Having been in the martial world for so long, Old Man Luo naturally understood the meaning behind Jue Yan's gaze, so he withdrew his gaze and thought of another way.
I was nestled in Jue's arms, watching Old Man Luo, wondering how he would handle the situation, but I didn't see the resentful looks in the eyes of the people behind me who knew the snakes hadn't approached us.
Old Man Luo gave his daughter, who was timidly clutching his sleeve, a meaningful look. He then reached out and pulled her forcefully, leaving Luo Ting there to face the snake. He then took his wife's hand and led her to fly over to us.
I was speechless. Even tigers don't eat their cubs. This old man Luo is too ruthless! He knew that the snakes were brought by his daughter, but I never expected him to do this!
"This, this, absolutely... how could he do this?" I stammered to Jue.
Luo Ting stood there motionless, watching the departing old man Luo with despair. When she came to her senses and saw the snakes, her face turned even paler. She screamed and trembled, but her feet could not move.
"Father, Mother, Father, Mother!" As the snake drew ever closer, Luo Ting trembled with fear, her mind blank, only able to call out to Old Man Luo and Madam Luo.
When they reached our side, Madam Luo saw her daughter still there. A daughter is the apple of a mother's eye, especially one she had spoiled since childhood. All she could feel was her body going cold, her shoulders trembling rhythmically, tears streaming down her face. She tightly gripped her husband, crying, "Master, Luo Ting is still there! Master, please go save Luo Ting, Master!"