Un cœur pur dans un pot de jade

Chapitre 49

"You flatter me..." Xu Yi nodded, his face grim.

"Huh? Who is this?" At this moment, someone finally stopped flattering, opened their eyes wide, and saw me behind Xu Yi, dressed in an extremely comical oversized men's outfit.

“She is…” Xu Yi turned around, and while I hesitated, I winked at him, wanting him to help me come up with a nice name.

“He is my apprentice,” Xu Yi replied after a pause, “His name is Sun San.”

"Uh..." I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

Although Shao Qingyou must have heard of my name to know that he went to the fireworks shop to pick up my travel bag, Sun Qingshan turning into Sun San... Xu Yi is such a lack of aesthetic sense. I pouted and glared at him all the way behind him.

When they finally met Shao Qingyou, the owner of Liangfeng Manor, they were tired of staring at him for so long.

The host is hosting a banquet, specifically for distinguished guests.

A banquet is being held in the ornately decorated banquet hall.

Xu Yi and I were seated at the same table as the host so that I could have a chance to thoroughly observe what kind of person this Shao Qingyou was.

"To be honest..." I muttered to myself, biting the end of my chopsticks, "Disappointing!"

Xu Yi, with his legs under the table, forcefully slammed his knee into me.

I spat out my chopsticks, not daring to glare back at him arrogantly. To be honest, I wasn't qualified to sit here. The people who could sit at this table were either seniors or rising stars with a good reputation. What am I? The second miracle doctor?

Furthermore, you wanderers of the world are unconventional, clinking glasses, drinking heartily, and laughing loudly.

The one laughing the loudest was Shao Qingyou, who was sitting right across from me.

When he introduced himself, I had a strong intuition at first glance: this person was definitely not of the same father or mother as the savage.

Judging by his appearance alone, he can be summed up in three words: pretty boy.

Looking at his actions, in four words, he's utterly insignificant.

He bowed and smiled obsequiously at all the guests, saying nice things and treating alcohol like water. If someone asked him to drink it all in one gulp, he wouldn't dare to take two.

Is this a case of feigning foolishness with great wisdom...? I couldn't eat anything, so I simply rested my chin on my hand and carefully pondered the other person from beginning to end.

If we only consider his eyes and nose, he does resemble a savage a little. His double eyelids are very standard, his nose is very straight, his lips are very thin, and even his build is similar to that of a savage... But in terms of overall impression, he is quite different.

Xu Yi's theory is that since Shao Qingyou knows about me, Sun Qingshan, he must be related to the savages.

Moreover, who is Shao Qingyou? Back when the Savage was the leader of the martial arts alliance, he was just a little brother hiding under the Savage's wing. What ability or qualifications does he have to reorganize Liangfeng Manor, subdue many hidden masters within the manor, and even become the host to re-elect the leader of the martial arts alliance?!

"I heard that even Daoist Fang Ning sent his chief disciple this time..." someone whispered among themselves.

"That's not all. You don't know this, but it's rumored that the Eight Swords Alliance encountered the two guardians of the Chen Gang Palace on their way. Could it be that even the leader of the Demonic Sect has come looking for them..."

"Master Shao, you're so young yet you've accomplished so much—" At this moment, someone ran over across the table to offer a toast, but in reality, they had come to probe—"May I ask where you learned your skills? You've managed to master such a devastating Sun-Slaying Sword Technique in just a few years. Impressive!"

"You flatter me." Shao Qingyou stood up, holding a wine glass in his hand. "My master is a recluse, accustomed to a life of leisure and freedom. Please forgive me for not revealing his name."

"It's alright, it's alright..."

I was bored and was turning my head left and right, looking around, when suddenly I saw a blue figure flash past the window—"Ah!" I cried out, and the next moment Xu Yi stuffed a chicken leg into my mouth.

And I wasn't the only one who spotted the figure. The entire hall was packed, and even those who weren't top-tier martial arts masters were certainly not mediocre. In an instant, someone chased after them. I wanted to follow, but before I could even stand up, Xu Yi suddenly tugged at my sleeve and pulled me back to my seat.

He looked at me expressionlessly. I remember that when he agreed to take me to Liangfeng Manor, he repeatedly told me not to cause trouble.

“Don’t forget the pain once the wound has healed,” he told me then. “You should know better than anyone the consequences of meddling in other people’s business.”

I had no better reason, so I could only obediently sit next to the miracle doctor.

Not long after, the pursuers returned, saying that they had exchanged blows, but the man in blue had escaped again.

Judging from this, Liangfeng Manor hosted too many people this time. Two or three people with ulterior motives mingled among the guests and entered the manor. The guards couldn't catch them. If they couldn't be caught on the spot, they would disappear into the crowd.

...

That night, Xu Yi and I were assigned to the same room, but I ignored him and was angry.

“You can’t just assume he’s Shao Yanhe based on your feelings alone,” Xu Yigui advised me.

“But he clearly is!” I shouted.

“That’s strange,” Xu Yi said sarcastically. “He walked past you without even acknowledging you—did he not recognize you?”

“He…” I choked on the word, staring wide-eyed and gasping for breath.

"Where do you think he has been these past four years? Why did he abandon you?" Xu Yi asked, then added, "Perhaps I shouldn't have brought you here at all."

"Who cares!" I was furious. Although I wasn't going after Xu Yi, I slammed my hand on the table and stood up straight. As I turned around, I heard him ask from behind, "Where are you going?"

"It's too stuffy in the house, I'm going out to cool off!" With that, she pushed open the door and went out, but when she tried to slam the door shut, it only closed halfway.

Then, very soon after, I was kidnapped again.

That's not the right way to put it. I was walking around the corner when suddenly a hand reached out from there. That hand was so cold it was terrifying. It grabbed me and dragged me in front of it. I didn't mean to scream, but it reached out from behind and covered my mouth with its hand.

I looked down and saw the blue color of his sleeves, which were stained with blood.

I tried to pry his hand away, but felt a tightness in my chest. I wanted to turn around, but I was afraid to see the same face, but with a completely unfamiliar expression.

After all, I will always remember that time when the savage rushed out of the street and hugged me, I took a step back and said to him, "You've mistaken me for someone else, haven't you?"

Even if there is no cause and effect in this world, there will still be retribution for evil deeds. In fact, if the savage hadn't come looking for me for four years, everyone should have been prepared long ago...

The urge to grab the person's hand behind me ultimately turned into a complex mix of emotions. I gripped his hand tightly. If it were a savage, he would have hugged me at this point, but the person behind me exuded a cold aura, so cold that it almost made me begin to doubt myself—

"Let me go!" With a sudden burst of strength, she broke free, then abruptly turned back—

"Ah!!!" I screamed, a scream that was barely audible yet forced out, my eyes fixed on the person before me, illuminated by the clear moonlight.

...

Back in the VIP room, Xu Yi took out bottles and jars and bandaged the wounds of my newly acquired genuine Shao Qingyou.

"You say you are Shao Qingyou, but why would the other party steal your name and take over Liangfeng Manor?" Xu Yi asked Qingyou's younger brother slowly while busy with his work.

Qingyou's younger brother glanced at the divine doctor but did not answer.

Actually, he knew Xu Yi, otherwise he wouldn't have taken me hostage in the small garden. Generally, injured people would want to find a miracle doctor.

"Stop wrapping him up! Stop wrapping him up!" I leaned over and pressed Xu Yi's hand down. "This guy's background is unknown. What do you care if he bleeds to death? We won't get anything out of him. Let him fend for himself..."

Xu Yi listened, smiled, and stopped.

"You guys...!" Qingyou stared at me, looking just like a wild man. I wanted to pamper him and pinch his cheeks, but I was too embarrassed. I should act like someone's older sister-in-law.

Besides, he doesn't know I'm his sister-in-law, so I should make a good impression on him even more.

But that's not the most urgent matter...

"What do you want?" Qingyou asked me directly, staring at me intently.

“It’s a secret,” I replied. “You came here to investigate that fake Qingyou, right? I want to know his secret.”

...

As night deepened, Shao Qingyou, as he had promised, allowed me to witness the secret firsthand.

In the secret room, the manor owner of Liangfeng Manor, who was impersonating Qingyou, was talking quietly with another person in a low voice.

Meanwhile, my real brother Qingyou and I hid behind an unreliable screen.

This is too dangerous... I broke out in a cold sweat. Although this young man Qingyou had scouted the place, eavesdropping on someone else's conversation at close range in their lair, and he's not some martial arts master who can take on a hundred people single-handedly, this is far too dangerous...

At that moment, Qingyou's younger brother was listening intently, so I could only listen too.

Behind the screen, I recognized the fake owner's voice; it was soft and effeminate.

But the other person's voice was strange, like he couldn't pronounce words clearly or accurately. Although he spoke in a low voice, it didn't sound like he was doing it on purpose. His voice wasn't particularly unpleasant, but it was very hoarse. He spoke one word at a time, so each word sounded hoarse and strained.

"...Senior." That was how the fake manor lord addressed the other person.

"Have you seen him?" the senior asked slowly, his voice hoarse, his words slow and out of tune.

"We haven't seen him yet... but the scouts we sent out reported that he's already on his way."

"Then let's wait for him," the senior said again, and then fell silent.

"But..." the fake manor owner hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

"Don't bother telling me anything else." As if powerless, the senior's voice trailed off for the last few words.

I turned around and gestured to Shao Qingyou, roughly meaning whether I could go around to see the face of the person behind the scenes.

Shao Qingyou shook his head and winked at me, roughly meaning: If we could see it, we would have seen it already. This screen is already the limit.

"Who?!" I exclaimed with a bitter expression, because I suddenly heard a woman's voice behind me.

Looking at Shao Qingyou, they both knew they had been exposed. Their slightly hunched bodies straightened, and they turned their heads away pitifully…

Chapter 60...

With a "whoosh," the screen collapsed from my weight.

Shao Qingyou picked me up, turned around, and faced the crowd attacking from both sides of the secret room—"Don't come any closer, or I'll strangle her!" He then grabbed my neck and threatened everyone like this.

I tried desperately to turn around, speaking softly, "Brother Qingyou, let's talk this out, please don't..."

"Shut up!" and he sprayed half my face with his spittle.

"You can't hurt innocent people..." I wanted to reason with them, but I saw the fake manor owner being pushed aside, and a man walked out as the fake manor owner made way for him.

The man wore a fine white blouse with a blue base and white stripes, a blue-black belt around his waist, and gleaming gold buckles...

He's made it big now, unlike when he was with me he could only wear coarse linen clothes or T-shirts. Even when he tied his hair up, he would just put on some styling products, put a bunch of hair in a rubber band, make a bun on top of his head, and at most wrap it with two strips of cloth.

He's probably getting ready for bed now, his hair all loose, or he's been woken up in the middle of the night.

I remember his hair wasn't pure black; it should have been a cool chestnut brown in the sunlight, but the light is too dim to see now.

Her hair has never been in good condition; it's long, past her chest but not quite reaching her waist, very straight, not frizzy, but lacks shine.

He stepped from the light into the shadows, and at the entrance to the secret chamber, the situation of the two sides facing off was quite bizarre.

The woman in red had a cold and indifferent gaze, while the three newly arrived guards were resolute and unyielding.

“He’s your brother!” I turned around and tried to persuade Shao Qingyou behind me.

Qingyou told me to "shut up" and sprayed me with saliva again.

I should have had a feeling that Qingyou came prepared. In fact, this is probably the situation he wanted.

"A life for a life—" I felt the fingers on my neck tighten. Shao Qingyou pulled me back sharply, saying coldly, "If you want me to let her go, then you can end your own life!"