She knew it. What kind of ridiculous idea was Mu Yuan? Did she think that changing her clothes would make her no longer a member of the martial arts world? She was alright, but Mu Yuan and Feng's temperament and demeanor didn't look like ordinary people at all.
As expected, Gui Juezi's smile turned cold, and he asked, "May I ask what this young master's background is? Surely the three of you are unaware of my rules?"
"What rules? I don't quite understand. This lady is the top courtesan in our brothel. She got into a fight over a patron and somehow injured her eyes. The doctor said you could cure her—please, if anything happens to this cash cow, I'll be beaten to death—"
"Not bad, not bad, promising," Mu Yuan listened, secretly praising Ning Xian's acting skills. Feng, however, frowned more and more as she listened. Restrained from showing her dissatisfaction in front of Gui Juezi, she secretly glanced at Ning Xian—why did he have to choose this kind of identity?
Ning Xian glared back at him—without Mu Yuan's naturally wicked and alluring charm, no one would believe he was a respectable man. Besides, even though they had come in disguise, he kept changing into a gorgeous white gauze dress, resolutely refusing to dress even "plainly." What else could he be but the top courtesan?
Perhaps it was because Mu Yuan's image as the "top performer" was so convincing that even if one knew something was amiss, one could not refute it. Gui Juezi coldly turned his gaze to Feng, who had the most flaws—"And who is he?"
"he--"
“He’s the thug in the building,” Mu Yuan answered lightly. Ning Xian quickly added, “The nanny was afraid the money tree would run away, so she specifically ordered him to keep an eye on things!”
Feng's facial muscles twitched slightly, but she held it in.
"With such excellent skills, isn't it too unfair to be a thug in a brothel?" Gui Juezi said calmly, exposing Feng's disguise. All three were taken aback; this man had a keen eye! Mu Yuan seemed to be hanging on Ning Xian without bones, but in reality, it was to prevent her from being completely concealed, thus also concealing the two's footsteps. As for Feng, it wouldn't be difficult for a master like him to temporarily increase his footsteps to a certain extent to avoid being noticed. However, even just a few steps were enough to be recognized.
"Huh? What kind of kung fu? How come Ah Huang's kung fu is so good? He is indeed the top fighter in the building, but we don't know what other kung fu he has..." Mu Yuan tried to deny it, but Gui Juezi smiled faintly and said, "A top courtesan, his breathing techniques are rather proficient?"
"...Well...fate is fickle; everyone has moments when they are powerless to control their own destiny and one wrong step leads to eternal regret..."
"Alright, you three, stop wasting your time trying to fool me. I won't treat your eyes." Gui Juezi turned to walk behind the curtain. Seeing that they couldn't fool him, they had no choice but to use their last resort—force!
Feng's figure flipped, and even in the narrow room, his agile figure did not affect his movements in the air. He landed in front of Gui Juezi and blocked his way, and made a move to subdue him. However, Gui Juezi was prepared. His figure flashed, and Feng missed. When he attacked again, he had already lost the initiative.
Gui Juezi smiled elegantly, "There are hundreds or thousands of people in the martial world who want to force me to submit. Do you think I would be completely unprepared?"
Feng stopped, but she understood the warning in his gentle words—countless people in the martial world coveted his medical skills, and when had anyone ever succeeded? With these precedents, rash actions would only lead to her own downfall.
Seeing that Feng was somewhat sensible, Gui Juezi turned to leave again, but Ning Xian suddenly ran up and stopped him, grabbing his clothes. Gui Juezi was slightly surprised. This grab was not only devoid of any killing intent, but also lacked any skill. It was just a grab that was no different from that of any ordinary person.
"We didn't mean to offend you, but we really aren't江湖人 (jianghu people) anymore. The three of us finally managed to elope, intending to find a place far away from the jianghu and live an ordinary life! Please fix Hua Hua's eyes!"
"..."
"..."
Mu Yuan and Feng were both stunned. Gui Juezi looked at Ning Xian's "sincere" face and slowly asked, "You... really want to retire from the martial world?"
"Yes! Really!" Ning Xian nodded vigorously.
"Alright, I can heal him, but you must prove to me that you are truly determined to leave the martial world—"
Ning Xian nodded vigorously again—did she have any other way out but to nod?
Chapter Sixty-Four: The Super Oil Lamp
"Then I want you to stay here for three months. During these three months, you cannot act like江湖人 (jianghu people). No matter what happens, you cannot use martial arts, nor can you act according to jianghu rules—understand?"
“I understand! — But isn’t three months a bit too long…?” She turned to look at the other two and received the same opinion.
"What, you can't even last three months?"
"No, no, we just still have some places to go..."
“This young master Hua’s eyes will need time to heal. If I find out that you have violated the agreement during this period, I will stop his treatment immediately.”
Ning Xian nodded vigorously.
Gui Juezi smiled faintly and flicked his clothes. “Since you’ve stayed, don’t just sit around. Starting today, you’ll help me dry the herbs. Since he has poor eyesight, he’ll help you grind the herbs. You—” He looked at Feng, “Go to the kitchen.”
"..." "..." This person is basically looking for free labor...
—Phoenix, bear with it! Although it's really unfair to ask you, the Phoenix Lord, who is unparalleled in beauty and incomparably capable, to go to the kitchen, please be patient for Mu Yuan's eyes...
Following Gui Juezi towards the back hall, Ning Xian asked Mu Yuan in a low voice, "Are we really going to stay here for three months?"
"Tch, don't be so rigid. If we don't want to stay, we can just run away. At worst, we won't get our eyes treated—even if we can't see, it won't affect my unparalleled beauty and captivating charm..."
"..." —A blind man of unparalleled beauty and captivating charm?
Behind this small entrance is a small courtyard with two side rooms on the left and right, a kitchen, and a latrine. That's all.
Uncle Guijuezi generously said, "This is my bedroom; please use the rest as you like."
...Anything else?
"Uh, sir, you should at least tell us how to address you, right? You can't always call me Doctor or Ghost Master..."
...Uncle? Well...Gui Juezi is almost twice Ning Xian's age, so calling him uncle wouldn't be a problem, right?
Gui Juezi was not offended and smiled faintly, "Dongli is my name. People often call me Mr. Dongli."
Ning Xian scratched his head—"Dongli?" That sounds familiar...
(Those who don't know Mr. Dongli should go and study a certain dragonfly's "Crescent Moon Like a Hook"~~flying by~~)
And so, the three of them began their daily routine of drying herbs, grinding herbs, and chopping firewood...
On this day, Ning Xian, a hardworking and conscientious girl, was collecting rows of freshly dried medicinal herbs and placing them on shelves to be sorted and arranged. She was spreading the herbs evenly on the ground. Hua Hua was sitting on a low stone stool next to her, holding a stone mortar and pestle and pounding the herbs. The sun was shining warmly, and the peaceful and serene atmosphere made her think that life had always been like this and should continue to be like this, completely forgetting that she was a pitiful exploited laborer.
Mr. Dongli walked up behind her, watching her sort the medicinal herbs and arrange them on the shelves, and smiled with satisfaction. He glanced sideways at the lazy and unmotivated Hua Hua, and at the diligent and earnest Ah Huang, who was chopping wood, and asked in a low voice with a smile, "I've been meaning to ask, which one eloped with you?"
"Huh?" She was taken aback. This... she hadn't really thought of this reason that she had made up on the spot...