Qing Si's face paled slightly. She bit her lip, then suddenly looked up at him and said coldly, "Isn't it ridiculous that your woman is thinking about another man?"
A sharp glint flashed in the peach blossom eyes, and the young master stopped smiling.
Realizing she had said something inappropriate, Qing Si took two steps back and lowered her head again: "Now I finally understand why you helped me, but if he has designs on me, it will only benefit you."
The young master said calmly, "You take yours, I'll take mine, that's the right way."
Qing Si breathed a sigh of relief: "Don't worry."
Night had fallen and the lights were just coming on. The night market on the street had opened early and there were still many pedestrians. Seeing that the young master and Liu Bai had left Xinqing Tower, a woman put down a sachet in front of a stall, turned around and left with her maid.
.
At the entrance of the small garden, Qiu Lingling was about to go in to find Yi Qinghan when she happened to see Cheng Xiaolin coming out. Knowing that she was Yi Qinghan's cousin, and because of the misunderstanding last time, she was a little uneasy and didn't know whether she should greet her.
Upon seeing her, Cheng Xiaolin immediately stopped and spoke first: "Cousin, you are so lucky. So you are the sister of the leader of the Thousand Hands Sect. I have always been disrespectful to you."
Sensing the sarcasm in her words, Qiu Lingling remained silent.
The Cheng family never expected that Yi Qinghan would suddenly get engaged to the sister of the leader of the number one sect in the martial arts world. The Yi family has always aspired to serve the imperial court and should not be keen on marriage alliances with martial arts gangs. However, the two elders had no objections. Now that the Cheng family's plans have failed, they have no choice but to come and offer their congratulations out of politeness. Cheng Xiaolin is a proud and arrogant person who is unwilling to lose face. She insists on personally delivering gifts. When she encounters Qiu Lingling, she can't help but make sarcastic remarks. However, she does not receive the response she expected and feels even more displeased.
She walked forward without a care, only letting out a low sneer as they brushed past each other: "There are plenty of people in the Yi family. My aunt and uncle are among them. Do you think he can secure this position just because he married you? Don't be so ungrateful."
Sensing something amiss, Qiu Lingling became wary: "Brother Yi likes me."
Cheng Xiaolin said, "He's currently infatuated with you, so of course he'll protect you. But in the future, he'll inevitably take concubines. Do you think you can keep him infatuated forever?"
Qiu Lingling pouted: "Brother Yi said he won't look for anyone else."
Cheng Xiaolin took it as a provocation and was so angry that she said, "You..."
Seeing her like this, Qiu Lingling understood and murmured, "Anyway, he doesn't want you, so it's no use if you like him. Brother Yi likes me, and I'm planning to like him too. You should go find someone who likes you."
Having never heard of such a bizarre theory before, Cheng Xiaolin was stunned with anger.
"I'm going in first," Qiu Lingling said, turning to leave.
Cheng Xiaolin suddenly snorted coldly: "He only married you because of the Thousand Hands Sect. Go out and ask around, he's only slept with three out of the four most beautiful courtesans in the city. He even went to Xinqing Tower last night. Do you think he really likes you that much?"
Qiu Lingling was stunned.
Feeling relieved, Cheng Xiaolin turned and left, saying, "If you want to be the third wife of the Yi family, I advise you to give up that idea as soon as possible."
In reality, once the marriage was arranged, the Cheng family had no way to change it, no matter how unwilling they were. Cheng Xiaolin's words were just an attempt to save face and a deliberate attempt to provoke her.
.
After watching Cheng Xiaolin walk out of the park gate, Qiu Lingling stood there in a daze.
"Why are you standing there in a daze?" a voice rang in my ears.
Turning around, the young master was already standing beside him, wearing a purple cloak embroidered with gold trim, a typical noble young master's attire, which further accentuated his handsome face, tall and slender figure, and elegant demeanor.
His delicate brows furrowed slightly, but he remained calm: "My cousin just sent a congratulatory gift, why are you unhappy again?"
Qiu Lingling hesitated: "She likes you."
The young master smiled and said, "Brother Keyi likes you."
Qiu Lingling blushed and lowered her head: "Have you been to Xinqing Tower?"
“I went there,” the young master said without hesitation. “Last night I was thinking of finding Master Jin for you, and he might be with Miss Qing Si, so I went to check it out.” Then he asked curiously, “How did you know?”
Qiu Lingling was stumped by the question.
The young master pulled her aside and sighed, "Xiaolin has always been like this. Do you believe Brother Yi or her?"
Qiu Lingling had no liking for Cheng Xiaolin. After looking at him for a moment, she blinked and said, "No, she's just trying to annoy me."
The young master nodded: "What else did she say?"
Qiu Lingling blushed and stammered, "She said you went to see the courtesan..."
"You believe it?"
Despite her doubts, Qiu Lingling shook her head, unable to resist his calm demeanor.
“That’s right,” the young master said with a smile, satisfied with the answer. “It was Steward Liu who called for it. If you don’t believe me, go ask him. He personally picked them up by carriage.”
Three meters away, Liu Bai, who was walking over to report something, suddenly stopped in his tracks. Damn it, he's only concerned with pleasing his future wife and doesn't care about his image as the steward! How come I never realized that the young master was so despicable!
The young master pursed his lips and patiently advised, "Look, apart from Brother Yi, none of the other men are good people."
Qiu Lingling glanced at him and suddenly laughed.
Liu Bai, his face ashen, turned and walked back. This was outrageous! How dare you talk about other men like that? What do you mean by shameless? What do you mean by a scoundrel?! This is intolerable!
The young master remained unfazed and pulled her deeper into the garden, saying, "The chrysanthemums over there are in full bloom; let me take you to see them."
"OK."
"Would you like to move in?"
“No need,” Qiu Lingling said in a much lower voice, her interest completely gone. “Jin Huan said that Miss Qingsi will not be staying at Jin Garden.”
The young master paused for a moment: "That's fine too, I was just about to leave for a while."
"Where are you going?" I asked, puzzled.
"I have some business matters to attend to," the young master said, downplaying the seriousness of the matter. "Don't wander around while I'm away."
Qiu Lingling nodded.
The kitten's nod is never reliable, the young master sighed, it seems he will have to send a few more people to follow.
Qiu Lingling thought for a moment, then blinked: "When are you coming back?"
Seeing her ask this, the young master stopped and smiled, his peach blossom eyes saying, "It won't be long. The more Lingling misses him, the sooner Brother Yi will return."
Hearing such sweet words for the first time, Qiu Lingling exclaimed "Ah!" and her face suddenly turned red. She didn't know whether to leave or stay, and she didn't know how to react, so she just stood there dumbly without saying a word.
The kitten looked rather dim-witted, so the young master pretended not to notice and pulled her away.
All the hard work turned into nothing
Wild geese fly low, the frosty wind howls, and the weeds wither. This is a secluded, desolate garden, with even the walls somewhat broken. Standing on the high ground in the garden, one can see countless chaotic mountains in the distance.
The two stood side by side, one a young man in brocade robes, the other a beautiful and alluring woman named Lan Xinluo.
The young master said, "It looks like it would be easy for them to escape."
Lan Xinluo said, "You can give it a try."
The young master exclaimed, "These mechanisms and formations are indeed enough to stop a thousand troops. No wonder so much money is spent on their maintenance every year. Even top experts might not be able to escape."
Lan Xinluo laughed and said, "Even the top expert in the palace was defeated by Young Master Yi, so perhaps our mechanisms aren't that powerful."
“I don’t do things I’m not sure I can do,” the young master shook his head and turned to look at her. “Your father has ambitions in the martial world and has gone to great lengths. Now that Jiang Xiaohu has been captured by you, is there any progress?”
Lan Xinlu frowned: "It's just a wife's betrayal. As long as there's hope, a person won't be so honest."
"Give me back the gold?"
"It is precisely because Jiang Xiaohu knows that Jin Huanlai will definitely come to rescue him that he is so fearless and stubborn."
"He might not come."
Lan Xinlu sneered: "That's right, friends aren't necessarily that important. We've sent messages to the Thousand Hands Sect several times, but Jin Huanlai hasn't made any move yet."
The young master asked, "If he comes, are you confident you can subdue him?"
Lan Xinluo said, "You've seen plenty of these traps already. Once he comes, he's definitely not going anywhere."
The young master said, "Besides, the Lord of Tianshui City is also here."
Lan Xinlu shook her head: "You've misunderstood. We're looking for Lord Shui not to ask him to help us deal with Jin Huanlai."
“It’s about dealing with the Thousand Hands Sect,” the young master sighed. “If we capture Jin Huanlai, how will the Thousand Hands Sect let us off the hook? We might as well push him onto Shui Fengqing as a favor. Jin Huanlai stole Shui Fengqing’s antidote cup, and he won’t survive in Shui Fengqing’s hands. The Thousand Hands Sect will naturally seek revenge on Tianshui City.”
Lan Xinlu looked at him for a long time, then covered her mouth and said, "You really are a smart man. It's no wonder I like you." Then she smiled and said, "Actually, the Water City Lord is also half one of us. He has his eye on Jiang Xiaohu's wife."
The young master glanced sideways and said, "It seems your sister's heart isn't with him. Master Lan, you mustn't lose your daughter."
Lan Xinluo suppressed a laugh: "That silly girl is really thinking about Jiang Xiaohu and feels incredibly guilty."
The young master said, "I don't think she's stupid."
"oh?"
"At least she felt guilty for betraying her husband."
Lan Xinluo laughed out loud: "Just say I'm heartless."
The young master smiled but said nothing.
"That's not my husband, why should I feel guilty?" Lan Xinluo's beautiful eyes flickered as she spoke softly, "So that's why you wouldn't agree to me?"
The young master shook his head and changed the subject: "I have a way to lure Jin back."
Lan Xinluo's eyes lit up: "What method?"
"It would be best to have a face-to-face talk with Lord Lan."
"Don't you trust me?" Lan Xinlu deliberately frowned and turned around. "This garden is full of traps, you'd better follow carefully!"
.
After lingering downstairs at Xinqing Tower several times, Qiu Lingling ultimately did not go in and silently walked back. However, just as she left the city, she saw a man in white standing at the intersection, his tall figure seeming familiar.
Although her attire had changed, a sudden chill ran through Qiu Lingling, making her quickly remember this person and preventing her from taking another step forward: "Are you looking for me?"
The man turned around.
Qiu Lingling was very curious because she hadn't seen his face in Tianshui City last time. Now she finally saw it clearly. It was a handsome young face, exuding a cold temperament, especially his eyes, which were as cold as ice.
Qiu Lingling was afraid, but she didn't want to leave immediately. Since he had saved her, she naturally assumed that he meant her no harm. So, after a moment's thought, she cautiously said, "Thank you for saving me in Tianshui City last time."
The man snorted and suddenly lunged at him.
He acted extremely quickly; Qiu Lingling didn't even have time to react before he struck her pressure points and carried her away.
.
I opened my eyes and saw the young master's smile.