Мир боевых искусств — это яма

Глава 77

Around noon, Zi Jin slowly opened her eyes and saw Xi Le's magnified smiling face, something she was already used to. These days, no matter how early or late she got up, Xi Le would always sit by the bedside with a bright smile, waiting for her to wake up, looking like a young wife waiting to serve her husband as he washed and dressed. Ugh! Ugh! How can you even describe that!

west Le gently smoothed Zi Jin's disheveled hair and clapped her hands lightly. Three unfamiliar men in black, carrying a basin of water, toiletries, and a new set of blue clothes, appeared in Zi Jin's room, put down the items, and then turned and left.

Zi Jin stared blankly at the backs of the three men in black, thinking to herself: Perverts are perverts! Who treats an old man like a maid? Doesn't that feel awkward?

west Le clumsily wet the silk in the basin of water and carefully wiped Zi Jin's face with a gentle expression and a smile on her lips.

"No! Your hand injury hasn't healed yet!" Zi Jin quickly put on her shoes and reached out to snatch back the silk.

west Le lowered her eyes gently and continued to twist the silk in her hands: "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Zi Jin could only sit obediently at the table with a bitter face, waiting for Xi Le's disguised torture. The experience of the past few days had taught Zi Jin that anything was fine! But never disobey her, or she could change her attitude in the next instant.

"How could you be so ugly? Sigh..." west Le awkwardly wiped Zi Jin's face and sighed leisurely.

While she was inwardly grumbling, Zi Jin heard this and got furious. She wanted to slam her fist on the table and get up, but then she glanced at herself in the mirror out of the corner of her eye. She was like a deflated balloon, not knowing how to refute west Le's words, so she gave up in the end.

Setting down the silk brocade in her hands, west Le picked up the comb on the table and carefully styled Zi Jin's hair.

Zi Jin was repeatedly torn apart by west Le's clumsy techniques, her face contorted in pain and tears streaming down her face. But seeing the almost dazed smile on west Le's face reflected in the bronze mirror, she ultimately dared not protest.

After her hair was styled, west Le took out a crystal-clear jade hairpin from her bosom and adorned Zi Jin's hair. She smiled slightly and said softly, "I've known for a long time that Jin'er loves the freedom and simple folk customs outside the palace. Back then, I wanted to experience the joys and sorrows of ordinary people with Jin'er. Now... let's go."

After listening to west Le's words, Zi Jin glanced thoughtfully at Xi Le, who was still lost in her memories, and asked hesitantly, "Where to?"

“Take my Jin’er out for lunch. Look, it’s already noon, isn’t Jin’er hungry?” west Le tilted her head and whispered in Zi Jin’s ear.

Zi Jin awkwardly dodged, her ears turning slightly red, and muttered, "Why are you leaning so close? Can't you talk things out properly..."

The two left the mansion and stopped the crowd from following them. west Le held Zi Jin's hand and walked down the street without any attempt to hide their relationship. Zi Jin tried to shake off Xi Le several times but failed. She had no choice but to grit her teeth, bear the gaze of someone who looked like a flower stuck in her genitals, and keep up with Xi Le.

Throughout the journey, west Le's curiosity was even stronger than Zi Jin's. No matter what she saw, she would pick it up and hold it up in front of Zi Jin, but she never let go of Zi Jin's hand.

Zi Jin gazed at west Le's sincere and carefree smile, utterly bewildered. In all the years she'd known west Le, she had never seen her smile so pure and innocent. Xi Le's previous smiles, though alluring and glamorous, always seemed to serve a purpose. But the Xi Le of now was completely different. If she couldn't quite put her finger on how, it was just a feeling, a feeling that was simply different.

That day, the two of them fell asleep together in the flower pavilion. When they woke up, they were sleeping in the same bed. west Le's enlarged face was grinning foolishly at him. Yes, it was a foolish grin, a grin like a kitten that had stolen a fish, silly to the point of being bubbly.

Seeing Xi Le in such a good mood, Zi Jin harbored a wicked thought and decided to inquire about Dugu Xi Hui. However, before she could finish her question, Xi Le's expression changed instantly—so quickly, so forcefully, and so skillfully—that Zi Jin immediately shut her mouth, forcing a smile for a long time until her face was stiff before Xi Le finally relented. From then on, Zi Jin finally understood that no matter how much Xi Le's smile changed, her extremely twisted temper remained unchanged—no, not even slightly, and perhaps even more so.

west Le tilted her head, shook the jade pendant in her hand, and asked with a grin, "Jin'er, is it pretty?"

Zi Jin absentmindedly accepted the jade pendant, immediately feeling a cool breeze wash over her. She examined it closely but couldn't discern its meaning, daring not to offer any opinion or suggestion. Previously, based on her understanding of Xi Le, she would have known perfectly well what to say and what not to say. However, in the past few days, she had misjudged the Emperor's intentions several times and received many reprimands. The more she said, the more mistakes she made; it was better to remain silent.

The shopkeeper, quick-witted, noticed that Zi Jin was holding onto the jade pendant and followed her up, saying with great enthusiasm, "Miss and young master have excellent taste. This jade was buried in an extremely cold place for nearly three hundred years, and then the most famous carver in the area spent almost a year dividing it into two pieces and carving the words 'inseparable in life and death'."

The shopkeeper gently tapped the two jade pendants together, and a stunning "Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Auspiciousness" image appeared before everyone's eyes. A dragon and a phoenix soared freely among the clouds and mist, graceful and beautiful. After the shopkeeper separated the two jade pendants, each pendant formed its own magnificent image, its craftsmanship undeniably exquisite.

west Le seemed to adore the jade pendant, taking it from Zi Jin and asking, "Jin'er, do you like it?"

Zi Jin, who was not very interested at first, suddenly had her eyes light up when she heard west Le's words, which seemed to be a gift to her. Her greedy heart was aroused, and she hurriedly nodded.

"Shopkeeper, if you can add a line of poetry to this jade pendant, I will add a thousand taels to the original price." west Le smiled slightly as he held the jade pendant.

"Miss, please write down this poem, and I will immediately have someone carve it for you two," the shopkeeper said, hurriedly setting out the writing implements.

west Le released Zi Jin's hand, walked to the table, picked up paper and pen, glanced at Zi Jin tenderly, smiled warmly, and began to write.

west Le handed the written words to the shopkeeper: "Deliver this jade to the 'Nanyuan Jin Residence' in two days. If it is done well, Miss Xi Le will reward you handsomely."

The shopkeeper, holding the brush and ink, squinted and repeatedly agreed.

Seeing the two engaged in conversation, Zi Jin picked up a wooden beaded hairpin, finding it increasingly beautiful with each look. She glanced at Xi Le's hairstyle, noting that her jewelry seemed simpler. Smiling, she walked up to Xi Le and held up the hairpin: "Does it look good? Want to try it on?"

west Le turned her head and stared intently at the pearl hairpin in Zi Jin's hand, her face instantly blossoming into a smile: "Jin'er, would you like me to put it on?"

Zi Jin nodded excitedly, found what she thought was a suitable spot on Xi Le's hair, carefully inserted the hairpin, fiddled with it for a moment, and then stopped, satisfied. No wonder Xi Le insisted on styling her hair even though her hand injury hadn't healed; it turned out that watching others run around the world with her handiwork was also a kind of satisfaction. Even though her handiwork was really not that great.

west Le slightly raised her hand, gently stroking the hairpin, her smile unusually eerie. She tightly grasped Zi Jin's hand and left the shop.

After leaving the house, west Le glanced in one direction, her face instantly darkening. She quickly pulled Zi Jin along with her.

Despite missing countless restaurants and food stalls, Xi Le showed no sign of stopping. Zi Jin's gaze lingered on every place where she could eat: they had agreed to go out and eat at noon, but now she was starving and still couldn't find anything to eat. She was so tired of walking around the streets, when was she going to get something to eat?

As the streets grew more crowded, Xi Le held onto Zi Jin's hand tightly, refusing to let go. Although Yue Kingdom was considered one of the more open of the three kingdoms, the sight of a beautiful young woman so openly holding the hand of an ordinary-looking boy still drew attention and stares from the crowd.

Despite the speculative gazes of the crowd, Zi Jin tried several times to shake off west Le's hand but failed. Finally, she gritted her teeth and protested, "When we're escaping for our lives, can't we avoid being so ostentatious?"

west Le gently squeezed Zi Jin's hand and said softly, "Jin'er, don't be anxious. The streets are not very safe."

"Stop! You can't run away!" From afar, a burly man with a dark face could be seen chasing a thin figure with a leather whip.

The figure ran frantically to Zi Jin's side, then suddenly tripped and fell. The burly man instantly caught up. In his panic, the figure grabbed Zi Jin's leg and cried out, "Help...help me!"

Zi Jin glanced curiously at the person who was holding her tightly. The figure was trembling as he clung to Zi Jin. Zi Jin was slightly startled.

Those burly men were also good at reading people. From Zi Jin and Xi Le's gestures and clothing, they knew that the two were rich and noble. They said politely, "This servant is a runaway servant of our family. Please make way for him, young master."

west Le narrowed her eyes, a mocking smile playing on her lips, and stared at the dramatic scene unfolding before her. She tugged at Zi Jin's hand, as if letting Zi Jin make the decision herself.

Zi Jin gently squeezed west Le's hand and whispered, "Save...save him."

west Le, as if she had known this all along, smiled and leaned close to Zi Jin's face, but her eyes were devoid of any smile. After staring sharply at the man for a long time, she looked up at Zi Jin and whispered, "Jin'er, have you thought it through? Do you want me, or him?"

Zi Jin was confused and looked blankly at Xi Le's gloomy face: "It can't be that bad, can it?"

west Le's lips curled up, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and he continued, "Since Jin'er doesn't know what to choose, then let's go."

Zi Jin glanced at the person on the ground with pity, then turned to leave. The figure grabbed Zi Jin's leg again, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes. Zi Jin almost instinctively shuddered, then stopped and tugged at Xi Le's hand: "You talk to them... let's buy this person, okay?"