At this moment, someone said, "Wu Duo, why are you wearing a mask for no reason?"
Hua Wuduo said, "Well, I really have my own reasons for not being able to help."
Someone said, "Take off your mask and let everyone see what kind of unavoidable hardship you have."
At this moment, Gongzi Yi lazily interjected, "Don't look anymore, you won't be able to sleep tonight if you do."
Gongzi asked, "Have you seen it?"
Gongzi Yi said listlessly, "Yes." He felt a pang of regret.
Young Master Xiu suddenly said, "What harm is there in taking a look?"
Gongzi Qi then chimed in, "I'm also very curious, what kind of face could keep Yi awake at night?"
This sentence was quite ambiguous, and everyone immediately started to speculate. Seeing that everyone was thinking the best of him, Gongzi Yi mischievously kept quiet.
Hua Wuduo said quietly, "It's no big deal to let everyone see it." Then he reached out and took off his mask.
Hua Wuduo took off his mask, and when he looked up, everyone was stunned. Sure enough... it was a terrible sight, his face covered in black pockmarks.
Young Master Zheng was the first to say, unable to bear it any longer: "Take it with you, it's better to take it with you."
Hua Wuduo immediately took it with him.
Gongzi sighed, "I'm afraid I won't sleep well again tonight."
Everyone nodded in agreement; yes, they hadn't slept well last night.
That evening, Hua Wuduo was washing up when she met Gongzi Zheng, who had come to the well to fetch water with her. As he drew water, Gongzi Zheng said to her, "Wuduo, could you give me some of that medicinal mud?"
Hua Wuduo said, "Okay."
A short while later, Hua Wuduo finished washing up and was about to go back to her room when she ran into Gongzi Xun. Gongzi Xun mysteriously called her aside and asked, "Wuduo, could I borrow some of your medicinal mud?"
Hua Wuduo was about to go to bed when he heard a knock on the door. Seeing that Gongzi Yi was lying on the bed and showed no intention of getting up, he got up and opened the door. Gongzi Yu was standing outside the door. Gongzi Yu said with a smile, "Wuduo, can I step outside? I have something to say to you."
Hua Wuduo immediately said, "You don't need to say anything, I'll go get it for you."
Do you even need to ask? They're definitely here for skincare mud, isn't it supposed to be a women's product?
Everyone's asking for it, and a lot of Hua Wuduo's medicinal mud has been taken, leaving very little. It probably won't last more than three days; it seems she'll have to find time to go down the mountain.
The next day was the day that Gongzi Yi and Qi Xin had agreed to meet. Hua Wuduo thought that Gongzi Yi would insist on going down the mountain, and she was thinking of countless righteous reasons to deal with him. However, to her surprise, Gongzi Yi only sent Du Xiaoxi to deliver a letter to Qi Xin.
On that day, Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Xiu had recovered most of their power and were able to help Hua Wuduo detoxify everyone.
Three days later, Dean Qi Ran, who had gone down the mountain with his wife to visit friends, hurriedly returned. As soon as he returned, he called in Master Ji and several other scholars for a long private discussion.
Currently, Gongzi Yi, Gongzi Xiu, Gongzi Qi, and others who were the first to be detoxified have all recovered their powers. The poison has been completely neutralized. Only a few people in the entire Nanshu Academy remain poisoned.
That night, all was silent.
One thing after another had happened in the past few days. Hua Wuduo had not bathed for many days and now felt uncomfortable all over. She waited until Gongzi Yi's breathing had stabilized before she secretly got up and left the room.
But shortly after she stepped out of the room, Gongzi Yi suddenly opened his eyes.
For some reason, Young Master Xiu couldn't fall asleep that night. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed practicing his internal energy when he suddenly heard someone dart past his window. Young Master Xiu immediately pushed open the door and followed.
Meanwhile, Gongzi Qi, who was sharing a room with Gongzi Xiu and was usually a light sleeper, suddenly woke up.
Behind the mountain, beside the spring, surrounded by overlapping mountain peaks.
Night fell, the moon shone brightly, and the spring water seemed to be sprinkled with silver, shimmering and alluring.
Under the moonlight, a woman stood by the spring, quickly unbuttoned her clothes, reached out and removed the long ribbon that bound her hair, flicked it to the ground, and then lightly leaped into the water, swimming towards the center of the spring.
Behind her, amidst the swaying shadows of the trees, three people arrived one after another, not far apart. They all stared blankly at the woman in the water. The moon shone like a silver platter in the sky, and the woman in the water remained with her back to them, swimming towards the center of the spring. Suddenly, the woman disappeared into the spring, not surfacing for a long time. Silence reigned all around, a tense atmosphere seemingly about to erupt.
Just then, a person suddenly leaped out of the water, her long hair whipping around, water droplets scattering in the air like jade. At that moment, the person's face was facing the direction where the three of them were. The three of them were all greatly surprised, as that face was completely different from the one they had seen three days ago when she took off her mask.
Just then, Gongzi Yi suddenly rushed out, his target being the clothes that Hua Wuduo had taken off on the shore.
The three followed one after another. When Gongzi Yi arrived, he saw that Hua Wuduo had already entered the water. He thought to himself, "He said he didn't bathe, but he was lying." Under the moonlight, Hua Wuduo was bathing. Gongzi Yi couldn't help but feel restless at the sight, and he didn't notice that someone was following him.
Gongzi Xiu assumed that Gongzi Yi was tracking some suspicious person late at night. When he reached the woods, he secretly hid in the shadows. Following Gongzi Yi's gaze, he saw a woman swimming in the water. He immediately realized that Gongzi Yi was peeping at a woman bathing again. He couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. A strange feeling welled up inside him. In this academy, the only women were the headmistress and her maid. The woman in the water didn't resemble the headmistress's plump maid. Could it be… the headmistress?! Gongzi Yi actually dared to peep at the headmistress bathing in the middle of the night! How disrespectful! He was about to rush out and reprimand Gongzi Yi when he was suddenly pulled back.
When Gongzi Xiu turned around, he saw that it was Gongzi Qi. At this moment, he heard Gongzi Qi say in a low voice, "Xiu, don't you want to know Wu Duo's true colors?"
Gongzi Xiu was taken aback upon hearing this, and suddenly looked at the woman in the water, whispering, "Is the woman in the water Wu Duo?" Seeing Gongzi Qi nod, Gongzi Xiu's gaze became even sharper, and he questioned in a low voice, "You know perfectly well!" Gongzi Qi smiled, naturally thinking of the day when Gongzi Xiu was changing clothes and Hua Wu Duo saw him, and then chuckled in a low voice, "Xiu, now that we've seen it again, we're even."
Young Master Xiu looked displeased. Although he had some doubts, he didn't say anything more and turned his gaze back to the mountain spring.
The moon in the sky was like a silver plate. The person in the water always had her back to them, swimming towards the center of the spring. Her figure was graceful and agile, and her crescent-colored back appeared and disappeared in the water. The three young men held their breath, feeling restless. Suddenly, the woman disappeared into the spring and did not resurface for a long time. The surroundings were silent. The three young men could vaguely hear their own heartbeats. They were so fast that sweat almost broke out on their foreheads. A sense of tension seemed to be about to erupt.
Suddenly, a person leaped out of the water, their long hair whipping in the air, water droplets scattering like jade. As they rose and fell, the person's face turned right towards the three of them. That face was completely different from the one she had seen three days ago when she removed her mask.
The moonlight bathed her skin, making it appear like jade, translucent and radiant, as if veiled by light clouds or drifting like swirling snowflakes in a gentle breeze. From afar, she shone like the morning glow, with a graceful neck, bright eyes, and white teeth; her beauty was exquisite and captivating, a true national treasure.
Under the moonlight, Gongzi Yi couldn't help but exclaim, "She's so beautiful..."
Under the moonlight, Gongzi Qi murmured to himself, "She's actually just as beautiful as me..."
Under the moonlight, Gongzi Xiu still couldn't believe it and asked, "Is she really Wuduo?"
As soon as Gongzi Xiu finished speaking, Gongzi Yi glanced at where the two of them were hiding. The three of them looked at each other through the shadows of the trees. But at that moment, Gongzi Yi suddenly rushed out, his target being the clothes that Hua Wuduo had taken off on the shore.
Seeing this, Gongzi Qi sighed, "Yi is too impatient, and will only make things worse. The forced marriage taught by Master Zhang is not suitable for most people." Gongzi Qi shook his head as he spoke.
Upon hearing this, Gongzi Xiu immediately understood Gongzi Yi's intention and looked over in surprise, thinking to himself: Could it be that Yi wants to... force himself on her?
At the same time, Hua Wuduo in the water also saw Gongzi Yi.
Just then, Prince Yi hurriedly leaped down the small hill from the woods. The hill was covered with thorny bushes and was quite steep. Prince Yi stepped on one of the bushes for leverage, but unfortunately, his clothes were caught by a slightly taller thorny bush behind him. There was a tearing sound, and his clothes seemed to be ripped open. Then there was a cry, and Prince Yi fell awkwardly into the bushes...
Oh dear, Gongzi Qi covered her eyes, unable to bear witnessing Gongzi Yi's miserable state.
Young Master Xiu also turned his face away.
Upon seeing Gongzi Yi, Hua Wuduo was greatly alarmed and, with a cry of "Ah...", plunged into the water and disappeared without a trace.
Young Master Yi scrambled to his feet from the bushes, his clothes torn to shreds. He cursed, "Damn it, why am I having such bad luck tonight?" But he still glanced at the water. Seeing no one in the water, he immediately thought of his clothes on the shore. And there they were! He leaped out of the bushes and ran toward his clothes.
This time, Young Master Xiu suddenly rushed out from the woods and shouted, "Yi, stop!"
In the woods, Gongzi Qi watched as Gongzi Xiu rushed out. She had already taken half a step forward, but she quietly withdrew and hid in the shadows without a word.
Gongzi Yi heard Gongzi Xiu's shouts but ignored them completely. He rushed towards Hua Wuduo's clothes on the shore at great speed. Just as he was about to get his hands on them, two silver needles suddenly shot out of the water. One shot towards Gongzi Yi and the other shot towards the clothes on the shore.
The silver needles shot out of the water at an extremely fast speed, which caught Gongzi Yi off guard. When he saw this, he quickly turned around to dodge. At this moment, another silver needle with a silk thread attached had already pierced through the clothes on the shore and flown into the water.
In the instant that Gongzi Yi dodged the silver needle, his clothes flew into the water.
At this moment, Hua Wuduo suddenly emerged from the water, struck the surface with her palm, and her inner force stirred up a towering spray of water. At the same time, she leaped into the air, and in the blink of an eye, although she did not have time to dress properly, she had already put on her clothes. With a few leaps, she reached the shore and glared angrily at Gongzi Yi.
On the shore, Gongzi Yi stared intently at Hua Wuduo's exposed shoulders and neck, then at her lotus-like feet, and finally at her face, swallowing hard.
The young master Xiu, who arrived later, politely avoided looking directly at Hua Wuduo, but when he lowered his eyes, he inadvertently saw Hua Wuduo's bare legs and was immediately stunned. He saw water droplets slowly sliding down their surface and felt his heart pounding uncontrollably. He suddenly felt nervous and at a loss, a feeling he had never experienced before.
Hua Wuduo was both ashamed and angry. Seeing Gongzi Yi's appearance, she turned to leave without saying a word, but Gongzi Yi blocked her way.
Gongzi Yi knew he shouldn't let her leave like that, but he didn't know what to say if he stopped her. He could only stammer, "The night is cool, I'm afraid you'll get cold, so I wanted to get you an outer coat." This was probably the worst lie Gongzi Yi had ever told. Because Hua Wuduo became even angrier after hearing this, and roared, "Get out of my way!" Gongzi Yi was so frightened that he took a big step back.
Hua Wuduo took a few steps back, then suddenly leaped away.
Gongzi Yi did not immediately chase after them, but looked at Gongzi Xiu beside him and said, "Xiu, back then, the beautiful Ding Qiao'er took off her clothes and lay in front of you, but you didn't even bother to look at her. We all guessed that you were gay. What, it turns out you still like women."
Gongzi Yi's words made Gongzi Xiu narrow his eyes.
Gongzi Yi smiled and teased, "Xiu, the moonlight is lovely tonight, and with such beautiful women before us, all of them completely naked, it's certainly convenient to use the 'forced marriage' that Master Zhang taught us, don't you think?!"
He really wanted to force himself on her! Young Master Xiu slashed at Young Master Yi with a palm strike.
Meanwhile, Gongzi Qi, who had remained hidden in the forest, secretly followed Hua Wuduo.
By this time, Hua Wuduo had vanished without a trace.
Hua Wuduo hurriedly returned to the house. Now that her true identity had been exposed, she could no longer stay there and decided to leave immediately. Knowing that time was of the essence, she hurriedly packed her things, not even having time to comb her hair, and leaving her shoes and socks by the water. She rushed out the door barefoot, her hair disheveled. But as soon as she stepped out, she saw a person walking in the courtyard. The person was holding up his trousers and looked dazed, as if he had just returned from the outhouse. He turned his head and saw Hua Wuduo. This person was none other than Gongzi Qi.
Under the cover of night, when Gongzi Qi saw her, his eyes suddenly lit up with amazement, and then he stood there dumbfounded with his mouth agape.
Hua Wuduo was first startled, then suddenly felt strange, and tentatively walked towards Gongzi Qi step by step.
Hua Wuduo walked up to him, stretched out a hand and waved it in front of his eyes. Seeing that Gongzi Qi did not react and stared at her blankly without moving, Hua Wuduo smiled, suddenly feeling playful. She flicked a finger on his forehead, but at that moment, Gongzi Qi suddenly made a move, swiftly grabbing Hua Wuduo and subduing her hands first.
Before Gongzi Qi's smile could even reach his face, he felt as if something had stabbed him in the waist, causing him unbearable pain. Hua Wuduo suddenly broke free from his embrace, smiled contemptuously, and with a stomp of her foot, flew away. The night was dark, and a faint fragrance wafted in the air. A voice seemed to echo in the air: "You think I didn't notice you?"
Bathed in moonlight, she took a light step and vanished like the wind.
He stared blankly in the direction she had left, muttering to himself, "I don't like women more beautiful than me, but you're an exception..."
After that day, the Nanshu Academy never saw Hua or anyone else again.
The next day, Hua Wuduo disappeared, and the Master asked Gongzi Yi what had happened.
Gongzi Yi had no choice but to tell the truth: Hua Wuduo was not his cousin, but stayed at Nanshu Academy as his bodyguard. She was actually a woman.
When the disciples of Nanshu Academy learned of this, they all complained about Gongzi Yi, blaming him for not being fair enough. He hadn't told them earlier that Hua Wuduo was a girl, so they could have all spied on her bathing in their spare time. As the saying goes, sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone.
Gongzi Yi had no words to say. In truth, he had only peeked once! And when he arrived that night, Hua Wuduo was already in the water.
(End of Volume 1)
The highest level of tormenting a man
Three days later, in the capital city, not far from Qifeng Mountain.
The capital city is extremely hot in June, far less so than the cool and refreshing atmosphere of the Nanshu Academy atop Qifeng Mountain.
On the second floor of the teahouse, Fang Ruoxi sat in a corner, enjoying the cool air and sipping tea. Four plates of exquisite pastries were laid out on the table. She casually picked up a small piece and put it in her mouth, savoring it carefully. Watching the young gentlemen coming and going downstairs, she couldn't help but think of her classmates at Nanshu Academy. At this moment, they should all be attending Master Xu's class. Although Master Xu was proud and arrogant, he was unlucky enough to have taken her as his disciple. She wondered if Master Xu would be disappointed or resentful towards her after she left.
Just as he was lost in thought, he heard someone behind him say, "Have you heard? Poison King Tang Ye has broken off the engagement of the second daughter of the Fang family in Jinling."
Upon hearing this, Fang Ruoxi was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but concentrate and listen attentively.
Another person chimed in, "Such a big deal, who in the martial arts world doesn't know about it? A little over a month ago, I heard that Fang Ruoxi, the second daughter of the Fang family, ran away from her marriage to Tang Ye of the Tang Clan. This news spread throughout the martial arts world. Tang Zhuoshan, the leader of the Tang Clan, was furious and sent someone to annul the Fang family's engagement, causing the Tang and Fang families to become enemies instead of getting married. People from the Tang Clan say that Fang Ruoxi is promiscuous and can have any man. Hehe, but in my opinion, Fang Ruoxi probably ran away from the marriage because she didn't want to be poisoned to death by her poisonous husband, Tang Ye, on her wedding night."
One of them said, "Hehe, you're right, brother. However, I heard that Fang Ruoxi has been expelled from the Fang family."
Another person said, "Yes, how could the Fang family allow such a daughter to disgrace the family?"
Fang Ruoxi frowned as she listened... about Tang Ye annuling the engagement...