Орден Красного Лотоса

Глава 39

He wants to paint? Yang Nianqing was overjoyed. She had never forgotten that the number one philanthropist in front of her was also the number one painter. His paintings were "priceless"!

"It's too cold outside, shall we go inside and paint?"

Nangong Xue nodded: "Alright."

Haha, with one of his paintings, I probably won't have to worry about my future... Yang Nianqing suddenly stood up, grabbed his sleeve, and left.

Surprisingly, Nangong Xue, who was usually very polite and avoided suspicion, did not object to her overly excited actions. She was half pulled by Nangong Xue and half led the way herself, walking towards the study.

The study was indeed very elegantly furnished, with a row of writing brushes on the desk, an exquisitely carved ancient inkstone, calligraphy by famous calligraphers on the wall, and a precious sword hanging high on the wall... everything was in line with what a wealthy family should look like.

The two pageboys followed in respectfully, and upon hearing that they did not need to wait for orders, they respectfully withdrew.

Yang Nianqing secretly admired it.

Since returning to Nangong Villa, she noticed that the servants there were all very respectful and careful towards Nangong Xue. It seemed that this gentle man had his own management methods; to be honest, he always exuded an air of authority without needing to be angry.

Sitting down beside the table, Yang Nianqing carefully examined him, then shook her head with an incredulous look: "Brother Nangong, you're usually so gentle, like you can bully anyone, but I never imagined they would all listen to you so much."

Hearing this absurd praise, Nangong Xue smiled without saying a word, but walked to the table and lit a censer of fine sandalwood.

A delicate fragrance wafted through the air.

“The painter just needs to paint,” Yang Nianqing hurriedly stood up and laid out the paper for him. “I’ll grind the ink for you.”

However, she immediately regretted saying it as soon as it left her mouth.

I've never actually ground ink myself; these days, I just buy bottled ink to practice calligraphy.

Nangong Xue, being the person he was, naturally understood the reason when he saw her staring at the inkstone with an embarrassed expression. He suppressed a laugh, took out ink from an exquisite box, and began to teach her.

"There shouldn't be too much water."

He poured some water.

"...Place it straight, gently...slowly..."

I never knew grinding ink was such a complex subject! Yang Nianqing shook her aching arm, full of hope: "Brother Nangong, will you give me the painting when it's finished?"

"good."

Hehe, although it's tiring, it's worth it as long as the work is rewarded.

Seeing that the ink was almost ready, Nangong Xue smiled, picked up her brush, dipped it in the ink, and began to paint, pressing the paper lightly with one hand.

Gradually, Yang Nianqing ground the ink at a slower and slower pace...

It's not a painting.

She never imagined that a man's pose while painting could be so captivating! His long hair cascaded down his arms, his handsome face was focused, his brows slightly furrowed, revealing a hint of melancholy—he was unbelievably handsome…

Nangong Xue only made a few strokes before stopping. He examined it carefully for a moment, then looked up to speak, only to find Yang Nianqing staring at him in a daze, which puzzled him.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh?" Yang Nianqing came back to her senses. "It's nothing."

Her phoenix eyes flashed, clearly indicating disbelief.

These men are all too smart; you can't fool them even if you try!

Yang Nianqing was too lazy to hide it anymore, so she simply blinked and admitted her crush: "I mean, you look really handsome when you draw, so dashing and debonair."

Nangong Xue was taken aback at first, then shook her head and smiled.

Seeing how calm and composed he usually was, Yang Nianqing was quite amused to find it so unexpected that he would blush after being praised like that.

Nangong Xue handed her the painting: "How is it?"

Wow, you're a master! You drew so fast!

"Thanks!"

Yang Nianqing was so happy she almost jumped for joy. This was a priceless treasure, and he just gave it to her like that! Hahaha, she'd rely on it for the rest of her life...

However, the next moment, she could no longer laugh.

On the pristine white paper, there stood a cartoon rabbit!

Surprisingly, he remembered it perfectly after only glancing at it twice. The lines were smooth, and it was even more playful and cute than Yang Nianqing's own drawing.

But... Yang Nianqing's future life depended on it! She had spent so much time grinding ink, and he... he actually gave her a picture of a rabbit! Yang Nianqing was speechless—she wondered if cartoon rabbits by artists were also incredibly rare and valuable?

Nangong Xue looked at the painting and smiled, her smile gentle and elegant, with a rare hint of playfulness: "How is it?"

Yang Nianqing looked at him, her lips twitching a few times: "Very good...hehehe...good..."

"How about I give it to you?"

"Of course... thank you..." Her face started twitching.

Nangong Xue was delighted and put down her pen: "I'm glad you like it."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a magnetic voice suddenly rang out: "No, in my opinion, it's really bad, not bad at all, extremely bad."

The two were startled and turned around at the same time. At the doorway stood a figure dressed in snow-white robes—none other than Li You!

Nangong Xue smiled and asked, "Brother Li, what makes you say that?"

Li You strolled in slowly, glanced at Yang Nianqing, then looked at the cartoon rabbit in the drawing, blinked, and said seriously, "Disappointing, of course not good."

"disappointment?"

Li You suppressed a laugh and murmured, "If it's not a painting that's priceless, then of course I'm going to be disappointed."

That damned guy! It never seems like anything good ever comes from running into him! Yang Nianqing was extremely embarrassed, glaring at him and gritting her teeth, she said, "Lazy as a pig, but talkative as a mule!"

Nangong Xue was an extremely intelligent person, and she had already figured it out. She couldn't help but shake her head and smile.

After a while.

Yang Nianqing grabbed Li You and dragged him outside, yelling, "You come out here!"

"What is it?"

“It’s a bet, of course,” Yang Nianqing sneered. “A bet on Madam Leng and Hero Chu. They’ve already forgotten.”

Li You paused, scrutinized her for a long time, then shook his head in disappointment: "Strange, knowing you'll lose, why do you still gamble? Could it be that some people haven't become smarter?"

Yang Nianqing was too lazy to argue: "Are you going to bet or not?"

"I couldn't have gotten it."

“That’s good,” she thought for a moment, then reminded him, “This time there will be a wager.”

“Of course,” Li You turned to the side and held up one finger, “If you lose, you’ll wash all these clothes for me.”

once?

"OK!" Yang Nianqing agreed without hesitation. "What if you lose?"

"Do whatever you want."

casual?

Suppressing her excitement, Yang Nianqing coughed twice, secretly clenched her paws, and smiled maliciously: "Whatever you want?"

The sample ended up in my hands...

Li You looked at her, his long eyelashes fluttering, and a bright, cheerful smile returned to his eyes, tinged with a hint of amusement: "Of course."

A gentleman's word is his bond.

"A journey of a thousand miles cannot be overtaken."

“OK!” Yang Nianqing smiled sinisterly and patted his hand. “I’ll take the bet!”

Fans of Mr. Chrysanthemum can rest assured; he's an important character and will appear in the next volume, receiving more attention. As for the beautiful Jianghu Yao, she'll be absent for a long time, but she'll play a crucial role later. That's how Xiao Shu writes—a character disappears mid-story, only to suddenly reappear just when everyone has forgotten about them. It's quite a surprise.

Li You always bullies the female lead, which many viewers find unfair. However, there will be scenes later where he is indeed bullied by her. As the saying goes, even the wisest person has their moments of frustration, especially when it comes to matters of principle.

Volume Two: Forgetting Each Other in the Jianghu - An Empty Coffin

It was still that small, quaint pavilion, with its carved railings, red lanterns, and that familiar, tall, and lush tree beside it.

This is the second time Yang Nianqing has sat here.

On the table in front of her were equally exquisite and delicious pastries and wines, but she had no appetite for them at all, feeling extremely nervous.

Under the shade of the trees outside the railing, a coffin was prominently displayed.

The coffin was of superior color and quality, naturally prepared by Nangong Xue as promised to Madam Leng. Although she knew it was empty inside, Yang Nianqing still felt very uncomfortable and felt her hair stand on end just looking at it.

The group sat in silence for half a day.

The night was deep, and a light dew, like a drizzle, clung to the lamplight, swaying gently in the breeze. The scene of seeing Zhang Mingchu's body on the first night she arrived replayed in Yang Nianqing's mind, and she felt even colder.

Finally, Nangong Xue broke the silence and forced a smile, saying, "I still told them to surround the manor."

Unfortunately, the murderer always managed to bring the body in, and it would appear before everyone precisely on time. The Nangong Villa was heavily guarded; how did he manage to succeed time and time again? This was a question that no one could understand.

The sound of the night watchman's drum pierced the darkness; midnight had arrived.

After exchanging glances for a moment, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Nangong Xue stood up, straightened his clothes, and a gentle, elegant smile returned to his handsome face: "I suppose he can't come today, and perhaps Master Chu is unable to..."

He only got halfway through his sentence before the rest of the sentence was cut off.

The smile on his handsome face froze, and his gentle phoenix eyes revealed a complex mix of emotions: surprise, sorrow, anger, helplessness… He stared intently at one spot—

coffin!

Just now, everyone was so focused on the tree that they hadn't noticed the empty coffin beneath it. Now that they saw his pale face, they realized something was wrong.

The coffin lid wasn't sealed tightly, and through the gap, a small, inconspicuous blue object, about the size of a little finger, was vaguely visible, resembling a corner of clothing.

How come there's this inside a coffin that's clearly empty?

Madam Leng's face turned deathly pale.

Li You and He Bi exchanged a glance.

A dark shadow flashed before his eyes, and when he looked again, He Bi was already under the tree. He stared coldly at the coffin for a moment, then suddenly reached out and violently flung open the lid—

A familiar face.