Chapter 13 Regretful... This feeling of wanting to undo every single word I said...

The water in the river is cold, and the morning breeze is slightly chilly.

When Lu woke up, she found herself nestled in Wu Chen's arms, feeling so warm and reluctant to let her go.

In that woman's memory, there seemed to be a rule about men and women not touching each other. But isn't it a bit too late to worry about that now?

Lu Qing began to seriously consider this issue.

"You're awake?" Wu Chen sensed the change in her breathing and opened his eyes.

Lu Qing hummed in agreement and turned to sit up.

Wu Chen quickly pressed her down, "Be gentle. This boat is small, it will capsize if you keep thrashing around like this."

The small boat indeed rocked precariously, looking as if it was about to capsize.

He pulled Lu Qing back into his arms, and the two leaned against each other in an unusually intimate manner. However, Lu Qing treated him like a blanket, showing not the slightest bit of shyness.

Wu Chen sighed, reached out and placed his hand on the hull, and quietly exerted force, and soon the small boat stabilized.

He sat up and pulled her up too. "What do you want to eat for breakfast?"

"I want to eat what I ate yesterday morning," Lu Qing demanded, making an outrageous request.

Yesterday's breakfast was a lavish affair, like that rich man from Jinhua. No matter how powerful Wu Chen is, he can't conjure up those delicacies right now. He reached out and flicked Lu Qing's forehead. "I don't have those. If you want fish porridge, I can make it for you."

Lu Qing pouted, made a face at him, and ran to the bow of the boat to wash up.

Wu Chen started a fire at the stern to cook porridge, and then brought up two fish, slicing them thinly and adding them to the boiling porridge. Since there were few seasonings, and Lu Qing's sense of smell was exceptionally sensitive, she would definitely dislike any fishy smell. So Wu Chen crushed a Qingxin Pill and added a little of the powder to the porridge.

Sure enough, before the porridge was even ready, Lu Qing followed the smell and came over. "It smells so good, so good."

Wu Chen looked at her, his expression unchanged, "Does it smell good?"

"It smells delicious!"

"Want some?"

"I want to eat it."

"Now that we've finished eating, we'll call it even. No more bringing up old scores, no more arguing." Wu Chen blocked her hand, preventing her from touching the bowl. Yesterday, the little girl said she wouldn't hold it against him for the time being, but she didn't say this chapter was over.

"You think you can erase this with just a bowl of fish porridge? That's outrageous!" Lu Qing yelled. "Not only did you lie to me, but you've also been hiding so many things from me. Even if what I know can be erased, what about what I don't know?" Lu Qing grabbed his arm and pinched him hard. "You'd better tell me everything right now!"

Wu Chen let her do as she pleased. "No, there are some things I can't tell you yet. I'll tell you when the time is right."

Lu Qing's excited expression vanished instantly, realizing he wouldn't be so easily fooled. She snorted and stopped what she was doing. "I don't know what you mean by 'timing.' But if you don't give me the porridge soon, I'll miss my chance to drink it."

Sure enough, the fish porridge was about to overflow. Wu Chen quickly took it off the stove and ladled it into a bowl for her.

Lu Qing held the bowl of porridge and ignored him.

Wu Chen smiled as he watched her eat with relish.

The two finished their breakfast. Wu Shen then set off again.

"Where are we going?" Lu Qing asked.

"Let's go to Moganshan."

"Where are you going and what are you going to do?"

"There is a family of swordsmiths in Mogan Mountain. It is said that the leaders of the family have the ability to communicate with sword spirits. This may also be related to the Spirit Fruit. Since Xiu has been able to find Tan Family Village, perhaps they will go there as well."

Lu Qing sat at the bow of the boat and thought for a while, "Are you more interested in demons or the fruit of spiritual communication?"

Wu Chen refused to answer her question, instead slowly reminding her, "You said yesterday that you wanted to rely on yourself, but if you can even fall asleep during basic meditation, shouldn't you consider finding someone to rely on?"

Lu Qing slapped his forehead, realizing he'd almost forgotten about it. Oh well, he'd seen the river all day yesterday; there was nothing special about it anymore. Time to get back to practicing his skills.

So the two of them, one practicing martial arts and the other steering the boat, sailed down the river. About half a month later, at the time when the moon was high in the sky, they finally arrived at the dock closest to Moganshan.

Lu Qing saw the red lanterns hanging outside the shops on the shore and couldn't help but cheer, "Finally, I don't have to drink porridge anymore!"

Wu Chen's temple throbbed, and he asked with a half-smile, "Don't like porridge? Who was it that ate two bowls last night and still felt it wasn't enough, clinging to the pot and refusing to put it down?"

Lu Qing glanced at him quickly. In just half a month, she had already been able to accurately discern the true emotions hidden beneath the man's gentle smile.

However, it's really quite tasteless to pick up a bowl to drink porridge and then put it down to curse...

So Lu Qing moved closer to him, "I just feel sorry for you because I see you rowing a boat every day and catching fish to cook porridge! Look, your face is all sunburned..." Lu Qing looked at him, and Wu Chen's face was still the same color, without any change at all.

Her little head bobbed back and forth in front of him, but he couldn't get any sun. Wu Chen couldn't help but laugh and flicked her forehead, "Don't be so glib."

"I'm telling the truth," Lu Qing said, covering her head.

Wu Chen glanced at her indifferently, "Do you know what it means to feel heartache?"

Isn't it just a polite remark? A way to express gratitude? She saw in that woman's memories that many men had spoken to women before Fei Mu, and whenever a man expressed concern, the woman would immediately stop being angry. Is there some other custom involved?

Lu Qing's eyes darted around, and she said in a tongue twister-like manner, "How do you know I don't know?"

“If you really feel sorry for someone, you won’t just say it. If you just say it, you’re lying.” Wu Chen picked up the rope and prepared to tie the small boat to the dock.

Lu Qing had already leaped onto the dock on the shore, turned back and made a face at him, and went ashore to find food first.

Wu Chen stared at her retreating figure, speechless. Lu Qing had only been cultivating for half a month, yet her progress was astonishingly fast.

really……

Wu Chen shook his head slightly, deciding not to go any further. He tied up the small boat, straightened his clothes, and then went ashore. He walked along the wooden plank path at the end of the dock.

Then, Wu Chen caught a glimpse of Lu Qing being pulled inside by several women.

He looked up and saw three lanterns hanging high outside the shop, which read "Bai Xiang Ge" (Hundred Fragrances Pavilion).

Wu Chen could not stop him in time. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, and could only hurry forward.

The women soliciting customers in front of Baixiang Pavilion immediately lit up when they saw Wu Chen, and swarmed around him, calling him "Young Master"...

Before they could squeeze to the front, Wu Chen bowed solemnly and said, “My friend has mistakenly entered your esteemed residence. I would be grateful if you ladies could do me the favor and ask her to come out.”

The courtesans chuckled, "Young master, we only help customers in, not out. If the madam finds out, we'll be punished. Otherwise, we can accompany you inside to look for them."

Wu Chen bowed respectfully again, "Thank you all in advance."

Seeing that he acted with dignity and propriety, and that his expression was polite yet possessed an air of authority, the courtesans guessed that he was no ordinary person. They stopped trying to harass him and instead led the way for him, occasionally glancing back with flirtatious eyes and beaming smiles.

Wu Chen pretended not to see them and followed them inside.

The matriarch of Baixiang Pavilion stood in the hall, looking utterly bewildered. Seeing the girls leading Wu Chen in, she quickly greeted them with a smile.

"Oh dear, how could you be so inconsiderate, neglecting our guests?"

A girl pretended to complain, "Mom, they came here to visit their friends..."

Wu Chen bowed to the madam as well, "The lady who just came in is my friend. It's her first time going out, and she accidentally wandered into your establishment. I've come to take her out."

The madam chuckled. "Young master, you're quite the joker. Your friend doesn't seem like a first-timer. He's very kind."

Huh?! What's going on? She was only a few steps away, what did she do?

Wu Chen barely managed to maintain his composure. "I wonder where she is?"

The madam pointed behind her, "They're in the kitchen!"

Um?

The girls burst into laughter upon hearing this. "Mom said we were mistreating the guests, but why did you send them all to the kitchen?"

Wu Chen didn't ask any more questions and went straight in the direction the madam was pointing.

After passing through the garden of Baixiang Pavilion, the kitchen is located in the northeast corner.

Before Wu Chenren arrived, they heard voices coming from inside the wall.

"Young master, you are truly oblivious to romance. Since you've come to Baixiang Pavilion, why not visit my boudoir instead of coming to this smoky and fiery place? Don't you have any consideration for me?"

"Sigh~ If you really feel sorry for someone, you won't just say it. If you just say it, you're lying." Lu Qing lowered her voice, imitating Wu Chen's deep voice, "If you don't believe me, look into my eyes."

Wu Chen closed his eyes. What was this feeling of wanting to pry back every single word he had said, chew it up, and swallow it down?

A note from the author:

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