Chapter 231 Extra No. 3

Before dawn, Xue Tan got up early and led a group of maids and servants to busy themselves around the house. They didn't have time to sit down and rest until noon.

Today is Ji Wanshu's first holiday since becoming the head of Yunhua Palace. Wen Chaoyu sent someone to deliver a message last night, saying that he wanted to bring Ji Wanshu home for a short stay to relax.

Xue Tan felt it was his duty to manage everything in an orderly manner as the steward of the house, so as not to embarrass Wen Chaoyu. Ji Wanshu was an honored guest among honored guests, and he could not be neglected. Therefore, Xue Tan got up earlier than the rooster today, hoping to serve Ji Wanshu well and then ask her for a waist token to enter and exit Yunhua Palace, so that he could go to the palace to visit some acquaintances when he had nothing to do in the future.

The courtyard was covered with thick snow, and the floor was wet and slippery. Xue Tan had ordered people to prepare wine and food and light a charcoal brazier. Just as he was leading people to shovel snow in the courtyard, a carriage slowly drove up from the end of the long street. Bai Ling was driving the carriage in front, and the first person to appear was Wen Chaoyu, followed closely by Ji Wanshu, Man Jiangxue and Yin Qiu.

"Guardians, you're back!" Xue Tan exclaimed excitedly, overjoyed. "Quickly, come inside and take a seat. I've prepared a table full of fine wine and food, just waiting for you!"

Wen Chaoyu yawned repeatedly, stretched out a very long yawn, patted Xue Tan heavily on the shoulder, and said, "Is everything alright at home? Nothing bad has happened, right?"

Xue Tan stumbled from her slap, then laughed and said, "What could possibly happen? Everything's fine at home!"

"That's good," Wen Chaoyu said. "I always feel like you're still a young man. I can't help but worry about you when I'm not home. When are you going to find a girl and get married? That way I won't have to worry about you all the time."

The people behind him cast teasing glances at him. Xue Tan blushed, feeling embarrassed, and scratched his head, saying, "Guardian, please stop teasing me. I've already decided that I will never marry... oh no, never take a wife. Why would I want to ruin a perfectly good girl's life?"

Wen Chaoyu said, "Why are you belittling yourself? I'm missing an arm and a leg just like you. Who can predict marriage? Maybe you'll meet your soulmate tomorrow, get married the day after, and have a little niece for me to play with the day after that. That's all possible."

Xue Tan chuckled twice: "It's not as easy as you make it sound."

He then led the group into the hall and instructed the servants to serve the wine and dishes. After they were seated, Yin Qiuxian took out a square medicine box from his sleeve and handed it to Xue Tan, saying, "Brother Xue, I heard from Uncle Wen that the medicine I gave you last time has run out, so I asked Meng Jing to make two more boxes. Now that it's winter and the weather is cold, you need to pay more attention to keeping warm. You also need to keep applying this medicine to make it effective. Let me know as soon as you run out, so please don't be shy."

Upon seeing the medicine box, Xue Tan was flattered and said, "This... how can I accept this? Miss Yin always brings me gifts whenever she visits, but I have nothing to repay her with. I am truly ashamed."

"Don't be ashamed, we're all family," Yin Qiu laughed. "I don't have any brothers or sisters, so please don't stand on ceremony when I call you Brother Xue. Just accept it."

Xue Tan took the medicine box and held it in his hands like a treasure. Wen Chaoyu teased him a few times, and then the group sat down together for a peaceful lunch.

The weather has been cold lately, and the Lunar New Year is just around the corner, which will soon be a busy time again. Everyone is unusually relaxed today, as it's a rare day off before the New Year. After dinner, Xue Tan prepared tea and snacks in the garden. Wen Chaoyu and Man Jiangxue sat in the pavilion, brewing tea and chatting. Ji Wanshu, Yin Qiu, and Bai Ling practiced their swordsmanship on the side. They didn't go to bed until nightfall, when they all took baths and returned to their rooms to prepare for the night.

The snow fell heavily at night, and the red plum trees in the courtyard were bent low by the weight of the snow. The fragrance of the flowers, carried by the frosty wind, wafted into the room along with the candlelight from the lanterns under the eaves. Having left suddenly on the way down the mountain, Ji Wanshu hadn't taken many changes of clothes. After rummaging through the closet for a while, she found a bright red dress. Upon seeing the dress, Wen Chaoyu's eyelids twitched immediately, and she said, "That...that won't fit you. I'll find you something else."

Ji Wanshu raised an eyebrow slightly, held the red dress in one hand, and looked at Wen Chaoyu with clear eyes.

Wen Chaoyu realized something was wrong and stood there wanting to explain, but the person in front of her distracted her.

Ji Wanshu had just returned from the bathhouse, her hair still wet. In the flickering candlelight, she was only wearing a thin undergarment. She hadn't slept well lately due to her busy work schedule, and she looked much thinner than before. Looking at her like this, she seemed more mature and dignified, and she was increasingly exuding the charm of a grown woman.

She was no longer the impetuous young girl she once was. Every move she made was calm and unhurried. At first, it was an act, a deliberate attempt to present herself this way. But as time went by, some things gradually became habits, becoming her true cultivation. In short, Ji Wanshu had long since changed. Compared to the past, she was now quite unique and pleasing to the eye.

"What are you looking at?" Noticing that Wen Chaoyu was staring at her as if lost in thought, Ji Wanshu covered her head with the skirt and asked calmly.

Wen Chaoyu's vision went black for a moment. When she pulled her skirt down, Ji Wanshu had already put her clothes on and sat down at the desk. There was a stack of memorials on the desk, which had been delivered from the post station in the evening. Wen Chaoyu said with a little heartache, "It's so late, and you still have to deal with official business?"

Ji Wanshu hummed in agreement and said, "It has to be dealt with sooner or later, so it won't hurt to take a look before bed."

She was very diligent, and had been exceptionally hardworking since officially becoming the sect leader. Wen Chaoyu had been by her side these past few days, observing everything Ji Wanshu did. Wen Chaoyu moved two lamps over, squeezed in next to Ji Wanshu, and leaned on her shoulder, asking, "It's getting late. You rarely have a chance to steal a moment of leisure. Why don't you go back to the palace and watch it later?"

A faint fragrance lingered in the air, a scent that didn't belong to anyone in the room. Ji Wanshu glanced down at Wen Chaoyu and said, "What are you still holding? Put it back."

Hearing her calm tone, Wen Chaoyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and finally remembered to explain, "This is what Nangong Min changed out of. Before she returned to Cang County last time, she came to sit here for a while, covered in blood. So I let her take a bath and gave her a clean set of clothes. This dress looks pretty good. I guess she hasn't worn it many times. There's no reason for me to just throw it away, right? It's made of the best material."

“I didn’t say anything,” Ji Wanshu shifted her gaze to the front, “I just asked you to put it back.”

Wen Chaoyu looked at her and said, "I'm just afraid you'll overthink it. It's because you're always so jealous of her."

Ji Wanshu calmly said, "That's not true, don't talk nonsense."

"I'm talking nonsense?" Wen Chaoyu chuckled mischievously and whispered in Ji Wanshu's ear, "Alright then, it's a shame to throw away such nice clothes. Can I keep them for myself?"

“Okay,” Ji Wanshu said, putting down her pen and leaning back in her chair to look at Wen Chaoyu. “Why not? You’re not asleep yet, so put it on and let me see.”

Wen Chaoyu paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, pointing at Ji Wanshu's face and saying, "What's the big deal? You should really look in the mirror and see your own expression. You say you're not jealous, but I can smell the sourness in your breath!"

Ji Wanshu gave her a cold look, didn't reply, and continued reading the documents at her desk. Wen Chaoyu, not finding it boring after her flirting failed, instead leaned close to Ji Wanshu's neck with great interest, deliberately taking a breath and saying, "You smell so good."

"Don't bother me," Ji Wanshu pressed her head down, "I won't sleep until I finish reading the memorial."

"It's up to you," Wen Chaoyu said shamelessly. "We all use the same bath soap, so why do you smell so good?"

Her breath lingered on the skin of her neck, her nose brushing against the spot intermittently, leaving a slightly cool sensation. Ji Wanshu's face remained calm, but a slight ripple stirred within her heart. She placed the pen she was holding back on the inkstone, and just as she was about to turn her head to kiss Wen Chaoyu, Wen Chaoyu seemed to be deliberately teasing her, quickly sitting up straight and standing up the next moment.

"Xue Tan!" Wen Chaoyu walked to the door and shouted through the two wooden doors.

Not long after, a series of footsteps sounded outside. Xue Tan asked from outside the door, "What's wrong, Protector?"

Wen Chaoyu opened the door and handed out the red dress in her hand: "Have someone send this to Cang County first thing tomorrow morning."

Xue Tan glanced at the skirt and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this a priest's robe? You still have it?"

“It’s none of your business whether I keep it or not,” Wen Chaoyu said. “Such nice clothes can’t be used as rags. How much money do we have to afford to wear them like that?”

Xue Tan reacted quickly, knowing that these words were meant for Ji Wanshu, and immediately replied, "Yes, yes, how could we dare to throw away the priest's things? Don't worry, I will definitely have someone return them to the priest tomorrow."

Wen Chaoyu responded, and after Xue Tan left and she closed the door, she turned around and looked at Ji Wanshu, saying, "Is this alright?"

Ji Wanshu remained noncommittal, burying her head in her books. Seeing that she showed no reaction, Wen Chaoyu gritted her teeth and said, "Don't push your luck. A piece of clothing doesn't mean anything. If Man Jiangxue and Yin Qiu's clothes ended up here, I would wash them and put them away. Why are you so jealous?"

Ji Wanshu gave a speechless look and said helplessly, "Heaven and earth bear witness, I haven't said a single bad word. Can you stop making things up?"

Wen Chaoyu chuckled softly, ran over and hugged Ji Wanshu tightly, saying with certainty, "You just don't say it, but you still mind it, don't you?"

Ji Wanshu paused for a moment, then said truthfully, "To be honest, there is a bit of discomfort. There are other women's clothes in your wardrobe, and that woman is Nangong Min. But I'm not so petty as to not tolerate even the slightest imperfection. You're the one who's being suspicious."

“You don’t have to worry, but I definitely have to,” Wen Chaoyu said. “Besides, don’t I still have your clothes in my closet?”

Ji Wanshu said, "You're talking nonsense again. I didn't leave my clothes here with you."

“What’s mine is yours,” Wen Chaoyu said with a contented smile. “I’m yours in person, so what’s a few clothes?”

Since their relationship became intimate, Ji Wanshu discovered that Wen Chaoyu was very good at saying things to please her. Ji Wanshu felt inferior in this regard, often feeling clumsy with words. Although she had boundless tenderness in her heart, she didn't know how to express it to Wen Chaoyu. Compared to words, Ji Wanshu was better at actions, just like now—she blew out the lamp on the table, scooped Wen Chaoyu up by her knees, and silently carried her through the beaded curtain to place her on the couch.

The night snow fell softly, and the light in the room dimmed considerably in an instant. As Ji Wanshu got up, Wen Chaoyu hooked her back with her legs, her tone revealing an unmistakable mischievousness.

"Aren't you going to read the memorials?"

Ji Wanshu lowered the bed curtains and replied expressionlessly, "I'll see when we get back to the palace."

Wen Chaoyu's laughter rang out, but was quickly silenced by Ji Wanshu. The two of them became entangled on the bed, wrinkling the bedding and pillowcases. The laughter was gradually replaced by rapid breathing, which filled the room like a spring breeze, but could not penetrate outside the window.

Her clothes slid down the edge of the bed to the floor. Wen Chaoyu lay on her back, teasing Ji Wan with her light and heavy kisses, saying, "What kind of place has this house become? Every time you come here, you can't help but do some shameless things. It's like a brothel just for you, and I'm the only top courtesan."

Ji Wanshu still wasn't used to her crazy talk, so he was speechless and choked up, saying, "I've never been to a brothel, but you're a regular."

"Bullshit! How am I a regular customer?" Wen Chaoyu said coldly. "Which eye of yours saw me go to those places?"

“You yourself mentioned that I don’t need to see it with my own eyes,” Ji Wanshu said, holding her hand tightly and looking down at Wen Chaoyu with a hint of jealousy in her eyes. “You used to frequent the Qinlou, loving to listen to the musicians play the qin and sing. You used half of your monthly salary to buy wine and the other half to buy rouge for the musicians. Did you think I didn’t know?”

Wen Chaoyu met her gaze calmly and said, "I was just pretending. What kind of self-disciplined protector is the Ziwei Sect? Do you think everyone looks as detached from worldly desires as the people of Yunhua Palace? Who would believe that? Besides, I have a history of infiltration. When I first returned, I couldn't shake off my old habits and felt quite out of place in the sect. The other three protectors gossiped to Nangong Min, saying that I had developed feelings for Yunhua Palace and was no longer like a member of the Demonic Sect. They also said that my self-disclosure and return without warning was a ploy to sow discord and that I was going to help Yunhua Palace against the Ziwei Sect. Tell me, in that situation, how could I gain a foothold if I didn't act like I wasn't even human?"

Ji Wanshu understood her situation at the time; everything was out of necessity. But Ji Wanshu still asked, knowing the answer already, "Is Qinniang beautiful?"

Wen Chaoyu smiled meaningfully and said, "Beautiful."

Ji Wanshu then asked, "Is the tune pleasant to listen to?"

Wen Chaoyu still smiled: "It sounds nice."

Ji Wanshu snorted coldly, raised her hand, and extinguished the last remaining candlelight in the room with a flick of her wrist. Wen Chaoyu sensed what she was about to do, and a sense of nervousness crept into her heart. She could only stammer, "I'm telling the truth! Beautiful is beautiful, pleasant to the ear is pleasant to the ear. I just like to be honest and I don't bother lying unless absolutely necessary... Ouch, be gentle. Besides, I spent so much money to go to the music hall, I can't just pretend I didn't hear it. Earning money isn't easy these days. I've already spent the money, it's only right that I enjoy it a bit... Ouch! Are you a dog?!"

"Stop talking nonsense," Ji Wanshu said, pressing the person down firmly as they groped around in the darkness without any restraint. "Maybe I can be a little gentler with you."

Wen Chaoyu said, "Who cares if you're gentle with me? Have you forgotten how badly you beat me back then? I remember it all. I'll spend the rest of my life getting my revenge on you, one by one. You think you can get away with hitting someone? It's not that easy. But I'm being magnanimous, so I won't send you to the authorities. You... hey! Where are you going!"

"Don't try to turn the tables on me," Ji Wanshu said, but her actions were still very gentle. "You didn't hold back much when you hit me either."

“When it comes to fighting, nobody wants to be the one who gets hurt, right? Even the dumbest person knows to fight back,” Wen Chaoyu bit her lip, gradually becoming unable to speak, “And why is it always me who gets hit…”

After muttering the last half of her sentence, she lost all interest in arguing with Ji Wanshu. The night deepened, and several lanterns under the eaves went out, making it impossible for Wen Chaoyu to see Ji Wanshu's face clearly anymore.

After about half a cup of tea's time, that gentle warmth finally seeped deeper inside. Wen Chaoyu gasped, incredulously saying, "Why does it hurt so much? It hurts more than being stabbed! No more, no more, get off me—"

Seeing her struggling to escape, Ji Wanshu's ears turned bright red. He pressed Wen Chaoyu down and said, "Bear with it. I'm doing what you taught me. Why are you running away now?"

Wen Chaoyu, tugging at the bed curtains and covered in sweat, said, "I'm not coming anymore, I really am not coming anymore. It hurts so much! You don't believe me? Try it and I'll let you taste what it's like."

"Relax, don't be nervous," Ji Wanshu said, controlling her breath as she kissed Wen Chaoyu gently. "Take a moment to adjust. I won't move unless you give me a signal. Don't run away."

Wen Chaoyu had no choice but to adjust her breathing and try to get used to Ji Wanshu's presence, but she couldn't help wanting to escape. She couldn't relax her mind and body. After a while, she pushed Ji Wanshu away and jumped off the bed, but Ji Wanshu caught her and brought her back. The two of them played around in the room, chasing each other until they finally calmed down after most of the night.

The next morning, Wen Chaoyu and Ji Wanshu got up late. When they arrived at the front hall, Yin Qiu and Man Jiangxue had already eaten lunch and were sitting in the corridor warming themselves by the fire and enjoying the snow scene. Wen Chaoyu felt sore and weak, and Ji Wanshu was not much better off. Both of them looked like they had done something naughty the night before and hadn't slept well.

Seeing Yin Qiu dozing off in Man Jiangxue's arms at midday, Wen Chaoyu went over to look at her and said to Man Jiangxue, "What's wrong with this child? She doesn't seem to be in good spirits. Wasn't she lively and energetic yesterday?"

Man Jiangxue looked up at her, remaining silent, but her gaze held an indescribable meaning.

Wen Chaoyu stared at her for a moment, then asked, puzzled, "What's with that look? Why are you staring at us like that?" She glanced at Ji Wanshu, "Did we not wash our faces properly or something?"

Ji Wanshu also looked puzzled, standing by the door and silently watching Man Jiangxue.

Man Jiangxue glanced at the two of them and said calmly, "It's nothing, you two are just too noisy."

Wen Chaoyu paused for a moment, puzzled, and said, "Noisy? I just woke up, and I haven't even said two words yet. How did I disturb you?"

“Last night,” Man Jiangxue said, “otherwise, why do you think Xiao Qiu didn’t sleep well?”

Wen Chaoyu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.

“Next time we come, please arrange another room for me and Xiao Qiu. We can’t sleep in the room next to yours,” Yin Qiu in his arms stirred, as if she was chuckling silently. Man Jiangxue covered her slightly red cheeks. “After all, we are both martial artists and have good hearing. We can’t help but hear it even if we don’t want to.”

Wen Chaoyu touched her nose, feeling extremely embarrassed, and said, "Shut up." Then she pushed Yin Qiu, "If you haven't slept enough, go back to your room. What if you catch a cold in this cold wind? It'll be my fault then."

Yin Qiu tilted her head a little shyly and said softly, "Oh."

The atmosphere among the group suddenly became somewhat awkward. Ji Wan was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to leave or stay, while Wen Chaoyu was even less likely to make a scene. She then remembered that the commotion last night had indeed been quite loud, and that Man Jiangxue and Yin Qiu had both heard it. Wen Chaoyu was silently frustrated, wishing she could find a hilltop and bury herself alive.

Just as she was feeling embarrassed, she suddenly saw Xue Tan walking over from the other end of the corridor. As soon as he appeared, he asked, "Guardian, you're awake! Oh dear, did you and Miss Ji have a fight in your room last night?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Chaoyu's temples suddenly throbbed. She turned to look at Xue Tan expressionlessly and said, "...Fighting?"

"Yes, it sounded quite loud," Xue Tan glanced at Ji Wanshu, who clearly hadn't slept well, and said earnestly, "Guardian, I'm not trying to criticize you, but since Miss Ji became the sect leader, she's been busy with paperwork all day long and rarely has such a relaxing time. It's one thing for you to boss her around all the time, but why do you always fight with her at home? Not to mention, it's at night when she should be sleeping. Guardian, this is really not right of you."

Wen Chaoyu's eyelids twitched, and after a long silence, she said, "First, I didn't fight with her; second, when did I ever boss her around? Third, can you shut your dog mouth and get out?"