Chapter 14

The two men took the money bag, tricked the grandmother into thinking they were going to Changsheng's house for a meal, and then swaggered down the mountain.

Zhu Yun found a straw raincoat to shield her from the sun and block her view, so that she wouldn't feel dizzy or nauseous from the dazzling branches and leaves when she used her light-footed skills.

A mountain breeze whistled past, dispelling the summer heat, and Luo Yan nestled on his back, cheering softly.

His brow, which had been furrowed all morning, finally relaxed. He deliberately slowed his pace so that she could stay happy for a little longer.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Zhu Yun went to a farmer's house to borrow a horse, a route he knew well by heart.

Although it was called a loan, it was actually a rental. The farmers, seeing that they were young and dressed in fine silk, couldn't help but think of raising the price on the spot.

Unexpectedly, the boy hid behind the girl, pulled out a dagger, and provocatively made a throat-slitting gesture at the old man.

The old man swallowed his words and led out the fine horse he had unexpectedly acquired.

Luo Yan, unaware of the intricacies involved, said to Zhu Yun afterward, "They don't even charge a deposit, so they're not afraid we'll abscond with the horses."

Zhu Yun smiled, helped her sit up, then mounted his horse and changed the subject: "In my opinion, archery, hidden weapons, and poison are best suited for you. Although they also require hard training, they are always easier than hand-to-hand combat."

"Why is there poison?" Luo Yan looked up at him suspiciously. "It sounds like they want me to become an assassin or killer."

"......"

Although Lan Yue Lou is jokingly called the Assassin's Tower by people in the martial arts world, it never uses poison or assassination. Instead, it will leave evidence in a high-profile manner.

This is because most of their clients are so-called reputable and upright people, and those they want to kill are usually their relatives, friends, or lovers.

If it were a clandestine affair, why would they need someone else to do it? It was precisely to distance themselves from the situation that they hired an assassin.

Not wanting to frighten her, Zhu Yun changed the subject back to the colt: "How about I teach you to ride a horse after the summer heat has passed?"

"Okay." Luo Yan happily stroked the horse's mane.

When she could vaguely see Hengmen, she suddenly remembered something important and said nervously, "My cousin's men might still be in town."

"Don't worry." Zhu Yun pinched her cheek. "I'll take care of everything."

Luo Yan didn't believe her and pouted, "How old are you? You just like to act all old."

He chuckled and said, "Although I don't know where those people came from, do you think they would have come to the village if they knew you were in Hanmei Town?"

That's true.

Luo Yan blinked slowly and answered in a questioning tone, "Because of what you did."

"Hmm." He was very glad that he hadn't gone too far because he found cleaning up the corpses troublesome. "Don't worry, I only broke the horse's leg and the carriage shaft to make them back down."

Upon hearing this, her worry turned to joy, and she praised her generously, saying, "You are so capable."

Zhu Yun breathed a sigh of relief and led Luo Yan off the horse.

He first went to the blacksmith's shop in the south of the city. He asked Luo Yan to wait in the courtyard while he negotiated with the blacksmith. He also took out several white jade gems and asked the blacksmith to embed them on the outside of his arrow suit as decoration.

After finishing the work,

It would be a waste to head straight back, so the two of them went to the biggest restaurant in town instead.

The storyteller was recounting the story of the destruction of the prominent Cangxi family.

Of course, the government had already concluded that it was a bandit uprising, so ordinary people wouldn't openly express their suspicions. They would only say that the prince, out of consideration for family ties, had handled his funeral in a grand manner.

And that's not all; he also recruited many craftsmen to repair Luo's residence and carried out charitable acts of distributing porridge in Cangxi.

Many diners wiped away tears with their sleeves, reminiscing about the late Crown Prince and saying with relief, "His Highness truly resembles his father."

The story then shifts to the unusual phenomena surrounding the prince's birth and the rumors surrounding the late crown prince and his wife. Despite never having met him, he evoked sympathy and praise from all the guests in the building.

Luo Yan mentally gave a thumbs up: Long Aotian's influence is something else.

"You like it?" Zhu Yun tilted his head to look at her.

"generally."

The storyteller omitted words with obvious connotations such as "Luo family" and "Crown Prince," and since she usually avoided talking about family matters with Zhu Yun when discussing them with her grandmother, she wasn't worried that he would equate her with the story.

Luo Yan said with deep emotion, "I just feel that fate is unfair."

As the male lead, countless people would rush to be his stepping stones, but she was the one who became a stepping stone. It's infuriating to compare yourself to others.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yun looked up from her book and glanced at her in surprise: "This doesn't sound like something you would say."

She smiled, propping her chin on her hand: "Bringing a book with you when you go out to play isn't like something you would do."

"..." Zhu Yun took the "Qingshan Pharmacopoeia" and planned to teach it to Luo Yan after learning it, but she teased him, raising her chin at the storyteller and saying, "Boring."

This reminded her that, aside from practicing martial arts, Zhu Yun didn't seem to have any particularly strong emotions, and he treated food or games with indifference.

Luo Yan asked, "What do you find interesting?"

Zhu Yun frowned, his gaze sweeping across her face, and suddenly spoke: "You."

Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she could clearly feel the blood rushing to her head. She simply covered her face, leaving only her eyes peeking out as she shyly stared at him.

However, Zhu Yun tilted her head in confusion and continued what she hadn't finished saying: "You gave your hairpin away, so I'll buy you a new one."

Luo Yan was stunned for a few moments, then realized it was a misunderstanding. She threw a punch, which made his arm thud loudly.

Zhu Yun: "?"

Enraged, she retorted, "You idiot, I hate you the most!"

"Oh, what did you ask me just now?"

Her tone was so innocent that Luo Yan couldn't bring herself to argue. After a moment of annoyance, she asked again, "I was just trying to find out what you like so I could prepare a birthday gift for you."

"By the way, do you know your birthday?"

Zhu Yun nodded: "August 15th."

"Then it'll be soon." Luo Yan bit her lip, worrying about what gift to prepare. Then, when he asked about her birthday, she counted on her fingers, "The first day of the twelfth lunar month, it's still a long way off."

Birthday gifts don't have to be expensive, but they should reflect your heartfelt wishes.

Unfortunately, she wasn't good at handicrafts, nor could she cook. After thinking it over, the only skills she had left were calligraphy and the guzheng.

So after finishing her iced drink, she took Zhu Yun's hand and limped towards the bookstore.

The printing costs in the Kingdom of Dali were high, so bookstores usually had long-term cooperative copyists.

Upon entering, Luo Yan went straight to the money box and asked the middle-aged man fiddling with an abacus, "Excuse me, are you still hiring scribes?"

The shopkeeper lifted his eyelids and saw a beautiful and refined young woman. He frowned, wondering what a wealthy family's esteemed figure was doing in their small temple.

His words inevitably carried a hint of disdain: "Turn left after you go out and you'll find the embroidery workshop."

Luo Yan ignored him, only squeezing Zhu Yun's hand to prevent him from suddenly attacking. After silently persuading this human killing machine, she continued, "Read the words first. If you're not satisfied, I'll buy ten books as compensation."

The bookstore was already filled with scholars, and upon hearing this, they all curiously gathered around.

Because of the fierce-looking boy, everyone stopped in their tracks, but that didn't stop them from jeering: "Boss Wang, hurry up and get some paper and pen, and have someone show us what they've got."

Since they were all regular customers, the shopkeeper couldn't refuse. He scratched his temple and gestured to the table by the wall where there was paper and pen.

Luo Yan studied the Ouyang Xun style of calligraphy, and out of interest, she also practiced the small regular script and the thin gold style. She rolled up her sleeves and confidently began to write.

With each word written, the conversation grew softer, until finally everyone held their breath.

The shopkeeper was equally astonished. He rushed over with his large belly, carefully examining each word, and repeatedly praised, "Wonderful!"

Someone called out loudly, "Young lady, would you be willing to make two copies for me?"

This question was like water dripping into a hot pan; more and more scholars clamored to hire her to copy books at a higher price. But Luo Yan had no shortage of money. She smiled at the shopkeeper and was invited into the inner room to discuss the matter.

After setting the delivery date, Zhu Yun escorted her away, puzzled: "If you need money, just tell me."

"We don't need it." Luo Yan kept it a secret for a moment. "You'll find out later."

The cheers of the men still echoed in his ears, but Zhu Yun's face was dark and gloomy, as if he could squeeze ink out of her if he exerted more force.

Luo Yan didn't know the reason, but she remembered the panicked look on everyone's faces as they backed away. She joked, "It's really convenient to have you with me. If I encounter someone annoying, I'll just close the door and let A-Yun out."

He laughed angrily, and reached out to pinch her cheek: "So you dare to call me a dog."

Luo Yan couldn't dodge in time and raised her chin: "Ouch, my neck hurts so much. Who did this? It's so hard to guess."

He held back.

After wandering around the town for a while, the two returned along the same route. When they arrived home, they found their grandmother tending to the small vegetable garden.

Luo Yan found it interesting, but was also afraid of encountering insects, so she volunteered to stay outside and pick vegetables.

Zhu Yun had only read half of the pharmacopoeia and was about to go back to her room to continue when Luo Yan stopped her, pointing at the large basket: "Do you want me to do all this by myself?"

"It wasn't you who asked for it," Zhu Yun paused, "but he did it for you."

"who?"

Just as he asked the question, he heard familiar footsteps. Liu Changsheng entered carrying fresh fish, puzzled, "Why are you all staying home today?"

Luo Yan hurriedly waved her hand and whispered, trying to get her story across: "We went to town, but we told Grandma we were having dinner at your house. Don't give ourselves away!"

Liu Changsheng sat down on the small stool next to her, a handful of vegetables appearing in his hand at some point. He started picking at them naturally, asking, "Tell me quickly what's fun about it."

Looking at his practiced, almost double-eye-like hands, then at the pitiful few vegetable leaves in her basket, Luo Yan was speechless.

Zhu Yun patted Changsheng on the shoulder with satisfaction, then leaned back in the rattan chair and turned to read a book.

After instructing Luo Yan on the correct way to select vegetables, Chang Sheng was distracted again and asked, "Green Mountain—Medicine—what? Yun-ge'er, do you want to be a doctor?"

"What's it to you?" But when Zhu Yun caught a glimpse of the lush green vegetable leaves, she changed her tune, "It's a book that teaches people how to poison."

Changsheng got excited when he heard this: "So you like this too. I have several copies. I'll lend them to you after I've finished reading them."

"?"

Zhu Yun scrutinized him for a few moments, then said sarcastically, "You can't judge a book by its cover."

Luo Yan, who knew the whole story, almost laughed herself to death.

This "Qingshan Pharmacopoeia" comes from the Qin family, a martial arts family famous for its poisons, but Changsheng is referring to a martial arts novel that has recently become popular.

The two are somewhat related, yet completely unrelated.

Seeing her overjoyed, Zhu Yun could vaguely guess what was going on. He smiled slightly, lowered his eyes, and continued reading.

But Luo Yan suddenly fell silent because she remembered the original book's setting: there were five pharmacopoeias, and only the elders, head of the family, and young master of the Qin family could borrow them.

Thinking of this, she crossed her arms and looked at Zhu Yun with a half-smile: "How did you end up with the secret manual that the Qin family never shares?"