Chapter 83 The Immortal in the Nunnery (Twenty-Six) ​​Hurry up and carry Master Chen to get medical treatment…

This kiss was unstoppable. Jiu Li felt dizzy and disoriented, not knowing whether it was because the sky had darkened or because she was too confused. In her confusion, she saw his face close to hers, his breathing out of rhythm, and even the roof next to his head was crooked. Everything became messy and disordered.

She loved the chaos, the excitement, the new adventure it felt like, but at the same time, with her hands clasped around his neck, she felt a sense of security. She trembled slightly, every pore on her body seeming to scream with joy.

"Are you happy now?" Yu Qi mumbled incoherently.

At this point, he's still using the excuse of "fulfilling" her wishes? Jiu Li, annoyed, pushed him away slightly, "Then you don't have to be happy for me, I didn't force you."

His eyes were slightly red as he stared at her lips, then bit down on them, saying, "You have to have a sharp mouth."

He kissed her, feeling that she was much heavier than when she was a child sitting on his lap. This weight was just right, not tiring, but pressing his heart down firmly, making it impossible for it to jump out of his chest. The more he felt this way, the more agitated he became, and his hands could only rub her back haphazardly.

Without realizing it, his hand moved forward, and the breast, like a startled little rabbit, nestled in his grasp, exceptionally soft and tender, yet containing a powerfully beating heart, burning hot and searing his hand. He still felt guilty for touching her feminine features. But his hand obeyed his will, slipping inside the collar of her clothes.

He pulled her closer to him with his other hand, his only thought being that he wanted her, he wanted her! Yet, he hesitated painfully at her lips, saying, "You will blame me in the future, everyone in the world will blame me."

“No, it won’t,” Jiuli cupped his face in her hands, her eyes misty yet exceptionally bright. “If you have to blame someone, blame me. I’m the one who seduced you.”

He gave a wry smile and gently kissed her. "No, whatever you do, you are innocent."

Only when she was pressed tightly against his chest could she hear the difficulty and pain in his heart.

That's right. Because he's much older than her, an elder, and a man, all the blame will fall squarely on his head. No matter how she protests, others will only think she's young and ignorant and has been deceived by him. She suddenly understands the pressure he feels.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. It was the young nun bringing food, and Jiuli quickly got up from his lap. Suddenly leaving his embrace, she seemed to calm down a bit. When she opened the door to receive the food, she saw that it was already dusk, and the pale moon's last rays were embedded in the dim, yellowish sky.

But no matter what, Jiu Li was still very happy. At least he was willing to openly admit that he had romantic feelings for her, which was already a step forward. It was a habit of hers that she lost her appetite when she got excited.

Yu Qi sat down at the table, regaining his composed demeanor. However, he felt it was inappropriate for her to see him looking so anxious, so he looked somewhat embarrassed and helplessly picked up some food for her, saying, "Still acting like a child."

Jiuli tapped her chopsticks in the bowl, pouted, and said, "Please don't always scold me like this. Actually, the reason I always act like I'm a child is because of you."

"Because of me again?" Yu Qi chuckled. "Why is everything being blamed on me?"

She smiled, her eyes crinkling, "Because I'm afraid that when I grow up, you won't spoil me anymore."

Looking at her smiling face and listening to her coquettish tone, Yu Qi couldn't help but think of how she was when she was a child, and a feeling of utter guilt immediately welled up in his heart. He lowered his head awkwardly, and although he had no appetite, he still pretended to have a good appetite and ate with her for a while.

After dinner, it was past midnight. The sky had turned into a deep, dark sea. Tonight was different from other nights, and seemed much quieter. It was probably because Madam Gu and her young master had moved out. Even Zhang Da returned to the yamen after dinner. Chen San's room was even quieter. It was also a bit strange in the room across from Xu Bai's. The lamps were not lit yet. Were they asleep?

A gentle night breeze blew through the courtyard, and the chirping of crickets among the grass seemed somewhat furtive. Just as Yu Qi was feeling that the night was eerily quiet, someone suddenly knocked on the door again, the slow, rhythmic knocking sounding like a probing question.

Jiuli waited until he was hidden before going to open the door. When she saw it was Chen Jia, she immediately became alert. "Second Master Chen, what are you doing here so late?"

Chen Jia, as usual, held a folding fan. The lanterns under the eaves were dim, and the smile on his face seemed to harbor ulterior motives. He bowed to Jiu Li and said, "I wonder how Mr. Yu's affairs are being handled? It is truly disrespectful that I have not been able to pay my respects at his funeral, as we have met by chance."

She and the old lady came to Qinglian Temple yesterday, but he didn't come to offer his condolences. Now that the old lady has left, he comes at this dark and windy time, which makes it hard not to suspect his intentions. Jiuli pondered this in secret, and seeing that he didn't want to leave, she stepped aside to let him in.

"Master Chen and my family have only met by chance, so there's no need for any disrespectful remarks." Jiu Li casually poured a cup of tea from the table and placed it in front of him, not caring whether it was hot or cold.

Chen Jia didn't complain and finished the meal, laughing and saying, "Today's vegetarian meal was a bit too salty. I finished all the tea in my room when I got back. The cold tea in your room is much more thirst-quenching."

As he spoke, he casually poured himself another cup. Seeing how relaxed he was, Jiu Li figured that a young master of his status was probably a guest of honor wherever he went, and was used to this kind of nonchalant attitude. She was too lazy to argue with him, so she sat in her chair and watched him, wanting to see what he was up to when he suddenly came over.

After finishing three cups of tea, Chen Jialian slowly stood up and suddenly went to close the door. Jiu Li's heart skipped a beat. Seeing him walking unsteadily, as if he had been drinking, she couldn't help but sit up straight and stared at him warily. "Why did you close the door?"

He chuckled and said, "I have two important things to say to you." He then walked over and reached out to grab her hand, which was resting on the table.

Seeing that things were not going well, Jiuli quickly withdrew her hand, saying, "Just say it, what's the big deal? Are you afraid someone will hear?"

"It's embarrassing for people to hear what's on my mind."

Although his words carried a hint of shyness, the smile on his face showed no embarrassment whatsoever, and his presence in front of her was somewhat intimidating. Even though Jiu Li was inexperienced, she could see through his intentions at this moment. She had heard of such things before, called "making something out of nothing." Any girl who suffered such bullying was left speechless and disheartened, and could only listen to others' "advice."

Perhaps this was the method the old nuns used to subdue her. She found it amusing; Chen Jia was unlucky, for he didn't know Yu Qi was in the room.

She tilted her head up to him and said with a slight sneer, "Fine, just tell me what's on your mind."

"Can't you see? I've taken a liking to you. I've been captivated by you since the day I first saw you." This was half true and half false; what beauty wouldn't be moved?

But he wasn't a lustful man. He figured that since the old nuns had come up with this idea, he might as well benefit himself instead of others. He would coax her with sweet words first, then deny everything afterward. She would be too ashamed to go back home, and with nowhere else to turn, Qinglian Temple was willing to take her in. Naturally, she could stay. Nunnery was a good place to take in these disheartened women.

He tried to take her hand, but she got up and walked away, her face unusually serious. "It seems a bit improper for a man and a woman to talk like this alone, doesn't it? Mr. Chen, it's getting late, I shouldn't keep you here any longer, please go back."

As Jiuli spoke, he went to open the door. He had just opened it a crack when he heard a "bang" and then pressed the two doors shut.

He was a little angry. Since arriving at Qinglian Temple, he had always seen her laughing and joking when talking to people. There were some rumors about her and Qi Xubai, but she still didn't shy away from them and spoke to him very intimately. Even though he heard that the two of them were discussing marriage, it was still quite improper.

She spoke to him with such arrogance and coldness. She was just a daughter of a doctor; what right did she have to treat him like that? He had never been treated so coldly by a woman before, and he lost his patience. He didn't even bother to coax her; after all, forcing himself on her would have the same result.

She grabbed Jiuli and pulled her inside the screen. "What are you pretending to be, a chaste and virtuous woman? It's your good fortune that I've taken a liking to you. I will not treat you badly. Qi Xubai has no future. The Qi family has long been discredited by the Emperor and will not be valued by the court in the future."

Although Jiuli wasn't panicked, she still put on airs, struggling and shouting. Unexpectedly, he wasn't afraid at all. Instead, he sneered and pushed her onto the bed. "It's no use shouting. Qi Xubai and the guards at the temple gate have all taken tranquilizers and are having sweet dreams right now. The nuns won't care about such trivial matters."

No wonder it was so quiet tonight; they came prepared. Jiuli shrank to the corner of the bed, pulling the blanket over herself. "Aren't you afraid of being investigated by the authorities tomorrow?"

"Pursue me?" Chen Jia smiled contemptuously. "To tell you the truth, even our Chen family's servants get into several lawsuits every year, and we've never lost one."

Jiuli nodded and sneered, "No wonder you're so fearless. It turns out your Chen family is all so capable. But this is a sacred Buddhist site. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution for your wicked deeds here?"

"What is divine retribution? I only know that if you take someone's money, you're obligated to pay your bills. If the Buddha statues in this temple were also sculpted with money donated by my family, I'd like to see if they'd be so embarrassed as to send lightning to strike me down."

"So that's why Abbess Jingzhen was so kind and considerate to you. It wasn't just because she was afraid of your power, but also because you are the 'great benefactor' of Qinglian Temple. It would be impolite not to reciprocate. I don't think you would give Qinglian Temple any benefits for nothing. So what benefits could Qinglian Temple give you?"

Chen Jia smiled and said, "Once you become one of my people, you'll naturally know everything."

Just as he was about to press his hand against her, he suddenly heard someone banging urgently on the door and shouting from outside, "What were you shouting about? What happened?"

It was a woman. Chen Jiawan hadn't expected there to be such a disobedient nun in the temple. Fearing that Jiuli would make a ruckus, he quickly covered her mouth.

Jiuli recognized Jingyue's voice, and then heard the two old nuns, Jueming and Jueguang, rushing over to pull her away. "What could be wrong! Who's calling? You must have misheard! Don't disturb the guests' sleep, go back! Let's go!"

As the sounds outside faded into the distance, Chen Jia turned to Jiu Li with a smug smile, "Don't let anyone disturb our good time—"

As he spoke, he reached under his robe to untie his trousers, but before he could even see what was behind the curtain, a flash of cold light appeared before his eyes, and a sharp pain suddenly shot through his body.

Just as Jueming and Jueguang pulled Jingyue to the cave entrance, a scream pierced the darkness, startling even Xubai and the others awake.

Before half a moment had passed, shoes were clattering and chaos erupted. People from the temple rushed into the room, crowding around the door to peek inside. They saw cups and plates shattered everywhere, blankets haphazardly draped on the ground, and Chen Jia lying naked under the screen, his legs covered in blood.

Everyone stared in alarm, then saw Yu Qi sitting calmly in the chair, the candlelight casting a warm glow on half of his composed face. He glanced toward the door and calmly instructed the constables, "Hurry up and take Master Chen to get medical treatment; his life can probably still be saved."

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Author's note: Thank you for reading.