Chapter 51 Revealing Charm

Bai Hua's body was more delicate than expected. The injuries that Ning Jue thought would heal by the next day would require her to rest for two more days.

Fortunately, being in Guocheng, there were safe places to rest, such as teahouses, making it convenient to recuperate.

Ning Jue settled Bai Hua in the backyard of the tea shop, while he and Chen Fu went out to work every day.

The two often returned home late at night, travel-worn. Bai Hua, who sometimes slept late, would get up and go out upon hearing the noise to ask Ning Jue how things were going. Ning Jue would always say that everything was going smoothly and that she shouldn't worry, without offering any details.

The tea shop owner was worried that Bai Hua would be bored by herself, so she often chatted with her after meals. However, the tea shop was still doing business in front of the door, and every time the two of them had just exchanged a few words, customers would come in.

Bai Hua couldn't interfere with other people's business, and she couldn't very well show her face in the front shop, so she usually entertained herself alone.

The proprietress has a lovely daughter named Hong Gu, who sometimes sneaks into the backyard to watch her.

The little girl had big, round eyes and a pretty, adorable appearance. When she approached the threshold hesitantly, clinging to her hand, she looked like she wanted to play with her but was too timid to do so, which made Bai Hua's heart melt.

Since she had nothing else to do, Bai Hua became interested when she saw this interesting little guy and beckoned him over.

Hong Gu blushed as she walked up to Bai Hua, timidly extending her hand to offer her three longans, saying softly, "Sister, please have some."

Bai Hua bent down and squatted in front of Hong Gu, teasing her, "Who gave you this?"

Hong Gu blinked her big eyes and said honestly, "It was given to Mother by Father, and then Mother gave it to me."

Bai Hua said, "Why does Hong Gu specifically share the delicious food that Mother gives to Hong Gu with her older sister?"

Without hesitation, Hong Gu said, "Because my sister is beautiful, I like to play with beautiful sisters."

Bai Hua chuckled, reached out and took the longan, peeled one open and ate it, then peeled the roundest and largest one and fed it to Hong Gu.

When Hong Gu was fed, she covered her mouth and smiled. After spitting out the pit, she pointed to Bai Hua's palm and said, "Sister, eat this one."

"Okay." Bai Hua agreed. After finishing her meal, she reached out and touched the two buns on Hong Gu's head, asking her, "Who did Hong Gu's hair? It's so pretty."

Upon hearing this, Hong Gu raised her hands high, playing with her two little buns in her hair, and said shyly, "A pretty older sister combed my hair."

"Pretty sister?" Bai Hua was confused, thinking that Hong Gu was just saying it casually.

She confirmed that, apart from the proprietress, she was the only woman living in the teahouse.

Bai Hua didn't take it seriously and said, "It must have been Hong Gu's mother who did your hair, right? Your mother is a beautiful woman too."

Hong Gu shook her head in bewilderment, insisting, "She's not my mother, she's a beautiful older sister. I'm so happy that you've all come to visit me."

This statement is quite specific and doesn't seem like a child's joke.

Bai Hua became more serious and asked, "Where did this pretty lady come from?"

Hong Gu was still young and didn't know how to introduce them. After thinking for a while, she finally said, "This is a beautiful older sister that the older brother brought. Aren't you together?"

Bai Hua's face showed surprise and concern.

She asked, "You mean the older brother, the one with the sword?"

Hong Gu's eyes darted around, and she nodded vigorously, replying, "Yes."

Just to be on the safe side and to avoid confusion, Bai Hua confirmed again: "Is it the one who always wears white?"

Hong Gu nodded again.

Bai Hua confirmed the answer in her heart, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

She spent the last two days resting in the backyard, seeing Ning Jue at most once a day and exchanging only a few words. He inquired about her foot injury, while she asked about the progress outside. After that, they each rested and did not disturb each other.

During this time, he never brought up other women to her.

Bai Hua had no idea who the pretty older sister who helped her comb her hair was, but it was obvious that everyone in the teahouse, except for her, knew about this person's existence.

Even Hong Gu had contact with that woman, but she kept it a secret from her alone.

Thinking about this, Bai Hua felt a little depressed.

She comforted herself, thinking that it might just be a scheme by the young master, and since she couldn't help him, it was only natural that she didn't know.

That being said, and understanding the principles, it's truly difficult to feign complete indifference when faced with the reality of the situation.

...

When Ning Jue returned at night, it was nearly midnight.

Hearing a faint noise coming from the next room, Bai Hua didn't linger in the bathroom. She moved closer to the right wall, hesitated slightly, and then knocked on the door.

Ning Jue quickly saw her, and his eyes widened in surprise.

He first stared at her feet, then moved his gaze upwards, and when he met her eyes, he asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet? I thought you had already gone to bed, so I didn't go over to disturb you."

Bai Hua replied softly, "I can't sleep."

Ning Jue asked with concern, "What happened? Does your ankle still hurt?"

He examined her carefully and found that the sprain was not serious. He said that even if she was delicate, she should be fine after resting for two days.

Unexpectedly, Bai Hua nodded slightly in response to his question, saying, "It still hurts..."

Ning Jue asked anxiously, "Does it still hurt? Has it been intermittent and never fully healed, or has it suddenly started hurting again?"

Bai Hua thought for a moment and replied, "It suddenly started hurting again, I don't know why."

Ning Jue looked serious, and was annoyed with himself for being so busy these past few days, only thinking about the Tianji Pavilion, and indeed neglecting Bai Hua.

He crouched down, skillfully gathered up Bai Hua's blue dress, and reached out to touch her ankle, carefully and gently.

"Does it hurt like this?" he asked.

Bai Hua: "It doesn't hurt when I touch it, but it hurts a little when I walk."

Ning Jue frowned and stood up, her eyes filled with worry. "Logically, this shouldn't be the case. Let me examine you again. If it really doesn't work, I'll take you outside to see a professional doctor tomorrow. Don't delay treatment."

Bai Hua turned her eyes away and replied, "Young Master's medicine is effective. Perhaps one more application will make it completely healed."

Ning Jue didn't say anything more, took a step forward and picked the person up in his arms.

Before taking this step, he asked her, "Your room or mine?"

Bai Hua hesitated for a moment, then decided, "My room."

Ning Jue: "Okay."

The candlelight flickered in the room, casting indistinct shadows of two people, one sitting and one crouching, onto the blue curtains beside the bed.

The application of the medicine this time went much more smoothly than last time.

Most noticeably, Bai Hua wasn't tense or strained, and her toes weren't clenched. Especially when he helped her take off her shoes and socks and lifted her heels, she didn't resist as she had last time. She just shyly turned her eyes away, showing him a sense of trust.

The milky white ointment was slowly spread and evenly applied.

Ning Jue's thumb, with its naturally calloused texture, repeatedly rubbed against Bai Hua's fair and delicate skin. The redness and swelling at her ankle had long since disappeared, leaving only a raw redness from the friction.

It doesn't hurt, but it's very itchy.

However, when Ning Jue asked her how she was feeling, Bai Hua still replied guiltily, "It still hurts a little."

Ning Jue picked up the bottle of ointment with self-doubt, carefully sniffed it to make sure it hadn't spoiled, and suspected that the ointment itself had lost its efficacy.

“It worked really well when I was injured, otherwise I wouldn’t have given you this medicine. Now it’s not working, and I don’t know why. Let’s check again tomorrow morning. If it’s still not better, I’ll take you to see a doctor.”

Bai Hua looked away from her toes and said, "Maybe everything will be fine tomorrow."

After saying that, he bent his knees to retract his foot and prepare to put on his shoes and socks.

Ning Jue offered to help, taking the white socks and putting them on for her himself, and then considerately adjusting the hem of her dress.

He said earnestly, "Whether you feel better or not tomorrow, I won't go out. I'll stay here to help you recover. I've been busy these past two days and haven't taken good care of you. Don't you feel bored being alone in the backyard?"

Bai Hua refused to admit it, pretending to be indifferent: "It's alright, Hong Gu comes to visit me, so I'm not bored."

Ning Jue said, "The little girl who used to run around in the yard was called Hong Gu. Children that age are very naughty. I'm even more worried about her bothering you."

Bai Hua retorted, "I rarely see anyone in the backyard. It's rare for Hong Gu to come over and chat with me to relieve my boredom. How can that be considered a disturbance?"

Ning Jue was somewhat skeptical: "What could Hong Gu possibly talk to you about?"

Bai Hua replied softly, "We talk about everything. Today, Hong Gu told me that the young master brought a beautiful girl to the teahouse. The girl even skillfully styled Hong Gu's hair into two buns. I don't know if this is a person Hong Gu made up, or if the young master is really accompanied by a young girl? Is it because my foot injury prevents me from serving the young master, so the young master has found a new one?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Jue's expression showed a brief moment of surprise, but he didn't seem to be the type to have his secret exposed.

He replied, "This matter is complicated. I didn't mean to hide it from you, but I didn't want to talk about it and make you worry."

Bai Hua: "We are companions, sharing weal and woe, weathering storms together. I followed you all the way from Xianyang Mountain to Guocheng in the Southern Region. Do you think I would just stay idly in the backyard of the teahouse, oblivious to everything happening around me?"

Ning Jue pondered these words carefully, sighed, and looked at Bai Hua, saying, "Alright, whatever you want to ask, I will tell you everything truthfully."

Bai Hua asked her first question almost without thinking: "Is the pretty girl that Hong Gu mentioned really true?"

She herself did not expect that, compared to those important matters, this would be the question she cared about most and wanted to ask most.

However, Ning Jue's reply surprised her even more.

"You know this person too, it's Jiuqiu."

Bai Hua: "Jiuqiu? Didn't you suspect that Miss Jiuqiu was a spy and send her off the boat at the ferry?"

Ning Jue: "That was only on the surface. Secretly, Chen Fu and I discussed arranging for Jiu Qiu to board the next merchant ship to guard against the Fang family following behind, and it was also a test for Jiu Qiu. Later, she met up with us in Guocheng, and after confirming that we were clean, Duan Yi also sent a letter saying that he had successfully deceived the Fang family with his disguise and scheme, making them misunderstand that Fang Lun's death was an act of revenge by pirates. The Fang family had been in the maritime trade for many years and naturally had a deep grudge against those pirates. This time, by inciting them to fight each other, we were completely out of the game."

Bai Hua hurriedly asked, "What happened after that? You've been busy these past few days, and the targets of your plans must not be limited to the Fang family."

Ning Jue gave her an approving look and said, "You're quick-witted. Yes, the Fang family is nothing special. Our current headache is how to deal with Jiang Shen'er. Now, 'Umbrella Fairy' Jiang Shen'er is a favorite of the Emperor of Southern Fujian. She no longer interacts with martial arts figures, nor does she accept challenges. We can't see her, and forcibly breaking into the heavily guarded Tianji Pavilion is not a solution. So, we've come up with a clever trick."

Bai Hua quickly followed his train of thought and guessed, "Is it related to Miss Jiuqiu?"

When the conversation turned to serious matters, Ning Jue still had the leisure to tease her, saying, "Should I ask you to be my female strategist?"

Bai Hua glared at him and urged, "Young master, stop being so mysterious and tell me."

Ning Jue: "Yes, we received accurate information through Chen Fu's contact. Three days later, Jiang Shen'er will personally attend the birthday banquet of the Emperor's uncle, Prince Cheng. The more lively and grand the scene, the more suitable it is to make a move. These past few days, we have painstakingly planned and finally arranged for Jiu Qiu to infiltrate the ranks of the dancers. Chen Fu and I have also successfully entered the opera troupe that day. We are just waiting for the right opportunity to make our move."

Bai Hua was quite excited as she listened, her heart filled with emotion. She realized that they had done so much during the few days she had been recuperating.

Feeling embarrassed by her earlier thought of pinching her sore foot, she immediately said, "In three days, my foot injury will be completely healed. I also want to participate and contribute. Could you please arrange for me to join as well?"

Ning Jue explained earnestly: "Chen Fu and I know kung fu, while Jiu Qiu has experience in brothels and is very good at feigning and deceiving. She can protect herself and escape, but if you encounter danger, how can you save yourself?"

Bai Hua also had her own reasoning: "You all risk being exposed, but I can disguise myself very well. Has Young Master forgotten? I am skilled in dancing. When the time comes, I will be infiltrated among the dancers and will not be easily discovered. Perhaps in a moment of crisis, I will be the one who can help Young Master the most."

Ning Jue remained adamant in his refusal: "It's too dangerous. Prince Cheng is known for his lust. What respectable moves can the dancers possibly perform at a banquet? Do you want me to watch you sway and flaunt your charms in front of those good-for-nothing bastards from the Southern Fujian royal family? That would be worse than being fried in oil."