Chapter 3 First Encounter on Jinjiang Literature City (Part 2)

A few days later, the young master finally reappeared. To be honest, she had a good impression of this kind young master. He was handsome and elegant, with a pure heart. His every move was graceful and dignified. Coupled with his rich and luxurious clothes, he appeared neither arrogant nor impatient, but noble and charming.

Yao Sisi got up from the bedroom. Since the host family had come, she couldn't hide in the room and be seen as slacking off.

Moreover, she had the perfect opportunity to get closer to him and gradually join the Yunxi family.

Coincidentally, she had just stepped out of the house when Qi Mu walked around the corridor toward her, and the two were bound to bump into each other.

Yao Sisi's eyes flashed, secretly praising the other person's route for leading her to meet, saving her the trouble of deliberately trying to bump into them.

The winding corridor, with the blue sky as its backdrop and greenery everywhere as its embellishment, exudes ancient charm and elegance. The handsome men and beautiful women walking along the corridor add a touch of liveliness to the static scene, like the sound of bells in the wind, fresh and playful.

As Yao Sisi walked, the hem of her skirt swayed in a beautiful arc. The clothes were extremely ordinary, but they looked even more beautiful on her. Several thoughts passed through her mind, but in the end, she smiled gently and stepped forward gracefully, first bowing to the young man in his luxurious clothes.

"Thank you for saving me, young master. I have been troubling you at your residence for several days and it has been a long time since I came to thank you in person. I am truly sorry. In the future, please do not hesitate to ask me for anything you need."

Qi Mu has a real headache lately. Because he is not young and his talent for cultivation is not good, his only role in the family is marriage. But he is also lucky because the family has few offspring, so he can find a wife who will live with his family.

Speaking of wives who marry into the family, his era evolved directly from a matriarchal society into a world where martial arts could be practiced. Marriage was essentially a matter of each person returning to their own home. If you wanted to keep someone, the only option was for them to marry into the family. His family had been looking for a wife since he was twelve years old, but after searching, they couldn't find anyone who met their standards.

Moreover, Mulan City is not large, and the scions of prominent families in the city all know about his family's situation. Whenever they gather, he is always ridiculed openly or secretly. He pretends to be calm on the surface, but how can he not care at all in his heart?

After a while, he couldn't help but feel resentful. But for some reason, when he saw her bow respectfully, gentle and polite yet neither servile nor arrogant, and her sincere expression when she raised her eyebrows, and when she said to let him know if he needed anything, he almost blurted it out.

What if... you repay a life-saving debt with your body?

Once this thought takes hold, it's like a raging fire that can't be extinguished.

He took a deep breath to calm his agitated mind. "Can I really ask for anything?"

Yao Sisi nodded: "As long as it's not something extremely heinous, I'm willing to share your burdens, young master."

Qi Mu pursed his lips, ultimately saying nothing, only nodding, "Young lady, you should rest and recover your memory first!"

Yao Sisi: "Thank you for your understanding, young master. I will not disturb you any longer."

The two had a brief encounter and quickly parted ways due to the difference between men and women. After he left, Yao Sisi pondered for a while. It seemed that this young master really did have some problems at the moment. Although he quickly hid his hesitant expression, she still noticed it.

I just don't know the specifics, otherwise helping him with it would definitely earn me some goodwill.

Tsk, what a pity, it's not good to have too much to say to someone you don't know well.

After Yao Sisi walked around the long corridor, she saw the young master's personal servant carrying a zither coming this way. She slowed down and met him. He looked hurried and obviously did not intend to pay attention to her.

She took a slight step to the side and said, "Young Master Liu Yuan, I have recently discovered that I know some basic martial arts. However, due to my memory loss, I am still lacking in skill. But I am very happy to have been rescued by your young master and to have learned that I have some skills to repay your kindness. If there is anything I need in the future, please feel free to use my skills."

Liu Yuan was quite sharp; even while holding his zither, he didn't forget to tease her, "Who are you calling 'young master'? That's so indecent. From now on, just call me by my name. Besides, my young master saved you out of kindness, not for any reward. Alright, I'll remember your matter. Don't block my way."

Yao Sisi took a step back. "Thank you so much, Brother Liu Yuan."

Liu Yuan glared at her, and seeing that she uttered "young master" instead of "young master," he let her go.

Yao Sisi raised an eyebrow as she watched his retreating figure. It seemed that the title "Young Master" wasn't just used casually. However, he hadn't read many books and was unfamiliar with the local customs and culture, so he often made mistakes when speaking.

But the words "young master" sounded so proper and respectful, so why did he react that way?

Liu Yuan, carrying his zither, hurried to the bamboo grove in the backyard. Whenever the young master was troubled, he would come here to play the zither. However, this time he was not as well-behaved as usual, so he took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Young master, young master, guess who I just ran into? The woman you rescued!"

Qi Mu was taken aback, and said in a low voice, "You're so quick to speak, why did you make me guess? You just said it yourself."

Liu Yuan gently put down the zither. "Young master, this time is different. This person actually said she knows some kung fu, but she doesn't look like a female warrior. She's probably a cultivator, right?" Tsk, no wonder she has such delicate skin.

Qi Mu was taken aback. "This... she didn't mention it to me. What were you saying just now?"

Liu Yuan patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, young master, I'm tight-lipped. Besides, this person didn't try to find out anything; he just said he knows some kung fu and wants to repay a debt of gratitude."

Qi Mu was not as optimistic as him. After all, his family's business was all over the country, and they had encountered quite a few scheming people: "Just because she didn't inquire about anything doesn't mean she didn't want to. No one would feel at ease in an unfamiliar environment. This person is probably quite shrewd. So... we don't know if what she remembers is true or false."

Liu Yuan's hair stood on end instantly: "What should we do? What if we save an ungrateful wretch?"

Qi Mu sighed, "It's not good to speculate before things have happened. Let's observe slowly. Maybe they don't have any bad intentions. Besides, our old rivals in the city wouldn't go so far as to find such a stunning beauty to deal with me."

Liu Yuan was still worried: "How about I go and check on her?"

Qi Mu straightened his cuffs and prepared to sit down at the zither: "No need, don't do anything unnecessary."

Soon, faint notes of a zither drifted from the backyard.

Yao Sisi was unaware that her caution had aroused suspicion. She had guessed that the young master had something on his mind, but she couldn't tell Liu Yuan that, otherwise people would think she was trying to guess the host's thoughts, which would be offensive.

They only threw out a small bait. Besides, if they call him their benefactor, he is just a guest. Even if he does some work, it is only to pay off his debt. Does he expect to eat and drink for free?

However, if she is addressed as "master" and considers herself a servant, she has no masochistic tendencies.

The sound of a zither drifted from the backyard, its delicate notes tinged with melancholy, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "I wonder what this young master is worrying about. Perhaps it's because people in ancient times had to take on responsibilities early..."

She found a secluded spot and asked the artifact spirit, "Were those two men who passed by earlier cultivators?"

The spirit said, "I guess so, but they practice martial arts, so their cultivation levels are all low. Also, the concentration of Xuan energy nearby is not enough to support powerful people. If we convert it to the master's cultivation level, the Foundation Establishment stage would probably be considered top-tier. But... I don't know what it's like in more distant places."

Yao Sisi: "I've only just entered the first level of Qi Refining by drawing Qi into my body. Compared to those two just now, I should be much weaker, right?"

The spirit said, "Master, I didn't look closely just now..." Mainly because their level was too low, like ants. If it weren't for this spiritual spring, they wouldn't have noticed them.

Yao Sisi: "Anyway, I've already made a bold claim. If my skills can't catch up with theirs for the time being, I should at least learn some other skills, right? Hurry up and give me some practical tips so I can complete the mission sooner, lest the space and you both collapse and disappear."

These words worked perfectly. Soon, the spirit of the artifact pulled out an ancient book with the words "Complete Collection of Talismans" written on it.

As the music stopped, Yao Sisi worked even more diligently. Sure enough, a short while later, the two people from the backyard passed by her and, seeing her working so meticulously, secretly smiled with satisfaction.

Qi Mu gave Liu Yuan a wink, and Liu Yuan, carrying his zither, came to Yao Sisi and said, "My young master wants to ask you some questions."

Yao Sisi carefully put down the tools in her hand and followed Liu Yuan to his young master.

Qi Mu said, "I heard from Xiao Yuan that you know some kung fu?"

Yao Sisi nodded modestly and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, young master. I do know a little bit."

Qi Mu: "In that case, it's not good to let martial arts masters do such rough work. You should spend your time cultivating!"

Yao Sisi: "Thank you for your understanding, young master, but I know some basic skills not to avoid these jobs."

Qi Mu nodded: "Of course I know, but time is precious for cultivators. How can I let you waste your time on such trivial matters? Oh, by the way, it's a waste of your talent to keep you here. I'll send you elsewhere another day!"

Yao Sisi: "..."

Did she give herself away somewhere? Something doesn't feel right about what she said.

"Thank you for your trouble, young master, but I just opened my eyes to find myself here, and I've developed a bit of a 'young bird' complex. Besides, my skills are only rudimentary, and I'm hardly worthy of being called a talent. I'm truly ashamed..."

Qi Mu: "This matter is not urgent. However, I did not expect anything in return for saving you back then. Besides... it is not good to leave a woman like you in my house."

Yao Sisi lowered her head, her eyes revealing a deep emotion: "It was my oversight that has disturbed your reputation, young master. If you have other assignments, I will have no objections."

Qi Mu nodded: "It's getting late, you should go back to your room and rest!"

Yao Sisi naturally wouldn't refute his words. After all, she was eating and staying at his place, so she was already in the wrong. Besides, she had come here with a purpose.

When she returned to her room, the spirit jumped out and said, "Master, why are they starting to chase you away? Are you impotent?"

Yao Sisi: "..."

They actually said she wasn't good enough? That's really stepping on a landmine.

Don't be fooled by her seemingly lazy attitude in modern times; that's because she doesn't have a crush on anyone. In reality, she's very ambitious.

"It was against etiquette for a single young master to take me in. He saved me in an emergency, and because of my memory problems, he couldn't let me leave. Now that I'm clearly better, it's natural for him not to keep me any longer. His actions were perfectly reasonable. How come you say I'm no good?"

The word she hates most is "no"!

The spirit stammered, seemingly not very bright, "So that's how it is? After your analysis, Master, I also feel that what they did was right. Master, you're amazing!"

Although Yao Sisi spoke these words to the spirit, she wasn't truly at ease. She put the matter aside for the time being and opened the Complete Book of Talismans. Most of the book was about talismans, focusing on introductions. It seemed very basic, but it could broaden one's knowledge considerably. She flipped through the back pages and found that the last few pages not only introduced how to make talisman paper but also recorded some methods for making talismans.

Meanwhile, Qi Mu and Liu Yuan boarded the carriage to return to the old house. Inside the carriage, Liu Yuan whispered, "Young Master, how did you test her just now?"

Qi Mu: "What I said was perfectly reasonable. It would be problematic if she tried to stay."

Liu Yuan: "So, does it seem like there's a problem or not?"

Qi Mu's gaze swept over the cuffs, where the subtle gold thread patterns were both flamboyant and didn't overshadow the rest of the garment. Everything was just right, just like the person from before, whose answer was watertight and unfathomable.

"It's hard to say, let's wait and see."

Liu Yuan: "Then...Young Master, are you really planning to send her somewhere else? Aren't you worried that if she came from a brothel...this will expose her again?"

Qi Mu chuckled softly, "What, you care about her?"

Liu Yuan shook his head repeatedly: "No, I was just asking out of curiosity. In my heart, only you are the most important."

Qi Mu straightened his sleeves without saying anything, but Liu Yuan felt a little sore. Alas, God is so unfair. His young master is so good, why is it so hard for him to find a wife!

It's no wonder that my young master doesn't like blind dates. How could those women be worthy of him? Sometimes he doesn't even like them, let alone someone as precious as my young master. When will Heaven open its eyes and quickly bestow upon him a high-quality lady?

Qi Mu: "What are you thinking about now, you little devil?"

Liu Yuan pursed his lips, not daring to speak the truth, lest he reopen the young master's wounds. "I just think, that woman actually dared to say something so arrogant as to just give orders. If she's so capable, she might as well just marry into the family!"

Qi Mu: "If it were before, it would be easier to say, letting a cultivator marry into the family..."

Liu Yuan: "Hmph, what, does she think she's contradicting herself with her boastful words? Who told her to speak so recklessly? Young master, you are her savior!"

Qi Mu shook his head: "Then it's not good to take advantage of someone's kindness. Marriage is not the same as making an enemy."

A note from the author:

----------------------

Good heavens, I've got knee fasciitis! It hurts so much I can't even move my left leg. It's a really sudden illness; the pain just started. I've applied some ointment and taken some anti-inflammatory medication, hoping to get better soon, otherwise I'll be limping again.