Chapter 35 Catching this lecher
After leaving the bamboo house and taking a few steps, Zhao Xian looked back and found that the bamboo house was no longer visible. She couldn't help but admire how it was done. It was amazing.
I wondered to myself, are there still people like Lingkong at Huguo Temple?
He's hard-hearted, but there are definitely kind-hearted people who would be willing to help.
She deliberately said those words to Ling Kong. How dare she, a usurper, dare to challenge the original owner of this body?
Not to mention that she hadn't even seen the original form, given that they were sharing a body, it was unlikely that they would ever meet.
Zhao Xian felt lost, helpless, and at a loss.
Most importantly, those who could help are unwilling to do so.
When Granny He saw Zhao Xian, her heart finally settled down. "Madam."
Upon discovering that Zhao Xian was missing, Granny He immediately thought of the strange bamboo forest, fearing that the madam was worried about the master and had sought help from Master Lingkong.
"Quick, help me up." Zhao Xian reached out and, the moment she was helped up, she leaned against them, losing her strength.
Her feet were really hurting. This path wasn't a very smooth one, and after walking all night, she was afraid her feet would be blistered.
"I hope my absence from the meditation room didn't disturb Lianniang and Tingyue?" Zhao Xian paused after asking.
This was clearly not something she would care about, and she almost subconsciously thought that if her daughter-in-law and daughter knew that she had been missing for a whole night, what would they think? It would ruin her reputation.
Zhao Xian felt it was all over. She was using someone else's body and had become accustomed to their way of doing things and their way of thinking.
Does she have a chance of winning?
Granny He said, "No, this old servant has asked Yingchun to keep watch in the meditation room. If the eldest young mistress and the others come to pay their respects, she will say that the mistress has gone to meditate."
As expected of someone who has been by the original owner's side for a long time, their thoughts are truly thorough.
Zhao Xian finally understood why He Mama hadn't suspected her after she transmigrated. Many of her words and actions were probably influenced by the original owner of the body from the beginning.
She's finished.
"Granny, besides Master Lingkong, which other monk at Huguo Temple is the most powerful?"
“Even more powerful than Master Lingkong.” Granny He thought for a moment and said, “I’m afraid it’s only Master Huineng, Master Lingkong’s master, but Master Huineng has been traveling around for many years now.”
What a coincidence.
--
In front of the Lingquan Pool at Huguo Temple.
Li Lianniang got up very early and arrived with her maid before it was fully light.
Yesterday, while I was praying for a peace charm, I overheard some worshippers talking about how the holy water from the Lingquan Pool at Huguo Temple is the most effective at curing illnesses and warding off disasters.
She couldn't come to pick me up yesterday because of the rain, and she was supposed to go back to the Jiang family today, so she came early so that she could collect the holy water and return to her meditation room in time to pay her respects to her mother.
"Young Madam, let me do it. It's tiring to lift you up like this," Danruo said with concern.
"It's alright." Li Lianniang refused. Since she was the one asking for the holy water, she should personally receive it to show her sincerity and achieve the best results.
The water flow in the Spirit Spring Pool is not strong; it would take quite a while to fill a pot to the brim.
As the sky gradually brightened, and the water in the kettle was only a little over half full, Chi Lan said, "Go back to the meditation room and tell Mother that I will come to pay my respects later."
After standing for about 15 minutes, the kettle was finally filled with water. After sharing it with his mother and Tingyue, there wasn't much left.
Li Lianniang turned around, about to ask Danruo to bring the lid.
Suddenly, her knees seemed to lose strength, her left leg bent uncontrollably and went limp, and her whole body tilted to one side.
Li Lianniang tried to grab the spout of the pot, but it was too late; both she and the pot were tipping over.
"Be careful, my lady."
A concerned male voice suddenly appeared, and he put his arm around her waist, letting her lean against his chest to prevent her from falling.
When a man appeared and blocked her way, Li Lianniang thought she could grab the pottery pot, but just as she was about to grab it, the pottery pot suddenly moved even further away from her.
The earthenware pot was thrown out with a bang, shattering into pieces, and all the remaining water inside spilled out.
With a beautiful woman in his arms and the scent of perfume wafting from her hair, the Crown Prince of Yu's eyes were practically overflowing with satisfaction.
Looking at the holy water spilled all over the ground, Li Lianniang felt a pang of regret. The entire pot of holy water was gone, not a single drop remained.
Before she could feel sorry for herself, she quickly pushed the man beside her away. As she stepped back, she found that her left knee was still a little weak. Fortunately, Danruo came up to support her, saying, "Young Madam."
Li Lianniang focused her strength on her right foot and Danruo, then looked up at the man in front of her. His sleeves were mostly wet, so she quickly said, "I'm sorry, I've gotten your clothes wet, young master."
"It's nothing serious. But is my wife alright? Is she hurt?"
Li Lianniang shook her head, her eyes fixed on the pool of holy water on the ground. After waiting for more than half an hour, the entire pot of water had been spilled.
Looking at the shattered pot, Danruo felt both heartache and regret: "Young Madam, let's go back first. I'll come back to pick up the pot later."
The young mistress must have been standing for too long and was tired. It's also her fault for not taking the pot from me in time.
“Your pot is broken, madam. Why don’t you take mine? You seem to need it urgently.” The man said, handing his pot to Li Lianniang, his tone full of understanding.
The servants who followed him hung their heads. The prince had come again, and the same trick had worked every time.
Li Lianniang didn't look at the pot that was handed to her; her eyes were fixed on the holy water on the ground.
She came to receive holy water to cure illness and ward off disaster. Could breaking it be some kind of omen?
My left knee suddenly felt numb and weak; that must be a sign.
Li Lianniang shook her head: "No need, thank you for your kindness, young master."
Her foot is perfectly fine now, which shows it was a real sign, so there's no need to get it fixed anymore.
She had only taken two steps when Li Lianniang suddenly stopped, moved her foot, and saw a hard red object about the size of a thumb on the ground.
Upon seeing this, Danruo bent down, picked it up, and handed it to Lilianniang. "Madam, it's a lotus flower, exquisitely carved. I wonder who dropped it."
Li Lianniang held the red lotus flower in her hand and examined it closely. She recognized that it was carved from agate, and the craftsman who carved it was extremely skilled.
Such things are valuable; they didn't see them on the ground when they came this morning.
Li Lianniang turned to look at the unfamiliar man, "Did you drop this, young master?"
"So it was my wife who picked it up."
The man took a few steps and stood in front of Li Lianniang, holding the folding fan at his waist in his hand, his peach blossom eyes slightly raised.
My gaze lingered on her fingertips; the red agate accentuated the hand's jade-like softness, as if it carried a subtle fragrance that could be smelled even from a distance.
Holding the thumb-sized agate lotus flower, Li Lianniang questioned, "You caused my knees to hurt and make me lose my balance, spilling the whole pot of holy water. Was all of this your doing, young master?"
Seeing that he had been exposed, the Crown Prince of Yu smiled sheepishly, his peach-blossom eyes filled with shame. He covered his face with his fan, embarrassed, and said:
"I apologize, but I really wanted to get to know you, so I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. Please forgive me."
Anyone else would probably have denied it outright, but the Crown Prince of Yu wouldn't. Moreover, he used this method to seduce many people without ever failing.
He also knew that married women were different from unmarried young ladies and would not be so shy.
Li Lianniang frowned, raised her hand and threw the agate lotus flower into the pot he was carrying. "I have no grudge against you, young master. Why are you trying to harm me?"
The crown prince of Yu the Great had seen both those who were greedy for money and those who were not.
The servant stepped forward and took the pot. He took out the agate lotus flower and said, "My lady, please don't say that. I just wanted to get to know you. I didn't mean to harm you. How could I bear to harm you?"
"How about this, I'll give this lotus flower to my wife as an apology."
As the Crown Prince of Yu spoke, he presented the agate lotus flower.
Seeing that she didn't reach out to take it, the Crown Prince of Yu said again, "My lady, are you unwilling to forgive me? I'm really bad with words, and I didn't expect to make things worse and hurt you. It's all my fault, please punish me, my lady."
"Since you know you're wrong, why don't you correct it? Look at your glib tongue, young master, you're not bad at talking, this probably isn't the first time. What kind of scoundrel came here to Huguo Temple to cheat and swindle?"
Realizing the other party's motives were impure, Li Lianniang did not want to get entangled any longer, and after speaking, she walked around him and was about to leave.
"My lady, don't go." The Crown Prince of Yu stood in front of Li Lianniang, blocking her way. "I beg you to accept this agate lotus."
Danruo blocked Lilianniang's way and shouted, "Get out of the way, you lecherous man! My young mistress doesn't care for your lotus flower."
"My wife, I was wrong just now. You may be angry or annoyed with me, but I sincerely want to apologize to you."
Li Lianniang wanted to leave, but he stopped her, insisting that she accept the agate lotus flower.
Whether it was a misperception or not, Li Lianniang felt that he seemed even happier when she called him a lecher.
“If my wife doesn’t accept it, I won’t let her leave.”
Danruo tightly protected Lilianniang, glaring at the lecherous man in front of her: "Get out of the way, or we'll call for help."
The Crown Prince of Yu looked only at Li Lianniang, his face full of flattery and pleading: "Little lady, I really want to apologize."
It's a pity that her face was covered by a veil, so we couldn't see her shy face; it's truly a shame.
--
The Lingquan Pond of Huguo Temple is located just below the bamboo grove where Master Lingkong lived. The bamboo grove is above, and the slope below leads to the Lingquan Pond.
Zhao Xian heard the voices while Li Lianniang and her servant were talking, but the bamboo grove blocked the view and the voices were above her, so she couldn't see them.
Her feet ached terribly from walking all night, and she was exhausted and sleepy, so she didn't think of calling for Li Lianniang.
Unexpectedly, while waiting for the servants to bring the sedan chair, they discovered that the Crown Prince of Yu was walking towards the Lingquan Pool from a distance.
On the day of the family reunion banquet, when she saw off the male guests in the front yard, she made a point of going to take a look, thinking that she should see what the villain looked like in advance so that she could be mentally prepared.
They discovered that the Crown Prince of Yu was heading towards Li Lianniang.
Zhao Xian didn't care about the pain in her feet anymore; she had to stop the villain from meeting the female lead in the abuse novel.
But it turned out that it was impossible to get down from the top of the bamboo forest; one had to take a very long detour.
As soon as she got off in the sedan chair, the villain had already stopped the female protagonist from being tortured in the novel.
Peony lifted the curtain, and Granny He helped Zhao Xian out of the sedan chair.
"Lian Niang."
The moment Li Lianniang saw her mother-in-law, her worries and fears vanished instantly.
"Mother." She lifted her skirt and ran over, tightly taking Zhao Xian's hand.
The man insisted on stopping her and making her accept the things, and his smile was quite frightening.
Since there was no one around, she and Danruo, being two frail women, did not dare to confront him directly.
With someone to rely on, Li Lianniang complained, "Mother, he bullied me."
After seeing Li Lianniang feeding Jiang Wei medicine at the Jiang family home, the Crown Prince of Yu secretly sent someone to inquire about it.
The one she could call "mother" must be her mother-in-law. He just didn't expect that this woman's mother-in-law was so young, in no way inferior to Li Lianniang beside him, and still had a charming appearance.
"Sister, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to offend you, and I'd like to offer you something as compensation." The Crown Prince of Yu said, looking at Li Lianniang, "And you, my lady, last time at the Jiang family..."
The words were left unfinished, and then abruptly stopped.
The servant, head bowed, came again. His young master always used this method to sow discord between his mother and daughter-in-law.
If a daughter-in-law is scolded by her mother-in-law, some mothers-in-law might even divorce her.
But this time, she called me "sister" instead of "aunt."
Zhao Xian did not miss the smugness in the eyes of the Crown Prince of Yu.
“Mother, I don’t know him. He just hit me on purpose, making me spill all the holy water I had filled.” Li Lianniang said, half-hiding behind Zhao Xian. “He also insisted on giving me that agate lotus flower. He must be trying to frame me. If I take it, he will definitely accuse me of theft.”
She had seen this kind of trick when she was seven years old; people who resort to such underhanded tactics are despicable.
Li Lianniang didn't understand the implied meaning and continued to complain.
Zhao Xian did not suspect her, and naturally did not question her.
The Crown Prince of Yu was somewhat surprised to find that things were not going as he had imagined.
"No, I really want to compensate my wife."
Zhao Xian was somewhat confused.
In the book, Li Lianniang unexpectedly rescued the Crown Prince of Yu, which led to him becoming entangled with her.
She knew this villain was despicable and used dirty tricks in private, but he always acted like a decent human being in front of the female lead in the abuse novel. How come he's changed now? Has he broken his persona?
Right in front of her, he started using underhanded tactics against the female lead?
Zhao Xian: "Someone, go and invite the abbot of Huguo Temple. There's a lecherous man here harassing women. Have the martial monks catch him and hand him over to the authorities. Don't let him harass other ladies and young women."
"Oh, it's a misunderstanding, sister, it's all a misunderstanding."
Seeing that Zhao Xian was not joking, the Crown Prince of Yu did not linger and left with his servants.
Zhao Xian found it strange that he didn't reveal his identity.
However, since he didn't reveal his identity, she pretended not to know. If he dared to come again, she could have her servants beat him up.
Back in the meditation room, Shaoyao went to fetch the female doctor, and Zhao Xian's feet were indeed covered in blisters.
The wound needs to be punctured before the medicine can be applied.
Granny He looked distressed and hesitated several times before speaking.
Zhao Xian pretended not to see it and said, "Go and tell the young mistress and the young lady that we should pack up and go back."
I came to Huguo Temple just to make a show of it, but I was surprised and delighted by what happened next.
Master Huineng is not at Huguo Temple, and if the other monks are not as good as Lingkong, then it will be of no use looking for him.
As for the villain's early appearance, that's something for Jiang Wei, the male protagonist of a tragic novel, to worry about.
She doesn't have time to help deal with it right now.
--
Upon returning to Jin'an, Zhao Xian did not go directly to the Jiang family, but instead went to the largest security escort agency in Jin'an.
The head镖师 (chief镖师) was surprised after hearing this: "Madam wants to hire fifty镖师 from my镖局 (镖局 is a type of security escort agency) to go to Changzhou, Fuyang City and other places to find Lord Jiang?"
Their escort agency takes on jobs escorting people and goods, but they've done it before, though they've never encountered anything like this before.
"Madam, fifty bodyguards have been dispatched. This deal..."
“Money is not a problem; this five thousand taels is a deposit.”
After Zhao Xian finished speaking, Granny He took out a silver note and placed it on the table.
Zhao Xian continued, "You will be going on this trip, for a period of three months. I need to see the person alive or dead. If you find the person and bring them back, I will pay you another 50,000 taels. If you don't find the person, I won't take the 5,000 taels deposit, but I will still pay you an extra 5,000 taels as a service fee. Shall we do this deal?"
The original owner made a wish on her way home. Rather than praying to the gods, she should rely on herself. Finding the person was something she had paid money to do, and she didn't believe in praying to the gods.
If you really want to collect a promise, go find the original owner; it has nothing to do with her.
She also had a purpose in finding Jiang Liangxu: to live, she would divorce him; she absolutely could not stay with Jiang Liangxu, otherwise she would be devoured by the original owner of the body sooner or later.
After the divorce, she was going to find Lingkong's master, Master Huineng.
Lingkong refused to send her back; perhaps it was because he was incompetent.
Otherwise, why would they say such ambiguous things? It's better to rely on yourself than on others.
Given her special circumstances, if she could rely on herself, why would she need to come to him?
Yeah, he can't.
Inside the bamboo house, Lingkong packed his bags and suddenly sneezed several times.
--
In Lufeng Town, which borders Changzhou and Fuyang City, lies the most remote Xing'an Village, home to Xu Laoda's family.
The food was ready, and Grandma Xu came out to call for dinner, but she couldn't see the old man. She asked her little grandson who was playing nearby, "Tiger Boy, where are your grandpa and that young master?"
"They went to the river."
"They're going again. They go eight hundred times a day. Didn't they say they couldn't remember anything? Why are they still running to the river all the time? The river is so fast right now. Hurry up and go call them back for dinner."
"Grandma, I'm going." Hearing this, the eldest granddaughter, who was embroidering inside, put the embroidery hoop back in the basket, patted the hem of her clothes, and pushed open the door to come out.
Grandma Xu glanced at her eldest granddaughter and said, "You're not allowed to go."
The eldest granddaughter stamped her foot: "Why?"
Grandma Xu pulled her eldest granddaughter into the house, and before closing the door, she glanced at her grandson, "Tiger, hurry up and go, as well as your parents, uncles, and aunts. The food will get cold soon."
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Author's Note: I've been quite busy lately, and writing has been a bit of a struggle. I'll update more when I have more time. [Hands clasped in prayer][ ...]
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