The next morning, Jiang Chuting chatted with Lin Zhi as if nothing had happened, without deliberately distancing himself from him. But when Lin Zhi tried to take his wrist, he subconsciously turned away. It shouldn't be his imagination; the atmosphere instantly became subtle.
Without even looking at Lin Zhi's expression, he took the lead and walked out of the house.
Ultimately, things can't be the same as before.
Jiang Chuting truly regretted his past actions. He shouldn't have continued to meet with Lin Zhi and stay by his side. Now that things have turned out this way, he himself is definitely responsible for it.
It could have all been avoided. It's just that he was too soft-hearted. Now that things have turned out this way, it's too late for regrets.
Moreover, after spending so much time together, he couldn't just pretend he knew nothing and walk away. All the way, Jiang Chuting kept thinking. Lin Zhi was stubborn; directly advising him wouldn't work. So what should he do to handle this situation?
Lin Zhi asked, "Chu Ran, what are you thinking about?"
Jiang Chuting turned her head and met Lin Zhi's gaze. She smiled gently and said, "I wasn't thinking about anything."
It suddenly started raining on the way, and they took shelter in a dilapidated temple. They lit a fire, and Lin Zhi, as usual, sat down next to him, sticking very close. He actually wanted to move aside a little to create some distance between them, but doing so would seem too deliberate.
Some things were still unsaid, but Jiang Chuting knew that Lin Zhi had probably already realized what he had discovered. He was torn between reacting too strongly and potentially hurting Lin Zhi.
The two of them are currently in a strange balance; if either of them makes a rash move, the consequences could be unimaginable.
Lin Zhi stared at him, his face unusually expressionless, looking somewhat cold and stern, and asked slowly, "Then why haven't you been talking to me?"
Jiang Chuting paused for a moment before asking, "What do you want to hear?"
"What do I want to hear?" Lin Zhi's lips curled into a smile, his gaze intense. "Are you suggesting I just tell you what I want to hear?"
Jiang Chuting's heart tightened, and she suddenly felt at a loss. She quickly looked away, poked at the firewood in front of her with a stick, pondered for a moment, and said, "The rain outside seems to be getting heavier."
Lin Zhi said, "Yes." Then she added, "You thought about this for so long only to tell me this?"
Jiang Chuting simply stopped responding and stopped looking at him.
Just then, a person ran in from the rain and mist to take shelter from the rain, breaking the awkward atmosphere. He was thin and weak, carrying a bundle on his back, and his hair and clothes were soaked.
What a coincidence! The person who came was none other than the young master who had just left the Huang residence.
From the moment Jiang Chuting saw him, her gaze remained fixed on him.
When Shaojun found them inside, he was initially surprised, then nodded at him and prepared to find a corner to rest, seemingly not intending to disturb them.
Jiang Chuting gave him a friendly smile and said, "Come sit here. There's a fire where you can dry your clothes and it won't be so cold."
Shao Jun was soaking wet, clutching his bundle, and glanced at Lin Zhi with a slightly hesitant expression.
Jiang Chuting thought he was introverted and didn't want to sit with them, so she said gently, "There are still some extra firewood here. Why don't you take some over?"
Shaojun hurriedly said, "No need, no need, I, I'll come over."
He walked to the fire, sincerely thanked them, and then sat down on the worn-out futon opposite them, holding his bundle to his lower abdomen.
Although Jiang Chuting was just making small talk, the rain outside was indeed getting heavier and heavier, and they wouldn't be able to leave anytime soon.
After Shaojun leaned over and sat down, he raised his hand to wipe the water droplets off his face. His hand was also wet, so it didn't help much. His hair was stuck to his face, and his body was still trembling slightly, making him look somewhat disheveled.
Seeing this, Jiang Chuting handed him a clean handkerchief, "Use this to wipe."
Shao Jun was filled with gratitude. He took the gift with both hands and finally dried his face. When he looked up, he found Lin Zhi staring at him expressionlessly.
Shaojun's breath caught in her throat under his gaze, and she felt a little uneasy. She returned the handkerchief to Jiang Chuting.
Jiang Chuting casually struck up a conversation with him, "I didn't expect to run into you so coincidentally. Are you also planning to head north?"
Shaojun sighed softly, "I don't even know where to go myself."
The two chatted back and forth like this, and once he relaxed a little, he began to talk non-stop without Jiang Chuting having to ask any more questions.
Jiang Chuting discovered that although he was shy, he was quite talkative, unlike the dull man she had seen in the Huang residence.
Suddenly remembering something, Shaojun said, "By the way, it was all thanks to you that Young Master's life was saved this time. Thank you so much."
It seems he still cares about Huang Yu quite a bit. Even after leaving the Huang residence, he was still thanking him. Jiang Chuting smiled faintly and said, "It was nothing."
Looking at his calm and composed expression, Shaojun's eyes revealed longing. "It's so good to have kung fu, you don't have to be bullied. It's just a pity that I couldn't endure hardship when I was young and refused to learn. If I had learned, I wouldn't be helpless when something happened, I wouldn't be unable to protect my sister. Now I want to find her, but I don't know where to go." As she spoke, her eyes reddened.
Jiang Chuting learned from Huang Yu that Shaojun was forced into prostitution because her family had fallen on hard times, and asked, "Do you plan to search for your sister's whereabouts in the future?"
Shaojun nodded, "Yes, she is my only family in the world."
Shaojun probably had too much bitterness in his heart, or perhaps he trusted Jiang Chuting to some extent. Once he started talking, he couldn't stop. Without anyone asking him any further questions, he told them all about his experiences.
It turns out that his family used to be a family of doctors, but they were framed by their peers, which led to the loss of their reputation and the destruction of their family business. His family members were unjustly imprisoned and died. He and his sister were tricked into being kidnapped and sold to different places. He was lucky and was redeemed by Huang Yu not long after. At that time, he dared to ask Huang Yu to help inquire about his sister. Huang Yu agreed when he saw that he was pitiful. However, more than a year has passed and there has been no news.
His only goal now is to find his sister. But he really doesn't know where to start, so he can only wander around and try his luck.
Jiang Chuting comforted him, saying that they would definitely find it. After a pause, he asked, "I noticed you weren't feeling well before. Are you feeling any better now?"
Shaojun's expression tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then he immediately said, "It's all done, it's alright, thank you for your concern."
"That's good." Jiang Chuting smiled. It seemed he had really worried too much. Actually, he only had doubts about Shaojun. Perhaps he was just feeling unwell last time, since Shaojun's symptoms were different from those of the other male prostitutes who had fallen ill before. Moreover, according to him, he hadn't been in the brothel for long before Huang Yu redeemed him, so it shouldn't be such a coincidence that he fell ill.
The topic shifted, and the two chatted about other things again.
Lin Zhi, who had been listening listlessly, finally became restless. He would throw a few pieces of firewood into the fire, play with Jiang Chuting's clothes, and then lean his head on Jiang Chuting's shoulder as if he was tired. He would also grab Jiang Chuting's hand and play with his long fingers one by one, then put them in front of his eyes as if admiring them.
Jiang Chuting tried to pull his hand back, but before he could do so, Lin Zhi forcefully grabbed it, preventing him from moving.
Having witnessed everything, Shaojun's voice had been growing softer and softer, but now he fell completely silent, clutching his small bundle tightly.
Jiang Chuting glanced at Lin Zhi, who also looked at him, blinked, and asked, seemingly puzzled, "What's wrong? It's usually like this, so why won't you let me touch you today?"
Jiang Chuting knew that Lin Zhi was doing it on purpose, protesting his cold attitude.
Lin Zhi has really been spoiled by him.
After the rain stopped, the three of them arrived in the city together. It was already quite late. After finding an inn, Jiang Chuting was planning to ask for an extra room so that she could sleep separately from Lin Zhi when the waiter said, "There are only two rooms left. The beds in our inn are very spacious. If the three of you don't mind, you might as well make do with each other for now."
After going upstairs, Shaojun went straight to his room without saying a word. Jiang Chuting had no choice but to continue sleeping in the same bed with Lin Zhi for another night. Fortunately, he was quiet and didn't say or do anything. This relieved Jiang Chuting.
Shaojun had no destination in the first place and actually wanted to travel with them. After all, these two were highly skilled in martial arts, and he would feel much more at ease traveling with them. However, he was an extra person, which was somewhat inconvenient.
So the next day, when crossing the ferry, he consciously said goodbye to Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi.
He planned to take a boat to Jiangling to visit an old friend and see if he could seek some help.
Jiang Chuting had been frequently visiting brothels to investigate matters, so this was a good opportunity to help him out. He asked Chuting to describe his sister's appearance and name, and also asked him to leave his address so he could write to him if there was any news. Shaojun was extremely grateful.
"Well... until we meet again." Shaojun took several steps, waved again, and then reluctantly turned around to board the ship with the others.
After watching him for a while, Jiang Chuting was about to look away when she suddenly noticed two tall men flanking Shaojun on either side. Shaojun looked around, looking somewhat confused. The next moment, his body froze, and he was dragged out of the crowd and headed in another direction.
Because he didn't struggle or call out, and the two men moved quickly, no one around noticed his unusual behavior.
Even though Jiang Chuting could only see Shao Jun's back, he could sense his panic.
Just as Jiang Chuting was about to rush over to help, Lin Zhi, who was beside him, was even faster and had already taken off to chase after him. As soon as the sound of swords rang out, those who were waiting to board the ship finally noticed and ran away in alarm.
Jiang Chuting's path and view were blocked by the chaotic crowd. When he finally squeezed through, he saw that Lin Zhi had been slashed on the shoulder and was bleeding profusely.
"Lin Zhi!" Seeing him injured, Jiang Chuting felt a pang of pain in his heart. He drew his sword and attacked, shielding Lin Zhi behind him. His eyes were filled with fierce anger, and his sword strikes were more swift and decisive than ever before. It didn't take long for him to deal with the two men.
Both men lay on the ground, spitting blood, unable to get up.
Lin Zhi hissed and covered his wound with his hand, blood trickling down between his fingers. Jiang Chuting quickly helped him up and checked his wound. Fortunately, it wasn't deep and wasn't poisonous.
Jiang Chuting suddenly pointed his sword at the two men lying on the ground and coldly demanded, "Speak! What is your purpose in kidnapping them?"
Young Master's blood was still not fully released, and he fell straight to the ground beside him, his eyes wide open. The two men exchanged a shocked glance. They liked to target young men and women traveling alone, robbing them of both money and virtue. Because they had never failed before, they had become increasingly brazen. But they never expected to run into such a tough opponent this time.
One of them struggled to sit up and hurriedly cupped his hands, saying, "We didn't kidnap anyone, and we didn't have any other intentions. We just thought he looked familiar and wanted to say hello. Now that we've said hello, we should be leaving."
He pulled and dragged his companion to his feet, then his eyes darted around and he suddenly smashed something on the ground, sending up white smoke. He intended to use this as an excuse to escape, but before he could take two steps, both of them felt a sharp pain in their shoulders. They had been injured by the powerful sword energy. Already suffering from internal injuries, they could no longer stand and collapsed to the ground with a scream.
Some onlookers, seeing that the matter had been resolved, kindly brought ropes and tied both men up securely. Someone had already reported it to the authorities, and they were just waiting for the soldiers to arrive and arrest them. With so many people watching and them injured, they figured they couldn't escape.
Jiang Chuting leaned over and untied Shaojun's acupoints. Shaojun was still in shock. He patted his chest and then touched his lower abdomen. His throat tightened, and he was panting so hard that he could barely speak.
Jiang Chuting helped Lin Zhi leave. Shao Jun was already a bit timid, and was frightened by this incident, so he didn't get on the boat and hurriedly picked up his bundle to follow them.
After Lin Zhi had his wound bandaged at the clinic, he found a nearby inn.
Lin Zhi sat on the edge of the bed, his face still pale from blood loss. He stared intently at Jiang Chuting standing in front of him.
Jiang Chuting's expression was not good. After a long while, she finally spoke up and scolded, "This is simply outrageous."
He knew from the moment he made a move that those two were nothing but low-level江湖小小小 (jianghu xiaoxiao, meaning scoundrels) and how could Lin Zhi possibly be unable to defeat them and even get injured? He was definitely doing it on purpose, truly acting recklessly!
Lin Zhi hadn't expected to be able to hide it from him. She stared at him wide-eyed and asked, "But if I don't act recklessly and don't get hurt, will you show that you care about me?"
This question caused Jiang Chuting unprecedented confusion.
Previously, he thought Lin Zhi was absurd because he was Zi Que's son and because he liked "Chu Ran". Based on these two points alone, Jiang Chuting felt that there was absolutely no possibility between the two of them, so he rejected everything and did not even try to understand his own heart.
Until he saw Lin Zhi injured, he not only cared, but was very concerned, and felt heartbroken.
What he found even more unbelievable was that, compared to his previous worry when Lin Zhi injured his arm, he felt a strange emotion that he couldn't ignore.
This sudden and clear realization left Jiang Chuting feeling flustered and completely unable to calm down.
His chest heaved, and he wanted to go out to calm down, but before he could turn around, Lin Zhi noticed his intention and hugged him around the waist. He pleaded in a low voice, "Don't go, please don't go."
Because of his forceful hug, the bandaged wound on his shoulder began to bleed, and Jiang Chuting stood frozen in place.
"Don't hide anymore, okay?" Lin Zhi lifted her face slightly from his embrace, her eyes red as she gazed at him, choking back tears as she uttered straightforward and passionate words: "After all this time, haven't you made up your mind yet? I really can't wait a moment longer. I love you so much, I desperately want you, I want to be closer to you, to be more intimate with you. Chu Ran, I don't believe you have no feelings for me at all."
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