Jiang Chuting returned to the Ninth Heaven. He was preoccupied with something, sitting at his desk with a book in his hand, completely unaware that Wei Jia had been won over by various delicacies and was much more intimate with Pei Jing, and even less aware that there was an extra bed in his room.
By the time I saw it, it was already bedtime.
The room wasn't small, but the extra bed was placed not far from his tatami mat, standing upright. If the two of them lay down, they could see each other at a glance.
Jiang Chuting turned to look at Pei Jing, who had followed her in. It was obvious that he was the one who had done it.
"Xiao Jiu, you..."
Pei Jing smiled broadly and said, "Master, I'll sleep in the same room as you from now on. With you by my side, I won't be afraid of getting into trouble while practicing."
Jiang Chuting knew he was trying to feel more at ease while practicing, so she didn't respond for a moment.
Although Pei Jing would call him "Master," he was, after all, a prince of noble birth. Acting according to his own will without consulting others was ingrained in him, and he didn't see anything wrong with it. After a moment's consideration, Jiang Chuting was about to speak when Pei Jing took a step closer, hugged his arm, rested his chin on his shoulder, and lowered his usually clear voice, making it soft and slightly coquettish: "Master, you won't refuse, will you? I asked Wei Jia; he often sleeps with you, even in the same bed. They're both your disciples; you can't be biased."
As he spoke, his warm breath brushed against Jiang Chuting's ear and neck. Jiang Chuting tilted his head slightly to avoid it, trying to push him away, but he deliberately hugged her tighter and emphasized again, "Wei Jia can hug you, you can't be biased, Master!"
Jiang Chuting said helplessly, "Wei Jia is still young, he's different from you."
“I’m only a few years older than him. How is that different? You can’t treat him differently.” Pei Jing suddenly realized, “Oh, I know, you must be afraid that I might misunderstand you like Mo Lin did, so you’re avoiding suspicion, right?”
It seemed he really knew everything; Jiang Chuting remained silent.
Pei Jing gazed at his long, drooping eyelashes with a smile, and assured him, "Don't worry, don't worry, I won't be as stupid as him. I just want to stay by Master's side so I can feel more at ease. I'll be very good, so please take me in, okay?"
For some reason, the image of Lin Zhi pleading with him while tugging at his sleeve suddenly flashed into Jiang Chuting's mind.
After a moment of distraction, his lips moved, and the last words that came out were: "Whatever you want." In any case, he would be leaving the Nine Heavens in two months.
Pei Jing kept his word. After practicing his skills for a while without any problems, he went to sleep on his own, without disturbing Jiang Chuting's peace and quiet.
The next morning, Jiang Chuting woke up but didn't open his eyes immediately. He felt a gaze that he couldn't ignore.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked towards Pei Jing. Pei Jing was sitting on the edge of the couch, his hands supporting him on either side, smiling as he looked at him. "Master, you're awake."
Jiang Chuting smiled faintly, "Mm."
What started as a dishonest master-disciple relationship has unexpectedly become more and more convincing.
The two washed up and dressed, then left the room one after the other. Mo Lin's gaze towards Jiang Chuting was somewhat strange, and he seemed hesitant to speak. Jiang Chuting, unaware of his inner turmoil, turned her head away indifferently. In the end, Mo Lin said nothing and went downstairs.
Jiang Chuting's injuries had almost healed, so he took his sword to his usual spot to practice. But that day he found it hard to concentrate. After practicing for a while, he put away his sword and stood by the babbling brook, gazing absently at the pebbles in the water.
"What are you looking at? Is there any fish?" Pei Jing's voice rang out beside him.
Jiang Chuting turned to look at him; she had already sensed his presence while practicing her swordsmanship.
“There’s nothing there.” Pei Jing looked down and searched for a while before glancing at him for a moment and asking, “Master, what’s wrong? You seemed really off after you came back from your trip.”
Jiang Chuting was taken aback: "Really?"
Pei Jing asked with concern, "Have you run into some trouble?"
Jiang Chuting certainly wouldn't tell him about this, and smiled, "No, I just have something to do."
Pei Jing eagerly asked, "What is it? Do you need my help?"
"It's nothing serious." Jiang Chuting paused and then said, "I'll go down the mountain in a while."
Upon hearing this, Pei Jing's smile vanished, and he frowned, asking unhappily, "Going down the mountain again? When? How many days will you be gone?"
Instead of answering, Jiang Chuting said, "Even if I'm not here, it won't affect your detoxification."
"How can it not have an effect!" Pei Jing opened his eyes wide and looked at him confidently, "When Master is not around, I miss him from time to time, I can't eat or sleep well, and I keep looking forward to your return. Even if there is a medicinal spring to soak in, the effect will be affected, and my body will not recover as quickly."
This was the first time Jiang Chuting had heard such straightforward words from his disciple. Although he knew there was an exaggeration in them, his ears still involuntarily burned. He looked away from the disciple's bright, piercing eyes with slight unease, glanced elsewhere, and then said gently, "I will descend the mountain after nine days. If nothing unexpected happens, I will be back in two days."
“Two days…” Pei Jing nodded reluctantly. “Alright then, I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Time flies. The day before Jiang Chuting was to descend the mountain, Pei Jing seemed to have received some news and sent several of his personal guards out on business, including Mo Lin.
That night, Pei Jing lay on the couch, gazing wistfully at Jiang Chuting, "Master, you can go and handle your affairs without worrying about me. Really, go ahead."
He was clearly being disingenuous, practically begging, "Master, please stay and help me, don't go down the mountain." But he had already made a promise to Lin Zhi and couldn't break it, so Jiang Chuting advised him, "Try not to use your internal energy or practice your skills these next two days, and you'll be fine. Wait for me to come back, or wait for Mo Lin to come back, and then we'll talk about it."
“How can you neglect your training?” Pei Jing rolled over and lay down, no longer looking at him. His low voice echoed in the room. “I’ll be careful myself. If you can come back on time, I should be fine.”
Jiang Chuting sighed softly, "Just in case, I'll have my third senior brother come over. If I'm delayed and can't get back in time, and Mo Lin isn't here, you can ask him for help."
After a long pause, Pei Jing gritted his teeth and snorted.
The next morning, Jiang Chuting put on a mask and went down the mountain. He found a place to take a disguise pill, changed his clothes, and then couldn't help but raise his hand to lightly touch his cheek before slowly sliding it down.
No matter how he disguises himself, he is still himself and cannot change. I just hope that after today, Lin Zhi will never discover the true face of "Chu Ran".
Jiang Chuting went to keep the appointment, but before he arrived at the agreed restaurant, he suddenly saw a dark figure falling rapidly from a height and crashing heavily onto the street, splattering crimson blood on the ground.
Everything happened so suddenly. Someone jumped down.
The commotion startled the people around, who screamed and scattered. Some of the bolder ones gradually gathered around, but didn't get too close. Jiang Chuting rushed over, knelt down to check his breathing, and found that he was already dead.
The deceased was a young man. Perhaps he had suffered a lot before his death, as his face still had a twisted and ferocious expression, and his eyes were still wide open, making him look somewhat terrifying.
As more and more people gathered around, whispers and murmurs filled the air. Jiang Chuting stood up and looked up. What came into view was a three-story building with an extravagant architectural style, leading up to the main entrance via a dozen or so steps. Above the entrance hung a plaque that read "Changhuan Garden".
This was a fairly large brothel. There was an open window on the third floor; he must have jumped from there.
Based on the situation, Jiang Chuting initially guessed that the man might have been forced to commit suicide to prove his innocence. However, this idea was quickly dismissed.
Hearing people talking behind him, he realized that this person was a male prostitute at Changhuan Garden, and had been there for many years.
One of them was probably a regular customer and knew a lot about the place. He started explaining it to the others in a loud voice, and Jiang Chuting listened attentively.
"He contracted a strange illness and hasn't seen any guests for months. My lover said it seems like something is growing in his stomach, and he often screams in pain all day long. He probably can't afford treatment and is suffering too much, so he might as well just die. What kind of illness is it? Who knows? I'm not a doctor."
Jiang Chuting turned her gaze and noticed that there was indeed a strange bulge in his abdomen. It didn't look like he had gained weight or become fat, nor was it as round and natural as a woman's pregnancy. It looked as if there was some deformed lump inside.
In the short time that followed, people rushed into Changhuan Garden, including government officials, who dispersed the onlookers.
Jiang Chuting also got up and walked away slowly. He had good hearing, and after walking a distance, he heard one of the soldiers talking to his companions. It turned out that a similar thing had happened at another brothel more than a year ago. A male prostitute had also contracted this strange disease, with something growing in his stomach. The doctor couldn't cure him, and he couldn't bear the pain, so he swallowed poison and committed suicide.
Jiang Chuting had already walked quite a distance, but she couldn't help but look back. Someone had taken the body away, and the blood on the ground was glaringly red.
It seemed fine, but something still felt off. As Jiang Chuting pondered, very light footsteps approached slowly behind him. After hearing a faint, nonchalant laugh, he pulled his sword back from its sheath.
Jiang Chuting continued walking forward, pondering whether she should naturally turn around and greet him, or pretend not to know and be startled by him.
Before he could think any further, a pair of strong, powerful arms wrapped around his waist. He was being embraced from behind.
Lin Zhi's happy voice rang out, "Chu Ran, you're finally here!"
The gesture was too intimate, and Jiang Chuting's body trembled almost instinctively, as if he had been startled. He didn't dislike Lin Zhi, but he felt awkward for Lin Zhi, so he subtly untied his hand, turned to face him, and asked with a smile, "Am I late?"
"No, no, I'm just too early. I've been waiting for you so long, and I'm so glad you've finally arrived." Lin Zhi was tall and slender, dressed in a purple narrow-sleeved shirt. His short black hair was tied back with a hairband, his skin was fair and flawless, his smile was bright, his tiger teeth were sharp, and his eyes and brows were full of dashing youthful spirit.
As he spoke, his bright, dark eyes remained fixed on Jiang Chuting's face, his gaze intensely focused and earnest. It was as if he were looking not at a face, but at some incredibly precious treasure. He said, "However, Churan, you need to be more vigilant. Even when you're thinking, you should pay attention to your surroundings. I deliberately increased my footsteps just now, and you didn't even notice, and you were even startled. If it were someone with ill intentions, you would be in danger."
Jiang Chuting showed a slightly enlightened expression and nodded, saying, "Thank you. I was indeed a little distracted just now. I will pay attention in the future."
Lin Zhi looked at him for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. Jiang Chuting didn't understand why he laughed, and asked with a slightly puzzled look, "What's wrong?"
Lin Zhi's smiling eyes suddenly softened with sadness as she said to him, "Why are you thanking me like that? And so formally. Can't you stop being so polite and distant? Why don't you treat me like you did when I was a kid?"
As he spoke, he suddenly brought his face close, and Jiang Chuting could clearly see herself in his clear pupils. Not knowing what he was going to do, the corners of her mouth tightened slightly, but her face remained calm.
Lin Zhi took his hands and let him touch her face, examining him closely before asking, "Don't I look good like this? Or do you prefer my face from when I was a child, covered in sores? If so, then I'll go back to the place where I used to wrestle and roll around again, and I'll be able to look just like I did back then..."
His words became increasingly absurd, and Jiang Chuting frowned and interrupted him: "Nonsense!"
"I'm not kidding, I'm serious."
Jiang Chuting got angry and couldn't understand it anymore when she realized he was serious. She said sternly, "You can't be so willful."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, but..." Lin Zhi rubbed her face against his warm palm, her eyes filled with such deep and intense longing that it was almost impossible to look directly at her. "Chu Ran, I've never been able to forget you. Now that I've finally seen you again, please don't be so cold to me, okay?"
The Lin Zhi before him was now intertwined with the Lin Zhi who had viciously cursed him as a homosexual, leaving Jiang Chuting feeling confused once again.
Meeting his sincere black eyes in silence, her chest heaving, Jiang Chuting finally gave in. She slowly raised a hand, ruffled his hair, and sighed softly, "Silly child." This was probably the last time she would see him, so she would grant his wish.
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