They walked slowly to the entrance of the cave. Yunpu nudged Shilan and announced inside, "My lord, Xiaoping has arrived."
After a moment of silence, Haoze's uniquely cool voice rang out, "Come in."
Shi Lan didn't even glance at Yun Pu, and walked inside, lifting her skirt.
"You were looking for me?"
Haoze turned his gaze from the book to the woman walking slowly towards him, her back to the light, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
Shi Lan took two steps forward, frowning impatiently, her cherry lips slightly parted, clearly about to say something unpleasant.
Haoze didn't want to be speechless with anger again, so he pointed to a chair next to him and said, "Sit here, let me check your pulse."
Even though Shi Lan was angry with him, she didn't want to wrong herself.
During this time, she could feel that her body was more relaxed than before, but for some reason she was always easily tired and lethargic. Since he was willing to help, why should she be coy?
Sitting on the warm, soft jade stool, Shi Lan unceremoniously draped her arms over the table.
Haoze stared at that fair, jade-like arm, secretly holding his breath.
His slender fingers gently touched her arm, shimmering with golden light, before slowly moving away.
“There’s still some stagnation in your Qi,” he said, turning his gaze. “Your very foundation has been damaged, and it will take a lot of time and effort to heal it.” He added, “Wine is for relaxation, but with your injuries, you should avoid it.”
Shi Lan turned his gaze. Without a doubt, it must have been Yun Pu who told him. But who was it to him?
Thinking of how he defended Jia Lan back then, Shi Lan raised her eyebrows, wanting to say something sarcastic, but then she heard a few light footsteps. Her eyebrows immediately relaxed, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.
"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will remember it."
Haoze nodded. Jia Lan walked in from the doorway and, hearing Shi Lan's last words, smiled and chimed in, "Xiao Ping, you're here. What's the matter that requires such a formal agreement?"
Shi Lan turned her gaze, looking at the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with cunning and a hint of provocation, "It's a secret."
Jia Lan was seething with anger, but she was also concerned about saving face and maintaining her composure. She couldn't resist her curiosity, and she didn't want to create any unknown connection between the two of them, so she turned to Hao Ze and asked in a coquettish tone, "What's going on?"
Haoze said in a very calm voice, "It's nothing."
Jia Lan's smile froze instantly.
Shi Lan chuckled inwardly, then bowed to Haoze, saying, "My lord, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
Haoze nodded, and Shi Lan turned around, her back to Haoze. She glanced at the fake Lan with contempt and mockery, raised her chin, and walked out triumphantly.
Jia Lan gritted her teeth in hatred.
Damn it, she was so confident that she wouldn't make a move in front of Haoze.
Countless wicked thoughts flashed through Jia Lan's mind, but they were just fleeting thoughts. Now that Shi Lan was injured, as long as she wasn't mentally ill and there were no accidents, she wouldn't leave the mountain again. And since she couldn't do anything here, she could only keep her anger and resentment to herself and silently endure it.
Jia Lan sighed inwardly, cursing Wan Rou for being useless and failing to seize such a good opportunity, letting this troublemaker ruin her plans again.
Haoze stared intently at the somewhat distracted Jia Lan.
Undeniably, he is protective of his own, and he doesn't have a clear sense of right and wrong. His likes and dislikes always follow his whims. But Lan'er is different. She always distinguishes right from wrong and treats her friends with sincerity. It seems that she would never say one thing and do another.
But what about now?
Haoze couldn't understand what kind of mentality made her tell him that Xiaoping was her friend, while at the same time conspiring with Wanrou to secretly kill her.
Haoze rubbed his temples in confusion. Sometimes he had a sudden feeling that the person in front of him was not the one who had grown up with him and played with him.
But who else could it be but her?
Haoze felt like he had completely lost his mind.
Jia Lan snapped out of her daze and saw Haoze with his head half-lowered, seemingly looking at the books on the desk. She quickly composed herself and took two steps forward: "Is Xiaoping still angry with me?"
Haoze looked up and gave her a strange look.
Jia Lan's heart skipped a beat. To hide her unease, she gently stroked her arm, which had just begun to regrow, and said, "I'm injured like this, and I can't even say a few words? How can she be so petty and keep me angry for so long?"
Haoze silently looked at the coquettish and reproachful Jia Lan, lowered his head and remained silent, his usual expressionless face concealing the awkwardness caused by the inexplicable sense of disharmony.
As night fell, Haoze sat alone in the room, opened the wine seal, and a clear, sweet aroma filled the entire room.
Haoze drew a half circle in the air, and a transparent golden light enveloped the room, filling the entire room with fragrance that could not escape even a fraction of its aroma.
The turquoise wine glass shimmered with light, and the beautifully shaped, thin lips parted slightly as the wine was slowly sipped into the mouth.
One cup after another, and before we knew it, the small jar was empty.
Haoze frowned, shook the jar, and got up with dissatisfaction.
His slender figure vanished from the house in a flash, and the next moment he stood beside the barrier of the Hundred Herbs Garden.
The colorful light shield seemed to exist only faintly. Shi Lan stood in the open space at the entrance of the garden, slowly stretching her body.
Haoze stood there quietly, staring intently at Shi Lan's every move.
Shi Lan hadn't noticed anything outside. Last night, she made one last move. She let out a long breath and was about to turn around when she saw the restriction flicker slightly.
She was startled and turned around to see Haoze walking in.
"Why are you here?" Shi Lan frowned, looking somewhat displeased.
Haoze couldn't care less about that; his tone was somewhat urgent, "Who did you learn this technique from?"
Shi Lan pursed her lips but didn't say anything.
Haoze's expression was somewhat cold, and his eyes seemed to be gathering a surging tide. A faint chill spread from his body, and the surrounding flowers and plants were covered with a layer of white frost. Shi Lan's dress was slightly damp, and it felt particularly cold to the touch, so Shi Lan couldn't help but shiver.
Haoze's expression changed slightly, and he quickly controlled his emotions, saying, "If you don't want to talk, I..."
"Someone taught him," Shi Lan couldn't help but speak up when she saw his restraint.
Haoze frowned. "Who is it?"
Shi Lan opened her mouth, but she couldn't very well say that she learned it while traveling through the world.
Seeing the difficulty on her face, Haoze knew that she was forcing herself to endure it, so he changed his approach and said, "There is another way to cultivate this technique. In exchange, I can teach you."
Shi Lan didn't care about the method; she was just curious why he insisted on knowing the origin of this technique.
“The key to cultivation is quality, not quantity. I’ve mastered my method perfectly, so I don’t need yours. If you really want to exchange, you should tell me why you want to know so I can be more informed and avoid accidentally offending anyone.”
Shi Lan's words were loaded with meaning, and Hao Ze understood somewhat, but not entirely.
For some reason, upon hearing her conditions, his habit of never wanting to share his past with others suddenly changed. He felt that since it was all in the past anyway, it wouldn't matter if he did tell her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
