Chapter 41 Each with their own selfish motives
Ning Jue's question caught Bai Hua off guard.
Marry him...
How could you do that?
Her heart nearly stopped; she choked with nervousness and couldn't respond.
Her mysterious origins, her deliberate approach, her disloyal deception, and the series of lies she had to tell to cover up one lie in their subsequent interactions... all of these things destined the two of them to eventually go their separate ways.
The only thing she could strive for was to obtain his secret second-stage sword technique and complete the mission before leaving him completely.
She had no other choice.
Having been away from Xianyang Mountain for many days, her cousin should have already realized that she had disappeared, and he must be sending more disciples to search for her everywhere.
Bai Hua had a vague premonition that the day the Great General King officially opened the arena was fast approaching, and the time she could spend with the young master day and night should not be too long.
She lowered her eyes, looking dejected, and replied evasively, "I am just a maidservant by your side, sir. Please don't make such jokes anymore."
Ning Jue stared at her intently for a moment, his gaze probing but not forceful.
He let the person go for the time being and said gently, "Let's eat first. You've been up and about since the afternoon, and your stomachs must be empty. You must be starving."
I hadn't noticed it until the young master mentioned it, but now that he did, I did feel my stomach was empty, and even the aroma of food I smelled seemed stronger.
Bai Hua reached out and pressed her hand against her stomach, nodding shyly.
Ning Jue asked, "Come to the table to eat, or should I bring it to you?"
Bai Hua hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Please go out first, young master. I'll change my clothes and then get out of bed to eat."
Ning Jue glanced at the clothes on the bedside table, got up as instructed, and took a few steps away, but did not leave the room. Instead, he turned his back to avoid being seen.
"Change it. Hurry up, or the porridge will get cold."
He clearly had no intention of leaving the house.
Bai Hua hesitated, but ultimately did not speak or continue to be coy.
She propped herself up, neatly ripped off the thin veil she had longed to remove from her body, crumpled it in her hand, and then disgustedly tossed it to the ground. Feeling insecure being naked, she quickly changed into a new dress.
The new clothes were of ordinary style and made of ordinary fabric. Perhaps because the incident happened suddenly and they could not find suitable women's clothing at the moment, they found clean clothes from the servants in the courtyard.
Bai Hua wouldn't be picky about anything. Originally, her identity was that of a young master's maid, so there was nothing wrong with her wearing maid's clothes.
She only asked for something that would cover her body and be presentable.
After getting dressed, Bai Hua sat on the edge of the bed, preparing to slip on her shoes and get out of bed.
Ning Jue asked upon hearing the noise, "Are you all changed?"
Bai Hua's voice was weak: "Yes."
Ning Jue turned around immediately.
He glanced at her first, but didn't allow her to get out of bed. Then he went to the table, picked up the wooden tray containing the food, and placed it on a stool by the bed. He sat down next to her, picked up a bowl of warm rice porridge, and fed her spoonful by spoonful.
Bai Hua wasn't used to being so close to him, so she reached out to take it herself, but Ning Jue insisted on helping her.
She had no choice but to cooperate and let him serve her this once.
Sugar was added to the porridge as always.
Almost every time she was unwell, the young master would take care of her and feed her sweet rice porridge or soup, as if to make her taste sweeter than medicine.
The young master himself doesn't like bitter food, but he always considers her feelings. However, this time, she clearly hasn't taken her medicine yet.
Bai Hua's heart stirred, and she gripped the bed sheet tightly in her hand, carefully concealing her thoughts.
While feeding her, Ning Jue told her in a calm tone, "The person who bullied you has already paid the price. Back at sea, when he first provoked you, I should have silently dealt with him. If I had done that, I wouldn't have encountered these troubles later, and you wouldn't have suffered this ordeal."
"At sea, that man was only obsequious; you couldn't tell he harbored any evil intentions or was a beast in human form." Bai Hua sighed, unwilling to recall anything related to that lecherous man, only wanting to know the outcome. She then asked, "How did you deal with that man, young master?"
Ning Jue truthfully replied, "That man was a local of Ye City, the only son of the Fang family, a shipping dynasty. Considering the Fang family's local influence, Duan Yi persuaded me to spare Fang Lun's life. I was still angry, so I stabbed Fang Lun in the chest. It might not have killed him originally, but Duan Yi deliberately set fire to the courtyard to cover up the sword's edge and bury clues, wanting to ensure there was no evidence. Now that courtyard is completely burned down, Fang Lun is probably burned to ashes."
Bai Hua was horrified upon hearing this, and then, remembering that there were other people in the courtyard, she hurriedly asked, "What happened to the servants, maids, and the others in the courtyard?"
Ning Jue replied: "There were four or five girls in the side room who were being kept by Fang Lun. When Duan Yi's men broke down the main gate, they were wearing black cloths and pretended to be bandits robbing people. Everyone in the mansion, whether servants or girls, hurriedly carried their bundles and fled for their lives, scattering like birds, and were not affected by the fire."
As long as no innocent people are harmed, that's fine.
Bai Hua felt a little relieved, but then she thought of Fang Lun's background and asked with concern, "If the Fang family is really not easy to offend, Fang Lun died by the young master's sword. Although his body was burned, what if there was a loophole that was discovered? Wouldn't that be a potential big problem?"
Ning Jue scoffed, feigning indifference: "Trouble is trouble, I don't care. Fang Lun bullied you, if I were to easily let him go as a favor just to build connections, wouldn't you be pitifully crying to me?"
It was a serious conversation, but he couldn't resist teasing her at the end.
Bai Hua blushed slightly, her cheeks flushed, and she refused to admit it: "I would never cry so easily. The best thing you could do is to let Fang Lun off the hook with a minor punishment. I will also take a long-term view and will not feel dissatisfied because of this."
Ning Jue smiled and went along with her, saying, "Alright, you've thought things through and understand the bigger picture. It was I who acted impulsively and without considering the consequences. But Fang Lun is dead, that's a fact. Are you going to vent your anger?"
Bai Hua was fed another mouthful of sweet porridge from Ning Jue, then lowered her eyes and nodded gently.
Of course I vented my anger.
If the young master hadn't arrived in time, she probably wouldn't have escaped the fate of being humiliated by that scoundrel Fang Lun. If that had happened, she would have preferred to die.
She originally thought that leaving the Rong Mansion and hiding on Mount Xianyang, staying by the side of the stranger swordsman, would put her in the most terrifying danger. However, she did not expect that the bad guys down the mountain were even more difficult to guard against. They used sleeping incense and filthy drugs, and their dirty tricks were frequent and impossible to guard against.
Between the two, the young master is naturally much more upright.
I don't feel dangerous around him at all; on the contrary, I feel very safe.
Seeing that the porridge bowl in his hand was empty, Ning Jue replaced it with a bowl of fish maw soup and continued to feed Bai Hua.
While feeding her, he discussed the upcoming itinerary with her: "I plan to go south to southern Fujian. I don't know how long it will take. You are weak now, and I'm afraid that taking you along will make you suffer on the journey. Otherwise, you can stay in Yecheng and stay temporarily in Boss Duan's villa until I come back to meet you, and then we will go back to Xianyang Mountain together."
Bai Hua, unaware that he had plans to travel further, was surprised to hear this and quickly asked, "Has the matter in Ye City been completed, young master? What are you going to do in Nanmin next?"
Ning Jue answered one by one: "Yes, I came to Ye City to meet Duan Yi. After we meet, I have other plans."
"What arrangements?" Bai Hua asked tentatively.
She could tell that the trip south was a secret plan between the young master and Mr. Duan. If the young master was wary of her and unwilling to tell her, she would not force him.
Ning Jue paused, then, without trying to hide anything, frankly told her, "As I mentioned before, I grew up without parents and was raised by my master and mistress. After my master died, my mistress committed suicide by throwing herself against her coffin, and I lost everything in quick succession, suffering unbearable pain... My swordsmanship was taught to me by my master, who was a master of all martial arts, yet he died during a martial arts competition at a banquet. I cannot let go of this, and I always suspect that there was something fishy about my master's death. Now the clues point to Fujian, and I must go there myself to thoroughly investigate the truth."
Bai Hua held her breath, listening intently.
His master's death has always been a taboo subject for him, something he rarely mentions to outsiders.
However, when facing her now, the young master took the initiative to lower his guard and was willing to be honest. Faced with this trust, Bai Hua felt heartache and deep remorse.
Bai Hua asked hesitantly, "Does your master have a reputation in the martial arts world? I wonder if I've ever heard of him."
Ning Jue replied, "Sword Saint, Situ Kong."
Sword Saint...
Upon hearing this, Bai Hua was stunned.
If it is true that the young master is actually the disciple of the Sword Saint, how can those self-proclaimed orthodox sword sects in Jiling not feel ashamed?
Sword Saint Situ Kong held an unshakeable position in the hearts of all the disciples of the Sword Sect.
Even the swordsmanship advocated by my cousin's Guihong Sword Hall is the Lone Goose Sword Style created by Sword Saint Situ Kong.
My cousin wasn't the Sword Saint's direct disciple, but rather he was fortunate enough to receive the true teachings of the first half of the Lone Goose Sword Style because his grandfather had a past relationship with the Sword Saint.
But my cousin was not satisfied with this. He always wanted to learn the complete sword techniques of the Lone Goose Swordplay in order to improve his skills, master them, and become famous.
Therefore, when my cousin heard that an unknown swordsman had traveled to Xianyang Mountain and that his swordsmanship and moves were similar to the Lone Goose Sword Style, he said with certainty that since the Sword Saint had no direct disciples, the swordsman must have learned the moves by spying and that his methods were illegitimate.
After this conclusion was reached, the rest of Ji Ling's sword sect echoed the same sentiment, working with their cousin to do everything in their power to ruin Ning Jue's reputation.
When Bai Hua first learned about these grudges and disputes in the martial arts world, she heard her cousin's conclusion. She had also been prejudiced and thought that Ning Jue was a villain.
Now, putting everything that happened in the past together, Bai Hua has a renewed sense of what she's going to do.
Cousin's rejection of Ning Jue stemmed from deep-seated fear. He feared Ning Jue's superior abilities and worried that Ning Jue's appearance would undermine his position among the disciples of the Jiling Sword Sect, affecting his ability to continue leading them.
Even though her cousin disdained her and looked down on her, he still sent her up the mountain in the end, choosing to take a shortcut by using a woman.
Where does his aloofness lie...?
Bai Hua felt a complex mix of emotions. She was indignant at the false stigma the young master had been burdened with, and ashamed of her cousin's arrogance and conceit.
Furthermore, she also blamed herself.
Even though she had no choice in the matter, it was a fact that she was in league with Ji Ling and his group, and that they were plotting against the young master together. There was nothing to refute about that.
Previously, she had believed and disbelieved everything her cousin said.
Now, she wants to think independently, judge right from wrong, and is unwilling to be just a mindless puppet!
Noticing Bai Hua's sudden serious expression, Ning Jue observed her for a while before asking, "What are you thinking about?"
Bai Hua snapped out of her daze and said earnestly, "Young Master is loyal and righteous. I am willing to go south with you and do my part to help you investigate the truth."
Ning Jue did not immediately agree: "But your health..."
Bai Hua: "When does Young Master plan to depart?"
Ning Jue replied, "If it's just me, I'll leave tomorrow."
Bai Hua's eyes brightened: "What if I come along?"
Ning Jue sighed. Of course, he had his own selfish reasons. If he really left Bai Hua in Ye City, he was afraid that she would leave and return to Rong Lin Yan's side.
If that's the case, he's far away in the Southern Region, thousands of miles away, and he probably won't be able to stop it even if he wanted to.
Ning Jue pondered for a while before replying, "If you insist on coming south with me, then we'll wait until you've taken your medicine for two days and recovered before setting off the day after tomorrow."
After saying that, Ning Jue sighed inwardly. When did he become so anxious and insecure?
Bai Hua's eyes lit up with surprise and she earnestly said, "Then please hand over the prescription quickly, young master. I will take the medicine as soon as possible to recover my strength."
Ning Jue offered a word of caution: "This trip will likely be fraught with danger."
Bai Hua shook her head and said, "I'm not afraid, anyway, Young Master will protect me."
She trusted him so much.
Ning Jue's gaze deepened as he stared at Bai Hua, and he answered without hesitation, "Alright, let's go together."
Bai Hua responded with a gentle smile.
In fact, both of them harbored their own selfish motives.
Ning Jue's selfish reason was that he didn't want her to leave.
Bai Hua's selfish thought was that if separation was the inevitable end, she would extend the final deadline. Perhaps by adapting and being prepared, she could gradually let go of her reluctance and leave more gracefully.
As for the sword techniques, she did her best and left the rest to fate.
Now that she has discovered the original intention of the sword technique, she has nothing to do with her cousin anymore. If it weren't for her brother's life being in danger, she would even want to stay by the young master's side for a long time and slowly repay the debt.
But fate did not grant her that opportunity.
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