Chapter 103 What do you two wicked friends know? I want him to do it willingly...
Lotus Town.
In the center of the small island stand several houses with white walls and green tiles, surrounded by vast expanses of vibrant lotus flowers, with water droplets still clinging to the round lotus leaves. As dawn breaks, white smoke already rises from the chimneys of some of the houses. Far removed from the world, this place is sparsely populated to begin with, and now, apart from the chirping of birds, there is hardly any sound.
Almost half an hour later, the fence outside the house creaked open, and a man dressed in red came out, carrying a large bundle on his back. He looked furtive, like a young boy sneaking away from home in the middle of the night.
"Young Master Lian, why are you in such a hurry to leave so early in the morning? What happened?"
Lian Quesheng hadn't taken two steps when someone called out to him.
He looked a little embarrassed, touched his nose, and turned around helplessly. "Brother Xiang, why are you up so early today?"
Xiang Zhanyi was dressed neatly, and her hair was tied up with a green ribbon. She didn't look like she had just gotten up, but rather like she had carefully dressed up and waited all night.
"Is Young Master Lian planning to leave without saying goodbye? It was my fault that Lotus Flower Town did not entertain Young Master Lian well."
He smiled, even though his words carried a hint of reproach and complaint. Lian Quesheng knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't argue with him. After all, he had indeed promised to stay here for two months, and he had broken his promise after only one month.
"Brother Xiang, it's really not like that. It's just that something happened to my friend, and he sent me the message that I have to go and help. Otherwise, I would definitely stay here. There's nothing to do, and I can drink and play chess with you every day. Isn't that great?"
Lian Quesheng had just fallen asleep last night when he saw a paper crane fluttering its wings and flying in through the window. He was wondering who would send him a letter so late at night.
Untying the paper strip from the crane's leg, Lian Quesheng stared at the few lines of small characters on it, his expression immediately becoming serious. He hadn't expected that in just one month, the outside world had undergone such a dramatic transformation.
He knew Jiang Yu's personality better than anyone else. He was stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat, but he was like a turtle hiding in its shell when dealing with people. Lian Que was afraid that his mental state would be damaged in the future. Moreover, this matter seemed unusual, and there were definitely many people plotting behind the scenes.
Lian Quesheng is a disciple of Xingchenque and the biological son of the sect master of Bailuzhou. He has been involved in the power struggles among immortal families since he was a child, so he is very familiar with these things.
When Jiang Yu became famous in the sect competition, apart from Lian Quesheng, everyone else had a lot of opinions about Jiang Yu, who was originally nameless and had no sect background.
Lian Quesheng knew this; he was well aware of what people were saying about Jiang Yu behind his back. He often followed Jiang Yu around, showing off in a grand manner, all to let them see that he was the one who supported Jiang Yu.
Even though his cultivation level was inferior, Jiang Yu was not so isolated and helpless because of the Star Palace and Egret Island behind him.
But Lian Quesheng never expected that one day Jiang Yu would find himself in such a dilemma, so he packed his bags overnight and prepared to leave as soon as it was dawn.
Afraid of disturbing Xiang Zhanyi's rest, he only left a note on the door, intending to apologize to him after everything was over. However, he did not expect that the man could hear him.
"So, Young Master Lian means that your friend is more important than me?" Xiang Zhanyi walked down the steps to Lian Quesheng's side and reached out to touch Lian Quesheng's bundle. "Let me guess who this friend of yours is, Young Master Jiang or Sect Master Shen?"
Even Lian Quesheng got goosebumps from his words. They were just friends, but his words made it sound like he was going to visit a brothel.
This feels so weird!
"Jiang Yu, the only ones worth my rushing over here are Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu. Brother Xiang, I remember you also went to attend Jiuxu's succession ceremony, right? I forgot to introduce you to Jiang Yu and the others. They are really nice people."
Lian Quesheng casually said a few words, "Brother Xiang, I've said what I needed to say. I'm leaving now. They're waiting for me over there. Or would you like to come with me?"
“How could something happen to someone as powerful as Young Master Jiang? Besides, Sect Master Shen is by his side. The two of them are a famously perfect couple. In terms of cultivation and ability, there should be no one in the world who can compare to them. What is Young Master Jiang worried about? He will definitely be fine.”
Xiang Zhanyi put her hand on Lian Quesheng's shoulder and pressed him to the spot. "Maybe it was just a small matter, and it's been resolved now. Young Master Lian, why don't you go back in a few days? There's no rush."
"No, I promised Jiuxu I'd go over in the next few days. Brother Xiang, why don't you come with me?" Lian Quesheng was getting a little impatient, but he felt a bit bad about eating and staying at Jiuxu's place these past few days, so he patiently pleaded with him for a few more minutes.
"Brother Lian, don't rush. Let's have a meal first, and then go over. Consider this a final farewell to you." Xiang Zhanyi seemed to sense his impatience and stopped being as aggressive as before. As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, so Lian Quesheng could only put down his bundle and follow the others inside.
Two bowls of piping hot white porridge and some pickled vegetables were placed on the blue brick. Lian Quesheng didn't care that the rim of the bowl was still warm, picked it up and took a couple of sips.
He didn't look at Xiang Zhanyi sitting next to him. The other person didn't seem hungry. He just sat there staring out the window with great interest. Then he heard a clear sound of a pebble falling to the ground.
Two sounds, and it was over quickly.
Lian Quesheng's head was spinning, as if he had been suddenly woken up in the middle of the night. He was overcome with sleepiness and soon passed out before he could finish the bowl of porridge. He lay on the cold table with his hair disheveled behind him.
Xiang Zhanyi's lips curled up as she looked at the blurry figure outside the window. She tapped her finger on the table, then slowly pushed open the door and walked in. She exchanged a glance with Xiang Zhanyi before gradually shifting her gaze to the unconscious Lian Quesheng.
"Well done."
The man's voice was soft, like a babbling brook in spring. He sat down next to Lian Quesheng and gently picked up the bowl of porridge that Lian hadn't finished. He didn't mind that it was a leftover bowl of porridge; instead, he picked up the spoon and drank it all up, spoonful by spoonful.
"If you like him so much, why don't you come yourself? Watching me play chess with Young Master Lian for a whole month must have been hard for you!"
Xiang Zhanyi looked at his infatuated expression and couldn't help but sneer. She felt that it was a disgrace for this guy to be a friend of hers. "You become a coward when you see someone you like. But the young master has many people he likes."
"Shut up."
The man's expression was somewhat angry. He slowly reached up Lian Quesheng's body with one arm, feeling the smooth and delicate fabric under his hand. Even though it wasn't Lian Quesheng's skin, he still enjoyed it.
"What do you know? I want him to do it willingly."
"It's ridiculous. You set his best friend up in a situation that would ruin his reputation. When he was anxious and desperate to save him, you tried to trap him here. Do you really think he'll be grateful to you when he wakes up? He'll be lucky if he doesn't pick up a sword and fight you to the death."
Xiang Zhanyi picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of pickled vegetable in his bowl, waiting to see the other person's expression when he broke down. But his "good-for-nothing friend" remained calm. His dark eyes were like bottomless lake water. When he stared at Lian Quesheng, it was as if he wanted to swallow him whole into the flute.
"You were the one who drugged him, not me. You were the one who lied to him for so many days, not me. Xiang Zhanyi, we made a deal. You'll be in the open while I'll be in the dark. When Ren wakes up, even if he's still angry, it'll be towards you, and I'll take over his life with a new identity."
The man bent down and picked up Lian Quesheng, then turned back to the door and said, "Don't give him such a strong dose next time. He hasn't finished eating yet. What if he gets hungry?"
"Next time, you can administer whatever medicine you want, just don't kill her. This is someone that both Xingchenque and Bailuzhou cherish. You really dare to think so."
Xiang Zhanyi rolled her eyes when she heard his words. He was the one who did all the bad things, and now he was complaining that she had drugged his sweetheart too hard.
He needs to get his brain fixed.
——
Dianxing had eaten at home. He originally wanted to stay here for a few more days, but suddenly several junior brothers from the sect sent him messages saying that there were some things to take care of. He had no choice but to say goodbye to Gaoye. Although Gaoye was unhappy, he had no choice but to accept it.
“Dianxing, even if you go to Shen Wuke, you should come back more often. It’s not far from home. If you stay in the sect every day, your aunt and the others will miss you very much.”
Gao Ye packed up the few sesame seed cakes on the table for him to take with him. "I know Shen Wuke won't lack food, but these were made by your aunt herself, so they taste like home. Take them. I'll bring you more when you've finished them."
"Thank you, Uncle. I'll be going now."
Dianxing accepted the talismans, said goodbye to his younger siblings, and then left. Gao Ye sighed, put away the talismans he had found for Shen Jiuxu that morning, and placed them together with the ones he had hidden in the box earlier.
"Aren't there rumors in the village that there's something wrong with these talismans? Why are you still using them? I'm telling you, husband, maybe we should just throw them away." The woman was still worried. There had been so many rumors circulating in the village these past few days, and she couldn't understand them. It was good that nothing was wrong, but if one of them had a problem, that would be serious.
"What's this? Just a few talismans. Sect Master Shen has already checked them, and they're all fine. You just blindly listen to what others say. These talismans were bought with silver, it would be a waste to throw them away like this. You're such a spendthrift."
Gao Ye gave her a good scolding, then turned around and walked to the box, pulled out the bottom one, found some paste and stuck it on the back of the door. "If you ask me, things in the village these past few days have been really strange. There must be some demons or monsters causing trouble. It's safer to stick on a talisman."
"I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong," he said, patting his chest.
The woman couldn't argue with him, and seeing his confident and infallible demeanor, she had no choice but to comply. However, unnoticed by anyone, a wisp of black smoke slowly drifted in through the crack in the door, circled the room, and then disappeared into the stillness.
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Author's Note: Lian Quesheng: Family, do you think I've been scammed? [Sunglasses] Haircut [Crying]
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