In the stillness of the night, Gu Nanjiao lay quietly on Lu Yanzhao's arm, a smile involuntarily creeping onto her lips.
"I wonder how grand the top scholar's mansion is. I really want to go and see it."
Lu Yanzhao chuckled and said, "After tonight, we won't need to stay at the inn anymore. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Zhuangyuan Mansion to see it and buy some things that need to be taken care of."
"Mmm!" Gu Nanjiao hugged Lu Yanzhao tightly with delight and couldn't help but give him a kiss on the cheek.
Lu Yanzhao was about to roll over and pin Gu Nanjiao down when she pressed him down, saying, "You're injured, you should lie down. Today it's my turn to kiss you..."
"Hahahaha!" A few lewd laughs came from outside the window: "Today, I'll let you two be philandering ghosts and have your secret rendezvous underground."
The two people on the bed immediately became alert. Gu Nanjiao grabbed the cloth bag hanging at the head of the bed, which contained the explosive balls she had made. Although their power was similar to that of modern-day large thunderbolts, they were enough to scare people and help them escape.
Lu Yanzhao slowly lowered his hand under the pillow, and when he touched that hard object, he felt at ease.
After spending so much time researching and developing this, it's time for these few people to test its power.
The men in black clearly didn't take Gu Nanjiao and Lu Yanzhao seriously. One was seriously injured, and the other was a weak woman. They would not escape their grasp today.
Gu Nanjiao grabbed a handful of explosive balls and threw them at the man in black, while Lu Yanzhao picked up his homemade musket and fired.
Several people were knocked to the ground by the loud explosion, and the person closest to Lu Yanzhao had a bloody hole in his chest. He convulsed a few times, fell to the ground, rolled his eyes like a dead fish, and was lifeless.
Gu Nanjiao glanced at Lu Yanzhao in shock, only to find that he was looking at her with the same shocked expression.
Suddenly, the man in black on the ground pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, uncorked it, and splashed it at Gu Nanjiao. Lu Yanzhao reacted quickly and stepped in front of her to block it.
A sharp pain shot through him, and Lu Yanzhao couldn't help but cry out in agony, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Gu Nanjiao looked over and saw that a large patch of his clothes on his back had been corroded away, and the skin on his back was being corroded at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving it a bloody mess.
"Go to hell!" Gu Nanjiao roared, stomping on the man in black's chest, snatching the bottle from his hand, prying open his mouth and pouring the contents in.
The man in black's eyes widened instantly, he gripped the man's neck tightly, and the veins on his face bulged with pain as he trembled violently like a dying fish.
Gu Nanjiao knew that this person's mouth was probably corroded by something like sulfuric acid. She grabbed Lu Yanzhao's makeshift musket, pointed it at the remaining people, and asked coldly, "Who in the palace sent you?"
"Spare us! We were just doing a job for money. As for who it was? We have no idea!"
"She not only made you kill me, but she also wants to ruin my face with this thing."
Just as the group begged for mercy, their necks suddenly felt like they were being choked, they trembled violently a few times, coughed up black blood, and died.
"They've been poisoned!"
Gu Nanjiao threw the musket in her hand onto the bed and went to check on Lu Yanzhao's wound.
"Does it hurt?"
"Nonsense!" Seeing Gu Nanjiao's almost tearful eyes, Lu Yanzhao softened a bit, and he hissed, "It hurts!"
Looking at the bloody and mangled wound, Gu Nanjiao felt as if her heart was being torn apart.
She closed her eyes briefly, as if making a decision, then suddenly opened them. A chilling, ruthless glint appeared in her eyes.
I won't offend others unless they offend me. Since she completely disregards blood ties, I can't blame her for fighting to the death.
Either way, I'm going to die, so I might as well take a gamble.
Chaos erupted at the inn. The Emperor's personally appointed Lord Lu had been assassinated—this was outrageous!
Soon the inspection department arrived to investigate and took away the men in black.
Fortunately, Gu's father and Lü Siniang lived in a small courtyard allocated by the Censorate. The courtyard was similar to a modern-day couple's room, with seven or eight family members of those working in the Censorate living in one courtyard.
It seemed she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. After calming down, Gu Nanjiao poured a glass of water and handed it to Lu Yanzhao.
Lu Yanzhao took the cup but didn't drink it. He just rubbed the cup and looked at her with an ambiguous expression.
"Is this a homemade musket?" Gu Nanjiao picked up the simplified version of the musket and looked at Lu Yanzhao.
"Hmm!" Lu Yanzhao nodded and drank the water in his cup in one gulp: "I listened to you explain it once that day, and then studied it according to the paper. Finally, I found a firecracker maker to work with and figured out how to make this thing."
“However, that sphere in your hand…” Lu Yanzhao looked at Gu Nanjiao with a complicated expression. He felt that there were more and more mysteries surrounding Gu Nanjiao.
"Ah, this one." Gu Nanjiao took out a colorful round ball and said, "I learned how to make it from the firecracker maker, and I made some improvements."
However, Gu Nanjiao was even more curious about how Lu Yanzhao could actually make a musket. What kind of genius was he?
"Where did you see the gunpowder formula and those special symbols from that day?" Lu Yanzhao's gaze was intense, making Gu Nanjiao feel uneasy.
She sounded a little guilty and said dryly, "It's from a book, but I've forgotten which book it is."
"Is that so?" Lu Yanzhao moved closer to her, lifting Gu Nanjiao's chin and looking directly into her eyes.
Oh no, has Lu Yanzhao found out something? Can she tell him that she's not the original owner of this body?
I'm so conflicted!
Gu Nanjiao quickly calmed herself down and looked up to meet Lu Yanzhao's gaze: "Lu Yanzhao, if I told you... I come from beyond the Three Realms and Six Paths, and am a goddess of immortal cultivation, would you still like me?"
"Don't talk nonsense again." Lu Yanzhao rolled his eyes, released his hand from her chin, and slumped onto the bed.
It was rare to see Lu Yanzhao roll his eyes, and Gu Nanjiao found it incredibly cute. She quickly clung to him, playfully saying, "Your eye-rolling is quite adorable. Show me another one!"
A moment later, Gu Nanjiao ran out, covering her swollen lips. Lu Yanzhao was simply inhuman. She just wanted to see him roll his eyes, but instead, he sucked her lips until they were swollen.
Since she couldn't sleep, Gu Nanjiao simply asked the waiter for a piece of pigskin.
A thin layer of pigskin was cut off, several slits were made on it, and it was charred over a fire. Then, a makeup bag was taken out, and the pigskin was transformed into disfigured skin. After some modifications, it was pasted onto the face.
His face looked pockmarked and uneven, and with modern makeup techniques, the bloody and mangled appearance was enough to make anyone want to vomit.
Having achieved the desired effect, Gu Nanjiao prepared to show it to Lu Yanzhao.
To everyone's surprise, the guy saw it without expression, peeled off the pigskin, and said with admiration, "The human skin mask is well made."
Gu Nanjiao felt a chill; it wasn't human skin, it was pigskin.
"If you like, I'll make one for you too."
Lu Yanzhao smiled faintly and said, "A gentleman does not take what others love. As long as you like it, that's fine."
Before Gu Nanjiao could get angry, Lu Yanzhao put his arm around her shoulder and whispered, "The night is long, why don't we..."
"Go to hell, I don't want to kiss you." Gu Nanjiao quickly covered her mouth and tried to move away from Lu Yanzhao's hold.
"What are you thinking?" Lu Yanzhao held her even tighter, his voice low and soft: "I mean, why don't we study how to improve the musket? My simplified version of the musket combined with your explosive ball will definitely create a musket with boundless power."
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