30 Awkward
"Are you really angry?"
Ying Jianhua felt that the scene before her was utterly absurd.
In the dead of night, a man and a woman were alone in a room, one of them even completely naked! He had thought Du Zhijin was a man of high moral character, incapable of being seduced by beauty...
"Aren't you coming down?" he shouted.
The two people on the couch were dazed. Du Zhijin hesitated and stretched out one foot, tentatively touching the ground.
Coming down? Her?
The image on the screen should appear calm and still: "It's not you."
Oh. So she happily pulled her foot back.
"Are you... calling me?" Jiangwei asked timidly, her eyes inexplicably red, her ears drooping, looking very aggrieved.
Du Zhijin glanced at him, then at the cold-faced Doctor Ying, and decided to ease the tension: "He's not wearing any clothes, he'll catch a cold..." "You know he's not wearing any clothes?" Seeing that she still wanted to defend Jiangwei, Ying Jianhua suddenly raised her voice, her tone more indignant than ever before, "What kind of behavior is this?"
What's going on here? Isn't it normal for demons not to wear clothes?
She didn't understand, but she knew that Dr. Ying was very angry and she had to apologize immediately.
"I was wrong."
"What's wrong?"
"Um..." She tilted her head and thought for a moment before carefully asking, "Was it wrong not to give him clothes to wear?"
Ying Jianhua was almost driven to her death by anger.
The problem is, why won't she give Jiangwei clothes to wear? The problem is, how did they become able to share a bed overnight? He was the one who met her first... "Young Master Amo, please don't blame your benefactor, it's all my fault."
As the two confronted each other, Jiangwei, who had hastily thrown on a piece of clothing, stumbled down from the bed and stood beside Du Zhijin.
Perhaps he had caught a cold, for he staggered a few steps as he walked. Du Zhijin quickly caught him, and he leaned weakly against her, his face instantly turning red.
He said sincerely, "Blame me. It's my fault. I'm clumsy and make mistakes no matter what I do. Otherwise, otherwise I wouldn't have been kicked out..." He finished speaking with tears in his eyes, looking hesitantly at Ying Jianhua.
Du Zhijin also looked at him, and although he didn't say anything, his expression said it all.
Ying Jianhua felt an overwhelming sense of unease in his chest. Everyone was looking at him like that, as if he were some kind of wicked mother-in-law who couldn't bear to see lovers finally united.
However, after calming down, he realized that Du Zhijin might not have had this intention. She was a typical cultivator with her own principles and bottom line, and she wouldn't be easily swayed by others. Therefore, what happened tonight might not have been her own choice.
After clearing his mind a little, he took the teacup Du Zhijin offered him, took a sip to moisten his throat, and asked, "Why are you here?"
Unexpectedly, the tea was spat out as soon as it entered her mouth, simply because Jiangwei said, "Didn't you, Young Master Amo, send me?"
"Nonsense! When, when did I say you could stay up all night and climb into her bed!" Ying Jianhua quickly clarified when she noticed Du Zhijin's gaze on her.
Has he gone mad? To incite a fox demon to climb into Du Zhijin's bed?
Jiangwei's eyes were confused, but her expression seemed genuine: "But you said, 'If you want to repay a debt of gratitude, you should read books.' These are all things I read in books."
Ying Jianhua retorted, "Yes, I did ask you to read a book, but which book teaches you to repay kindness in this way? Stop making excuses for your filthy thoughts."
Hearing his words, Jiangwei bit her lower lip, her eyes reddening, and she pulled out a book indignantly: "That's what it says in the book!"
Du Zhijin was close to him, so he casually took the book, glanced at the cover, and his eyes widened involuntarily.
"What does it say?" Seeing that she didn't take any further action, Ying Jianhua frowned and took the initiative to walk over to take a look at the book.
Looking to the left, I was blocked by Du Zhijin. Looking to the right, I was blocked by her again.
He was annoyed, a strange sense of grievance welling up inside him, and he said incredulously, "You're just protecting him like this?"
Why? Didn't he meet her first? That strange voice even said they loved each other. How many lovers does she have anyway?!
Du Zhijin opened his mouth, hating his own clumsy tongue for the first time.
She hid the book behind her back and explained, "No." "Then give me the book." "This is the only thing I can't have... Let's change the subject."
He stopped speaking and moving, just looked at her with his shimmering eyes, as if he had a thousand words to say.
Du Zhijin paused in his work of collecting books.
It seems like this is the first time... I've seen him shed tears.
In an instant, she felt as if she had committed an unforgivable crime, and a wave of self-reproach washed over her. She obediently handed over the book, making sure the cover was facing down.
Ying Jianhua noticed her movement and deliberately turned the book upright.
He wanted to see what kind of book was so morally deficient, filthy, and vulgar...
Opening the book, several large characters immediately came into view.
He was taken aback.
Why does this name look so familiar? Wait, the feel of this book is also quite familiar...
Jiangwei's voice rang out, sounding confused and aggrieved: "Young Master Amo, this book, 'The Overbearing Immortal Falls in Love with Me: The Fox Demon Chapter,' was taken from your room."
————
It is known that Ying Jianhua loved reading, and he enjoyed reading both classical texts and miscellaneous books.
It is also known that gods and demons are a classic combination in storybooks, and the idea that one can only repay a life-saving debt by offering oneself in marriage is a classic among classics.
In addition, Ying Jianhua suggested to Jiangwei that he look for answers in books, and he had books in his own room.
Therefore, Jiangwei read "The Overbearing Immortal Falls in Love with Me: The Fox Demon Chapter" and thought it was feasible.
"...You know, I usually don't lock my door because I'm worried something might happen to you at night." Du Zhijin said quickly, finally having a chance to speak.
Ying Jianhua remained silent, staring blankly at the tea in her cup.
Meanwhile, the other hand, hidden under the table, had almost torn the sleeve off.
He was still somewhat dazed. After all, he had been so certain and indignant when he pushed open the door, only to find that he was the one who had caused this whole mess?
Jiangwei was still recounting his thought process: "Since Young Master Amo asked me to find the answer in the book, you must be very knowledgeable. So I asked to see the collection of books, and you agreed..." After speaking, he looked at Ying Jianhua with hopeful eyes, his gaze clear as water.
Ying Jianhua turned his head away. He couldn't deny it, because he had indeed agreed.
But, “I didn’t know you had this book! Besides, I was dispensing medicine when you asked me, I didn’t notice what you had!”
If he had known what Jiangwei would do next, he would never have lent the book out.
He didn't even want to read the title of that book again!
His tone was unfriendly, and Jiangwei, hearing this, shrank back towards Du Zhijin in fear before timidly saying, "I saw the words 'fox demon' in a book, and I thought... I thought I could imitate it..."
Du Zhijin also asked, "Speaking of which, Amo, why did you buy that kind of book? Have you even read it?"
Ying Jianhua's eyes were firm: "It was a free gift with the medical books I bought, I haven't read it."
“But the corner of the book is folded.” Jiangwei turned the book to the folded page.
The painting should be described as "broken by the wind".
"Oh, I see." Du Zhijin nodded, flipping through the book casually, "By the way, how should the protagonist's name be pronounced? 'Fan'?"
Upon hearing this, he blurted out without thinking, "The character above grass and below earth is pronounced Peng."
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong. He looked up to glance at Du Zhijin's expression and, sure enough, saw a smile on his face.
She forced a smile and said calmly, "Oh—Amo, you have such a skill, knowing the protagonist's name without even reading the book?"
Jiangwei clapped her hands in agreement and exclaimed, "Young Master Amo is amazing!"
The image should be: "..."
He gritted his teeth and glared at her fiercely.
They actually helped others make fun of him.
Du Zhijin remained oblivious, still looking bewildered, which fueled his anger even more.
"...Do whatever you want, it's none of my business anyway," he said coldly, then turned and walked towards his room, slamming the door shut.
She felt even more confused, not understanding why he was angry.
This matter had nothing to do with him in the first place.
"My benefactor...Does Young Master Amo dislike me? Did I cause a rift between you?" Jiangwei asked cautiously after Ying Jianhua left.
Du Zhijin shook his head: "No, it's not your fault. I'll go talk to him."
"Really?" Jiangwei tugged at her sleeve, her eyelashes trembling slightly. "I'm so envious of Young Master Amo."
What do you envy about him?
He bit his lower lip, glanced at her quickly, then looked away, and said softly, "Young Master is in a bad mood, but you, my benefactor, are comforting him. Unlike me, I've been disliked by demons since birth... Ah, I didn't mean anything by it, I just think, I think Young Master Amo is truly lucky to have met your benefactor."
"Is that so?" Du Zhijin stopped and came back to him, scrutinizing his expression.
Jiangwei blushed and felt hot under her gaze, wishing she could bury her head in her collar.
After a moment, she said, "So, Jiangwei, you're very lucky too."
He looked up in astonishment: "Me...me?"
How could that be? He's an anomaly, a useless creature, the most insignificant of all humans and demons.
He was unfortunate and cursed from birth.
But she said:
"Didn't you say that meeting me was lucky? Well, I'm right in front of you."
In an instant, the fog dissipated, and the moon appeared through the clouds.
"Luck" was right beside him.
————
Ying Jianhua's sleep was definitely not very restful.
He stayed awake almost until dawn, and when he looked in the mirror the next day, he found that he had dark circles under his eyes.
It's all the fault of the monster living in his head.
He thought through gritted teeth.
Either don't say it at all, or say it sooner rather than later. Why did you have to say it after Jiangwei had already entered the house?
The last time I encountered the Phantom Demon, it was the same; this demon was always a step behind and incredibly slow.
Fifteen minutes ago, Du Zhijin knocked on his door to call him to have breakfast, but he deliberately didn't answer, because he didn't want to see the two of them together.
After all this time, the person must be gone by now, right?
Thinking this, he slowly went downstairs, only to be caught off guard by two people he least wanted to see.
He turned around to go back, pretending not to see them, but then he heard Jiangwei shout loudly, "Young Master Amo, you're finally awake!"
Jiangwei's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone on the floor to hear, drawing everyone's attention.
I have no choice but to go now.
Ying Jianhua ground his back teeth, wanting to find a seat furthest away from him, but it was a square table, so no matter where he sat, he was close to the table.
There was no other way but to sit next to Du Zhijin.
Du Zhijin was wearing a sky-blue dress today, which was quite unusual. You see, when Ying Jianhua first found her, she didn't even have a decent set of clothes; she was wearing his old ones. Even after leaving Wuling Village and becoming wealthy, she still never bought new clothes, always wearing the same one or two drab gray robes over and over, and when asked, she always said she hadn't noticed.
They bought this sky-blue garment from Ying Jianhua when they passed through a town famous for its weaving. It originally cost fifty taels, but he managed to bargain it down to thirty, which made him extremely proud of himself.
As for the reason... it seems that one day when they wanted to stay at a hotel, the innkeeper disliked Du Zhijin's hemp clothes. When he saw her take out a silver note, he even threatened to report her to the authorities to catch the thief, which angered him so much that he went to the cloth shop that night to buy her new clothes.
There were also orchids embroidered on the lapel of her clothes, which matched the light sky blue color perfectly. Anyone who saw her would praise her as "a dashing young hero".
She doesn't wear this dress often; she treasures it and keeps it safe in her trunk. So why would she wear it out today?
He was about to ask a question when he caught a glimpse of Jiangwei in a blue dress, and he immediately felt a lump in his throat.
"What's wrong?" Du Zhijin noticed his unusual behavior and asked.
Ying Jianhua slowly turned her head and looked directly at the two of them.
Fox spirits are naturally beautiful; otherwise, so many tales of their breathtaking beauty wouldn't have been passed down. Jiangwei was already androgynous with delicate features, and although he had initially concealed some of his beauty due to insufficient blood and energy, after one night, he inexplicably became radiant and captivating.
Half the people in the restaurant were watching him.
Ying Jianhua suddenly felt a pang of regret, regretting that she had tossed and turned all night, leaving her looking haggard.
He immediately lost his appetite.
"Not used to the food here? I knew it." A small bowl of steaming, milky-white soy milk appeared in front of him. He looked up in surprise, meeting a pair of expectant eyes.
She said, "Want to try some? I borrowed someone's stone mill to grind it. Although it's not as delicious as the one from your hometown, it's pretty much the same." As she spoke, she regretfully slapped her forehead. "Never mind, if you don't want to drink it, then..." "Who said I don't want to drink it?" Ying Jianhua quickly reached out to protect the soy milk, pursed her lips, and asked her seemingly casually, "Did you make a lot?"
Du Zhijin shook his head: "How could that be? This small bowl took me an hour. I got up before dawn."
She didn't finish her sentence, only saying it silently in her heart.
So, considering how sincere she is, don't be angry.
After hearing this, Ying Jianhua's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, but he quickly smoothed it out, as if the slight upturn of his lips was just an illusion.
As he said, "Since it's your kind intention, I'll reluctantly accept it; it wouldn't be right to let your good intentions go to waste," he scooped slowly with a spoon while stealing glances at Jiangwei's expression.
Jiangwei noticed and gave him a shy smile.
The blue robe shimmered in the light. But it didn't matter; the soy milk was sweet, so he nodded in return, as if to say hello.
Unexpectedly, Jiangwei didn't see his movements at all, and turned to chat with Du Zhijin: "My benefactor, I want to visit my former benefactor's house, can you come with me?"
"Sure. But please don't call me 'benefactor,' it sounds awkward." "I'm so sorry! Then, how should I address you...?"
She pondered for a moment and said, "My surname is Mu, you can call me Miss Mu."
Hearing this, Ying Jianhua was in a fairly good mood.
After all, both Lu Ping and Jiang Wei only knew her by a pseudonym. But he was different; he not only knew her name, but also her nickname.
The character 舟 (zhōu) is composed of 淮 (huái) above 舟 (zhōu), forming the character 津 (jīn).
In this light, Jiangwei is on par with Lu Ping and is destined to be just a passerby.
Ying Jianhua was in a great mood. After finishing her soy milk, even the congee next to her looked beautiful, and she unconsciously ate a few more mouthfuls.
The conversation continued, and in return, Jiangwei also told him his nickname: "My name was given to me by my maternal grandmother. When she was still alive, she would call me Xiaohong."
Crimson, also known as deep red.
Du Zhijin nodded and called out, "Xiao Hong."
Jiangwei blushed upon hearing this and softly murmured, "Miss Mu..."
However, before he could finish reading, there was a loud "bang" as Ying Jianhua's chopsticks, which she used to eat porridge, fell to the ground.
Du Zhijin immediately picked them up for him and changed him into a pair: "How could you be so careless?"
He said casually, "Oh, it's nothing, it's just that this porridge is a bit hard to eat."
"Is it bad? But I think it's just right." As soon as she finished speaking, Jiangwei bit her tongue and lowered her head helplessly, as if she was uneasy about her slip of the tongue.
"It's not that complicated." He stood up and sneered, "It just suddenly turned sour."
Du Zhijin frowned: "Sour?"
"Hmm." He nodded and repeated, "The porridge has turned sour."
After breakfast, Du Zhijin took Jiangwei to Liu's restaurant. Before leaving, he asked Ying Jianhua if she wanted to go.
“I’m not going.” He turned a page of the book; the cover of the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic was enormous and impossible to ignore.
Du Zhijin nodded, not forcing him to go, and led Xingyue and Zuilan away.
Yes, Xingyue and Zuilan took them both, leaving none behind.
The person hiding behind the book let out a muffled groan. After confirming that the two of them had left, he peeked out from behind the book, then simply tossed it aside and moved to the window to look outside.
From his angle, he can see Liu Ji perfectly.
As usual, a long queue formed in front of Liu's shop, but the door remained closed for a long time. He overheard several impatient people loudly discussing why the shop hadn't opened yet, and he curled his lip in disdain.
Then, upon seeing the two figures with similar colors from behind, he quietly lowered his head.
Du Zhijin carried two swords on his back. He was tall and stood out from the crowd, making him impossible to ignore unless one was blind.
But by chance, she was accompanied by an equally eye-catching man named Jiangwei. Occasionally, when he took smaller steps and lagged behind slightly, she would deliberately stop and wait for him before walking alongside him.
The sweet soy milk she drank in the morning was making her stomach churn. Ying Jianhua abruptly closed the window, deciding to avoid seeing it altogether.
In the height of summer, the heat is unbearable, but a cool breeze carries a refreshing breeze across one's face, relieving the heat.
It also brought back sounds from not far away.
Du Zhijin's ears twitched. She heard a noise coming from the direction of the inn and couldn't help but turn around to look.
"Um... Miss Mu, is something left at the inn?" Jiangwei asked with concern, following her gaze to the inn, only to see a tightly closed wooden window.
"There's nothing here."
She lowered her eyes and gently shook her head. The two swords at her waist clashed together with her movement, producing an unreadable sound.
Let's go.
————
The process of persuading Liu Ji was not smooth, but fortunately Du Zhijin was skilled in martial arts and had a large sum of money in his pocket. He was courteous before resorting to force.
Finally stepping out of the Liu family's courtyard, Jiangwei let out a long sigh of relief and confided in her: "Although I knew before that this was to repay a debt of gratitude, I still felt a little... afraid."
"When you point the knife at yourself, you're bound to regret it."
"Does it hurt?" Du Zhijin's gaze fell on his wrist, as if he could see the scars through the wide sleeves.
In the sweltering summer heat, ordinary people couldn't bear the long gowns and switched to short clothes. But that would inevitably reveal the injury on his wrist, so Du Zhijin said she wanted to wear a long gown.
He was just dressing up for her, so that it wouldn't look strange for the two of them to walk on the street together.
Jiangwei knew her good intentions and was even more grateful. When she heard her ask if it hurt, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"It doesn't hurt."
He quietly wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes and smiled brightly at her.
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
The girl was so good to him.
But Miss Mu wasn't alone; there was also Young Master Amo by her side.
Jiangwei had also tried to subtly inquire about their relationship, but Du Zhijin only said that he had saved her life.
I will repay your life with my body.
So, is that what kind of relationship they have? Otherwise, how do you explain Young Master Amo's behavior last night?
Jiangwei knew that Mu Guniang didn't care about such mundane matters, and he wouldn't get any answers from her. Therefore, he decided to ask that person.
"What is my relationship with her?" Ying Jianhua put down the "Huangdi Neijing" in her hand, narrowed her eyes, and felt that the question sounded somewhat familiar.
...I remember now, Lu Ping asked that too. Ha, they're like persistent ghosts.
A surge of anger welled up inside him. He picked up the book again, expressionless, and said coldly, "It's nothing."
"Really?" Seeing the undisguised joy in Jiangwei's eyes, Ying Jianhua slammed the book shut and shoved it into his hand.
"In short, I am different from you."
After saying that, he turned and left.
He never thought he had anything to do with Du Zhijin; only a bunch of foolish humans and demons would dare to hope for a response from her.
After returning from Yingjianhua's place, Jiangwei became much bolder. She no longer timidly huddled in a corner to peek, but instead openly clung to Du Zhijin.
"Miss Mu, I've finished making the sword tassel for you."
"My benefactor, are you thirsty? Would you like some water?"
"Miss Mu, Miss Mu, a theatrical troupe is coming tonight, would you like to go see the show together?"
"Ah, I'm sorry, I accidentally sewed this sleeve crooked... I, I didn't mean to..."
After listening to "The Wooden Girl" all day, Ying Jianhua could no longer bear it. She snatched the tattered clothes from Jiangwei's hand and frowned.
He suppressed his anger, his tone naturally harsh: "Do you even know how to sew?"
"I'm learning..." Jiangwei looked pitifully at Du Zhijin, her eyes dim. "I'm sorry. I'm not as skillful as Young Master Amo, I just..."
Du Zhijin's eyes flickered, and she glanced at him with a hint of reproach.
His anger flared up instantly, and he left without saying a word.
On his way back to the house, he thought to himself that he was really fed up with Jiangwei's expression. Aren't fox eyes supposed to be upturned? Why did he always look so pitiful with his eyes downcast, as if he had suffered some great injustice?
[A vixen!]
"Only monsters understand monsters." He couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.
Despite the criticism, it wasn't Du Zhijin's fault. Ying Jianhua felt she was discerning enough to distinguish right from wrong and didn't hold a grudge.
But as he sewed, he couldn't help but get angry. He said angrily as he sewed, "What kind of person is he? A cultivator, huh? He's blinded by a fox spirit."
He was so engrossed in his conversation that he didn't hear the door open at all. He only snapped out of his daze when the man's footsteps drew closer.
Looking up, the person who came was Du Zhijin.
His lips were pressed tightly together, his knuckles turning white.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you going to keep your Xiao Hong company?"
Du Zhijin didn't answer, but took two steps forward, walked around to his front, and bent down to observe his expression:
Are you really angry?
[Author's Note]
That's all that's burned up... I'll definitely do it next time.
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