Chapter 189 Starting Over
Unlike Shan Chuxue's nervousness at the table, Mu Jianjian's tone of refusal was perfectly natural.
Although the beautiful woman is very pretty, she is not really here to perform. Becoming her apprentice is really unnecessary. Once she finds a way to break the seal, she will naturally leave.
"That's a pity. But if you change your mind, you can come to me anytime." A flash of irritation crossed Yun Rong's eyes. Facing the girl's gentle expression, she did not show any sadness at being rejected. "I believe you did not get the nanny's permission to come to Xue'er today. I can ask someone to go and say something over there, so that you won't be whipped and punished by the steward when you go back."
"Thank you." Mu Jianjian's smile widened.
The beautiful courtesan is kind-hearted!
The original book didn't even mention the courtesan sister, as if she had never appeared when Sang Wanyue came to the Red Chamber to search for her.
“But if you don’t want to be my apprentice, then I’ll keep Xue’er,” Yun Rong said softly, her eyes gentle as she looked at Shan Chuxue with her head down. “Xue’er is very cute and well-behaved, and I like her very much.”
Mu Jianjian looked down at Shan Chuxue, who had been silent since the start of the meal. After the other nodded, she looked up and asked, "Excuse me... may I visit Xue'er when I have some free time?"
"Of course you can, you can come anytime you want." Yun Rong concealed the strange look in her eyes.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Mu Jianjian quickly left, and Shan Chuxue immediately got off the table and knelt on the ground.
“Go and investigate how she managed to bring a knife into the Red Chamber,” Yun Rong said, pulling out a roll of white paper from the table beside her, laying it out, and weighing it down with an inkstone. Her every move exuded elegance. “And what about the blood on the knife…?”
"Is she a cultivator?" Shan Chuxue couldn't help but look up and ask, only realizing her lapse in composure after speaking. She quickly lowered her head and said, "Please forgive me, Master."
If that's what my master said, it means Mu Yuanyuan hurt someone in order to come find her...
Shan Chuxue didn't understand her current feelings; she felt both guilty and lost.
She had always existed as a covert agent for her master in Yingzhou Red Mansion. It was common for her to feign pitifulness to gain sympathy from others, and she also found it perfectly normal for others to distance themselves after giving her alms once they considered their own interests.
But this was the first time someone had actually stood up and appeared in front of her, telling her that she was there for her.
Yun Rong's gaze was cold, but her hands, which were grinding ink, did not stop. "Tell me about the cultivation levels of the people the manager sent when he came to arrest you."
“Two are at the fifth level of Qi Condensation, and one is at the third level of Qi Condensation,” Shan Chuxue answered truthfully.
Actually, what she wanted to know more about was how the other party found her location.
“Go check on the current situation of those people, after all…” Yun Rong paused, picked up a brush with her right hand, dipped it in ink, and began to paint, “In the Red Chamber, committing murder is a serious crime.”
The ground was cold, and Shan Chuxue's hands, buried in her black hair, trembled as she recalled the warmth of the girl's hand that had touched her not long ago.
"If you get caught, you'll likely face death." A handsome man's face gradually appeared on the white paper in front of Yun Rong. "You agree, don't you, Xue'er?"
"Yes," was the only answer Shan Chuxue could give.
At this moment, a maid entered the room and bowed, saying, "Miss Yunrong, Young Master Baili has arrived."
"Let him in." Yun Rong watched the maid leave, then turned her gaze to Shan Chuxue after a moment. "We can talk about the rest later. I trust you know what to do."
"Yes, Master." Shan Chuxue got up and left quickly, her speed leaving an afterimage in her original spot.
Only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage or above can create afterimages!
On the other side, Yun Rong was still patiently painting, outlining stroke by stroke on the white paper. If Mu Jianjian were present, she would be able to discover the endless mysterious true energy hidden within!
After she finally put down her pen, footsteps outside the attic gradually approached. Yun Rong slowly turned her head to look at the door, and opened her clenched hands again.
She walked slowly to the door in a floor-length dress, carrying a painting she had just finished. The ink on it wasn't even completely dry yet, and there were still some ink dripping onto the floor in a few places.
The next moment, a man dressed in bright red walked into the house, and Yun Rong, with a cool smile, held up the painting in her hand and presented it to the man.
“Rong’er’s drawing of me is becoming more and more lifelike,” Baili Yicheng said, naturally pulling Yun Rong into his arms. He didn’t notice that Yun Rong’s expression quickly turned indifferent as she turned her face away. “However, I discovered today that Rong’er and I do actually look somewhat alike.”
“Young Master Baili is joking. Yunrong is a woman from the Red Mansion, how could she possibly resemble you?” A dark light flashed in Yunrong’s eyes. After watching the man take the painting in his hand, the smile on her lips finally became more genuine. “Young Master Baili, please don’t make such a joke.”
——
When Mu Jianjian returned to her original courtyard, it was past noon. The strict training that had been there before was gone, and instead, there were several unfamiliar faces carrying things around.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Zhuang Mei, who seemed to be waiting for someone.
Zhuang Mei leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Her eyes lit up when she saw Mu Jianjian, but when she realized that the girl hadn't brought anyone back with her, her expression immediately darkened.
"Where have you been?" The question was accusatory in an unfriendly tone from the very first word.
At this point, their true colors were revealed after the manager arrived, and unlike before when Shan Chuxue was there to maintain harmony, their words became much more direct.
Moreover, both of them are probably well aware of the situation regarding the change of signatures.
"It's none of your business." Seeing the other party's cold attitude, Mu Jianjian naturally didn't want to talk any further.
"How can it not be my business?" Zhuang Mei strode up to her angrily, almost pulling her collar open. "I covered for you in front of the nanny. If it weren't for me, you would have been arrested by the steward and his men long ago."
Mu Jianjian was silent for a moment. She finally turned her head and looked at the other person seriously, and saw the anxiety and expectation hidden behind her eyes. "You think I went out to find Xue'er, so you covered for me in front of the nanny, right?"
"Otherwise what?" Zhuang Mei scoffed. "Do you think I would cover for you for no reason?"
"Then why did you beat her?" Mu Jianjian's gaze remained fixed on the woman's expression, not wanting to miss a single detail. "Why did you have to beat Xue'er during the 'chess test'?"
Zhuang Mei was initially taken aback, but then became angry and resentful. However, Mu Jianjian saw regret in her eyes.
But what's the use of regret? If it weren't for her and Yun Rong, Shan Chuxue would already be a corpse.
"How...how did you know?" Zhuang Mei was speechless. "Did Xue'er tell you?"
“I guessed it. I was just trying to trick you, but I didn’t expect it to actually be true,” Mu Jianjian’s smile was sarcastic. “When Xue’er was taken away, the last thing she looked at was you.”
Zhuang Mei's body trembled.
"There are five rounds in total. Do you really have to win them all to be number one?" Mu Jianjian tilted her head and said, "If you let Xue'er win one round, she wouldn't have ended up in that situation."
"I didn't expect the second game to be against her... I thought Xue'er would win the next few games, after all, we've been teaching her, haven't we? When we were playing chess, I thought Xue'er was playing very well, but later, I don't know why, she suddenly seemed to lose..." Zhuang Mei stammered.
Mu Jianjian frowned, seeing that the woman's sadness and guilt didn't seem to be feigned, and sighed inwardly.
It's not that you have to be humble. After all, in a place like the Dream of the Red Chamber, it's understandable to prioritize your own survival. But it's really unnecessary to show regret after pushing Xue'er into the fire.
"...And what about you? Where did you go for so long? The first place in the 'Fourth Examination' has already started transferring to another department and you're only just coming back," Zhuang Mei recalled the scene of playing chess, and it seemed that all her explanations were just for herself. Finally, she realized that something was wrong with the girl opposite her. "Did you rescue Xue'er?"
This must be what the woman who recorded the information meant by "successfully securing a spot." They can switch to another courtyard and go out on their own. There will be other nannies to teach them, and then they can perform for men to make money for the Red Mansion.
"Zhuang Mei, let me ask you, if you could do it all over again, would you let Xue'er win?" Mu Jianjian interrupted the other's anxious question.
Seeing Zhuang Mei's face turn pale instantly, she said, "You already know the answer in your heart, don't you? If it were another time, you would still try to beat Xue'er for first place."
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