Chapter 192 is a testament to the power of perseverance and hard work leading to a powerful breakthrough.
"Because I kept you here for dinner earlier, which took up a lot of time, I was worried about your safety when I heard that Steward Ergang was heading towards your courtyard. It just so happened that Young Master Baili came to see me, so I used his name to get you here."
"So all the wounds on your hands were inflicted by him?" Mu Jianjian asked anxiously. "Did he hit you or treat you roughly? But I remember you should have—"
In the original book, Baili Yicheng was all talk and no action, but he was a complete scumbag.
But when I tried to knock Yun Rong unconscious with the Fire Fox Dagger, wasn't there a shield from a mid-grade magic weapon?
"The bracelet you're talking about is the one on my wrist. He gave it to me. I was supposed to take it off when Young Master Baili arrived; that's the rule in front of him."
Yun Rong's voice was calm, as if she had become accustomed to everything, but she did not expect that the girl beside her would slam the ink stick onto the inkstone with a loud "smack".
"Scumbag! Disgusting!" Mu Jianjian cursed a couple of times, but it wasn't enough, so she started chattering on and on.
Seeing the girl's indignant expression, Yun Rong lowered her eyes.
The people around her always took these things for granted, and even felt that it was an honor for her to be hit by Baili Yicheng. It seemed that she hadn't met someone who treated them as equals and stood by her side for a long time.
Moreover, she was a woman from the Dream of the Red Chamber.
If my past self met her, I would be so happy, right?
After finishing her tirade, Mu Jianjian noticed the burning incense in the room. She pointed at it and asked, "Beautiful sister, who gave you those incense?"
“The steward sends me incense regularly,” Yun Rong said, following the girl’s gaze to the incense burner still emitting faint smoke. “What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with this incense?”
“This incense is bad for your health, don’t burn it,” Mu Jianjian thought to herself, “I knew it.” Looking at the woman in front of her, she felt even more sorry for her. “Smelling this kind of incense for a long time can make people addicted and degenerate, and over time their emotions will be very bad.”
"Really... How did you know?" Yun Rong's gaze was thoughtful.
“I felt something was wrong with me earlier,” Mu Jianjian whispered in the woman’s ear, “so don’t light them normally. Only light them when the manager comes, and no one will notice.”
The warmth and itching near her ear made Yun Rong feel uncomfortable, something she hadn't experienced in a long time, but she didn't show it. "Thank you."
“Beautiful sister, your painting is so beautiful,” Mu Jianjian said, turning her gaze to the painting in front of the woman. Suddenly, she felt that the spirit in the painting was very familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before. “Can I come to see you again tomorrow morning? I can also come to see Xue’er then.”
I'll go back and use the pine and cypress leaves from my space to make a scar-removing ointment to repay the beautiful sister for saving me twice in one day.
After Yun Rong finished giving instructions to the girl and watched her leave, a man dressed in black appeared beside her.
"Master, that medicine is very harmful to the body. If you continue to take it, I'm afraid—"
"Since when have I needed you to teach me how to do things?" Yun Rong touched her throat, her cold expression seemingly capable of drawing blood.
——
Mu Jianjian followed the maid at the door back to her newest courtyard. The two stewards who had been there before seemed to think that she had a relationship with Baili Yicheng, and they did not appear in front of her.
She never expected that there would be an acquaintance waiting for her in the quiet courtyard.
"Is something the matter?" Mu Jianjian asked Zhuang Mei.
"What does Young Master Baili want with you? Has he taken a liking to you?" Zhuang Mei pressed on relentlessly.
"You're overthinking it." Mu Jianjian didn't want to say more and tried to walk past the woman into the house.
Since the beautiful woman was helping her out in Baili Yicheng's name, she naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to expose her.
"Can't you help me?" Zhuang Mei pulled Mu Jianjian's hand, but the other woman dodged it. "I've helped you before, after all..."
"Zhuang Mei, I don't need to say what you did, do I?" Mu Jianjian turned around and faced her, her aura suddenly becoming extremely sharp. The woman immediately withdrew her hand, looking at the girl's impatient expression, which was very unfamiliar.
Could this kind of aura really be coming from Mu Yuanyuan...?
After a moment of stunned silence, Zhuang Mei realized what was happening and said, "I had no choice, I needed to save my sister!"
Mu Jianjian looked at her calmly, and after hearing her hesitate and bite her lip, she said, "My sister was captured and taken to the Red Chamber in Yingzhou. I need to come and rescue her!"
No wonder Zhuang Mei wanted to be number one in the "battle for position".
“But you secretly switched the lot to put me in the ‘Painting Test.’ Did you ever think that I might die because I have never studied painting?” Mu Jianjian said, her expression neither sad nor happy. “You came to the Red Mansion to save your sister, but I am someone else’s sister too.”
These words struck Zhuang Mei like a heavy blow. She lowered her head to hide her expression, but her resentment was hard to conceal. "I'm not as pretty as you. You can get first place in the 'Painting Test' just by writing a word. When you were caught by Manager Ergang, even Young Master Baili showed up to protect you. What does it matter if I change your ticket?"
Hearing this, Mu Jianjian sighed. Just as she was about to leave, she saw the woman in front of her, who had her head down, shed a few tears, revealing her emotions.
"Do you know how I felt when I heard people say that my sister was thrown out of the Red Mansion after her hand was cut off? She was so afraid of pain since she was little, but I didn't protect her properly..." Zhuang Mei covered her face, her voice sobbing, "You're so beautiful, you probably haven't suffered much growing up, right? How could you possibly understand the pain of having your hand cut off!"
“I know all too well the pain of a severed hand.” Mu Jianjian recalled her own ravaged hands and feet, feeling both sympathy and amusement. “If you want to save your sister, you have to go from Yingzhou to Duyunfang and even enter the Red Chamber yourself. It’s almost impossible to do that on your own.”
Zhuang Mei calmed herself down and remained silent, her heart filled with resentment at the other person's nonchalant attitude.
How could a young lady like this have ever experienced losing a hand!
"Her number is 148. I want to find out where she is and rescue her, so I had no choice but to change your ticket..."
“You want to save your sister, but in your account, your sister lost her hand and disappeared without any relatives or friends in Duyunfang. How can you find your sister when you are all alone and powerless? Even if you gradually rise to a high position in the Red Chamber, you still cannot change the inconvenience of your status unless you can get help from a benefactor.”
"Besides, even if your sister is still alive, can she really hold on until this point? I'm afraid she'll be nothing but bones by then. And if you want revenge, both strength and influence are extremely important."
Because this is a cultivation world where only the fittest survive.
"You must understand that revenge is not a momentary act of self-gratification, but a result of enduring hardship and accumulating strength before unleashing it," Mu Jianjian said softly.
That being said, who could remain so calm in the face of the life of a loved one?
"In the end, you just don't want to help me, do you?" Zhuang Mei looked up. By this time, her emotions had completely calmed down, and her whole being exuded a coldness emanating from the bottom of her heart.
Mu Jianjian was stunned by the obvious hostility emanating from the other person, and was momentarily speechless. "I will help you—"
She didn't listen to a word she said.
"No need, Mu Yuanyuan, you'll regret this." Zhuang Mei said each word clearly before turning and leaving.
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