Chapter 2, Page 002: "If only she were as well-behaved as you..."
"At first glance, I thought I had mistaken someone for someone else!" Seeing Yuan Zao nod and then shake her head, she was confused and mumbled, "To say they look alike... well, not quite; to say they don't look alike... well, they do look very alike..."
The "Number One Escort Agency Under Heaven" is divided into four halls: "Azure Dragon," "White Tiger," "Vermilion Bird," and "Black Tortoise." Yuan Zao is the only daughter of Yuan Wenkang, the head of the Black Tortoise Hall. Because she was born with curly hair, her rough second uncle, Yuan Wenkang, simply named her "Zao." She is more than four years younger than Jiang Ling'er and has followed Jiang Ling'er around since childhood, acting as Jiang Ling'er's henchman and always following Jiang Ling'er's lead.
Her personality was just like her curly hair—rash and restless. She felt awkward, absurd, and disgusted, like she had swallowed a fly. Unfortunately, she was too illiterate to describe it, so she could only pull at her own hair until it was all tangled, but still couldn't come up with a reason.
"What nonsense is this?"
Jiang Ling'er was so angry she almost laughed. It wasn't until she got to the "little hussy" that she understood what the woman meant in her ambiguous and inexplicable words.
They do resemble each other, yet... they don't quite look alike.
It's like two seemingly identical leaves, indistinguishable at first glance, but upon closer inspection, their veins are completely different—two entirely different leaves. Although their height and features appear similar, they are still distinct upon closer inspection. For example, her naturally wild, curly eyebrows are instead delicately trimmed and slender willow-leaf eyebrows. Her complexion is the healthy honey hue acquired from traveling the country with caravans, while hers is the fair, delicate skin nurtured by the soil and water of Jiangnan, so fair it seems as if a pinch could leave an indentation.
If she is a wildly growing maple vine①, then she is a willow by the water's edge. Looking at her beautiful eyes, which resemble hers, shrouded in a layer of Jiangnan mist, and speaking in soft Wu dialect, even Jiang Ling'er had to admit that she was indeed pitiful. Every frown and smile was vivid and charming, making people feel sorry for her.
"Please, Madam, don't blame Young Master Ji. He is kind-hearted and that's why he took me in. If you must blame someone, blame Tao Niang!"
Tao Niang was the little hussy Yuan Zao had mentioned. After saying that, she knelt down gracefully. She was as thin as a willow in the wind and looked even thinner than her, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
Jiang Ling'er frowned, her mood suddenly worsening: "Why do you call me 'Madam' but him 'Young Master Ji'?"
What an impolite girl! She makes me sound so old!
Tao Niang was taken aback, as if she hadn't expected Jiang Ling'er to say something so out of the blue.
Jiang Ling'er had always been warned by the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) Jiang that one should never bully the old, weak, women, or children while traveling the martial world, a principle she, being a woman herself, deeply believed. She had originally intended to find Ji Yunshu, but failing to find him, she wanted to know just how similar Yuan Zao had described the resemblance. Upon meeting Tao Niang, she noticed she was much younger than her, appearing to be about the same age as Yuan Zao, making it unlikely she would mistreat a mere girl. Even now, she still believed that Ji Yunshu must have felt pity because of their similar appearance, and there must be some misunderstanding. Just as she was about to leave, Tao Niang rushed over and hugged her leg, pleading and weeping:
"Please, Madam, don't send me out of Jinling City. I, Tao Niang, am willing to serve Young Master Ji alongside you, even without a title, even if I am just a maidservant by his side..."
Jiang Ling'er paused, turned around, and kicked the person away in a fit of rage:
"Who do you think you are? You might be willing, but I might not!"
Tao Niang immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. The tightly buttoned collar of her dress had somehow come undone, revealing a small patch of ambiguous blue and red marks, which stood out starkly against her fair skin.
Yuan Zao didn't understand and let out a soft "Huh?": "What kind of mosquito is so powerful?"
Jiang Ling'er, having been married for six years, couldn't possibly be unaware. She froze on the spot, staring intently at the red mark on Tao Niang's collar. Seeing Tao Niang frantically trying to cover the mark, the more she tried to hide it, the more it seemed like an admission. Now, she couldn't deceive herself any longer. Jiang Ling'er clenched her fists tightly, her face extremely pale, her whole body trembling slightly, her lower lip bitten hard, turning pale.
Tao Niang looked up and glanced outside. Suddenly, she trembled violently, tears welling up in her eyes. In an instant, she changed her form of address: "Tao Niang knew this day would come. Sister... Sister, please have mercy! I truly love Young Master Ji. I am willing to serve you and Young Master Ji..."
"Who's your sister!"
Jiang Ling'er grabbed the long whip coiled at her waist and lashed out. In the blink of an eye, just as the whip was about to strike Tao Niang's tearful face, a figure flashed by. The whip that should have appeared on Tao Niang's face was caught by a slender, fair hand.
It is Ji Yunshu.
Jiang Ling'er was startled. In her rage, she overlooked the ghostly speed of Ji Yunshu's movements. She saw Ji Yunshu protecting Tao Niang, both dressed in moon-white robes, with equally beautiful and ethereal appearances, a perfect match. For no reason, she recalled the jokes circulating in the streets, and another voice echoed in her heart:
"If it were the two of them, no one would have spread such ridiculous rumors as 'a forced marriage'."
Thinking this, his blood rushed to his throat, and he could taste a metallic flavor on his tongue. His eyes reddened, yet shone with a menacing light, and he said sternly:
"let go!"
Her voice was hoarse, and her eyes were red at the corners, like the howling of a wounded little beast. Ji Yunshu's eyes flickered, and she lowered her gaze, saying softly:
"Ling'er... let's talk about it when we get back."
"Go back? Go back where? I think this place is just fine."
Jiang Ling'er laughed in anger, and Yuan Zao chimed in, "Say it here if you want to say it!"
Ji Yunshu didn't look at her; his dark eyes were fixed on Jiang Ling'er, and his gaze darkened.
"If you want to make trouble, go home and make trouble."
Only then did Jiang Ling'er realize that the house had been surrounded by people for some time, and rustling sounds could be heard from time to time. It seemed that in less than half an hour, Jinling City would have a new topic of conversation.
She laughed, a laugh that looked like crying, her eyes wide open, afraid to blink, lest she look like that weeping, whining Tao Niang, which would be truly embarrassing.
"Feeling ashamed? Well, you scholars are indeed thin-skinned. But someone as thin-skinned as you can do something so shameless!"
Ji Yunshu's usually refined and gentle handsome face was instantly shrouded in gloom.
In truth, Jiang Ling'er felt utterly ashamed, utterly humiliated! She had brought shame upon her father again! She wanted to finish this quickly, giving the two of them a good beating with a whip each! However, for some reason, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull the whip out of Ji Yunshu's hand, out of the hand of the damned Ji Yunshu who, in her memory, only had the strength to kill a chicken!
She finally sensed something was wrong. Looking up, she saw Ji Yunshu staring silently at her, his expression unreadable beneath his thick, long eyelashes. She gritted her teeth and used all her strength, but unexpectedly, Ji Yunshu suddenly released her grip, and in the blink of an eye, grabbed the whip again and yanked it. She heard Yuan Zao let out a soft gasp:
"Sister Ling'er, be careful!"
The whip coiled around her, pulling her uncontrollably toward Ji Yunshu!
Ji Yunshu's dark eyes reflected her astonished face with slightly open pupils. Before she could react, Ji Yunshu raised his hand and swiftly struck her on the back of the neck, causing her to faint and sink into a familiar embrace filled with a cold fragrance and into the unfathomable darkness.
--
Have you calmed down yet?
The familiar displays, the familiar rooftop—she's back.
She returned to the house she had just bought when she married Ji Yunshu.
An hour had passed since she woke up, and the crescent moon had quietly climbed onto the branches, but she was still staring blankly at the diamond pattern on the roof, not yet recovered from the shock of being defeated by Ji Yunshu.
People in the martial arts world can often discern a person's skill level with just a handshake. From Ji Yunshu's brief display of skill just now, she knew she was no match for him.
how so?
Clearly… clearly, when she left home three months ago, he was a delicate, frail scholar who would pant after just a few steps. How could he have become like this in just three months?!
Or perhaps he has always been...keeping his abilities hidden?
She blinked rapidly, even more confused, unable to tell whether it was the fact that Ji Yunshu had found someone new that made her sad or that Ji Yunshu had defeated her that made her sadder.
Suddenly, a familiar sigh rang in her ears, and then a section of the quilt beside her collapsed. Ji Yunshu sat down beside her, holding a handkerchief in her hand, about to wipe the dust off her forehead. Jiang Ling'er suddenly remembered the ambiguous red mark on Tao Niang's neck, and abruptly turned her face away, the damp handkerchief falling onto her temple.
After a pause, Ji Yunshu acted as if nothing had happened, picked up a handkerchief and wiped Jiang Ling'er's forehead again. Jiang Ling'er finally turned her head, her gaze falling on Ji Yunshu, her voice cold:
"Don't touch me, I find it dirty."
Her voice was cold, and her eyes were even colder. She had always been arrogant and domineering, and even though she was at a disadvantage now, she looked at him as if he were an ant. It was the look of a superior looking at an inferior that she had unconsciously developed over the years. And because of Tao Niang, her eyes were filled with a bright look of disgust, a sharp sword that could hurt more than words.
Ji Yunshu's hand holding the handkerchief froze. A scene flashed through her mind like a blur of disgust as a woman held her young child in her arms. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes suddenly darkened, and the handkerchief fell to the ground.
He stood up, looking expressionlessly at Jiang Ling'er on the bed, his voice indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger:
"I'll come again tomorrow."
The boots stepped over the clean white handkerchief and out the door.
The door slammed shut and was locked.
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Inside the riverside house, the candlelight was dim.
Ji Yunshu lay on the chaise longue, her eyes closed as if taking a nap, but her slightly furrowed brows told her that she had not rested well.
A pair of cool, slender hands, like green snakes, coiled around his neck and then moved to his temples, gently caressing and relieving his chronic headache. Suddenly, they slid down to gently tap and soothe his legs.
Suddenly a soft voice came:
"You have some nerve."
Ji Yunshu did not open his eyes; it turned out he hadn't slept at all.
The hand tapping on his knee suddenly stopped, and a woman's coquettish laughter rang out:
"If it weren't for your tacit approval, how could I have dared to let you know, Madam?"
"You're quite clever."
Ji Yunshu opened her eyes, and her gaze fell upon a smiling face.
Tao Niang held her face in her hands, resting it on his lap, and looked up at him.
The warm candlelight illuminated her face, making even the finest downy hairs visible. She smiled ingratiatingly at her master, her face displaying a gentle, obsequious, and overly sweet, sycophantic grin.
It was that face, that person's expression that they would never have.
A slender, well-defined hand, like jade, caressed the woman's fair neck. Tao Niang's eyes lit up, and she pressed her face against the man's wrist, rubbing it gently. But in an instant, the hand that had been lingering on her neck suddenly became fierce and grabbed her throat tightly!
Tao Niang's face paled, and she managed to utter a few words with difficulty: "Young Master Ji..."
Ji Yunshu leaned down and stared at her, her expression unreadable, as if she were looking through her face at someone else. After a moment, she suddenly said:
"If only she were as well-behaved as you..."
After saying that, he let go.
Tao Niang was like a suffocating fish out of water, panting but not daring to make a sound. She was still looking at the young man with a fawning smile, her fear hidden in her forced smile. She didn't need to ask who this "she" was, nor did she dare to ask.
Ji Yunshu took a handkerchief from the side and wiped her hand that had been stroking her neck, meticulously cleaning each finger and between them. As she wiped, her brows were furrowed, as if deep in thought. The moment she finished wiping, her brows relaxed, as if she had finally remembered something. Suddenly, she said:
"You haven't tried the whip yet, have you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the color that had just returned to Tao Niang's fair face vanished completely.
Her fingertips trembled slightly, but she dared not hesitate as she unbuttoned the buttons on her clothes one by one, peeling off the thin shirt layer by layer to reveal a patch of smooth skin with lingering bruises.
She presented a brand-new long whip with both hands, identical to the one Jiang Ling'er carried at her waist. Ji Yunshu's cold gaze swept over her still-healing wounds before she picked up the whip and lashed it across her snowy back without hesitation!
The moment the muffled groan sounded, the candlelight went out for a split second and then came back on.
When the candle burned out, it was already dawn.
The whistling of the whip finally stopped, and the muffled groan was long gone.
A note from the author:
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① Maple vine is also known as Virginia creeper.
Warning! A pervert is on the loose!
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