Chapter 12 012 He absolutely did it on purpose!
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Jiang Ling'er was not naive enough to believe that Guanyin had appeared to her and that the little poisoner had taken pity on her. Although they had only spent two short days together, she had already gotten a pretty good grasp of the little poisoner's unpredictable nature.
How could that be?
This idea reached its peak when only a tiny wisp of the blue flames on his shoulders remained.
He definitely did it on purpose!
He deliberately sent her to her death so he could conveniently abandon her!
Jiang Ling'er looked terrible, so terrible that she seemed to emanate a chilling aura. If it weren't for the bright lights, the waiter would have thought he had encountered a ghost.
No, they were ferocious and menacing, even more terrifying than a demon. The surrounding temperature inexplicably dropped a notch.
"Girl? Girl!"
Seeing that the little poisoner paid the money so readily, the waiter became more polite and called out to Jiang Ling'er twice, finally bringing her back to her senses.
Jiang Ling'er shoved all seven money pouches into the waiter's hands and said quickly, "These... these are what I found in the lobby today. They must have been left behind by the grooms at noon. Please return them to them for me."
Who picks up money from so many people in a row? It must be stolen! But if it was stolen, why return it? The waiter looked at the strange little beggar girl with some suspicion, but the young man accompanying her was very generous, especially after she had washed up. He only caught a glimpse of him while delivering water, and his demeanor and bearing were so impressive that people would believe he was from a noble family.
These two completely different people, though master and servant, seemed strangely intertwined. The waiter inwardly grumbled, but outwardly smiled and accepted the invitation: "No problem, no problem. Those rough horsemen come to my little shop every day at noon for a bowl of tea. They might not even earn a single copper coin a day. What you're doing, young lady, is a great act of kindness. I'll certainly do my best. Is there anything else you need, young lady?" Suddenly pausing, the waiter even added with concern, "Young lady, you...you look terrible. Perhaps I should go to the clinic and call a doctor for you?"
Jiang Ling'er shook her head and took out a small, exquisitely crafted dart from her sleeve. It was engraved with the character "Jiang" and was the unique hidden weapon of the world's number one dart.
Every disciple in the escort service has one, but hers is different. The small dart is plated with gold, a token reserved for the future head of the world's number one escort service. On her eighteenth birthday, the old head of the escort service gave her the dart, entrusting her with the future of the entire world's number one escort service.
It is the only one in the world, belonging only to her, a symbol of Jiang Ling'er's future glory as the leader of the world's number one镖师 (bodyguard/escort).
That's all she has left now.
Sure enough, the waiter's eyes lit up as soon as she took it out.
She gripped the dart tightly, tightening and loosening it repeatedly, before finally handing it to the waiter, her voice hoarse, "Could you please pawn this for me? It should give me some money to buy some clean clothes for me and... my master, and some gravel..."
Why would you need sand and gravel? The waiter wondered but didn't ask, instead repeatedly saying "okay."
"Of course, of course!" The waiter's eyes gleamed with a menacing light, as if afraid this foolish little beggar would change his mind. He reached out to snatch the dart from Jiang Ling'er's hand, but couldn't budge it. The hand gripping the dart was slender yet had nothing to do with the word "delicate." The thin calluses on the fingertips, especially the base of the thumb, were white from the force, and upon closer inspection, they trembled slightly.
The waiter asked in surprise, "...Miss?"
Jiang Ling'er stared intently at the golden dart in her hand, at the small "Jiang" character on it, her face pale and bloodless. A moment later, she suddenly let go and gave it to him.
The small golden dart landed in a short, thick, dark hand, which he quickly caught and tucked into his arms as if afraid she would change her mind.
But in the blink of an eye, she could no longer see that dazzling gold, and had no further connection with that dazzling gold...
From this moment on, she was no longer Jiang Ling'er.
The waiter chuckled, seemingly oblivious to the stagnant dejection and silence of the woman before him, and said cheerfully, "Don't worry, miss, I've got it covered! Oh dear, miss, why do you look even worse? Your lips are pale. Don't you really need to call a doctor?" He shook his head, his face hidden behind his long hair, his expression unreadable, as if all his strength had been drained away. Two small butterfly bones protruded from his back, making him look thin and frail, inexplicably pitiful. In these times of constant war, who isn't suffering? Yet, the girl before him softened his heart. He remembered how he had indeed acted inhumanly by chasing people away with a broom that morning. But then he thought about the gold and silver inlaid items, which were the kind of martial arts artifacts that exuded a menacing aura. They didn't seem like something a little beggar could possess; they must have been stolen. With this thought, he felt much better and more at ease. "Shall I bring you a bucket of hot water to wash up? Oh, and I'll have the tailor bring you some clothes later. What's your name, miss? Leave your name so the tailor can find you easily."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling'er trembled slightly. "My name is Anu..." She suddenly closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. Her pupils were extremely dark, like two pools of ink that could not be dissolved. She stared at him and said in a low but clear voice, "Just call me Anu."
——
The waiter quickly brought hot water, along with a change of clothes and a few taels of silver from the pawnshop. In the room next to the little poisoner's, Jiang Ling'er… no, she should be called Anu now. Anu didn't dare waste any time, quickly washing herself and dragging her wet hair to the little poisoner's door. Only when the faint warmth of the little poisoner's eerie blue flames seeped through the crack in the door and enveloped her did her frozen limbs finally come to life, and the faint flames on her shoulders completely dissipated at that moment.
I don't know if this little poisonous creature is just stingy, but the fire on my shoulder has a time limit, so I really can't leave it for even a moment.
However, it at least confirmed her guess.
As long as the little poisoner is willing, she can act independently just like a normal person, as long as he is willing.
As long as he... is willing.
Anu slid down the door inch by inch, her back pressed against the crack, until she finally squatted down outside the little poisonous creature's door, hugging her knees. She struggled to think, relying on the faint scent of flames emanating from the crack. Thinking was a strength of Ji Yunshu, He Yong, Gao Yang, and others, not hers. Sure enough, after thinking for a long time, she couldn't decide whether avenging her father or pleasing this little poisonous creature was more difficult.
This person was the most unpredictable and eccentric person he had ever met, especially at such a troublesome age. Anu knew in her heart that although many people dared not speak because of her status, she was extremely hated by both men and ghosts at his age, and the little poisoner was even more so than she had been back then. To get him to agree... how easy would that be?
Life is hard, especially for women. Countless women have to submit to others just to survive. She had even prepared for the worst, knowing that the so-called "slave" was nothing more than a plaything in bed. Fortunately, this little poisonous creature was very fastidious and didn't like people getting close, so she naturally didn't have to do that kind of thing. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and suddenly punched her head hard with her fist!
How stupid! This is actually more disadvantageous for her! Even if she doesn't want to, if she can't even use her only remaining beauty, what bargaining chip does she have to get this kid to help her take revenge?
She had only half-heartedly believed in the use of beauty, especially after seeing the little poisoner's naturally beautiful face. Her confidence had almost completely vanished. But if even beauty couldn't work, what else did she have?
What else could she do to make him willingly help her?
She stood there, holding her head in her hands, thinking for a long time but unable to come up with a solution. The more she thought about it, the darker her future seemed. She seemed to have been lucky enough to escape with her life, but in reality, she was just a dying person with only one breath left. She had never truly risen from the mire. For a moment, she thought that she might as well have followed her father that day...
Suddenly, a familiar, smiling voice echoed in my ears:
[Don't cry and whine about everything. Don't ever say you're from the Jiang family again.]
It was as if a monk had struck a bell, hitting her head hard. Anu suddenly tightened her arms and stood up abruptly!
She covered her face with her hands, her pupils slightly dilated between her fingers, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat. After a long while, her heaving chest calmed down. She exhaled a long breath, closed her eyes, and her mind replayed the entire Thunderclap Palm routine the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) had performed in front of her that night, every single detail magnified and replayed in slow motion. Her hands and legs moved in sync with the old镖头's movements in her memory—advancing, retreating, glancing around, looking around, settling down…
She spent most of the night thinking about the Thunderclap Palm technique, and then spent the rest of the night repeatedly replaying her duel with Zhao Xiao. Every detail was magnified, as if she were once again on the dueling field, constantly exchanging blows and techniques with Zhao Xiao…
And so it went until dawn.
Daylight broke.
The door creaked open, and at the same time, Anu threw a hook punch straight at his face!
"What are you doing?"
A chilling voice rang out, accompanied by a sudden burst of eerie blue flames. Anu's pupils contracted, as if she had been jolted awake from a dream. Her fierce, swift hook punch froze in place. Her long hair, which had been whipped up by the force of her punch, flew up and then landed back on her fist. And just half a fingernail's distance from her fist was her high and superior nose.
She paused, realizing what was happening, her breath catching in her throat. She stiffly withdrew her fist, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"I...I didn't mean to."
The moment the fist retracted, the two, whose vision was now clear without any obstruction, were both stunned to see each other.
To be honest, after sharing a bed with Ji Yunshu for almost six years, Jiang Ling'er thought she had developed quite a bit of self-control when it came to good looks, and ordinary beauties could hardly catch her eye. But she would still be amazed by the little poisonous creature every time.
At this moment, he was wearing a light blue long gown brought by the shop assistant. He was tall and slender like a pine tree, in the prime of his life. He looked like a bamboo spirit from a painting. He casually gathered his long, raven-feather-like hair together, and his handsome face was like a blunt sword, a sharp and aggressive beauty.
She was sizing up the little poisonous creature, and the little poisonous creature was sizing her up too.
Anu changed out of her fiery red dress and, perhaps intentionally, into the most ordinary and even inconspicuous black cloth. Her entire body was unadorned, and her long, damp hair, now dry overnight, softly draped over her shoulders. Her once fiery and prickly demeanor seemed to soften, and she even appeared somewhat harmless.
If we ignore that heavy punch just now.
The little poisonous creature suddenly moved, leaning against the doorframe with its arms crossed as if it had no bones. It glanced at her up and down with a very flippant look, and raised an eyebrow slightly:
"If I tidy it up, it'll be presentable enough to be seen in public."
Anu lowered her head slightly, revealing a section of her neck that was fair and smooth from rarely seeing sunlight. She was pondering whether to reply with "You're right" or "You flatter me," when she heard him grin and utter the remaining half of the sentence, word by word:
"Auntie."
A note from the author:
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