Chapter 17 017 "How...does she look?"...
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"I...I'm the waiter at this inn. Have you ever heard of 'Old Poisoner Gongye Chi'? That kid may not be Old Poisoner Gongye Chi, but he's certainly got a lot of poison in him. He's young but very cunning! Last night, we were trying to catch him when things went wrong. Don't underestimate this little inn, which has been around for over ten years, and it's all gone in a fire..."
As he spoke, the waiter collapsed to the ground and wept bitterly again.
He was found and rescued from a pile of ruins. After being given a few sips of water, he was taken to a nearby house. His rescuer was sitting in the main hall, a gentleman of impeccable character, elegant and handsome. However, he seemed to be seriously ill; despite it being the height of summer, he was wrapped in a fox fur coat, his face as pale as snow, and he appeared emaciated.
He was too thin, which added to his desolate appearance and gave him a somewhat lonely look.
This person was none other than Ji Yunshu, the young master of Sun and Moon Fortress.
The scandal of the number one镖师 (bodyguard/escort) has spread to the streets and alleys, and everyone knows that Jiang Leilong and his daughter went to the Yellow Springs together. The waiter thought to himself, "This young master of the fort has lost his wife and has no children. Isn't he all alone?"
Standing beside him was a middle-aged man with a stern face. Upon hearing this, he nodded slightly to the young man and whispered:
"It is indeed that little poisonous creature."
The young man didn't answer, but just stared silently at the waiter, lost in thought. His gaze was calm and even warm, yet the waiter lowered his head further and further under it, until his forehead was pressed to the ground, his whole body trembling like a leaf: "I...I don't know what grudge that young man has against my benefactor. That's all I know, nothing more..."
Ji Yunshu was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Go down."
The waiter breathed a sigh of relief, saying "Thank you for saving my life," and bowed as he left. However, the lingering fear made him tremble uncontrollably, and the two broken ribs made him sweat profusely with pain even from the slightest movement. The golden dart he had been clutching in his hand suddenly slipped out of his hand, and he couldn't stop it. With a crisp "clang," it rolled forward.
It rolled right at the feet of the young man wearing a fox fur coat.
The waiter was shocked, truly shocked. Ignoring his own pain, he lunged forward to snatch it, but was kicked far away by Gao Yang, who was standing next to Ji Yunshu. He fell heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood and breaking another rib.
Gao Yang didn't even glance at the waiter, but looked at the young man with concern. Ji Yunshu stared intently at the small golden dart on the ground, the morning sun shining through the window frame onto the golden dart, reflecting a dazzling golden light that almost brought tears to one's eyes.
After a long while, he closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his beautiful peach blossom eyes were filled with endless darkness. The veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the armrest, stood out like a coiled dragon. His strong, pale fingers moved stiffly as he bent down to pick up the small golden dart.
His back was to the light, making it impossible to see his face or expression; only after a long while could one hear a voice that sounded like a dream:
Where did it come from?
Naturally, I asked the shopkeeper.
What kind of person could possibly warrant the personal capture of the young master of Sun and Moon Fortress? The waiter had only guessed, so he only mentioned the young man and left the story of the little beggar girl unmentioned. Sure enough, her gold-inlaid dart was stolen! Seeing this, the owner of the stolen goods was probably... undoubtedly the young master of Sun and Moon Fortress!
He wanted to argue a bit more, but seeing the disciples of Sun and Moon Fortress surrounding him, especially Gao Yang walking towards him, he remembered the kick he'd just received and his legs trembled. He dared not hide anything any longer and immediately recounted everything about his encounter with Jiang Ling'er and the little poisoner, including the color of the clothes he'd given her. During this time, Ji Yunshu only asked one question, her voice low and hoarse, making her unreadable:
"How does she look?"
"She's tall and slender, taller than most women... no, taller than most men! Her face is also darker than most women's, but she's quite pretty..." Suddenly remembering something, her eyes lit up and she quickly added obsequiously, "Sun and Moon Fortress is renowned for its chivalry. This female thief is incredibly audacious, daring to steal from my benefactor! Don't worry, benefactor, she won't get far! I even taught her a lesson for you! I beat her up quite a bit with that iron broom..."
He swallowed back the rest of his words under Ji Yunshu's chilling, hawk-like gaze.
If before he was only afraid of being beaten, especially since Gao Yang's kick had twisted his heart in pain, now he was filled with fear—a deep-seated, bone-chilling fear. This young, rising star of the martial world, the young master of Sun and Moon Fortress, was clearly weak and hadn't uttered a word, yet he felt as if he were being sliced again and again under that gaze.
Finally, Ji Yunshu lowered her eyes, no longer looking at him, but staring at the small gold-inlaid dart in her palm. She spoke to Gao Yang instead:
"What do you think, sir?"
Gao Yang's face was solemn, his brows furrowed, and he pursed his thin lips before saying, "That night... we did see the young mistress, but we only saw a figure in the distance, not clearly. Young Master, we all saw the young mistress's body with our own eyes, especially you... you held the young mistress's body for three days and three nights without closing your eyes, no one knows better than you. The talk of ghosts and gods is ultimately nonsense. That little poison master came from the old poison master Gongye Chi, and he has many tricks up his sleeve. It's not impossible that he captured a woman of similar stature and disguised her with a human skin mask..."
Ji Yunshu interrupted him calmly: "Would you like to hear my thoughts, sir?"
Gao Yang paused, then lowered his eyes and said, "Young Master, please."
Ji Yunshu traced the small "Jiang" character engraved on the dart with his fingertips. Even though he was bathed in the warm sunlight streaming through the window, the fox fur coat he wore felt like unmelting snow weighing heavily on his shoulders. His brows were frosted, making his peach blossom eyes appear even darker, like an ink-filled pool capable of swallowing everything. He held the small dart in his palm, its sharp edge digging into the flesh, and bright red blood trickled down between his fingers.
He stared at Gao Yang, his dark, peach-blossom eyes flashing with a strange, eerie light, and spoke each word clearly:
"I'll only say this once: I don't care if she's real or fake, a person or a ghost, she's still my wife, Ji Yunshu's wife."
Gao Yang was greatly shocked and knelt down on one knee. Dozens of Sun Moon Fortress disciples behind him also knelt down: "Your subordinate knows his mistake!"
Ji Yunshu's voice was cold, and her eyes were even colder, like ice that had never melted in a thousand years: "Send another five hundred brothers. Find him for me no matter where you are, even if you have to dig three feet into the ground."
The crowd roared so loudly it nearly lifted the roof off: "Yes!"
Ji Yunshu's brow furrowed slightly, and as she turned around, she suddenly remembered something. She glanced sideways at the pale-faced waiter and said indifferently:
Which hand touched her?
The waiter's lips trembled, and he could barely stand: "Left...left hand..."
Ji Yunshu curled her thin lips and turned to leave:
"Chop it up."
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In the sunny countryside, the weather was fine.
The wind howled, the cicadas chirped, and the horses neighed in the distance.
Meanwhile, the little poisoner listened to Jiang Ling'er's sophistry.
"The money pouches you threw at me... didn't have much money, really. The clothes we're wearing were all bought with my throwing knives. Although I don't have a second knives, I can make money, I can make lots and lots of money, I swear! And... and that day you said the formation needed a corpse, but you didn't say... didn't say that inanimate objects wouldn't work, so I killed a rabbit... last night you caught me and ran away, so the rabbit... it's still there... if you had told me earlier, I would have at least taken a rabbit leg with me..."
The voice grew softer as he spoke.
The little poisoner listened without expression:
"Are you done talking?"
Under the scorching sun, Jiang Ling'er's mouth was parched, her stomach rumbling with hunger. She opened her lips blankly and said dryly:
"It's over, it's all over."
Seeing that the little poisoner had indeed reached for the bamboo flute at his waist, Jiang Ling'er's pupils contracted. Her body acted before her brain, and she instinctively lunged forward, grabbed the bamboo flute at his waist, and pressed it back down, pinning him down in a dizzying motion.
Before the little poisonous creature could erupt in fury, it spoke first, shouting loudly:
"If you want money, I'll earn it; if you want a corpse... aren't I right here?"
The little poisonous creature's long, narrow eyelashes fluttered suddenly like a butterfly's wings. It looked up at her, its eyes deep and unfathomable.
What are you... saying?
She had spent the entire night coming up with this idea; it was the only way she could avoid killing innocent people. Seemingly afraid the little poisoner would turn hostile, Jiang Ling'er spoke very quickly:
“They say the old poison master practices dual cultivation by absorbing the yin energy of women, and Di Qing says you have mastered the old poison master’s true teachings, so…” Jiang Ling’er paused, as if she had made a decision, and ripped off the right side of her clothes, revealing a patch of skin that was different from her face, white and smooth because it had never seen the light of day, which was dazzlingly bright under the scorching sun.
The little poisonous creature was startled, and its brows furrowed.
Jiang Ling'er pursed her dry lips, glanced at the little poisoner's face, and said cautiously, her voice a little hoarse but clear: "I... can I? Just leave me a breath..." Don't kill me.
She still has very important things to do; she can't die because of something like this.
Seeing that the little poisonous creature remained silent for a long time, only staring at her, Jiang Ling'er suddenly paused, her brows furrowing and appearing somewhat fierce:
"You're still being picky, aren't you? I may not be a stunning beauty, but I'm not ugly or unsightly either, am I? I think I'm quite good-looking..." I'm good enough for you, you little poisonous creature.
The little poisonous creature was taken aback, then let out a muffled chuckle. Jiang Ling'er felt the chest heaving beneath her, and felt even more confused:
"why are you laughing?"
It took the little poisoner a while to stop laughing. He folded his hands behind his head, shifted to a more comfortable position, and glanced at Jiang Ling'er who was pressing down on him. They were both dirty after running around all night, and neither of them could complain about the other. But this was the second time, and she had actually pounced on him a second time.
Thinking of this, his face darkened, and his temper flared. He glanced at her lazily and impatiently, saying:
"I remember you had a husband, and he seemed quite devoted, holding your body for three days and three nights without closing his eyes. What, have you forgotten?"
Upon hearing Ji Yunshu's name, Jiang Ling'er paused slightly for a moment, then let out a soft "Ah" under the little poisoner's mocking gaze.
"You mean him? It's okay, we're already divorced. Besides..."
The little poisonous creature pressed on: "Besides what?"
“Besides, Jiang Ling’er is already dead.” Jiang Ling’er stared into the little poisoner’s eyes, looking at him deeply. “I am Anu, your slave. I’ve already said it twice. Don’t make me say it a third time, Master.”
A note from the author:
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The next chapter will be available for purchase! I hope everyone can add my new novels "Blasphemy" and "Did the Immortal Lord Divorce Today?" to their collections. This is really important to me, sob sob!
The following is the synopsis of "Blasphemy":
Jiang Maolian, a famous tofu beauty in the surrounding area, has a bad reputation. Besides being surrounded by unfaithful men, she is also known for having a child with whom she is unmarried.
When Jiang Maolian took Yin Xian home, the fourteen-year-old boy looked like a ten-year-old toddler. Although she hadn't raised him from infancy, Jiang Maolian considered herself to have treated him very well. She gave him everything he wanted, provided for his every need, taught him skills, and even paid for his private school education. The boy was also promising, earning her a degree and bringing her honor. He was also filial. Maolian was extremely satisfied, thinking she was about to enjoy a life of luxury, until that day—
This kid used everything she taught him on her!
Not only did he use her as a furnace to refine her, but he also spouted nonsense about love, shamelessness, and blasphemy!
It's like all that knowledge they've gained has gone to waste!
——
Yin Xian has never regarded Jiang Maolian as her adoptive mother, not before, not now, and certainly not in the future.
At most, you'd call him "sister," and that's only in front of outsiders. Behind closed doors, he committed countless heinous and despicable acts. Why do people still treat him like a child?!
Jiang Maolian treated him very well, he knew that, and he also knew that he was heartless and ungrateful.
But he didn't want the stars or the moon; he only wanted her to be his wife.
Is it difficult?
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Jiang Maolian couldn't understand. "I gave him a bright future, a perfect life, so what is he dissatisfied with? When did he... go astray?"
Yin Xian couldn't understand it either. She doted on me and loved me so much, how could she not love me?
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