The night was silent. The Young Master didn’t press her to reveal the locations from the scrolls, instead, he put an arm around her shoulder, patting her gently as if coaxing a child to sleep, with utmost tenderness. “Young Master, one of those places is near Luoyang’s Qingtian River… and the other seems to be by the shores of Lake Dongting near Jun—” Chuxia mumbled drowsily, then suddenly woke up, sitting up in regret. The Young Master let go of her, smiling, “What’s wrong?” “One hand for the money, one hand for the goods!” Chuxia regretted, “You— give me the indenture first.” The Young Master patted her cheek, pressing her back onto the bed, and tucked her in firmly, saying without emotion, “You burned scrolls I bought for ten thousand gold, not to mention the entire courtyard. I can give you the indenture, but as you said, don’t you still owe me?”
Chuxia lay there, unable to move, speechless. “But you said you wouldn’t blame me—” “I don’t blame you.” The Young Master sighed, his eyes filled with mirth, “Since you can’t repay the money, I’ll keep the contract. When you have the money, you can redeem it.” With that, the Young Master left gracefully, leaving Chuxia alone, frowning, feeling something was off. After a while, she realized she had burned the scrolls and the studio, but… why didn’t the Young Master mention she nearly died? She had accidentally revealed the locations, now she felt like a pawn in a game. “I said you’re stupid, but you won’t admit it.” A figure flipped in through the window, lazily sitting in a grand chair, “Daring to bargain with the Young Master, be careful you don’t get sold and still help count the money with joy.” Chuxia looked at Qinglong, thinking of “counting money with joy,” it was indeed fitting, and she was momentarily stunned. “Hey, are you okay?” Qinglong noticed she wasn’t arguing with him as usual, feeling a bit uneasy. Chuxia didn’t respond, her nose tingling. “Hey, don’t cry!” Qinglong stood up, “Why do you always cry?” “You all bully me.” Chuxia wiped her eyes, burying her head in the blanket, “…and you all deceive me.” She thought of the past month, buried in the scrolls, and now she hadn’t retrieved her indenture, nearly died, feeling it was all for nothing, crying even harder. “When did I deceive you?” Qinglong was at a loss, not daring to say anything more, “How about… I go beg the Young Master for your indenture?” “He… won’t give it,” Chuxia sobbed, “He’s the stingiest.” Qinglong scratched his head in dilemma, finally saying, “Then stop crying.” “Who are you really?” Chuxia poked her head out from under the blanket, her eyes misty, looking at the boy, “Why did you deceive me, and dress as a servant?” “I’m Qinglong.” This time, Qinglong answered honestly, “The Young Master sent me to protect you.” “Qinglong? The Qinglong of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger?” “Yes. White Tiger is another of the Young Master’s guards, but he’s not here right now.” Seeing she had stopped crying, Qinglong felt relieved, “Alright, don’t cry anymore, I won’t bully you from now on.” “Qinglong, you’re really good at martial arts.” Chuxia spoke sincerely, “Thank you for today.” “I’m one of the Young Master’s panther guards.”
“Nature is formidable,” Qinglong boasted. “There must be many formidable people like you around the young master, right?” Chuxia muttered to herself, “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent you to protect me…”
“The young master has the Four Leopard Guards, and I am one of them, not just anyone,” Qinglong emphasized. “Among the Four Leopard Guards, Baihu excels in attack, Zhuque is a divine healer, Xuanwu is skilled in intelligence, and as for me… I specialize in defense. The young master asked me to protect you, which shows how much he cares for you.”
Chuxia tilted her head, pondering, “Do they all, like you, secretly stay in the manor without revealing their identities?”
Qinglong shook his head, “Not at all. Unless there’s something very urgent, I wouldn’t have been called back by the young master. Actually, among the four, I’ve only met Xuanwu… To think of it, only the young master has seen all four of us.”
Feeling a bit sleepy, Chuxia rubbed her eyes, “I understand, Ah Qing.”
“Then go to sleep.” With a nimble flip, Qinglong extinguished the candle and whispered before leaving, “Chuxia, rest assured. I will persuade the young master to set you free.”
The next day, Chuxia was summoned to the study. Passing by the courtyard where she had lived for over a month, now reduced to ashes, was a shocking sight. A large map of mountains and rivers hung on the wall of the study, with the young master looking up and examining it closely.
“Young master, are you planning to go out?” Chuxia stood behind him, curiously glancing at the map several times.
The young master turned to look at her, paused, and then said, “What’s wrong? Did you cry last night? Your eyes are swollen like walnuts.”
Chuxia didn’t respond.
“Chuxia, I need to ask you about something,” the young master said, seeing she didn’t answer, without pressing further. “Would you like to come with me to Qingtian River?”
“Are you looking for ‘Shanshui Yao’?” Chuxia thought for a moment, then shook her head firmly, “I won’t go.”
The young master hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t ask why, only saying, “Then stay at Jun Manor.”
Chuxia felt puzzled for a moment, looking at the young master… Why was he so easy to talk to now? But treasure hunting isn’t that simple, is it? She didn’t want to go to her death…
“Stay at Jun Manor, and be careful,” the young master said softly. “Now, only you and I know where ‘Shanshui Yao’ is. You saw the assassin’s methods yesterday; such incidents might happen daily from now on.” He paused, observing her pale face, and smiled slightly, “But I’ll have the steward take good care of you.”
Chuxia’s throat tightened with a bitter taste, and she timidly said, “Young master, could you let Ah Qing stay with me?”
“He will naturally come with me,” the young master turned away, not looking at her, “Oh, by the way, has Ah Qing told you about the traitor within Jun Manor?” After a moment.
“Young master, I will go with you! You’ll have someone to take care of you on the road!” Chuxia declared heroically, “Chuxia fears no hardship, no death!”
“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“No regrets.”
“If you talk about it later, will you say I forced you?”
“I am willing.”
The young master still faced away, his smile unseen by her, “Alright, then prepare yourself.”
Chuxia responded, about to leave when she heard a guard announce from outside, “Young master, Lady Baixue is at the door.”
The young master slightly furrowed his brows, then after a moment said, “Let her in.”
Chuxia glanced at the young master, seeing he didn’t intend for her to leave, she stood aside. Baixue entered and bowed gracefully to the young master, softly asking, “Is the young master leaving Cangzhou?”
The young master didn’t ask her to rise, merely saying, “How did you know I was leaving Jun Manor?”
“While wandering in the manor, Baixue saw the servants preparing ‘Electric Light’ for you in the back stable.” Baixue looked up, her beautiful eyes shining, “If the young master is leaving Jun Manor, could I join you?”
Chapter Twelve: The young master’s eyes were profoundly deep, tapping the desk with his slender fingers, “Traveling in the martial world is not like the luxury of the garden.”
Baixue smiled, “Simple meals… as long as I’m by the young master’s side, it’s all good.”
Chuxia, watching the beautiful woman, couldn’t help but think of the dismembered corpse and the burnt remains from yesterday, feeling anxious for her… Lady Baixue, do you think this is just a leisurely outing with the young master?
Yet, the young master, with a gentle smile, personally helped Baixue up and agreed. Baixue was delighted, bowed again, and left.
