Ji Mingshao felt a lump in his throat, wanting to strike again, but Ruan Ning had cautioned against causing trouble, so he suppressed his anger. As she carefully applied medicine to Luo Jie, he felt both frustrated and relieved that he had shot the needle at the hand, preventing the fool from using it as an excuse to undress.
Freed from the itching, Luo Jie picked up his knife and challenged Ji Mingshao, “Who are you, and why do you keep plotting against me? Dare you fight me properly?”
“The Sick Scholar has traveled the jianghu for decades and never feared anyone,” Ji Mingshao replied. “Let’s fight.”
Luo Jie was shocked to learn that Ji Mingshao was the notorious poison master. He immediately stood protectively in front of Ruan Ning, saying, “Sister, he’s a famous poison master with ill intentions. I’ll hold him off—quickly find Uncle Ruan!”
Ruan Ning assessed Ji Mingshao, concluding that the name suited his sickly appearance. She stepped out from behind Luo Jie and said, “It’s fine. He won’t harm me. Don’t worry.”
This statement left both men feeling complicated emotions, particularly Luo Jie, as it seemed to confirm an unusual relationship.
He couldn’t understand how the Sick Scholar could be connected to the Ruan family’s daughter. For Ji Mingshao, the final “Don’t worry” suggested Ruan Ning’s closeness to Luo Jie, intensifying his jealousy.
Ruan Ning asked Ji Mingshao, “You said you had urgent matters that couldn’t wait; is everything done?”
“Done,” Ji Mingshao replied.
Since he couldn’t kill Zhao Sihai, he decided to sever all ties with him. The leaders of the Shadow Pavilion had been replaced by Zhao Sihai’s trusted subordinates, meaning he had no further involvement. Retiring from the jianghu and helping Ruan Ning manage Erlongshan seemed a good choice.
Noticing her silence, he quickly added, “I came to find you. You promised to be responsible for me and said you would marry me.”
Marriage? Luo Jie interjected, “You’re going to marry him? How could that be? He’s a notorious evil sect member!”
Ji Mingshao glanced at him, and although he remained silent, the threat in his eyes was clear.
Ruan Ning didn’t care about the evil sect, but while she didn’t dislike Ji Mingshao, she didn’t have deep feelings for him either.
