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At nightfall, Master Lu and Gu Xiaoshun returned to the house with a cart full of firewood.
"Why did it take so long?" Lady Nan walked to the door to help them unload the firewood.
Master Lu quickly stopped her, saying, "Leave it, I’ll do it!"
"It"s just a few bundles of firewood." Lady Nan remarked nonchalantly.
"Even so, you shouldn"t be carrying them, right, Xiaoshun?" Master Lu knew he couldn"t win against Lady Nan, so he pulled Gu Xiaoshun in for support.
"That"s right, Madame." Gu Xiaoshun jumped off the cart and took the firewood from Lady Nan"s hands.
Lady Nan gave Master Lu a glare.
Gu Xiaoshun, carrying the firewood, caught sight of a red-ta.s.seled spear and a back basket in the main room, his eyes lighting up, "Eh? Is my big sis back?"
Lady Nan smiled and said, "Yes, she’s in the backyard playing chess with Old Mister Meng."
Everyone in the house knew Old Master Meng’s surname, but no one connected him with the Chess Saint of the Six States. After all, someone like the Chess Saint of the Six States was honored even by the Imperial Advisor"s Hall; how could he possibly fall to such a dest.i.tute state?
Gu Xiaoshun was so excited that he almost wanted to stick two chicken feathers on his head. He ran to the backyard with a bundle of firewood, shouting, "Big sis!"
Gu Jiao had already washed up and changed into dry clothes, her hair hanging down half-dry and half-wet.
Hearing Gu Xiaoshun’s voice, she raised her hand to tuck the unruly hair behind her ear and turned to look at him, "Xiaoshun."
Gu Xiaoshun put down the firewood, came up to her, and looked her up and down, "Big sis, why were you out for so long? We were so worried about you!"
Gu Jiao smiled slightly, "I was delayed by something. I took so many days off from the academy, you didn’t get into any trouble, did you?"
Gu Xiaoshun shook his head, "Oh, no, I said you were sick, they wanted to visit you, but I stopped them."
"They?" Gu Jiao was puzzled.
"Teacher Wu, Mu Qingchen, Mu Chuan..." Gu Xiaoshun rattled off more than twenty names in one breath. These were just the people he recognized; there were many more whose names he couldn"t recall.
Gu Jiao: "Hmm."
Was she really that popular?
"Alright, alright, kiddo, wait a bit, I need to finish this game with your sister first." Old Master Meng couldn’t wait any longer; he had a ledger to settle. He had played over twenty games with Gu Yan and the la.s.s had to play with him to even out the scores.
There was still firewood left to move, so Gu Xiaoshun scratched his head and said, "Big sis, I"ll come find you later."
Gu Jiao: "Alright."
With Gu Jiao back safe and sound, everyone in the family felt a weight lifted off their hearts. Lady Nan decided to make something delicious the next morning.
But the star anise and fennel were all used up, so Lady Nan decided to go to the shop to buy some more.
There was a spice shop right in the alley, just a few steps away.
However, today the shop was closed, so Lady Nan had to go to the market to buy some.
Master Lu was repairing the carriage at home. Halfway through, he frowned, "Why isn"t Nan Xiang back yet? Xiaoshun, you take over, I"ll go check."
"Alright!" Gu Xiaoshun took the tools from Master Lu"s hands, and Master Lu quickly walked out.
At this moment, Lady Nan was indeed in a bit of trouble. She had been cornered in another alley and injured, with blood stains all over her veil.
She clutched her aching chest, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and swiftly shot three Tanghua needles.
The other party coldly laughed, raising his hand to catch her hidden weapons.
Lady Nan"s expression changed.
The man looked at the Tanghua needles in his hand, let out a cold sneer, and said, "Poisoned needles, huh? You"ve become much more ruthless than before, but unfortunately, you"re no match for me now!"
As he finished speaking, his smile turned icy, and with a flick of his fingers, he shot the three Tanghua needles back at Lady Nan.
Lady Nan’s pupils contracted!
Too fast!
She couldn"t dodge it!
Suddenly, a small figure dashed forward from behind Lady Nan, swiftly grabbing her and pulling her aside.
The three Tanghua needles clinked against the ground!
Almost simultaneously, Gu Jiao planted her spear on the ground, using it to leap up and thrust the spear towards the other party’s heart!
The man reached back to grab the red-ta.s.seled spear"s shaft, only to realize it was a feint. The spearhead suddenly changed direction, sweeping at his lower body!
The man’s eyes flickered, his toes tapped the ground, and he soared into the air, landing on the roof.
Once he steadied himself, he looked down at the black-haired youth in the alley.
The youth, gripping a red-ta.s.seled spear, looked up coldly at him, his eyes filled with coldness and defiance.
"That spear technique just now..." The man murmured to himself with a frown, then smiled faintly, "Nan Xiang, is this the expert you hired? I must admit, this kid is a bit surprising, but even so, he is not my match! Take this!"
"Senior brother!"
Lady Nan hurried forward, extending her arm to shield Gu Jiao, "Don"t hurt him!"
Senior brother?
Gu Jiao looked at the man on the rooftop again. The night was too dark, and his figure was shrouded in shadows, making it hard to discern his skin color, but the contours of his features were vaguely visible.
This man had a pair of very sinister eyes.
His appearance was originally quite good, but with these eyes, it inexplicably gave off an evil vibe.
"Lady Nan, step back." Gu Jiao pressed down Lady Nan"s arm and fearlessly stepped forward, pointing her spear at him, "Come down and fight me."
The man was slightly stunned, evidently not expecting the youth to be so bold, but he quickly burst into laughter.
"Junior sister, it"s been a long time since I"ve seen someone this interesting. Since he calls you ‘Lady’ intimately, he can barely count as half a junior nephew to me. Fine, fine, I just heard you were in Shengdu, so I came to say h.e.l.lo. I had no intention of harming you. You were too tense and attacked me first."
Lady Nan gritted her teeth, "Shameless!"
"Alright, now that I"ve greeted you, it"s time for me to leave. Farewell, junior sister!"
With that, he gave a cold smile and vanished into the night with his qinggong.
Gu Jiao turned around, extending her hand to support Lady Nan"s forearm, "Lady Nan, you"re injured."
Lady Nan waved her hand, "It"s just a minor injury. A few days of rest and it will be fine. Why did you come?"
Gu Jiao replied, "You hadn"t returned for a while, so we came out to look for you. Master Lu went to look for you too, probably in another direction."
Lady Nan, breathing slightly heavily, said, "Let"s go, let"s head back."
Gu Jiao held the red-ta.s.seled spear in one hand and supported Lady Nan with the other as they walked back.
As they exited the alley, Lady Nan gave a bitter smile, "I haven"t told you much about my past. Do you blame me?"
Gu Jiao shook her head, "I haven"t told Lady Nan about my past either."
Lady Nan smiled, deciding not to compare who had more secrets, "The man just now is Qi Xuan, a direct disciple of the sect leader of the Tang Sect. The Tang Sect is a martial arts faction beyond the six states. I was originally from the Tang Sect, but I left after crippling my martial arts because I was dissatisfied with the marriage they arranged for me. If my martial arts were still intact, Qi Xuan wouldn"t have been able to hurt me today."
Gu Jiao suddenly understood, "So that"s why Lady Nan is so skilled with poisons and hidden weapons."
Lady Nan shook her head again, "These two things are actually what I"m least good at. Otherwise, I wouldn"t have just crippled my martial arts but also my hands. In terms of hidden weapons and poisons, Qi Xuan is far superior to me."
Gu Jiao asked in confusion, "Then Lady Nan..."
Lady Nan said, "I was more skilled in martial arts. Back then, the Tang Sect had a forbidden technique that disciples were not allowed to learn, but later the sect leader decided to let us direct disciples try it. Only I managed to learn it. Perhaps because of this, I was forced to marry the sect leader"s son..."
At this point, she paused and smiled, "These are all things of the past. My martial arts are gone, but living a carefree life isn"t bad either."
"Then why did he want to kill you just now?" Gu Jiao didn"t believe he just came to say h.e.l.lo; the killing intent was so strong that even she felt it.
Lady Nan responded, "He wants to force me to reveal the method I used to learn the forbidden technique. Alas, I don’t know any method. I just learned it somehow. Who knows why they couldn’t?"
Gu Jiao: "..."
Remembering something, Gu Jiao said, "He mentioned hearing that Lady Nan had come to Shengdu."
Lady Nan sighed, "Do you remember the steward from the Imperial Advisor"s Hall, the one with the surname Liao? The one we asked for a favor to sneak you into the Imperial Advisor"s Hall?"
Gu Jiao recalled, "The one who got kicked out by the horse king?"
Lady Nan said, "Yes, him. He was once an outer disciple of the Tang Sect and knew us. I think he leaked my whereabouts to Qi Xuan. But I never expected Qi Xuan to come to Shengdu. This is against the Tang Sect"s rules. Since the previous sect leader, the Tang Sect has not easily involved itself in worldly affairs."
Suddenly, Lady Nan thought of a possibility.Raz P."s Thoughts
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succ.u.mb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don"t abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn"t finished his lines yet though…