This night seemed exceptionally long.
And many things had happened.
From Xu Sheng treating Zhu Yuexi, to completing the cooperation with Xu Sheng…
And now, with Mo Ruxue waking up once more, the long night still hadn’t passed.
She was lying on the floor bedding, with Zhu Yuexi sleeping soundly beside her, hugging a pillow.
The corner of the other girl’s mouth seemed to carry a faint, elusive curve, as if she had encountered something sweet in her dreams.
If possible, Mo Ruxue wished Zhu Yuexi could always smile like this.
Everything she herself had experienced was nothing.
In truth, it couldn’t really be called utterly despairing…
Mo Ruxue recalled everything that had just happened, feeling hazy as if she were in a dream.
But Mo Ruxue knew none of this could be false.
She still remembered the last words Xu Sheng had said to her.
What exactly was this so-called ‘reward’…?
Mo Ruxue was indeed curious.
Based on everything Xu Sheng had revealed so far, the inherent value of the reward he mentioned naturally went without saying.
Taking a step back, even if the reward Xu Sheng mentioned wasn’t material, but on another level…
Thinking of this, Mo Ruxue’s face flushed red again.
She reached out her hand, gently touching the spot on her neck where Xu Sheng had just left a ‘strawberry’.
She knew that if Zhu Yuexi woke up now, she would definitely notice the abnormality on her neck.
And after noticing…
Would Zhu Yuexi recognize what this was?
Although Mo Ruxue could guarantee that Zhu Yuexi had never had any contact with a man, children these days… even without experiencing it themselves, they might have seen it.
If Zhu Yuexi recognized it and grew suspicious, how should she explain herself?
But Xu Sheng’s so-called reward…
Mo Ruxue inexplicably thought of the scene just moments ago, when Xu Sheng lowered his head and slowly drew close to her.
If she hadn’t dodged that kiss earlier, what kind of relationship would she and Xu Sheng have now?
And would that reward… perhaps be linked to that kiss again?
Realizing that the reward she secretly longed for in her heart was actually for Xu Sheng to kiss her again, Mo Ruxue’s heart began to race wildly.
She took several deep breaths. The cold wind from the river, mixed with the scent of peach blossoms, still couldn’t calm her down.
…
“Please rise, you two. A quarter of an hour from now, it will be time for the morning meal.”
Early the next morning, Li Qingqing knocked on Mo Ruxue and Zhu Yuexi’s door, reminding them of breakfast.
For cultivators, naturally, there was no such thing as poor mental state due to lack of rest.
So just from their condition, Zhu Yuexi couldn’t see anything unusual about Mo Ruxue.
But…
“Huh?”
Zhu Yuexi looked at Mo Ruxue with some confusion, letting out a surprised sound.
In that moment, Mo Ruxue’s heart felt like it had leaped into her throat.
Zhu Yuexi leaned closer to Mo Ruxue, her eyes carefully examining Mo Ruxue’s neck.
“Could there really be mosquitoes or insects in Xu Sheng’s residence?”
Zhu Yuexi reached out and lightly tapped Mo Ruxue’s neck, confirming it wasn’t some rouge that had gotten on her, but that Mo Ruxue’s skin itself was flushed red.
Hearing Zhu Yuexi’s words, Mo Ruxue’s previously held breath quietly eased.
It seemed Yuexi didn’t recognize this ‘strawberry’.
In that case, Mo Ruxue could casually tell a lie to brush her off.
Mo Ruxue had never been fond of lying. In her sense of right and wrong, wrong was wrong, right was right. If you did something wrong, you stood straight and took your punishment. There was simply no need for lies in life.
But that didn’t mean she was foolish. Not lying didn’t mean she couldn’t lie.
She merely spoke calmly:
“This acupuncture point is related to the cultivation technique I’ve been practicing these past days. Yesterday, I observed that the qi and blood nourishment brought by this technique was too abundant, so I specifically used this point to release it. That’s why it looks like a bruise on my neck.”
Mo Ruxue’s explanation was flawless.
For Zhu Yuexi, who truly didn’t recognize a ‘strawberry’, or even if she had heard of it, would never connect it to her own master, there was indeed no reason to question this explanation.
“Then you must be careful, Master.”
Zhu Yuexi just casually advised, as for Mo Ruxue, it was impossible for her to make mistakes in matters of cultivation.
Knowing she had gotten away with it, the stone hanging in Mo Ruxue’s heart fell.
It had been risky enough. It was actually a high-stakes gamble. The Mo Ruxue of the past absolutely wouldn’t have had the courage for such a gamble, but this time, for some reason, she had been able to act this way.
Was she really craving that gift?
Fortunately, Mo Ruxue had won the gamble.
In that instant, she even felt a faint anticipation of Xu Sheng seeing the ‘strawberry’ on her neck during the meal later.
If at first it was just curiosity about the so-called gift, now she was genuinely starting to look forward to the gift.
…
For cultivators, who inherently possessed pure bodies, plus some convenient cleansing techniques, the two of them were washed up in just a few minutes.
Mo Ruxue walked ahead, pushing open the door first.
Li Qingqing was still waiting outside the door.
At first, Mo Ruxue hadn’t noticed, but upon closer look, she realized…
On Li Qingqing’s neck, there was clearly an identical ‘strawberry’.
In that moment, Mo Ruxue froze in place.
And Li Qingqing was looking at Mo Ruxue with a smiling expression.
“Since you are ready, please follow me, honored guests.”
With that, Li Qingqing turned to lead the way.
It was then that Zhu Yuexi poked her head out from behind, looking at Li Qingqing’s back. She muttered quietly:
“I always feel there’s a certain air of pride about her even when she’s acting as a servant…”
But Mo Ruxue couldn’t hear these words at all.
The ‘strawberry’ on Li Qingqing’s neck was exactly the same as the one on her own.
What was Li Qingqing’s identity?
Xu Sheng’s servant.
The origin of this red mark naturally needed no further explanation.
In that instant, a multitude of complex emotions flooded Mo Ruxue’s mind.
On one hand, deep inside, she felt a twinge of sourness and stifling gloom.
Mo Ruxue remembered very clearly that Li Qingqing’s neck had been completely clean yesterday.
But today…
And in Xu Sheng’s residence, only Xu Sheng and Li Qingqing had appeared so far.
The origin of this red mark was obvious.
Yes… what Xu Sheng had said yesterday was for her to serve as a maid or servant. Wasn’t Li Qingqing’s identity also that of Xu Sheng’s servant?
And furthermore…
If Yuexi asked about the origin of this red mark, and the other party answered truthfully, not only would her own lie be exposed, but it would at the very least deeply arouse Yuexi’s suspicion.
If Yuexi found out what she was like in private…
Mo Ruxue didn’t dare imagine it, nor could she.
“Let’s go, Master.”
Zhu Yuexi gently reminded Mo Ruxue from behind.
Only then did Mo Ruxue react, though she was still somewhat distracted. She nodded and walked in Li Qingqing’s direction.
Zhu Yuexi stood behind Mo Ruxue, unable to see her expression, and didn’t harbor much suspicion. She just looked at Li Qingqing’s retreating back in the distance and rolled her eyes fiercely.
…
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