Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âAre you shy?â Ye Jiuge did not expect Ye Yu to be so naive. Suddenly, she had the urge to tease him.
She was going to imitate the idle sons of wealthy families and grasp Ye Yuâs chin to flirt with him when Zi Shangâs frosty voice warned, âI would like to see you try and touch him.â
Flirting with other men in front of him! Did she take him for a dead demon?
Tch! Life was so dull with a demon on her back. Zi Shangâs constant presence was affecting Ye Jiugeâs desire to indulge in lifeâs pleasures!
âIf you wish to indulge in lifeâs pleasures, I will accompany you to the end.â Zi Shang decided that, next time, he would satisfy her completely.
Ye Jiuge sensed that things were amiss, so she did not respond to Zi Shang on that subject. She silently took out the small book, where she had recorded the technique, and asked Ye Yu, âCan you read this yourself?â
âI can!â Ye Yu lifted his hand slowly and accepted the book from her.
A line of large words written with powerful brushstrokes appeared before his eyes: âTriple Cleansing With One Breath.â The handwriting was firm yet gentle. It exuded an air that commanded reverence.
Ye Yu lifted his head in astonishment and asked Ye Jiuge, âDid you write this?â Ladies usually wrote in an elegant style and small font. He had never seen a young lady whose handwriting was bolder than a manâs.
âOf course!â Ye Jiuge nodded.
She had trained herself to write this way on purpose so that she could be worthy of her name, âBrother Jiu.â
Ye Yu could not help but smile. Ye Jiuge was becoming more interesting. When he first met her, heâd thought that she was an unattractive girl blinded by lust. But when he encountered her again, heâd found out that she was an extremely talented Alchemist. Now, he was discovering that she was also a peculiar lady who was unconcerned with trivial matters. Ye Jiuge was full of mysteries, waiting for him to unravel slowly.
âDo not fall head over heels in love with me. I am merely a legend. Concentrate on practicing your technique!â Ye Jiuge joked.
Ye Yu smiled again. Then, he focused his attention on reading her book of techniques. He was immediately captivated by the remarkable methods detailed in the book. When Ye Jiuge saw that Ye Yu was completely immersed, she left the room.
Ye Ruyi, meanwhile, was still unconscious. After Ye Jiuge informed Qing Mama about where she was going, she discreetly carried Ye Ruyi to Wan Ziyang and Bai Songlingâs residence.
As soon as Bai Songling saw Ye Jiuge, he smiled at her slyly like a fox, âI predicted that you would come to find us today.â
âOlder Brother Bai, you are indeed very sharp,â Ye Jiuge replied, grinning. âBy the way, what happened to Qiu Mama?â
After Qiu Mama died, Ye Yuxuan sent her body back to her original home in a shabby coffin. Even if Ye Jiuge wanted to perform an autopsy, it wasnât possible.
âBy the time we found Qiu Desheng, the Su Clan had already killed him. Qiu Mama was out, so she escaped unscathed. But when she found out that her son was dead, she became hell-bent on avenging him. For that reason, she asked me for one poisonous pill. She wanted to incriminate Su Yufeng by dragging her into the muck.â Bai Songling let out a small sigh.
Qiu Mama had pledged her loyalty to Su Yufeng for her sonâs sake and stabbed Ye Yuxuan and Fifth Concubine in the back. Hence, she could no longer remain at the Ye Residence. She might as well die to avoid any future repercussions.
âThe Su Clan is really cold-blooded. Theyâd commit murder at the drop of a hat to prevent someone from divulging their secrets. Theyâve shown a blatant disregard for human life.â Ye Jiuge recalled the time when sheâd visited Zuiyun Pavilion, and Lady Yun had almost killed her.
âTheir ruthlessness is precisely why we keep failing to acquire information that can be used against them,â Wan Ziyang said gravely.
âJustice will prevail. The guilty will not be able to escape the long arm of the law. Eventually, they will have to suffer the consequences for their misdeeds,â Bai Songling said confidently. âThe Su Clan has committed so many crimes, their lives canât be smooth sailing forever.â
âBrother Bai is right,â Ye Jiuge concurred. âActually, I came here because I wanted to ask you both for a favor.â
âIf you need anything from us, feel free to let us know. You donât have to be so formal,â Bai Songling said with a smile.
âAs you are aware, I am in an awkward position. It was really inappropriate for me to bring Fourth Sister home. Therefore, I want to ask you to step in and state that you rescued her from the Su Clan.â
Ye Yuxuan was an inherently paranoid person. If Ye Jiuge were the one to bring Ye Ruyi home, he would suspect that she was the one who had plotted the whole kidnapping incident. Things would turn out altogether differently if Wan Ziyang and Bai Songling returned Ye Ruyi to the Ye Residence. The two men from the Justice Department had outstanding reputations. They were famous for their strict impartiality and incorruptibility. Not only that, they had been investigating and tracking down the missing young girls. It would not be surprising for them to come across Ye Ruyi while working on the case.
Of course, in this matter, they would not be representing the Justice Department. Wan Ziyang and Bai Songling had to visit Ye Yuxuan privately. On the one hand, Ye Yuxuan would owe them a favor. On the other, they could also protect Ye Ruyiâs reputation. After Su Yufengâs scene earlier, Ye Ruyiâs excellent reputation was almost nonexistent. But if they could salvage it even a little bit, that would be better than nothing!
âAlright,â Wan Ziyang agreed without hesitation.
âEldest Miss, I feel that it would be for the best if you woke up Fourth Miss first and told her the whole story,â Bai Songling said.
He was the more thoughtful of the two. He was worried that, as a young girl, Ye Ruyi would wrongly assume that two adult men had saved her. In the future, this would be a sore spot in her heart.
âAlright,â Ye Jiuge agreed.
She could forgo the credit for saving Ye Ruyi. However, if Ye Ruyi did not know who had saved her, how could she repay her debt of gratitude in the future?
âIn that case, we will leave first and make ourselves scarce.â Bai Songling stood up and walked out of the room with Wan Ziyang.
Ye Jiuge propped up Ye Ruyi on a chair and fed her a pill to help her regain consciousness. Ye Ruyi swallowed it, and her eyelashes moved slightly. Then, she slowly opened her eyes.
âFourth Sister!â Ye Jiuge called out softly.
At first, as Ye Ruyiâs eyes cracked open, she felt slightly bewildered. Then, something occurred to her. She wrapped her arms around herself and let out a shrill, panicked scream, âGo away, go away!â
âFourth Sister, itâs me!â Ye Jiuge hugged her at once. She was instantly baffled.
Before, when Qing Mama had helped Ye Ruyi clean her body with a cloth, she had examined her and was sure that the girl had not been abused. Not only that, she was still a virgin. So why was she still reacting in this way?
âEldest Sister, why are you here?â Ye Ruyi felt as if she were in a dream.
âFoolish girl, this is my friendsâ place. I came to your rescue.â Ye Jiuge caressed Ye Ruyiâs forehead. It was as cold as ice.
Ye Ruyi looked around and saw that she was no longer in that extremely dark basement. Her Eldest Sisterâs sweet scent lingered on her nose. The putrid, foul odor of blood was gone. She had finally left that terrifying place.
âFourth Sister, listen to me...â Ye Jiuge told Ye Ruyi how Fifth Concubine had been incriminated and imprisoned for engaging in a clandestine love affair and how sheâd devised a stratagem to prove her innocence. Then, Ye Jiuge told the girl how sheâd dragged down Su Yufeng, who had, consequently, been shipped off to the ancestral shrine. In the end, Ye Jiuge said, âTo avoid raising Fatherâs suspicions, Iâve asked my two friends who work for the Justice Department to take you home. This will make it easier for us to expose the Su Clanâs wicked schemes.â
âAlright.â Ye Ruyi nodded vigorously. Tears kept streaming down her face. âEldest Sister, if only I had listened to your advice before.â
âFoolish girl, do not mention the past anymore. Just be more cautious in the future.â Ye Jiuge patted her small head.
âYes!â Ye Ruyi nodded with all her might. In this lifetime, she would not trust anyone other than Eldest Sister ever again.