Chapter 576 - 576: Going Back on Words

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

As night fell, the room grew dim.

Wu Yaqing placed the tray on the table, lit a candle, walked over to the bed, and gently patted Third Master Lu’s face, “Wake up, wake up…”

Having slept for a long time, Third Master Lu was easily roused by Wu Yaqing’s gentle touch.

Opening his eyes, he saw Wu Yaqing’s face, fair with a blush, almond eyes, and rosy cheeks, youthful and beautiful.

For a moment, he was stunned, but everything happened so quickly that no one saw it.

“Why are you here?” Third Master Lu’s voice was hoarse, as if tinged with a rasp, subtly captivating.

Wu Yaqing, embarrassed to admit she came specifically to care for him, quickly said, “Brother Tang’s family was short-handed, so they asked me to help.”

Third Master Lu was a bit groggy and didn’t think much about it, smiling faintly, “Thank you.”

Wu Yaqing turned to fetch the medicine, “Can you drink this?”

Third Master Lu slowly sat up and drank the entire bowl of medicine, then found something sweet stuffed into his mouth.

He raised his head slightly and looked at Wu Yaqing in shock. “What did you feed me?”

He thought about spitting it out to see, but that seemed too fussy.

Wu Yaqing casually said, “Sugar. Every time I was sick, my mother would give me a sugar cube after medicine, so it wouldn’t taste bitter.”

Third Master Lu licked the sugar in his mouth, the sweetness spreading, quickly dispelling the bitterness.

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” Wu Yaqing waved her hand. “I’ve cooked silver fungus and lotus seed porridge for you. It looks and tastes great. Do you want some?”

Third Master Lu, looking at Wu Yaqing’s caring eyes, nodded, “Okay.”

Wu Yaqing fetched the porridge bowl and handed it to Third Master Lu, “Try it, I guarantee it’s delicious.”

Third Master Lu looked down at the bowl. The fragrance wafted to his nostrils, tempting and promising of good taste, but he felt a pang of sourness in his heart… It had been a long time since someone had cooked porridge specifically for him.

He took the bowl, then said, “Lu Yichen.”

Wu Yaqing was confused.

“What does that mean?”

Lu Yichen looked at Wu Yaqing and patiently repeated, “My name, Lu Yichen.”

This was the first time he had voluntarily revealed his name to a woman.

“Oh-” Wu Yaqing acknowledged, but then she became conflicted, wondering whether she should tell him her real name.

Wu Yaqing sat by the bed, lost in her own thoughts and conflicts.

Lu Yichen felt a bit awkward. He didn’t look at Wu Yaqing, and thus didn’t notice her increasingly furrowed brows.

Suddenly, Wu Yaqing seemed to have thought of something. She got up abruptly and ran out of the room, heading straight back to the Chu Residence.

Lu Yichen was left bewildered.

In the Chu Residence.

Chu Qingzhi was preparing for her trip to the black market when suddenly the door was knocked on. After sensing who it was, she said, “Come in.”

Wu Yaqing quickly entered the room, then swiftly shut the door, leaning against it with a conflicted expression on her face.

Chu Qingzhi looked at her curiously, “Weren’t you going to take care of Third Master Lu? Why did you come back?”

Wu Yaqing looked up at Chu Qingzhi, “Qingzhi, Third Master Lu woke up. He even told me his name.”

Chu Qingzhi turned to look at her and smiled, “That’s good news.”

Wu Yaqing appeared troubled, “Should 1 tell him my name?”

Realizing what was bothering her, Chu Qingzhi couldn’t help but smile wryly, “If you want to tell him, then do it. If not, it’s fine either way.”

After pondering for a moment, Wu Yaqing said, “Then 1 know what to do.”

Seeing Chu Qingzhi’s attire for the night, she asked curiously, “Are you going out tonight?”

Chu Qingzhi nodded, “I have something to do.”

Wu Yaqing expressed concern, “Then be careful, there are many bad people out there.”

“Okay.”

Under a starlit night.

Chu Qingzhi, dressed in her night attire and masked, met up with Tang Jinghong, and they headed towards the black market.

They were lucky; the black market was already open when they arrived.

Tang Jinghong handed a black cloak to Chu Qingzhi, “Put this on, and let’s go in.”

“Okay.”

They entered the black market and found a rooftop overlooking the entrance to sit and keep watch.

The night breeze was gentle, bringing a hint of coolness.

After a while, Chu Qingzhi and Tang Jinghong saw Yuan Hongjun and Bao Linjiang arrive, also wearing black cloaks. However, their familiar figures were easily recognizable to those who knew them well.

After entering the black market, they headed straight to a small stall selling medicinal herbs.

The stall, laid out on the ground with just a cloth, was quite simple, but it didn’t affect business. Many people were gathered around the stall, which was selling various items like bezoar, tiger bone, bear bile, and more.

These items could be sold at a high price here, so the vendors didn’t mind taking some risks to bring their goods to the market.

“How much for this catnip musk?” Yuan Hongjun picked up a small brown object from the stall. From its color and fragrance, it was of high quality and worth purchasing.

Catnip musk can also be used to treat bone fractures. Chu Qingzhi had asked them to collect medicinal herbs for Yan Yixian’s surgery, and though they had already gathered everything, this high-quality catnip musk was a rare find and too good to miss.

The vendor was straightforward, “You name the price.”

Yuan Hongjun held up a finger, “How about ten taels for one piece?”

The vendor laughed, “Are you joking? Ten taels for my top-quality catnip musk? That’s too cheap.”

Yuan Hongjun smiled, “Then fifteen taels. Is that okay?”

After a moment of hesitation, the vendor agreed, “Alright, then.”

Suddenly, a man hurried over. “Wait, I’ll pay 20 taels. Sell them all to me.”

Yuan Hongjun frowned, “We already agreed on a price.”

But the vendor lacked any sense of moral obligation, “We agreed, but you haven’t paid yet, so it’s not a done deal.”

The man added, “Exactly, the deal is only final once payment is made.”

Yuan Hongjun was extremely annoyed, “How can you go back on your word like this? And according to the black market rules, when a deal is being made, others can’t interrupt or outbid. That’s the rule.”

The man arrogantly retorted, “What rules? I only know that if 1 offer a higher price, he has to sell it to me.”

“What’s going on here?” A group of people managing the black market approached.

Yuan Hongjun explained, “This vendor agreed on a price with me and then sold it to someone who offered more.”

“Is that so?” The leader turned to the vendor.

“No, no, it’s just a misunderstanding,” the vendor hastily denied, overwhelmed by the imposing presence of the leader.

“Follow the rules of the black Market, or you won’t be allowed in again,” the leader said sternly before leaving with his group..