Chapter 52: Explosive Drama

  One head knocks against the mountain and makes a loud noise, without giving in.

  Everyone in the courtyard seemed to have been knocked down by this blow, or slapped with a loud slap or burst of thunder, standing there stiffly, motionless.

  Tai Shi Lan lowered his head and looked at the old man's shiny back, knife-cut-like.

  "You've figured it out, have you?" she said.

  Cao Fuzi was also a clever person, and as soon as he heard it, he understood that she didn't want her heterodox abilities to be discovered. He nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I understand now. Not having talent is no big deal, character is the most important thing. Someone like you, who is elegant and refined, extraordinary and determined, with a brilliant aura and unlimited charm, a natural-born leader... even if old Cao had to burn incense for eight lifetimes, he would still be lucky to meet someone like you! Even if it means sacrificing his life and leaving no descendants, he absolutely cannot let this opportunity slip by!"

  "Ah——" Hua Xun followed over to watch the play, his eyes wide with surprise as he gasped for air. "Old Cao, who couldn't even fart loudly in eight lifetimes, is actually spouting nonsense!"

  "Uh-huh." Tai Shi Kan nodded slightly, took off the chamber pot from his head and threw it away, saying, "I'll go to class tomorrow."

  Lao Cao's tears came pouring down and pattered into the chamber pot.

  Lao Cao left with a nose full of snot and eyes full of tears, the students were still unaware, secretly laughing, a group of teaching assistants who followed, their faces slowly turned serious, exchanging glances.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't take this farce to heart, Lao Cao's reaction was within her expectations. Whoever has waited for many years for an opportunity and can see the dawn of completing their task will be overjoyed and won't care about anything else.

  She returned to the house, where the blue glaze was still floating in the bucket. Two maids were giving him a bath. The little rascal's eyes sparkled as he gazed at the maid's chest. One of the maids lifted him out of the bucket, and the little scamp's wet head immediately leaned towards a certain soft, warm, and fragrant place.

  I rubbed... I rubbed... I kept rubbing...

  Tai Shi Lan looked at him calmly and quietly, after a while, she beckoned to the maid, who came over. She whispered a few words in her ear, and the maid's face turned slightly red as she stared with wide eyes: "This... isn't right, is it?"

  "Do as I say."

  The maid went out and came back after a while, changed into a low-cut thin dress, with half of her snow-white and plump chest exposed. The Southern Qi dynasty was known for its open-mindedness, and the clothing of the ladies-in-waiting was often quite revealing. It seemed normal enough, but when the little rascal on the bed saw it, his eyes immediately lit up.

  "We'll go out for a walk later, let Yin'er keep you company while you sleep." Taishi Lan pointed to the maid.

  Jingtai blue usually sleeps with Ta Shi Lan, but today he's in a good mood, his big head nodding quickly, staring at Ta Shi Lan as she leaves, then giggling and pouncing on Yin Yue Er.

  Tai Shi Lan stood outside the door, leaning against the wall, silently counting in her mind: one, two, three...

  "Waaa..." A cry of despair suddenly rang out.

  Tai Shi Lan entered the house, Yin Ya'er had already gotten up, her face was awkward, she muttered an apology, Jing Tai Lan sat on the bed wailing loudly, her small mouth bright red and dripping with tears, as red as a chili pepper.

  Yes, and you can also smell the flavor of chili peppers.

  Tai Shi Lan looked at Yin Ya'er with satisfaction, not bad, quite diligent.

  "Spicy... spicy..." Jing Tai Lan burst into tears, covering her mouth with her hands, and accusingly pointed at Yin Yue Er.

  "She won't serve?" Tai Shi Lan nodded, "Call Yu Yao'er over."

  Yu Rou came over, wearing a thin dress and holding Jing Tai Lan in her warm arms. She comforted him for a long time, then fed him a big cup of water until the little scamp stopped crying and smiled again. This time, Jing Tai Lan didn't dare to speak out of turn, he just leaned against Yu Rou tightly. After crying for a while, he got tired, rubbed his eyes with both hands, and spoke in a low voice. Yu Rou took advantage of the situation and followed Ta Shi Lan's instructions, holding him as he fell asleep.

  Before she knew it, Jing Tai Lan had rolled over and into Yu Rou's arms, closing her eyes as her small hands instinctively pinched the usual spot.

  Tai Shi Lan stood in the shadows with her arms crossed over her chest.

  Jing Tai's hand fell on his favorite spot, and he smacked his lips contentedly in his sleep. He then snuggled into Yu Yao's arms, his fingers tightening slightly.

  After a while, he turned over.

  This time, however, it didn't flip over, and his fingers seemed... stuck to something...

  Jing Tai Blue opened his eyes, and his big eyes with a faint baby blue were full of confusion, tentatively withdrawing his hand.

  Huh......can't draw out.

  Yu Ya'er's face turned red as she covered her chest with her hand, it was so hard and hurt strangely.

  Jingtai blue is again excellent.

  Can't pull it out.

  It seems like my hand is really stuck.

  The little rascal was flustered this time, opening his eyes to search for Tai Shi Lan everywhere. At a glance, he saw that the heartless mother who had recognized him halfway was standing opposite him, hugging her arms and staring at him expressionlessly.

  Facing Jing Tai's blue, pleading gaze, Ta Shi Lan raised his chin, "Feel, continue to feel."

  "Hey......hey......" The little rascal knew he was in trouble, so today he got a beating. He quickly changed his expression to a pitiful and loving one, softened his voice tenfold, and called out in a spoiled tone.

  Unfortunately, his few moves were far from enough to deal with Qi Bao Ta Shi Lan. Ta Shi Lan remained unmoved, "Let you touch once and be satisfied, continue."

  "No...!" Jing Tai's mouth flattened, he found that not only his paws were stuck, but also Yu Ya'er's vest had a pocket designed on it. When he reached in, the pocket was closed and he couldn't pull out at all.

  "You like staying here, then stay here." Tai Shi said calmly, "Sleep."

  Jingtai Lan couldn't help it, and after being with Tai Shi for a while, she knew that this half-road mother was a ruthless person, a decisive master who didn't mince words. The word "soft-hearted" wasn't in her dictionary. There was no way out, thinking that continuing to pretend to be asleep wouldn't make a big difference, and she would be let out soon anyway. So she pouted and continued sleeping.

  After sleeping for a while, the large cup of water started to take effect, and he began to toss about, "pee... pee..."

  "Then go pee," said Taishi Lan.

  Jingtai Lan's hands were trapped and she couldn't get up, so she pushed Yu Yuer. Yu Yuer wanted to get up, but was frozen in place by a single glance from Tai Shi Lan.

  Ordinary people would be killed by Tai Shi Lan's gaze, so Yu Rou had no choice but to close her eyes and pretend to sleep.

  Jingtai Lan's urine was getting more and more urgent, wanting to sleep but couldn't, pushing Yu Yuer again but couldn't wake her up, anxious and flushed red in the face, on the verge of tears. Crying and looking at Tai Shi Lan, "Lan...Lan...I want to pee..."

  Tai Shi Lan thought it was about time, holding back urine is bad for the body, this kind of punishment should be enough to make Jing Tai Lan remember.

  "Good." She walked closer to Jing Tai Lan, "Do you think there's something you need to tell me?"

  "Don't touch... don't touch anymore..." Jing Tai Lan said sorrowfully.

  Tai Shi Lan shook his head.

  "I'm just telling you," she said, "it's nothing to touch a woman, but you have to wait until you have enough ability to touch; touching a woman is not a big deal, but if you can't get it off, you can't pull it down."

  Jingtai blue hummed, seemingly understanding yet not quite comprehending as he listened.

  "Everyone needs the opposite sex, but no need to indulge, because there are more important things to do." Tai Shi Lan hinted at Yu Yaoer to untie the bag, wipe off the adhesive with a wet towel, and personally hug Jing Tai Lan to set him free. "Successful people are not subjective or exclusive about anything, nor are they easily obsessed with anything."

  "Ah... Ah..." Jing Tai Lan, feeling carefree and relaxed, hugged her neck and murmured, "She said... women are good things... all women are mine... I want to do whatever I want... and they'll do it..."

  "Who is she?" Ta Shi Lan stared at Jing Tai Lan, her eyes dark and deep.

  Jingtai Lan pouted her mouth, playing with her hair, and stopped talking.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't ask again, and carried him back to sleep. Jing Tai Lan had been tossing and turning for half the night and was also tired. As soon as he got into bed, he fell fast asleep. This time, he didn't require any maids, nor did he need to hold onto a breast in order to fall asleep. He wrapped himself tightly in his quilt and went to sleep.

  Two maidservants cleaned the house with a pail of pale green water and then withdrew. This was Rong Chu's requirement, to use this kind of water to wipe walls and wash floors every day. Nobody knew what that water was, but they all thought it was probably some refined concoction used by the noble duke to freshen the air. Taishi Lan smelled a slightly bitter odor, but it wasn't unpleasant, so he didn't bother to ask about it.

  Tai Shi Lan and the other maidservants went out, sat on the edge of the bed, gazed at Jing Tai's sleeping face, tucked in his quilt, but didn't feel like sleeping herself. She quietly got up and went out, leaned against the wall, and gazed at the cold crescent moon hanging in the sky.

  Her mind was still lingering on Jing Tai Lan's last sentence.

  Who is she?

  She is probably the real relative of Jingdezhen ceramics.

  But are they ignorant and mediocre relatives who don't understand children's education, or are they relatives with ulterior motives?

  "What you just said is great." A sudden voice beside her ear said, "I like it very much."

  A faint scent of wine wafts over, carrying a hint of the fragrance of Chinese angelica and osmanthus, with a slight tickling sensation on the ear, caused by the gentle brushing of each other's hair.

  "You've had too much to drink." Taishi Lan said.

  "You just said..." Rong Chu smiled lowly, "touching a woman is nothing special, but you have to wait until you have enough ability to touch, do you think... my ability is enough?"

  The bamboo forest in front of him rustled and whispered, and his laughter blended with it in a strange harmony, low, soulful, and full of resonance. The moonlight brushed a layer of pale silver light on the tips of the bamboos, and he smiled in the silvery green shadows, as bright and mysterious as the bamboo itself.

  "You can try if you're enough." Tai Shi Lan didn't move, slightly tilting his head to avoid his breath, "Also, take your hand off the acupoint on my waist."

  "I don't want to let go." A warm breath swept across the back of her neck, "Do you know that sometimes a woman's stubbornness can also spark a man's interest? The more she resolutely refuses, the more he wants to see her yield."

  "It's not just that." Tao Shi said, "You also want to force a kiss, knock down, occupy and take by force."

  Just as his lips were about to touch the back of her neck, someone stopped him.

  "Tai Shi Lan," he said with a sigh after a while, "You're really good at spoiling the mood."

  "Thank you for the compliment," she said.

  "I've been hit." He fell down, and coincidentally fell on her back of the neck, "Need some comfort..."

  The words behind were buried in the back of her neck, and the sound was not clear, the moisture between her lips seeped into her skin, as if it were a kiss repeated over and over again.

  Taishi's hair stood on end, and his eyes gleamed with a fierce light.

  This scoundrel is pretending to be drunk!

  She really wanted to turn around, lift her knee, ninety degrees high bounce, with hard kneecap, greet his soft sponge body.

  Unfortunately, her entire back and lower limbs were numb, and she finally understood the legendary "dian xue".

  It's indeed a must-have trick for home travel and taking sisters by force.

  "Li Fu Zhou should have drowned you." she said.

  "He's no match for me, he's already drunk to death." He smiled, not actually touching her skin, but close enough to make a slight movement, using his moist breath to call out her reaction. As he spoke, the sweet wine fumes wafted up, and that one piece of pale honey-colored crystal clear skin slightly rose with a sheen of water, like the misty water vapor on the outside of a crystal wine glass, blurry and indistinct.

  He smiled, and his eyes sparkled with a soft light. "Tai Shi Lan, for the first time I've discovered that women aren't just beautiful because their skin is as white as snow..."

  "Uh-huh," Tai Shi nodded, "Men's skin is as fair as snow, just like women's."

  Rong Chu stiffened again, took a deep breath after a while, and said strangely: "Are you intentionally annoying me to ruin my rare mood?"

  "Mood? Don't insult mood." Taishi Lan said, "In your heart, apart from lust, I don't see anything else."

  Another moment of silence, Rong Chu seemed to take a deep breath again, and suddenly found the new continent generally low and laughed: "Okay, you say it, the more ruthless you are, the more fragrant I smell, the more fragrant I smell, the more...". His fingers slowly moved up and gently rested on her neck, "...the more my heart beats."

  Tai Shi Lan laughed and snorted with her nose, and all the provinces were gone.

  However, she didn't want to talk anymore. The scenery was ruined and so were the feelings. A certain someone had poor drinking habits and would climb on top of her face with just a little bit of wine. This person also had a similar temperament as hers, being stubborn and not giving in to persuasion or coercion, everything depended on their mood, and if they weren't careful, it could backfire.

  It's just... can't help but admit it... this sissy... is indeed a master of flirting.

  The slightest movement, plucks the most tender heartstrings.

  Her heart is still, but her emotions have slightly risen, it's not love, it's spring feelings.

  At the age of twenty-one, after all, it's a good time, even if born with a cold temperament, some things have never been taken seriously, but in this kind of wine-filled warmth and gentle teasing, over time, it's hard to avoid being slightly moved, like mountain winds blowing across an icy lake, bringing the peach blossoms' spring colors from outside the mountains, or perhaps the rigid white snow-covered rocks, illuminated by the dawn light, revealing a faint reddish tint.

  Rongchu's gaze also fell on that faint redness, and suddenly his heart was moved, unable to look away.

  Originally... seeing that cold and unyielding person, suddenly melting like snow, having an overwhelming feeling that can't be had in ordinary times. Like entering the pass from the vast desert outside, hearing the soft murmurs amidst the camel bells, seeing the spring light of ten thousand miles, can't help but want to worship.

  The fingers placed on her neck couldn't help but move slightly upwards, wanting to touch the lips that were usually pressed into a tight line, and see if they had been lifted by his charming smile.

  His fingertips had just reached her lips when he suddenly felt a pain, and he reacted extremely quickly, raising his hand to tap on her cheek.

  "Ah!" Rong Chu shouted, raising his eyes to look at Tai Shi Lan. Sure enough, the mother black leopard was pinching his fingertips with its teeth, ready to bite down hard. If Rong Chu hadn't timely pressed her acupoints, he would probably have had to change his name to Nine-Fingered Freak later on.

  "This pose is beautifully strange." Rong Chu didn't withdraw his hand, and leisurely admired Tai Shi Lan's expression as he sucked on his finger with a cold gaze downwards, finding it very captivating.

  Tai Shi Lan thought that among all the men in the world, he was the most despicable.

  Neither let her bite off your fingers nor spit them out; if she wants to spit, she has to use the tip of her tongue...

  At this moment, the man slightly leaned forward in front of her, a pair of eyes with a hint of wine smiled up at her, wonderfully clear and profound, that slight curve, beautifully drawn as if by a divine brush.

  Tai Shi Lan however only wanted to use the Nine Yin White Bone Claw to shift this head into a different dimension.

  She simply closed her eyes and remained still, like a zombie.

  A gentleman takes revenge, even after ten years it's not too late.

  She remembered.

  Rong Chu smiled again, he seemed to laugh especially after drinking, leaned in close, and gently blew on her ear, one blow after another.

  "It's too cold... Let me warm it up for you... Look, isn't this more beautiful?" Tai Shi Lan suddenly felt a pain in his earlobe, followed by a chill, as if something had been put on him.

  Earrings?

  Tai Shi Lan subconsciously frowned, she hated accessories and decided to throw it away later.

  "Don't think about taking it off." Rong Chu guessed her thoughts, "This is not an earring, this is the shed skin of a rare insect from Wuyue. It's said that this insect is born on the body of a dragon, bathed in heavenly wind and lightning, and is naturally divine. After death, its body turns into deep red agate, which can repair meridians and improve skeletal function. The herbs that Hua Xunhuan told you could help you recover are actually just the liquid that this insect secretes under those plants when it's alive, and compared to the effect of the insect itself, it's like heaven and earth. You're wearing it, and after a while, it will grow together with your muscles and blood vessels. You won't be able to take it off even if you want to."

  Tai Shi Lan didn't speak, Rong Chu smiled again, "This is a pair, and there's another one. Maybe someday you'll put it on for me..." He lifted the hair by her ear, narrowed his eyes to take a closer look, nodded in satisfaction, "Wearing just one is also quite charming. Alright, that's enough for today."

  Tai Shi suddenly felt a kind of endless and unrelenting regret...

  Rong Chu finished talking to herself, patted her face, and said softly: "That photography, you don't have to learn." After finishing speaking, she turned around and left. Tai Shi Lan didn't remember until after a while that photography was something Old Cao had once mentioned wanting to teach her, but she had refused. As soon as she thought of this, she stopped paying attention, and her acupoints were already unblocked.

  Before she realized it, Rong Chu had already undressed and fallen asleep, causing Ta Shi Lan to miss the best opportunity for revenge...

  After standing still for a while, waiting for the red tide and hatred to subside slightly, Tai Shi Lan was about to turn around when he suddenly turned his head.

  Bamboo shadows sway, someone stands among the swaying bamboo shadows.

  If Rong Chu is the silver-white moonlight applied to the tip of the bamboo, shining with a pearl-like glow; Li Fu Zhou is that stalk of bamboo, straight and slender, yet also making one feel gentle and soothing.

  "Rong Chu said you're drunk to death." Tai Shi Lan raised an eyebrow, "It's clear who's actually drunk."

  Li Fu Zhou smiled but didn't speak, his gaze fell on her earlobe and then swept past.

  "He must get drunk whenever he drinks," he said. "However, no one knows whether he is really drunk or just pretending to be."

  Tai Shi's heart thought it was a matter of course to pretend to be drunk, so it was even more unforgivable.

  "You had too plain a dinner with Jing Tai Lan tonight." Li Fu Zhou sat down beside her, unwrapping a package of food, "Tomorrow we start our lessons, and meat is essential. I brought some for you."

  Inside the paper package are honey-glazed cha siu, drunken chicken, sauce beef, and braised goose. Each item is wrapped separately in clean mulberry bark paper, neat and tidy. Li Fu Zhou also thoughtfully prepared two pairs of chopsticks and a wet wipe.

  He wiped the chopsticks clean with a damp handkerchief and handed them to Tai Shi Lan, then magically produced a can of soup from behind his back. It was a light and refreshing bamboo shoot soup, fragrant and appetizing, steaming hot.

  Tai Shi remained silent, eating a piece of braised beef, thinking that Wen Zhen would surely exclaim "soulmate" at this moment and ask to be his girlfriend; Da Bo would immediately shout "good husband material" and seek to pounce on him, but would never marry; Jun Ke... Jun Ke's eyes were brimming with tears, lost in emotion.

  And she... was overcome with emotion, her eyes brimming over.

  She just has a little... concern for such family-like care and home-like feeling.

  "Although Old Cao has fallen on hard times, in fact those types of assistant instructors who came out of Li Jing are quite talented. Li Fu Zhou noticed she liked to eat sauce beef and pushed the paper wrapped beef towards her, 'Don't underestimate him, learn from him properly.'"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Don't take that camera of his as a joke." Li Fu Zhou's expression was calm, "Although you may not be suitable for cultivation, you can't learn martial arts, learning some unconventional self-defense skills is also good."

  Tai Shi Lan nodded slightly, but a hint of warning flashed through her mind - a joke-like "photography" that she didn't care about at all, Rong Chu and Li Fu Zhou both took the initiative to remind her, and even gave different warnings, what's wrong with this?

  At midnight, a gust of wind blew her short hair open, and Li Fu Zhou suddenly reached out and grasped the side of her face.

  Tai Shi Lan stopped moving.

  As she was still thinking about whether to shake him off, Li Fu Zhou, who had been quietly gazing at her earlobe, let out a soft sigh.

  Tai Shi Lan was taken aback for a moment when she heard this always smiling and gentle person sigh.

  "Some things," Li Fu Zhou gently tidied up her disheveled hair by the side of her face, then withdrew his hand, "…are indeed unavoidable."

  Tai Shi Lan subconsciously touched his earlobe, remained silent for a while, and suddenly said: "Chong Chu said that this can cure my meridian overuse disease."

  Li Fu Zhou's eyes lit up immediately with just a simple sentence.

  He was just about to say something, when suddenly "bang" a sound, Rong Chu's window opened, and Rong Chu leaned on the windowsill, smiling and saying: "What delicious food are you eating? Don't even bring me one."

  The words were spoken with a smile, but the wind seemed to have suddenly cooled down a few degrees.

  Tai Shi Lan seemed to have not heard, and casually handed Li Fu Zhou a piece of wind chicken, "This is good."

  "Thank you." Li Fu Zhou smiled at her.

  The bamboo shadows are deep and shallow, the clothed vegetables are slightly lowered, the expression is calm and peaceful, the chopstick tip is snowy white, the hand that holds the chopsticks is also snowy white, the warm smile is intoxicating.

  It's actually very beautiful, but Rong Chu felt it was dazzling.

  "Didn't you just say that eating too much would make your stomach uncomfortable and need to digest?" Li Fu Zhou never made people feel embarrassed, he turned back with a smile and asked Rong Chu, "How are you hungry again?"

  "Just seeing you makes me hungry." Rong Chu also smiled, his eyes slanted at Tai Shi Lan, "I want to eat."

  Tai Shi Lan had a "I don't understand, I'm just being expressionless" face.

  Rong Chu lightly floated out of the window, and Tai Shi Lan immediately moved the sauce beef in front of himself, placing the drunken wind chicken in front of Li Fu Zhou. The honey-glazed cha siu and braised goose that she didn't like were placed in Rong Chu's direction. She also quickly filled a bowl with bamboo shoot soup and drank it, scooping up a lot of bamboo shoots.

  Li Fu Zhou was smiling, and Rong Chu's face looked very good.

  He seemed to sit down casually, but happened to block Li Fu Zhou's line of sight looking at Tai Shi Lan. As soon as he sat down, he smiled and glanced at Tai Shi Lan's earrings, saying: "You wear this very beautifully."

  Tai Shi Lan ignored him, regretting in his heart why he didn't bring a handful of mustard seeds with him.

  Rong Chu started eating, chatting with Li Fu Zhou in a somewhat distracted manner. It was clear that he wasn't hungry and was forcing himself to eat. He picked at a piece of braised goose, playing with it in his mouth, and kept complaining, "It's too salty!"

  "Eat this." Tai Shi Lan suddenly pushed his own sauce beef in front of him, "It's quite fragrant."

  Rong Chu was taken aback for a moment, then a joyful expression appeared in her eyes, and she smiled: "After all, Lanlan is still good to me."

  Tai Shi Lan nodded. She rarely cooperated like this, and Rong Chu's face suddenly looked much better. He didn't feel bloated anymore, and with a good mood came a good appetite. The braised beef was delicious, and he ate several pieces in a row until he felt stuffed before stopping.

  He had just stopped, when Tai Shi Lan suddenly picked up a few pieces of braised beef with her chopsticks and sent them into his mouth, "Eat some more, thanks for sending me the medicine."

  Rong Chu was taken aback again and couldn't help but take another look at Tai Shi Lan - had he taken the wrong medicine? Or had he finally come to his senses?

  But Tai Shi Lan took the initiative, just like Empress Dowager jumping into a beautiful dance, missing once in a hundred years is hard to come by, Rong Chu immediately smiled and opened his mouth to accept.

  That piece of beef was very solid and easy to eat. Rong Chu smiled as usual, with her hands clasped together, sitting very properly.

  Li Fu Zhou glanced faintly at Rong Chu's sleeve under his hand holding his stomach...

  "This is also good." Tai Shi Lan glanced at Rong Chu and pulled over the Drunken Wind Chicken in front of Li Fu Zhou, "You try some."

  My heart is quite pleased, if Tai Shi's braised beef comes again, I can refuse it, but the Drunken Wind Chicken that was snatched from Li Fu Zhou should not be pushed away.

  Tai Shi Lan was very enthusiastic, and in one bite, he ate two chicken legs. After eating the two chicken legs, Rong Chu sat up even straighter.

  "Good sleep." Tai Shi Lan stood up and stretched, "Slept."

  "Good." Li Fu Zhou also stood up.

  "You go," said Rong Chuyi, sitting still and calm, with a dignified tone.

  Tai Shi Lan nodded and took a step forward, suddenly hugging her stomach and bending down.

  Chu Yan looked at her and his face turned pale, the food in his stomach churned up to his throat.

  He didn't dare speak, waving his hand to signal Li Fu Zhou to hurry and escort Tai Shi Lan away.

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly walked up to him, bent down at the waist and went "Hua——"

  Like a flood finding its outlet, the mighty waves overflowed the high embankment, and the dormant desire was instantly awakened.

  "Ugh——"

  Chu vomited all over the floor.

  ……

  Tai Shi Lan woke up in a great mood on the second day morning.

  Because Rong Chu hasn't gotten out of bed yet. According to Zhao Thirteen, the master's stomach is upset, seemingly from eating too much and hurting his body, he had a bowl of Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang and needs to rest.

  Jingtai Lan ran past Rong Chuyu's window and asked Taishi Lan, "Sir... what's wrong?"

  "He thought he could eat a lot and then got bloated," said Tai Shi Lan, "men are all like this, thinking they can hold a vast ocean, but in reality their stomachs can't even hold down a single strand of noodle."

  Chu smiled sinisterly as he lay in bed - one day you will be the meat between my teeth.

  Wearing the Jingtai blue, Taishi Lan went to find Cao Lao Fuzi. Along the way, he was subjected to various gazes, with a higher rate of turning heads than even the Institute's Director.

  Cao the old man swept away his slovenly appearance of yesterday, his whiskers were combed smooth, his clothes were worn neatly, his hair was greased shiny, even the pockmarks on his face seemed more distinct than they had been yesterday.

  As soon as he saw Tai Shi Lan, he hastily threw out two books, "Practice! I'm going back to the capital!"

  Everyone was stunned, "What?"

  "I'm only responsible for finding the right people and passing on top-secret skills." Old Cao pointed to his own nose, "Doesn't mean I know them myself."

  Tai Shi Lan was slightly disappointed, she had heard that the Dong Tang Tian Ji Fu had a group of people with special abilities, and thought that in Er Wu Ying she could also find fellow travelers, or perhaps take this opportunity to find the remaining remnants of her party, but unexpectedly Cao Fu Zi was just a custodian.

  After flipping through those two books, she found out - she couldn't understand them.

  It's really not easy for a modern person to understand the ancient version of human body secret potential development techniques.

  Facing her inquiring gaze, Old Cao spread his hands and said, "Don't ask me, I don't understand either. All I know is that this secret recipe was stolen from Dong Tang's place after the Southern Qi dynasty spent a lot of effort and lost many lives to create it. Due to some unmentionable reasons, it's not even complete..." He met Tai Shi Lan's increasingly sharp gaze with a voice that grew smaller, "...otherwise, why would we lose to Dong Tang every year?"

  "Why does Dongtang want to cultivate such an ability user? Why does Nanqi also follow suit?" Taishi Lan felt that this question was hard to understand.

  "The secret of the ruler, who knows so much?" The old man spread his hands, "What are you talking about? Special abilities? This name is interesting, we call them Tian Zhu here, meaning heavenly gift. Such people will eventually have their use, for example, in Great Yan, although they didn't search for and cultivate Tian Zhu like Dong Tang Nan Qi did, but it's said that the Emperor of Great Yan has been secretly searching for Tian Yan for many years, seemingly related to the continuation of their imperial fate... So don't underestimate Tian Zhu, we've always thought that when heaven gives birth to such people, they must have a mission, every person can be considered a treasure."

  Tianyan... Tai Shi's heart moved slightly, Wen Zhen was good at micro- vision, Jun Ke was good at penetration, both of them could be considered as having a penetrating gaze, would one of them fall into the Great Yan?

  "As I've heard, it seems that Dong Tang had a lot of Heaven's Chosen Ones in the early years. Emperor Sheng Wu of Dong Tang utilized these Heaven's Chosen Ones to form an assassin organization, whose members mostly possessed abilities such as Heavenly Eyes, Heavenly Ears, Telepathy, Dream Control, Precognition, Retrocognition, Mind Power, and Instant Movement. This assassin alliance was invincible across the land, leaving all royal families in other countries trembling with fear. However, later on, the current Emperor of Dong Tang fell for someone from Nan Qi's provocation and temptation tactics, taking out the Heaven's Chosen Ones to participate in some sort of 'Heaven's Chosen Grand Competition' with Nan Qi. It was then that this assassin organization was abolished after being exposed. As a result, other countries became vigilant and began to cultivate their own Heaven's Chosen Ones."

  Tai Shi thought for a moment and understood the sinister part of this plan. It was clear that Dong Tang's high-level assassination team, composed of people with special abilities, was extremely formidable. An organization with an assassin who could predict all dangers - no power in the world could stop them. So someone had to drain the water from the bottom of the pot and throw out a bait that Dong Tang couldn't bear to give up. Dong Tang, unable to resist the temptation, would reveal these secret treasures to the world. The important characteristic of an "assassin" was "concealment". An assassin who operated in broad daylight wasn't called an assassin.

  "Very sly." She nodded, "Who is that person?"

  "It's far away in the sky, but close at hand." Old Cao smiled with a sly expression, "The most talented and outstanding one in Southern Qi, the Dongtang secret manual you're holding, was also obtained by him personally infiltrating Southern Qi, and he had to endure a lot of hardships to get it."

  Tai Shi was stunned... No way.

  Cao Lao Tou hastily grabbed a bundle and said impatiently, "I haven't seen my wife and kids for three years, let's go! Let's go!"

  "Don't go! I don't know who else to ask!" Tai Shi Lan stepped on his robe.

  "It's far away in the sky, but close at hand!" Old Cao jumped up, "The thing was brought back by him from Dongtang, you don't ask him, why ask me? Get out of the way! If you don't get out of the way, I'll bite you! I haven't seen my wife for three years now!"

  Tai Shi ran away with a whoosh, like Old Cao's butt was on fire. Tai Shi watched his back and thought to himself that he should have made him hold the chamber pot for one night, knock his head against it all night, and call out "Master" 10,000 times as per their bet yesterday.

  She clutched the booklet, feeling a bit bewildered. She had also read about the cultivation of people with special abilities in modern times, including "ESP" which belonged to extrasensory perception and "PK" which belonged to psychokinesis, both of which had their own training methods. In fact, so-called special abilities were possessed by everyone, it's just that most people had theirs sealed away. The existence of these courses was to excavate and develop the potential abilities of humans. And in the related legends of China's past dynasties, the high monks of Buddhism and Taoism, through their own self-cultivation and practice, would gradually come to possess spiritual powers.

  All of these fall within the category of internal refinement, and her three sworn brothers, Da Bo, Wen Zhen, and Jun Ke, are also among the above categories. Jun Ke Wen Zhen belongs to super-sensory perception, while Da Bo belongs to mental power. Only she herself possesses the extremely rare "restoration" ability.

  He flipped through the book, vaguely seeing that it belonged to the internal family's qigong category. Each special ability had its own cultivation and upgrading method. Tai Shi Lan only discovered the two words "restore" at the end, but this article was surprisingly incomplete.

  After messing around for half a day, is it all in vain?

  Tai Shi Lan opened another book, and it was unexpectedly the "Soul Capture" technique that he didn't know whether to learn or not. The name sounded mysterious, but upon closer inspection, it was just a common mind control technique, which wasn't of much use against powerful internal energy masters. What was even more shocking was the last sentence of the annotation: "In the realm of life and death, there is no greater divine ability; capturing souls and spirits, all are effective."

  Only when dying, there is a great divine power? What kind of divine power? One look and men fall in love?

  Can't it be less melodramatic?

  Tai Shi was about to send the book far away, but suddenly thought of this thing, which seemed quite suitable for Jing Hengbo. Never mind, it's also good to keep it as a toy.

  He came with great enthusiasm and got such a result, it would be disappointing for others, but Tai Shi Lan was still calm, he put the book into his arms and went back to Fu Zhu to listen to the snow.

  As she passed by the martial arts arena, the disciples of humble origin who were learning various skills in the arena gave her complex glances.

  Tai Shi Lan turned back to knock on Rong Chu's door, and Zhao Thirteen came out to block his way.

  "The master is asleep." Zhao Thirteen's tone was hard and stern, he raised his head to gaze at the sky, as if Tai Shi Lan was above.

  Tai Shi Lan also raised his head and looked up at the sky, "Deliver the Digestive Pills."

  "Not tired......" Zhao Thirteen's words were cut off as a lazy voice came from the inner room, "Thirteen, go take a look at my swallow nest and see if it's done."

  Zhao Thirteen rolled his eyes and went to look at the non-existent swallow's nest. Tai Shi Lan pushed open the door and strode in, taking big steps.

  "I'm not wearing clothes..." Rong Chu reminded weakly.

  "It doesn't matter anyway."

  "What do you think?"

  "Pigs, I think they're about the same."

  "Ta Shilei, are you a woman?"

  "Maybe more than you like men."

  After three sentences of conversation, Tai Shi Lan was already standing at the door of the inner room. In the dim and hazy mosquito net, Rong Chu was leaning against the bed and lying down.

  A line of poetry flashed through Tai Shi's mind.

  A beautiful poem.

  Two yellow orioles sing amidst the green willows, a cluster of red apricots emerges from behind the wall.

  Embroidered curtains, silk quilts like snow, that person's long hair is even smoother and brighter than silk brocade, not tied up in a golden jade crown, slanting down on the shoulders wearing only a single layer of clothing, like a bundle of black light, flowing in the snowy sky.

  He slightly furrowed his brow, and slightly lowered his head. From Taishi Lan's angle, he only saw a pair of dark green eyebrows like the color of the sky, under which was a straight nose like a pipe, with eyes slanted upwards, and then there was an open collar, revealing a smooth clavicle, making one think of snow-covered mountains rising slightly, like jade carved into shape.

  Or maybe it's not called clavicle, but temptation.

  Actually, sick beauties are all very attractive, even if they're just pretending to be ill.

  "What about the Digestive Pills?" asked the beautiful woman who was pretending to be ill.

  Tai Shi Lan walked up to his bed, slightly bowed his head, and raised his finger between his eyebrows.

  Rong Chu was taken aback and looked into her eyes.

  Tai Shi Lan's two eyes locked onto his own fingers, spinning around in a circle.

  "Maruko is here." she said.

  ……

  He's gone crazy.

  Nothing in this world is more shocking than an iceberg woman suddenly becoming cute.

  "Pffft——" Rong Chu suddenly leaned forward and burst out laughing, "My god——"

  He slapped his palm on the quilt, causing the bed board to jump up and down, and a loud laughter echoed far away. Zhao Thirteen led his men to rush over, took a peek, and only left after making sure everything was fine. As they walked away, one of them scratched his head - what's going on that makes him so happy? Being with the Iceberg can actually make Master laugh like this? I've never seen Master laugh like this in my life.

  Zhao Thirteen was worried - after being with that madwoman for so long, had the master also gone mad? And what about that wicked and vicious Grand Duke? Where did he go?

  "Good... good... really digesting food..." After a while, Rong Chu finally stopped laughing and took a towel from the side to wipe away the sweat he had laughed out. He stretched his body back comfortably and said, "Good medicine, come several more times in the future."

  Tai Shi Lan's face was expressionless as she withdrew her fingers - just a dream.

  She casually pulled out the book and threw it onto Rong Chu's quilt, "Do you have the complete version?"

  Chu Yan seemed to smile but didn't, looking at the book, neither affirming nor denying, "Oh?"

  "Replace Digestive Pills with the whole book. I don't owe anyone a favor."

  Rong Chu smiled again, "Your medicine is really worth the money."

  "Of course." Tai Shi said calmly, "You won't see it again in this lifetime."

  "It's hard to say." Rong Chu looked at her, "One day, you'll cry for me, laugh for me, and show your emotions on your face. Every day, I'll make you take digestive pills."

  Tai Shi Lan said lazily, "Want to swap or not?"

  "How did you know I had the whole book?" Rong Chu leaned back and moved over to make room for one person, "Come, sit down and talk."

  Tai Shi Lan stood up straight, "You're the one who personally snuck into the East Hall to steal books, aren't you? I don't believe you couldn't get your hands on a complete copy. The reason Southern Qi doesn't have a complete copy is because you didn't want to bring it out."

  "Nan Qi is my country, why should I hide the whole book?" Chu Ruo looked at her with interest.

  "Either to control the imperial court, or to secretly build up power. Or perhaps there are other plans." Ta Shi said indifferently, "Anyway, it's all just dogs biting dogs, I'm not interested."

  "What you said is unpleasant, but you have a talent for this dog-eat-dog thing." Rong Chu didn't get angry, and instead raised an eyebrow lazily. "Ta Shi Lan, if you want to make a name for yourself, follow me."

  Tai Shi Lan turned around and left.

  Her shoulders tensed up, and she was already caught by Rong Chu. The familiar breath blew against her earlobe again, "You woman, sometimes you're really annoyingly stubborn."

  Tai Shi Lan did not answer.

  "You can actually use the Jingtai blue to threaten me." Rong Chu smiled, "You only need to say one word, take away the Jingtai blue, and I'll obediently hand over the entire book."

  "I will never use Jingdezhen porcelain to threaten you."

  "Why?"

  "Have you ever seen a mother who uses her own child to threaten others?" She replied very calmly, as if it was a matter of course.

  A moment of silence was followed by the sound of Rong Chu's voice, devoid of emotion, "He is not your child and never will be. If you want to save your life, it's best to put this idea away."

  "Outside Dongchang City, at the broken temple, I picked him up that moment, and recognized him." Taishi Lan said, "No one can stop it."

  Rong Chu's voice suddenly became a bit gloomy, "Including... his own birth mother?"

  Tai Shi Lan was silent, and Rong Chu thought she wouldn't respond. Just as he was about to persuade her further, she spoke up.

  "including."

  Cutting nails and cutting iron.

  This time Rong Chu fell silent, and after a long while, he said: "Have you thought about his identity?"

  "I don't care," said Taishi Ran. "All I know is that no matter who he is, first and foremost, he's a child."

  Rong Chu smiled wryly, "You're really... unreasonable."

  He immediately exerted a slight force with both hands, and turned Tai Shi Lan's shoulder over. "In this world, not being reasonable is nothing, but if you don't have the power to be unreasonable, then you're just an idiot."

  "So, give me the whole thing."

  Rong Chu looked at Tai Shi Lan steadily for a long time before smiling and saying, "Alright. But you have to agree to one condition of mine."

  "Say."

  "Listen to me, and practice with me. What I say goes... if I tell you to do a certain move, just do it... " Rong Chu's tone was serious at first, but gradually became more playful as he spoke, "If I want you to kick your leg out, don't kick your leg out. If I want you to throw a punch..."

  Bang.

  Tai Shi Lan's fist hit him right on the bridge of his nose.

  "Is it going to be a fight?" she asked.

  ……

  Chu Yun, who was punched in an instant, rubbed her nose and looked at the violent iceberg woman with a faceless expression, and smiled again.

  Danger lurks like a night-blooming jasmine on the other shore.

  He immediately turned his hand over and grabbed Tai Shi's fist, lightly tossing it, and with a loud crash, Tai Shi was already thrown onto the bed.

  It's that face-down-ass-up style again.

  "In this posture." he said.

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly reached out with her hand and grabbed something, but she didn't know what it was. She didn't care about anything else, and with a "ripping" sound, something seemed to have been torn apart.

  "Like this?" she asked.

  Rong Chu pulled up her collar, reached out to pinch her waist, she was about to get up with her back straight, the tight lines of her waist made him feel like he was being pinched too, "Stay in this pose."

  Tai Shi Lan rolled over, facing Rong Chu, with one knee half raised, aiming at a certain golden dividing point, "Like this posture?"

  Rong Chu grabbed her ankle and pulled it down to the ground, "Stay in this position!"

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly flipped over, regardless of her ankle still being grasped by Rong Chu's hand. She didn't care, but Rong Chu dared not twist her foot and hastily let go. Tai Shi Lan took advantage of the momentum to climb up, and as she climbed up, her foot slipped, and she fell headfirst onto Rong Chu's body. She took advantage of the situation to straddle him, grasping his neck, "Like this?"

  "You..."

  A familiar voice came, accompanied by unfamiliar astonishment. Tai Shi Lan and Rong Chu turned their heads at the same time. At the door stood Li Fu Zhou.

  Rong Chu laughed even more, Ta Shi was stunned for a moment, feeling Li Fu Zhou's strange eyes and the open black hole-like mouth of Zhao Thirteen behind him, and then he lowered his head to take a look.

  Rong Chu's clothes were disheveled, his shoulders half-exposed, and he was lying on the bed with his upper body pressed down, while she sat on top of him, her hands around his neck.

  A fresh and exciting SM show with high-definition and no mosaic.

  "We were discussing posture." Rong Chu smiled under her, tilting seventy degrees with a seductive and beautiful angle, answering Li Fu Zhou without any shame.

  Tai Shi Lan got up, pulled off the quilt on the bed and threw it over Rong Chu's head, calmly stepping over.

  "Remember to come tomorrow and continue our discussion." Rong Chuyi said from under the quilt, with half of her face exposed, smiling and reminding him.

  Tai Shiyan trampled on his quilt and went away with a flourish.

  She went back inside, opened the book given by Rong Chu, about the improvement of "restoring" ability. The book thought that it was due to a certain kind of gas machine being too prosperous in the human body, which caused changes in physique. It was also because this part of the gas machine was too prosperous, in order to maintain a balance, the meridian appeared to be too weak and could not bear slightly stronger tempering.

  Restore the heterodyne, what is shown is a "positive" ability, which is already the peak of heterodyne ability. Unlike clairvoyance and microvision, it cannot be trained further through practice. The only thing that can be done is to change "positive" to "reverse".

  In other words, turn "restoration" into "destruction".

  Tai Shi Lan immediately became interested, she faced a complex and different world, unable to learn martial arts, every step was difficult, if she could let all the sharp weapons in the world be destroyed before her eyes, it would be equivalent to having another protective charm.

  Rong Chu's notebook was more detailed than hers, with notes and explanations added under each line. She didn't seem to be struggling at all. Ta Shi Lan glanced at the ink marks, fresh and bright, and his heart couldn't help but move.

  He can understand this booklet by himself, who is it written for? For her?

  Look at this handwriting, it's newly written, did he stay up all night writing it because she needed it?

  No wonder I thought he had dark circles under his eyes just now...

  "Lan...Lan." Jing Tai Blue was playing with mud dolls on her knees, suddenly pulled her and said, "Lan Lan, Blue Blue."

  Tai Shi Lan lowered her head to look, and Jing Tai Lan held out two mud dolls, presenting them to her like treasures. What was striking was that this little rascal had used mud to add a small brother to the boy doll and two large breasts to the girl doll.

  Tai Shi Lan cut off little brother with just one finger.

  Jing Tai blue brush white small face, whoosh, covered his crotch...

  Jingtai Lan, who had received a silent warning, went to sleep with a humiliated expression. Now he didn't dare move his hands, only his eyes, staring at Yuyao's chest for a long time before falling asleep with drool.

  Yu Yu'er came out of the door and waited for a while. After watching Tai Shi Lan return to her room to rest, she went back to her own residence.

  In her dark little room, someone had been waiting for a long time. The person was wrapped from head to toe in a black robe, covering himself tightly, only revealing a pair of gloomy and cold eyes, staring at people like a wolf in the dark.

  Yu Ya'er saw him too, but she wasn't surprised either. She slightly bent her knees in a bow and remained silent.

  He nodded and looked at the direction of Tai Shi's residence, asking in a low voice: "How is it?"

  Yu Ya'er's voice was also calm and steady, "From what I've seen these past few days, it should be him. His lecherous habits, no other child can compare."

  "Who would have thought that the news from Jingzhong was actually true!" The man's voice in the darkness also had a few parts of excitement, and he lightly clapped his hands, "In that case, we must not delay, wait until the vigilance on this side relaxes slightly, and immediately take action!"

  "Yes!"

  In Rong Chu's house, there is a conversation going on at this moment.

  "It seems you don't need to digest after all." Li Fu Zhou put down the stomach-soothing medicine he had brought, and smiled at Rong Chu, "However, Master Gong, are you certain she's really your antidote?"

  "It's been a long time since you've called me that." Rong Chu stood up, took the clothes handed over by Zhao Thirteen and put them on, with an ambiguous gaze at Li Fu Zhou, "Fu Zhou, are you trying to warn me of something?"

  "I sometimes don't understand you." Li Fu Zhou smiled warmly, with a hint of disapproval. "Looking at your eyes, it seems like you like her; looking at your actions, yet you're harming her."

  Chu sank into silence for a moment, then smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Looking at your eyes, it seems you also have some affection. Listening to your tone, it sounds like you're jealous."

  "If you're going to be jealous of me because of her, I don't mind admitting it." Li Fu Zhou smiled.

  "But you don't." Rong Chu said slowly, "Fu Zhou, I actually hope you're really moved, but... apart from pulling up your sleeves..."

  "Whoosh!"

  The sword hanging on the wall suddenly flew up, drawing a faint blue light arc in mid-air. One end of the light arc was still shining on the wall, while the other end had already reached Chu Mei's heart!

  Killing intent was sharp and biting, on the tip of his sword, in the depths of his eyes, between Li Fuchen's fingers that grasped the hilt of his sword, and in his sudden explosive posture.

  This man, who is normally as gentle as spring water and warm sunshine, suddenly becomes as fierce as a raging war god.

  His face remained still, his eyebrows didn't even twitch, the pale blue light of the sword reflected in his eyes, cold and calm as water.

  "Five years ago you drew your sword against me because of her, and five years later it's still the same." He said, his tone desolate. "It turns out that you've always been standing in the same place, never leaving."

  The air was silent and oppressive for a long time, before Li Fu Zhou's tightly clenched back slowly relaxed. He beckoned with his hand, and the long sword hummed softly as it fell back into its scabbard in the distance. The pale blue sword energy and the killing intent between his eyebrows were almost simultaneously retracted. He bowed slightly, a hint of apology on his face, and smiled, "Sorry."

  Rong Chu looked at his invincibly smiling face again, a hint of gloom flashed across the bottom of her eyes, and then changed the subject.

  "What's going on in the morning?"

  "No, everything is as usual. The Empress Dowager said that Your Majesty has recently caught a cold and should not attend court while recovering. Anyway, she has been in the habit of drawing curtains for a long time, and whether there is anyone on the throne in front or not, no one pays attention to it. It's just that the three dukes have felt that something is wrong, and Zhang Da, the Grand Duke of the Imperial Guards, has sent us three invitations, which I have all declined." Li Fu Zhou's expression also returned to normal.

  "My entry into the 25th camp is a secret, and the 25th camp has already been tightly guarded by my people on all sides. Now no one can get in or out, but there's no wall that doesn't leak air. Zong Zhenghui, maybe something will happen soon."

  "Why..."

  "I just want to see what Zong Zhenghui is going to do." Rong Chu's smile was a bit cold. "Three months ago, I met a little eunuch in the Jingyang Palace and exchanged a few words with him. After that, when I went to the Jingyang Hall again, this person had disappeared. The few words he said at the time didn't catch my attention, but afterwards, thinking back, I felt they were profound. And now, adding this matter... Zong Zhenghui's heart is really wild..."

  However, he was wandering outside and inevitably fell into the eyes of those with ulterior motives. You also know that the imperial court may use troops against Wu Yue within these two years. Wu Yue is arrogant and has recently colluded with the Western Barbarians, gradually disobeying the imperial court's orders. Recently, they even beheaded the special envoy of King Kang. Now, with King Kang as the leader of a group of warmongers, they are persuading the Empress Dowager day and night to use troops against Wu Yue, in order to intimidate them with the heavenly dynasty's power. At this juncture, it is hard to guarantee that there are no spies from Wu Yue and the Western Barbarians lurking within our Southern Qi borders. In case...

  "So I'm here myself." Rong Chu nodded towards the room where Tai Shi Lan lived, "And also had you rush over."

  "We're both here, so it doesn't matter what happens." Li Fu Zhou shook his head, "But we're both here and didn't escort him back to the capital. This is a serious crime in itself. When the Empress Dowager asks about it, how will you explain?"

  "Then she should have asked." Rong Chu smiled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "If she had come to ask at the first opportunity, I would naturally have told her. I've just discovered this matter and was about to report back to the capital. For safety's sake, everything must be in order, so we must proceed with caution, which is why there has been a slight delay. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

  His tone was light and airy, and he smiled, "But now the problem is that she doesn't ask, never asks, something as clear-cut as this, yet insists on doing it in a sneaky way, right?"

  Li Fu Zhou didn't speak, Rong Chu patted Li Fu Zhou's shoulder casually, "Hmmm, if I'm not mistaken, in the next few days, our Empress Dowager will send someone to 'discuss state affairs with the Duke'. Let me guess again, who do you think it'll be? Our clever and talented Qiao lady is as lovely as a flower and as fragrant as jade?"

  Later on, his smile was slightly playful. Li Fu Zhou coughed and turned around to pour tea, "I'm not clever, I don't have the ability to know what the Duke is thinking beforehand. Can't guess."

  "It's okay if you can't guess." Rong Chu smiled warmly and pointed to his heart, "As long as you don't guess what shouldn't be guessed, it's fine."

  Li Fu Zhou quietly took a sip of tea, looked up at him and said, "Who shouldn't guess?"

  "You know."

  "She doesn't need to guess." Li Fu Zhou gazed at the pale green tea water, his eyes calm and peaceful. "She seems tough on the outside, but inside she's empty and lonely, she doesn't need anything else, just concern and warmth."

  "You seem to really understand her." Rong Chu started smiling again with an ambiguous meaning, "Let me advise you, since you know yourself, don't recklessly throw away your tenderness. Women are like silk and soft satin, if you gently press and iron them, they will obediently follow you. But when the time comes, you won't love wearing it anymore, and wanting to take it off is not easy, cutting it off is too cruel. Do I have to help you pick up the pieces?"

  "It's no use worrying about it." Li Fu Zhou said lightly, "The clothes that have been taken off are always better than the shields that have been pushed away."

  Rong Chu stopped talking, his eyes like dusk, layer upon layer of darkness and sinking. Li Fu Zhou was still the same, warm, clean, simple and kind, his eyes like a pool of autumn water.

  Two beautiful pairs of eyes, two beautiful people, standing together with their own unique charm and harmony. But in an instant, the air was filled with crackling sounds.

  Just as the electric light was hidden in the air, about to be exploded by Rong Chu at that moment, a loud noise suddenly came from the Taishi Lan house!

  "Tai Shi Lan!"

  With a "whoosh", two figures in silver white and pale blue instantly vanished into thin air.

  Time went back to when Li Fu Zhou drew his sword against Rong Chu. At that time, Tai Shi Lan had already fallen asleep.

  As she fell asleep, she thought about the explanation of the "Premonition" chapter she had just read. Although this was not a superpower she possessed, some descriptions of premonitions in it made her feel familiar.

  Some people with a particularly calm and clear mind, are spiritually more sensitive, or due to hereditary reasons, have an animal-like precognitive instinct from birth. Through proper internal cultivation, this "sixth sense" can be doubled and enhanced, until it forms a precognitive ability.

  This instinct has always been there for Tai Shi Lan, so she wanted to give it a try.

  She closed her eyes and began to quietly cultivate that inner energy method, merging the energy of heaven and earth, penetrating the six pulses of the spirit, without self or objects, all things clear and distinct.

  It's easy to talk about, but it's hard to do. It's a kind of Tao that depends on the person. Some people can quickly enter that indescribable state of "no self", while others may not be able to enter that state for their entire lives.

  Generally, children are better at this kind of cultivation than adults, and those with simple and single-minded thoughts are stronger than those who are flexible and adaptable. It is not directly proportional to IQ, but rather directly proportional to the degree of stability of one's mental state.

  Children who are less tainted by worldly affairs and adults who do not understand the taint of reality are suitable vessels. Although Tai Shi Lan is neither, she possesses extreme determination and calmness. She didn't spend much time before feeling that the air around her was gradually becoming milky white, then transparent, turning into fine fibers floating around her body. Those delicate "fibers" that could only be sensed but not seen penetrated every pore of her body and connected with the outside world, sky, and earth. Every subtle change in her surroundings would disturb these "fibers," causing them to vibrate and reflect like a harp string plucking her sensory antennae.

  It's a very strange feeling, as if the surroundings have become a huge three-dimensional model, with details that can be discerned. Tai Shi Lan vaguely felt that if she could further refine it, perhaps the range of this feeling would radiate and become even larger.

  Is there a day that encompasses the space of heaven and earth? And is that realm, isn't it just the so-called "far away in the distance as if in front of one's eyes" true "heavenly eye divine power"?

  As soon as there was a distracting thought in his mind, the slowly extending fibers stopped extending, and suddenly Tai Shi felt a slight tremble somewhere.

  Thoughts are like lightning, faster than anything the human body can achieve at its utmost speed—

  Danger is coming, just outside the window!

  Tai Shi suddenly jumped up and grabbed the blue quilt, then rolled under the bed!

  A faint "poof" sound, barely louder than the snapping of a bamboo shoot, a flash of silver light shot through the window slit, moving so fast it was almost imperceptible. Tai Shi Lan's eyes had just caught sight of the silver light when something landed on her bed canopy, causing a slight tremor. Another "poof" sound, and a cloud of gas rapidly spread outwards.

  It came so quickly and lightly that it didn't even cause the window paper to burst, Ta Shi Lan covered his nose and peeked out, and saw that the window paper had somehow cracked a slit, and the silver light was shining in from the crack.

  A mass of pale gray gas spread out, gradually coming into contact with the wall. On the wall, there also seemed to be a pale green gas that silently floated up and blocked the gray gas in front of it. However, the night was dark and no one saw it.

  Again a "bang" sound, two figures rushed in together, under the night light, their bodies were slender and graceful, it was Yin Gou and Yu Gou who were responsible for serving and protecting them, the two of them slept next door.

  Yin Ya drew her sword as soon as she entered the door, while Yu Ya'er rushed forward hastily, calling out in a low voice, "Miss! Miss Ta Shi!"

  Tai Shi Lan wrapped the quilt around the blue scenery, covered his nose and slowly crawled out from under the bed, humming: "This fog is poisonous..."

  Jade Bud was shocked, she had already rushed in, suddenly let out a low cry and fell backwards.

  Yin Gou'er hastily reached out to support her and exclaimed: "You've also been poisoned?"

  Her voice stopped abruptly, her eyes suddenly widened slowly, and the moonlight poured in through the broken window paper, illuminating her pale face with a look of horror.

  She slowly fell down, with blood gushing out of her lower abdomen like a spring, while Yu Yao'er, who had just "fallen" down, suddenly sprang up and charged forward, borrowing the momentum. A white light flashed in her hand, and a soft silk had already wrapped around the bundle in Tai Shi Lan's arms.

  "Come on!" Yu Ya'er smiled softly, "my little darling..." She reached out and pulled, the quilt wrapping around her waist as she quickly got up.

  At this time, the sound of clothes fluttering came from all directions, rushing towards this place. Rong Chu's guards were indeed different from ordinary people, and with just one low thud like stepping on wood, Yu Ya'er killed Silver Ya and snatched the scenery in an instant, everyone was already on high alert, rushing over wildly.

  In the night, Rong Chu and Li Fu Zhou had already arrived, Rong Chu's silver-white long dress fluttered in the air like a starry river flowing for thousands of miles; while the blue figure seemed to be following closely but not hastily, its posture when it rose up made people think of the tough seaweed that floats but does not disperse in the depths of the ocean.

  In another direction, someone's figure was approaching, but at this moment the situation was tense and no one noticed.

  Yuemei, however, was fearless and let out a sharp whistle. Immediately, a group of black shadows emerged from all sides. One group blocked Rong Chuli's path, while another group surrounded Rong Chu's guards. Yuemei chuckled softly and hugged her quilt, preparing to jump out the window.

  Suddenly someone behind her said coldly: "Why don't you open the quilt and take a look?"

  Yu Ya'er was startled and subconsciously flipped over the quilt, "pa", a pillow fell down.

  At this shocking moment, Yu Ya'er suddenly felt a chill in her back.

  She turned around and saw Tai Shi's eyes as cold as black jade, as cool as frost and snow. Those cold eyes seemed to take away all the warmth from her body with just one glance.

  She slowly lowered her gaze and found herself staring at a disgruntled Jingtai Lan, who was glaring back at her.

  "You..."

  A sharp pain in her back, she forced herself to turn around and saw a strangely shaped dagger being pulled out from the back of her heart by Tai Shi Lan, its tip bloodless, shining with an eerie blue light.

  "Who sent you?" Tai Shi Lan spoke quickly, seeing someone rapidly approaching.

  "Think of forcing a confession? Haha, how is that possible..." Yu Ya'er was about to laugh - the organization she belonged to had never been captured and forced to confess.

  However, she couldn't laugh halfway through. The woman opposite her looked at her calmly, with eyes like a leopard looking at the chicken under its feet.

  No matter how hard you struggle, you can't escape the palm of his hand.

  This woman who can't practice martial arts, how does she have such a calm and powerful gaze...

  A vague idea flashed through her mind, and soon she felt her thoughts becoming slow and blank, her spirit tired, wanting to sleep well.

  "Who sent you?" The cold and flat voice sounded again beside her ear.

  "Wu Yue..." she murmured.

  Tai Shi Lan leaned in, her ear close to hers, and listened for a few sentences. Yu Ya was an undercover agent from the Five Yue tribe on the northern border of Southern Qi, one of hundreds of spies sent by the Five Yue after special training to infiltrate the officials and nobles in the capital city of Li Jing. She had been hiding in the Jin State Duke's mansion for more than five years without making any moves. This time, she received an order from her superiors to come and steal the Jing Tai Blue. To ensure the success of the operation, the Five Yue side did not hesitate to expose all their forces nearby to assist her in completing the task. Unexpectedly, they still failed, and even fell at the hands of Tai Shi Lan, who didn't know martial arts.

  Yu Rou furrowed her brow, seemingly pondering the reason behind it. For instance, in order not to startle Rong Chu, they had chosen an extremely ingenious and light poisonous pouch that could quickly knock out Tai Shi Lan and Jing Tai Lan. But why didn't it work? And how did Tai Shi Lan know she was in trouble and managed to switch Jing Tai Lan under the bed in time?

  "You think you're hiding in secret, but actually, you've already fallen into someone else's eyes." Taishi Lan said, "Rong Chu may not be unaware of your existence, it's just that he's been waiting for you to take the bait. Every day, he lets you use that water to clean the walls and floor, which is an antidote."

  "As for how I found out you had a problem, it's simple. The window paper was moved, and the last one to leave my room was you." Tai Shi Lan raised Yu Yao's chin, staring into her eyes, "Last question, you must have an insider in Er Wu Camp, who is it?"

  Yu Yu'er opened her mouth, just about to respond, when suddenly two figures flashed in, their sleeves fluttering in mid-air. Before they even arrived, a hand lifted, and a cold gleam shot out, striking Yu Yu'er's spine. Yu Yu'er let out a low cry of "ah", and her body had already gone limp and slid down.

  The person who made the move stopped, and a cold voice shouted, "How dare you, assassin! Don't you want to die?"

  Another person said calmly: "The girl is frightened."

  As soon as the two finished speaking, they split apart in mid-air and landed on the ground, revealing two women with high buns. They looked decent but had detestable expressions. The two didn't glance at the deceased Yu Ya'er or pay attention to Tai Shi Lan, instead facing the direction of the door, bowing deeply and saying in a soft voice: "Welcome, Miss."

  Tai Shi Lan's face was expressionless - Miss, where did you come from? From heaven or earth? Where are Rong Chu and Li Fu Zhou? Usually running around restlessly, but now shrinking back when it comes to important matters?

  Two women stood at the door, bowing deeply with their faces almost touching the ground. Tai Shi Lan looked around but saw no one, only to notice that Rong Chu seemed to have been stopped not far away, while Li Fu Zhou was nowhere to be seen.

  Suddenly she caught a whiff of fragrance, like orchid and musk, rich and dense, smelling the high-quality spices. She raised her head, something fluttered down, landing on her face, fragrant and slightly cool.

  Tai Shi Lan stretched out her hand and gently plucked something down. Upon closer inspection, it was a white flower petal with a delicate fragrance, seemingly an orchid.

  At this time, the petals of the orchids were scattered all over the sky, fluttering and falling like snowflakes. Amidst a flurry of snowflakes, suddenly a sedan chair appeared, driven by an empty space.

  The sedan chair is pale blue, adorned with fresh flowers, and has openwork on all four sides. It is decorated with transparent silk gauze and hangs with countless delicate silver bells and tassels. Four young maids in white clothes carry it, stepping lightly as if floating, and gently descending.

  At this time, the sky was filled with orchids like snow, and the beautiful sedan chair was carried by flying clouds and winds. The white silk gauze fluttered in all directions as if dancing, and the person inside the sedan could be vaguely seen sitting upright with a dignified air, as if a fairy from the ninth heaven had descended.

  At this time, the commotion here had alarmed the Erwu Camp, and many students rushed out of the school gate. Seeing this scene in mid-air, they all opened their mouths wide and were shocked as if seeing a celestial being.

  Tai Shi Lan crossed his arms over his chest, expressionless - not bad, I thought such a pose and scene could only be seen in wuxia TV dramas, but now it seems I've seen the real thing.

  "Welcome, Miss!" The two door guards shouted even more respectfully. One of them turned his face and coldly said to Ta Shi Lan, "Country girl, you really don't know the rules! We saved you from danger, helped you kill the enemy, you didn't even thank us, our miss has arrived, and you don't even kneel to greet her?"

  Tai Shi Lan clasped her hands over her chest, glanced at the door, and then glanced at Yu Yao's lifeless body on the ground.

  It's not just these two doors that are reckless and murderous, she can still hear the key words, she didn't ask for compensation, how dare they still try to be arrogant with her?

  "It's too much." she said.

  "What did you say?" The woman raised an eyebrow in incredulity, her voice rising to a shrill pitch.

  "Stupid."

  "What a country bumpkin! How dare you!"

  "Too noisy."

  "...Ignorant village girl, don't you immediately come and pay your respects to our young mistress!"

  "Who are you?"

  "We are..." The woman's voice was cut off before she could finish speaking.

  "Bamboo sentiment." A soft and beautiful voice said gently, "Mustn't be rude."

  "Yes, miss." The maid named Zhū Qíng immediately bowed respectfully.

  Tai Shi Lan turned around and saw that the sedan chair had already landed at her door. The space in front of her house was narrow, and when the sedan chair came down, the little maid who was lifting it stumbled against the threshold and staggered forward slightly. The sedan chair tilted forward suddenly, and the woman sitting elegantly inside tumbled forward.

  She immediately reached out to hold the sedan chair, trying her best to maintain a dignified posture. Tai Shi Lan suddenly took a step forward, grabbed her outstretched hand and pulled it with force.

  "Welcome, welcome," she said.

  The woman didn't guard against this pull and was instantly pulled out, stumbling. Tai Shi Lan swung her arm and flung her into the house, "Please enter!"

  The woman who had just stood up was suddenly thrown into the house, and all that could be heard was a "bang" sound, it was unknown what she had hit, and a faint cry of pain.

  In an instant, elegant, refined, fairy-like, white and wealthy beauty... all became mosaic...

  "What are you doing!" The maid named Zhū Qíng's face turned red with anger, "How dare you treat our mistress like this! How dare you use your filthy hands to hold hers!"

  Tai Shi Lan glanced at her, slowly and elegantly pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped his hands.

  "It's dirty." she said.

  She immediately threw her towel and stepped into the house. As expected, the white rich beauty had already sat down by herself.

  Seeing Tai Shi Lan come in, she nodded slightly and said: "Sit."

  Her voice is soft and beautiful, her tone isn't overbearing, but the problem is, she's sitting in someone else's house, occupying the main seat, and letting the host "sit".

  Tai Shi Lan didn't sit down, instead standing opposite her with his arms crossed, giving the heavenly beauty MM a thorough once-over.

  It turned out that illusions were indeed very rich and reality was very bleak.

  She thought the other person would be very ethereal, with long hair and white clothes fluttering in the wind. As a result, the material of her clothes was indeed noble, and they fluttered, but they were blue, not a pale, delicate, and transparent sky blue, but a more subdued blue. Although it's also good, for someone of her age, as a woman, it looks a bit old-fashioned. Taishi Lan felt that this blue was very familiar, and after careful thought, she suddenly realized that it was the same blue color that Li Fuqiu often wore.

  I thought the other person would be very beautiful, with flowers and brocade everywhere, like a shower of flowers on her head. If she didn't have a stunning appearance, it would be a waste of the exquisite background of the Qiong Yao drama. Who knew that although her makeup was delicate, her nose and eyes under the makeup were quite ordinary, at most just above average. Su Ya is three points more beautiful than her.

  Looking again at those white-clad maids, earlier in the elegant background I thought each one was a blooming flower, but now upon closer inspection, I realize they are all mediocre, their eyes and noses not standing out as good-looking. Standing next to the blue-clothed woman, they seem like green grass accompanying a trumpet-shaped flower. Suddenly, looking again at the blue trumpet-shaped flower, I think she's beautiful again.

  Tai Shi Lan couldn't help but admire this person, who was truly a master of balance. Not only could they conceal their own flaws, but also create a sense of beauty that didn't overshadow others, while at the same time allowing others to shine in a way that complemented their own beauty - it was indeed a profound and elusive realm, like a goat hanging its horns where no tracks can be found.

  Several maids came forward, one brought out a set of fine porcelain teapots and cups, another took out fragrant tea leaves from a brocade box, one searched for the stove to boil water, one rolled up her sleeves for her, another wiped away non-existent dust on the table, fetched a jade armrest and placed it under her so that the rough wooden surface wouldn't damage Miss's delicate skin.

  The woman in blue seemed to be not concerned about whether Tai Shi Lan sat or not, nor did she look at the people around her who were busy. She sat quietly, waiting until Tai Shi Lan's eyes fell on her before smiling and saying slowly: "I am Qiao Yu Ruan."

  After she finished speaking, she fell silent, as if certain that Tai Shi Lan would naturally know this name.

  Tai Shi Lan hugged her chest, leaning against the door frame, expressionless, staring at her.

  Qiao Yurun didn't feel embarrassed, or she had always been aloof and hadn't noticed other people's expressions, nor did she think of looking at anyone's expression. After a moment of silence, she said to herself: "I came from Lijing to deliver a letter to the Duke, and also to visit Fu Zhou. I heard that the young lady lives in the Duke's residence, so I came to pay my respects."

  Tai Shi Lan hugged her chest, leaning against the door frame, expressionless, looking at her - was this a declaration of all rights? Who was the object? Rong Chu? Li Fu Zhou?

  "It's a bit shabby here." Qiao Yurun looked around again, with a tone of heartache, "The two of them, I don't know how they got used to living in such a house."

  Tai Shi looked at the elegant Huang Yang wood furniture, the flat water-milled stone floor, the ancient musical instruments and swords on the walls, and the luxurious heavy brocade curtains - hmm, it's quite simple.

  This girl's tone is so heart-wrenching and familiar, could it be that she wants to spend a thousand pieces of gold to hide the two delicate ones in a golden house?

  "But I think you don't feel that way." Qiao Yurun nodded at her with a gentle smile, "It's okay, I understand the thoughts of someone from your background."

  She smiled with kindness and compassion, and several maids were moved to nod their heads in unison.

  The atmosphere is so wonderful, so harmonious, everywhere filled with love and beauty and emotion, nowhere not making people feel comfortable — except for Tai Shi Lan.

  Tai Shi Lan hugged her chest, expressionless, looking at her - what a lot of nonsense, what's the point?

  "You've just arrived, and I don't know much about you, but I seem to have heard that you're a widow with a child?" Qiao Yurun asked, smiling elegantly as she looked at Tai Shi Lan. "I understand the thoughts of someone from your background. You must have come from a poor family, suffered hardships, and it's rare for the Duke to take care of you. You have no reason to refuse, nor can you afford to. With your experience, I suppose you wouldn't think that living with your child here would harm the reputation of the Duke and Fu Zhou. The Duke and Fu Zhou are men of integrity, they won't remind you, but since I'm here, I must mention it to you. As women, we may not be beautiful, but we cannot be unvirtuous and discourteous. Living in the same garden with an unmarried man is a matter that harms one's reputation... what do you think?"

  She raised her head and looked at Tai Shi Lan inquiringly. Tai Shi Lan crossed his arms, leaned against the door, expressionless, looking back at her.

  Encountering this kind of numbness, after several times of not responding, the elegant and refined Miss Qiao, who was naturally warm and compassionate, finally couldn't help but furrow her brow, and immediately quickly smoothed out her eyebrows, saying: "I understand the thoughts of someone from your background..."

  "I understand women from your background." Tai Shi Lan suddenly spoke up, "You have a light broth and noodles, long straight hair, soft voices, and love drinking green tea."

  "How did you know I like green..."

  "Seemingly plain and innocent, but actually made up to perfection, with a subtle blend of powder and rouge that conceals the dark circles under her eyes, a testament to her excessive desires. Time stands still, and her eyes remain innocent."

  "You..."

  "Gentle and subtle, harmless to humans and animals, nostalgic for classical literature, plagued by many illnesses and disasters."

  "I..."

  "Don't drink much, get drunk quickly. If there's a man, get drunk even faster."

  "This..."

  "Likes to pretend to be innocent, seemingly pure." Ta Shi Lan looked down at Qiao Yu Ruo's flustered open mouth, "Enduring kindness, eyes brimming with tears."

  Qiao Yurun's tears were on the verge of falling, suspended in mid-air, unsure whether to flow or not.

  Tai Shi Lan walked over, passed by her and entered the inner room.

  "Now, midnight. My house, my table and chairs." She said, "So you sat in the wrong place with your butt, pretending to be someone else. Out of the door, turn left to find Rong Chu behind the wall, turn right to find Li Fu Zhou behind the wall, if you want to go, just go, don't dawdle, I'm anxious for you."

  With a bang, she shut the door of the inner room and threw the virtuous beauty outside.

  "How dare you! How dare you!" Zhū Qíng's face turned bright red, and he rushed over to kick the door, but Qiǎo Yǔ Rùn suddenly shouted loudly, "Zhū Qíng!"

  Zhu Qing was startled, immediately stopped in her tracks. Qiao Yurou's face had already returned to its usual calm state, but her eyes were still red as she sat silently for a while before forcing a smile and saying, "She's right... I was the one who was rude. I was trying to advise her with good intentions, but I forgot that it wasn't the right time. Since that's the case, let's go."

  She slowly stood up, holding onto the edge of the table, her expression pitiful and sorrowful.

  Zhu Qing's eyes also turned red, and he said indignantly: "Miss, what is your status? Coming to see this rural woman was already a condescension, where and when to see her, does she have the right to speak? Even if we don't consider our status, considering our relationship, whether or not to let her stay here is up to you. She doesn't know etiquette and should be taught a lesson, how can it be that we are being driven away!"

  Qiao Yurun glanced at her sideways, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, and suddenly smiled slightly, saying: "This is not good, it's too presumptuous, after all, this is the Prince's place, if someone needs to be driven out, it shouldn't be us who do it."

  "Alright!" Zhu Qing's eyes lit up, and he excitedly clapped his hands. "We don't need to lower ourselves to argue with this woman. Just tell the Duke, and he'll definitely help Miss get revenge."

  The cold and distant maid next to her suddenly smiled and said, "Miss has been wronged, and Young Master Li will certainly comfort her. This Taishi girl will naturally understand her place in time, and there's no need for us to interfere."

  "Li Bo, don't talk nonsense." Qiao Yurun's cheeks were slightly red, but her eyes shone brightly. "Don't disturb others' rest, let's go back first."

  She slowly stretched out her hand, the two maids smiled and handed over their arms. Qiao Yurun leaned on their shoulders, silently walked out of the door, and when she stepped across the threshold, she suddenly turned back, staring at the tightly closed door with a stern expression.