Chapter 13

Cangya Xun raised his sword to give chase, but the jade token that had just knocked his blade aside suddenly erupted with a tidal surge of spiritual power.

With a thunderous boom, he was hurled backward several yards and slammed heavily into the courtyard wall, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

“Young Lord!” Cang Wu’s expression changed drastically as he rushed toward Cangya Xun.

Everyone present—including the bystanders who had come merely to watch the spectacle—stared in shock at the jade token lying in the dust. Then, as one, they turned to look at Lou Yue standing at the courtyard gate.

Lou Yue stared blankly at the scene, as though she had not been the one to hurl the jade token in a moment of desperation. The spiritual force she had used to pull Xiao Rangchen backward also dissipated midair, allowing him to fall from the air.

“...” Could time rewind?

The moment she received her subordinate’s report and came out, she had seen a sword coming down on Xiao Rangchen’s neck. Her hand had moved faster than her brain, flinging out the jade token from the book—the one that had shielded the original owner’s body from three fatal attacks.

Damn it. Just like that, her chance to change her life was gone...

“Who are you, to dare interfere in the affairs of our Cangya?” Cang Wu demanded sharply as he supported Cangya Xun.

Lou Yue was still caught up in her regret and had not heard a word he said. To everyone else, however, her silence looked like sheer disdain.

A gloomy, vicious look spread across Cang Wu’s face. Just as he was about to rush forward, Cangya Xun caught his arm.

Wiping the blood from his lips and brushing the dust from his clothes, Cangya Xun moved with unhurried elegance, yet carried an intimidating pressure. “Which branch of the Lou clan do you belong to?”

Lou Yue met his cold, savage gaze. Cangya, and addressed as Young Lord—there was no need to think further. This man had to be Cangya Xun, the culprit in the book responsible for the male lead losing both his parents.

According to the plot, the two of them were never supposed to encounter each other in Xuandu. Yet now they had not only met, but Xiao Rangchen’s spiritual channels had yet to recover.

Protect him or not? That was the question.

Protecting him meant becoming enemies with the Cangya of Beiming from this day forward.

Not protecting him meant Xiao Rangchen would most likely not survive today.

Lou Yue’s gaze drifted uncontrollably to the other side.

Xiao Rangchen was leaning half his body against a tree beside the courtyard gate, his face pale. Blood poured from the wounds in his shoulder and abdomen, soaking broad dark patches into his black robes. Before long, a pool of blood had gathered beneath him.

Lou Yue scoffed inwardly. Weren’t you acting all high and mighty when you left? Look at you now. That’s what you get for being so smug.

As if sensing her gaze, Xiao Rangchen turned to look at her as well. The hatred in his eyes still burned fiercely. Their gazes met in midair for a brief instant before Xiao Rangchen looked away first, as though he did not care what Lou Yue chose to do next.

Lou Yue sneered and turned back.

She lifted a hand and drew the jade token from the ground with spiritual power. After blowing the dust from its surface, she answered casually, “Oh, my father is just a man who guards a mine for the Lou family in some backwater village. I suppose I barely count as a branch of a branch family.”

“Young Master Yue is being far too modest. Young Lord of Cangya, this is the only son of our Third Master—Lou Yue,” Lou Haina “helpfully” introduced Lou Yue.

Lou Yue shot Lou Haina a cool, cutting glance.

“Brother Yue, it has been many years. I never recognized you.” Lou Weixiao waved the jade-bone fan in his hand, a smile playing on his lips. His tone was so intimate that they might truly have been close brothers. “Young Lord of Cangya, please forgive him. Brother Yue must have been deceived by some villain and does not yet know that this man is a traitor to your Cangya.”

Lou Yue suddenly laughed, his tone languid, though every word was distinct. “Who says I don’t know? It’s just the same old trick—crying thief first, then wiping out the evidence.”

Xiao Rangchen abruptly turned to look at Lou Yue. Surprise and confusion flickered uncertainly in his eyes.

Cangya Xun’s expression darkened, and an overwhelming, icy hostility radiated from him.

Unmoved, Lou Yue said, “I don’t care what grudges you had before. But he owes me something now, and until he pays it back, I’m not letting him go.”

Seeing the two sides locked in confrontation, Lou Weixiao realized this was an opportunity to test just how much weight Lou Yue carried in the family head’s eyes. He immediately signaled for Lou Haina to report the matter.

Yet in less than half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Lou Haina returned—bringing someone wholly unexpected with him.

“Grandpa Yan, why are you here?” Lou Weixiao froze.

Lou Yue looked toward the elderly man called “Grandpa Yan” and recognized him as Lou Zhongyan from the portraits: Lou Mo’s most trusted confidant. Lou Yue had no interest in forging ties with the Lou family. He merely glanced at the man before preparing to look away, but their gazes happened to meet. The old man’s eyes were filled with the kindly warmth and affection an elder might show a younger generation.

Lou Yue: ?

“I was handling a small errand for the family head. I ran into Haina and came along.”

After speaking, Lou Zhongyan walked toward Cangya Xun and smiled slowly. “Young Lord of Cangya, weren’t you meant to interrogate Cang Youshan today? Why are you still here? If you delay any longer, I’m afraid you won’t make it in time.”

He did not release even a trace of spiritual power and looked like nothing more than an elderly man in good health. Yet as his words fell, everyone felt an invisible pressure settle over them.

Cangya Xun fell silent. At his side, Cang Wu could no longer hold back. Pointing at Xiao Rangchen, he shouted, “He is a traitor to our Cangya! Are you openly sheltering him?!”

Lou Zhongyan merely lifted his gaze to the sky, speaking unhurriedly as though making casual conversation. “If you do not leave now, you truly will not make it in time.”

Cang Wu: “You—”

Cangya Xun stopped Cang Wu with a hand. His cold, proud eyes fixed steadily on the old man. After a long moment, he concealed the malice in his gaze and said with finality, “Leave.”

“Young Lord?!” Cang Wu cried in disbelief.

Cangya Xun ignored him. After casting one final glance at Xiao Rangchen, he turned and left first. Cang Wu had no choice but to hurriedly follow.

Lou Weixiao looked toward Lou Yue, his expression complex and unreadable. Then, with the respectful manner of a junior bidding farewell to an elder, he took his leave of Lou Zhongyan and departed with Lou Haina.

A confrontation on the verge of erupting into violence ended in an entirely unexpected fashion.

Lou Yue could not help marveling at the strength of a dragon protagonist’s luck. Thinking of it that way, he regretted his earlier impulsiveness; he had needlessly made himself an enemy.

Lou Yue was just considering going over to mock Xiao Rangchen and recover a little psychological balance when someone suddenly stopped in front of him.

“Young Master Yue, don’t go throwing your jade token around next time,” Lou Zhongyan said with a smile, his voice as gentle as that of a kindly old neighbor. “If it breaks, there won’t be another one.”

Lou Yue brushed the bits of dried grass clinging to the tassel of the jade token without the slightest embarrassment. With a slight movement of her fingers, she stored the token engraved with the characters “Riding the Wind” in her storage ring, then gave a cool “Oh.”

Lou Zhongyan continued smiling as he asked, “Young Master Yue, will you be taking part in the Ancient Tree Dao Insight the day after tomorrow?”

“I will.”

Compared with Lou Weixiao’s respectful attitude, Lou Yue’s response could only be described as cold. Lou Zhongyan, however, did not seem to mind. “Good. If you have the chance, Young Master Yue, you should pay the family head a visit and keep him company for a while.”

Lou Yue gave a perfunctory “Mm.”

Lou Zhongyan did not linger. He turned around and, after a few steps, disappeared from everyone’s sight.

With no more excitement to watch, the crowd had already dispersed. The only ones left at the entrance of Sleeping Cloud Courtyard were the few people following behind Lou Yue, along with Xiao Rangchen, who was leaning against a tree and could barely remain standing.

His once-straight back was now hunched, trembling faintly. His eyes, usually as sharp as an eagle’s, were clouded with exhaustion. For once, Lou Yue could make out a hint of frailty in him.

Before she could say anything, Xiao Rangchen spoke in a firm voice. “I owe you my life. I’ll repay you, but this has nothing to do with Aiai.”

Lou Yue had been facing him, but upon hearing those words, she turned her toes in another direction. Too lazy to say even a single word, she went straight back into the courtyard.

Inside Sleeping Cloud Courtyard, Lou Yue went up the stairs two or three steps at a time. Little Qiu hurried after her. “Young Master, aren’t we bringing Xiao Rangchen inside?”

Lou Yue did not slow down. “Bring him in for what? He’s not worthy of entering!”

That scumbag was on the verge of death and still thinking about taking his harem beauty away. He wasn’t worth it! She had wasted the life-saving opportunity on her jade token for nothing—what a terrible loss.

Little Qiu asked softly, “Young Master, are you angry that Xiao Rangchen is still thinking about taking Miss Xiao away?”

Lou Yue stopped and turned her head toward him, her voice suddenly rising several pitches. “Who said I’m angry? Is that bastard even worth it?”

Little Qiu fell silent for a moment. He had already called him a bastard—how could that not be anger?

Though he thought that to himself, he quickly agreed aloud. “It was Little Qiu’s mistake. It’s just... Xiao Rangchen is so severely injured. If he leaves, might the people from the Cangya clan secretly make a move against him? If something happens, I’m afraid Miss Xiao will be heartbroken and blame you, Young Master.”

Lou Yue said nothing, but her pace up the stairs gradually slowed. Just as Little Qiu thought she was about to order someone to follow him, Lou Yue’s voice came through, gritted with fury.

“Saving him once doesn’t mean I’m going to save him twice. Dream on!”

With that, Lou Yue stomped up the stairs and slammed the door shut with a heavy bang.

Little Qiu stared at the tightly closed door and sighed inwardly.

That had really made her angry...

Inside the room, Lou Yue held Xuanba in her arms and complained about Xiao Rangchen’s ingratitude. Only after venting her frustration did she gradually calm down. She closed her eyes, focused her mind, and began cultivating.

It was not until the moon had risen high overhead and all things had fallen silent that she lay down to get her beauty sleep.

Lou Yue did not sleep peacefully that night. She kept feeling cold drafts drilling into her bones from every direction.

She wanted to pull up the covers, but somehow she could not find them. The bed had also become hard as stone, while her head felt unusually heavy, leaving her unable to wake up. At last, she finally managed to touch something warm. Clutching it tightly in her arms, she was at last able to sleep more soundly.

The following morning, Lou Yue had only just managed to fall into a deep sleep when she was awakened by something pressing against her stomach.

Whenever she moved, it moved with her, prodding her abdomen again and again and disturbing her so thoroughly that she could not find peace.

Lou Yue had no choice but to summon a little more energy and reach out to remove whatever was pressing against her.

A hoarse, muffled male groan suddenly sounded above her head.

Lou Yue's hand froze. Her mind cleared at once. Xiao Rangchen, who was lying beside her, also woke up, though pain was what had jolted him back to his senses.

He seized Lou Yue by the wrist. His voice was husky with the distinctive rasp of early morning, and there was a hint of restraint in it. “Let go!”

Only then did Lou Yue belatedly realize that she was curled up in Xiao Rangchen's arms. She stiffened and immediately tried to push him away, but her left hand was pinned beneath him while her right was caught in his grip. In her panic, her brain failed to keep up, and her fingers instinctively tightened.

Xiao Rangchen sucked in a breath, unable to suppress the muffled sound that escaped from his throat.

Lou Yue lowered her head to look at what she was holding. The next second, she let go with her right hand. Even with Xiao Rangchen's hand clamped around her wrist, she instantly unleashed a surge of powerful spiritual energy and sent him flying with a forceful shove.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Xiao Rangchen twisted in midair, but his movements were noticeably sluggish. When he landed, he even staggered twice before managing to steady himself.

Lou Yue sat up and discovered that they were in the branches of a camphor tree. But that was not the point right now. The point was that Xiao Rangchen had actually gotten hard against her!!

She was a man right now! How much of a scumbag was Xiao Rangchen? Did he swing both ways??!!

“If you can't control what you've got down there, I'll cut it off for you!” Lou Yue was on the verge of breaking down. This was the first time she had ever encountered a scumbag who had gotten handsy with her, and the first time she had ever touched... Even the one on her own body had never done this to her...

The more she thought about it, the more distraught she became. Lou Yue jumped straight out of the tree and rushed to the lakeside to wash her hands, looking as though she intended to scrub off an entire layer of skin from her right hand.

The veins on Xiao Rangchen's forehead throbbed violently.

No man would let another man take advantage of him first thing in the morning unless he was sick in the head. As a man himself, Lou Yue could not possibly fail to understand that. Xiao Rangchen could only attribute her reaction to deliberate provocation.

“You're so capable, so why don't you try controlling it yourself?” he said through clenched teeth, his pale face looking ashen.

Xiao Rangchen had meant for Lou Yue to try controlling her own problem. However, possessing a woman's heart, Lou Yue instinctively misunderstood him and assumed he was asking her to control his.

Lou Yue's eyes flew wide. She could not believe Xiao Rangchen was making such a filthy joke.

She casually grabbed a stone beside her and hurled it at Xiao Rangchen. The stone struck him squarely in the chest.

Xiao Rangchen collapsed on the spot.

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Xiao Rangchen: Take responsibility.

Lou Yue: Are you faking this for sympathy??