Lou Yue was wide awake in an instant. She hopped out of bed in a few quick strides and wrenched the door open.
"Escaped? Where did he get to?"
"Somehow Xiao Rangchen pried open the spirit-restraining cage, knocked out Big One and Second One, and a servant only noticed when he went down to check just now." Little Qiu hung his head, his tone full of shame. "But the spirit-restraining shackles on his hands and feet are still on, so he can't have gone far. The guards are already out searching. I'm so sorry, young master, it was my carelessness."
"Has his injury healed?" Lou Yue furrowed her brows. The medium-grade spiritual herb she had ordered to apply on Xiao Rangchen shouldn't have allowed him to recover this fast.
"Not at all. The wound was still oozing blood when we changed his dressing yesterday, logically he can barely move around. If I'd known this would happen, I'd have kept him submerged in water!" Little Qiu stamped his foot in regret. He knew Lou Yue had no intention of killing Xiao Rangchen, so he had moved the prisoner out of the water and onto dry ground these past days, afraid the dampness would worsen his injury and kill him. That move had accidentally given Xiao Rangchen the perfect chance to escape.
Barefoot, Lou Yue paced back and forth on the thick, plush carpet, her smooth soles sinking softly into the fibers.
She had thought too simply. Long Aotian was never someone who could be trapped easily.
She stopped short, her gaze suddenly clearing. "Where is Xiao Aiai?"
"Still in the room in the backyard. We just sent more guards over there, to stop Xiao Rangchen from trying to rescue her."
Xiao Aiai, the sister Xiao Rangchen had no blood relation to, the one he had grown up relying on, and one of the five heroines in his harem in the original novel.
Unlike Xiao Rangchen, who was kept completely in the dark, Xiao Aiai had known from the very start that they were not real siblings. The moment Xiao Rangchen found out the truth, he had taken Xiao Aiai into his harem immediately, grandly claiming it was just to keep her by his side and protect her. What a hypocrite, scumbag, and total womanizer!
If the chance arose, she definitely had to pull Xiao Aiai out of that mess, at the very least let her see Xiao Rangchen's true colors as a man who doted on many women.
"Xiao Rangchen would never leave Xiao Aiai behind," Lou Yue said firmly. Otherwise he would never have insisted on bringing her all the way here while fleeing for their lives, not to mention she was one of his future women.
Lou Yue spoke in a low, solemn tone. "Stop searching for him. Move all the guards to the backyard. We'll wait for him to show up, like waiting for the rabbit to bump into the tree stump."
Little Qiu nodded quickly in agreement. "Young master, you're so thoughtful. I'll go arrange that right now!"
Watching Little Qiu's retreating, hurried figure, Lou Yue still had a strange feeling in her chest, like she was missing some crucial detail.
The night wind brushed over her thin clothes, carrying a chill.
"Achoo!" Lou Yue rubbed her nose, only realizing she had been standing barefoot in the draft in nothing but a thin robe for ages. Her previously tensed brows lifted in a sudden wave of nonchalance. Oh well, no matter how big the problem was, she needed a full night's sleep to have the energy to deal with it. She wasn't going to waste herself overthinking.
The moment the door clicked shut, a drop of bright red blood fell silently from the branches of the tree directly opposite the house, seeping into the damp soil without a sound.
"Whooo?"
"No," Xiao Rangchen stared intently at the distant house, his voice icy and firm. "Her contracted beast is there." He had caught a glimpse of that creature named Xuanba lying on the bed behind Lou Yue when she opened the door just now.
"Whooo whooo!" The little beast fretted, nuzzling against his neck. Xiao Rangchen's thin lips tugged faintly, his tone still deep and cold but carrying a subtle, soothing edge. "I know you're strong, but there's no need for a head-on fight."
"Whooo?"
"As long as we keep an eye on Lou Yue, Aiai will be safe," Xiao Rangchen leaned back against the rough tree trunk, steadying his breathing that had turned ragged from the sharp pain of his injury.
To escape safely, he had to get the spirit stone shackles off. Even if he rescued Aiai with them still on, they would never get far. He hadn't found the key to the shackles on any of the guards. It must be on Lou Yue herself.
Lou Yue...
Xiao Rangchen pressed his lips into a tight, straight line. After a long moment, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he tilted his head back to exhale a long, heavy breath.
***
Having stayed up late the night before and been woken up by the chaos of Xiao Rangchen's escape, Lou Yue didn't climb out of bed until the sun was high in the sky.
Actually, if it weren't for the certain turtle snoring loudly at the foot of the bed, she could have slept even later.
Lou Yue grabbed the silk quilt and draped it over the "majestic" Lord Xuan, then got out of bed to change her clothes. After yesterday's practice, she had already mastered quite a few tricks of using spiritual energy.
With a single thought, several sets of luxurious outfits flew out of her storage ring. Lou Yue's fingertips brushed over the soft fabric, and a bright, triumphant grin spread across her face. "Tsk, I really am a natural at this."
In the end, Lou Yue picked out a robe with a striking peacock green and ginger yellow color block design. She left her long hair loose, only tucking matching hair accessories behind each ear. She looked bright, handsome, vibrant, and full of life.
Just as she reached for the door, a strange movement came from her storage ring.
Lou Yue raised her hand, and a light butterfly flew out of the ring. It danced in front of her, scattering a few lines of bold, flowing words in the air.
My dear son, your father has been very busy lately. You'll go to Xuan Du's birthday celebration in my place. As for the birthday gift, just pick some random wild flowers and weeds by the roadside. That old man never pays attention to gifts anyway. That's all for now. Your loving father sends his thoughts.
The golden words slowly faded, and the light butterfly flew back into Lou Yue's palm, turning back into an ordinary, lifeless object.
Lou Yue stepped back and sat down on the pear blossom wood chair, mulling over the message the messenger butterfly had brought her.
Xuan Du was located in Kanze Prefecture, the Lou family's home base. This birthday celebration was for the head of the Lou family, Lou Mo. It was a key plot point in the original novel, where the male lead Xiao Rangchen would obtain the old grandpa in his ring, and meet his beloved White Moonlight Goddess for the first time.
Thinking of that, Lou Yue's eyes lit up with bright excitement.
Her opportunity had arrived.
The old grandpa in his ring? She was going to get it before Xiao Rangchen could. The White Moonlight Goddess? She was going to save her too. Xiao Rangchen wasn't getting a single thing he was supposed to have.
Lou Yue couldn't sit still any longer. She wrenched the door open, then turned back to grab Lord Xuan right off the bed, and marched quickly toward the backyard.
Little Qiu rushed over upon hearing the commotion, but Lou Yue didn't slow down her steps. She spoke loudly and clearly. "We're leaving for Xuan Du immediately. Go make the arrangements."
Little Qiu was taken aback. He had no idea why the originally scheduled departure in five days was suddenly moved up, but he responded promptly. "Right away."
The backyard was lined with rows of houses, but one of them was surrounded by layers of guards, with every door and window tightly watched.
"Stay outside, don't let anyone come in," Lou Yue ordered. She set Xuanba on the windowsill, then pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Right after she shut the door, a thick wooden stick, apparently broken off some furniture, was poked straight at her face.
"Lecher!"
"Shameless!"
"Despicable!"
Lou Yue: ......
She brushed the stick away from her face, but the next second, the stubborn stick was poked right back at her.
Lou Yue stopped moving. She silently counted to ten in her head, and Xiao Aiai's body went limp, collapsing. Lou Yue reached out and caught her steadily in her arms.
Xiao Aiai had a pretty face full of disgust, struggling weakly in her hold while yelling angrily. "You filthy villain!"
Lou Yue had indeed allowed Little Qiu to slip a mild drug to Xiao Aiai, the kind that temporarily blocked her spiritual energy and left her too weak to stand. Putting herself in Xiao Aiai's shoes, she thought it was pretty fair to be called filthy... As she reflected on that, she tossed the stick aside, carried Xiao Aiai over to the bed, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Xiao Aiai dragged her limp body inward, and surprisingly pulled out an identical wooden stick from under her pillow. "What-what do you think you're doing!"
The sight of the beautiful girl looking both scared and furious made Lou Yue feel guilty all over again. She softened her voice, speaking gently to comfort her. "I came here to talk to you about something very important. Don't worry, I would never do anything improper."
Xiao Aiai looked at her with obvious suspicion. Lou Yue simply moved all the way to the foot of the bed, putting a safe distance between them, her posture completely open and unguarded.
"What is it? Speak quickly!" Xiao Aiai gripped the stick tightly, staring at her with full vigilance.
Lou Yue had already organized her words on the way over, so she got straight to the point. "Your brother has escaped."
Xiao Aiai froze for a second, then her entire face lit up with a genuine, bright smile. "That's wonderful!"
Lou Yue's tensed heart finally settled. What she had said just now was a test. Xiao Aiai had a spoiled, straightforward nature that never hid her true feelings, so if Xiao Rangchen had been here, she would never have acted so naturally.
"I'm leaving for Xuandu today," Lou Yue said gently. "I want you to come with me."
Xiao Aiai's smile froze, and she refused without a second thought. "No way!"
Lou Yue had expected this answer long ago. She spoke unhurriedly, "I know you and your brother have been hunted down this whole time, never knowing when the next threat will come. Even right now, there could still be killers lying in wait for you in this city. If you think about it, I did save you two. Those people would never dare step foot into my territory."
Xiao Aiai frowned, growing impatient. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"You've only just reached the Qi Refining stage, and you've only stayed safe this entire journey because your brother has been protecting you. But his spiritual meridian is damaged, and he's been forcing his spiritual power to work nonstop, so he's already at his last breath. Now I'm giving you two choices."
Lou Yue bent one leg, tapped her knee lightly with her fingertip, and spoke in a calm tone. "One, I let you go right now, you go find him, and you both live or die by fate. Two, you come with me to Xuandu, where the only Nianyan Flower in the world that can repair a damaged spiritual meridian grows."
The wooden stick in Xiao Aiai's hand slowly drooped. Lou Yue added one more push, her words striking straight at her heart. "Do you want to be a burden to others for the rest of your life? Is that what you really want?"
That push hit hard, obvious from the way Xiao Aiai stared at her, eyes already welling up with tears.
"Why should I trust you?"
Lou Yue held up two fingers to swear. "Under the observation of the Heavenly Dao, I, Lou Yue, promise that from this moment on, I will respect all of Xiao Aiai's own wishes, and never force her to do anything against her will."
Just then, sunlight streamed through the window lattice, falling on her handsome side profile. She looked sincere and clear, without her usual flamboyance, full of candor. Xiao Aiai stared at her, her mind racing with all kinds of thoughts.
After a long while, she bit her lip and whispered, "Fine. I'll go with you."
Lou Yue held out her palm, tilted her head and smiled, her eyes bright and striking. "Then I hope all your wishes come true?"
Xiao Aiai glanced at the outstretched hand, then rolled her eyes at Lou Yue, but finally bit her lip and lightly tapped the palm with her own hand.
Mission accomplished. Lou Yue pulled out a pill and handed it to her. "The antidote."
Now that things had come to this, Xiao Aiai didn't hesitate any longer, and tipped her head back to swallow it.
Seeing her resolute look, Lou Yue blurted out suddenly, "How about this—stop being Xiao Rangchen's sister, and be my little sister instead?"
Xiao Aiai's almond eyes went wide as saucers in an instant.
Lou Yue herself was stunned for a second. Those words had slipped out without her thinking, but they actually... didn't sound half bad. She immediately smiled again. "Think about it, huh? Give me a chance?"
She wasn't sure if it was because her original reputation was far too bad, or if Xiao Aiai really was unwilling, but all she saw was Xiao Aiai turning her face away, getting off the bed, and deliberately changing the subject. "The antidote's working now."
Lou Yue didn't want to push her, so she went along with the topic. "Is there anything you need to pack? Get it ready, we're leaving right now."
"So soon?" Xiao Aiai looked shocked.
Lou Yue thought to herself, Of course not slow—do you think I want to wait here for Xiao Rangchen to show up?
Before she could explain, Xiao Aiai was already muttering to herself "It's for the best anyway", then walked a couple steps toward the door. Noticing Lou Yue wasn't moving, she turned back and urged, "Hurry up, would you? Stop dawdling."
Lou Yue couldn't help but laugh. "Coming."
Xiao Aiai's cheeks flushed a little, and she mumbled, "What are you smiling so nicely for? Even if you do look good, you're still a... never mind, let's go!"
Lou Yue recalled Xuanba who was on sentry duty, and as they walked past the table missing two legs, the corners of her eyes curved into a smile.
Xiao Aiai caught sight of Lou Yue's gaze, immediately turned her head away, then seemed to remember something and quickly threw away the wooden stick she was holding.
...
Little Qiu was extremely efficient. In less than half an hour, the cloud ship was fully ready for departure.
The four other girls in the backyard saw Lou Yue was leaving and taking Xiao Aiai with her, so they pestered her playfully. Not wanting to upset them, Lou Yue told them to play a finger-guessing game to decide the winner, and in the end she took the winning girl Dou'er onto the cloud ship with her.
The cloud ship was even more luxurious than Lou Yue had imagined. The bottom deck was for the guards and maids to live in, and there were four more floors above it. Xiao Aiai and Dou'er were arranged on the second floor by Little Qiu, while Lou Yue had the largest, most luxurious top deck all to herself.
After leading Xiao Aiai and the clingy Dou'er to their rooms, Lou Yue wandered slowly up to the fourth floor of the cloud ship.
Even though she hadn't managed to trap Xiao Rangchen, being able to take his sister away and save a person who would have ended up trapped by a scumbag in the future felt like she had done a really good deed.
She lay down on the soft bed, listening to the howling wind outside the window, gradually letting her mind relax, and closed her eyes to get some sleep—
A sharp fishy stench suddenly drifted into her nose.
Lou Yue's eyes snapped open, but it was already too late.
---
Happy New Year, my dears!!