Chapter 22

The sun was setting.

The lake’s surface shimmered in the setting sun.

The willows drooped over toward the shore. The silhouette of the pavilion was reflected in the water of the lake, and the lake was filled with lotuses of different colors. It was a magnificent sight.

After Luo Qingzhou finished cultivating, he did not rest immediately.

Instead, he took a stroll with sweat coating his body and arrived at Moonlight Rain Court.

After intense training, it was not suitable to suddenly stop.

Otherwise, it would increase the burden on the heart.

Those who had weak physiques might even die.

So he decided to take a stroll.

The bark of the two giant trees in his small courtyard had cracked. They were now as soft as cotton.

It would probably completely fall off after a while.

After all, the small courtyard was his abode, and the trees were too conspicuous.

Therefore, he planned to find a secluded spot that had trees. That would be useful when he wanted to cultivate more intensely in the future.

The last time he came to this lake, he found a bamboo forest in the northwest corner.

There were more than ten huge trees in the bamboo forest.

He decided to take a look.

This was a very huge area.

In addition to the lake, there were also flowerbeds, forests, bamboo forests, artificial mountains, and so on.

Moreover, this place was very close to the small courtyard where he lived.

Usually, no one would come over.

But he heard that the Second Young Miss would occasionally bring her friends over to play.

However, they would take a boat to the lake to pick some lotus seeds or to the pavilion at the center of the lake to sightsee. It was impossible for them to go to such a remote bamboo forest.

Therefore, that should be a good place to cultivate.

Luo Qingzhou walked along the shore of the lake.

He passed through a flowerbed and stepped onto a cobblestone path.

Then, he entered the bamboo forest.

The bamboo forest was huge and quiet.

A thick layer of fallen leaves covered the ground. The snow had yet to melt completely.

Birds leaped about in the forest, but they did not chirp at all. Upon seeing him, they did not seem to be afraid.

More than ten trees were in the forest, and all of them were very thick and sturdy.

One of the tree trunks would have taken at least three people to reach around its circumference. The branches were strong, unafraid of the cold and snow. Luo Qingzhou was unsure what kind of tree it was.

Luo Qingzhou strolled around for a while and realized that this was indeed an excellent place to cultivate.

The trees were dense and the sun ray had difficulty breaking through the leaves. An earthy scent of rotting leaves and damp soil filled the air.

The forest ground was dirty and the forest was located in a remote area. There were no scenic areas in the woods at all.

Hence, nobody would come here.

Moreover, this place was far from the pavilion in the lake and was enveloped by a dense bamboo forest. Even if the Second Young Miss suddenly came to the pavilion, she would not be able to see him.

“All right, I’ll cultivate here from now on!”

Luo Qingzhou stood in front of the big tree and suddenly punched out, hitting the hard tree trunk in full force.

He felt a sharp, searing pain on the back of his hand.

However, the pain did not last long before it quickly dissipated.

The strength of this punch was much greater than his previous punches.

These few days of continuous cultivation had not only made his skin tougher and more resistant to attacks, but it had also increased his strength.

He was no longer the weak scholar who could not even carry a bucket of water or kill a chicken!

However, he could not slack off yet.

He had to continue working hard!

He looked at the sky.

The sun had set and the night fell.

Luo Qingzhou did not dare to stay any longer. He immediately left the bamboo forest and returned to his small courtyard.

Xiao Die had already brought dinner and was waiting for him at the door.

Seeing him come out of the garden, she asked, “Young Master, instead of studying in the house, you went to the lake again? Were you alone?”

Luo Qingzhou entered the small courtyard and said, “Of course not. I wasn’t alone.”

Xiao Die immediately followed behind and asked curiously. “Who else went with you? Was it Bai Ling, or…”

“Xiao Tao and Qiu’er.”

Luo Qingzhou sat down at the stone table and said the first thing that came into his head.

Xiao Die was stunned for a moment before she burst into laughter. “Young Master is lying. Xiao Tao and Qiu’er were with me in the afternoon. They haven’t left yet when I left.”

Luo Qingzhou stopped teasing her. He picked up his chopsticks and said, “So what did they teach you today?

Xiao Die scooped some rice for him as she said happily, “Qiu’er taught me how to embroider peony, while Xiao Tao taught me how to play the flute.”

Luo Qingzhou glanced at her mouth and asked, “How did your learning go today?”

Xiao Die was a little embarrassed. “I’m so stupid. I haven’t mastered it yet.”

Luo Qingzhou smiled and said, “How can you pick it up that quickly? Take things slowly. Nothing can be done overnight. You have to practice more.”

“I will. Young Master, hurry up and eat. The weather is cold, so the dishes will turn cold quickly,” Xiao Die replied.

Xiao Die did not speak anymore and scooped a bowl of soup for him.

After dinner.

Luo Qingzhou went to the kitchen and boiled a large pot of water.

As the water was boiling, he came out and carried the bathtub into the house.

Xiao Die was eating in the small courtyard. Seeing that he went to the corner alone to carry the large wooden bucket, she hurriedly stood up and said, “Young Master, don’t move. I will help you. That wooden bucket is so heavy, so you must be careful. Don’t drop it onto your feet.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Qingzhou opened his arms wide and picked up the large wooden bucket before walking into the house.

Xiao Die was stunned momentarily before quickly following him in.

Luo Qingzhou carried the large wooden bucket and placed it behind the partition in the room.

Xiao Die stood at the door and looked at him with wide eyes. “Young Master, you… How did you become so strong?”

Although there was no water in the bathtub, it was still very heavy.

Originally, Luo Qingzhou was so weak that he could not even carry a small bucket of water, yet he could carry such a huge wooden tub into the house by himself now.

Luo Qingzhou smacked his hands free of dust and said with a smile, “I’ve been eating meat recently, so my strength has increased a lot.”

Xiao Die looked at him doubtfully. “But I have also been eating meat recently, yet I still don’t have much strength. My strength didn’t increase at all.”

Luo Qingzhou walked out of the house and said, “You’re a girl. How can you compare to me?”

Xiao Die looked at how skinny he still was and felt puzzled despite mulling over it repeatedly.

After the water was boiled, Luo Qingzhou entered the house to take a shower.

Xiao Die washed the plates and sent them back to the kitchen before rushing back to help him wash up.

“Young Master, there is a lot of dirt on your body.”

The room was dense with thick, hot steam. The little girl’s face was flushed red from the steam. She grabbed onto a towel and scrubbed his back.

Luo Qingzhou could clearly feel that she had rubbed off a lot of dirt from his back.

He had sweated so much during his cultivation today. His clothes were all wet. Needless to say, he expelled a lot of impurities from his body.

Luo Qingzhou sat in the bathtub.

He only finished with his bath when the water was about to turn cold.

“Xiao Die, do you want to shower?” he asked.

“No, the water is so dirty…” Xiao Die said.

“You actually despise me?” Luo Qingzhou asked.

Xiao Die whimpered. “There are so many black things in the water. If I bathe with this water, I’ll be even dirtier.”

Luo Qingzhou kept quiet.

He did not tease her anymore. He got up, put on his clothes, and got into bed.

Xiao Die quickly took the basin and scooped out all the dirty water from the bathtub, pouring it outside.

After cleaning up, she washed her face and feet. She came to the door of the room and said in a low voice, “Young Master, I won’t warm your blanket tonight.”

Luo Qingzhou was sitting on the bed and reading a book by the oil lamp. Upon hearing her words, he looked up and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Die blinked at him and said softly, “Didn’t Bai Ling say today that Young Miss is coming to sleep with you tonight? I don’t dare to accompany you today.”

Luo Qingzhou could not help but laugh. “Do you believe her?”

Xiao Die thought about it and sighed.

Although the First Young Miss Qin was so beautiful, she looked so cold. She had never looked at Young Master or spoken to him. How could it be that she would want to use this room and reward Young Master?

She had probably been forced to consummate the marriage.

Moreover, she had already agreed to do it once a month.

“Young Master, regardless of whether Young Miss will come tonight, I can’t accompany you. After all, Bai Ling has already told you that, so I don’t dare to break the rules by disobeying her.”

After saying that, Xiao Die closed the door for him and returned to her room.

Luo Qingzhou looked at the door. He was stunned for a moment before continuing to read.

When it was quiet outside, he got out of bed and closed the window. Then, he blew out the oil lamp and returned to the bed. He sat cross-legged and began to cultivate the internal cultivation method.

Time passed quietly.

Soon, it was midnight.

He opened his eyes and felt a warm and comfortable sensation all over his body.

He had to wake up early tomorrow to continue cultivating, so he planned to sleep early tonight to conserve his energy.

Not long after he lay down and closed his eyes, he suddenly felt that something was amiss. When he opened his eyes, he suddenly saw a person standing by the bed.

He was taken aback and quickly sat up in horror. Just as he was about to shout at her, the figure suddenly pounced into his arms and pressed him back onto the bed.

At the same time, a mouth pressed firmly against his.

Luo Qingzhou widened his eyes. A familiar feminine fragrance wafted into his nose. The taste of her lips was wondrously familiar.

His bride was here.

However, for some reason, he suddenly felt his body go weak. He could not muster any strength.

At the same time, he became a little dizzy and his vision blurred.

He was powerless and had no reason to resist. Soon, he sank into the sea of happiness and could not extricate himself.

It was a clear moonlight night.