Chapter 23

The next day.

When Luo Qingzhou woke up, it was already nine in the morning.

The sun shone brightly on the window frame.

The sound of Xiao Die chasing away the sparrows could be heard from the small courtyard.

Luo Qingzhou widened his eyes and stared blankly at the beautiful curtain above his head. Thinking about last night’s lovemaking, he felt like he was dreaming.

Why did he fall asleep every time after they were done doing the deed?

It was the same during their wedding night.

He should have said tender words and comforted her after the matter was over, but he felt dizzy and fell asleep.

Was it because his body was too weak, or… was there another reason?

He caught a faint feminine perfume in the air.

However, the person beside him was already gone without a trace.

“Young Master, are you awake?”

Xiao Die’s voice suddenly came from outside the window.

The sparrows were chirping non-stop in the small courtyard. It was very noisy.

She was afraid of disturbing Luo Qingzhou’s sleep, so she chased the annoying sparrows away. However, she was also afraid of him oversleeping as it was harmful to his body.

Luo Qingzhou came back to his senses and replied, “I’m awake.”

Xiao Die heard this and quickly said, “Then I will fetch hot water for you to wash your face, Young Master.”

With that, she went to the kitchen.

Luo Qingzhou lay on the bed for a while more before getting up and putting on his clothes.

Xiao Die assisted him in washing his face and brushing his teeth.

Then she brought breakfast over for him.

The breakfast here was much more sumptuous than in the Chengguo Residence.

They had steamed buns, eggs, vegetables, and porridge.

There was also a plate of snacks.

Luo Qingzhou sat in the small courtyard as he ate breakfast. He was a little distracted.

Xiao Die was pulling weeds in a corner. She turned her head to steal a glance at him from time to time. Her eyes flickered, she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Luo Qingzhou looked at her and said, “If you have something to say, just say it. I won’t eat you.”

Xiao Die’s face turned red. She hesitated for a while before saying in a low voice. “Young Master, last night… Did you sleep with Young Miss last night?”

Luo Qingzhou was stunned. “You saw it?”

Xiao Die blushed and said shyly, “I didn’t see, I just… I just heard it.”

“You heard us?” Luo Qingzhou asked.

His lips twitched.

“Yeah.”

Xiao Die lowered her head, too embarrassed to continue speaking.

Last night, she had just fallen asleep in the room beside Luo Qingzhou’s when she heard the sounds in his room.

The wooden bed squeaked for a long time.

A thought came to Luo Qingzhou and he hurriedly asked, “Xiao Die, were you in your room the entire night? Did you see anyone?”

Xiao Die shook her head. “No. I was always on my bed.”

Luo Qingzhou said, “What about this morning? When did you wake up? Did you see… someone leave my room?”

Xiao Die still shook her head. “No, when I woke up, Young Master was the only one sleeping in the room. I don’t know when Young Miss left.”

After saying that, she whispered, “Young Master, maybe the Young Miss is shy, so she chose to quietly come and leave.”

Luo Qingzhou frowned and fell into deep thought.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Die continued, “Young Master, when I got up to open the courtyard door, I saw a figure walking into the garden in front. It looked like… like…”

“Like who?”

Luo Qingzhou hurriedly asked, feeling a little nervous.

Xiao Die glanced at the entrance of the small courtyard and said in a low voice, “It looked like Bai Ling. Bai Ling might have been waiting for Young Miss outside last night.”

Luo Qingzhou widened his eyes a little, but he did not say anything else.

After dinner.

He returned to the house, tossed everything in his mind aside, and sat down at the desk in front of the window to read.

Things were a little complicated.

However, there was no need for him to waste his time and let his imagination run wild.

The most important thing now was to make himself stronger.

Otherwise, that beautiful First Young Miss Qin would look down on him, not to mention all the servants in the Qin residence. Even that burly woman driving the carriage would also look down on him.

No matter which era it was, the weak would always be looked down upon.

The weak had no dignity to speak of.

If he wanted dignity, he could only rely on his own efforts!

Xiao Die cleaned up the dishes and left after informing him about it. She went to look for Qiu’er, Xiao Tao, and the other maidservants to continue learning from them.

That girl was also working hard.

Luo Qingzhou read for a while, then returned to his bed and cultivated for half a day.

After lunch.

After Xiao Die left, he continued to hit the tree trunk in the small courtyard to temper his skin.

He exerted strength in his fists, arms, elbows, back, abdomen, legs, feet, and even neck. His strength was also increasing.

Bam!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The tree—whose bark had already split open—shook slightly under the violent impact, emitting a dull sound.

Although his entire body was in pain, Luo Qingzhou gradually felt refreshed under continuous tempering.

He increased his strength, his punches became even more ferocious.

The heat in his body kept flowing through his acupuncture points and through his flesh, nourishing his skin and preventing him from feeling any pain.

As the skin continued to crack and heal, it gradually transformed.

Unknowingly, the sun had set and dusk descended gradually.

Luo Qingzhou only stopped when he was perspiring all over. At that time, it was already evening.

When it was almost dark.

Xiao Die brought a sumptuous spread of food back. She happily told him about everything that had happened while she was learning embroidery and practicing the flute.

However, in the end, she pouted and said, “Qiu’er laughed at me today for having a small mouth. She said that it’s not suitable for me to play the flute because of this. Xiao Tao argued with her and said that someone who has a small mouth would be able to blow it better. Then, everyone laughed. I don’t know what they were laughing about…”

“In the future, learn the zither or the lute.”

Luo Qingzhou suggested as he ate.

Xiao Die said stubbornly, “No, I must learn to play the flute well so that I won’t embarrass you!”

Luo Qingzhou threw a glance at her, but he did not say anything else.

After taking a shower that night.

He continued to cultivate his inner force cultivation technique in his room.

When he was about to sleep, Xiao Die entered the room. She was dressed in her pajamas and crawled under his blanket. She warmed Luo Qingzhou’s feet and told him about the miscellaneous matters she had heard from the maidservants.

“Xiao Tao said that Second Young Miss is an amazing woman. She’s proficient in the four traditional arts of calligraphy, painting, the zither, and the game of go. Unfortunately, her body is weak and she frequently falls sick.”

“I wanted to help you ask the other maidservants about First Young Miss, but when they heard me, everyone’s expressions changed, and they refused to say anything.”

“I heard that First Young Master has a lot of power and prestige in the capital.”

“Qiu’er said that the important guests from the capital go out of the city to hunt every day.”

Luo Qingzhou held onto her delicate feet and listened to her rambling. He was thinking about something and did not interrupt her.

After an unknown period of time.

The little girl’s voice gradually stopped and she fell asleep unconsciously.

Luo Qingzhou thought about his cultivation for a while before closing his eyes.

Outside the window, the moon was shining bright in the sky.

At the Chengguo Residence.

Luo Yannian was still in the study.

First Madam brought over the snacks and hot tea that she had just made and quietly left.

When she walked to the dark corner of the long corridor outside, a figure suddenly appeared from behind a big tree.

It was the Second Butler, Wang Cheng.

The two of them were separated by the scarlet railing.

Madam Wang looked elsewhere with a dark expression.

Wang Cheng bowed and said in a low voice, “I’ve already sent someone to keep an eye on him. According to the rules, that kid has just gotten married, so he can only go outside the city to pay his respects to his mother after a month. At that time, we’ll take action.”

Madam Wang’s eyes darkened. “This is a critical moment for Yu’er. Don’t leave any evidence behind.”

Wang Cheng said in a low voice, “Madam, don’t worry. There are wild beasts roaming in the forest outside the city, and there are human-eating demon beasts in the Black Forest. Even if he dies there without a corpse, no one will suspect anything. Even if anyone has any suspicions about it, they have no evidence.”

Madam Wang looked at him and narrowed her eyes. “Are your men reliable?” she questioned.

Wang Cheng said respectfully, “They’re all criminals who have committed murders. None of them have seen my face. I told Wang Pu to find these men. When Wang Pu came into contact with these men, he made sure to cover his face with a mask. Besides, he met them on a dark night…”

Madam Wang did not say anything else and continued walking forward.

As she passed through the long corridor, the moonlight shone on her face. A ferocious expression had disappeared from her features, revealing a calm look in its place.