Chapter 70: Marks

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The wind was a little strong.

The snowflakes fluttered in the wind.

Luo Qingzhou was deep in thought all the way to First Young Miss Qin’s residence.

The courtyard door was open.

There was no sound in the courtyard, nor was there anyone.

Luo Qingzhou knocked on the door and waited for a while. No one answered. Just as he was about to leave, there was suddenly a slap in the corridor beside the house.

Then, a girl’s cry could be heard.

“Chanchan, I am sorry, I should not have stolen your candied hawthorn. I beg you, don’t hit me, I beg you…” Slap! Slap! Slap!

The slaps sounded again.

The girl’s sobs grew louder.

Luo Qingzhou hesitated for a moment before walking in.

When he passed through the courtyard and came to the passageway at the side of the house, he saw a girl in a pink dress standing alone under the roof. She was crying and talking while clapping her hands.

“Sir, you’re here…”

When Bai Ling saw him, she immediately rubbed her eyes which did not have any tears in them, and said aggrievedly, “Chanchan just hit me. When she saw you coming, she immediately ran away. She ran so fast. Sir, you have to stand up for me…”

Luo Qingzhou ignored her and walked straight to the back garden.

Bai Ling was still whimpering. She rubbed her eyes with her fists and peeped at him through her fingers. When she saw that he had walked far away, she followed him.

Luo Qingzhou entered the backyard.

Dressed in a white dress, First Young Miss Qin was sitting in the pavilion by the pond as usual, quietly reading a book.

Xia Chan hugged her sword and stood at the side with a cold expression. When she saw him enter, she gazed fixedly at him, as if she was not the one who took the initiative to ask him for candied hawthorns in the day.

Luo Qingzhou walked to the pavilion. He lowered his head and cupped his hands, repeating the three words he said every night. “First Young Miss.”

Qin Jianjia raised her head and looked at him calmly.

After a pause, she nodded slightly in response.

Luo Qingzhou looked up at her, but he still did not see what she was thinking. He was puzzled. “She does not speak, but she also does not have any thoughts?”

Luo Qingzhou glanced at the cold girl beside him again. Just as he looked over, the cold girl also looked at him. Her eyes were cold, like the snow outside the pavilion.

Luo Qingzhou retracted his gaze and turned to leave.

Bai Ling suddenly appeared, revealing two shallow dimples on her face. She smiled and said, “Sir, when we were outside just now, you said that I was very sweet, even sweeter than the candied hawthorn you bought for Chanchan today. Is that true?”

Luo Qingzhou glanced at her pink lips. Just as he was about to speak, Bai Ling suddenly smiled and said, “Sir, who do you think is sweeter, me or Chanchan?”

“Candied hawthorn is sweeter,” Luo Qingzhou replied.

After that, he ignored her and quickly left.

A long time after he left, Bai Ling stretched out a slender finger and touched her lips. She looked at the cold girl in the pavilion and said, “I’m not lying. Sir really said that my mouth is sweet just now. Chanchan, do you want to try it?”

The girl in the pavilion turned around and looked elsewhere. Her face was still cold and she did not say a word.

Bai Ling stretched out her hand and caught the snowflakes falling from the sky. She sighed and said, “It’s really cold tonight. If two people sleep together and put their lips together for a while, it should be very warm.”

“What do you think, Chanchan?”

She then looked at the sword-wielding girl in the pavilion.

The night wind was cold.

A silver moon hung in the dark clouds in the night sky.

When Luo Qingzhou returned to the house, Xiao Die had already laid out the blanket. She also lit two oil lamps and many candles.

The room was bright.

“Young Master, is this enough?”

Seeing that he was looking at the bed, the little girl could not help but blush and ask softly.

“Yes. You can go and sleep first.”

Luo Qingzhou nodded.

Xiao Die did not dare to stay any longer. When she reached the door, she said in a low voice, “Young Master, if you’re done… with Miss tonight and need to wash up, remember to call me.”

Luo Qingzhou did not say anything.

Xiao Die gently closed the door and left.

After returning to her room, she continued to embroider on the bed. She thought to herself, “Every time, Young Miss comes and leaves quietly. She must be embarrassed and afraid of being seen.”

Then, her face heated up again. She muttered softly, “I am originally a concubine-maidservant. According to the rules, I ought to have been standing there and serving them all night…”

Thinking of what Granny Sun had taught her back then, her face burned even more.

Back then, Granny Sun had told her that as a concubine-maidservant, she should stand by the bed and watch the married couple while they were making love and be prepared to serve them. If Young Master was in a good mood, or if Young Miss was tired, she could… could…

At that thought, Xiao Die let out a whining tone.

The more she thought about it, the redder her face became. She covered her face in shame and buried herself under the blanket. Her petite body was squirming because she was shy. Her delicate feet, which were wearing pink stockings, rested on the edge of the bed and bounced around.

It was late at night.

It was still snowing outside the window.

Luo Qingzhou closed the window and took off his shoes and clothes before getting into bed. He lay under the blanket and closed his eyes.

He carefully recalled the cultivation method recorded in the book “Regarding Soul Refinement” in his mind.

First, he had to get rid of all distracting thoughts. Then, he had to calm his mind and stay focused.

Following that, according to the information listed under that drawing, he had to focus all his attention on his inner vision. He had to look past the acupoints in his abdomen and slowly rise up, all the way to the top of his head.

He had to repeat this until his soul broke through the shackles and cut off the shackles of his body, completely rushing out of the acupoints on his head.

Luo Qingzhou decided to give it a try.

He held his breath and focused. He calmed his mind and focused his attention. He gathered all his attention and looked within his body.

Then, his gaze began to slowly rise from the acupoints.

It was like climbing a mountain. He had to do it step by step. The trees on both sides slowly retreated as he advanced with difficulty.

Raising his head, he saw a majestic mountain peak. It was hazy and ethereal, seemingly far away but also close at the same time.

“Phew… Phew…”

He had just climbed a third of the way when he suddenly could not hold his breath. He panted heavily and sweated profusely. At the same time, he felt a sharp pain in his head.

As expected, his Spiritual Power was still insufficient, and his soul was still not strong enough.

If he forced his way up again, his mind would probably be exhausted and his soul would be damaged, bringing about irreversible consequences.

Luo Qingzhou did not dare to try again. He rubbed his head and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

Whoo…

Right at this moment, a cold wind suddenly blew open the window.

Then, the candle on the table extinguished with a puff.

At the same time, the two oil lamps on the table were extinguished.

The room instantly darkened.

The remaining candles began to sway violently.

Luo Qingzhou’s heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly sat up and looked at the darkness outside the window. “Wait! I have something to say…”

He suddenly froze and his words got caught in his throat.

Strangely, there was another person on the bed. She was kneeling behind him and had one hand around his waist. She breathed into his earlobe.

Then, she suddenly bit his ear.

Luo Qingzhou trembled and hurriedly said, “Miss Bai Ling, I know that…

Bam!

Before he could finish speaking, he was suddenly pressed onto the bed.

Before he could open his eyes and see the other party clearly, the remaining candles in the room suddenly extinguished with a puff.

Then, a soft body pressed down on him and bit his mouth..

Although he tried his best to stay clear-headed, Luo Qingzhou’s head was still dizzy and his vision was blurry. He could not see anything.

Then, a piece of cloth bound his eyes.

Luo Qingzhou was speechless.

Outside the window, the night wind howled and snowflakes fluttered. Inside the house, the curtains swayed, and the flowers bloomed…