Ruan Jiaojiao saw the male lead and the female lead standing together like a pair of jades from afar and made a coughing sound.
Seeing her finally get up from bed, Ye Hanzhou quickly rushed over, covering her forehead with his warm palm.
“Fortunately, you don’t have any fever. Do you feel a little bit better?”
Ruan Jiaojiao had been tortured by Qi Shen the whole night so she wasn’t able to get any sleep. When Ye Hanzhou came to look for her this morning, she used the excuse of feeling unwell to shoo him away.
Seeing Ye Hanzhou treat the enchantress so considerately, even though Lu Xueyan had already formulated a plan, her expression turned ugly.
“Lady Ruan, Brother Ye said that you were feeling unwell, I specially asked the kitchen to stew some soup that would be of aid to your health. Quickly drink it while it’s still hot.”
Lu Xueyan smiled like a flower, giving her a goblet of soup.
Ruan Jiaojiao really didn’t dare drink the soup the female lead had prepared for her.
“Thank you Lady Lu for your kind intentions. However, I don’t have any appetite right now, I wouldn’t be able to drink it.”
Ruan Jiaojiao was too lazy to keep up this fake sisterly act with the female lead. She leaned in Ye Hanzhou’s arms weakly, putting on an extremely delicate appearance. The dark circles under her pretty eyes made her countenance look haggard, completely without the bright luster she usually had.
Ye Hanzhou’s heart tightened. He tightened his arms around her as if afraid that the wind would blow her away.
“If you’re not feeling well, don’t force yourself. Return to your room and lie down.”
Ruan Jiaojiao thought to herself. She also didn’t want to come out in the first place when her bones felt like they were about to fall apart from exhaustion but that shitty little system kept excitedly chanting in her ears that she was about to get cheated on.
Seeing the two people flirt openly in front of her, Lu Xueyan was completely ignored, making her unable to hold the smile on her face no matter how thick her face was. And so, she quickly found an excuse and left.
Once she left, Ruan Jiaojiao ruthlessly pinched Ye Hanzhou’s hand, however, his robust arm was as tough as steel. Her pinch didn’t feel like anything to him at all. Because of this, her face twisted in anger and she viciously stomped Ye Hanzhou’s leg, threatening him.
“I don’t like her! You’re not allowed to be alone with her. If I catch this sight again next time, I’m going to return to the demonic sect and I won’t care about you aymore!!”
Ye Hanzhou was taken aback. Even if he was a dense person, he still knew she was angry.
The girl was jealous. Originally, he felt somewhat happy but hearing her say that she was going to return to the demonic sect, a restless and gloomy feeling arose in his heart.
Ye Hanzhou immediately pulled Ruan Jiaojiao into his embrace, hugging her tight with such crushing force as if he hated that he couldn’t meld the girl into his bones.
“Jiaojiao, no matter how willful you are, no matter what you want me to do, never say that you’re returning to the demonic sect. You’re already my person. If you leave me, I’m going to the demonic sect to find you and even if it means having to go through fire and water, I’ll take you back and chain you by my side with nowhere else to go.”
Ruan Jiaojiao heard these words and felt befuddled as to why it seemed like the male lead was showing signs of blackening. She couldn’t help but feel a little afraid but also inexplicably felt expectant.
The words Ruan Jiaojiao said kept resurfacing in Ye Hanzhou’s heart. He felt as if something had happened and as a man himself, he also noticed the lecherous gaze Head Lu directed at Ruan Jiaojiao.
Lu Yuanpeng originally concealed it very well but upon hearing his daughter Lu Xueyan’s report, Ruan Jiaojiao’s identity was uncovered.
That girl previously held the identity of Ye Hanzhou’s friend so he naturally viewed her as a distinguished guest, but now that he learnt she was from the demonic sect, Lu Yuanpeng immediately had thoughts of playing with her obscenely and capturing her as bait for the demonic sect.
Lu Xueyan had her own big plans for Ruan Jiaojiao but her lecherous father Lu Yuanpeng had other plans of his own.
Lu Yuanpeng naturally thought that Ye Hanzhou didn’t know of Ruan Jiaojiao’s identity, assuming without any doubt that he had been tricked by the woman. Otherwise, how else could Swordsman Ye who was known for walking the Jianghu alone, associate with someone from the demonic sect?
And so, he arranged a banquet to specially entertain the two people and quietly slipped something in the drinks.
When Ye Hanzhou noticed something amiss in his drink, he pretended to faint and saw Lu Yuanpeng reach out to Ruan Jiaojiao impatiently, anger bubbled within him as he itched to cut his hand off.
Upon receiving the news, Lu Xueyan hurried over and saw this scene.
“Father!”
She watched incredulously as her father prepared to take off with the girl with a smile on his face.
Lu Yuanpeng didn’t expect Lu Xueyan to come across this scene but upon thinking that she was his own daughter, he no longer cared less.
“You came at the right time. Take responsibility for looking after Ye Hanzhou while I take this enchantress away and thoroughly interrogate her. When Ye Hanzhou awakes, reveal this girl’s identity to her.
Lu Xueyan had been patient these days, waiting to carry out her scheme but she didn’t expect that her efforts would be all for naught.. She wanted to expose the girl’s true face to everyone, for her to receive the martial arts circle’s revile and lashing but she didn’t think that her father would ruin her plans. However, if she hadn’t told this matter to Lu Yuanpeng in the beginning, she wouldn’t have been able to achieve it with her current strength.
Lu Xueyan wanted to question Lu Yuanepng whether he was enchanted by the girl’s beauty, deliberately ruining her plans because of his selfish intentions.
However, she didn’t dare and she couldn’t.
Inside the Free Manor, nobody dared oppose Lu Yuanpeng, even if it was his own daughter.
If she got on his bad side, she wouldn’t only be ignored, it could even implicate her mother and their days would only get harder.
Lu Xueyan was already used to suffering in silence. As such, she swallowed all her doubts and anger, obediently heeding his commands.
“Yes, Father.”
She looked to where Ye Hanzhou had fainted and her heart suddenly skipped a beat. Wasn’t it better for her father to take that enchantress away? Because at the very least, now, Ye Hanzhou wouldn’t have to dance in the palm of her hand, using those gentle doting eyes to look at her, making her so jealous that her heart bubbled with jealousy, hating that she couldn’t replace her instead.
Even though this matter might seem malicious, she believed it would allow Ye Hanzhou to put a stop to his feelings towards this demonic enchantress who had already lost her purity.
Moreover, she was only listening to her father’s commands. She didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, she was even helping Ye Hanzhou by exposing the enchantress’s true identity.
Lu Xueyan quickly pulled herself together and expectantly leaned close to Ye Hanzhou to take care of him when the originally unconscious man suddenly leapt up, pressing a sharp dagger against her neck.
“Head Lu, return Jiaojiao back to me!”
Ye Hanzhou’s pupils were like cold stars, his gaze fixated at Lu Yuanpeng.
For a moment, the atmosphere was tense.
Lu Yuanpeng didn’t expect that Ye Hanzhou would pretend to have fainted. And since he was the head of the martial arts alliance, having accumulated many experiences, he quickly managed to calm himself down and explained the reason why he did such a thing.
“Virtuous brother Ye, I was worried that you would be led astray by this demonic enchantress so I could only use such a method first and take her away for interrogation.”
Ye Hanzhou sneered, showing no intentions of hearing him quibble.
“I was the one who brought her in. Please return her to me, Head Lu.”
As he spoke, he pressed his sword even harder, causing blood to start seeping from the gash created on Lu Xueyan’s neck.
“Brother Ye…you…that woman is from the demonic sect. She’s been lying to you!”
Grievance and unwillingness welled up in Lu Xueyan’s heart. She couldn’t understand why even after learning of that woman’s identity, he still maintained the same attitude, even taking the initiative to harm her!
Ye Hanzhou simply didn’t pay attention to her, his gaze revealing ruthlessness.
“Give her back to me!”
Now that things had come to this point, Lu Yuanpeng could no longer pretend to be a fool. He understood that Ye Hanzhou had already learnt of this girl’s identity early on and had probably already lost his heart and soul.
“Virtuous Brother Ye, are you trying to take the upright martial arts circle as your enemy by entangling with the people of the demonic sect?”
Even with this threat, Ye Hanzhou didn’t seem the least bit afraid.
“So what?” He raised a brow, his expression indifferent.
Lu Yuanpeng then recovered his senses. Ye Hanzhou didn’t ally himself with the upright or the evil. His way of handling matters was always according to his own judgement and though he didn’t commit evil, he wouldn’t adhere too strictly to the rules of the Jianghu as well.
His martial arts was powerful and even though the two had never exchanged blows, Lu Yuanpeng could sense that he was more powerful than him. That was why Lu Yuanpeng took the initiative to befriend him, even deliberately currying favor with him.
But now, he had completely offended the other party.
Everything was the fault of his daughter who didn’t clarify the truth of the matter and merely made trouble.
How could Lu Yuanpeng not see his own errs as well. He simply pinned the blame of this troublesome conflict onto Lu Xueyan in secret.
T/N: Like father, like daughter. Both are terrible, just in different ways.