chapter 52

Murong Yunshu and Chu Changge were locked up in the same earthen building, which had guards outside and a maid waiting inside. In fact, it was originally a manservant, but Chu Changge drove him away and strongly demanded — a different one with clothes on. So the manservant was changed to a maidservant. However, Murong Yunshu insisted that the reason he changed the male servant into a female servant was entirely due to the nature of men.

“Do I look like I’m lecherous as hell?” Chu Changge asked in frustration.

Murong Yunshu stared at him for a few seconds and suddenly said, “Have you ever seen a refined rascal[1]black sheep of the literary circles write ‘I am a rogue’ on his own face?”

Chu Changge placed a hand on his forehead. After so many years wandering in jianghu[2]lit. rivers and lakes—people wandering from place to place and living by their wits, e.g. fortune-tellers, quack doctors, itinerant entertainers, etc., considered as a social group, he finally believed that there was a kind of death that was called an unjust death.

Murong Yunshu bowed her head, pursed her lips and smiled, as she continued to make all kinds of tea. It wasn’t because she had mingled with men of letters and posed as a lover of culture[3]arty-crafty, but really, there was nothing to do to beat the time in this remote valley. From what that maid had said, the Li Clan had a legendary figure named Huberg, who was very versed in both past and present affairs[4]erudite and informed. He also had the ability to foretell the future, and he was the most powerful sorcerer here. It was a pity that the Clan Elder restricted Murong Yunshu’s freedom, or else she would really like to visit that sorcerer.

Murong Yunshu was trying to figure out how to get out of it when she suddenly heard Chu Changge say, “They are too rudely dressed to appear in front of you.” Murong Yunshu slightly smiled and retorted, “I remember that someone was very righteous and rude in front of me once.” At that time in the middle of the cave, he didn’t even feel rude when he was naked in front of her, so why was he suddenly talking about rudeness?

Chu Changge’s handsome face was slightly embarrassed as he turned his head to look elsewhere and said in dead earnest, “I had no other choice at that time.”

“Really?” Murong Yunshu lightly laughed. Perhaps there really was no other choice for him at that time, but teasing her was like his profession.

When he saw her look of disbelief, Chu Changge cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment and nodded his head somewhat guilty, “Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let you take advantage of me. You know, I’m a very conservative person.”

“Puchi ——” Murong Yunshu laughed so hard that her hand shook and the tea spilled on her hand. She gasped as it scalded her, which made her drop the tea set while she was busy trying to pull out a handkerchief to wipe it, but she was preempted by a snow-white handkerchief with a plum blossom with seven petals embroidered in the corner.

“This handkerchief…..” Murong Yunshu looked at Chu Changge in astonishment with a confused pair of phoenix eyes. It was not a strange thing to embroider plum blossoms on a handkerchief, but embroidering seven petals of plum blossoms was rare. All of her handkerchiefs would have a small seven petal plum blossom embroidered in the lower right corner. It was not a special significance that she could embroider seven petal plum blossoms. It was just that one day, when she was bored, she suddenly had a thought to embroider it and found that it was quite pretty, so she had continued the habit ever since. She was sure that the handkerchief was hers.

As Chu Changge gently rubbed the redness on her hand from being scalded by the hot water, he stated, “This handkerchief is yours.”

“Why do you have my handkerchief?”

“I picked it up.” Chu Changge casually mentioned it.

“Where did you pick it up?” Murong Yunshu pursued him relentlessly, unwilling to let go.

“I don’t remember.”

Seeing that he intended to stall, Murong Yunshu stopped asking questions and waited until he released her hand with the intention of putting the handkerchief away before she said, “Thank you.”

Chu Changge was stunned at first, then smiled, “It’s nothing more than as easy as lifting my finger[5]Chinese idiom : not difficult. And it’s not like I didn’t get any benefits.” When he said the latter sentence, his expression was frivolous.

Murong Yunshu raised her eyebrows. She had treated his words as something unheard and something unseen. She had already become accustomed to someone’s ‘flirting’. She stretched out her hand, and said, “I am thanking you for helping me pick up the handkerchief that I lost sometime ago.”

Chu Changge subconsciously hid the handkerchief behind his back, “I’m the one who picked it up, so it’s mine.”

“Haven’t your Master ever told you when picking money, don’t hide it[6]Chinese idiom: hand found money back?”

“Nope.”

“…….” Murong Yunshu rubbed her eyebrows before holding out her hand to him again, while saying, “Give it back.”

“Not going to.”

“Give it back.”

“Not going to.”

Murong Yunshu sighed helplessly, “Great Leader Chu, don’t be so childish.”

“Miss Murong, don’t be so stingy.” Chu Changge imitated her tone of speaking, but his face was grinning, really abominable.

Murong Yunshu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry[7]Chinese idiom : at a loss, “It’s fine if you want me to be generous, as long as you promise to marry the Li Clan Princess, I’ll give it to you.” As long as she could leave this room now, no need to say giving away one item, ten thousand items would also be fine for her.

Of course Chu Changge understood what she was thinking, but the fact that she didn’t care at all made him feel a little upset, so he made a hurt face and asked in a half in jest, half in earnest[8]Chinese idiom : half-jokingly manner, “Madam, why do you insist on pushing your husband to someone else?”

Murong Yunshu smiled slightly and asked rhetorically, “You’re not a good man, so what’s the use of keeping you?”

A single sentence rigidly blocked Chu Changge. He kind of knew now what it was like to lift a rock only to drop it on his own feet[9]Chinese idiom : hurt oneself. “Guess how long it will take to tear down this earth building?” If she wanted to get out, he had ten thousand ways to get her out, so why should he have to sacrifice himself?

Murong Yunshu raised an eyebrow, “Won’t you know if you yourself try it?”

“Okay.” Even before he finished speaking, Chu Changge began to feel his luck, as he slowly ready himself to get to work while waiting for her to dissuade him. Unfortunately, after he waited for a long time, he finally said, “Forget it.” He withdrew his true qi[10]vital energy and stated, “Since we still don’t know where the antidote for the Soul Snatcher is hidden or how it should be used, it isn’t advisable to be too arrogant.”

Murong Yunshu stared at him with wide eyes. The sun was really beating down from the west, for the rampaging Great Leader Chu to actually say something like ‘it isn’t advisable to be too arrogant’.

Just then, there was the sound of a respectful greeting coming from outside the door —— “Greeting Princess.”

Murong Yunshu brightened up. The rightful owner had finally made an appearance.

Chu Changge, on the other hand, had knitted his eyebrows[11]frown, unhappy that someone was interrupting them at this time.