Speaking up till this point, Ji Yunhuang stopped talking,refusing to speak even half a sentence more. It was clear that he genuinely respected and worshipped his grandmaster.
Ning Xuemo smiled and did not continue speaking, but in her heart she secretly complained.
‘This Ancestor must not be young anymore, probably an old fox from the Jianghu[1] who knows how to act mysterious…’
‘It seems like his skills might not necessarily be powerful. Otherwise, he wouldn’t need to hide his face and only keep his hair black. That face under the mask must be full of wrinkles as numerous as flies… hahaha.’
“Xuemo, what are you thinking about?” Ji Yunhuang questioned as he saw her face becoming somewhat unnatural.
“Ah, nothing…” Ning Xuemo naturally would not tell him about her inner thoughts. She got off the bed. “My injuries are almost healed. I should go back home since I don’t want to disturb Your Highness any longer. I’m taking my leave, goodbye.” She cupped her hands towards Ji Yunhuang before turning around and leaving.
If she spent the night in the same room as the Crown Prince, even if they did not do anything, the stain on her reputation would not disappear even if she jumped in the yellow river.[2]
According to the customs of this era, if they spent the night together, she would have to marry this crown prince and become a wife or a concubine.
Although she did not seriously care about the customs of this era, she still did not want any additional trouble.
Her actions caused the lash wounds on her body ache, reopening them again. Her forehead beaded with sweat from the pain..
Naturally, Ji Yunhuang knew the reason behind her apprehension. His eyes darkened a bit. This girl was not the least bit interested in becoming his woman…
Did she know what she was giving up by leaving?
He flipped his body back to the ground and lifted his hand which emitted a faint white light, causing Ning Xuemo’s body to go numb. Her body was safely placed back on the bed, “You still can’t move yet. You’d have to recuperate for a night first. Tonight, I’ll sleep somewhere else so as not to tarnish your reputation. Tomorrow I’ll return to fetch you.”
With a wave of his sleeve, he collected his rope before leaving the room.
A short while later, the voices of two maids standing outside could be heard from the bedroom. “His Highness has ordered us to attend to Miss Ning as you rest. If Miss Ning has any needs, please give us the order.”
Ning Xuemo’s acupuncture points had been hit; therefore, she could not move. Fortunately, she could still speak, and she casually asked, “What about His Highness, the Crown Prince?”
“His Highness has left the residence and should be back tomorrow at dawn.”
‘This crown prince would rather sleep outside of his own residence than in one of his guest rooms? What a weirdo!’
What Ning Xuemo did not know was that this crown prince had a bad habit of being picky of where he slept. It always had to be in the same place or else he would not be able to sleep.
……
The Fifth Prince’s residence…
The Fifth Prince, Ji Yunxiao was a person who had a regular schedule, whether it was for work or rest. Every day, he would go to bed at the Hai hour[3], but tonight, he was unable to sleep as usual.
His Third Brother, the Crown Prince, had come over for a surprise visit and had insisted on playing a few rounds of chess, disturbing his sleep routine.
Amongst the many princes, Ji Yunxiao’s skill at chess was on par with the Crown Prince’s. Hence, they had developed the habit of playing at a customized pavilion that was constructed into an octogonal shape, meant to be used for playing chess. They often played there until both were greatly satisfied.
Although Ji Yunxiao seemed like a rather idle prince, he had numerous eyes and ears throughout the country, allowing him to receive news rather quickly.
Tonight, Ji Yunhuang appeared quite distracted, often making wrong moves unlike his usual self.
Ji Yunxiao teased him, “Third Brother, today little brother received a fresh piece of news. I heard that you gave Old Sixth quite a blow at the teahouse, even bringing his fiancée back to your house. Did you really do such a thing?”
[1] Literally means rivers and lakes. Refers to the world of wandering people: Warriors, musicians, travelling merchants etc.
[2] The yellow river refers to the river that all souls have to cross when they die. Hence she is saying that even if she dies, the stain on her reputation would still be there.
[3] Around 9pm-11pm. When it says hour here, it means the Chinese hour of a double hour.
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