Chapter 63: Horns on the Head

In these past few days, there were times when the number of people coming for portraits was already fewer than ten.

Even though Duan Rong had already employed hunger marketing to keep the buzz spreading in the streets as much as possible, the number of target customers was only so large; that business began to wane was, in truth, only a matter of time.

Duan Rong was actually not anxious; for one, he had anticipated this, and for another, his purse had already begun to bulge, so for a short time, he did not need to worry about the silver for his cultivation.

Even if there were few people, Duan Rong would still sit there until the Hour of the Rooster (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM), only packing up his stall when the time came.

Duan Rong packed up his stall and returned to the Yuanshun Escort Agency. He put his things in his dormitory, then went to the canteen for dinner, and then went to the corner of the Martial Arts Arena to begin Standing Stake.

Duan Rong had stood for about an hour when suddenly a crisp, delicate voice rang out in front of him.

"Silly boy!"

As soon as Duan Rong heard it, he knew who it was—who else could it be calling him besides Zhu Xiaoqi? Before he had even opened his eyes to disperse his internal energy, a smile had already appeared on his face.

Duan Rong opened his eyes and dispersed his energy, and sure enough, he saw Zhu Xiaoqi standing under the swaying tree shadows in front of him. The dim, yellow light and the tree shadows wove a hazy sense of beauty upon her.

A sense of nocturnal ambiguity was added to Duan Rong's smile.

"You look so silly!" Zhu Xiaoqi chided him and said, "The Second Miss woke up this morning and called me to come find you!"

"I ran to this Martial Arts Arena twice during the day today, but I didn't see a trace of you. You have such good daylight hours, yet instead of practicing in the Martial Arts Arena, where did you go to mess around again?" Zhu Xiaoqi looked at Duan Rong with suspicious eyes, as if waiting for his explanation.

Duan Rong was stunned for a moment; he couldn't exactly tell Zhu Xiaoqi that he had been hiding in his dormitory during the day practicing the Cloud Snake Step.

Duan Rong smiled and casually bluffed, "I went to a client's house today to paint for them."

"Went to someone's house to paint?"

"Right! This is called door-to-door service," Duan Rong said with a sincere tone.

Zhu Xiaoqi glanced at Duan Rong, accepted this explanation, and stopped pursuing the matter, saying, "Come see the Second Miss tomorrow morning!"

Xiao Baijiao was physically exhausted and had just fallen asleep.

"Did the Second Miss say what it was about?"

"It seems she said she wanted to thank you for something in person..."

Duan Rong understood as soon as he heard this.

It seemed Xiao Zongting had told Xiao Baijiao about him performing the acupuncture.

As soon as Xiao Baijiao woke up, Xiao Zongting told her about Duan Rong's acupuncture. He believed that the Xiao family was clear about gratitude and grudges and could not remain unaware of who had saved her.

But Zhu Xiaoqi was not clear about this matter.

Seeing Duan Rong's knowing expression, Zhu Xiaoqi was even more puzzled.

Originally, when Xiao Baijiao mentioned it, she thought it was because Duan Rong had brought osmanthus cakes and candied fruit, and that was why she wanted to thank him. But after thinking about it later, she felt that wasn't right.

Such a small matter wasn't worth calling him over to thank him in person. At this moment, seeing Duan Rong's expression, she felt even more that there was a hidden story, so she asked, "What did you do that the Second Miss wants to thank you in person?"

"It's nothing much," Duan Rong said dismissively, laughing it off.

"Fine, don't tell me then." Seeing Duan Rong like this, Zhu Xiaoqi turned and left.

"It's dark, I'll walk you!" Duan Rong immediately took a few quick steps and shouted from behind Zhu Xiaoqi.

"Walk me? It's only a few steps! Why are you being so pretentious!" Zhu Xiaoqi didn't even look back and walked straight away.

Duan Rong grinned. "This girl..."

Duan Rong stood at the edge of the tree shadows, watching Zhu Xiaoqi's figure disappear at the mouth of the alley, before walking back into the depths of the shadows to resume Standing Stake.

He stood like this until the Hour of the Rat (11:00 PM – 1:00 AM) at midnight, only then returning to the dormitory to sleep.

After breakfast the next day, Duan Rong practiced a few sets of routines, and seeing that the time was about right, he strolled over to Xiao Zongting's courtyard.

Just as Duan Rong walked into the front courtyard, he saw Zhu Xiaoqi washing clothes by the well.

Her sleeves were rolled up high, and her small hands were soaked bright red by the icy well water.

As soon as Duan Rong entered the courtyard, Zhu Xiaoqi saw him. She had intended to give him a cold glance, but upon seeing Duan Rong's appearance, she immediately couldn't help but laugh.

Zhu Xiaoqi held her waist with one hand and giggled, "Why are you so funny? When did a horn grow out on your head?"

Duan Rong touched the bump on his forehead, smiled awkwardly, and said, "I bumped it by accident while walking."

"Bumped it where? On a tree?"

"Bumped it on a wall."

"You must have chicken droppings in your eyes to walk into a wall!"

Duan Rong knew that if he kept talking, he wouldn't be able to explain it clearly, so he just smiled foolishly and said nothing.

Zhu Xiaoqi stood up, wiped her wet hands on her apron, let down her rolled-up sleeves, and led Duan Rong toward the Inner Courtyard.

Seeing that Xiao Zongting was not in the flower hall or the main room of the Inner Courtyard, Duan Rong asked, "Where is Xiao Lao?"

"He went out, went out early in the morning. I don't know where he went, he's being all mysterious."

Duan Rong gave an "oh," his expression shifting; it was rare for Xiao Zongting to go out so early in the morning.

Xiao Zongting's martial arts were completely crippled, and he only taught Apprentices within the Yuanshun Escort Agency, living in a state of semi-retirement, having basically cut off all contact with people in the Jianghu...

Zhu Xiaoqi led Duan Rong toward the Inner Room on the east side, Xiao Baijiao's boudoir.

Before the two of them had even entered the door, Zhu Xiaoqi shouted, "Second Miss, look quickly, this person is so hilarious! I don't know how, but he bumped a horn onto his head; if he bumps another one, he'll almost be a sika deer..."

Xiao Baijiao was sitting by the window in a daze. Seeing Duan Rong enter, she turned her head and gave a miserable smile.

Seeing the bump on Duan Rong's head, she chuckled softly and chided Zhu Xiaoqi, "Xiao Qi, how can you mock Senior Brother Duan like that?"

"Who's mocking him? Isn't it funny?" Zhu Xiaoqi still couldn't help but laugh.

Xiao Baijiao couldn't do anything about her and could only shake her head secretly.

Seeing Xiao Baijiao's weary face, Duan Rong asked, "Second Miss, has your health improved?"

"The critical illness has passed, but my body feels heavy, and I am very weak all over." Xiao Baijiao's voice was as thin as a mosquito's, lacking all strength.

Duan Rong's heart sank slightly, and coupled with Gu Suxiu's hesitant demeanor the day before, a bad premonition rose in his heart.

"It is always like this after recovering from a major illness; you will be fine after recuperating for a while," Duan Rong said in a comforting tone.

"Xiao Qi, ask Senior Brother Duan to sit down and bring some snacks," Xiao Baijiao instructed, seeing that Duan Rong was still standing.

Duan Rong sat by the tea table, and Zhu Xiaoqi poured him tea, brought over a plate of osmanthus cakes and candied fruit he had bought the other day, and placed it in front of Duan Rong.

After finishing these tasks, Zhu Xiaoqi turned and went out, leaving Xiao Baijiao and Duan Rong to talk alone.

Xiao Baijiao looked at the sunny courtyard outside the window, remained silent for a long time, and suddenly said, "The fate of some people is like the biting cold spring weather outside the window; it looks sunny and bright, but it is actually bone-chillingly cold."

Hearing this, Duan Rong felt a shock in his heart. Xiao Baijiao was likely already aware of his own situation.

"Second Miss..." Duan Rong wanted to offer words of comfort, but when the words reached his lips, he did not know how to say them.

Xiao Baijiao turned his head, gave a miserable smile, and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother Duan, for pulling me back from the gates of hell once!"

Pulled back once, but what about next time?

"Not at all. It is you, Second Miss, who have good fortune," Duan Rong said with a modest smile.

Both of their hearts felt somewhat heavy.

Xiao Baijiao took a Sachet from his sleeve, handed it to Duan Rong, and said, "I just finished embroidering it the other day. I give it to you, Senior Brother Duan, firstly as a token of thanks, and secondly, as a memento."

Hearing the words "as a memento," Duan Rong felt even more that Xiao Baijiao was implying something else; he took the Sachet, feeling a tightness of distress in his heart.

In his past life, Duan Rong had spent many years drifting through society and had always been accustomed to being slick.

But at this moment, he felt as if his tongue were tied in a knot, and he could not speak.

(End of this chapter)