Chapter 128: 127 Thereafter, My Heart is in Your Heart

By the time Chunzhi, Xia Chan, and the others had finished packing their luggage, it was already nearly noon.

Although they were maidservants, their combat prowess was not low.

Therefore, they did not call upon any Disciple from Cangjian Villa for protection.

The only slightly tricky part was that the Demon Sect enchantress, Yang Yanqiu, insisted on coming along.

Chunzhi had no choice but to prepare an extra carriage to take her along.

When they left.

Liuli had not yet returned, and no one knew where she had gone.

They had no choice but to leave her a letter, so that when she returned, she would not find the small residence empty.

Yuzan, Yuhuan, and Old Zhang remained here.

Firstly, to clean the courtyard.

Secondly, to look after the production at the winery and Perfume workshop.

Of course.

There was also Huang Yutang.

And just as Chunzhi and her party set out on their journey toward Jinshui.

In a dark corner, several people followed them all the way to the city gate.

Upon seeing them truly exit the city, those people immediately turned around to return to the manor and report.

……

The Tan Family manor.

"You say they have all left?"

"That brat Ning Mu has left too?"

"Are you certain?"

Staring at the subordinate who had returned to report, He Daqian wore an expression of disbelief, though joy was already lingering in his eyes.

"Reporting to Master, yes, Ning Mu was the first to leave the city; it would be hard not to notice him. This subordinate saw with his own eyes as he exited the manor gate and then boarded his luxurious Lion Carriage. There is only this one in all of Yonghang, so this subordinate could not possibly have mistaken it!"

"About an hour or so after Ning Mu left, the women in his residence left one after another."

The subordinate nodded and reported to He Daqian.

A flash of intense joy instantly surged in He Daqian's eyes.

Almost as soon as the subordinate finished speaking and confirmed that Ning Mu had truly left Yonghang, he immediately clapped his hands together with a bang.

"Bravo!"

"Hahaha, a wet-behind-the-ears brat dares to fight with me? Damn it all, this last shred of danger has finally vanished completely."

He Daqian was ecstatic.

The reason he was so overjoyed upon hearing that Ning Mu had left, and even had people secretly monitoring Ning Mu's movements while in Yonghang City, was simply because he understood that Ning Mu's existence was like a thorn in his back, filled with murderous intent, and hanging by a thread!

The kind that could cause his downfall at any moment.

Almost all of his secrets were held by this wet-behind-the-ears brat.

The matter of him killing Pi Taiyu's son.

Planting spies for Pi Taiyu, and the past history with Yu Ji.

To him, these matters were all hidden threats, the kind of crisis sufficient to put him to death with no hope of survival.

But now.

Ning Mu had left Yonghang.

All of this would be easily resolved!

And what made him even happier was that Ning Mu's departure undoubtedly declared the success of his scheme.

The Official Market and the Jin Family had been struggling to cope these past few days.

Grain prices had already begun to rise slowly, and Coarse Grain had already reached a price of 400 wen per catty.

Wait a little longer, and it could rise even more! The strategy of proposing a price hike to attract grain merchants from other regions was originally proposed by Ning Mu.

Yet now, as the mastermind behind this affair, Ning Mu had fled at the first sign of trouble.

It is easy to see that the momentum is with me! At this moment, He Daqian felt unprecedentedly inflated!

He dismissed his subordinate, and immediately, feeling incredibly excited, turned and trotted toward the inner courtyard.

His fat body was shaking with every step.

"Madam!"

"Madam, Madam..."

He Daqian shouted excitedly.

"Are you wailing at a funeral? What are you making such a racket for? You have no dignity as a master at all!"

He Daqian had just entered the inner courtyard.

Tan Ruyi, who was watering flowers, scolded him with dissatisfaction.

A flash of gloom crossed the bottom of He Daqian's eyes, but he immediately replaced it with a smiling face, gave a light cough to regain his dignity, and then excitedly approached Tan Ruyi.

"Madam, good news!"

"What good news?"

Tan Ruyi set down the watering can and glanced sideways at He Daqian, her eyes carrying a hint of anticipation.

In truth, she had also been very nervous during this period.

Although she had always stayed deep in the back courtyard, seemingly unconcerned with worldly affairs, in reality, she had been monitoring the fluctuations in the grain price market at every moment.

With her family's life and fortune almost entirely staked on this one gamble, how could she be lighthearted?

Over these past few days, she had clearly been busier than usual.

It was not that she had become diligent.

Rather, she wanted to use busyness to disperse the nervousness and hesitation in her heart.

At this moment, hearing He Daqian say he brought good news, her eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

"As far as I know, that person who gave the Prefect advice and proposed the price hike has already fled this morning. Haha, this brat likely saw that the situation could no longer be controlled, so he just ran away, leaving this mess for Pi Taiyu."

He Daqian was in high spirits; as he said this, a malicious glint appeared in his eyes, and he speculated with a grin: "I wonder if the Prefect is crying or laughing now that he knows this news. Come to think of it, I really want to go see the Prefect."

Regarding the sudden interest that had welled up in her husband He Daqian, Tan Ruyi felt no joy.

The heavy stone that had been lifted in her heart could finally be considered truly set down.

The culprit had fled.

It was easy to imagine that from now on, the grain price market in Yonghang would be completely controlled by those with the most grain.

Who had the most grain? Naturally, it was the Tan Family, with their granaries full and rice gathered like rivers! With her heart completely at ease, Tan Ruyi picked up the watering can again, sighing as she watered the flowers.

"Sigh, in the end, the ones who suffer are still the commoners of my Yonghang!"

He Daqian's eye twitched.

If these words came out of an official's mouth, he might find them somewhat credible.

But coming from a Grain Merchant, from his own wife's mouth, how could he find it so ridiculous? If the commoners didn't suffer, how would they make money?

But polite social pleasantries still had to be said.

He Daqian flattered her: "It is still the Madam who has a bodhisattva's heart; your husband is filled with admiration. Come to think of it, we should also distribute some porridge to build up our reputation."

"You handle it."

Tan Ruyi replied casually, then dropped the watering can without the slightest hesitation and turned to enter the room.

The remaining half-pot of water in the can splashed out, and even though He Daqian jumped back, he couldn't avoid it.

"Xiao Gu, Xiao Shu, help me change; this Madam is happy today and wants to go shopping."

"I heard that Liuchun Pavilion has released new Perfume?"

"And the Li Clothing Shop has new patterned fabrics?"

"Let's go take a look!"

Tan Ruyi's voice was filled with cheer.

"Yes, Madam."

The two maids hurried to serve her.

As a family of Grain Merchants for generations, the maids in the house all had different names, all named after grains.

……

The eighth day of the fourth month.

That night.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse; apart from a few birds flying past occasionally, one could only hear their own breathing.

After rushing back, for the sake of safety, Ning Mu did not enter through the main gate of the Ye Family mansion.

Instead, he hid the old driver in the woods outside Jinshui Town, then slipped into the night alone.

Fortunately, the Ye Family mansion was large enough, empty and spacious, so he headed all the way toward Liu Qingmei's residence, Wenshui Residence, without attracting any attention.

He flew directly up to the second floor of Wenshui Residence.

But unexpectedly, he did not see Liu Qingmei in the room.

The furnishings in the room remained as they were.

Only by looking closely would one notice that many small items had been packed away, making it appear even emptier.

Ning Mu frowned.

She left?

That shouldn't be!

Even if she were cast aside, with Liu Qingmei's status and position, she wouldn't be swept out the door, would she?

After circling the room, Ning Mu planned to go to the courtyard of the Second Aunt, Tong Yuyue, to see the situation.

Having not seen her for several days, he also quite missed that delicate, ever-changing little mouth of hers.

However.

Just as he was about to climb out the window.

Suddenly, the corner of his eye inadvertently swept over the cabinet in front of the bed, where a note was being held down by a lamp stand.

He hurried over, picked up the note, and held it up to the moonlight to look.

"Henceforth, my heart is in your heart; at this moment, my body is by his side!"

What did this mean? There was no opening and no signature.

At first glance, one wouldn't even know who wrote it to whom!

But after Ning Mu read it carefully twice, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Tsk.

He understood!

This enchanting, seductive woman seemed to want to try a style completely different from her usual personality! No signature, no recipient.

Even if someone else saw it, they would only think it was a casually written erotic poem.

What surprised Ning Mu even more was that Liu Qingmei would actually anticipate that he would come to this room.

It seemed she understood his thoughts very well!

He put the note into his pocket.

Ning Mu immediately vaulted out the window and headed in the direction of Ye Bufan's Mountain Dwelling Sword Tower.

While passing through a corridor midway.

Ning Mu was on the roof.

He heard the conversation of two maidservants in the corridor beneath the eaves.

"It's so strange, First Madam's temperament is just too good, isn't it? Even after being divorced by the Clan Elders on behalf of the Villa Master, she is still so sentimental, keeping watch in the Villa Master's room all this time; this is just too infatuated..."

"Yeah, if it were me, I definitely wouldn't be serving anymore. With such powerful Cultivation Points and status and reputation in the jianghu, she's not inferior to anyone, yet she was... why is she still like this!"

"Sigh, with how things have blown up, I think our Ye Family might really be in for a major disaster this time!"

"Madam has such a good temperament, honestly, I even want to leave with her. It's a pity, we aren't like Liu Xiaoya; we are ultimately people of Ye Fu, it's truly a pity!"

"Yeah, look at Madam, even on this last day of parting, she dressed so grandly. That extremely beautiful bright red wedding dress, it seems to be a Phoenix Coronet and Rosy Cape, right? That set alone is enough to buy ten of me. Sigh, Madam is just too infatuated!"

"Right, that outfit is so good-looking. And I just saw, on Madam's legs underneath, there seems to be a layer of glistening fabric; it looks so form-fitting and beautiful!"

"The Clan Elders usually don't manage things. After the Villa Master was seriously injured and fell into a coma, it was Madam who was shouldering the burden of the Ye Family. Now, because of pressure, they divorced Madam. If this gets out, I really don't know how the outside jianghu will view our Ye Family..." "Shh, don't discuss this. If someone hears us, as mere maids, our lives won't be enough to pay for it!"

"Pah, pah, pah, I didn't say anything!"

"I wonder what the Villa Master will think when he wakes up and finds his wife is gone..."

"What else could he think? Between a wife and the family, for big shots like them, is there even a comparison..."

"..."

As the maidservants gradually walked away, their voices grew quieter and quieter.

Under the night curtain, Ning Mu, crouching on the roof of the corridor, frowned, but his eyes were shining slightly.

From the conversation between these two maids, he heard a lot of key information.

Right now, morale within Ye Fu is unstable. I fear that apart from those few high-level direct descendants of the Ye Family who are still dreaming of clinging to a True Person powerhouse, the other branches, disciples, and even servants and maids are all feeling pessimistic.

Of course, this matter is not important to Ning Mu.

What he was looking forward to was Liu Qingmei, who was currently staying in Ye Bufan's room while wearing the Phoenix Coronet and Rosy Cape rewarded by the system.

And that glistening fabric the maid mentioned should be the Open-Crotch Silk Stockings!

Tsk.

Ning Mu's eyes lit up brightly.

He became increasingly expectant.

After the maids walked far away and he confirmed there was no one else around, Ning Mu immediately hurried toward the Mountain Dwelling Sword Tower.

Not long after.

He arrived at the entrance of the Mountain Dwelling Sword Tower.

Hiding behind a rockery, he observed secretly through the night.

He saw a woman pacing back and forth on the steps at the entrance of the Mountain Dwelling Sword Tower, anxiously looking left and right from time to time.

"Why hasn't the young master returned yet? It's been half a day, could the Young Lady have remembered wrong?"

"Or did the young master go to the wrong place and doesn't know at all that the Young Lady is waiting for him here!"

Before the entrance.

Liu Xiaoya was whispering to herself, her pair of beautiful moth-eyebrows tightly furrowed, her expression filled with anxiety.

At noon today, the Young Lady was suddenly divorced by the Clan Elders on behalf of the Villa Master Ye Bufan under a trumped-up charge.

Those enemies who pressured the Ye Family seemed to have achieved their goal as well; they didn't pester them too much, and after dropping a few harsh words, they left.

It wasn't even noon yet.

The Young Lady, dressed in full regalia, brought her to this building.

And instructed her to just stand at the entrance and wait.

To wait until the young master Ning Mu returned, and then let him enter.

During this process, she could not let anyone approach the Mountain Dwelling Sword Tower.

This was not the first time Liu Xiaoya had stood guard for the Young Lady, so she immediately accepted the order.

But she had been waiting here for a whole day!

She hadn't budged an inch.

Now that it had been dark for a long time, it was likely at least the Hour of the Bo.

Yet the young master still hadn't appeared.

This inevitably made her feel anxious.

And just as she was in a dilemma, wondering whether she should go inside and ask the Young Lady if she should keep waiting.

Suddenly.

A figure walked out from the night curtain.

"Who?" Liu Xiaoya immediately asked with vigilance.

"It's me, Xiaoya."

In the darkness, a graceful figure approached from afar, gradually becoming clear.

"So it is Young Lady Tong."

After seeing clearly that it was Tong Yuyue, Liu Xiaoya immediately bowed and greeted her.

She used to call her Second Madam.

But now, she and the Young Lady had left the Liu Family and regained their freedom, so naturally, she could only address her as Young Lady.

The Ye Family didn't make things too difficult regarding this point.

Upon learning that Tong Yuyue also wanted to leave, out of consideration for Liu Qingmei's past face, the Clan Elders agreed almost without a second thought.

In any case, Tong Yuyue didn't have any powerful forces behind her that could bring benefits to the Ye Family.

Even if the legal wife Liu Qingmei were to be divorced, once Villa Master Ye Bufan wakes up in the future, the position of legal wife would still not fall to her.

For such a prestigious family, choosing a marriage partner naturally means selecting one that is beneficial to the family.

"How is it, is the Young Lady still inside?" Tong Yuyue nodded, then glanced at the Mountain Dwelling Sword Tower and asked Liu Xiaoya.

"Yes, the people delivering meals have already come twice; could the Young Lady have made a mistake, perhaps the Young Master won't be coming after all..." Liu Xiaoya asked, her eyes filled with anxiety.

Tong Yuyue frowned slightly.

That brat.

That shouldn't be!

After receiving her letter, he should have rushed back without stopping.

After all, the woman inside this Mountain Dwelling Sword Tower is someone he has been longing for, wanting to peek at and explore for a long time!

With the stamina of that exotic beast of the old veteran's, it should be much faster than an ordinary horse; logically, he should have arrived long ago.

Why hasn't he arrived yet? Having followed Ning Mu for so long, she wouldn't say she knows his thoughts like the back of her hand, but she has a rough idea.

Master and disciple on the surface.

In reality, one wants to be a rebellious disciple who deceives their master.

The other wants to be a dissolute mentor who rides their disciple.

They are both "birds of a feather," just held back by various factors and unable to let go.

Right now, all the factors restricting the distance between the two have been personally buried by the Ye Family; logically, once Ning Mu learned the news, he would definitely rush back at the first opportunity.

Could it be that the person sent to deliver the letter didn't deliver it?

No, although that person is named a Cangjian Villa Disciple, in reality, they are a confidant she bribed.

Such a small matter shouldn't have been bungled! "Let's wait a little longer, perhaps he will be here soon."

Tong Yuyue frowned, her tone somewhat dull.

Just then.

The moment her voice fell.

Suddenly.

She felt someone slap her plump buttocks.

This temperature, this feeling...

A flash of pleasant surprise immediately crossed Tong Yuyue's eyes.

And before she could turn her head, she saw Liu Xiaoya, who was facing her, with joy almost overflowing from her eyes.

"Young Master, you've finally come, the Young Lady has been waiting anxiously!" Liu Xiaoya blurted out, her tone even carrying a hint of complaint.

But the next moment.

She was completely stunned.

No!

Just now, after the Young Master suddenly ran over and stopped behind Miss Tong, he actually slapped Miss Tong on her bottom?

This...

Although there was the night as a cover.

Liu Xiaoya was confident that she definitely hadn't seen wrong.

It was slapped right there!

Why are the Young Master and Miss Tong... acting so intimate! And before she could react to the confusion of this slap.

The scene that followed left her completely frozen, almost losing the ability to think!

"You wretch, you've finally arrived. Ning-lang, hurry and go in. Your beloved mentor has been waiting for you on this floor all day, waiting since noon; she must have been burning with anxiety!"

Tong Yuyue was seen rolling her eyes coquettishly, with most of her body leaning into Ning Mu's embrace.

Her soft fist tapped lightly on Ning Mu's chest, infinitely charming.

"You little bitch, I see you couldn't hold back either, shall we go in together?" Ning Mu smirked, reaching out to wrap his arm around Tong Yuyue's waist and stroking her up and down.

"Ha? Are you trying to kill me? Do you think this is appropriate right now?"

"Go, go, go, hurry up and go!"

A sudden wave of soreness and numbness came from her plump area, causing Tong Yuyue to let out a soft moan, her face instantly becoming flushed and charming, almost making a fool of herself on the spot.

Fortunately, her voice took a turn just in time, and rolling her eyes, she hurriedly pushed Ning Mu away.

Tong Yuyue's face was beautiful and charming; luckily the night provided cover, otherwise, she would have been utterly humiliated in front of Liu Xiaoya.

But clearly.

It still caused a powerful visual impact on Liu Xiaoya, as well as confusion that made her brain crash.

What did she just hear? Second Madam, no, Miss Tong actually called the Young Master 'wretch', and also... Ning-lang? Lang.

Is this a term a woman can just use for another man? What shocked her even more was.

The Young Master's term for Miss Tong made her too embarrassed to even speak.

Those four words actually came from the Young Master's mouth, referring to this noble, elegant, and intellectual Miss Tong? The key was, she seemed to actually enjoy it? Liu Xiaoya was completely bewildered.

When she was in Yonghang, she was always responsible for the care of the Ye Family residence and rarely came to Ning Mu's estate.

So she didn't know that the dignified Second Madam of Cangjian Villa, Ye Bufan's concubine, and her own Young Lady, all had such unknown and unusual affairs with the Young Master!

Ning Mu didn't linger either, as he was already impatient in his heart.

He walked straight toward the main gate, and when he reached Liu Xiaoya's side, he casually pinched her slightly chubby cheek.

"Sister Xiaoya, keep a good watch, okay!"

"Ah, yes, Young Master..." Liu Xiaoya replied mechanically.

It wasn't until Ning Mu's figure completely disappeared at the entrance and the door was closed that Liu Xiaoya finally came back to her senses.

And when she looked toward Tong Yuyue, those exceptionally bright eyes of hers revealed deep curiosity, just as she was preparing to ask a question.

Tong Yuyue, however, waved her hand with flickering eyes and gave a dry cough, saying, "I'll be going first, Xiaoya, remember, don't let anyone inside!"

"Anyone at all!"

"Including the Clan Elders of the Ye Family!"

"Also, don't panic if any commotion comes from inside."

Having finished speaking.

Tong Yuyue disappeared into the night without looking back.

But in reality, she did not leave; instead, she took a turn, then flew up to the top of a rockery, standing on tiptoe to peer over...

Only.

The night was thick.

Plus, the height was still slightly lacking.

Even if she exerted her Cultivation Points to the fullest to enhance her vision, it was still very difficult to catch a glimpse of the scene inside that core room of the Ye Family.

"Oh..."

Liu Xiaoya replied subconsciously, but seeing Tong Yuyue leave, a flash of hesitation inevitably crossed her eyes.

She wanted to open her mouth to call the other person back, but feared that her voice would be too loud and attract unnecessary onlookers.

With her heart full of confusion stuck in her throat, she simply couldn't ask, which left her feeling incredibly stifled.

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(End of this chapter)