Chapter 238: You Little Brat! Who Let You Eavesdrop? (Minor tweak to previous chapter

"Not up to me…"

Niu Dingtian pondered briefly.

After several months of retraining, the gap between his current martial skill and that of Murong Bo, Xiao Yuanshan and others is unknown, so he still needs to find someone to test it.

Resolute, he glanced out the window a few times, then his figure flashed as he snatched the dazed Wang Yuyan and darted out of the house.

Half an hour later, having evaded the Manduo Mountain Villa men searching the lake, he returned to the grass hut, losing track of the time.

He applied Medicine to the woman, bandaged her wound, then had Wang Yuyan change her into a plain robe; Niu Dingtian left the two girls to cram onto the bed in the house, and returned to the pavilion to sit in meditation.

The next morning—

After the heavy rain cleared, having finished his inner cultivation, Niu Dingtian wielded the Shura Blade, and in the morning light practiced swordsmanship on the sandbank.

The blade belonged to the black‑clothed woman; it felt far more natural than his own kitchen knife.

As for the sword technique, it comprises the Breaking Vows Sword Technique, the Burning Wood Sword Technique, and the Bodhi Sword Technique—techniques he acquired in his previous life while scheming at the Shaolin Scripture Repository.

Back then he had mastered fifty‑six of the Seventy‑two Sect Ultimate Skills; although he didn't train them intensively later, he kept studying them as a reference, so this life the practice feels unusually smooth.

"She's awake?"

Sensing footsteps approaching, Niu Dingtian halted, sheathed his curved blade, and lifted his gaze toward the disheveled‑haired girl by the pavilion.

Wang Yuyan didn't answer right away; her bewildered expression showed she hadn't slept well last night.

After a pause, she seemed only then to recall the current situation, furrowing her delicate brows and muttering:

"She seems not to like me."

"Doesn't like you?"

Niu Dingtian's eyes widened in surprise.

But considering the woman's temperament, some hostility is understandable.

Seeing Niu Dingtian remain silent, Wang Yuyan glanced at the grass hut and whispered, "She glared at me fiercely as soon as she woke; I can't stay inside."

"I'll go in first and take a look," Niu Dingtian said warmly. "Miss Wang, you may have some tea in the pavilion; I'll prepare breakfast shortly."

Having said that, he brewed a cup of clear tea with Wang Yuyan and headed toward the grass hut.

Upon entering the hut, he saw the woman, at some point already changed into the black gauze robe she wore before, lying silently on the bed, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling beam.

"How are you feeling, miss?" Niu Dingtian asked softly as he approached the bedside.

He felt a degree of guilt toward the girl; his roughness was partly due to his own, but largely stemmed from her solitary nature.

Regardless, his grip on her last night was indeed rather rough.

Seeing the girl ignore him, lost in thought while lying there, Niu Dingtian stepped closer and looked down.

The black‑clothed woman met his gaze, subconsciously staring for a moment.

When she recovered, those bright, sparkling eyes showed no hesitation; she raised her right hand and slapped the face before her hard.

Niu Dingtian was taken aback; whether in his past life or this one, it was the first time anyone had slapped him.

The slap just brushed his cheek, the palm's icy, slick feel evident; Niu Dingtian swiftly seized the girl's wrist, remained silent for a moment, then said softly, "Whether man or woman, a face should not be slapped. You ambushed me first last night; I defended myself, which is understandable. If you truly want to vent, I won't mind you striking elsewhere."

"Let go!"

The black‑clothed woman said coldly.

Though her tone was icy, her voice rang like wind over a bell—clear, melodious. As she spoke, two cold gazes shot straight at Niu Dingtian.

"Actually, last night I only didn't want the miss to force herself to leave; it wasn't that I was reluctant to part with the boat. I never expected you to jump straight into the lake."

Niu Dingtian sighed, released her wrist, looked at the girl, and asked pensively:

"What would you like for breakfast? I'll go into town to buy it later."

The black‑clothed woman ignored him, slowly sat up, her gaze landing on the Shura Blade in Niu Dingtian's hand, and said coldly, "Return the blade to me!"

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian picked up the Shura Blade, glanced at it twice, and extended his hand to hand it over.

Having seen blood last night and practiced freely this morning, he felt a certain hunter's thrill.

The treasured blade was within reach; the black‑clothed woman raised her arm to take it, but halfway up her arm, her complexion turned ashen and she slumped down.

"The wound is somewhat necrotic; try to move the arm as little as possible," Niu Dingtian whispered.

The black‑clothed woman stared blankly, drew the Shura Blade with her right hand, and stared at the blade.

Then, as if summoning all her strength, she gritted her teeth and swung at Niu Dingtian.

But, perhaps because of the injury, though her eyes were fierce, her hand lacked power; before the blade could descend, Niu Dingtian gently seized her right hand.

"Give me a reason to cut me."

Niu Dingtian's face was like deep water, calmly watching the black‑clothed woman. The gentle temperament he had cultivated for years was now stirred with a hint of anger.

"You looked at my face!"

The black‑clothed woman said coldly, as if it were obvious, her aura showing no weakness.

She actually wanted to say you looked at my body, but upon waking that morning, with only that little brat beside her, she wasn't sure and ultimately couldn't bring herself to speak.

Just then, she suddenly saw Wang Yuyan standing neatly at the doorway; not knowing what she thought of, a surge of anger rose in her, she glared fiercely once, then turned and stared at Niu Dingtian, shouting, "You're in league with that little brat! Right?"

"You're the one who's in league!"

Wang Yuyan instantly narrowed her eyes in fury.

"You're the… little…"

She wanted to strike back, but her reddened face prevented her from uttering those three words.

"Hmph, you're extremely rude; I don't want to see you!"

In the end, the refined lady stamped her foot and left, her face full of anger.

"Leaving already?"

Niu Dingtian slightly raised an eyebrow.

Facing the black‑clothed woman's angry expression, his brows involuntarily furrowed again.

Honestly, his family's Rong'er had never been this overbearing before.

But when he was about to speak, something seemed to seize his mind all of a sudden.

Kill someone just by looking at their face? Injured at Taihu.

Could it be…

Is it her?

Recalling last night, as soon as he arrived at Manduo Villa he saw Li Qingluo gathering a group of armed subordinates, and Niu Dingtian suddenly thought of someone.

His gaze couldn't help but carefully scrutinize the face of the woman in black.

Her chin was pointed, smooth and translucent; now, up close, she glared angrily at him, her tiny cherry‑like mouth slightly parting, revealing two rows of fine teeth, like shattered jade.

On top of that, a faint, deep, sweet and cloying fragrance emanated from her, causing an involuntary flutter of the heart.

"I'm not in the same camp as Miss Wang," Niu Dingtian said with a sudden smile.

As the angry gaze of the woman in black gradually averted, a blush of shame and anger spreading across her cheek, he looked away.

While gently snatching the Shura Blade from the girl's hand, he said, "Last night, to fetch the golden ulcer medicine for the lady, I killed four people with this blade; to get the lady a clean set of clothes, I also abducted Miss Wang."

"No matter what secret rules the lady has about her appearance, I saved you, I used it to kill for you, and you still have the nerve to swing it at me?" Niu Dingtian lifted his treasured sword, smiling as he looked at the girl before him.

Wearing black, with a face veil, and a crossbow hidden in her sleeve, combined with this delicate yet cold temperament, her identity is not hard to guess.

If nothing is amiss, this woman should be Duan Zhengchun's illegitimate daughter, Mu Wanqing.

From what I recall, Mu Wanqing seemed to have gone to Manduo Villa to assassinate Li Qingluo.

Later, she was pursued by Li Qingluo's men to Dali, until she met Duan Yu.

She didn't expect to be cut off.

If she hadn't taken over this thatched hut, hadn't settled here, perhaps the story would have remained the same—lovers would have become siblings.

Niu Dingtian couldn't help but think.

But the woman in black, upon hearing this, was suddenly stunned. Meeting Niu Dingtian's smile, she recovered, awkwardly turning her head away and sneering,

"My master said that no man in the world has a conscience; every one uses flowery words to deceive women, and their hearts are never good. A man's words cannot be heard at all."

"That's not entirely true," Niu Dingtian shook his head, "It's only your master's one‑sided words; you haven't experienced men, so how can you know that no man has a conscience?"

"How do you know I haven't experienced men?" the woman in black glared.

But as soon as she said that, she instantly sensed something was wrong, and, embarrassed and angry, she raised her hand to slap Niu Dingtian.

Niu Dingtian seized her wrist, this time not letting go, ignoring the girl's struggle and angry stare, and continued his analysis:

"Since your master could say that to you, I don't need to think; I know she must have been abandoned by some fickle man."

"Your master was just abandoned, let go!" the woman in black glared at Niu Dingtian.

"I have no master, so naturally no one abandoned me," Niu Dingtian said confidently. "Think carefully, though your master despises men, doesn't she often focus on a certain place, often alone daydreaming as if missing someone?"

"Since she was abandoned, that means she met a rival, a foe. Think again, does your master harbor an extreme hatred toward a certain woman, a beautiful woman, wishing to kill her for relief?"

"How great can a grudge be between women? To hate so much, besides a life‑and‑death feud, it's only a jealousy over a husband."

The woman in black gradually forgot to struggle, beginning to stare blankly.

She realized that what this person said seemed to match what she had seen, wondering if her master truly had been abandoned by a man.

While the girl was deep in thought, Niu Dingtian released her wrist and said, "Your master has suffered a love wound herself; seeing your beauty, she feared you might be deceived by a bad man, so she forced you to wear a face veil, forbidding others from seeing your face."

"I shot you with a poison arrow last night; aren't you angry?" the woman in black suddenly lifted her head and asked Niu Dingtian.

Niu Dingtian shook his head and smiled, "After pinching you that once, the anger dissipated."

The girl, after hearing, instinctively touched her still‑painful neck, then gave Niu Dingtian a sudden fierce glare and asked, "Then if I slap your face, you still wouldn't be angry?"

"If you don't actually hit me, of course I wouldn't be angry," Niu Dingtian sighed, "I've always been very generous toward pretty young ladies."

After all, she's a girl; hearing the compliment, the girl's heart couldn't help but feel some joy.

Moreover, she had long worn a face veil, always only hearing others praise her martial skill, never her looks; therefore, a faint smile inadvertently appeared on her face.

But that smile vanished in an instant; a strange expression flashed in the woman in black's eyes, and her face immediately returned to its previously sharp, knife‑like, ice‑cold demeanor.

After a long silence, she tightened her cold, delicate face, stared straight at Niu Dingtian, and calmly said, "If I were willing to marry you, would you be willing to take me as your wife?"

When she finished speaking, the girl's calm expression shattered, her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and her eyes filled with an unbearable shyness.

Although the shyness was hard to bear, she still mustered the courage to look straight at Niu Dingtian.

……

Seeing Niu Dingtian hesitate without answering, the girl angrily said, "You don't want to, do you? You despise me? You like that little slut outside? Yes, you must like that little slut! I'm a fiery woman, naturally not as gentle as her."

As she spoke, with a face full of shame and anger, she lunged to snatch the Shura Blade from Niu Dingtian's hand.

"You still want to cut me?" Niu Dingtian raised his blade, allowing her to tug at his sleeve.

A mournful expression appeared on the woman in black's face, and she coldly laughed:

"I once swore a poisonous oath: if any man sees my face, and I do not kill him, I must marry him."

"You saw my visage; I cannot kill you, and you refuse to marry me, so I can only kill myself and become a ghost haunting you!"

Hearing this, a chill rose up at Niu Dingtian's crown.

Seeing the sorrowful expression on her face, his heart softened, and he said gently:

"What's wrong with being fiery? A girl being a bit fiery adds flavor."

"However, this matter must wait until the wound heals. If I have ulterior motives and use a capture‑and‑release tactic, wouldn't you fear I might deceive you and then leave?"

The woman in black, hearing this, was stunned for a moment, but meeting Niu Dingtian's gentle gaze, her heart inexplicably eased.

After releasing her sleeve, she slightly turned her head, let out a light hum, and said:

"I bet you wouldn't dare!"

"Of course I wouldn't dare; I'm afraid you'd shoot me with a crossbow," Niu Dingtian said with a smile, "By the way, I'm Niu Dingtian; how should I address you, miss?"

The woman in black replied, "A lady's name does not change with travel, nor her surname; I am Mu Wanqing."

Niu Dingtian laughed and said, "What a fine name—Shui Mu Qing Hua, Wan Xi Qing Yang; your surname is good, and your given name is good."

Mu Wanqing snorted and said, "Better than a fat cow, Dingtian is weak and only knows how to choke girls' necks."

Obviously, she still remembered the pain in her neck. Before Niu Dingtian could feel embarrassed, a sudden puff of laughter came from outside the grass hut.

Mu Wanqing froze, then shouted sternly, "You little wretch! Who let you eavesdrop?"

Saying that, she gritted her teeth, rose, and went to snatch the Ashura Blade from Niu Dingtian's hand.

Seeing she couldn't take it, she endured the pain, staggered, and went to grab the crossbow mechanism at the corner of the wall.

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian put an arm around her slender waist, feeling her soft, boneless warmth, and his heart stirred involuntarily.

"Around here, I call the shots! Get on the bed and lie down properly!"

In the end, he couldn't bring himself to say truly harsh words; he glared fiercely at the girl, scooped her up in a waist hold, and placed her on the bed plank.

"Don't get out of bed and move about; I'll go to the city to buy you breakfast and be back soon."

Leaving those words, Niu Dingtian walked out of the grass hut; before departing, still uneasy, he also took the crossbow mechanism from the wall corner and wore it on himself.

Upon arriving at the pavilion, he discovered Wang Yuyan sitting inside, cheeks puffed with anger.

"I didn't eavesdrop! It was… she… her voice was just too loud…"

Seeing Niu Dingtian, Wang Yuyan instinctively blushed and tried to explain.

Niu Dingtian, however, didn't take up that line, smiling as he asked, "Miss Wang, what would you like for breakfast? I'll go to the city to buy it for you."

"I really didn't eavesdrop!"

Wang Yuyan stamped her feet in frustration.

Niu Dingtian gave a slight smile and said, "It's just a trifle; actually, it's no harm if you heard. I've long heard that Suzhou's breakfast delicacies are exquisite and tasty—Miss Wang, would you like fried buns or soup noodles?"

Wang Yuyan felt utterly wronged.

She merely happened to walk over and overhear that sentence, yet was labeled an eavesdropper; moreover, this person wouldn't listen to her explanation, having already made up his mind.

"Fried buns!"

She, cheeks puffed with anger, managed to squeeze out a sentence. (End of chapter)