Chapter 136: I Actually Fell in Love with a Snake!

Boom!

That night, there was a sudden flash of lightning and a peal of thunder, followed by a torrential downpour.

The summer rainstorm arrived with exceptional ferocity.

However, it came quickly and left just as quickly; by the next morning, the sky was clear for ten thousand miles.

Luo Zijun got out of bed, pushed open the window, and looked outside.

The sky outside was azure, clear as if washed clean.

The air was also exceptionally fresh.

However, the small courtyard was soaking wet, filled with rainwater.

The flowers that had just bloomed in the flowerbed were also battered by the night of rain, their branches and leaves in disarray, leaning this way and that, a complete mess.

On those delicate, pink petals were full of muddy teardrops and grime.

Luo Zijun suddenly remembered the silk socks he had helped his senior sister wash, so he hurriedly left his room, came to the small courtyard, and looked at the clothesline in the corner.

However, there was nothing on it.

He paused for a moment, and just as he was about to return to his room to search, the door next to his opened.

Zhiyuan walked out of the room, and upon seeing him, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she said, "Young Master, are you up so early today? Why not sleep a little longer?"

Luo Zijun hurriedly asked, "Zhiyuan, did you see the things hanging outside..."

"The silk socks?"

Zhiyuan asked with a smile.

Luo Zijun nodded hurriedly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Zhiyuan smiled slightly, turned back into the room, took out a pair of snow-white silk socks from inside, and asked with a smile, "Is it this pair?"

Luo Zijun's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, "Yes, did you take them in last night? Thank goodness, otherwise they would have been soaked by the rain."

As he spoke, he reached out to take them.

Zhiyuan, however, suddenly hid them behind her back, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, and with a playful smile on her face, she said, "Young Master must tell this servant whose they are. Otherwise, I won't give them to you."

Luo Zijun said, "A friend's."

Zhiyuan snorted and said, "What kind of friend? Does Young Master secretly wash silk socks for a friend?"

Luo Zijun said, "What's wrong with washing silk socks for a friend? Between friends, helping each other out by washing silk socks—isn't that what one should do?"

Zhiyuan giggled and said, "Young Master is a scholar, how can you have so many twisted arguments? Since when do friends help each other wash silk socks, and since when is it something one 'should' do?"

Luo Zijun reached out and said, "Give them to me."

Zhiyuan kept her hands behind her back, stepped back a few paces, and laughed coquettishly, "I won't give them to you, unless Young Master tells this servant who she is."

Previously, she wouldn't have dared to joke with this young man like this, but now that she was one of his own, she naturally wasn't afraid.

Moreover, she really wanted to know who on earth was qualified to have her Young Master help her wash silk socks. Even if Third Miss made such a request, he would definitely not agree, right?

"Young Master, just tell this servant."

She blinked her eyes, smiling brightly.

Luo Zijun ignored her, walked straight over and cornered her against the wall, pressed one hand on the wall beside her head, lowered his head to lean close to her cheek, and said, "Little girl, are you going to give them to me or not?"

Seeing his delicate and handsome face almost pressed against her own, his eyes fixed tightly on her, and the hot air from his breath spraying onto her face, two blushes immediately climbed onto her fair cheeks. Recalling the intense night of wind and rain he had shared with Xiaohuan last night, her heart began to race and her mind fell into chaos. She tilted her little face up, opened her watery eyes, and said shyly yet stubbornly, "I... I won't give them to you."

Seeing her little face flushed red, as beautiful as a flower, her eyes moving and charming, and her full chest heaving slightly due to her rapid breathing, Luo Zijun couldn't help but think of the scene from last night.

Last night, when he entered the room, he saw the two little girls wearing only bodices, their hair loose, sitting close together in the quilt, like a pair of beautiful little sisters from a painting...

However, he felt too embarrassed, so he only took Xiaohuan away.

"Zhiyuan, did you not sleep last night?"

He asked suddenly.

Zhiyuan was startled and hurriedly said, "This servant... this servant slept..."

"Liar."

Luo Zijun immediately exposed her lie: "You were clearly being sneaky last night, eavesdropping all night long."

Zhiyuan's face turned bright red, yet she still stubbornly said, "No, this servant didn't..."

Luo Zijun reached out and pinched her soft, pink cheek, saying, "Confess honestly!"

Zhiyuan bit her pink lip lightly, blinked her thick eyelashes, and looked at him with watery eyes for a while before suddenly snorting, "This servant... this servant did listen all night, but it's not this servant's fault, it's... it's Young Master's fault, for being so noisy that I couldn't sleep, hmph."

Luo Zijun: "..."

"This Young Master was already very restrained, but alas, I am too powerful."

After saying this, he suddenly reached out, snatched the silk socks from behind her back, and stuffed them into his chest.

Zhiyuan immediately pouted.

Luo Zijun reached out again to pinch her delicate cheek and said, "Don't be anxious, it will be your turn sooner or later."

Having said that, he walked out the door.

Zhiyuan leaned against the wall, blankly watching his back as he exited the main gate and disappeared from sight. She stood there for a long time before slowly raising her hand to touch the cheek he had just pinched, gave a low snort, and said, "I'm not anxious at all, hmph."

After saying this, she returned to her room and took the soiled skirt to the small courtyard to scrub it.

Luo Zijun left the house, caught a carriage on the street, and headed toward the Outer City.

As the carriage began to move, he took out the Copper Mirror and sent a message to the "Yaochi Fairy": 【Are we confirmed to meet at West Lake this morning?】

The reply came back quickly: 【I have already arrived.】

Luo Zijun hurriedly replied: 【So early? Wait for me, I am in the Inner City and just got on a carriage.】

Yaochi Fairy: 【A fairy never waits for anyone.】

Luo Zijun didn't indulge her and replied: 【Oh, then you can go.】

If the other party really was that White Snake, or was related to the White Snake, she would wait for him no matter what; if the other party was just a stranger, then if she left, she left—there was nothing to regret.

It doesn't matter.

Fairy of the Jade Pool: 【Are you really a handsome man? If it's true, I will wait for you.】

Luo Zijun smiled slightly and replied: 【Naturally it is true, then are you really a fairy?】

Fairy of the Jade Pool: 【Yes.】

Dongfang Junnan: 【Is it that you are beautiful, with a face like a celestial being, or are you the kind of real fairy who fell from the sky?】

Fairy of the Jade Pool: 【Both.】

Dongfang Junnan: 【Hehe.】

The other party did not reply again.

The carriage soon left the Inner City and was traveling slowly on the streets of the Outer City.

They traveled for another moment.

Luo Zijun suddenly lifted the window curtain and quietly looked behind him.

Not far behind, another carriage was following.

However, at the next intersection, that carriage suddenly turned and drove in another direction.

He put down the curtain, a look of contemplation appearing between his brows.

"Master, turn right up ahead and stop at the entrance of Tianxian Pavilion."

He suddenly said to the outside.

The coachman replied: "Alright."

Luo Zijun took out the Copper Mirror and sent a message to the Fairy of the Jade Pool: 【Fairy, sorry, something suddenly came up today, I cannot go to West Lake.】

Fairy of the Jade Pool: 【What matter?】

Dongfang Junnan: 【Just now on the road, I met an old friend I haven't seen in a long time. It was hard to refuse his warm invitation, so I will go drinking with him in a while.】

Fairy of the Jade Pool: 【Oh.】

Luo Zijun thought for a moment, and just as he was about to put away the Copper Mirror, a message came back: 【Where are you going to drink, a tavern, or a Brothel?】

Luo Zijun was stunned and replied: 【Naturally a tavern. I am an honest man; I have never been to a place like a Brothel. Besides, I am a handsome man; young girls, young married women, wives, widows, I lack none of them. They come whenever I call, and not only do I not spend money, they even give me money. Why would I need to go to a Brothel?】

Fairy of the Jade Pool: 【Hehe.】

Luo Zijun felt suspicious in his heart and immediately lifted the curtain to look behind the carriage.

However, he did not see any other carriage.

Could that "Fairy of the Jade Pool" be following him? Otherwise, how could she have suddenly brought up the words "Brothel"?

He thought about it.

He replied again: 【Can you come to the Inner City? Let's meet in the Inner City at dusk?】

Fairy of the Jade Pool: 【No.】

Luo Zijun did not reply again.

If she won't go, then she won't go; then they won't meet.

It seems the other party is not the White Snake, otherwise, it would be impossible for her to refuse to meet him.

Who said that the White Snake and Xu Xian must meet at West Lake?

If she is not the White Snake, then she is just a stranger. He could not possibly put himself in danger just to meet a stranger.

Regardless of whether the carriage behind him just now was a pursuer, he had to be careful.

He cannot go to the Academy today.

At the very least, he must wait until his injuries are completely healed, and then go find Xu Xian and Su Bie to travel together.

Last time he went to the Academy alone, he almost lost his life in the forest; naturally, he dared not be careless again.

Let's go to the Brothel for a while first.

The carriage soon turned right, traveled another hundred meters or so, and stopped in front of the entrance of Tianxian Pavilion.

Luo Zijun straightened his clothes, lifted the curtain, and just as he stepped off the carriage, he suddenly saw the tail of a carriage just turning into the corner behind him.

His gaze sharpened; he paid the fare and walked toward the entrance of Tianxian Pavilion.

At this time, there were no young ladies at the entrance of Tianxian Pavilion, and the railings on the second floor were also empty.

The Brothel in the morning is the most deserted time.

!

Luo Zijun swaggered inside.

A Young Maid saw him and hurriedly came up to greet him: "Young Master, there are no young ladies performing in the main hall this morning. Would you like to sit and rest for a while, drink tea and have snacks, or go to the second floor?"

Before Luo Zijun could speak, a cry of surprise suddenly came from the corridor to the side.

"Oh my! Young Master Luo!"

Liu Mama was dressed gaudily with heavy makeup, and while calling out exaggeratedly, she rushed over with an excited face.

The Young Maid who was greeting guests was startled by her sudden shout and movement.

"Young Master Luo! It really is you! Haha, you finally came! Do you know how bitterly this old woman has missed you!"

Liu Mama grabbed Luo Zijun's hand, her entire body pressing directly against him, her face blooming with smiles.

The Young Maid was full of astonishment, secretly guessing in her heart: Could this handsome Young Master be the Mama's lover?

"Come, come, come, let's go upstairs!"

Liu Mama hurriedly pulled Luo Zijun to go upstairs, saying with a face full of smiles: "Young Master Luo, how do you have time to come over today? Do you want Shui Shui to accompany you, or Ziwei? Both girls have time; at this hour, they probably haven't woken up yet. But it doesn't matter, this old woman will take you directly to their boudoirs."

Once these words were spoken, the Young Maid who was greeting guests, and the other maids, all had faces full of shock and disbelief.

Nowadays, Miss Ziwei and Miss Shui Shui are the biggest headliners of their Tianxian Pavilion. Every day, people come begging to see them, but they cannot. Even if the two young ladies want to see them, this Mama would stop them, only letting the two go out to perform on stage every few days.

Occasionally, there would be generous Young Masters who would have the opportunity to see them, but it would only be a meeting in a guest room on the second floor, drinking a cup of wine and chatting for a while, and there would be maids watching from the side.

As for wanting to go to the boudoirs of these two young ladies, it was simply impossible.

Yet today, this stingy Mama actually invited this Young Master personally to go to the boudoirs of those two young ladies, not even waiting for the two young ladies to get out of bed...

"Xiao Cui, who is that handsome Young Master? Why is Liu Mama being so polite to him? She actually wants to personally take him to the boudoirs of Lady Ziwei and Lady Shui Shui?"

"I don't know either. Could he be some noble from the Inner City?"

"Even if he were a noble from the Inner City, Liu Mama couldn't possibly be like this, right? At the very least, she should let the two young ladies get up and dress themselves first."

"It is indeed very strange. Who exactly is that Young Master?"

At this moment, a maid carrying a fruit platter said with a smug face, "I know who he is. I've seen him several times."

Upon hearing this, the other maids all began to ask.

The maid smiled and said, "That is Young Master Luo. You don't know..."

She lowered her voice and said, "The reason Lady Ziwei and Lady Shui Shui were able to become popular is all because of him. If it weren't for that Young Master Luo, hmph..."

Meanwhile.

Luo Zijun had already been enthusiastically pulled to the second floor by Liu Mama and was just about to head toward Shui Shui's boudoir when, from a room nearby, a "slap" suddenly rang out—an extremely loud sound of a palm striking skin.

Immediately, a woman's angry cursing sounded: "Screw your mother! Dressed like a human but acting like a dog, and you're a scholar? I catered to you in every way last night for a whole night, and now you say you have no money? Do you believe I'll call people in here to beat you to death?"

"You stinking, shameless little brat, sissy, bastard! I only touched you a few times and you were already spent; you're nothing but a piece of trash! A piece of trash dares to come play with women? And dares not pay after playing with a woman?"

"I'll slap you to death!"

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

A series of loud slapping sounds came from the room again.

Liu Mama was instantly filled with embarrassment and hurriedly pulled Luo Zijun, saying, "Young Master Luo, let's go, let's go, don't let this affect your mood today. For this kind of freeloader, we at Tianxian Pavilion naturally have ways to deal with him. Come, let's go play at Shui Shui's place."

At this moment, a man's voice filled with tears suddenly came from the room: "Lady Axiu, don't... don't hit me anymore. It's not that I won't pay, my money was stolen last night... Please, my sister has money, I will go back and ask her for it right now..."

Upon hearing this voice, Luo Zijun's footsteps suddenly paused.

"Young Master Luo, what's wrong?"

Seeing his expression suddenly change, Liu Mama asked hurriedly.

Luo Zijun turned around and walked back, reached the door of that room, reached out, and pushed the door open with a "bang," looking inside.

Inside the room, a woman draped in thin gauze with her fair body half-naked was grabbing a young man's hair with one hand and slapping his face with the other, her face full of a vicious expression.

The young man was sitting on the floor without clothes, begging for mercy sorrowfully.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the woman looked toward the entrance and, seeing another youth dressed in a Confucian robe, was instantly overcome with rage and began to curse directly: "What are you looking at! Get the hell out! Keep looking and I'll dig your eyes out! I..."

Liu Mama suddenly appeared at the door with a gloomy face and barked angrily, "Axiu! Do not be rude! This is Young Master Luo. Are you blind? Get over here and apologize!"

The woman named Axiu had her expression change instantly. She opened her mouth, hurriedly let go and stood up, not even having time to put on her clothes, and rushed to the door, smiling obsequiously, "Young Master Luo, this servant... this servant was blind and didn't see clearly..."

She didn't know this Young Master Luo, but since he was brought up by Liu Mama personally, and seeing the Mama's terrifying expression, even if she were stupid, she knew the person before her was someone who could not be offended.

"Slap yourself!"

Liu Mama shouted sternly.

Axiu did not hesitate; she immediately raised her palm and slapped herself a few times. Seeing that the Mama's expression was still terrifyingly fierce, her heart trembled, and she dared not stop, continuing to swing her palm.

Luo Zijun spoke, "That is enough."

Upon hearing this, Axiu felt as if she had been granted a reprieve. She hurriedly knelt before him, clutching his arm and begging, "Young Master Luo, you are a great person who does not hold grudges against the small. This servant was just blind and had a foul mouth; I didn't see who you were and cursed you. It was definitely not intentional. This servant..."

"How much silver does he owe?"

Luo Zijun interrupted her words.

Axiu was stunned for a moment, paused, and then realized, "Is Young Master Luo asking about that... that Young Master Xu?"

Luo Zijun said, "Yes, I will pay for his overnight stay last night."

Axiu was taken aback and looked toward Liu Mama at the side.

Liu Mama hurriedly asked with a face full of smiles, "Young Master Luo, is the young master in the room your friend?"

Luo Zijun looked into the room and said, "Yes."

At this time, Xu Xian in the room had already recognized him and was instantly blushing, keeping his head down and not daring to make a sound.

Liu Mama slapped her thigh and said with an exaggerated expression, "Oh my! Young Master Luo, since he is your friend, why didn't he say a word to me when he came here to play? This... this... it really is the water from the Great Flood temple washing away the Dragon King's shrine—our own people fighting our own people, oh..."

Luo Zijun said, "Mama, it's fine. How much money? I will pay it."

Liu Mama immediately glared at him and said, "What money? I should be grateful if I don't have to pay you back! This dead girl Axiu has a violent temper and doesn't know her own strength; to think she hit your friend—how could I dare ask you for money? No money, today's bill is waived!"

She then hurriedly sighed toward the youth in the room, "Young Master Xu, you, since you are a friend of Young Master Luo, why didn't you just say so when you came last night? Even if you had no money today, no one would dare hit you. Sigh, how about this: as long as you forgive Axiu, come again tonight and I will waive the bill for you again."

Xu Xian hugged his body, huddled by the bed, and kept his head down without speaking.

Luo Zijun said, "Liu Mama, you go ahead and get busy. I will go into the room and have a word with him."

Liu Mama immediately smiled, "Alright, alright, Young Master Luo, then you go in first and let Axiu serve you. I will go to Shui Shui's place to notify her and let her prepare."

After speaking, she glared fiercely at the woman with the palm prints on her face and barked, "Serve Young Master Luo and Young Master Xu well! If you make Young Master Luo unhappy again, see if I don't beat you to death!"

Having said that, she gave Luo Zijun a brilliant smile and swayed her waist as she left.

Axiu hurriedly lowered her head and said, "Young Master Luo, please come in."

Seeing that she was only wearing a gauze dress with nothing on underneath, which was clearly visible, Luo Zijun said, "Go inside and put on your clothes, and have him put on his clothes as well."

Axiu hurriedly agreed and returned to the room.

After a while, both of them had put on their clothes.

Axiu hurriedly said, "Young Master Luo, please come in."

Luo Zijun closed the door and walked in.

Xu Xian sat by the bed, head lowered, his face full of shame.

Axiu moved with light steps, obediently going to pour tea, her eyes lowered and her face full of gentle smiles, a completely different person from the fierce woman who had been cursing and hitting just moments ago.

Luo Zijun thought for a moment, took fifty taels of silver from his person, placed it on the table, and looking at her, said, "Take this fifty taels of silver. Since you served him last night, this is what you deserve."

They are all pitiful people.

Seeing this, Axiu hurriedly said, "Young Master Luo, this won't do, I cannot accept it. If Mother finds out, she certainly won't spare me."

Luo Zijun said, "Take it. I will speak to her in a moment. This is specifically for you; you may keep it all and do not need to hand it over."

Axiu stared at him blankly, saying nothing more.

Luo Zijun walked to the bedside, took one look at the messy quilt and the undergarments, ropes, whips, and other items exposed beneath it, and immediately fell into deep thought.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Just as Luo Zijun was about to speak, Xu Xian suddenly raised his head, his face covered in tears, and said, "Brother Luo, I am not a human, I am a beast; I have actually fallen in love with a snake..."

(End of this chapter)