Chapter 165: Kneel Down, Put It On!

"Clang—"

As night fell, the bell inside the palace walls continued to toll.

There were few pedestrians on the street, and all walked with hurried steps.

The peddlers on both sides of the street had long since packed up their stalls.

Most of the shops had also already closed their doors.

When Luo Zijun arrived at Bao'an Hall, a burst of shouting suddenly came from inside.

"Pay up! Pay the gentlemen here!"

Two men were supporting a third, shouting loudly at Su Qingling behind the counter. Seeing that she ignored them, they began to curse foully.

"Little slut! Are you stupid or are you deaf? Hurry up and pay us!"

Su Qingling sat behind the counter, resting her chin on her hands in a daze; she seemed not to have heard them speak at all, let alone seen them.

Luo Zijun walked in and asked, "What is the matter?"

The three youths, dressed like ruffians, immediately turned their heads to look at him.

The short, thin youth being supported in the middle clutched his stomach and said angrily, "I got medicine for a headache here this morning. After I went back and took it, my stomach started hurting, and then I kept having diarrhea—from morning, all the way until night. This pharmacy sells fake medicine; today you must pay me!"

Luo Zijun sized him up for a few moments and asked, "How much do you want in compensation?"

The short, thin youth immediately said, "One hundred taels! At least one hundred taels!"

The tall youth beside him let his eyes dart around behind the counter and sneered, "If you don't pay, that's fine too. Let the little girl who sells medicine behind the counter accompany us three brothers for a few drinks, and this matter will be settled! Otherwise, hmph!"

Luo Zijun looked at him and said, "How about I go and accompany you for a few drinks instead?"

Once these words were spoken, the three were stunned for a moment.

The tall youth immediately scoffed and said, "What kind of thing are you? We three gentlemen don't like pretty boys! Get lost!"

Having said that, he went to push him.

Who would have thought that just as his hand reached out, Luo Zijun grabbed it, and with a "crack," snapped it directly, then flew up and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying out the door.

The other two saw this and hurriedly prepared to attack.

Luo Zijun kicked them one by one in the knees, causing them to let out a miserable shriek; their legs went soft, and they knelt on the ground.

Immediately after, he gave them a few slaps "smack, smack!"

"Running a scam, are you? Extorting, are you? Blackmailing, are you?"

With every word Luo Zijun spoke, he delivered a slap. He struck the two men a dozen times until their mouths were full of blood and their teeth fell out, only then did he stop.

The tall youth lying outside the door, after screaming a few times, immediately crawled up from the ground and said angrily, "You little bastard, do you know whose people we are? Have you heard of the Little Overlord of East Street, Hong Xingzu?"

Luo Zijun walked straight out, grabbed him by the hair, dragged him inside, closed the door, and kicked him in the shin.

"Smack!"

The tall youth let out another miserable shriek and knelt on the ground.

"Smack! Smack! Smack!"

Luo Zijun raised his palm, slapping him while saying, "Little Overlord of East Street, is it? Hong Xing Erguotou, is it?"

A dozen slaps in a row sent the tall youth's teeth flying and blood splattering.

The short, thin youth beside him hurriedly said, his mouth full of blood and slurring his words, "No... not Hong Xing Erguotou, it's... it's Hong Xingzu, Hall Master Hong..."

Upon hearing this, Luo Zijun went over and continued to slap him: "Hall Master Hong, is it? The leader of Causeway Bay, is it? Chen Haonan, is it?"

Only the sound of "smack, smack, smack" could be heard; no one dared to speak again.

After Luo Zijun had beaten all three until their mouths were full of blood and they were dizzy, he wiped his hands clean on one of them, then took out the Waist Tokens of the Anguo Mansion and Su Guo Fu, holding them out before them: "Is your leader of Causeway Bay more impressive, or is the Duke's mansion more impressive?"

The three were dazed, looking at the two Waist Tokens in his hand. Once they saw the characters and the family crest clearly, and heard his words, their bodies shook. They instantly came to their senses and hurriedly kowtowed, begging for mercy, terrified out of their wits.

"Young Master, spare us! Young Master, spare us..."

No matter how powerful the street thugs were or how arrogant the gangs were, how could they afford to provoke official people? Especially since this official was not an ordinary official, but from the Bai Family, the head of the Inner City Four Great Families.

The three were trembling with fear, crying and begging for mercy.

"Get out! If you dare to come here to extort or blackmail again, I'll knock your heads off!"

Luo Zijun shouted coldly, his face full of murderous intent.

Upon hearing this, the three felt as if they had been granted amnesty; they hurriedly helped each other up from the ground and limped out the door.

Luo Zijun went over to close the door, put away his disguise technique, then went to get a broom to sweep the floor, and finally fetched a rag to clean up all the bloodstains on the ground.

After finishing all this.

He washed his hands and came to the counter, looking at the cold and aloof young girl inside, and comforted her: "Senior Sister, don't be afraid. Running a pharmacy, these things happen often. Not to mention those ruffians, even some real patients will often come to cause trouble just to extort some silver. If you encounter this again next time..."

Su Qingling suddenly said, "I intentionally added laxatives to his prescription."

Luo Zijun: "???"

Su Qingling said coldly, "When he came to get medicine this morning, he harassed me, so I added an extra dose of laxative for him."

Upon hearing this, Luo Zijun immediately said angrily, "How did he harass you? I'll go catch him right now and keep beating him!"

Su Qingling said, "He complimented me on being beautiful."

Luo Zijun was stunned: "And then?"

Su Qingling said, "That's it."

Luo Zijun: "..."

"He deserved it! Senior Sister taught him well! You should have added some arsenic to poison him to death! With his toad-like appearance, what right does he have to compliment Senior Sister? Only I have that right!"

Luo Zijun was filled with righteous indignation.

He then continued from his previous words: "In the future, if Senior Sister encounters this kind of thing again and I am not here, don't argue with them first. Just tell them that your Junior Brother is a member of the Bai Family. Wait for me to come, and I will teach them a proper lesson."

Su Qingling raised her willow eyebrows, her pretty face cold: "A member of the Bai Family?"

Luo Zijun whispered, "This is just to intentionally wave the banner and use the tiger's might to scare those troublemakers, isn't it?"

Su Qingling snorted and ignored him further.

Luo Zijun looked at her cold, beautiful face, and thinking of his recent misunderstanding of her and what Liu Chujian had said, a wave of guilt suddenly washed over him, and he said, "Senior Sister, do you want to pinch my butt?"

Su Qingling raised her head, stared at him for a moment, and said, "Come in."

Luo Zijun hesitated for a moment and said, "Senior Sister, let's get this straight: only pinching the butt is allowed, and only for a little while."

Su Qingling gave a faint "Mm."

Only then did Luo Zijun enter the counter, turn his body around, and present his butt to her, but he couldn't help turning his head to say, "Senior Sister, don't you think this kind of behavior is not very good? How about pinching my arm? Or my waist? Pinch away..."

Before he could finish speaking, Su Qingling's fingers had already pinched his butt and twisted hard several times.

Luo Zijun hissed in pain, and while rubbing his butt, he turned around and said, "Senior Sister, that pinch really hurt this time..." "You deserve it."

Su Qingling let out a cold snort.

Luo Zijun said, "Alright, I do deserve it. Senior Sister, is your anger gone?"

Su Qingling said, "No."

Luo Zijun stretched out his arm again and said, "Then pinch again."

Su Qingling did not pinch him, however; her beautiful eyes stared at him for a while, and she said, "Where are my silk socks?"

Luo Zijun was taken aback upon hearing this and asked strangely, "Didn't I return them to you that night? I returned them along with the skirt and left them on the bed."

Su Qingling stared at him coldly and said nothing.

Luo Zijun said, "Are they not there? Let me look for them."

He felt around inside his chest, then felt around in his sleeves, and then felt around in his chest again, finally pulling out a pair of snow-white silk socks.

"Ah, so they really were with me. I must have been muddled that night and forgotten."

!

Luo Zijun had a sheepish expression on his face and hurriedly handed the silk socks to her.

Su Qingling said coldly, "Kneel down and put them on for me."

Luo Zijun lowered his head to look and said, "Is Senior Sister not wearing socks?"

Su Qingling said, "Take them off and put them on again."

"Boring."

Luo Zijun curled his lips, placed the silk socks in his hand on the counter, and turned to leave.

Who would have thought that just as he turned, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed him.

Su Qingling looked at him coldly with her beautiful eyes and said, "Go ahead and walk, but leave your friend behind."

Luo Zijun: "..."

Just as the two were fooling around, a knock on the door suddenly sounded from outside.

Luo Zijun hurriedly whispered, "Senior Sister, let go."

Su Qingling, however, ignored him.

"Creak..."

The shop door was suddenly pushed open by someone.

A Young Maid holding a prescription stood outside the door, looked into the room with confusion, and hurriedly said, "Boss, I've come to get medicine; you haven't closed the shop yet, have you?"

Luo Zijun had no choice but to say, "It was closed, but you pushed it open again."

The Young Maid was somewhat anxious: "My mistress has fallen ill and urgently needs medicine. Can you help me fill it?"

As she spoke, she hurriedly walked in and handed over the prescription.

"Notopterygium... Ledebouriella... Atractylodes... Asarum... Ligusticum... Angelica dahurica..."

He read them out softly.

Seeing his changing complexion and his slightly trembling body, the Young Maid hurriedly said, "Little Doctor, is the prescription wrong?"

Luo Zijun lowered his head to look and did not answer.

At this moment, Su Qingling's soft, fragrant body beside him pressed tightly against him, and her head leaned over to look along with him.

"Rehmannia... Scutellaria... Licorice..."

Luo Zijun continued to read with his head lowered.

Seeing him knitting his brows, his complexion looking increasingly wrong, and his body still trembling slightly, the Young Maid immediately said anxiously, "Little Doctor, this is the Nine-Flavor Decoction prescribed by a physician. Is there some problem with it?"

"Let me look more carefully..."

Luo Zijun looked at it carefully from beginning to end again, reading it out.

He repeated it several times until the last time, when his tone changed: "Notopterygium, Ledebouriella, Atractylodes, Asarum, Ligusticum, Angelica dahurica, Rehmannia, Scutellaria, Licorice..."

The Young Maid was badly frightened: "Is... is it poison?"

Luo Zijun stared intently at the prescription, as if blown by the cold wind sweeping in from outside the door, and said, "The medicinal ingredients are correct..."

After looking for another moment, he turned to fill the prescription, his movements slow and appearing somewhat strange.

After filling the medicine and wrapping it up, he handed it over and said, "One tael of silver."

The Young Maid frowned upon hearing this: "Ah, is it that expensive?"

Then, her little nose suddenly twitched a few times, and she blinked her eyes in confusion: "What is that smell?"

Luo Zijun said, "Naturally, it is the smell of medicine. It is indeed not very pleasant, but if you drink it, it will certainly be of great benefit. Three times a day; it is best to drink it all in one go, without leaving a single drop, for it to be effective."

"Oh."

The Young Maid replied, took one tael of silver from her Money Pouch, placed it on the counter, and then hurried away.

The room became quiet.

Luo Zijun stood behind the counter for a while longer before coming out, going over to close the door, turning to look at someone, and then walking toward the back with unsteady steps.

"Sigh... what a sin!"

By the time Su Dafang returned, Luo Zijun had already left.

He returned to Junzi Residence.

His heart was like still water as he continued to practice the Art of Disguise.

At the third watch, he performed Soul Out-of-Body.

At the same time.

Inside the Royal Palace, it had descended into chaos.

Noble Consort Jia Yuanchun cried until she nearly fainted.

The other consorts in the palace, along with the palace maids, matrons, eunuchs, and others, all prostrated themselves on the ground and wailed, panicked and at a loss for what to do.

The ministers also knelt outside the room, one after another, weeping.

Only one person sat upright beside the already cold corpse of the Liang King, her face like still water, motionless, not knowing what she was thinking.

The old eunuchs entered while weeping, kneeling to beg to change the Liang King's clothes and prepare his appearance.

The woman sitting by the bed then slowly rose, walking toward the door with a dignified expression.

Outside the door were ministers and the Imperial Guard; now, only she could command them.

(End of chapter)