Chapter 277: Senior Sister's Blood

Inside the shop, the fragrance of medicinal herbs overflowed.

Su Qingling was sitting behind the counter with her head lowered, quietly grinding medicine.

That simple white dress, paired with her jet-black, supple hair, and that cold, beautiful face, looked as ethereal as a fairy and as tranquil as a painting under the morning sun.

Yet, looking at the tall, steep curves of her chest and those charming eyes that combined purity with allure, one also felt a natural seductiveness that was soul-stirring.

"Senior Sister?"

Seeing that she ignored him, Luo Zijun called out again.

However, she continued to keep her head lowered, grinding the medicine, and showed no reaction to his flattery.

Qingwen, who was just bringing over some medicinal materials, chuckled upon hearing this and said directly, "Young Master Luo is truly good at flattery. You must have something you need from Miss again, right?"

This girl was also wearing a simple white dress; she was pretty and slender, a delicate and beautiful young woman, though her mouth remained unforgiving.

Luo Zijun ignored her, placed the breakfast he had bought on the counter, and decided to be honest.

"Senior Sister, I have indeed come today because I have a favor to ask."

"It is like this..."

"I have recently been practicing Soul Refining and have shown signs of a breakthrough. I need a Flying Sword, and to refine such a sword, I require some essence blood..."

"Besides my own, I also need three... I need the blood of a woman. That woman must be someone I trust most, someone closest to me, and also... someone I consider the most beautiful. She must also be a maiden..."

Luo Zijun leaned over the counter and explained in a low voice.

Su Qingling listened quietly while continuing to grind the medicine, her expression remaining cold and unchanged.

After he finished speaking, she remained silent for a moment before raising her head to look at him and asking, "Three women, or one woman?"

Luo Zijun's mouth twitched, and he said, "O... one woman."

Su Qingling looked at him coldly without saying another word, and the hand grinding the medicine stopped.

Luo Zijun had no choice but to tell the truth: "Three."

He then added with a sincere face, "But I only thought of you, Senior Sister; I didn't think of anyone else."

Su Qingling stared at him for a while longer before withdrawing her gaze, continuing to grind the medicine, and saying in a flat tone, "How much is needed?"

Luo Zijun felt a surge of joy and immediately took out a porcelain bottle, saying, "A few drops should be enough."

Su Qingling glanced at the porcelain bottle in his hand, said nothing more, put down the pestle, took a sharp small knife from under the counter, and extended the slender finger of her other hand.

Seeing this, Luo Zijun felt both moved and pained, and he quickly said, "Senior Sister, be careful, don't cut too deep."

Su Qingling did not cut immediately, but looked at him and said, "Extend your hand."

"Ah?"

Luo Zijun was stunned, looking completely bewildered.

Su Qingling said indifferently, "I want you to feel the pain first, to bleed first."

Luo Zijun: "..."

"Alright."

He did not hesitate and extended one of his hands.

Su Qingling grasped one of his fingers, and with the small knife in her other hand, she made a light cut on his fingertip, causing fresh blood to ooze out.

Luo Zijun quickly took out another porcelain bottle, squeezed the blood from his fingertip, and dripped it into the bottle.

Only then did Su Qingling lower her head and use the small knife to cut her own fingertip.

Luo Zijun hurriedly took the porcelain bottle and placed it under her fingertip, while his other hand held her slender finger, gently pressing it.

After collecting three drops, he carefully capped the porcelain bottle and placed it into his Storage Bag.

Inside the Storage Bag, the fresh blood in the porcelain bottle could remain fresh for a long time.

"Senior Sister, does it hurt?"

Only then did he look at her finger, which had been cut by the small knife and was still stained with blood.

Su Qingling did not pull her finger back, but instead extended it toward him, looking at him as if commanding something.

This scene felt suddenly very familiar.

Memories immediately surfaced in Luo Zijun's mind: when they were children, whenever this girl's finger bled, she would order him to use his mouth to help her stop the bleeding.

Recalling those scenes, he suddenly felt a bit dazed.

Looking at the cold young girl before him, a feeling even more familiar and intimate surged into his heart.

He did not hesitate; he leaned toward that fair, slender, blood-stained finger, opened his mouth, and gently took it inside.

He clearly felt the girl's finger tremble slightly, and her long, thick eyelashes also fluttered suddenly.

He held her slender finger in his mouth and looked at her.

Her gaze, naturally, was also fixed on him.

At this moment, the entire shop was silent; it seemed one could only hear the sound of each other's heartbeats and breathing.

"So fragrant! I can already smell the aroma of fried dough sticks!"

The sound of footsteps coming downstairs rang out. Su Dafang descended from upstairs, and just as he finished speaking, he suddenly saw the scene in front of the counter.

His own disciple was standing before the counter, holding one of his granddaughter's fingers in his mouth.

Their eyes met, and the atmosphere was extremely ambiguous.

"Cough... cough, cough... I'll go back up and sleep a while longer. Perhaps I didn't sleep well last night; I just saw nothing."

Su Dafang was stunned for a moment, then immediately turned around and scurried back upstairs in a flash.

"Senior Sister, you go ahead with your work, I have other matters."

Luo Zijun also felt the atmosphere was not quite right, so he quickly released the finger from his mouth and took his leave.

Stepping out of the shop, bathing in the morning sun and feeling the bustle of the street, his rapidly beating heart finally began to calm down.

Next, it was time to go to Daguanyuan.

Of course, before that, he still had to go to Chujian Bookstore first, and take Chujian along.

If Jia Yingchun were there, it would naturally be even better.

However, when he arrived at Chujian Bookstore, Xiao Lan told him: "The Young Mistress went to Daguanyuan early this morning, and Bi'er followed her there too."

Luo Zijun felt helpless and had no choice but to go there alone.

Along the way, he pondered whose blood he should choose.

"The simplest one should be the Jia Family's second young mistress, Jia Yingchun; she would likely give it..."

Just as Luo Zijun was thinking, a carriage passing by him suddenly stopped, the curtain was pulled open, and a crisp voice came from inside the carriage: "Young Master Luo, where are you going?"

Luo Zijun turned his head to look; it was that young maid named Xueyan.

Beside that young maid, an extremely beautiful and pitiful face was also revealed, and those pair of heart-touching eyes were also looking at him brightly.

"Lin Meimei?"

Luo Zijun felt secretly puzzled in his heart.

Lin Daiyu also spoke softly: "Young Master Luo, are you going to Daguanyuan?"

Luo Zijun was about to nod, but then he stared at her for a few moments, and a decision suddenly formed in his heart: rather than running to Daguanyuan alone and saying such a shameful request in front of so many people, it would be better to ask this Lin Meimei directly.

If the other party did not agree, it would not be too late to go to Daguanyuan then.

"Lin Guniang, where are you all planning to go?"

Luo Zijun walked to the carriage window and asked.

Xueyan said crisply: "Young Master Luo, we are planning to go to Bao'an Hall to thank Su Guniang. Su Guniang saved my young mistress's life, and my young mistress has always wanted to go and thank her, but only now that her body has recovered has she dared to go out."

"Bao'an Hall?"

Luo Zijun's heart stirred, and he hurriedly said: "Lin Guniang, may I board the carriage to speak with you? I have a favor to ask."

When Xueyan heard this and was just hesitating, Lin Daiyu hurriedly said softly: "Young Master Luo, please come up."

Immediately after, she looked at him with a complex gaze and said: "If it weren't for Young Master Luo going to beg Su Guniang to treat my illness, Daiyu fears I would not have lived until today. So, this life of Daiyu's can be considered Young Master Luo's; if there is any place where Young Master Luo has use for it, please feel free to command."

Luo Zijun received permission and, without saying more, boarded the carriage directly.

Inside the carriage, Lin Daiyu was draped in a snow-white fox fur, sitting softly and weakly in the corner, quiet and still, her large eyes looking at him in a heart-touching manner; seeing him enter, two blushes immediately rose on her fair and pretty face, beautiful and moving.

Sitting beside her were three young maids: Zijuan, Xueyan, and Chunxian.

The three young maids were all very familiar with him, and they also knew that when their young mistress was critically ill, it was that Su Guniang he helped find who brought their young mistress back from the brink of death.

And all the young ladies and maids of Daguanyuan, including their mistress and servants, were only able to avoid wandering the streets because of this young man's shelter.

Naturally, they felt grateful and respectful in their hearts.

The three young maids all offered greetings and did not say much more.

Lin Daiyu wanted to stand up to offer a salute but almost fell, fortunately being supported by Zijuan at her side.

Luo Zijun hurriedly said: "Lin Guniang, please don't be so formal. I have come today with a favor to ask. If you are willing, I would be endlessly grateful; if you are not willing, it does not matter, you do not need to feel troubled."

Lin Daiyu hurriedly said: "Young Master Luo, please speak."

Luo Zijun glanced at the three young maids beside her, and just as he was hesitating, Zijuan spoke up: "Young Master Luo, rest assured, we servants can cover our ears and not listen, and even if we heard, we would never tell anyone."

As she said this, she covered her ears first.

Seeing this, Xueyan and Chunxian also hurriedly covered their own ears.

Luo Zijun smiled awkwardly, then looked at Lin Meimei and said: "I... I need a few drops of fresh blood, to use for..."

"Now?"

Without waiting for him to explain, Lin Daiyu had already extended a hand, revealing a section of her snow-white, slender wrist, and then looked at him with a flushed face and asked: "Need... need blood from where? From the hand, or the arm, or... somewhere else?"

Luo Zijun said: "From the finger will do."

Isn't blood from anywhere the same?

Seeing her be so forthcoming, Luo Zijun did not stand on ceremony and immediately took out a porcelain bottle and a small knife.

When Lin Daiyu saw the small knife, her body trembled slightly, and then she extended a finger, placed it in front of him, closed her eyes, and turned her face away, saying: "Young Master Luo, you... you cut it yourself..."

She was clearly afraid.

"Many thanks, Lin Guniang; rest assured, it will not be very painful."

Luo Zijun did not hesitate; one hand gently pinched her slender, jade-like finger, and the other hand held the small knife, lightly slicing her fingertip.

Lin Daiyu's body trembled once more.

Fresh blood spilled from the fingertip, and Luo Zijun immediately caught it with the porcelain bottle.

After three drops, he put away the porcelain bottle and subconsciously prepared to put that slender, jade-like finger into his mouth; just as he brought it to his lips, he suddenly realized what he was doing and hurriedly let go, saying: "Lin Guniang, it is done."

Lin Daiyu had actually already seen his previous action; she was stunned for a moment, withdrew her finger with a face full of blushes, and her heart suddenly pounded like a startled deer.

Luo Zijun carefully put away the porcelain bottle, then stood up and thanked her again: "Lin Guniang, many thanks."

Then he took his leave: "I still have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave now; next time I will go to Daguanyuan to visit you."

After finishing, he did not linger, immediately lifted the curtain, and stepped off the carriage.

One last one remains.

He decided to return directly to Bai Mansion and ask his sister-in-law for it.

Inside the carriage, Lin Daiyu looked at the finger that he had held and almost put into his mouth, stayed in a daze for a while with a flushed face, and then slowly put her fingertip into her own small mouth, sucking on it lightly, looking completely dazed.

The three maids, Zijuan and the others, watched and exchanged glances, their expressions varied, and none dared to speak.

The carriage continued on and stopped at the entrance of Bao'an Hall.

At this time, Su Qingling was sitting quietly alone behind the counter, sucking on her own finger, in a daze.

(End of chapter)