Chapter 88: The Unserious Master and Senior Sister

It was around noon.

Su Qingling changed into a new white dress and came downstairs, looking cold and detached.

It appeared she had not slept.

Luo Zijun hurriedly left the counter: "Senior Sister, I'm going to buy food."

After saying this, he immediately went out the door.

A long time later.

He returned with a basket of steamed buns and two bowls of wontons.

"Senior Sister, here."

He diligently handed over the chopsticks.

Then, he helped her blow on the steaming hot wontons in the bowl.

"Eat."

His face was full of obsequiousness.

Su Qingling gave him a cold look before extending her slender, jade-like hand to take the chopsticks.

"The buns."

Luo Zijun again ingratiatingly pushed the buns in front of her.

Su Qingling's gaze shifted slightly; she stared at him for a moment before saying indifferently: "Don't worry, I won't tell Grandfather, nor will I tell your sister."

Only then did Luo Zijun heave a sigh of relief.

"Many thanks, Senior Sister."

Although this matter was not his fault, it was better not to argue about such things. Because neither his master nor his sister would ever stand on his side.

After all, he really... had kissed her.

Neither of them spoke again; they kept their heads down and ate their lunch in silence.

After finishing the meal.

Luo Zijun tidied up and prepared to go home.

"Why are you going back?"

Su Qingling asked, looking down at the abacus, her expression blank.

Luo Zijun said: "To practice martial arts."

Su Qingling looked up and said: "Can't you practice in the back?"

Luo Zijun was stunned; he looked toward the backyard, paused, and said: "I can practice there, but..."

"Go."

Su Qingling lowered her head, continued to fiddle with the abacus, and said indifferently: "Help me with the accounts later."

"Alright."

Luo Zijun had no choice but to go to the backyard.

Although there were no wooden stakes or other tools, he could still practice his fist techniques.

He took off his Confucian robe, revealing the training clothes he wore underneath.

It was as if he had instantly transformed from an elegant and dashing young scholar into an elegant and dashing young Martial Artist.

"Swish!"

He did not waste time and began to practice his punches.

Soon, the sound of powerful punches cutting through the air and the flapping of his clothes echoed in the backyard.

From the very beginning, the Kaishan Fist was extremely fierce and swift.

When he first started practicing it, he hadn't mastered it yet, so his moves were slow and lacked power; now that he was practicing it again, both his speed and power had improved.

Of course, the power of the Kaishan Fist did not rely solely on those two points.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Luo Zijun shifted his figure, changing his punches rapidly; every move and stance was filled with vigor.

The momentum of the Kaishan Fist was already taking shape.

At the back door.

The cold young girl in the white dress was standing inside the doorway, watching him quietly, though it was unclear when she had arrived.

The afternoon sun was somewhat lazy.

On the peach tree in the courtyard, peach blossoms were in full bloom, their fragrance drifting faintly.

A gentle breeze blew past.

The pink petals on the branches danced and fluttered, falling in abundance; it was truly beautiful.

The figure amidst the flowers was also exceptionally handsome.

"Swish!"

Luo Zijun practiced for two consecutive hours, almost draining every ounce of strength in his body.

After finishing his punches, he nearly couldn't stand steady.

His whole body was incredibly sore, and his muscles were trembling uncontrollably.

His clothes were already soaked through with sweat.

He scooped a large ladle of water from the well bucket, drank it down in gulps, and then sat directly on the ground, breathing heavily.

But soon, he stood up again, moving his feet with difficulty around the courtyard.

After a while.

He finally sat on the ground to rest, wiping the sweat flowing down from his forehead.

At this moment.

The setting sun was sinking, and it was already evening.

He rested for a while longer before going to wash his face, putting on his Confucian robe, and preparing to go out to buy medicinal herbs, then returning for a Medicine Bath.

Just as he was about to leave the shop, Su Qingling, who was fiddling with an abacus at the counter, spoke up: "Where are you going?"

Luo Zijun said: "To buy medicinal herbs."

Su Qingling raised her head and said coldly: "What place is this?"

Luo Zijun was taken aback and said: "Bao'an Hall, what's wrong?"

Su Qingling asked again: "What does Bao'an Hall do?"

Luo Zijun was stunned for a moment, and only then did he realize.

"Does Senior Sister mean..."

Su Qingling did not speak; she turned around and opened the drawers behind her.

In those drawers were all the medicinal herbs he needed.

While Luo Zijun was hesitating, Su Qingling looked at him and said indifferently: "Ten taels of silver per time, do you want it?"

Luo Zijun hurriedly said: "Medicinal herbs have gone up in price now; it costs fifteen taels."

Su Qingling paused and said: "Then you give me sixteen taels."

"On what grounds?"

Luo Zijun immediately refused.

Su Qingling looked at him coldly and said: "Because you look like you have a lot of money lately."

The corner of Luo Zijun's mouth twitched: "Even if I have money, it's money I earned through my own hard work; why should I give it to you!"

Su Qingling did not speak again.

Luo Zijun glanced at her again and prepared to go out.

Su Qingling said again: "Fifteen taels then, it's fifteen taels; settle it on the spot, no credit allowed."

Luo Zijun stopped in his tracks and hesitated again; thinking that his master and Senior Sister had foolishly stocked these herbs and probably hadn't sold any in the past few days, and that they must be anxious, he said: "Fine, deal!"

As he spoke, he took out the silver and placed it on the counter.

Then he went behind the counter himself and began to pick out the medicinal herbs from the drawers.

Su Qingling weighed the silver very seriously and said indifferently: "Is it money you earned from writing books? How much did you earn?"

"Not much, just enough."

Luo Zijun replied casually while carefully selecting the herbs.

Su Qingling finished weighing the silver, turned around to look at him, and did not speak again.

"I'm going to take my Medicine Bath, Senior Sister, you are not allowed to peek at me again!"

After Luo Zijun finished selecting the medicinal herbs, he immediately went to the backyard and began to boil water to soak the medicine.

The rich fragrance of the medicine soon permeated the woodshed.

Before taking off his clothes, Luo Zijun looked at the window and, seeing that the girl was not there, quickly undressed and got into the wooden bathtub.

The somewhat scalding medicinal liquid instantly enveloped his entire body.

First, a wave of pain struck.

Then, every pore on his entire body seemed to be groaning in comfort.

He couldn't help but groan as well: "Ah..."

A moment later.

He suddenly felt something was wrong.

The effect of today's medicine seemed to come faster and more violently.

The soreness throughout his body soon disappeared.

Then, the skin all over his body began to feel a new kind of pain under the soaking of the medicine.

It was different from the pain after practicing boxing.

The current pain felt like needle pricks, bit by bit, disappearing quickly, and his skin seemed to be twitching.

"The age of the medicinal herbs is wrong!"

He suddenly realized.

When he went to the martial artist's shop to buy them before, the shopkeeper had specifically told him about this.

The older the medicinal herbs, the more expensive the price, and the better the effect.

The medicinal herbs Senior Sister sold him today were clearly older than the ones he had bought at the martial artist's shop before. In that case, he had taken advantage of the situation?

"Hiss..."

Waves of pain struck and then quickly disappeared.

Under the soaking of the warm and rich medicinal liquid, his skin seemed to be undergoing another kind of torment and tempering.

It really is better to have some money.

With money, one can buy more expensive medicinal herbs, and the effects will be better.

The speed of cultivation will naturally be faster as well.

He hoped his second book would sell for a good price.

The setting sun gradually fell below the mountains.

The medicinal liquid in the wooden bathtub soon cooled down.

Luo Zijun stood up from the wooden bathtub; the fatigue all over his body was swept away, and he felt warm and comfortable all over, as if he were full of strength again.

!

He put on his clothes and tidied up the medicinal dregs.

After finishing cleaning the woodshed, he went to the front room.

His master had returned at some point and was lying on a rocking chair with his eyes closed, resting his mind.

He did not dare to disturb him.

He waved at his senior sister and prepared to leave quietly.

At this moment, Su Dafang suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Kid, did you do something guilty, and now you're in a rush to slip away?"

Luo Zijun paused his steps, turned his head, and said, "Master, I didn't do anything guilty."

Su Dafang let out a cold snort, looked at him with a stern face, and said, "Nothing guilty? Then how come I heard from Ling'er that you forcibly kissed her today?"

Luo Zijun immediately said, "I did not!"

Forcibly?

How could that be!

Su Dafang said with a cold face, "Ling'er said you first forcibly kissed her face, then forcibly kissed her mouth, then forcibly kissed her ears, and finally even forcibly kissed her neck. If she hadn't resisted with all her might, you might have continued to forcibly kiss further down, is that so or not?"

Luo Zijun immediately said anxiously, "Master, don't listen to that girl's nonsense! At most, I kissed her forehead, and it was an accidental kiss; it wasn't forced at all!"

At this time, Su Qingling, behind the counter, said coldly, "You finally admit that you kissed me."

Luo Zijun: "..."

This girl is so hateful!

She clearly promised him she wouldn't tell Master, and now not only did she tell him, she even added all sorts of embellishments!

Too much!

Su Dafang looked at him with unkind eyes: "Zijun, men and women should not touch when handing something over. My granddaughter has been pure and chaste since she was a child and has never been kissed by anyone. Since you have now admitted to kissing her, you should know what to do next, right?"

"Master, I..."

"A real man, since he has done wrong, must own up to it."

Su Dafang looked at him with a stern face and said, "Go on, since you kissed her, naturally you should let her kiss you back; that way it will be considered even."

Luo Zijun: "???"

The young girl behind the counter looked at him with cold, beautiful eyes.

"I can't be bothered with you two!"

Luo Zijun rolled his eyes at the two of them and walked straight out the door.

"I'm going home, see you tomorrow."

He waved his hand and left with quick steps.

Senior sister is an improper girl, and Master has actually started to become improper too.

It really is like grandfather, like granddaughter.

At this time, the night had already fallen.

Lanterns were hung up on the streets.

The street vendors began to pack up their stalls, and the pedestrians on the road also became fewer.

Every household began to light their cooking fires.

"Right, I forgot to ask Master about the purchase price of those medicinal herbs."

I'll ask tomorrow.

He certainly wouldn't take advantage of his master and senior sister.

However, it was strange that his senior sister hadn't taken the initiative to ask him for money for the poison from before.

Has she silently recorded it in the account book already?

Given his senior sister's usual "pettiness" toward him, it was likely true.

When he returned home, his elder sister and brother-in-law were both there.

His brother-in-law's job as a Head Constable had not yet been resigned; it should still take some time.

"It will probably take a month at most."

"Once the yamen recruits a new Head Constable, they will let me leave; there really isn't enough manpower right now."

Li Zhengshan comforted his wife.

Then he said in a low voice, "I heard that in two days, our Liang Kingdom is preparing for a general amnesty. Sigh, those criminals we worked so hard to catch and put in jail will probably be released again."

Luo Jiaorong asked in confusion, "Why would there be a sudden general amnesty?"

Li Zhengshan lowered his voice and said, "I heard the King is ill and has been bedridden for many days, so he wants to use the general amnesty to pray for blessings from the heavens..."

Luo Zijun said, "Brother-in-law, it is said that the Liang King is only in his twenties? How could he..."

Li Zhengshan said, "Twenty-two."

He didn't dare to say anything more.

"Eat, eat. Who knows about the affairs of the imperial court? Let's talk less about it."

After finishing the meal.

Luo Zijun thought for a moment and decided to go see the White Snake and the Green Snake.

It wasn't far anyway.

"Sister, I'm going out to buy two books."

"Going to buy books so late?"

"It's not late, it's just dark, the bookstores haven't closed yet, I'll be back as soon as I buy them."

After Luo Zijun finished speaking, he went out the door.

He hurried along the way and soon arrived at the small alley where the White Snake and the Green Snake lived.

If he did not come to see for himself, his heart would not be at ease.

When he turned into the small alley, Wang Shen, who was carrying a load and preparing to go home not far behind him, stared at his back for a moment and asked in confusion, "Isn't that Zijun? Where is he going?"

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Arriving at the door, Luo Zijun raised his hand to knock.

Yet a long time passed, and no one came to open the door.

Could they have gone out?

A sudden sense of unease rose in his heart, and he continued to knock.

At this moment, a voice full of surprise suddenly came from the alley behind him: "Young Master, why have you come?"

Luo Zijun turned his head to look.

A young girl wearing a white dress and a young girl wearing a green dress were coming from the direction of the alley entrance.

After Bai Bai saw him, a smile appeared on her face, but her two hands were immediately hidden behind her back.

"Where did you two go?"

Luo Zijun asked.

Bai Bai smiled gently and said softly, "Strolling through the streets."

Qingqing had a face as cold as frost and did not speak.

"Young Master, I will open the door."

Bai Bai immediately took out the key, preparing to step forward to open the door, but she suddenly discovered that the door was not locked, but rather bolted from the inside.

"..."

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

Since the main gate was bolted from the inside, how did the two of them leave the house?

"Did you go out through the back door?"

Luo Zijun took the initiative to provide an excuse for them.

Upon hearing this, Bai Bai's eyes immediately brightened, and she nodded, saying, "Mm-hmm, yes, through the back door, hehe, I almost forgot."

As she spoke, she prepared to go to the back door.

But suddenly, she stopped her steps again, a trace of embarrassment appearing on her face, and she hurriedly leaned close to Qingqing and whispered, "Where is the back door?"

"Let's go."

Luo Zijun took the initiative to lead them to find the back door.

Bai Bai followed obediently behind, holding a steamed bun in one hand and a sugar figurine in the other; seeing him turn his back, she immediately wolfed down the things in her hands, her cheeks stuffed full.

When they arrived at the back door.

The three of them suddenly discovered that the back door was also bolted from the inside.

"..."

Silence for a moment.

Luo Zijun took the Dagger out from his bosom, gently inserted it into the gap in the middle of the door, and slowly pushed the bolt open.

"Young Master is truly amazing."

Bai Bai praised with a smile, her eyes curved, and shiny sugar syrup stuck to her pink lips.

Luo Zijun did not speak; he pushed open the back door and walked in.

At the same time.

Luo Jiaorong and Li Zhengshan, led by Wang Shen, hurried out the door.

(End of this chapter)