Chapter 110: Bankruptcy, Ink Jade

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Bankruptcy, Ink Jade

"What you are thinking right now is exactly what I’m thinking," Lu Yuan said softly, stepping closer.

"Huh?" Cuihe froze for a moment. The next second, her brows shot up, and her murderous intent surged.

"Heh, just a maid. To think you’d actually make a master repeat himself..." Lu Yuan shook his head and walked away.

"You..." Cuihe nearly ground her teeth to dust, gripping her dagger so hard it almost warped.

"Cuihe," Mu Lingyan appeared at the doorway. "Lu Yuan is right; you really have become a bit disobedient. Don’t make me repeat myself a second time in the future."

"This servant deserves death!" Cuihe immediately panicked and dropped to her knees.

"Get up." Mu Lingyan helped her to her feet. "I am not blaming you, it’s just... you must remember your place!"

"Yes, Miss!" Cuihe lowered her head. "I will keep that in mind!"

Lu Yuan went downstairs and returned to the private room. He pulled out six silver notes, handed them to the Steward, and then picked up his other two long sabers.

"Liu Zhi, let’s go." He didn’t even spare Mu Lingche a glance.

"Huh?" Mu Lingche paused slightly, raising an eyebrow in confusion. He wondered, "What’s going on? He just stepped out for a moment, and now he comes back acting like we’re mortal enemies?"

"Oh, right." Liu Zhi quickly followed.

"Young Master, the Second Miss is upstairs," the Steward reminded him. He had just seen Lu Yuan go upstairs, and he had already been up there once before.

"Second Sister!" Mu Lingche walked out of the private room. "She’s here today? I’ll go up and take a look."

"Brother Lu!" Liu Zhi caught up to Lu Yuan. "What happened?"

"It’s nothing," Lu Yuan shook his head. Some things were inconvenient and unnecessary to discuss with Liu Zhi.

They soon reached the first floor and bumped right into an acquaintance. It was Liuu Zhao, his former classmate. However, he was no longer a wealthy playboy. Instead, he was dressed in the uniform of a waiter at Lingjiang Pavilion. He looked quite unique, yet surprisingly well put together.

"Lu Yuan!" Liuu Zhao’s expression drastically changed when he saw Lu Yuan, and he turned to run.

SWISH.

Lu Yuan grabbed him. "What’s going on with you? Why are you here doing this..."

"My family went bankrupt, and I’m working here to pay off our debts!" Liuu Zhao cried with a long face. "Lu Yuan, please don’t bully me, okay?"

Lu Yuan was left speechless. He thought, "When have I ever bullied you? Haven’t you always been the one looking for trouble with me?"

However, the Liuu Family going bankrupt was indeed great news.

"Good for you. Off you go." Lu Yuan let go of him.

"Thank you! Thank you, Uncle Lu!" Liuu Zhao quickly scurried away.

Lu Yuan sighed. He thought, "Life is truly unpredictable! The only constant in life is change! And things are changing the fastest on my end! Mu Lingyan, you’ll soon realize that provoking me was the worst decision you’ll ever make in your life!"

By the time he left Lingjiang Pavilion and returned home, it was nearly a quarter to nine at night.

SWISH.

Lu Yuan drew his twin sabers and began slashing away in the courtyard.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH.

The saber light flashed brightly as Saber Qi crisscrossed through the air. Streaks of Saber Qi wove together in the courtyard, completely enveloping an area of several meters.

Unlike his usual upright and peaceful style, his strikes today carried a distinct edge of murderous intent! Consequently, their power was even greater.

Standing dozens of feet away, Yaoyao could feel a wave of saber intent rushing toward her. She thought, "Who made Young Master angry? To dare anger Young Master—they must be a bad person! From now on, they are Yaoyao’s enemy!"

CLANG.

Lu Yuan stopped his practice and sheathed his sabers.

SWOOSH.

With a powerful leap, he landed on the roof. Soon after, Lin Siyao appeared.

"What’s wrong with Brother Yuan today? There’s a hint of murderous intent in your saber techniques, almost as if you want to kill someone." The young girl had always been delicate and perceptive.

"Nothing..." Lu Yuan was just about to shake his head when his gaze suddenly sharpened, locking onto a black bracelet on Lin Siyao’s wrist.

"My father gave this to me. He said it can help regulate the cold energy in my body," Lin Siyao explained, gently touching it with her finger.

SWISH.

The black bracelet twitched and quickly uncoiled, transforming into a small snake as thick as a chopstick. It then slithered back and forth over Lin Siyao’s hands.

Lu Yuan thought, "I knew it!" His brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "Is this snake male or female?"

Lin Siyao stared blankly for a moment before nodding with a smile. "Female. Why would my father ever catch a male snake for me?"

"Oh." Lu Yuan felt relieved. "It looks quite cute."

"Hehe, a little bit." Lin Siyao smiled and patted the little snake’s head. "Her name is Ink Jade. I named her."

Lu Yuan thought, "Ink Jade. That’s a bit better than Black Pill." He lay back on the roof tiles.

"Siyao..."

"Hmm?" Lin Siyao looked over at Lu Yuan.

"Mu Lingyan asked to meet with me again today," Lu Yuan confessed.

"Huh? Why is she looking for you again? What does she want?" Lin Siyao’s brows shot up in anger.

It seemed Brother Yuan’s foul mood today was all because of Mu Lingyan. As for the details, she could roughly guess even without him saying. Those from a Second-Grade Marquis’s Mansion were simply too arrogant and aloof.

"She wants to introduce her younger brother to you," Lu Yuan said bluntly.

"She... I definitely won’t see him, and I don’t want to get to know him either!" Lin Siyao shook her head, answering decisively. Having Brother Yuan was enough for her.

"You should still meet him. Otherwise, Mu Lingyan won’t give up, and it’ll just be a hassle if she keeps clinging to this," Lu Yuan said, shaking his head.

Neither he, the Lu Family, nor the Lin Family could afford to provoke the Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion at the moment. Even if Mu Lingyan couldn’t fully represent the Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion, as a legitimate young lady of the Mu Family, she still wielded immense influence, and the hidden power she controlled could not be underestimated.

"Alright, I’ll listen to you, Brother Yuan. I’ll meet him just once to reject him to his face. Either way, you are the only one in my heart." Lin Siyao nodded, gripping Lu Yuan’s hand tightly.

"Mhm." Lu Yuan trusted Lin Siyao. After so many years together, if he didn’t even have this much confidence, he might as well bash his head against a wall.

With his growing strength, time seemed to fly by quickly because there were fewer troubles to deal with.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Today was the day of Mu Lingyan’s hunting invitation. Lu Yuan requested a day off from Chen Qiang and went to a merchant firm to rent two horses and a carriage.

"Get in," Lu Yuan called out.

"Brother Lu, this is great! You’re coming hunting with us today." Lin Siheng was over the moon. He didn’t have to go to school today and even got to go out and play; it was fantastic.

"Hurry up," Lu Yuan urged, helping Lin Siyao up into the carriage. He rode a horse himself, carrying three sabers, two bows, and two quivers of arrows.

"Let’s go." Lu Yuan waved his hand.

The hired coachman immediately steered the carriage forward.

"This Lu Yuan really is quite petty." In the Marquis Mansion’s carriage, Mu Lingyan lifted the curtain to look outside and couldn’t help but scoff.

"Lingyan, how did you manage to offend him?" Next to her, a remarkably charming young woman with slightly curly hair and peach-blossom eyes asked with a smile. This was the young lady of the Su Family, Su Wan. She was sixteen this year, around the same age as Mu Lingche.

"I didn’t. I simply invited them out hunting," Mu Lingyan said, her eyes flashing as she chose not to elaborate.

"It seems Sister Lin has a problem with you too," Su Wan said, her smile as beautiful as a blooming flower.

"What are you even here for? Just to intentionally upset me, right?" Mu Lingyan shot Su Wan a sideways glance.

"No, I was just feeling a little curious," Su Wan quickly denied. "We should hurry up and go. The carriage up ahead has already gone far."

"Let’s go," Mu Lingyan waved her hand.

"Yes, Miss!"