Swish—
Jun Ye drew his soft sword and sliced the table in two with a single stroke.
He sheathed his sword, his fingers trailing along the blade, and said,
"What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly."
The inn servant shook his head like a rattle, swallowed hard, and stammered:
"N-nothing."
Jun Ye glanced at her, then turned and left.
...
Shazhou.
After using "Qū Wù" twice, Nian Jiaojiao and Cui Qingluo finally arrived at Shazhou.
The two were currently in the middle of the sandy region, surrounded by desert. Fortunately, they encountered a merchant caravan crossing the desert. Nian Jiaojiao found an excuse, offered some money, and managed to blend in with the caravan.
Even so, the hot and dry weather made Cui Qingluo, a pampered young master, extremely uncomfortable.
"Have some water."
Nian Jiaojiao tossed the waterskin in front of Cui Qingluo.
In extremely harsh conditions, people don't have many reservations.
Although the waterskin didn't look very clean, Cui Qingluo knew that the other party had exchanged it for a hundred taels of silver.
After all, water was a life-saving commodity in the desert.
He picked up the waterskin in front of him and tilted his head back, drinking. He was so thirsty that he drank more than half of it in a short while.
Cui Qingluo looked at the remaining water in the waterskin and felt extremely embarrassed.
"This... once I return to the capital, I will definitely repay you tenfold."
"No need."
Nian Jiaojiao shrugged nonchalantly.
With her current cultivation, not drinking water for ten days or half a month was not a big problem.
However, Nian Jiaojiao meant that he could drink the entire waterskin, while Cui Qingluo only thought she was telling him not to worry about the money.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to express his gratitude, he heard the woman in front of him say:
"It's fine for you to drink this water. Just remember to pay."
Cui Qingluo: ...
Cui Qingluo pouted and turned his head away, no longer speaking to Nian Jiaojiao.
Nian Jiaojiao didn't mind. She looked out the window.
Indeed, despite the harsh desert environment, the unique scenery was a rare sight.
There was a moment of silence in the carriage, but Cui Qingluo couldn't help but speak first.
He didn't realize that he had subconsciously started to rely on her.
"Qiu Yu, are we going to Qingzhou on this trip?"
Nian Jiaojiao nodded.
"After Qingzhou, when will you take me to the capital?"
Nian Jiaojiao thought for a moment. "It's hard to say about the timing. If you're in a hurry, I can have someone from the Qiu family's branch send you to the capital."
Cui Qingluo snorted coldly and said:
"I'm not in a hurry. You take your time with your business."
This meant that she was determined to escort him.
Nian Jiaojiao sighed inwardly.
She wished he was eager to return home so she could send someone more reliable to escort him back.
However...
Nian Jiaojiao suddenly remembered Nian Zhenzhen, who was still staying at Baichuan Academy.
She was still in Qingzhou. What would happen if she encountered this Cui Qingluo?
Nian Jiaojiao sized up Cui Qingluo in front of her, lost in thought.
The current Nian Zhenzhen wasn't even a Tong Sheng scholar.
According to the original plot, Nian Zhenzhen was supposed to take the Tong Sheng exam this year.
Now she had lost her sight.
She wondered if Cui Qingluo would fall deeply in love with her under these circumstances.
No, in that case, Nian Zhenzhen would be even poorer and somewhat miserable. Perhaps this would better fit Cui Qingluo's "ideal of love."
After all, he was a true love-struck fool.
At this moment, Nian Jiaojiao looked at Cui Qingluo as if he were an idiot.
Cui Qingluo noticed her strange gaze.
Although he didn't know what she meant by looking at him like that, he felt inexplicably annoyed.
"What are you looking at?"
Nian Jiaojiao put on a fake smile. "Nothing, nothing?"
Cui Qingluo pursed his lips.
Really, so annoying!
Nian Jiaojiao's eyes darted around.
She suddenly said to Cui Qingluo with a "kind and amiable" smile:
"Young Master Cui, is this journey a bit boring? How about we do something very meaningful~"
Cui Qingluo's buttocks tensed, and he leaned back slightly, his back pressing against the inner wall of the carriage, his face filled with nervousness:
"What do you want to do?"
He knew it. With his peerless beauty, how could she remain indifferent for so long?
Was she finally going to make a move on him?
Nian Jiaojiao maintained her smiling demeanor:
"Don't be nervous. I just want to tell you a story."
Cui Qingluo was stunned:
"Tell a story?"
Nian Jiaojiao nodded:
"That's right, just tell a story."
He was just brainwashed by some idiotic romance novels, wasn't he?
She would use poison to counter poison.
She wanted to see if, after listening to her stories, he would still long for love!
Cui Qingluo said with a look of half-belief:
"Alright, go ahead..."
Nian Jiaojiao cupped her fist to her mouth and coughed twice, then began to narrate:
"It is said that in Hangzhou, there was a down-and-out scholar named Wang Anxu. She was exceptionally talented and her painting skills were superb. With a painting titled 'Cold Plum Blossom,' she won the heart of the famous courtesan of Qingzhou, Mei Sanlang. The beauty threw herself into her arms, even bringing along money. Wang Anxu humbly accepted..."
Nian Jiaojiao had only just begun when Cui Qingluo was already captivated by the novel opening.
Even though he liked reading the book "The Wealthy Young Master and the Poor Scholar Girl," he had become tired of it after reading it so many times.
And most of the subsequent books were written in imitation of this classic, conveying similar meanings.
But what the other party was saying now was clearly different.
Was this a story about a scholar girl and a famous courtesan?
Later, this famous courtesan must have helped her when she was down, and when Wang Anxu achieved success, he married Mei Sanlang!
He felt a little excited thinking about it.
Cui Qingluo was waiting to hear a sweet love story from Nian Jiaojiao's mouth, but unexpectedly, the tone took a sharp turn.
"Several years passed, and Wang Anxu seemed to have disappeared. Mei Sanlang, along with their child and Wang Anxu's father, went to the capital to search for her. They accidentally discovered that she was closely involved with the son of a high official. Mei Sanlang confronted her angrily, and Wang Anxu, in a fit of rage, set him on fire..."
At this point, Cui Qingluo couldn't help but interrupt Nian Jiaojiao, his voice trembling:
"You're not going to say... that the story ends here, are you?"
Nian Jiaojiao gave him a displeased look. "Of course not."
Cui Qingluo breathed a sigh of relief.
Mei Sanlang must not be dead. There would surely be a twist later, and Wang Anxu would definitely realize her mistake!
Cui Qingluo firmly believed this.
Seeing his expression, Nian Jiaojiao couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
"...Wang Anxu successfully married the son of the high official's family. Disdaining her father's poverty, she lied to her husband, claiming that Wang's father was her wet nurse..."
"This is too much! How could she do that!?"
Cui Qingluo frowned.
Nian Jiaojiao glanced at him sideways and stopped speaking.
Cui Qingluo was eager to hear the story and quickly relented:
"Okay, I was wrong. I'll shut up and never say it again."