Jiang Luoluo, half-asleep on the bed, jolted awake. A sharp pain shot through his lower back, causing him to gasp. Only then did he fully realize what had happened. He quickly pulled the covers up, wrapping himself tightly in them.
“Who is it?”
A tall figure appeared in the doorway, dressed in black robes with long hair pulled high in a bun. “Master, it’s me.”
Hearing the word “Master,” Jiang Luoluo’s eyelids twitched. “Don’t come any closer!”
But it was too late. The figure took two steps forward, fully revealing himself.
Mo Yunqi, his slender frame holding a long sword, had a pale face tinged with the cold air from outside. His eyes, like stars, held a coldness that belied his age.
In a couple of years, after he began to show his true potential, he would likely become the most sought-after beauty in the world, the object of every young woman’s desire.
But Jiang Luoluo had no time to appreciate his appearance. He clutched the covers tighter around himself, his voice trembling. “You! Turn around!”
Mo Yunqi’s gaze seemed to linger on him for only a moment, his expression a mixture of shock and obedience as he turned his back as instructed, his voice respectful:
“Master, are you unwell? Your complexion doesn’t look too good.”
Sitting up in bed, wrapped in a quilt, Jiang Luoluo wanted to quickly find some clothes to put on. But as he reached out his arm, he saw the finger marks left by the man from last night on his wrist.
His fair wrist bones stood out, with several deep red finger marks etched into the skin, faintly echoing the man’s rough handling from the night before. Jiang Luoluo felt both ashamed and enraged.
That rebellious dog! If he ever found out who the man was, he’d make sure to castrate him with a single sword strike!
Seeing Jiang Luoluo remain silent, Mo Yunqi, who was facing away, repeated, “Master?”
The word “Master” jolted Jiang Luoluo.
A scene from the previous night flashed through his mind—the man calling him “Master.”
His body stiffened, and he cursed the man a thousand times in his heart before finally reaching out to draw the curtains.
His voice was slightly hoarse. “Master hasn’t fully recovered from the lingering poison and has caught a cold. I’m not feeling well.”
The figure facing away asked with concern, “Master, shall this disciple fetch a Medical Cultivator to examine you?”
“No need!” Jiang Luoluo immediately protested.
He studied the back of the figure before him, furrowing his brow. He cautiously asked, “Why are you here?”
He’d watched suspense dramas before, and they often featured a scene where the murderer would return to the crime scene in various ways.
If he were to apply that logic here…
He had reason to suspect that his young disciple, Mo Yunqi, might also be the dog thief from the previous night!
Moreover, the man from last night had expressed deep resentment for Jiang Luoluo’s actions. The only people who would harbor such feelings after being treated like that were Chu Xubai or Mo Yunqi.
The reply came in Mo Yunqi’s usual respectful tone.
“This disciple came with Eldest Senior Brother Chu and Senior Brother Chu. After morning practice, the three of us arrived at your door. Eldest Senior Brother said he wanted to brew a throat-soothing tea for Master and left. Senior Brother Chu…”
Mo Yunqi paused, as if trying to find an excuse for Chu Xubai but failing. “Senior Brother Chu has also left.”
“Disciple originally came to beg Master’s forgiveness. After knocking twice with no response, I worried the lingering poison hadn’t been cleared, so I pushed the door open.”
After hearing Mo Yunqi’s words, Jiang Luoluo fell into thought.
The person from last night must have been one of the three of them.
Yet this morning, one after another, they’d found excuses to avoid entering, leaving only this foolish boy to come in.
What was that person’s true motive?
Jiang Luoluo rested her chin in her hand, silently watching her young disciple’s back. Suddenly, she spoke again. “After kneeling for so long yesterday, did you sleep well last night?”
Mo Yunqi, his back to Jiang Luoluo, curled his lips into a cold smile. Yet the words that emerged from his thin lips were respectful. “After using the medicine Master left, Disciple feels much better. However, my knees still ache when I bend them, so I suppose it will take a few more days to fully recover.”
Peering through the translucent curtain, Jiang Luoluo noticed his posture was indeed slightly awkward, as if he couldn’t put weight on his knees.
Yet last night, when that person was in bed, there hadn’t been the slightest hint of knee discomfort.
Could it really not have been Mo Yunqi?
After a moment’s pause, Mo Yunqi’s voice became lighter, tinged with surprise.
“Master, Senior Brother Chu and I must thank you for sending us such wonderful medicine. After taking it, Senior Brother Chu’s injuries healed by eighty percent in just one night! Not a trace of blood remains!”
Hearing this, the person in bed seemed to remember something and silently lifted the covers.
Jiang Luoluo searched the misty blue brocade quilt thoroughly but found not a single bloodstain.
Could it really be Chu Xubai?
Jiang Luoluo pursed her lips, suspicion burning in her eyes.
Regardless of whether it was true or not, she’d find a time to examine all three of them. Then she’d know for sure!
As Mo Yunqi left the sleeping chamber, he shed his obedient facade and glanced back at the curtained bed.
His Master’s face from when he had barged in earlier flashed before his eyes.
His jade-carved, ice-sculpted face had been etched with a hint of panic. His long, black hair had cascaded over his chest, his full lips parted slightly in a subtle upward curve, and his almond-shaped eyes, with their sharp contrast of black and white, had been wide with surprise.
That fleeting glance, coupled with the way his fingers had nervously clutched the quilt, was so different from her usual aloofness that it made his throat itch.
This side of him was… intriguing.
Mo Yunqi lowered his gaze, easily deceiving the hastily summoned Eldest Senior Brother with a few words. He then strode toward the other chambers.
The disaster had been diverted eastward.
But to completely dispel his delicate, pampered little beauty of a Master’s suspicions, this wasn’t enough.
He needed something else.
“A hot spring bath? Sounds great!” Xu Zhiyan agreed without hesitation. “Wait for me, you two. I’ll be right there!”
Mo Yunqi stood at the door of Eldest Senior Brother Xu Zhiyan’s bedroom, a hesitant expression on his face. “But Eldest Senior Brother, Master trusts you so much. Won’t he look for you later?”
Xu Zhiyan was about to say that Master wouldn’t call for him at night, but seeing Mo Yunqi’s hesitation, his sycophantic pride flared up. He refused to admit that Master had been distant toward him lately.
“I’ll send Master a voice transmission, and then we’ll leave right away. You can tell me more about that Mechanism Art while we’re at it. The three of us can study it together later!” Xu Zhiyan replied enthusiastically.
Mo Yunqi said, “Alright,” but the smile in his eyes deepened.
Meanwhile, in another part of the palace—
Jiang Luoluo lay sprawled on a luxurious couch, holding a handful of pine nuts. He sat close to a charcoal brazier, peeling and eating them one by one.
As he ate, he pondered the things he’d seen since arriving in this world.
A voice transmission talisman flew through the air: “Master, I’m going to the hot springs with my two Junior Brothers. Call me if you need anything!”
Jiang Luoluo listened lazily, but his eyes suddenly flickered, instantly brightening!
Hot springs!
Hot springs meant they’d have to take off their clothes!
Three naked men!
Then he could just—
Now he’ll finally see who’s unscathed, who the real thief from last night was!
Jiang Luoluo shot up, ignoring the soreness in his body, and stealthily pursued the direction of the hot springs.
Meanwhile…
Within the misty hot springs, Xu Zhiyan looked at Chu Xubai, who had just finished scrubbing his back, a hint of surprise in his eyes. “Junior Brother Chu, why is your back so red?”
He pointed to his own neck to show him. “And here too? It’s red here as well?”
Chu Xubai shrugged it off. “Probably just from scrubbing too hard.”
Xu Zhiyan murmured, leaning against the pool wall, “I wonder what Master is doing…”
Hearing this, Mo Yunqi half-lifted his eyelids and glanced at him. “Eldest Senior Brother likes Master?”
Chu Xubai snorted, once again expressing his dissatisfaction with their Master. “Master isn’t at all what you imagine!”
Xu Zhiyan had only gotten halfway through his rebuttal when he suddenly realized, “Why am I even explaining this to you? You wouldn’t understand anyway!”
Unable to find common ground, Xu Zhiyan fell silent and began meditating.
A gust of wind swept through, dissipating some of the steam in the hot spring. Rustling sounds came from the grass near the pool. A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on Mo Yunqi’s lips—
Hooked.
With a splash, he emerged from the water, his voice gentle. “Just soaking is boring. I’ll go get a book.”
His clear voice carried on the wind to Jiang Luoluo, who was hiding in the grass nearby. Jiang Luoluo glanced at the pile of clothes not too far from his hiding spot, deciding his chosen location was relatively safe. He remained hidden.
As Mo Yunqi approached slowly, a suspicious blush crept across Jiang Luoluo’s face.
His usually understated disciple, clad in nothing but water-soaked shorts, now revealed a physique of sculpted perfection: smooth, defined muscles, a narrow waist, and long legs that put supermodels to shame!
He emerged from the swirling mist, droplets clinging to his skin like a blade glinting with cold light. His aura was powerful, his presence sharp and intimidating.
Lowering his gaze slightly, Jiang Luoluo quickly covered his eyes with both hands, but a few fingers slipped apart, allowing him to peek a little further down.
It was only his knees that marred the overall perfection. They were still bruised and mottled, and his posture as he bent to pick something up was awkward.
It seemed he was genuinely in pain.
How could it possibly be him?
Jiang Luoluo blinked twice, watching Mo Yunqi retreat. He dismissed his suspicions, then turned his questioning gaze toward Chu Xubai in the center of the hot spring.
Mo Yunqi’s voice drifted through the air, followed by Chu Xubai turning slightly, exposing his upper body to Jiang Luoluo’s view.
The whip marks on his back had indeed healed completely, leaving not a trace of blood.
Jiang Luoluo brushed aside the grass obscuring his view. When he got a clearer look at the person before him, his beautiful brow furrowed:
The red marks on Chu Xubai’s neck were clearly not whip scars. They looked more like…
nail scratches!!!
Even though he had been mentally prepared, Jiang Luoluo couldn’t help but be startled. He tightened his grip, accidentally pulling the grass out by the roots. Losing his balance, he plopped down onto the ground with a muffled thud.
The three disciples in the hot spring turned to stare at him in unison:
“Who’s there?”
“After thorough investigation involving grass stains, bruised knees, and suspicious nail scratches, our esteemed Master concludes: the true culprit is… not the grass.”
Translator-san rolls over from laughter (and mild secondhand embarrassment) while nursing their own metaphorical bruises from translating this spicy mess.
If you’d like to fund their future investigative missions—or just keep the pine nut stash full—consider tossing a few coins over on Ko-fi! 🐾
