The girl before him was about sixteen years of age.
She wore a misty green silk gauze skirt, her figure tall and slender, as graceful as a willow branch budding in early spring.
She exuded an air of pure, crystalline vitality.
At this moment, her pair of clear, bright eyes were glaring at him with anger.
Jiang Mu frowned.
"Miss, do I know you?"
"Why, you... Eldest Young Master Jiang, to think you’d..."
The girl’s brows shot up in anger, and she was about to erupt, but her gaze swept over the white paper memorial lanterns in the courtyard, and she swallowed the rebuke on the tip of her tongue.
Her rosy lips twitched, and she finally let out a cold snort.
"Come with me!"
With that, she turned and left without caring whether Jiang Mu agreed or not.
Jiang Mu was baffled.
After a moment’s thought, he followed her.
Along the way, through the girl’s cold and snide remarks, Jiang Mu managed to piece together the full story.
The girl’s name was Chu Lingzhu. She was the only daughter of the Shopkeeper of a medicinal herb shop under the Jiang family’s name. She was skilled in acupuncture, particularly in gynecology, and was somewhat well-known in the area.
Some time ago, his predecessor, Jiang Chen, had bought a woman named Bai Xiang from some human trafficker.
He’d practically picked her up like a stray.
The woman was a mute and covered in injuries.
Jiang Chen hadn’t dared to bring her home, so he hid her at Chu Lingzhu’s place to let her recuperate.
And she had been there for a full half-month.
Chu Lingzhu already couldn’t stand his profligate ways and figured he was hiding a mistress. On top of that, perhaps because their personalities clashed, she simply couldn’t stand the sight of the woman.
Today, the two of them had another run-in, which made Chu Lingzhu so furious she had stormed over to hold him accountable.
"Let me tell you something, Jiang! You have to take her away today. I don’t care where you take her—throw her in the river to feed the fish or dump her on the street—just don’t let her mooch off me at my place anymore!"
Chu Lingzhu scolded him as she walked, her cheeks puffed out like an angry little pufferfish.
Glancing at Jiang Mu, the disgust in her eyes deepened.
This guy had relied on his family’s status to try and get fresh with her in the past.
As a result, she’d played a little trick on him, adding a little something to his tea that gave him diarrhea for days and nearly caused him to collapse from exhaustion.
Ever since then, this profligate would scurry away like a mouse seeing a cat whenever he saw her.
’These days, you can cross anyone but a doctor.’
’If she hadn’t been driven mad with anger by that woman, she couldn’t be bothered to even see this profligate.’
Jiang Mu was also speechless.
’What the hell does this mess my predecessor made have to do with me?’
"Don’t worry. I’ll have her leave once we get back. I’m not interested in that sort of thing anymore."
Jiang Mu wasn’t lying.
Right now, his mind was completely filled with thoughts of how to become bigger and stronger.
Women?
They would only slow the speed of his blade.
"Oh? Has Eldest Young Master Jiang turned over a new leaf?"
Chu Lingzhu scoffed, her face full of disbelief.
’But on second thought,’ she mused, ’that woman’s figure and bearing are outstanding, but her face is plain, and she’s a mute. It’s not surprising that a fickle profligate like him would suddenly lose interest.’
’Men... Hmph!’
Jiang Mu couldn’t be bothered to argue.
...
The two passed through a bustling marketplace and soon arrived at a secluded spot.
Ahead of them, a babbling brook flowed through a grove of green bamboo.
An exquisite bamboo house was nestled amidst the lush greenery. The wind rustled through the bamboo, making a soft SHUSHING sound. It had the elegant atmosphere of a "secluded place found at the end of a bamboo path."
"What a nice place."
Jiang Mu couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
Chu Lingzhu shot him a look and snorted softly.
’This was her own personal paradise, which she had poured her heart and soul into creating, bit by bit.’
’With green bamboo for a screen and a clear stream for a companion.’
’This was her favorite place to study medical texts and prepare herbs.’
’But now, it had been taken over by some woman of unknown origin. The very thought made her furious.’
’It was all this damned profligate’s fault!’
’He could have hidden her anywhere, so why did he have to shove her into my territory?’
She shot another vicious glare at the man beside her.
The wicker gate to the small courtyard was ajar.
The two pushed the gate open and entered. By the flowerbeds along the fence, a graceful figure was bent over, watering the flowers.
Her waist was like a willow, her shoulders exquisitely shaped...
She was wearing a simple, plain-colored dress, yet on her, it took on an ethereal charm, like the moon on mist-shrouded water.
Her figure, seen just from behind, was stunning.
Jiang Mu was momentarily stunned, and a thought surfaced in his mind:
’Actually, the old residence is so empty now... It might not be so bad to have a beautiful companion to brighten the place up.’
However, when the woman heard the commotion and turned around, that nascent romantic thought in Jiang Mu’s mind was instantly extinguished, and his expression became serious.
’Never mind, forget it.’
’I, Jiang Mu, am a proud and proper man, my heart as firm as a rock. I only want to become bigger and stronger. How can I let myself be held back by romantic entanglements?’
The woman’s appearance was very ordinary.
Her features were unremarkable, the kind of face you’d immediately forget in a crowd.
Such a figure, such a graceful air,
yet paired with such an exceedingly plain face...
’What a pity,’ Jiang Mu thought to himself.
"I’m leaving her with you. I have to go see a patient. I hope I don’t see this woman again when I get back."
Chu Lingzhu picked up her medicine box from under the eaves, shot another glance at the woman in the courtyard, and then turned to leave. Her skirt brushed against the bamboo leaves as she quickly disappeared into the deep greenery.
Jiang Mu cleared his throat and stepped into the courtyard.
The woman named Bai Xiang put down the water ladle, folded her hands at her waist, and gave a slight curtsy.
The movement was graceful, elegant, and subtly charming.
"You’re Miss Bai Xiang, correct? Um... I had a bit of an accident recently and lost many of my memories, so I’d forgotten you were here."
Jiang Mu explained.
He noticed faint, dark red scars behind her ear and on her neck.
They looked like old burn scars.
The woman gave a gentle smile, entered the house, and stood to one side just inside the door, gesturing for Jiang Mu to enter.
Jiang Mu opened his mouth, then closed it, and had no choice but to enter.
The inside of the bamboo hut was spotless.
A single wild chrysanthemum sat on the table, its fragrance as faint as a light mist.
Bai Xiang rolled up her sleeves, lifted a teapot, poured a cup of tea, and presented it to him with both hands.
Jiang Mu accepted the teacup and got straight to the point.
"I’ve heard the details from Miss Chu. I bought you from a human trafficker.
Although I’m not clear on why I bought you, now that your injuries have healed, you’re free to go. Here’s some silver for your journey..."
He took two silver ingots from his robes and placed them on the table.
"If you have any relatives or friends, you can go and stay with them."
But Bai Xiang just watched him quietly, a faint, gentle smile still playing on her lips.
She neither took the silver nor moved.
"Not enough?"
Jiang Mu frowned.
The woman shook her head.
She raised her right hand and, using her finger as a brush, traced a few strokes in the air. Then she pointed to her chest, then at Jiang Mu, and finally pressed her palms together against her cheek in a gesture of reliance.
Jiang Mu only had a rudimentary understanding of sign language, but he guessed she meant she didn’t want to leave, or that she wanted to rely on him.
It wasn’t surprising.
’After all, I’m a young master with properties and shops. I’m handsome, young, and rich.’
’The complete package: tall, rich, and handsome.’
’It’s only natural for a woman to want someone to rely on.’
Jiang Mu didn’t waste any more words. He pulled out a gold ingot.
"Let’s leave it at this. Our time together is over. We don’t have any real relationship, and I’m setting you free for your own good."
Bai Xiang still didn’t move.
Just as Jiang Mu was about to leave, she let out a soft sigh and walked over to the small desk by the window.
Paper and ink were laid out there.
She rolled up her sleeves, ground the ink, picked up a brush, and wrote a line of elegant characters on the stationery. Then, she presented it to Jiang Mu with both hands.
Jiang Mu noticed that she wrote with her left hand.
He took it and read:
"I have your deed of sale?" he read aloud, then looked up. "I don’t think... I saw anything like that at home."
Bai Xiang picked up the brush and wrote another sentence.
Jiang Mu’s frown deepened. "And I also took a family heirloom from you?"
Bai Xiang nodded, looking pitifully wronged. She used her hands to gesture the shape of a small, square, palm-sized box.
Jiang Mu was getting a headache. He thought for a moment and said:
"Alright, how about this? Come back to my residence with me. I’ll look for them, and if I find your deed of sale and that item, I’ll return them both to you. Then you’ll leave, how about it?"
Bai Xiang looked into his eyes and nodded gently.
Only then did Jiang Mu feel relieved.
...
When they returned to the Jiang family residence, Jiang Mu immediately started turning the place upside down.
However, no matter how he searched—even unearthing a hidden compartment where his predecessor had stashed erotic art—he couldn’t find the deed of sale or the so-called heirloom box.
"You’re not lying to me, are you?"
Jiang Mu looked at Bai Xiang, who was standing quietly by the door, his gaze turning suspicious.
A look of grievance flickered across Bai Xiang’s face.
She once again found paper and a brush and quickly began to write.
Jiang Mu picked up the paper and read aloud:
"Miss Chu can testify. The Young Master was afraid I would leave after my injuries healed, so he kept the deed as collateral and took my family heirloom box as a pledge."
"This..."
Jiang Mu rubbed his nose, embarrassed.
She’d even brought up Chu Lingzhu as a "third-party witness," so it seemed her story was true.
’That bastard of a predecessor, so scared she’d run off after healing... Stealing someone’s family heirloom was exactly the kind of despicable thing he would do.’
Resigned, he had no choice but to continue his search.
But even after turning the room completely upside down, he still came up empty-handed.
Jiang Mu sighed and tried to reason with the woman.
"How about this? If you’re that concerned about the deed of sale, I can write a new document, sign it myself to declare the old one void, and give you your freedom."
"As for the heirloom... I can compensate you for its value, or if I find it in the future, I’ll have someone deliver it to you. How about that?"
But the woman shook her head, a hint of stubbornness in her gentle eyes. Her posture clearly said, ’If you don’t give me back my things, I’m staying right here and never leaving.’
Jiang Mu was at his wit’s end.
’Should I just throw her out?’
’But he’d had a modern upbringing; he couldn’t bring himself to bully someone just because he had the power to. Besides, ’he’ was well and truly in the wrong here.’
’More importantly, he was about to join the Demon-slaying Bureau. He had to be at least somewhat mindful of his reputation and image.’
Jiang Mu gritted his teeth, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared for another round of searching.
’I refuse to believe I can’t find them even if I have to tear this house apart!’
Bai Xiang quietly watched the man’s frantic, rummaging back, and the corners of her lips curved upward in a faint smile.
Her gaze drifted slowly to the window.
A pot of purple magnolia was placed there.
Having been neglected, its leaves had long since yellowed and curled, and its buds were shriveled and drooping. It looked utterly desolate, on the verge of death.
Bai Xiang stared at it, a look of pity and sadness appearing in her eyes.
She walked over.
She reached out her slender fingers and gently brushed them across the curled leaves.
In the next instant, a miracle occurred.
It was as if the dying plant had been infused with a boundless life force. The yellow faded away, replaced by a wild surge of vibrant green.
A withered tree meeting spring, blooming once more!
Bai Xiang stood beside the plant, her features illuminated by its new life, becoming dazzlingly beautiful.
The kind of beauty that could topple nations and bring disaster to its people.