Chapter 75

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Xiao Yuruo gave a light smile, saying, "Brother Tao, I need more time to ponder over this matter. It's not too late to discuss it later."

Tao Dongcheng responded with a deep, knowing smile, "Such a significant matter indeed requires careful consideration. I shall await the good news from you, dear sister."

With Eldest Miss Xiao having reached home, Tao Dongcheng found no excuse to linger. He bade farewell to Lady Xiao and her two daughters, mounted his horse with a fist salute, then galloped away, his departure as gallant as could be.

Eldest Miss Xiao stood at the entrance for a long time, seemingly troubled by a difficult decision. After a while, she sighed, "Mother, let's go in."

At first, Lin Wanrong thought that the Xiao and Tao families were planning a marriage alliance. However, as time passed, he realized that wasn't the case. It was clear that Tao Dongcheng was pursuing Miss Xiao, but talk of marriage seemed far off, especially since Eldest Miss Xiao's attitude was quite ambiguous. So, what did Tao Dongcheng mean when he spoke of "becoming one"? Seeing the troubled expressions of the three Xiao women, it appeared that the decision was a difficult one. Could it really affect the survival of the Xiao family?

Lin Wanrong pondered for a while, then suddenly spoke, "Why am I thinking about these things? I'm here to pass the time. After a year, I'll leave. Why should I worry about this? Even if I help solve the Xiao family's problems, would they be willing to make me their master? I can only daydream about it, nothing more."

Returning to his small room, he suddenly felt utterly exhausted. So many things had happened that night. Not only had he encountered the capricious courtesan, Qin Xian'er, but he had also met Eldest Miss Xiao who had just returned home and almost received a beating from her. After some thought, he drifted off into a deep sleep.

After an unknown period, Lin Wanrong suddenly felt something was amiss. He jerked awake to find a figure standing in front of him, staring at him coldly.

"A ghost!" Lin Wanrong yelled, his body breaking out in cold sweat.

The figure stood still, not reacting to Lin Wanrong's shouting.

After shouting for a while, with no one coming, and the figure remaining motionless as if lifeless, Lin Wanrong calmed down a little. Just as he was about to reach out to touch the figure, a voice said, "Why did you stop shouting?"

It sounded like a woman, and somewhat familiar. But in the middle of the night, an eerie shadow suddenly appearing in his room – what could one make of that? That Lin Wanrong didn't wet his pants out of fear was already a testament to his courage.

"Are you... Sadako?" Lin Wanrong recalled a horror film he had watched. His hair stood on end as he tentatively asked.

"Who's Sadako?" This time the voice of the "female ghost" was louder, and it sounded incredibly pleasant. Lin Wanrong's courage grew a little stronger. He reassured himself, ‘Whether she's a human or a ghost, as long as she's female, there's nothing I can't handle.’

"Who are you, really?" Lin Wanrong got up from his bed and asked.

"Oh? Don't you recognize me? 'The warm wind intoxicates the traveler, making Hangzhou feel like Bianzhou.' You were so imposing that day." The shadow replied with a cold laugh.

Remembering the poem and the somewhat familiar voice, a lightbulb went off in Lin Wanrong's head. He exclaimed, "Are you Xiao Qingxuan?"

The faint moonlight shone into the room, illuminating the stunning face of the young woman. She looked at Lin Wanrong and said, "I didn't expect you to remember me."

"Are you here to kill me?" Upon confirming that the shadow was human, and a woman at that, Lin Wanrong's fear subsided a bit. If it's a woman, then he had ways to handle her. However, he had experienced Xiao Qingxuan's fierce methods and dared not act recklessly.

"What do you think?" Xiao Qingxuan's words seemed devoid of any emotion, cold as ice.

"Miss Xiao," Lin Wanrong said with an awkward smile, "What happened that day was entirely a misunderstanding. Besides, you injured me, I almost lost my life. We should be even now, right? Or, should I apologize to you?" Thinking back to the incident, Lin Wanrong was still harboring resentment. But with his life in this woman's hands, he dared not show it, so he kept it to himself for the moment.

Xiao Qingxuan coldly retorted, "If apologies were useful, what would be the need for law enforcement?"

‘Damn, this girl is tough,’ Lin Wanrong cursed silently. Seeing that she was not easily appeased, he considered getting tough himself, but remembering her capabilities, he gave up. He couldn't muster the strength. Damn, he felt like such a wimp.

Thinking that, Lin Wanrong hardened his heart and remained silent. ‘Kill or rape,’ he thought, ‘do as you please.’ The two of them fell into a standoff, and in the darkness, Lin Wanrong could only hear his own breathing.

She didn't even seem to breathe. ‘No wonder she's so cold-blooded,’ Lin Wanrong thought to himself.

Lin Wanrong had never experienced a situation like this. In the dark of night, a beautiful woman stood by his bed watching him sleep. If the beauty was naked, it would be a delightful situation, but now not only was she clothed, but she also likely had a very sharp sword on her. That made things less fun.

Lin Wanrong felt his breath growing cold, the atmosphere somewhat terrifying. In this tense situation, he found himself growing tired, wanting to sleep.

"What time is it?" Lin Wanrong, thoroughly exhausted, couldn't help but ask.

"It's the third watch of the night," Xiao Qingxuan replied.

"Oh, if you're not busy, then I'll go back to sleep," Lin Wanrong yawned. The back-and-forth between them almost resembled a couple sharing a bed.

Seeing him genuinely about to drift off, Xiao Qingxuan's expression finally flickered. She seemed to huff, "Are you really going to sleep? That's fine, I suppose. Killing you in your sleep would spare you any pain."

"Miss, if you're going to kill me, just do it. Can you stop trying to scare me? Is it fun for you? Scaring me a thousand times isn't as effective as just killing me," Lin Wanrong pleaded with a bitter face.

"You can feel fear too? Why didn't I see that when you were bullying me that day?" Xiao Qingxuan retorted venomously.

"Was I the one bullying you that day? It was you bullying me. I just called you a girl, which is a fact. Was there a need for you to go overboard? It really is like the old saying goes, 'the scorpion's sting is in the tail, but a woman's poison is in her heart'." Lin Wanrong felt truly wronged. Just for saying something wrong, he had to face death. Damn, was there no justice left in this world?

Xiao Qingxuan paused, seeming to see some reason in his words. While he was somewhat rude, his offense wasn't worthy of death. She admitted to herself that in the heat of the moment, she might have gone a bit too far. But his indecency underwater was something she would never forget. "How are you going to make up for what you did to me underwater?"

"That was an overreaction on my part. I was fighting for my life, how could I know what I was doing?" Lin Wanrong replied.

"Overreaction? Then if I kill you today, could it also be considered my overreaction?" Xiao Qingxuan's voice carried a hint of excitement.

"Miss, please don't resort to violence and killing so easily. You're a girl, you'll have to get married someday. If you draw your sword so readily, who would dare marry you?"

Lin Wanrong's fear was slowly ebbing away. If she truly wanted to kill him, she could have done so while he was asleep. It would've been clean and quick. But now she was talking so much, it was clear she wasn't going to kill him.

Before he could finish his thoughts, he heard a swishing sound. A sharp sword, glinting coldly, was suddenly at his throat. The icy blade sent chills through him.

‘Damn, is this girl serious? This is my throat we're talking about. If she's not careful, that's the end for me.’ Lin Wanrong's heart pounded in his chest, he was too scared to speak, barely daring to breathe. He feared that one breath might cause the blade to cut his throat, ending his life.

"Why aren't you talking now? Weren't you quite capable before?" Xiao Qingxuan's voice echoed in Lin Wanrong's ears. "Did you think I wouldn't dare to kill you?" Her sword moved a fraction closer to his throat, making it difficult for Lin Wanrong to even breathe.

Today's incident seemed irreconcilable; this girl seemed intent on killing him. ‘Damn, if there's no hope, then let it be. If I, Lin San, am afraid of you, girl, then I deserve to crawl through your legs as punishment.’

With that thought, Lin Wanrong steeled himself, chose not to look at her, and closed his eyes in silence.

Seeing his stillness, Xiao Qingxuan looked more closely, only to find him with his eyes tightly shut, motionless, as if he had fallen asleep.

Despite his usual jocular demeanor, he did have some backbone. Xiao Qingxuan secretly praised him in her heart. Her slender hand moved, the sword's cold light moving like a gust of wind past Lin Wanrong's throat.

The flash of the sword was extremely fast. Before Lin Wanrong could blink, the sword had disappeared, leaving only Xiao Qingxuan standing quietly there, the sword's location unknown.

The sword had grazed Lin Wanrong's throat, and he had felt a profound chill. A moment's distraction from Xiao Qingxuan would have led to his total disappearance from this world.

His back was completely drenched, but he felt like he had already come to terms with death. He wasn't particularly afraid of Xiao Qingxuan anymore, and he coldly snorted, "What, not killing me anymore?" Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴ0velFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Xiao Qingxuan huffed, "I won't kill you today, but I will certainly take your life in the future."

Having heard these words, Lin Wanrong had gradually figured out Xiao Qingxuan's temper. He pretended not to hear her and asked, "How did you know where I live? How did you find me?"

"Is it hard to find you? You're just a minor servant in the Xiao mansion. Even if there were ten of you, I could easily find you," Xiao Qingxuan's tone carried a hint of arrogance.

Lin Wanrong nodded, "I wish there were ten of me, so you could kill me ten times, and I could live a few more days."

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