Night fell.
After visiting Xu Danqing, Xu Buling took Song Yufu to relax by the Huai River. It was not until dark that he returned to the backyard. He heard from Man Zhi that Zhong Li Jiujiu was back, so he went to the courtyard where Zhong Li Jiujiu lived.
Zhongli Jiujiu was not used to being served by her maidservants. Hence, she stayed alone in the courtyard. The cold wind blew the lanterns along the corridor, causing the courtyard to be very quiet. The room's windows were lit up, reflecting a woman's side profile. A small sparrow was squatting on the beam under the eaves, its eyes half closed as it shivered in the cold.
Xu Buling walked softly into the courtyard, took out a handful of shelled pine nuts, and placed them on the stone table in the courtyard.
The little sparrow did not have a name, but Xu Buling named it 'Yiyi' when he was free. The meaning was' nine shallow and one deep '. Of course, he did not dare to tell Zhong Li Jiujiu about the meaning.
The little sparrow had been carefully raised by Zhong Li Jiujiu for many years, so it was unusually smart. After glancing at Xu Buling, it flapped its little wings and landed silently on the snow on the stone table, still staring at Xu Buling. Xu Buring took out some more pine nuts, nodded his head in satisfaction, and pecked at them.
After Xu Buling took care of the sentries, he walked softly to the window and looked through the gap.
Zhong Li Jiujiu was wearing a nightgown, sitting sideways in front of the small table. The winter was cold, so it was not too revealing. The loose dress covered her graceful figure, but the skirt was pulled up, revealing the two leather leg rings above her knees.
From the side, she was wearing safety pants. In this world, the underwear was relatively long, similar to long johns. Zhong Li Jiujiu must have cut it herself. It was very short, similar to a bottom-wrapping skirt. The chiffon material clung tightly to the skin, revealing the fine details …
As the saying goes, a gentleman does not bully a darkened room. Xu Buling did not stop and moved his eyes to the small table. There were a lot of bottles on the table, as well as tools such as a mortar, a copper scale, and so on. But judging from the sneer on Zhong Li Jiujiu's face, she was definitely not making medicine. She might have heard that Xu Danqing was coming and was preparing a gift.
Xu Buling shook his head and raised his hand to knock on the door.
"Miss Jiujiu?"
In the room, Zhongli Jiujiu, who was concocting the Smiling Half-step Itch, trembled in shock when she heard this. She almost spilled the medicinal powder on herself. She secretly complained that the little sparrow would sleep after eating. She got up, straightened her skirt, put a shawl over her and opened the door.
Seeing Xu Buling standing in front of the door, Zhong Li Jiujiu had a complicated look in her eyes. A few days ago, she saw that her disciple, Chu Chu, was a little confused. As an elder, she wanted to take the opportunity to matchmake Chu Chu and Xu Buling. But after knowing that Xu Buling and Ning Yuhe were sleeping, she naturally gave up on this plan. She pulled Chu Chu back and even said a few words to Chu Chu.
Chu Chu probably had not fallen in love with Xu Buling yet. She was just unhappy with Xu Buling's cold attitude. When she was pulled back, she did not take it to heart except for a little embarrassment. She returned to normal in the afternoon.
However, Zhong Li Jiujiu was obviously in a dilemma at this time. If she continued to fight with Ning Yuhe, she would lose her life. If she did not fight with Ning Yuhe, she would be suppressed by Ning Yuhe for the rest of her life. After all, she could not find a man who was more handsome, skilled in martial arts, powerful, and talented than Ning Yuhe. After being suppressed by Ning Yuhe for so many years, she was still a little unhappy …
Although Zhongli Jiujiu liked to stand up for herself, she had not lost her mind to the point of ignoring everything. She was a pure person, and would never hand herself over to a man she did not like just for a little bit of vanity. However, Xu Buling did not seem to be hateful at all …
Zhong Li Jiujiu thought a lot, but she still felt that it was better to stabilize the situation first and think things through in the future. So, she smiled.
"Young Master Xu, why are you here? Can't you get up to ask for medicine? "
Can't get up …
Xu Buling tilted his head slightly, a little surprised.
Zhong Li Jiujiu did not think that this joke was a big deal. She stepped aside and said, "I'm a doctor, and I don't mind treating people. Since you paid me, I will naturally help you solve your problem this month. It's not that I don't like to talk. Even if you want some interesting medicine, I can prescribe it for you."
Seeing that Zhong Li Jiujiu had returned to normal, Xu Buling felt a little relieved. He smiled and said,
"Miss Jiujiu, you must be joking. I don't need those things. I'm just here to explain what happened during the day. "
After entering the room, Zhong Li Jiujiu did not close the door. The two of them sat opposite each other in front of a small table. She continued to fiddle with her bottles and said softly,
"Chu Chu has always been alone since she was young, and I didn't teach her much about the ways of the world. Today's dance was not because she admired Young Master Xu, but purely because she wanted to be friends with you. You don't have to take it to heart."
Seeing that Jiujiu did not misunderstand, Xu Buling felt a little relieved. He raised his hand and picked up a small bottle on the table. After casually sizing it up, he said,
"Is Miss Jiujiu preparing itching powder for Xu Danqing?"
Zhong Li Jiujiu's calm expression froze. She thought for a while and snorted.
"Why? You want to meddle in this? Back then, he personally promised to paint for me, and even ordered me to go to Chang 'an City to buy wine. In the end, I traveled thousands of miles and came back empty-handed. He didn't even give me an explanation. Especially when he said' no beauty in the world can be painted '. He was obviously saying that I don't look good, so can't I take revenge? "
Xu Buling shook his head. "Xu Danqing also has his own difficulties. If he really painted you back then, what would you do? Have you ever thought about it?"
"…"
Zhong Li Jiujiu frowned slightly. Since she was a teenager, she had been brooding over the fact that she did not become one of the Eight Champions of the Central Plains. Indeed, she had never thought about what she would do after she succeeded. However … it was obvious that this was not the case.
"If it's mine, it's mine. No matter how worthless it is, I can't let others ruin it. If it's not mine, I won't snatch it. No matter why I want to become one of the Eight Champions, I have this condition, and Xu Danqing has agreed. So, the person who decides whether or not to accept it should be me, right? He went back on his word, so he can't blame me for it. "
Xu Buling had nothing to say about this explanation. He pondered for a moment. "It's only right for you to fight for what you deserve. Miss Jiujiu, if it's really hard for you to get over it, why don't I talk to Xu Danqing and ask him to draw you one now?"
When Zhong Li Jiujiu heard this, there was no hint of delight on her face. She shook her head and said, "I'm already past my age. It's meaningless to fight with a young girl. Not only will there be no benefits, I'll also be gossiped about by others." When she said this, she raised her eyes and cast a strange glance at Xu Buling.
"Xu Buling, why are you so nice to me?"
Xu Buling spread his arms. "I treat everyone like this. No matter what, Xu Danqing is Yu Fu's elder. I'm just here to smooth things over."
Zhong Li Jiujiu sized up Xu Buling carefully before she nodded slightly. "Oh well. Since you're my sugar daddy, I'll let Xu Danqing off this time."
When Xu Buling heard this, he felt slightly at ease.
