C9 The 9th Chapter

"Alright, I'm down. Do you have something to say to me? If not, I'm leaving!"

Sanlang was surprised to see that the person hiding in the tree was a young woman. She wore a light blue blouse, with a loosely tied belt in shades of green and yellow, giving her a relaxed and casual appearance reminiscent of ancient styles. Unfortunately, her face was covered with a thin veil, revealing only a pair of captivating eyes. But those eyes alone suggested she was exceptionally beautiful.

Sanlang stared at her in a daze. "Are you from the estate? I've never seen you before."

Without blinking, Su Luo effortlessly lied, "Of course, you haven't seen me. I'm not from your estate. I just couldn't resist the scent of the blooming lotus flowers from outside and came uninvited to enjoy them."

She sounded so earnest that Sanlang didn't suspect her deception and nodded. "I see. May I know your name? Next time, just say you're a friend of mine, Yan Xiuchuan, and you won't have to climb over the wall."

Su Luo smiled and replied, "I can't tell you my name." With that, she turned to leave.

Yan Xiuchuan wasn't about to let her go so easily. He stepped aside to block her path.

Caught off guard, Su Luo nearly bumped into him. She stepped back, frowning. "What do you want?"

Yan Xiuchuan, knowing that Huang Bingquan would return soon, felt more confident. "May I ask who your father is? And who is your teacher?" He noticed Su Luo's graceful movements and guessed she had some training, so he spoke more politely.

Su Luo chuckled, "I'm not falling for that! If I tell you who my father is, you'll figure out my last name. Once you know that, it won't take long to find out my full name. And since my father is also my master, there's no way I'm telling you that either."

She spoke quickly and clearly, like pearls dropping onto a jade plate. Surprisingly, Yan Xiuchuan wasn't upset by her retort. "If you don't want to tell me your name, that's fine! You're younger than me and so beautiful, how about I call you Fairy Sister?"

Su Luo playfully retorted, "I'm an only child, no brothers or sisters, so you're just trying to take advantage!" With a swift turn, she sidestepped Yan Xiuchuan and walked away. But Yan Xiuchuan wasn't about to give up; having trained in martial arts for a few years, he reached out to grab Su Luo's shoulder. Su Luo deftly shifted her step, moving from one position to another, and used the momentum to pull Yan Xiuchuan forward. He couldn't stop himself and ended up falling flat on his face.

"What kind of martial arts is that?"

Su Luo had used a clever technique, so even though Yan Xiuchuan fell hard, he wasn't really hurt. He quickly got back on his feet, but by then, Su Luo was already ten steps away.

With a mischievous grin, Su Luo said, "I can't tell you about my master, and I definitely can't tell you about my martial arts. I'm leaving now, and you should head back too, or else the old man will give you a good thrashing with a big stick."

Yan Xiuchuan's face flushed as he watched her walk away. Without worrying about how she knew his embarrassing secret, he hurried to catch up. "Hey, if you agree to do something for me, I won't hold you accountable for trespassing. Otherwise, I'll eventually find out who you are."

Su Luo thought to herself: The Yan family is powerful and influential. Getting involved with them would only bring trouble. She stopped and asked, "What do you want me to agree to?"

In truth, Yan Xiuchuan just didn't want her to disappear without a trace. To his surprise, she actually stopped. After a brief pause, he came up with an idea. "I have a cricket fight scheduled with the young master of the Xie family, but my champion cricket has gone missing."

Su Luo replied, "You want me to find you another cricket?"

Yan Xiuchuan just wanted to spend more time with her and hear her speak. Realizing his request was too simple, he added, "You can't just find any cricket. I need a champion, undefeated in battle. Otherwise, I'll lose face in front of Xie."

Su Luo considered this and looked at him. "Alright, I agree."

Her clear gaze made Yan Xiuchuan's heart skip a beat. "So... when will we meet again?"

With a light step, Su Luo crossed the pond on the stepping stones, landing gracefully on the opposite walkway. "Tomorrow night at midnight, meet me here."

Su Luo returned to her room when the moon was already high in the sky. After changing and washing up, she lay in bed, unable to sleep. Thinking about Yan Xiuchuan's words and actions made her chuckle. But the thought of the elusive killer brought a touch of worry. As these thoughts swirled, her eyelids grew heavy, and she slowly drifted off.

In the midst of a pleasant dream, she suddenly sensed someone's presence. Her eyes snapped open, and her hand reached under the pillow to grip a dagger.

"Sis, it's me."

Hearing Feng Biyin's voice, Su Luo relaxed and quietly released the dagger, pretending nothing had happened. "I thought a night owl had come in." She shifted to make room on the bed. "It's so hot, yet you still like to squeeze in with me."

"Sis, are you tired of me?" Feng Biyin, dressed in light sleepwear, her skin pale as snow, teased.

"You're overthinking it," Su Luo mumbled, too sleepy to continue, and fell back asleep.

Half-awake, she vaguely felt a soft body snuggle close and someone whispering in her ear.

Meanwhile, Yan Xiuchuan tossed and turned in his room, unable to sleep. At one moment, he complained about the heat and had someone bring in ice. Then, he found the candlelight too bright and ordered a few candles extinguished.