Chapter 003: The Unpredictable Waves and Clouds
The two rushed into the hall, circled around the screen, passed through the small hall, and dashed into the study. Upon seeing the situation in the room, both were so startled that they gasped in shock, nearly falling to the ground.
The beautiful girl in a mask sighed, and with her other hand, she reached for the strange ruyi that was placed on the table
Yang Han said solemnly: "Because a wife is not as good as a concubine, this way I can love you more."
In this era, a person with a vast collection of books at home possesses a considerable fortune. Not to mention the high value of the books themselves, they also serve as vessels of knowledge. Many old books with engraved plates faithfully preserve the content of the original works, whereas some later copies and transcriptions inevitably contain errors, which may even lead to distortions in meaning, rendering such books invaluable
Who are you? Ah! Li Tongpan only questioned once and immediately noticed the rain pouring down on him. Originally, the strange person wearing a beautiful girl mask was crouched on the roof, shielding him from the rain, but the rain was too heavy. After a moment, raindrops still fell in, alerting Li Tongpan.
"Deng Tuzi, let go of me!" Youge said angrily as she nudged him with her elbow.
Li Xiangrong's bulging eyes, almost popping out, stared at him fiercely. Suddenly, with a violent shake, accompanied by another piercing scream from him, his robe swelled abruptly, and countless crystal-clear ice spikes shot out fiercely from beneath his robe
Yang Han exclaimed in shock: "My lord, what is wrong with you?"
Miss Youge said with a flushed face: "Then take it off, and I will wash it for you."
Youge and Yang Han were both taken aback by the sudden scream. Youge exclaimed, "It is the master's voice!" After saying this, she covered her head with her hands and quickly ran towards the hall
Yang Han's eyes widened in shock as he stared fixedly at Li Tongpan. With a sudden jerk of his body, he fell backward, crashing to the ground with a thud. This fellow's physical condition was excellent; in the face of such terrifying stimulation, his body instinctively executed the best form of self-protection: fainting
Miss Youge is indeed very self-respecting, even when facing a man she is quite fond of, she does not wish to be looked down upon by him, so she stepped aside. However, in doing so, she was drenched by the rain.
A long, drawn-out sigh emanated from beneath the mask, sounding very ancient, yet it was impossible to discern whether it belonged to a man or a woman, for it was so old that it appeared somewhat androgynous: "I had thought that as an official of your rank, well-versed in literature, you might uncover some secrets from this 'Wind Ruyi', but it turns out you are utterly useless."
His eyes merely squinted, and in an instant, he discovered that a girl had abruptly appeared before him. Dressed in dark attire, her face was pale as porcelain; undeniably beautiful, yet it appeared particularly eerie and frightening. This was because her vividly lifelike face was painted on white porcelain, and that sweet smile remained unchanged, forever fixed in place, sending chills down one's spine.
As he walked halfway, he saw dark clouds looming overhead, and a heavy rain was about to pour down. Yang Han could no longer maintain his calm pace and hurriedly quickened his steps, rushing back to his residence. Just as he knocked on the door, the rain came pouring down, sudden and fierce. Despite his hurried attempt to avoid it, Yang Han's clothes were still soaked through.
Youge pouted and said: "It's all your fault, Han Ge'er, for trapping us here. We don't even know how long it will take for the rain to lessen."
Li Tongpan returned to his desk and sat down, intending to continue perusing ancient texts to see if there were any records related to this peculiar Ruyi. Suddenly, he noticed that there were actually water droplets on the pages. Li Tongpan furrowed his brow and quickly picked up his sleeve to gently wipe away the droplets. He then straightened his posture and checked where he had been splashed, wondering how the droplets had ended up on the desk.
The one who opened the door was the young girl Youge. Youge was only about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a blue gown, with a countenance that was both charming and pouting. Her figure exuded a refined elegance, and as a girl raised in Jinling City, her demeanor and speech carried a certain delicate gracefulness.
Look at you, the weather is not good today, yet Han Ge still wants to go outside. Do you have any clean clothes to change into
Now, the beautiful masked girl leaped into the room, and the roof was uncovered at the place where the tiles were removed, allowing the rain to pour in directly. At this moment, Li Tongpan was still reluctant to let his book get soaked and hurriedly reached out to grab it. However, just as his hand extended, his throat was tightly grasped by an old hand, full of layers of wrinkles, resembling a piece of old tree bark.
Li Tongpan was choked by the beautiful masked figure, unable to catch his breath. However, upon hearing this phrase, he couldn't help but think: "Is it 'Feng Ruyi'? So this strange Ruyi is called 'Feng Ruyi'. Why is it called 'Feng Ruyi'?"
Yang Hanzheng, in the prime of his youth, could not help but flirt and joke with beautiful girls when he saw them. However, his heart had never settled down, and he did not feel that anyone was unforgettable or worthy of a lifelong commitment. He was also aware of Youge's feelings for him, which is why he joked in a half-serious manner, actually creating a suitable distance to prevent her from developing any serious thoughts. If the girl were to genuinely pursue him, it would become a headache for him. He was also aware of Youge's feelings for him, which is why he joked in a half-serious manner, actually creating a suitable distance to prevent her from developing any serious thoughts. If the girl were to genuinely pursue him, it would become a headache for him.
Seeing this, Yang Han reached out his hand, grasped her shoulder, pulled her back a little, lowered his head, and whispered in her ear: "When I earn a lot of money in the future, I will also acquire a grand mansion like the one belonging to Master Li, and then, I will take you as my concubine."
Li Tongpan seemed to suddenly transform into an ice sculpture of a porcupine, with countless ice spikes piercing through his body from the inside out. Immediately afterward, blood gushed out, rapidly staining those ice spikes a deep crimson. On the tips of the blood-red ice spikes, drops of blood fell like raindrops, one by one.
Yang Han would not dare to undress here; he was originally just trying to tease this blushing girl. He immediately stopped and said with a double entendre: "Well... shall we undress again when we return to the room?"
Yang Han called out, and without hesitation, he followed suit
Miss Youge felt a flutter in her heart upon hearing the first half of his words, especially as his breath stirred the strands of hair by her temples, igniting a sense of longing within her. However, upon hearing the latter half, she could not help but feel anger; she shrugged her shoulders and turned her head to look at him reproachfully, saying: "Why must it be as a concubine?"
Therefore, when the heavy rain began, Li Tongpan hurriedly got up, first closing the window to prevent the moisture from entering and damaging the paper.
Yang Han smiled and said: "What is there to fear? With you by my side, even if it rains for a lifetime, I would not mind"
He meticulously copied the design of that strange ruyi, providing detailed explanations alongside it, intending to send it to the Hangzhou government office in the future for his friend at the Si Tian Jian to see. Meanwhile, he stubbornly pulled out a pile of books from his collection and continued to browse through them, hoping to find some clues within.
Yang Han said with a smile: "I do have a change of clothes, but as a man, my hands and feet are rough, and I am afraid this outfit will get damaged in the wash"
Two people were joking half-heartedly when suddenly they heard a piercing scream that cut through the heavy curtain of rain, clearly reaching their ears. The scream was so harrowing, it seemed to roar out from the depths of the lungs, yet it felt as if those lungs had been torn open, causing the voice to crack slightly.
A pair of young men and women were flirting under the door frame, while Li Xiangrong, the magistrate Li, was still busy in the study.
Yang Han raised an eyebrow and smiled mischievously, saying, "Miss Youge is truly gentle, then I shall trouble you." As he spoke, he pretended to loosen his belt, causing Youge to panic. Blushing, she hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Why are you taking off your clothes here?"
The lamp on the table casts a bright light throughout the room
Youge's face turned even redder, and she playfully slapped him on the chest, pretending to be angry, and said: "If you keep talking nonsense like this, I won't pay any attention to you anymore"
Yōu Gē, be careful
In the Li residence, there are three stewards. One is an internal steward, an old maid who was the lady's maid during her dowry years. The other is an external steward, a distant uncle of the old lady. Then there is Yang Han, a young and handsome steward. At such a young age, he has already become a steward, and he is articulate and perceptive. Both the internal and external stewards, as well as the master and mistress, all favor him, indicating that he is undoubtedly a person with a bright future. Miss Youge, who is at the age of considering lifelong commitments, is particularly fond of him. Just look at his manner of speaking; it is as if he considers himself to be the little wife of the household.
At this moment, the two were standing under the door frame, with torrential rain pouring down. The dense raindrops formed lines, as if drawing back a series of curtains. Even if someone were standing in the hall, they would not be able to see the specific actions of the two; they would only know that there were two people standing there. However, Miss Youge still felt her face flush due to his actions.
Li Xiangrong sat in an official's hat chair, a beam of sunlight-like rain curtain enveloping him. Li Xiangrong's face was contorted, his eyes bulging with rage, appearing both ferocious and terrifying. Particularly alarming was the impression that a python seemed to be coiled beneath his robe, as if the python was winding around his body, causing his robe to rise and swell in an indescribably eerie manner
Under the eaves, Youge and Yang Han stood side by side. Due to the sudden and heavy rain, if they were to rush into the hall like this, they would inevitably get soaked. They had no choice but to stand here and take shelter.
As he spoke, Yang Han leaned closer to Youge. Although Youge had a deep fondness for him in her heart, she remained reserved as a young lady. Youge believed she was not inferior to those flirtatious girls outside. Hmph! During the temple fair, she had been harassed by some rascally young men who were all smiles while taking advantage of those girls.
Yang Han boasted in his former jurisdiction, estimating that this news would reach Li Zhusi and a group of street officials by tomorrow. In front of his old supervisor and former colleagues, he felt he had regained his dignity. He also exchanged flirtatious glances with that girl, thoroughly enjoying the ambiance of ambiguity. With that, he rose and leisurely returned to the Li residence.
He prides himself on being tender and cherishing women, yet he is the least skilled at rejecting them. However, he truly has no intention of spending his life with Miss Youge.
At that moment, another raindrop fell. He was slightly tilting his head back, and the droplet struck his forehead, bursting with a "pop" and causing Li Tongpan's eyebrows to twitch, his eyes involuntarily narrowing.
A section of the roof was damaged, and rainwater poured in through that breach. When illuminated by the light, it seemed as if a beam of light was descending from the heavens, directly enveloping Li Tongpan.