northernbook Chapter 132 Stone
Chapter 132 Stone
Nianyao suspected she was going mad, as she had colorful dreams for two days in a row.
On the third day, Nianyao and Ba Mei dug in the ground together, their hands blistered but they kept going. Hu Zi asked Qin Jiu to come over, and only then was Nianyao persuaded to go back.
Nianyao naively thought that being tired during the day would allow her to sleep soundly at night. Contrary to her expectations, her dream on the third day was even more vivid and real than the previous two days—so real that Nianyao felt ashamed of herself, so real that her back still ached when she woke up…
Nianyao sat on the bed, slowly regaining consciousness, only to find herself completely naked. She pulled the covers up, her eyes still closed, and screamed, "Luo An..."
Luo An appeared from the doorway, holding a book and beaming with a smile: "What's up?"
You just leave and come back like that? Nianyao opened her eyes and started cursing, "You bastard..."
Luo An sat down by the bed, and Nian Yao raised her hand to slap him. Her hand almost touched his face, just a hair's breadth away...
Luo An gripped her wrist and slowly pressed it down, smiling apologetically, "So grumpy when you wake up? Come on, let me help you get dressed."
Nianyao threw her bodice at his face and hissed, "Get out!"
Luo An pulled down his clothes and looked at her quietly. Nian Yao glared at him defiantly, but her eyes gradually reddened.
Nianyao took a deep breath, her voice unsteady: "You go out first, I'll get dressed."
Luo An hesitated slightly, then got up and went out. He had just reached the small hall when Qin Jiu knocked on the door: "Let's go, let's lay low for a while."
Luo An glanced back at the room: "Is it really necessary?"
Qin Jiu nodded solemnly: "Absolutely. While you were gone, the gang leader's temper was worse than a pregnant woman's. Tiger and Eighth Sister were chatting about you once, and the gang leader overheard them. He kicked Tiger against the wall, and Eighth Sister was so scared she cried. If you hadn't come back, I was thinking of jumping into the river to escape..."
Hearing Nianyao's footsteps, Qin Jiu pulled Luo An out and ran towards the front yard. Before they even left the moon gate, a gust of sword wind swept from behind. Qin Jiu and Luo An jumped to either side, their longswords firmly embedded in the courtyard wall.
Nianyao stood three zhang away: "Why aren't you running anymore?"
Qin Jiu couldn't take it anymore: "Young Master, good luck to you. I'm leaving."
Luo An realized the seriousness of the situation only after seeing Qin Jiu scurry away. He drew his sword from the courtyard wall and called out, "Tiger!"
Tiger and Eighth Sister were peeking through the crack in the door when they quickly opened it and ran over: "Young Master."
Luo An handed him the longsword: "This sword seems to have a nick. Have Qin Jiu find the craftsmen at the Imperial Workshop to fix it."
Tiger grabbed the sword and ran away in a flash.
Nianyao gritted her teeth: "What are you afraid of? I can't kill you. If you die, I'll be a widow..."
Luo An walked up to her and said, "Madam, don't be angry. I brought you a gift. Hold out your hand."
Nianyao glanced sideways and silently stretched out her hand.
Luo An gently touched the blisters on his palm: "You cried from the pain last night. Luckily, I popped them and applied medicine in time, so they healed faster..."
Nianyao interrupted him: "A gift!"
Luo An said, "Your hands hurt, so it's not suitable for you to carry gifts."
Nianyao said, "Did you run into some pampered young lady when you went out? Or is the gift a heavy weight? Luo An, I'm warning you, if you dare to fool me again..."
Luo An placed something in her palm: "Don't get agitated, I'm just worried about you."
Nianyao stared at the gift: "This is... a stone?"
Luo An corrected her: "This is the heart."
Nianyao said, "...Not a stone?"
Luo An said, "It's a stone heart!"
Nianyao said, "Isn't a stone heart a stone?"
Luo An felt that Nian Yao was being unreasonable, but still argued his case: "It's not an ordinary stone..."
Nianyao asked, "Is it a stone?"
Luo An looked at Nian Yao, then at the stone, and admitted, "It is a stone."
Eighth Sister hid behind a tree and watched them, hesitating whether to go and get reinforcements. She looked up and saw a row of heads on the courtyard wall, with Qin Jiu and Hu Zi among them.
Nianyao asked incredulously, "You gave me a stone as a gift?"
Luo An said, "It's a small gift but carries great meaning. It represents my unwavering heart..."
“It means your heart is as hard and cold as stone…” Nianyao interrupted him: “Have you forgotten where I grew up? I’ve seen more pebbles than you’ve seen herbs. I’ve seen all kinds of things, even things that look like you…”
Nianyao thought she should throw the stone at Luo An's face.
Luo An suddenly realized: "It really is all predestined. The stone that looks like me must have been missing a heart, and now it's complete... By the way, where did you put it?"
Nianyao screamed in anger: "Ah..."
Tiger raised his hand to cover his ears, and then fell off the courtyard wall with a thud. The two looked over at the same time and saw human heads falling off the wall like dumplings, disappearing in no time.
Nianyao walked towards Yaochi with a sullen face, Luo An following behind her: "I was wrong... Next time we go out, I will definitely explain things clearly to you..."
Nianyao slammed the stone heavily on the table: "That's it?"
Luo An asked, "...What else?"
Nianyao said, "You're pretending to be ignorant, aren't you? Yan Zeyu..."
Luo An thought for a moment: "The Crown Prince said that Yan Zeyu is of great use, so I can't possibly embarrass him."
Nian Yao said sarcastically, "Not worth offending him? Then why don't you offend me?"
Luo An said, "I won't say anything if you kill him. But if you don't kill him and let him hang around in front of you, won't you feel uneasy? It's better to let him go back."
Nianyao sat down: "You knew perfectly well that Yan Zeyu killed Uncle Liu, but you didn't tell me. What am I to you?"
“Madam… allow me to plead my case…” Luo An sat down opposite her: “The day before we left Bianjing, Crown Prince An told me that Yan Zeyu was his man. He asked me to tell Yan Zeyu to find an opportunity to return to Bianjing. I don’t know anything else.”
Nianyao said, "You didn't guess it?"
Luo An said, "...The Great River Gang is inherently complex, and it's normal for various countries to plant spies within it. These are two separate matters, but it just so happens that Yan Zeyu killed Uncle Liu."
Nianyao retorted angrily, "What are you trying to say? Where did the poison come from? Wasn't it given to you by An Liangchen? An Liangchen definitely knows that they killed Uncle Liu."
Luo An poured tea and placed the cup in front of Nian Yao: "Take your time and tell me you're not angry. Here, have some tea."
Nianyao drank it all in one gulp: "Unsolicited kindness is either a trick or a theft."
Luo An smiled: "I didn't steal..."
Nianyao slammed the cup down: "What did you go out to do? You've become so glib..."
Luo An immediately said, "...I only spent a few days with Yun Ting...I originally intended to send Yan Zeyu to Dongyang and then come back, but Yun Ting insisted on inviting me to go with him, and I couldn't refuse his hospitality, so I returned to Hengshan."
Nianyao asked, "Then why did you come back again?"
Luo An said, "Yun Ting sent me to Kunzhou, saying that the girls there are prettier than those in Longli. He also said that after defeating Xiling, he would find wives for the unmarried and concubines for the married, and he would marry Duan Yi's daughter from Kunzhou..."
Nianyao, you know me. Am I that kind of person? I rushed back overnight, traveling day and night without stopping. Otherwise, how could I have gotten home so late last night?