Chapter 6: Sigh, Harpy

She pinched her nose sheepishly and answered truthfully, "Miss, please don't take offense, I just don't have any money. It's not that I look down on you. For a peerless beauty like you, every man would want to buy you just to have some fun."

As soon as she finished speaking, the entire hall erupted in ridicule.

Su Jin immediately became the target of everyone's scorn.

Those who had just been jealous that she could receive the favor of a beauty were now instantly mocking her for being a penniless loser, treating her with utter contempt.

Yun Yao wept with such heartbreak that her voice sounded like shattered jade hitting the ground, cold and desolate, "I know my status is lowly and I dare not aim too high, but why must the Young Master humiliate me in front of so many people?"

What?

Humiliating Miss Yun Yao?

The onlookers immediately grew displeased and began to roll up their sleeves. Su Jin waved her hands repeatedly, "That's not what I meant! I meant that Miss possesses peerless elegance and is unrivaled under heaven; any man who sees you would want to marry you home to cherish you, making eternal vows to you until the seas dry up and the rocks decay."

Yun Yao's tears stopped instantly.

A smile bloomed, like a lotus after a light rain.

She stared fixedly at Su Jin, her gaze brimming with deep affection, "Then, is the Young Master willing?"

Huh?

What does this have to do with her?

She was merely voicing the sentiments of the vast male population.

She hadn't intended to answer, but facing Yun Yao's eyes—which were as pure as a newborn fawn—she couldn't bear to refuse. "I am willing." Anyway, she had no money, and no one around would allow Yun Yao to mess around with a penniless nobody.

Unexpectedly, before she could even process it, Yun Yao spoke again, "I shall offer myself to you in marriage; I only hope you do not fail me."

Su Jin suddenly felt as if the earth were shaking and the mountains were crumbling.

She shook her head violently, like a little chick pecking at grain, "No, I'm poor and don't have the money to buy you."

Yun Yao looked bashful as a flower, "Since we are mutually in love, it should naturally have nothing to do with wealth."

Su Jin, "..."

Wasn't it legendary that in a brothel, the first night went to the highest bidder?

How could someone be so devoid of principles!

The more she thought about it, the less she understood, which left her deeply distressed.

Yun Yao reached out from the center of the stage, surrounded by a radiance like ten thousand rays of light, looking at Su Jin with tender eyes, "The auspicious hour waits for no one, and the spring night is short. Young Master, you should just come with Yun Yao."

Su Jin was caught between a rock and a hard place.

With a troubled face, she looked as if she were about to bite her silver teeth to pieces.

Driven by necessity, she could only agree for now and seek a way to escape later.

A quarter of an hour later, inside the small pavilion.

Su Jin closed the door and looked at Yun Yao, trying to guide her reasonably, "Miss, please think twice. As the saying goes, if a man could be relied upon, even sows could climb trees. You absolutely must not blindly believe what people say and ruin your virtue."

Yun Yao brightened.

Her eyes were filled with warmth and complete dependence, "I can trust the Young Master."

Su Jin felt a sense of exasperation at her lack of sense.

She glared fiercely at this foolish girl, "Open your eyes and look closely. I am not a good person at all. At best, I am a sanctimonious hypocrite who commits adultery, kidnaps, and engages in pillaging and slaughter—I do every evil imaginable."

Yun Yao blinked her watery eyes, "The Young Master must be joking."

As soon as the words fell, she began to undress.

Her fingers moved deftly, and in the blink of an eye, the layer of pale green gauze outside had already slipped to the floor.

She walked slowly toward Su Jin, her every step like a blooming lotus.

In an instant, she was overflowing with charm.

If she had previously been a pure and green white lotus blooming in the mortal world, she now resembled an enchanting red lotus, radiating boundless allure. Looking at that figure, one truly had to admit defeat.

While Yun Yao was still undressing, Su Jin quickly stepped forward to stop her, "Can you stop being so foolish? In a brothel, there is no such thing as true love and lifelong devotion; it's all just acting for pleasure and seeking amusement."

A thin layer of sweat had already seeped into her palms.

Her worldview was completely shattered.

Yun Yao's tear ducts seemed to function differently from normal people; she didn't need to build up emotion at all before the tears flowed, "I naturally love you with all my heart, so why do you want to go back on your word? Or do you fundamentally despise my lowly and coarse nature, finding me hard to look at?"

Su Jin raised a hand, "I have a wife."

At the same time, she took three steps back.

Yun Yao didn't care in the slightest and once again closed the distance between them, "I am willing to be a concubine; it's fine even without a formal title."

Encountering such a person who insisted on sacrificing herself no matter what was a first in her life, Su Jin was at a loss. She recalled all thirty-six stratagems in her mind but didn't know what to do, so she continued to make up stories, "My wife is a demon; she will kill you."

Yun Yao quickly pressed closer.

Pressing against Su Jin, "To die for love, I am willing."

Su Jin, "..."

She was utterly defeated.

Could this get any more troublesome?

She pushed her away forcefully, measuring her strength for fear of hurting her, "Wake up! I love my wife deeply. I can never do anything to betray her; I will remain chaste for her for the rest of my life."

Yun Yao said nothing, her lips drawing close.

Amidst the lingering romance of the room, she suddenly moved with lightning speed, pinning Su Jin down firmly and pushing her over in one motion, "What are you doing here? Hmm? Think it through before you speak."

When the voice spoke again, it had turned into a man's voice, deep and husky.

It carried a hint of ambiguity.

And ferocity.

Being pinned down by a strange man, Su Jin felt like she wanted to die. What kind of damn brothel was this? Even the men and women here were better than her, the number one expert of Tiansong Pavilion. How could she ever show her face in the martial arts world again?

She was unwilling to submit, "Mind your own business."

The man was clearly not a kind sort. He directly tore off Su Jin's mask and scolded her fiercely, "If you ever come to a place like this again, watch out or I'll break your legs! Instead of being a perfectly fine Fourth Young Lady, why are you running around aimlessly? Do you have no upbringing at all!"

Su Jin, "..."

She suddenly knew who he was.

In this world, there was only one person who always shamelessly treated her like a servant, acting like a debt collector, lecturing her in every way, criticizing her in every way, and having those eyes that were always so fierce.

Yun Potian!

Just now in the hall, she had taken one look and realized his height was likely over 180 centimeters. This was absolutely not a height a woman should have; she had simply treated him as a lunatic playing man and woman and tried to deal with him cautiously. She hadn't expected it to be this guy. "I'm not acquainted with you."

With that, she struck.

She attacked his vital points directly, her hands moving like lightning, incredibly ruthless. If she touched him, it would mean death at worst and paralysis at best.

The man dodged in time and remained unharmed.

Su Jin thought he would continue in a rage, but she guessed wrong. The man very sincerely tore off the mask, revealing his original appearance, gentle as jade, "I want to marry you."

Su Jin, "Screw you."

She crossed her arms, looking like a dignified master who could be killed but not insulted.

The man frowned.

Suddenly, he clutched his abdomen tightly.

His face contorted extremely as he rolled on the floor, biting his lower lip hard, refusing to make even a sound.

Seeing this, Su Jin took the opportunity to retreat to the pavilion window. She opened it, looked at the lush greenery outside, and without hesitation, leaped down, disappearing into the thick darkness of the night.

Before returning to the Left Prime Minister's Estate, she was preparing to scale the wall.

However, her legs felt as if they were filled with lead.

Yun Potian's tormented face kept flashing through her mind. It seemed his chronic illness had flared up. If his treatment was delayed, would he lose his life? Since she was currently disguised as a woman, it would likely be inconvenient to be discovered by others, making it hard to call for help.

But if she went back, could she still make a clean escape?

After thinking for a moment, she stomped her foot.