Chapter 4: The Mysterious Masked Man (Revised)

"Girl, why are you still sporting this face?"

Upon seeing Chu Yunluo, the old man frowned, his tone sounding somewhat reproachful. Was she trying to scare him old man by showing herself with such an appearance?

"The person who administered the poison hasn't been found yet, so it doesn't seem quite right to announce to everyone that the poison in my body has been neutralized. Besides, people have gotten used to calling me an ugly woman; if everyone suddenly starts calling me a great beauty, I'll feel embarrassed..." Chu Yunluo's beautiful eyes flickered, revealing a hint of cunning. "Did Master come here today to deliver the Dragon Flame Grass?"

"Instead of coming over to pay your respects and greet your Master, you're only thinking about the Dragon Flame Grass." The old man spoke thus, but there was no trace of anger in his voice; instead, it carried a hint of heartache.

This was all because the unsightly birthmark on Chu Yunluo's face was caused by being poisoned. The toxicity of this poison had vanished mysteriously on the day she gave birth, but before they could rejoice for even a moment, they discovered that the toxicity had actually transferred to Chu Xiaomo through the placenta...

Currently, under Chu Yunluo's conditioning, Chu Xiaomo's condition only required her to take the Mysterious Pills she had developed on a monthly basis. However, to manufacture these Mysterious Pills, a large amount of Dragon Flame Grass was needed. She had moved six times within a single year for the sole purpose of searching for Dragon Flame Grass everywhere.

"Girl," watching Chu Yunluo happily and unceremoniously accept all the Dragon Flame Grass he had brought, the old man's tone carried a subtle, almost imperceptible doting, "Your Master will be entering seclusion for quiet cultivation in the coming years. Regarding the Dragon Flame Grass, you will have to rely entirely on yourself from now on. Furthermore, I will also conduct thorough research on how to completely remove the toxicity from Xiaomomo's body. While she is still young, the suffering she endures will be relatively less."

"Mm, don't worry, Master. I have a secret weapon; finding medicine won't be difficult for me." Chu Yunluo blinked her long eyelashes mischievously, rarely showing such an innocent and charming side.

"With that fat bug of yours?" The old man's tone carried a hint of disbelief, but he immediately let out a light chuckle because Chu Yunluo immediately spoke up to defend her pet: "Master, Dudu has wings, he isn't even that fat."

After finishing these brief instructions, the old man departed silently.

Chu Yunluo had always held immense respect for this extremely mysterious Master. After all, wasn't her current peerless, freakish level of cultivation all thanks to his hands?

At this moment, atop the high wall of this small farmhouse courtyard, stood a ghostly, mysterious black shadow, quietly watching everything inside the house. He stood tall and straight with his hands behind his back, as if looking down upon all living beings. On his face, he wore an exquisite silver mask. Even Chu Yunluo's Master had not noticed his appearance in the slightest; it was just that where he stood now, the surrounding air seemed to have frozen due to his presence.

With a slight movement of his fingertip, in an instant, the sky—which had been clear with bright moonlight and sparse stars—began to change abruptly. A violent wind rose, making the courtyard gate creak loudly.

"Why did the wind start blowing all of a sudden?" Chu Yunluo's puzzled voice drifted out from inside the house, and shortly after, the windows were slammed shut.

The tightly pursed lips of the mysterious masked man relaxed slightly at this moment. He lightly raised his hand, and the gale immediately ceased. His figure then vanished into the night...

The next morning.

"Brother, the heat isn't enough, come in and add some."

Chu Xiaomo, who was busy in the kitchen, poked her round little head out and shouted toward Chu Xiaoyu, who was currently climbing a tree to catch birds. Chu Xiaoyu immediately climbed down and ran toward the kitchen, while simultaneously casting an infinitely aggrieved look at a certain someone sitting by the stone table cracking melon seeds: "Stepmother..."

With two innocent, kind, and lovely children busy running in and out of the kitchen, as a mother, she was left idling about so much that if she said she wasn't a stepmother, no one would believe her.

Chu Yunluo nonchalantly cracked the last melon seed and tossed it into her mouth. Patting the shell fragments off her hands, she spoke lazily toward the upper left: "This gentleman, you've been watching from there for quite a long time. Aren't you tired of crouching there?"

Ning Honglie was startled in his heart. She had actually noticed his movements from the very beginning!

This woman—what rank of expert would she be?

Since she had already seen through him, he had no choice but to reveal himself.

Chu Yunluo looked up and saw a man in purple with red lips and white teeth. His figure was tall and slender, and his features were delicate and elegant, like a quiet landscape painting. He possessed a refined and gentle beauty, and he was currently leaping down from his hiding place with a smile that carried a hint of apology.

9.5 points.

She gave this handsome man a score in her heart, but the expression on her face remained completely unchanged.