Chapter 6

“No,” Shen Yao Xing denied almost reflexively.

“But……”

“I said no.” Shen Yao Xing was a bit impatient and turned to enter the inn.

Meng Xin Yi looked at the young man and followed into the inn.

“Do you know him?” Meng Xin Yi sat opposite the young girl, raising her chin to point at the person who followed in.

Shen Yao Xing yawned and said lazily, “Don’t know him.”

“Oh?” She didn’t believe it. Look, the person had followed them in and had a hesitant expression. Meng Xin Yi narrowed her eyes and stared at the young man’s face for a while, then exclaimed in realization, “Isn’t this one of the ten winners from today? Heh, he’s the only male who can participate in the second round of this competition.”

The young man in the apricot robe who had just entered heard the woman’s words. His fair face turned slightly red, and his hand unconsciously touched the whip tied around his waist as he walked over silently.

Shen Yao Xing was resting her face on one hand. Seeing him approach, she naturally switched hands, leaving the back of her head facing him.

The young man smiled somewhat shyly at Meng Xin Yi. Meng Xin Yi was slightly stunned, her face relaxed, and she returned a faint smile: “What brings this young gentleman here?”

“I……” The young man glanced secretly at that back of the head, his fingers fidgeting with the whip at his waist. His voice had the unique clarity of youth, with a hint of softness in the ending: “I just came to thank the young lady for saving me last time……”

“I see…” Meng Xin Yi’s interested gaze moved between the two of them. Suddenly, she smiled and raised her hand to gesture an invitation to him: “If the young gentleman doesn’t mind, you can join our table.”

Shen Yao Xing, who had been looking bored, frowned and glared at her in clear disapproval.

The young man’s face also showed some hesitation. He lowered his eyes as if struggling internally for a while, before slowly sitting down.

“Young gentleman, feel free to order whatever you want to eat. This meal is our treat.” Meng Xin Yi appeared hospitable, directly placing the menu in front of him.

Shen Yao Xing interrupted her in time: “Hey, it’s your treat, not ours.”

“It’s okay!” The young man spoke hastily, but his voice was too excited and drew sidelong glances from the two. His fair face reddened even more, and he hurriedly explained: “I-I mean… this meal should be my treat to you……”

Shen Yao Xing tilted her head, her indifferent gaze falling on his reddened hands. That shy expression looked somewhat like a neighbor’s younger brother, appearing rare and pleasing to the eye. She shrugged, indicating indifference.

Seeing this, the young man’s pink lips curved into a smile, and he seemed to gain some courage: “I-I’m called Lin Luo Sheng. Thank you for helping me that day.”

“Tsk,” Shen Yao Xing pouted, her gaze lazily drifting to the face of the woman who was pouring tea. A thought flashed through her mind, and she slowly sat up straight, turning to him with a sincere face: “Actually, that day it really wasn’t me, but…… her!”

Her guilty finger pointed shamelessly towards the bewildered Meng Xin Yi. She then sighed, putting on an act of honest confession: “Actually, I don’t know martial arts. That day, it was only because she took me that I could climb onto that roof.”

“But… I clearly only saw you up there, I recognized your voice……” Lin Luo Sheng was obviously not so easily fooled.

A series of plot points had already formed in Shen Yao Xing’s mind. She described it vividly, with such a sincere manner that even Meng Xin Yi almost believed it.

“That day, the two of us were out of the city on business. When we returned, we saw that scene. She’s the type who will always draw her sword to help when she sees injustice. That day she was already injured, and after saving you, she couldn’t hold on and fell from the roof!”

After saying this, fearing he wouldn’t believe, she went over and poked Meng Xin Yi’s injured shoulder. Meng Xin Yi inhaled sharply at her poke, clutching her shoulder and very cooperatively started coughing.

“See, now do you believe?” Shen Yao Xing raised her chin somewhat proudly, her little expression looking as if she was about to win a battle.

Sure enough, Lin Luo Sheng was dazed by her series of explanations. He blinked his eyes and spoke with some difficulty: “You…… really don’t know martial arts?”

Shen Yao Xing nodded affirmatively.

The young man lowered his head, his jet-black hair hiding his expression. After a while, he raised his head, his eyes slightly reddened, and looked towards the woman clutching her wound, asking: “It was you who saved me that day?”

“Huh? Ah!” The pain in her toes made Meng Xin Yi’s expression twitch slightly. Under her friend’s pressure, she had no choice but to nod and admit: “Yes……”

“Th-thank you.” As he spoke, his gaze still drifted intentionally or unintentionally towards the young girl.

This matter was temporarily settled.

At night, just as Shen Yao Xing was about to have a late-night snack, Meng Xin Yi suddenly burst into the room, dressed in all black.

Shen Yao Xing looked her up and down, asking puzzledly: “What are you doing?”

“Tonight, you’re coming with me to the Four Directions Association again.” She said, placing the night clothes in front of her.

“……” Shen Yao Xing blinked, raising her voice in disbelief: “You can’t be serious, big sis! Your wound hasn’t even healed yet, and now you’re thinking of going there again!?”

This person seemed to have no regard for her life. The bloody hole from last time hadn’t even closed yet, and now she was rushing to get stabbed again. Couldn’t she just eat more and sleep more when idle? Why did she have to sneak into someone else’s place in the middle of the night!

The black clothes wrapped the woman’s figure tightly, accentuating her curves, and coupled with those mature facial features, she would be a perfect example of a mature beauty in modern times. However, the words coming out of that mouth made Shen Yao Xing want to give her a slap.

“That day when I snuck into the Four Directions Association, I accidentally went to the wrong place and didn’t have time to investigate anything, so I plan to go again tonight.”

Shen Yao Xing was ready to kneel before her: “What exactly do you want to investigate? Can’t you go during the day?” Sneaking into someone’s “private residence” in the middle of the night gave her a heavy sense of guilt.

Meng Xin Yi automatically ignored the useless parts of what was said, frowning and saying in a deep voice: “I suspect the Four Directions Association has some unspeakable dealings with the Longevity Pavilion.”

Ever since the news of the competition came out, she had felt something was off. Perhaps she didn’t know much about the Longevity Pavilion, but the Four Directions Association was certainly not as upright as it appeared on the surface. Its behind-the-scenes methods were no better than the Longevity Pavilion’s. To suddenly organize something like this for no reason, there must be some unspeakable cause.

***

When Scheming Men Desperately Battle for Her Favor in the Male Harem (Female-dominant)

This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Synopsis:

“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”

Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.

Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.

While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the  Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…

Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.

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