Tang Buqi was equally baffled by this request. As someone from the Worldly Society, why would you bother bringing a maid with you everywhere? Isn’t it cumbersome? I said just yesterday that I didn’t even want to take my own maid out with me, and now you’re doing the opposite. Are you really planning to swap situations with me?
But to him, a maid whose face was unfamiliar to the guests was truly not a big deal, and he couldn’t be bothered to think more about it. He waved his hand and said, "If you want her, she’s yours. It’s not a big deal. I’ll just notify the steward later to register her under your name."
Zhao Changhe winked at Sisi, implying she should now call him "Young Master."
Sisi kept a straight face, unresponsive.
Now things were tricky. Change her registration? Once you do that, you’ll find out there’s no one named Sisi in the residence! What on earth is this guy up to? What does he need a maid for?
Fortunately, Tang Buqi didn’t care about this matter and didn’t instruct someone to do it right away. Instead, he sat down in Zhao Changhe’s yard, "I had breakfast sent over, let’s eat together. Afterward, we’ll head over to visit the Lu Family in the southern part of the city."
Sure enough, a servant soon brought over pastries and thin porridge. Tang Buqi didn’t hesitate and started eating, sighing, "A bowl of porridge really hits the spot after a hangover."
Zhao Changhe picked up a bowl and casually handed it to Sisi, followed by a piece of pastry, "Sit down and eat. Why stand there like a fool?"
Sisi was puzzled, "?" This text is hosted at NoveI~Fire.net
"Now you’re my maid, got it? If I have a bite to eat, you won’t go hungry."
Zhao Changhe completely ignored her and slurped his own bowl of porridge, asking Tang Buqi, "How come you seem more concerned about this Evil Qi than I am? Getting up so early even with a hangover to find me. Are you usually this diligent? Who’s after the treasure of Evil Qi, you or me?"
"It’s because I have a bit of a friendship with Lu Shaohong. Now that he’s back, I naturally want to check on him. If the source really is Evil Qi, then you’re the professional monk for capturing these ghosts. Why not show off in front of a friend while you’re here?"
Zhao Changhe was genuinely impressed, "You sure know how to play the part in front of others."
"Nothing at Sword Pond yesterday, right?"
"Nothing. I’ll have to go back and check again when I get the chance, maybe the surrounding area as well."
Tang Buqi was speechless, "I already told you there was nothing there. You insist on wasting time—can’t tell if you’re cultivating Evil Qi or stupid Qi."
Zhao Changhe gritted his teeth, "I think you’re asking for a beating."
Tang Buqi continued to drink his porridge, "I’ve just given you a maid and this is the thanks I get?"
"..." Zhao Changhe thought to himself, who knows what this woman is here for, maybe I’m actually saving your stupid ass and you don’t even know it.
Of course, he couldn’t say that out loud. Zhao Changhe quickly finished his porridge, stood up with his sword, "Alright, alright. To thank you for the maid, I’ll go catch the ghost at the Lu family’s place."
Sisi hesitated, unsure whether she should follow or not. Zhao Changhe turned around and said, "Come on, you’re my person now. You can’t just stay here, serving other guests?"
She didn’t say anything, her expression strange as she followed Zhao Changhe out the door.
Zhao Changhe didn’t want to leave her at the Tang family’s place, fearing she might do something out of his sight; but Sisi wanted to investigate the mystery of the Evil Qi and was ambivalent about whether shamelessly following would cause confusion. Then Zhao Changhe actually invited her to come along—it was like offering a pillow to someone who wanted to sleep.
Is Zhao Changhe really treating me as one of his own? Sisi felt very odd and scratched her head in confusion.
The two were not on the same wavelength; each found the development they wanted, while Tang Buqi, who knew nothing, leisurely tapped his fan against his palm, "You seem to treat this girl quite well? It’s truly strange. Yue Hongling is an unparalleled beauty, and with such ambiguity between you two, how can you still take an interest in a common maid? Besides having a figure similar to Yue Hongling’s, what else does she have that compares to Hongling?"
Zhao Changhe couldn’t be bothered with him.
Tang Buqi sudden slap on his palm and declared, "I got it—you got drunk last night, couldn’t control yourself, and something happened, right?"
"Exactly," Zhao Changhe replied irritably. "You seemed to have some ambitions last night, so why are you still obsessed with these matters?"
"Oh, so you can do it, but I can’t even talk about it?"
Watching the two men bicker ahead of her, Sisi suddenly remembered a rumor.
Women involved with Zhao Changhe always ended up with bad reputations, with no exceptions to date. Tang Wanju was slightly better off, but even she was affected by his infamous "Wait for me, cleaned and ready." As long as the Zhao Changhe who spread those words was not apprehended by the Demon Suppression Department, the suggestive looks and gossip would never end.
Sisi truly had no idea where Tang Buqi got the nerve to befriend someone who had spoken so rudely to his aunt, to bring them home even, allowing them to affectionately call him "nephew" so warmly.
Though she internally scoffed, her mind didn’t wander. Seeing a fork in the road ahead, Tang Buqi was leading Zhao Changhe towards the Lu Family’s direction when Sisi suddenly called out, "Young Master."
Zhao Changhe didn’t react at once, but Tang Buqi turned his head, "Hmm?"
Sisi pulled the corner of her mouth, cautiously saying, "I wasn’t calling you. You just gave me away. You’re not my young master anymore."
He suppressed the odd feeling of being called "Young Master" for the first time, coughed twice, and turned his head, "Theoretically, I am a generation above, you should call me ’Master.’"
Tang Buqi: "That’s enough."
Sisi held back a laugh, "Master, you took a wrong turn. The Young Master Lu doesn’t stay at home. He has been moved to Jingxin Hall over there. They say it’s to help him focus and calm his mind, to dispel his Evil Qi."
Zhao Changhe glared at Tang Buqi unamused, Tang Buqi finally said after holding back for a while, "Oh, I knew that. I just forgot for a moment. It’s just Jingxin Hall, follow me."
Jingxin Hall used to be a temple, named Jingxin Temple. Due to the Tang family’s dominant stance in Gusu, which vehemently opposed the Maitreya Sect, and the consecutively strict searches to which various temples were subjected making it difficult to operate, some temples remained desolate with few visitors, while others simply changed their image to a nondenominational retreat. They often served vegetarian meals, chanted sutras, with morning bells and evening drums, mokugyo striking, shrouded in incense—it did indeed offer some peace to those residing within, making it a place where scholars and poets often sought inspiration.
Jingxin Hall is now without outside guests, as it had been taken over by the Lu Family, with numerous Great Han standing guard at the entrance. Inside were the original nuns from the temple, chanting sutras daily, serving solely a young master who was confined and raving mad.
Tang Buqi’s arrival was actually stopped by the guards: "Young Master Tang, we beg your pardon, but no weapons are permitted inside. Your sword... and this man, goodness, what a fierce knife! That cannot be brought inside either."
Tang Buqi became enraged, "Do you think I’m here to assassinate your young master?"
"Please understand, Young Master Tang, it’s not that we fear assassination, but the malevolent Qi of these weapons is unsuitable for bringing inside; we are worried they may agitate our Young Master."
"Nonsense, dead objects, these swords and knives, mean nothing. This sword of mine is the Bibo Sword, known for purifying the mind, it would be beneficial for your young master, what do you know?"
"Uh... Young Master Tang, please don’t make it difficult for us, we are just following orders..."
"Enough! I’ve seen this kind of farce before, your Family Head definitely didn’t say this. Add another layer for the manager, and add two more layers for your captain. You think I am a fool, right? Out of my way!"
Tang Buqi forcefully pushed past the door guards, leading Zhao Changhe in with a high and mighty bearing, fully displaying his greatest usefulness. The door guards exchanged glances but did not dare to stop him. Although Gusu does not bear the Tang’s surname, the Tang family’s young master was not someone to be provoked casually.
Zhao Changhe silently followed with Dragon Sparrow on his back, secretly approving of his great-nephew’s action.
In reality, the door guards weren’t entirely without reason. Tang Buqi’s Bibo Sword’s effect was one thing, but Dragon Sparrow was a blade that had seen countless battles from the founding wars, brimming with ferocious combat intent and genuine malevolent Qi, and it was uncertain whether it would negatively affect Young Master Lu’s condition.
However, ever since Dragon Sparrow followed him into the Worldly Society, aside from occasional warnings, it had been quite well-behaved, rarely showing any proactive battle intent, and had never gone out of control. Could this be related to Cui Wenjing’s special treatment... or perhaps because he had taken Han Wubing’s advice to deliberately suppress and avoid using Dragon Sparrow’s special might?
He hoped that nothing would go awry in this land tainted by Evil Qi.
Just as he was contemplating this, he felt Dragon Sparrow vibrate excitedly on his back.
Following the flow of Qi, he looked ahead to a temple room from which the sound of clanging chains and low, beast-like roars sporadically emanated, accompanied by the continuous chant of sutras and the sound of mokugyo, attempting to subdue the struggles and roars of the chains.
Tang Buqi’s expression grew stern, he grasped the hilt of his sword and slowly ascended the steps.
Zhao Changhe and Sisi followed behind and saw a young master bound in layers of iron chains, his originally delicate features now ferocious like a beast. His eyes flashed with cruelty and madness, tinged with a faint bloody hue—even the whites of his eyes were tinged with a red gleam.
The snarled growls, if given fangs, would be indistinguishable from a wild beast, or perhaps a demon.
Tang Buqi instinctively glanced at Zhao Changhe, who also wore a grim expression.
To an outsider, this state—especially the color of the eyes—resembled Zhao Changhe’s frightening appearance when he used ’Divine Annihilation.’
Zhao Changhe himself knew all too well that this was not the ’Divine Annihilation,’ but rather resembled his own appearance when using the move ’All Under Heaven Without Self.’ At this moment, it was as if he was looking at his own mirror image.
Such a demeanor had once scared a rapist with extensive combat experience to flee in sheer terror; it’s possible that this is even related to Cui Wenjing’s killing intent. The only one who would consider waking him up without any concern was Yangyang.
This was the manifestation of a heart possessed by Blood Evil. For the Blood Evil Skill to reach its greatest power, this was the absolute form; whether this "absolute form" could unleash other Ultimate Skills was another matter.
This Young Master Lu Shaohong had undoubtedly been afflicted by Blood Evil... In this tranquil place of Gusu, where did such severe Blood Evil Qi come from? A passive Blood Evil Skill that could be transmitted from person to person? Then why was no one else affected?