On the third floor of the East Wind Inn, a man in Xiliang official robes sat in the main seat, lowering his head to drink the tea brought by the servant.
This man was about thirty years old. His narrow eyes glanced at Wang Jiu, who was kneeling on the ground, with a look of contempt. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the table and snorted, "No one has ever dared to make this official wait for so long. You've got quite a nerve!"
Wang Jiu was so anxious that cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He knelt down tremblingly and kowtowed vigorously. "My lord magistrate! Every word I said is true! My junior sister will definitely come! And that man will surely follow!"
Lord Nie, the magistrate of Phoenix City, was a sinister and ruthless man. During his years in office, Phoenix City had always been safe and sound, and he had thus won the trust of the King of Xiliang.
However, this magistrate had a special fetish. He was not interested in women but only had a penchant for young men. All the well - known handsome men in Phoenix City, once he took a fancy to them, were all kept as his playthings. He even didn't spare some pretty young boys who were not yet adults.
Wang Jiu's short and thin friend was an intimate follower of Lord Nie, who was specifically responsible for finding all kinds of handsome men for him. After Wang Jiu was publicly humiliated by Shangguan Yun during the day, he happened to meet this friend. After a secret plot between the two of them, they brought Huiniang to the East Wind Inn of Lord Nie to lure Wu Luoluo and the others into the trap.
Lord Nie's venomous and lecherous eyes scanned Wang Jiu, who was kowtowing non - stop, with a sneer. He smiled sardonically and snorted, "Who knows if the handsome man you've boasted about is really that good. If he is indeed as you described, this official will surely reward you handsomely. But if he fails to catch this official's eye, this official will have you thrown out of the window to feed the fish!"
Wang Jiu was so frightened that his face turned ashen. There was a lake outside the window of the East Wind Inn that never froze. It was the coldest time of the year in the first lunar month. If he was thrown into the lake, he was afraid he would freeze to death on the spot! He wasn't afraid that Shangguan Yun wouldn't catch Lord Nie's eye. What he was really afraid of was that Wu Luoluo might not come until it was dark, and the magistrate might not have the patience to wait that long!
Seeing Wang Jiu trembling all over and his face as pale as paper, Wang Jiu's short and thin friend quickly stepped forward, bowed and said, "My lord magistrate, I secretly followed them just now. That man is truly peerless and extremely handsome. He will surely not disappoint you." Afraid of arousing Shangguan Yun's suspicion, he kept a good distance when following the young couple. It was not until there was a commotion in the pharmacy that he squeezed over to take a look.
With just one glance, he was sure that this man would definitely satisfy the magistrate!
Wang Jiu had once said that the handsome young master had excellent martial arts skills and might not be easy to capture. So what? There were so many city - guarding soldiers around the magistrate. Were they still afraid that the handsome young master could fly away?
Lord Nie gave his intimate follower a gentle glance and didn't make things too difficult for Wang Jiu. He waved his hand and told them to retreat.
Only then did Wang Jiu heave a sigh of relief. He followed his friend and staggered downstairs.
Shangguan Yun had a splitting headache. He stumbled all the way back. With Wu Luoluo's support, he returned to the inn and fell headlong onto the bed, fainting.
Wu Luoluo quickly helped him take off his clothes, covered him with a quilt, and only then did she notice that his hands and feet were shockingly cold. She was flustered and quickly gave him acupuncture. After his pulse gradually stabilized, she took off her clothes, climbed into the quilt, and hugged Shangguan Yun tightly around the waist, warming him with her own body temperature.
My young master, you must be safe!
About an hour later, Shangguan Yun's body gradually warmed up. Only then did Wu Luoluo pick up the medicinal materials, get out of bed, and go downstairs to the kitchen. She asked the waiter to help her carry a copper pot to decoct the medicine. Several servants came to help carry out the copper pot, placed it tremblingly in a corner of the kitchen, and started boiling the medicinal soup.
Wu Luoluo thought to herself that after the medicinal soup boiled and cooled down a bit, she would go and bring the young master downstairs for a medicinal bath, then cover him tightly and let him go back to sleep.
After instructing the waiter, she went upstairs and quietly guarded by Shangguan Yun's side.
Shangguan Yun had a splitting headache and was sweating profusely. His body twitched involuntarily from time to time, and his mind was in a complete mess.
Wu Luoluo looked at him with pity. At this moment, the young master must be in great pain! But his pulse was still relatively stable, and she had no way to relieve his headache at this moment.
A torrent of memories crowded into Shangguan Yun's mind, making his head seem about to explode. The Tianchao military camp, the Prince's Mansion, Jiang City in Xiliang, the Battle of Tianhu Lake! Pin Hao, Yu Zixi, and Wei Dongling! These scenes and characters were scrambling around in his mind. At the thought of Wei Dongling, Shangguan Yun felt heart - broken.
Was she okay? Where was she now? Did Zhao Chuanyi and the Xiliang Prince make things difficult for her? What about Yu Zixi? Why didn't he come to rescue her? Did she leave Xiliang alive?
"Dongling!" Shangguan Yun had a nightmare and murmured her name in a daze.
Wu Luoluo was stunned when she heard this. Her nose felt sour, and a tear slid down her cheek. Since the young master already had another woman in his heart, what was she?
Wu Luoluo got up, walked to the window, pushed open the wooden window, and looked out. It was getting dark outside, and there were fewer pedestrians on the road.
Wu Luoluo looked back at Shangguan Yun, stroked his jawline reluctantly, and murmured, "You have a good sleep. I'll go and see my master - wife and come back to find you." Saying this, she tucked in the quilt for Shangguan Yun and then got up and left.
Strange. There was clearly no wind today, and the snow had stopped. Why did she feel that the weather was exceptionally cold?
She had to go back earlier after taking care of her master - wife. At night, the young master's feet could never get warm. She had to go back earlier to warm them for him.
The East Wind Inn was located in the center of Phoenix City. After much wandering, Wu Luoluo finally arrived at the inn. She looked up at this luxurious inn and was secretly surprised. The accommodation fee here must be quite high, right? Her senior brother and sister - in - law were so generous as to stay in such a good inn. It seemed that they must have earned a lot of silver by selling medicinal materials at the end of the year.
Wu Luoluo stepped into the inn and asked the doorman about Wang Jiu's room.
As soon as the innkeeper heard her ask about Wang Jiu, he quickly ordered two odd - job servants to escort Wu Luoluo to the second floor.
"Miss, please wait a moment. We'll go and inform Mr. Wang Jiu right away." The servant bowed and stepped back.
Wu Luoluo stood in the corridor and waited for a long time. Finally, she saw Wang Jiu rushing over in a hurry. Before she could speak, Wang Jiu roared impatiently, "Where's the man who's always with you? Why didn't he come?"
Wu Luoluo looked at him in surprise and asked, "Are you out of your mind? My master - wife is seriously ill. I'm here to take care of her. What does it matter to the young master?"
Wang Jiu was both anxious and angry. His face was flushed red. He roared in a fit of rage, "He's always inseparable from you on weekdays. Now that he's not here, what are you doing here?"
Wu Luoluo: Should I leave then?
Looking at Wang Jiu's crazy appearance, Wu Luoluo vaguely felt that things were not simple. She wasn't sure what tricks Wang Jiu was up to and coldly asked, "I don't have time to waste words with you. Where's my master - wife?"