The Reticent Blade-Chapter 102 - The Graceful Lady

"Are you saying that the weapon of Stormqueller is forged from the Deep Sea Profound Iron you gave him?" The beautiful woman, Yang Lu, placed a finger on her lips in thought, appearing quite charming.

"That's right." Impending Sword lowered his head to look at the faint marks left on the table where "Stormqueller" was written with medicinal dregs. "If he assists us this time, things will surely be much simpler."

"Well~" Yang Lu propped herself on the table and helplessly shrugged at Baili Gucheng. "It's a pity he's an imperial fugitive now, fleeing for his life. Who knows where he could be?"

As Yang Lu spoke, she walked to the door and turned back to Baili Gucheng, asking, "There is more medicine ready. Let me get you some more. Is there anything else you need me to get?"

Baili Gucheng didn't turn his head, merely waving his hand to signal her to leave.

"Hmph." Yang Lu pouted.

Bang!

The door slammed shut, startling Baili Gucheng. When he turned to look, he could only see the firmly shut door.

He leaned out the window to take a look. Sure enough, Yang Lu's figure appeared on the street below before long. It seemed she knew Baili Gucheng would be watching her from upstairs. She turned back and shot him a glare before disappearing into the crowd.

From a distance, Baili Gucheng could almost hear the snort that escaped Yang Lu's nose. He muttered to himself, "How strange..."

***

Su Yi finished his work at the Hanlin Academy early today and headed home.

With the New Year approaching, the streets were livelier than usual. Many homes and shops had begun decorating and hanging red lanterns.

However, there was no trace of festivity in Su Yi. He had been feeling quite troubled lately, as his investigation into the war between the two countries had stalled. Additionally, he couldn't settle down because the "villain" next door was always weighing on his mind.

No matter how he looked at it, his new neighbour certainly didn’t seem like a good person. Every time he thought of that day, when that person nearly choked him to death, Su Yi ground his teeth in anger.

Such palpable murderous intent was certainly not something a normal person was capable of possessing.

Su Yi was worried that his mother lived next door to that person, so he had been coming home early lately.

As he passed by a pharmacy, Su Yi suddenly remembered that his mother had recently caught a cold and had been complaining of knee pain.

Su Yi turned and entered the pharmacy.

The pharmacy was not crowded, the doctor had just finished taking a pulse for one person and was instructing his assistant to fetch some medicinal herbs.

Su Yi stepped forward. "Sir, could you please—"

A melodious voice interrupted Su Yi from behind and said, "Sir, could you please fetch me some medicine?"

Su Yi turned around, and then he was dumbfounded.

He never imagined that there could be such a breathtakingly beautiful woman in the world. For a moment, it seemed as if everything else lost its color like the world lacked the confidence to compete with her brilliance.

The woman wore a pale pink and white dress, with the sash around her waist and skirt fluttering with the wind. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her large, expressive eyes always seemed to be smiling.

She had a delicate nose and a cherry-red mouth that formed a lovely arc. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down to her waist.

Su Yi was only puzzled that this woman was holding a pale pink oil-paper umbrella despite the clear blue sky.

While Su Yi was in a daze, the woman brushed past him, leaving a fragrant breeze in her wake. She approached the pharmacist and began listing several herbs with the ease of an expert.

"Hmm... you should still have these herbs, right? Spine Date Seed, Polygala, Angelica Root, Safflower, and Cattail..."

Su Yi felt as if he were in a trance as he was absorbed by her voice. The fragrance she carried made his mouth dry.

Su Yi turned around, and the woman stood in front of him, just within reach.

With a gulp, Su Yi swallowed hard and nervously reached out to gently tap the lovely lady on her shoulder, "Um, miss..."

The woman was listing the names of the herbs when she was interrupted. She turned her head and saw Su Yi standing behind her. He looked as if he wanted to stare but did not dare to meet her gaze.

"Hmm?" The woman blinked her beautiful eyes. "What do you want?"

Su Yi's mouth fell open, his mind blank. At this moment, he realized his extensive scholarly education was failing him. He couldn't find a reason to speak. Why did I call her? Heaven knows... What was I going to say? Can I tell her I fell in love with her at first sight and would only marry her? Oh no, she would definitely report me and have me arrested!

"I, I... um..." Su Yi felt his heart was about to leap from his throat, his face burning with anxiety, but he just couldn't find the words to say.

The woman looked at Su Yi, who was blushing and fidgeting, as if he was suffering from unexpressed anguish.

"Um..." The woman subtly stepped aside, pointing to the pharmacist behind her, "How about... you go first?" After saying that, she quickly turned to grab the doctor's sleeve, shouting, "Doctor, please take a look at him... he looks like he’s about to faint!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yi felt his vision darkening, wishing he could actually faint.

But he couldn't faint just yet, nor did he want to.

"Miss!" Su Yi finally mustered the courage to speak.

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"Uh?" The woman turned to look. "Are you... okay?"

"N-no, I'm fine..." Su Yi's face was flushed as he looked down at his toes to try to compose himself. With some effort, he managed to stammer, "Thank you, miss, for your concern..."

"Doctor, please prepare all the herbs I just mentioned." The woman's voice came through, and Su Yi looked up... she hadn't been listening to him at all.

A sense of frustration he had never felt before surged in Su Yi's heart.

Su Yi took a deep breath and raised his voice. "Miss!"

The woman turned back again, but her brows were furrowed as she said, "Why are you so noisy? If you have something to say, just say it. Don't cling to me."

Su Yi seemed not to hear the impatience in her tone. He licked his dry lips and said, "I am Su Yi, of the Su family... Today, I am very pleased to see you, and may I ask for your name and where you live—"

"Are you crazy?" The woman frowned, vexed by the stranger constantly coming onto her. After throwing out those three words, she grabbed the bag of medicine and prepared to leave.

Seeing the woman about to leave, Su Yi was immediately alarmed and hurriedly reached out to grab her sleeve, "Miss, wait..."

"Back off!" The woman raised her hand only slightly, but Su Yi felt as if he had been forcefully pushed, and he stumbled backward.

Thud.

A dull sound rang out, but instead of falling to the ground as expected, Su Yi crashed into someone and was kept from falling on his butt.

Su Yi quickly steadied himself, turned, and bowed in gratitude, "Thank you... why are you here!"

Ye Beizhi waved his hand, looking in the direction the woman had left.

Su Yi frowned and sniffed. "Are you injured?"

The strong medicinal scent on Ye Beizhi was obvious to everyone, but he did not answer Su Yi's question. Instead, he pointed toward the direction the woman had left and asked, "Who is that person?"

Su Yi scoffed, "Hah, what’s it to you?"

Ye Beizhi shook his head and walked straight to the pharmacy assistant, leaving behind a few words of advice. "If you don’t know her, don’t provoke her."

"Provoke? What do you mean?" Su Yi was instantly angry. "Do you think I'm like you, a brute? Always causing trouble? Your injuries were also from fighting, weren't they?"

Ye Beizhi shook his head, unwilling to engage with him. But Su Yi came over and continued, "Besides, a graceful lady is a gentleman's ideal partner. Why can't I..."

Before he could finish, Ye Beizhi interrupted, "She is a good woman... but that doesn't mean you should try her."

"Hmm?" Su Yi raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

"That woman is no weakling," Ye Beizhi said, holding his own bag of medicine. As he passed by Su Yi, he gave him a deep look. "If you want to stay alive... it's best to stay away from her."

Su Yi gazed at the figure walking out of the pharmacy, dumbfounded.