cold clothes

The argument between Lengyi and Qingchun quickly attracted the attention of everyone in Butterfly Dance Pavilion. Most of the second-class girls in Warm Breeze Pavilion knew Ningbi, and they knew Qingchun even better. They were all surprised to see the two arguing and looked at each other in disbelief.

Leng Yi's words successfully enraged Qing Chun, who sneered, "Since you've come to Zhuoyu Pavilion, you still don't know who I am? Utterly foolish, don't you think? Yun Qiu."

When asked, Yunqiu smiled gently and said, "Ningbi has only been at Zhuoyu Pavilion for a few days. You have been busy with other matters and haven't been able to attend classes during this time, so it's understandable that she doesn't recognize you." Then she said to Lengyi, "Ningbi, this is Qingchun, one of the most beautiful courtesans. She is your calligraphy and painting teacher."

"Huh? It's the courtesan Haruharu?" Leng Yi seemed startled, but she refused to apologize and said defiantly, "Hmph, you didn't even attend the class for two days while playing with the guests. What kind of teacher is that?"

"You!" Qingchun stood up angrily, wishing she could tear Lengyi's mouth apart immediately. Yunqiu quickly got up and comforted her, "Don't be angry, she's just a child."

"What kind of arrogant girl is Fengxiang Pavilion? Does she deserve to be the top courtesan?" Qingchun said angrily to Yunqiu, then walked up to Lengyi: "I'm going to teach you a lesson today, you..."

Qingchun stopped staring at the hairpin in Lengyi's hair, then looked closely and shouted, "That's my hairpin in your hair! You actually stole something!"

"This is my hairpin!" Seeing Qingchun make a move to pull the hairpin out of her hair, Lengyi hurriedly reached out to protect it and took a few steps back, but lost her balance and fell to the ground. The sudden fall, whether real or not, almost brought tears to Lengyi's eyes.

Qingchun quickly pulled out the hairpin, and upon seeing the pattern on it, she confirmed that it was hers. "This is clearly mine. Tell me, where did you steal it from?"

"This is mine, I didn't steal it!"

"Still being stubborn? Guards!" In a fit of rage, Qingchun ordered her personal maid to drag Lengyi to the torture chamber, but Yunqiu stopped her.

Yunqiu: "Qingchun, calm down. How would I know where your Qingyun Pavilion is? And how could I possibly steal your things?"

Qingchun: "But how come my hairpin is with her?"

Yunqiu: "Therefore, something is amiss, and we should investigate this carefully."

Qingchun regained some of her composure, but still said, "This Ningbi is too arrogant, I must teach her a lesson."

"If I don't leave now, when will I?" Leng Yi saw that Qing Chun's anger level was almost at its peak, and it was time for her to slip away; being caught now wasn't the time to wait. So she made a hasty retreat, taunting as she left, "You stole my hairpin, I won't let you get away with this!"

Qingchun: "—You brat!"

Yunqiu: "Don't be angry, don't be angry."

-

"Ha ha--"

Leng Yi ran out of Nuanfeng Pavilion in one breath and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was chasing after her.

My heart was still pounding. The feeling of having done something wrong was really unpleasant. Yun Qiu was truly cunning to an extreme. On the surface, she was all smiles and laughter, acting like best friends, but behind my back, she stabbed me in the back.

Next came the final step in the plan: Leng Yi went to the herbal medicine shop pretending to steal poison. With witnesses, physical evidence, and a motive, she was firmly framed.

"Dr. Xie, are you there?" Leng Yi knocked on the door, but there was no answer, so she pushed the door open and went in herself.

Nobody's here, great! The plan has fewer flaws now. Leng Yi relaxed, and as soon as she relaxed, she felt sleepy. She'd sleep here for a while before going to class.

Leng Yi lay down on the tatami mat and fell asleep immediately.

Not long after Leng Yi fell asleep, two men entered. She had seen both men before: one was Qing You, who had amazed everyone at the selection competition, and the other was the gray-clad boy she had met at the herbal medicine hall.

The gray-clad youth was thin and sallow, with purple eyes and lips, looking gravely ill and on the verge of death. Qingyou couldn't help but ask, "Has the young master's illness worsened?"

The gray-clad youth laughed: "You fooled even me? Not at all, this was a deliberate disguise."

"That's good." Qingyou nodded and said seriously, "Young Master's poison was brought from his mother's womb. Even though most of the poison has been eliminated over the years, you still need to take good care of yourself and your martial arts skills cannot be neglected."

"Haha, you've hit the nail on the head. I came here specifically to spar with Brother Qingyou. I haven't practiced in a long time and I'm itching to get my hands dirty."

"I'd be happy to accompany you on your journey."

"Wait a moment, let me change my clothes first." The gray-clad youth said and went into the room, but not long after, he came out in the same clothes, with a slightly strange expression, and said, "I've thought about it and I don't want to change. Let's go to an open space to practice our swordsmanship."

Qingyou found it strange but didn't think much of it. "Fine."

-

The gray-clad youth and Qingyou had a wonderful time practicing swordsmanship at Langya Pavilion, working up a good sweat. When he returned to his room in the herbal medicine hall after saying goodbye to Qingyou, he was stunned to see the girl still fast asleep. He turned to Doctor Xie, who had already returned, and said helplessly, "Aunt Fang, why hasn't this girl woken up yet?"

Doctor Xie said with a smile, "Ningbi is sleeping so soundly that I can't bear to disturb her."

"But I want to change my clothes..." The boy looked conflicted, and finally said helplessly, "I'll go to Brother Qingyou's place instead."

Seeing the young man return after his departure:?

Fortunately, Qingyou was not a gossipy person and did not question the boy's unpredictable behavior. He even borrowed some of the boy's clothes from a few years ago. So the boy returned wearing a white robe that was unusually large compared to his thin frame, and he even washed his face, making him look much healthier.

He pondered for a while at the girl who had slept in his bed twice, but ultimately came up with no clue. He only noticed that the girl was several times prettier than she had been a month ago, so he could only sit aside and read.

Leng Yi had a sweet sleep, and when she woke up, she was still feeling restless and wanted to continue sleeping carefree, but that was no longer possible. She stretched comfortably, and then turned her head and noticed the white-clad boy sitting next to her.

The scene seemed familiar, but both the boy and she had changed. She was now perfectly lucid, and the boy noticed her immediately, instead of being engrossed in his book.

The young man before her was dressed in white, with a handsome face, quite different from the previous person who wore gray and had a pale complexion. Yet, their faces had completely overlapped. Leng Yi blinked and said, "It's you?"

"Am I that hard to recognize?" the young man said calmly, avoiding Leng Yi's gaze.

"You've become quite handsome," Leng Yi said lightly, getting up to put on her shoes.

The boy glanced at the cold-clothed, white-socked feet and looked away as if he'd been electrocuted. The words "You've become more beautiful" were on his throat, but he swallowed them back down. He said somewhat awkwardly, "Clothes make the man, and besides, I'm borrowing someone else's clothes."

"I see, no wonder it doesn't fit quite right." Leng Yi glanced at the boy's loose-fitting clothes. The loose clothes paired with his slender figure made him look a bit delicate, especially in a place like a brothel. Leng Yi immediately thought of something unpleasant.

"What's your name?" Leng Yi bent down and asked.