Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Following my master is my life's work...

Even through the screen, Fu Huaiqing could sense the girl's joy, not a trace of drowsiness. The tension in his heart relaxed slightly.

After a long silence from her master, Bie Zhi felt puzzled. She glanced sideways at her master, intending to ask what was going on, but saw him staring at the screen in silence, as if a thug had suddenly appeared on the side of the road and snatched away his only meat bun.

She followed his gaze, but aside from the screen's apparent value, there wasn't much to stare at. After a moment's hesitation, she lifted her eyes to gaze at the shadowy figure behind it.

Could such a deep resentment be directed at her master?

At this thought, Bie Zhi felt that she had been unconscious for too long, and not far from madness. Based on her years of observation, her master was truly loyal to her master.

If her master said to go south, her master would never stray even a whit from the south.

However, Biezhi could sense that her master didn't seem angry, nor did he intend to blame her for her incompetence. He was surrounded by a gentle warmth, a warmth that made her feel like a spring breeze.

She hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Master."

The man behind the screen hummed, as if he had been waiting.

Biezhi's heart, which had been slightly tense, relaxed. She asked politely and sweetly, "Can we discuss something?"

The clever, obedient voice was unlike anything Fu Huaiqing had ever heard, not even when he was pretending to be Ji Ran. It had a hint of flattery. He frowned, "Go ahead."

His slowly rising voice suddenly dropped slightly, as if he disliked her words. Biezhi paused for a moment, then recovered her composure. "Master," she said, "the task of secretly protecting Xu Wenche has been handed over to Senior Brother." She pursed her lips and smiled. "Then my—"

The girl's voice deliberately stretched out, but she didn't finish, an expression that was only understood but not expressed.

Fu Huaiqing understood.

He couldn't help but laugh at the girl behind the screen, blinking her almond-shaped eyes. He cleared his throat and said, "Two thousand taels for more than half a month, are you satisfied?"

Of course Biezhi was satisfied!

She had already prepared herself for only getting five hundred taels, but now it had quadrupled. How could she not be satisfied?

Fearing that the man would change his mind, Biezhi nodded hurriedly, "Thank you for your consideration, Master. You are the most handsome man in the world, with the best voice, the best personality, and the most efficient way of dealing with things. I am so lucky to be under your command. Following you is the best decision I have ever made in my life."

Fu Huaiqing's eyes twitched: "..."

He felt that it sounded a bit hypocritical.

Every word seemed to be a compliment, but in fact, every word was filled with deep meaning.

But seeing the joy on her face, the atmosphere around her was filled with morning light, just like her mood. If he weren't there, she would probably jump for joy.

Thinking of this scene, a subtle smile flashed in Fu Huaiqing's eyes.

Qingshan, who was standing behind the screen, took in the faint smile on the man's face. He was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at the refreshed girl, and suddenly understood.

Wang Chuan was blind and kept spreading false information to her.

He said that the master would be scolded eight times a day by Biezhi, and every day for ten days, there would be no repeat. If the master had not been busy with important matters, she would have been imprisoned and tortured every day for interrogation.

Qingshan now felt that someone else was imprisoned.

Fu Huaiqing looked at her for a long time, making sure that she was full of energy and not feeling unwell. Then he remembered Qin Xiao and Su Ci who were still waiting for him in the palace.

He gave Qingshan a look and stood up.

Biezhi watched the man's back through the screen, her heart leaping with joy. Just as she was about to glance over to her master about setting aside a thousand taels for the wedding, she caught a glimpse of her master turning around. She instantly shut her mouth, her eyes widening slightly at his sudden behavior.

A moment later, she heard him say, "I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

Biezhi was puzzled.

He could go, no one was stopping him. She

had never seen him so polite before.

Pondering, Biezhi met two thoughtful gazes. Both her master and Qingshan looked at her intently with meaningful expressions.

Biezhi blinked lightly.

The man had not yet left. Even the screen could not hide his elegant and distinguished figure.

She was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay?"

As she finished speaking, the man's clear voice brushed past her ears. He smiled softly before turning and leaving.

Seeing this, Biezhi was stunned.

Was he really speaking to me with such casual politeness?!

No…

Biezhi subconsciously glanced outside the door.

The sky was clear, everything was normal, and there was no sign of red rain.

If someone shows unwarranted attention, they are either a traitor or a thief.

"Is he—" Biezhi said, then suddenly caught sight of Qingshan, still standing there. He silently stopped the words on his lips and looked at him with a smile. "Anything else?"

Qingshan opened his mouth, but hesitated for a long time.

Under the girl's increasingly intense gaze, he began to speak kindly to his master. "Actually, the master has been very busy lately. He rushed here as soon as he heard you woke up, and now he's rushing back to attend to official business."

Qingshan paused for a moment, then added, "The master is very concerned about you."

Biezhi listened with a chill down her spine.

She stared at the man in amazement, muttering, "That's not necessary."

The King of Hell had suddenly changed his nature, becoming not only strange but also terrifying.

Qingshan remained silent, looking Biezhi up and down with a strange look in his eyes before changing the subject: "There's something else I need your approval for before I can proceed."

Hearing it was serious business, Biezhi suppressed the lingering strangeness and said solemnly, "Please speak."

Qingshan took out the deed she had left at her mountain retreat some time ago.

Without him even saying a word, Biezhi could tell at a glance what the neatly folded paper was.

As expected, Qingshan spoke slowly, "I'll deduct the five hundred taels you owe me from your two thousand taels and give you the remaining fifteen hundred taels. What do you think?"

He spoke slowly, and Biezhi heard him clearly. Her eyelashes trembled rhythmically with each word.

She had signed the deed herself and purchased the information herself, so there was no reason for her to run away from the bill.

Despite the pain, she nodded and accepted Qingshan's proposal.

Qingshan breathed a sigh of relief. If Biezhi refused, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Watching him leave, Biezhi sighed deeply and walked back silently.

Lingfeng followed her, listening to her sighs all the way. His right eyelid twitched uncontrollably. "It's only five hundred taels. I can earn it back later."

"Master, you don't understand." Biezhi paused, curling her lips. "I don't seek exceptional value for money, as long as it's worth it. I never imagined I'd spent five hundred taels on a piece of useless paper."

"What do you mean by five hundred taels on a piece of useless paper?"

Mingzhe's voice drifted from the distance.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck Biezhi. She abruptly raised her eyes to gaze at her smiling senior brother, and before her master could speak, she spoke, "It's a piece of useless paper to me, but not to you, senior brother."

Mingzhe was bewildered.

Lingfeng instantly understood what she was about to do. He couldn't help but chuckle at her, then waved away, "You two senior brothers, chat. I won't be with you."

"Master," Mingzhe said, returning to report on Xu Wenche's matter. Seeing his master leave, he hurried to follow. However, before he had taken three steps, his sleeve was firmly grasped. He turned back and met the sparkling eyes of his junior sister.

Biezhi grabbed her brother's sleeve with her uninjured hand, preventing him from escaping, blinking eagerly: "I'll just delay you for half a cup of tea."

Ever since she was a child, Mingzhe couldn't stand her gaze like that.

He smiled helplessly and said, "Tell me, what are you planning to trick me into doing next?"

"That's wrong, brother. How can you call it a trick when it comes to things between brothers and sisters?" Seeing that he agreed, Biezhi withdrew her hand, the small dimple at the corner of her mouth faintly visible, and asked very obediently: "Brother, do you need all the information about Xu Wenche since he was born?"

"If you really have it, of course I want it," Mingzhe said. He was now worried about where to start.

Seeing his immediate acceptance, Biezhi extended her hand and gestured with the number "Two hundred and fifty taels. How about that?"

Mingzhe: "..."

Biezhi struck while the iron was hot. "It's going for five hundred taels out there, so I'll sell it to you for two hundred and fifty taels. And I'll give you all the details of his whereabouts for the past two weeks, every detail."

"It's just a piece of information, how can it be worth five hundred taels?" Mingzhe frowned, suddenly remembering his early years. He looked at her and asked, "Are you being taken advantage of again?"

Biezhi, wounded, suddenly calmed down.

After a moment, she feigned toughness and said, "Just tell me whether you want to buy it or not."

Mingzhe laughed, knowing that she was acting like she'd force a deal on him if he didn't buy it, but in reality, even if he disagreed, she'd have the information within half a day.

In half a cup of tea, Biezhi had saved two hundred and fifty taels.

Her annoyance eased considerably.

The senior brother went inside to report Xu Wenche's news to the master. Biezhi had nothing to do with the matter now and didn't want to get too involved. She watched him leave and then walked along the main road to the villa gate.

Before she could leave, two guards guarding the gate approached to stop her.

The guards looked like someone Biezhi had never seen before. Even when they tried to stop her, they avoided her, their righteous demeanor devoid of murderous intent, unlike the secret guards trained in the building. Biezhi

had other matters to attend to, and she knew that they, like herself, were following orders. She said simply, "I'm planning to go out. Whose orders are you taking?"

The two guards had been sent to the hot spring villa a while ago. Previously, they had been in the palace, so they naturally followed the orders of His Highness Prince Su. However, they would certainly not disclose this to anyone. Instead of answering, they asked, "Where are you going, and who are you meeting?"

Their question stumped Biezhi.

She was planning to visit Prince Su. He had saved her life, so it would be wrong not to personally express her gratitude. However, the two men before her were of unknown origin.

Biezhi thought for a moment and said, "Looking for Ji Ran at the Five Flavors Shop of Zhuque Gate."

The guard's eyes fixed on the girl for a moment. Jiang Yue, who had just followed His Royal Highness Prince Su, had repeatedly warned that if the girl in the pavilion wanted to see a man named Ji Ran, they must find ways to stop her.

He shook his head decisively and refused, "No."

His tone was crisp and decisive, without any communication.

Biezhi was silent and said she wanted to see her senior brother. Unexpectedly,

before she finished saying the name of her senior brother Jing Qing, the guard rejected her again.

She said she wanted to see Fang Tingzhi and Qin Xiao, and as expected, they were both rejected.

After going back and forth several times, Biezhi was tired and didn't want to argue with them. She said lifelessly, "Go to the palace to see Prince Su."

As soon as the words fell, the two people who were blocking her way immediately made way.