Chapter 48: Repayment?
When Chu Qing returned to his small courtyard, the assassin's corpse was still lying where it had fallen, a pitiful sight beneath the cold moonlight.
He glanced at it silently, then stepped inside.
Wen Rou was still seated cross-legged on the bed, meditating. Hearing his footsteps, she opened her eyes, her voice weak. "You're back."
"Mm."
Chu Qing took a small vial from his robe and tossed it to her. "The antidote."
Wen Rou uncorked the bottle, swallowed a pill, and circulated her internal energy.
As he watched the black miasma on the back of her hand slowly fade away, Chu Qing turned and went outside, grabbed a shovel, and began to dig in the courtyard.
After a short while, he had carved out a deep pit.
He checked the assassin's body one last time but found nothing of value. With no better option, he dragged the corpse into the hole and shoveled the dirt back over it.
Once the soil was packed firm, Chu Qing exhaled softly. "Seems even grave-digging isn't an easy trade."
There were people in the martial world known as "burial men" — those who sought neither fame nor fortune, dedicating their lives to burying the unclaimed corpses of those slain in jianghu conflicts.
He had seen such people once before — silent and withdrawn, some carrying coffins, others a simple grass mat at their waist.
Perhaps because they spent so long among the dead, an eerie chill always clung to them.
Shaking his head, Chu Qing set down the shovel and went back inside to check on Wen Rou.
Just as he approached her, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, glanced at him weakly, then rolled her eyes and collapsed onto the bed.
Startled, Chu Qing immediately checked her pulse, only to sigh in relief moments later.
The poison was purged — her body was merely exhausted.
"So, you've fallen asleep? Really treating me like a good person now? You sleep there, then where do I sleep?"
He nudged her twice, but she didn't stir. Her face still bore traces of pain, but her breathing was steady.
Knowing she had merely fallen into deep unconsciousness, he sighed again, pulled a blanket over her, and stepped outside.
Grabbing two chairs, he sat cross-legged in the courtyard and began cultivating.
The night passed quietly.
By dawn, Chu Qing's ears twitched — he heard movement from the room.
Knowing Wen Rou had woken, he stood, stretched, and his bones crackled audibly after a long night's stillness.
Entering the room, he saw Wen Rou clutching the blanket, sitting against the wall. When she looked up at him, her gaze was puzzled. "Who exactly are you? You smell a little like the Chu family's eldest son… but not quite the same."
"Your nose is really that sharp?"
Chu Qing raised an eyebrow.
Wen Rou nodded. "Very."
"So if you've met someone before, no matter what disguise they wear, you can still recognize them?"
"As long as their scent doesn't change, I'll know them anywhere."
Chu Qing thought for a moment, then said, "Wait here."
He went to the kitchen, cooked two bowls of thin porridge, added a few pickled vegetables, and brought one back to her.
Wen Rou licked her lips, glanced at him again, then quietly began eating.
"When you're done, leave this place," Chu Qing said, eating his own share.
She didn't argue — just gave a soft "Mm."
After a moment, though, she looked up again. "But… you saved my life."
"So what?"
Chu Qing looked at her blankly.
"My master says a life-saving grace should be repaid with oneself."
Her tone was calm, her eyes unflinching — yet the words were enough to make any man's heart race.
Fortunately, Chu Qing was no naïve youth. He chuckled. "Are you sure you're not confusing 'repaying kindness' with 'seeking revenge'?"
"?"
When Wen Rou looked at Chu Qing again, the confusion in her eyes deepened.
"Stop overthinking," Chu Qing said softly. "You and I are strangers who met by chance. Saving your life was fate, not a transaction."
Still, he couldn't help feeling speechless inside. Had he somehow offended the peach blossoms lately?
First Xia Wanshuang, and now Wen Rou—what was this situation?
Women were like quagmires, and given his current position, he absolutely couldn't afford to sink into one.
After a brief pause, Wen Rou said nothing more. She quickly finished the porridge, her complexion improving noticeably.
Lifting the blanket aside, she stood up. "Then I'll take my leave."
"Mm."
Chu Qing nodded, but as she was about to step out, he called after her. "Wait."
"You want me to repay you with myself now?" Wen Rou turned and asked calmly.
"…Can you please forget about that nonsense?"
Just how worried was Cui Bunu that this girl wouldn't get married? What kind of strange teachings had he been feeding her?
Every time she was saved, it was like he'd been scammed into a lifelong entanglement.
Chu Qing said quietly, "If you truly wish to repay me, then promise me one thing."
"Alright," Wen Rou replied seriously.
"Never come looking for me again. You, or anyone you know—none of you are allowed to come here."
His tone was firm.
Her special constitution was a problem. He had the nagging feeling that even if he moved away, it wouldn't make a difference—she could simply track him down by scent.
Better to be direct now than to waste time hiding later.
Wen Rou thought for a moment. "Alright."
Hearing that, Chu Qing waved a hand dismissively, and she finally turned and left.
Watching her fading figure, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
His instincts as an assassin made him naturally suspicious.
She had agreed too easily—could she really be trusted to keep her word?
Unfortunately, he didn't have a good way to deal with her. Their relationship was tangled beyond reason—he couldn't fight her, and he certainly couldn't kill her. What a bother.
Still, over the next two days, Wen Rou really didn't return. It seemed she had taken his words to heart.
Chu Qing went about his routine as usual—training in the morning, cultivating at night, and slipping over to the grain store at midnight to meet Zhou Yi. Sometimes to dissolve the demonic seed, sometimes to check if Wu Qianhuan had left a message.
He wasn't in a hurry about Cheng Sihai. As long as the man remained in Tianwu City, Chu Tian would eventually find him.
Sure enough, by the next evening, Chu Qing received news from Chu Tian.
It was a long message, but Chu Qing summarized it quickly.
Cheng Sihai was currently hiding in the Liu family estate.
The Liu family wasn't a martial clan. Its head, Liu Dafu, was a wealthy merchant of Tianwu City—his background similar to that of Xia Wanshuang's family.
Cheng Sihai, under the alias Ji Changchun, was serving as Liu Dafu's advisor.
Meanwhile, the Four Guardians had taken positions as Liu family guards.
Whether the Liu family's master was aware of their true identities remained uncertain.
Of course, none of that mattered much to Chu Qing.
All he needed to know was where Cheng Sihai was.
(End of Chapter)
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