“The Avengers Alliance.” Lu Dantao pointed her index finger back and forth between the two of them. “You and me, forming an alliance.”
“From now on, we’re allies. We have to share blessings together.”
‘When trouble comes, we each fly our own way. I refuse to share hardships.’ Lu Dantao silently added in her heart.
After hearing this, Xue Yao neither agreed nor refused. He merely curled his lips slightly, then handed the teacup in his hand toward Lu Dantao, lifting his chin toward the table to signal her to put it back.
Lu Dantao shot a glare at the teacup in his hand and pretended not to see his gesture.
She looked straight into Xue Yao’s eyes, her tone sincere. “My name is Lu Dantao. You can call me Dantao.”
Xue Yao nodded. “Miss Lu.”
Then he nudged the teacup in his hand a little closer to her again.
Lu Dantao still pretended not to see it.
What a joke.
She was not a maid. She was here to be a prince, alright.
She leaned a little closer toward Xue Yao and lowered her voice as she asked, “So what should we do next?”
For example, where they should go after leaving this place and the like.
Hearing this, Xue Yao’s gaze fell upon the face before him. The young girl’s apricot eyes were wide open, and within her clear pupils, his figure was distinctly reflected.
His arm paused almost imperceptibly, and inwardly he found it somewhat amusing. Was she too naive, or simply foolish?
To actually probe so openly.
On what basis did she think he would so easily tell her?
He spoke, “Isn’t strategizing precisely Miss Lu’s strength?”
Lu Dantao: “……”
She subconsciously bit her lip. Just now, she had spoken a bit too quickly, but he was the male lead. Shouldn’t things proceed according to his storyline?
How was she supposed to know what he would do next? She was here to ride along and gain credit, not actually start a venture.
She looked at Xue Yao, wanting to try and negotiate a little more.
Unexpectedly, he gave her a deep look, then closed his eyes and leaned against the soft pillow, falling asleep on his own.
Lu Dantao choked for a moment, and a stifling sense of frustration rose within her, just like in a group meeting when she made a few polite remarks out of courtesy, only for all the work to end up dumped on her.
She clenched her small fists and viciously threw a few air punches toward Xue Yao’s pale, handsome face.
After her breathing steadied a little, she was just about to get up and leave when a low voice came from behind her. “Miss Lu.”
Lu Dantao’s body stiffened. Could it be that he had seen her little actions just now…
She slowly turned around, forcing out a fake smile. “Hm?”
She saw Xue Yao leaning against the bed, his complexion still somewhat pale, as he asked, “Miss Lu, do you know me?”
Lu Dantao: ?
What kind of question was that? Hadn’t they just introduced themselves earlier?
She nodded. “Of course I know you.”
Then she broke into an exceptionally bright smile. “You are my dearest ally.”
Xue Yao gazed at the girl standing by the bed. Her expression was natural, without the slightest trace of pretense.
His eyes lowered slightly, doubts surging in his heart.
From earlier, he had already found it strange. The way Lu Dantao looked at him was completely like she was looking at a stranger.
But that was impossible.
Although there was little interaction between the Defender Duke’s Residence and the Jingzhao Prefecture, everyone had grown up in the capital since childhood. Moreover, given how obsessively she had once clung to Pei Di, how could she possibly not know his appearance?
But her behavior just now…
Xue Yao raised his eyes again, scrutinizing the girl’s pair of black-and-white distinct, clear eyes that seemed untouched by the slightest speck of dust.
She was not acting.
She truly did not recognize him.
Amnesia?
He let out a cold laugh inwardly. Pei Di… he really would be capable of such a thing.
“So? My ally.” Seeing his strange expression, Lu Dantao asked somewhat curiously, “Do you have some idea?”
The corners of Xue Yao’s lips curved into an extremely faint arc. He slowly closed his eyes again and tossed out a sentence. “Miss, you know Pei the traitor quite well, so you must naturally know how to swiftly take his dog life. I have no other ideas. I will follow your arrangements entirely.”
Lu Dantao: “……”
Then what was the point of asking that question?
Speechless, she left. As she turned, she glanced once more at the young man’s expression. Three parts indifference, six parts arrogance, and a faint trace of mockery.
Oh. Lu Dantao understood now.
He was deliberately picking a fight, mocking her.
Lu Dantao curled her lips. This male lead was really not the same as described in the original work.
But it did not matter.
Anyway, the analysis post had said that the male lead’s encounter with that strategist would happen within these few days.
Once his injuries were more or less nursed back to health, she would take him out onto the streets.
A great male lead, after all. Just standing there, opportunities would naturally come to him.
At this thought, Lu Dantao’s steps halted. Her gaze swept over the small packet of medicine she had placed on the table earlier when she brought him tea. She remembered the old physician saying that this medicine was meant to help the male lead wake up as soon as possible. But now that he was already awake, could this still be taken?
‘What if it kills him instead.’
She had to go ask.
Lu Dantao picked up the medicine packet and turned to leave the room.
The moment Lu Dantao stepped out, Xue Yao abruptly opened his eyes.
He threw off the covers, got up, and silently moved behind the door, hiding himself within the shadows. His gaze locked onto Lu Dantao’s back as he watched her walk to the main hall, pause for a moment, and then step inside.
Just as Lu Dantao set foot on the steps of the main hall, she saw the old physician bowing and scraping before several men dressed as officers, speaking to them in a low voice about something.
She could not hear clearly what exactly was being said, only vaguely catching the officer saying, “…this is not enough. You need more goods.”
The old physician nodded repeatedly, then stuffed a bulging cloth bundle into the man’s hands. Only after the man accepted it did he respectfully see him off.
Lu Dantao could not help but show a trace of sympathy. No wonder this shop could thrive in Shouzhou, this Gotham-like town, dealing with both the underworld and the authorities.
So that was how it was.
Sure enough, doing business had never been easy, from ancient times to the present. Managing relationships on all sides was indispensable.
Liu Jin bent his back, watching Captain Cai leave. In his heart, he spat in disdain. These dog officials, insatiably greedy, came every ten days or half a month to demand tribute, even more like bandits than actual bandits like them.
They took money, took medicinal herbs, and even seized women.
That Lord Huang was especially ruthless. The number of young girls he had beaten to death was greater than the number of chickens his household consumed. Where was he supposed to find people for him?
Just as he was simmering in frustration, he turned his head and saw Lu Dantao standing alone by the doorway leading to the back courtyard.
Her graceful figure, apricot-shaped face, and peach-blossom cheeks, paired with the pink dress she wore, made her resemble a peach blossom in full bloom.
How had he forgotten that there was such a flower hidden in his backyard?
Liu Jin glanced at the medicine packet in her hand and asked with a smile, “Is something wrong with your elder brother?”
Lu Dantao shook her head. “My brother has already woken up. I wanted to ask, since he’s awake, can this medicine… still be taken?”
“Awake?” Liu Jin showed a look of surprise. He remembered that the young man had been stabbed in the waist and abdomen, quite seriously injured. He had thought the boy would not last more than a few days, so he had been desperately squeezing money out of the siblings.
Unexpectedly, he had actually pulled through, and even woken up this quickly.
He waved his hand. “Since he’s recovered, there’s naturally no need to take the medicine anymore.”
“No need to take the medicine anymore?”
“Of course.”
“Then…” Lu Dantao felt a little embarrassed. “Then can this medicine… be returned?”
The moment the words left her mouth, the tips of Lu Dantao’s ears had already turned hot.
She also knew that this request was a bit unreasonable. After all, the medicinal ingredients were so miscellaneous, all mixed together in one paper packet. Sorting them back out would probably take quite some time.
But she was about to run out of money.
Moreover, this money was not even hers, but the original host’s. Saving a little wherever possible still mattered.
“It can.”
Lu Dantao was astonished. “Really?”
Liu Jin stroked his beard and nodded. “Naturally, it’s real.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully sizing up the girl before him. Her gaze was clear and innocent, as if it had never been tainted by the trivial matters of the world.
She looked… perhaps even easier to deceive than the average young girl.
“You siblings have suffered such misfortune. It is pitiful. As a physician, I will help where I can,” he said, then shifted his tone, speaking earnestly, “But although the medicine can be stopped, you still need to take good care of him in daily life. Regularly consuming medicinal cuisine is the proper way to restore health.”
Lu Dantao murmured, “Medicinal cuisine…”
That sounded expensive. Weren’t such tonics only something the wealthy could afford?
Liu Jin studied her expression and slowly continued, “However, your elder brother does seem to have some affinity with me.”
Lu Dantao looked up in confusion and saw the old physician pointing at the little medicine apprentice dozing under the counter. “My young apprentice is also born with a weak constitution. I usually prepare some medicinal cuisine for him. Coincidentally, there is some stewing on the stove today. If you don’t mind, you can take some back?”
So this little kid was in poor health?
But…
Lu Dantao glanced over at the apprentice’s body, which looked like a Michelin tire.
He did not seem like it at all. Wasn’t he quite sturdy? Did he become like this from eating too much of it?
Such good tonics…
She asked cautiously, “How much would it cost?”
“Ah~” The old physician stroked his long beard. “There’s no need to talk about money. It’s something my young apprentice needs daily anyway. Cooking a bit more would only sit unused. It would be better to share it with you siblings and form a good connection.”
“…..”
Lu Dantao’s eyes lit up.
Free?!
There was actually such a good deal?
She smiled and nodded. “This… isn’t that a bit inappropriate? It’s quite embarrassing.”
Liu Jin chuckled. “No matter, no matter. It can also help accumulate a bit of good fortune for my apprentice. Come along with me.”
The two of them left the main hall one after the other. Liu Jin tilted his head slightly and looked at the delighted expression on Lu Dantao’s face, speaking as if in casual conversation, “Where might Miss be from?”
Lu Dantao replied, “I’m from the capital.”
As the daughter of the Prefect of Jingzhao, the original host was indeed a native of the capital.
Liu Jin’s steps paused slightly. “The capital?”
“A person from the capital, how did you end up in a remote border place like Shouzhou?”
Having just received Liu Jin’s kindness, Lu Dantao did not really want to lie to him. Then she thought of Xue Yao’s arrogant demeanor and decided to push the question onto him instead. She casually made something up. “My brother insisted on coming. My parents are both dead, and my uncle and aunt not only seized our family property but also tried to force my brother to marry someone from my aunt’s family. My brother couldn’t stand it, so he brought me here to look for our maternal uncle.”
“Who would have thought we’d run into bandits on the way.”
Liu Jin did not believe a single word of Lu Dantao’s nonsense. Just from her expression alone, he could tell she was lying without even listening. What he cared about was that one line in her words, silently mulling it over in his mind. “Your brother insisted on coming…”
*
Hearing footsteps approaching, Xue Yao slipped behind the door and glanced out, catching sight of Lu Dantao and an old man dressed as a physician coming out from the main hall and heading straight toward the kitchen in the courtyard.
He waited until their figures disappeared into the kitchen, then swept his sharp gaze around. Seeing that the surroundings were unusually quiet, with no sign of anyone watching, he silently stepped forward a few paces and concealed himself perfectly behind a pile of clutter outside the kitchen window, turning his head slightly to look inside.
He saw Lu Dantao standing beside the old physician, craning her neck as she listened to him point at a clay pot nearby and say, “This is the one.”
Meanwhile, another rough, dark hand reached out from the side to lift the lid for the two of them.
Xue Yao tilted his head slightly. The owner of that hand was a burly man dressed like a servant.
His gaze slowly traveled upward along the hand holding the ladle, settling on the servant’s face—
Xue Yao’s pupils suddenly contracted, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits in an instant.
He recognized this man’s face!
Xue Yao had seen him before.
The reason he had suffered such severe injuries was because they had been ambushed by bandits on the way, and the very bandit who had plunged a long blade into his waist and abdomen back then was this man!
Only, at that time, the man had looked fierce and vicious, whereas now he appeared humble, his face full of ingratiating smiles.
Xue Yao subconsciously covered the faintly aching wound at his waist and abdomen.
The back of his head rested against the cold wall as his gaze, icy as frost, shot toward the three people gathered inside the kitchen.
The rich aroma of the medicinal cuisine simmering on the stove mixed with the crisp clatter of bowls and chopsticks, drifting out through the gaps of the window.
Along with it came Lu Dantao’s unmistakably clear question, “…as long as he drinks it, that’s enough?”
“Of course,” the old physician replied with a smile. “Miss, rest assured. This medicinal cuisine will be most effective for him.”