The Aloof and Pure-hearted Killer: She’s Too Innocent
The next day, at the hour of Hai.
After confirming once more that he had shaken off all his pursuers, Zhan Kong leaped down from the eaves and landed outside the desolate courtyard.
He knocked on the courtyard gate.
Footsteps approached, and then the wooden gate was pushed open.
Yuyi Yue’s eyes held a faint trace of amusement:
“You’re really punctual.”
There was less than two hours left until the end of the day.
He had finally arrived as promised.
Fang Xun’gui awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose:
“Handing over the mission took some time.”
He took a pouch from his waist and handed it to Yuyi Yue:
“Two hundred taels.”
Yuyi Yue had saved Fang Xun’gui’s life but didn’t ask him to kill anyone for her.
Fang Xun’gui disliked owing favors and didn’t know how else to repay such a debt. Settling it with money was the best option.
He had added an extra hundred or so taels of silver.
But Yuyi Yue didn’t seem very pleased.
Yuyi Yue frowned:
“Two hundred taels…”
Fang Xun’gui quickly added:
“If it’s not enough, I’ll go back and get more.”
Even though his own life wasn’t worth much, it was only right to pay his savior a little extra.
But Yuyi Yue’s expression grew even stranger. She sighed and gestured for Fang Xun’gui to come inside first.
Confused, Fang Xun’gui could only follow Yuyi Yue back into the desolate courtyard.
The fallen leaves under the weeping willow had been swept up, with yellow leaves piled beside the stone table under the tree. Several stacks of wood and bundles of thatch had been added to the yard.
Fang Xun’gui glanced around, suppressing his confusion as he followed Yuyi Yue further inside.
When they reached the room where he had once stayed, Fang Xun’gui stopped at the doorway.
Noticing that Fang Xun’gui hadn’t followed, Yuyi Yue turned back and asked:
“What’s wrong?”
Fang Xun’gui simply shook his head: “It’s not appropriate for me to enter.”
After all, this could be considered Yuyi Yue’s room. He wasn’t sick or injured now, so there was no reason for him to go in again.
Yuyi Yue showed a helpless expression:
“Come in. This will take some time, and I can check your wound again while we’re at it.”
With that, Yuyi Yue crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, calmly staring at Fang Xun’gui with an air of “if you don’t follow me, I won’t go in either.”
Once again, Fang Xun’gui felt a strange sense of helplessness.
Why couldn’t he ever win against her?
Once inside, Fang Xun’gui’s eyes flickered slightly.
The dilapidated wooden table in the room had been replaced with a new one, flanked by two brand-new wooden chairs, thoughtfully fitted with soft cushions.
Some of the moss on the walls had been cleared away, and a display shelf had been placed against the newly exposed area, scattered with various bottles and jars.
The bed was still the same one Fang Xun’gui had slept on before.
Noticing Fang Xun’gui’s somewhat surprised gaze, Yuyi Yue said:
“I’m planning to renovate this small courtyard. Starting with this room.”
Fang Xun’gui was puzzled:
“Why not just buy a new courtyard? You shouldn’t be short on money, right?”
Yuyi Yue shook her head:
“The address of this desolate courtyard was given to me by my Master. She said an old friend of hers once lived here. That friend later fell on hard times, and this courtyard fell into disrepair before eventually being passed to my Master.
“Later, my Master gave me the deed to this courtyard. I really like it here—it’s secluded enough, and the layout is beautiful. With a little decoration, it’ll make a very nice place to live, and it’ll be convenient for me to open a clinic here later.”
Fang Xun’gui was even more confused:”This area is near Linyue City. If you want to open a medical clinic, wouldn’t it be more suitable to set it up there?”
Yuyi Yue smiled and replied:
“The clinic will be in the city, but I want to live here. The clinic is the clinic, and home is home—they’re not the same.”
“Home.”
This overly unfamiliar word erased all of Fang Xun’gui’s questions.
It also reminded him, a person without a home, that he shouldn’t concern himself with so many matters unrelated to him.
“Sorry, I spoke too much.”
What had been wrong with him lately? Where had all this useless curiosity come from?
Yuyi Yue shook her head: “There’s no need to apologize for that.”
After saying this, she turned and walked toward a nearby display shelf, retrieving a somewhat heavy wooden box from the bottom layer.
The moment the box was opened, Fang Xun’gui’s eyes were dazzled.
Silver ingots were neatly arranged in several rows, copper coins were strung together tidily, and scattered bits of broken silver were gathered in a corner.
This box alone contained at least five hundred taels of silver.
And there were more than a dozen such boxes on the display shelf.
Fang Xun’gui was once again astonished.
Then came a wave of helplessness.
“You just leave the money out on the shelf like this?”
Yuyi Yue looked innocent:
“I clearly arranged it neatly in the boxes before placing them on the shelf.”
“…I mean, aren’t you worried about thieves stealing or robbing you?”
“Ah, it’s fine.”
Yuyi Yue smiled and replied:
“I coated the outside of the boxes with a potent poison. If a bad person touches the box without my permission, they’ll die within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.”
As she said this, Yuyi Yue’s expression remained completely unchanged.
Fang Xun’gui’s feelings, however, were somewhat complicated.
He should be happy for Yuyi Yue—at least when navigating the world, she wasn’t entirely naive and ignorant of its ways.
But no matter how he thought about it, this method seemed far too reckless.
Fang Xun’gui asked:
“What if a bad person hires someone else to steal the box for them? What if they find an antidote? What if they threaten your life to force you to hand over the silver yourself?”
As Fang Xun’gui spoke, Yuyi Yue’s expression gradually turned blank.
She clearly hadn’t considered any of this.
Fang Xun’gui let out a bitter laugh.
Yuyi Yue had some cunning, but not nearly enough.
He said helplessly:
“Regardless, leaving money out in the open like this is highly inappropriate. You could hire a security escort to help deposit the money in a bank, or commission the Qianji Pavilion to craft a few sturdy lockboxes. Or, you could simply add a small hidden room in the house specifically for storing silver.”
The more Fang Xun’gui spoke, the tighter Yuyi Yue’s frown became.
Finally, she sighed in frustration:
“That’s so troublesome. I should have known better than to bring so much money with me…
“Hiring a security escort to deposit it in a bank is too much hassle. One of Master’s previous patients was targeted precisely because they deposited too much money in a bank. Crafting lockboxes is also troublesome. Adding a small hidden room is a good idea, though. I’ll look into it after tidying up the courtyard—just hire some craftsmen…”
“Craftsmen aren’t reliable. A young woman living alone near a desolate mountain, yet building a hidden room in her house—it’s too easy to attract unnecessary trouble.”
With Fang Xun’gui’s words, Yuyi Yue completely wilted.
Her mood visibly sank:
“I want to go back to Misty River. The outside world is so troublesome.”
Looking at Yuyi Yue’s dimmed eyes, Fang Xun’gui felt inexplicably agitated.
Why had he said so much useless nonsense earlier? He should have just delivered the silver and left.Yuyi Yue’s affairs were none of his concern, and even if all her money were stolen, it had nothing to do with him.
…Why couldn’t he convince himself to mind his own business?
“I’ll help you figure out the secret chamber.”
Fang Xun’gui finally managed to say those words.
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it.
Was he insane? What was he doing?
Since when was he such a helpful person?
But the next second, seeing the sudden brightness in Yuyi Yue’s eyes and the gradually rising corners of her mouth, Fang Xun’gui couldn’t possibly claim he was just joking.
“I knew you were a good person!”
Yuyi Yue’s clear, bright eyes once again curved into two crescent moons as she smiled.
Fang Xun’gui forced a smile.
Well, what else could he do?
Consider it unpaid labor for his savior.
…
[Master, you’re really going all out this time, exchanging so much gold and silver. This mission is going to be a loss, isn’t it?]
[So be it. I didn’t take on missions to earn points anyway.]
[…It must be nice to be rich.]