Di Moye initially wanted to refuse, but thinking of yesterday's sleep, he ultimately remained silent. After all, it was the first time in so many years that he had slept so soundly.
After Luo Qingwu stepped out, she saw a figure pressed against the door. Immediately, she tiptoed over.
Duan Linlang was tightly pressed against the door, her face filled with suspicion. Why was there no sound?
It couldn't be!
Normally, when her cousin soaked in the medicinal bath, no one was allowed to approach—not even her senior sister. How could Luo Qingwu have been inside for so long without any reaction?
She had thought she would hear his furious roar.
Suddenly—
The door opened.
Duan Linlang lost her balance and stumbled inward. If not for her quick reflexes, she would have had an intimate encounter with the ground.
"You, you, you…" Duan Linlang stammered as she steadied herself and saw Luo Qingwu standing beside her.
"What were you eavesdropping on?" Luo Qingwu asked with a faint, teasing smile.
Duan Linlang straightened up, her eyes darting around nervously. "Who’s eavesdropping? Don’t talk nonsense."
Luo Qingwu curled her red lips and stepped closer.
Duan Linlang jumped back in fright, putting distance between them, her guilt unmistakable.
"I told you not to administer medicine to the Night King without my permission. Why did you let him soak in the medicinal bath?" Luo Qingwu’s expression suddenly turned cold, her eyes icy.
Everyone believed the medicinal bath was beneficial for Di Moye, but in reality, ordinary medicinal baths were useless. On the contrary, soaking too often could have side effects on him.
Duan Linlang straightened her posture and retorted defiantly, "He’s always soaked in them before."
"He just fainted. If I hadn’t gone in, the consequences would have been unimaginable," Luo Qingwu said sternly, her expression deadly serious.
"H-how is that possible…" Duan Linlang’s eyes widened in shock. In her panic, she was about to rush inside when she saw Di Moye, now dressed, walking out.
Di Moye slowly approached them. "She’s right. I just fainted."
"Go lie down on the bed," Luo Qingwu commanded seriously.
Di Moye glanced at her and obediently walked into the room, lying down on the bed fully clothed.
Duan Linlang stared in disbelief. She never expected her cousin to listen to Luo Qingwu so readily. Was she hallucinating?
"Get out, and remember to close the door," Luo Qingwu ordered.
Duan Linlang bit her red lip and obediently left, closing the door behind her.
Luo Qingwu walked to the bedside and sat down, skillfully massaging several key acupoints on Di Moye’s head. Within moments, she could hear his breathing become steady and even.
After a while,
Luo Qingwu finally stopped.
The man was now sound asleep, his previously furrowed brow relaxed. His handsome face looked exceptionally gentle, devoid of the cold aloofness he wore when his eyes were open.
Just as Luo Qingwu was about to leave, she reached out and pulled the blanket over him.
As soon as she stepped out, Duan Linlang anxiously asked, "How is he?"
"So worried about him?" Luo Qingwu replied as she walked outside.
"Of course I’m worried," Duan Linlang pouted.
Luo Qingwu paused at the doorway. "Do you like the Night King?"
"I do like him, but it’s admiration. Let me tell you, don’t you dare like him—he won’t like you," Duan Linlang declared, tilting her chin up with a light snort.
In her view, her senior sister and her cousin were a match made in heaven.
"I won’t like him," Luo Qingwu stated firmly, a chilling, destructive coldness deep in her eyes.
She would never love any man.
In her past life, if not for that scumbag, her sister wouldn’t have died, her family wouldn’t have been massacred, and she wouldn’t have crossed over to the Tianling Continent.
Recalling the past, a chilling, murderous aura enveloped her.
Duan Linlang blinked, sneering, "Right, you only have the Crown Prince in your heart."
"Remember, don't give him any medicine recently," Luo Qingwu said with utmost seriousness and sincerity.
Duan Linlang pouted, muttering softly, "Got it."
…
The night was utterly still.
Stars twinkled like dewdrops on lotus leaves.
Several black-clad, masked figures carrying oil barrels quietly approached Luo Qingwu's courtyard. They had been watching for a long time, certain she had gone inside, extinguished the lights, and retired.
In an instant, flames roared like a furious dragon, devouring the courtyard.
"Fire—"
Someone shouted, and instantly, the Luo family erupted into chaos.
By the time Luo Haixuan and others arrived, Luo Qingwu's courtyard was completely engulfed in flames, burning so fiercely that any attempt to extinguish it would be futile.
Still, he went through the motions, ordering servants to fetch water and fight the fire.
Madam Liu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling immensely smug. With the account books burned and Luo Qingwu dead, no one in the Luo family would dare challenge her again.
Luo Xueluan stared at the burning house, her heart swelling with satisfaction. Luo Qingwu was surely doomed now—finally, she wouldn't have to see that eyesore of a good-for-nothing anymore.
After much effort, the fire was extinguished, but the room was already reduced to ashes.
Luo Haixuan and the others returned to their own courtyards, reassured.
As for the ruins, they would be cleared tomorrow. The elders would also need to be summoned, given the severity of the incident.
The next day.
The six elders looked at the charred courtyard in astonishment. How could such a major incident occur overnight? Who would dare set fire to the Luo family?
"It's all my fault. I failed to protect the safety of the Luo family," Luo Haixuan said with a face full of guilt and sorrow.
"Father, how could it be your fault? Yesterday, Luo Qingwu publicly beat the young masters and ladies of several families on the street. She brought this disaster upon herself," Luo Xueluan said indignantly.
"I heard they were left with barely a breath. Someone probably couldn't wait until today to come to the Luo family and took matters into their own hands last night," Luo Zhao said solemnly, his heart swelling with delight.
The six elders' expressions changed drastically. Had Luo Qingwu been so reckless?
Suddenly, a servant rushed over in a panic.
"Master, many people from the Su Lin and other families have arrived, demanding to settle accounts with the eldest young lady," the steward reported hastily, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.
Luo Xueluan said angrily, "Elders, that good-for-nothing has brought trouble upon the Luo family again. Even in death, she won't let us rest."
"My foolish cousin, who exactly is causing trouble for you?"
A lazy, roguish, arrogant, and defiant voice rang out.
Everyone turned toward the sound. In the distance, a woman in white robes, ethereal and graceful, was none other than Luo Qingwu.
Main Hall.
"Luo Qingwu, you nearly beat my daughter to death. Today, you must pay with your life!"
"Luo Qingwu, my son's arms and legs are broken. You won't leave here today without losing your own limbs!"
"Luo Qingwu, the physician says my son suffered severe head trauma and may become brain-damaged. You must atone with your death!"
"…"
Listening to the accusations from the various families, Luo Qingwu sat in a chair, legs crossed, wearing an expression of someone watching a show.
"What happened to them has nothing to do with me. I'm a good-for-nothing—do I have that kind of ability? You can't just open your mouths and slander people," Luo Qingwu retorted with disdain.
"…" The crowd fell silent.
"Anyway, I didn't hurt them. Get lost," Luo Qingwu said coldly and unceremoniously.
The heads of the several families turned livid with rage and naturally had no intention of letting the matter rest.
"Yesterday, it was you who clashed with them on the street. If it wasn't you, who else could it be?" The Su Family Head's fierce gaze seemed ready to devour Luo Qingwu alive.
"This king did it."
A dignified yet icy voice sounded, utterly nonchalant.