Li Qingluo, Wang Yuyan

"Don't!" When she heard Li Hao say he was going to carry her off the boat, A Bi turned and tried to run.

"Heh heh. You flirted with Young Master and now you want to run away? Don't you know what Young Master built his reputation on?" With that, Li Hao's figure blurred, and in an instant he had flown to A Bi's side.

A Bi felt her body go numb. She collapsed, and Li Hao reached out and scooped her up in a bridal carry.

Li Hao had chased her, sealed her acupoints, and swept her into his arms in one fluid motion. His graceful, elegant movements had the hundreds of women from Canhe Manor and Mantuo Mountain Villa, both aboard the boat and on shore, swooning.

Stars filled their eyes. Every one of them wished she could pull A Bi away and leap into Li Hao's arms herself.

"Young Master Hao's lightness skill is truly superb. This old woman is impressed." Seeing the skill Li Hao had displayed, Old Nanny Hei stepped forward at once to greet him.

"Li Hao pays his respects to Old Nanny Hei. Thank you for looking after A Zhu and A Bi all these years. I have a few Hundred Herb Pills here; please accept them as a small token of my gratitude." Holding A Bi with one arm, Li Hao offered the dark, unassuming old woman a small jade bottle with his other hand.

There were six Hundred Herb Pills in the bottle, each capable of curing a hundred poisons. Old Nanny Hei would surely find them useful.

"Young Master Hao is too kind. I was only doing what I should. As for the gift, you should take it back—"

"These are Hundred Herb Pills, miraculous antidotes from Medicine King Valley. They can't cure the rarest poisons in the world, but they can handle all the common deadly ones, including arsenic and Heartbreak Powder." Before Old Nanny Hei could finish, Li Hao interrupted her rather rudely.

"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Hao. This old woman is humbled." Old Nanny Hei put away the jade bottle and didn't ask him to take it back again.

"Don't mention it. It's the least I can do. Those two little troublemakers have caused so much mischief. If you hadn't protected them, I imagine their bottoms would have been beaten black and blue by now."

"Second Young Master, we haven't caused any trouble!" A Bi and A Zhu protested, crowding around him.

"All right, all right. You haven't caused any trouble. Don't make a fuss. Young Master has something important to do today. We'll settle this after we get back." Li Hao surrendered, set A Bi down, gave her bottom a smack, and then released her sealed acupoints.

"Hmph!" The moment her acupoints were unsealed, A Bi ran a long way off. But after only a few steps, she turned around and, all shy and hesitant, slowly made her way back to stand behind Li Hao.

The people of Mantuo Mountain Villa knew the two of them, but they still weren't allowed to wander around as they pleased.

"Cousin! Cousin!" A figure ran over, shouting as she came.

"Miss! Miss!" A group of maids chased after her, holding up their skirts.

[System notification: A member of the Gallery of Beauties has appeared nearby: Wang Yuyan, rank 71, measurements 89-61-91. Host, seize the opportunity, keep up the good work, and do your best to complete the system mission.]

[Hmph, system. Isn't she just Wang Yuyan? She can't even kill a chicken. She'll be a piece of cake for me.]

[The sky is dark today. This old man looked up and saw that even the cows were up in the sky...]

[Me...]

"Cousin, you finally came to see me!" A young woman rushed in and threw herself straight into Li Hao's arms.

"Um, Cousin, if you want a hug, how about we go to a room in the back courtyard and take our time? There are so many people here. Your cousin is getting embarrassed." The servants nearby were instantly dumbfounded by Li Hao's words.

What kind of thing was that to say? The two of you weren't even betrothed, and he was already inviting her into a room. And just a moment ago, he'd been all over A Bi in front of everyone. Now he suddenly knew how to be embarrassed? How thick-skinned could he be?

"You're not my cousin. Who are you, really?" Wang Yuyan, who had been blissfully nestled in Li Hao's arms, suddenly realized that his accent wasn't the same as her cousin's.

Murong Fu spoke with a Jiangsu accent, while Li Hao spoke standard Mandarin. The difference was considerable. As long as he kept quiet, he could pass. The moment he opened his mouth, he gave himself away.

"Who am I? I'm your cousin too!" Li Hao said tenderly, holding Wang Yuyan in his arms.

"I..." Wang Yuyan was so angry she couldn't speak.

She wanted to break free of Li Hao's embrace, but she didn't have the strength, and this lecher refused to let go.

But she couldn't blame him either. She was the one who had run up and hugged him.

"Young Master Hao, we're almost at the villa. Madam is waiting inside, and the young miss..." Old Nanny Hei didn't finish what she was saying, but everyone understood.

The girl's mother was waiting inside, and he was standing outside, holding her daughter and refusing to let go. That didn't seem quite proper!

"Cousin, I'll come talk with you after I've paid my respects to Aunt!" Li Hao let Wang Yuyan go and gave her a light pat on the bottom. Old Nanny Hei was right: Li Qingluo really was waiting inside. The system had already reminded him.

No wonder the system had said her third measurement was 91. That smack really was addictive.

An image appeared in Li Hao's mind: a graceful figure with her back to him, both hands resting on the windowsill as she gazed outside...

"Young Master! Young Master! Let's go in!" Luckily, A Zhu reminded him in time. Otherwise, Li Hao might have stood right there drooling.

[System notification: A member of the Gallery of Beauties has appeared near the host: Li Qingluo, rank 803, measurements 88-60-89. Host, keep working hard and complete the system mission as soon as possible.]

As expected, birds of a feather flocked together.

The genes in the Fairy Sister's family were truly extraordinary. Both women's third measurements were higher than their first.

"Your nephew, Li Hao, pays his respects to Aunt." Li Hao entered the main hall and bowed to the peerlessly beautiful woman seated in the center.

"Raise your head. You're Li Hao, the Murong Family's Second Young Master?" the stunning woman asked doubtfully. But the moment Li Hao looked up, all her doubts vanished.

What nonsense about being the child Murong Bo's younger brother had lost outside the family? This had to be Murong Bo's bastard son. Otherwise, how could he look as if he'd been carved from the same mold as that boy, Murong Fu?

There was one difference, though. When Murong Fu looked at her, he always kept his head down, never daring to look her in the eye.

This boy was different. The moment he raised his head, his eyes kept roaming over her face, chest, and legs. Li Qingluo had every reason to believe this fellow would be even more brazen.

"I don't know either. I know I'm Li Hao, but I couldn't say whether I'm the Murong Family's Second Young Master." Li Hao spread his hands.

As for the Murong Family saying he was their second young master, he neither objected, refused, nor offered an explanation.

If they wanted him to change his name to Murong Hao, he wouldn't refuse either—provided they gave him enough in return.

"You're quite something. Very bold. You're much better than that sanctimonious, pedantic hypocrite Murong Fu. It seems the Murong Family still has some life left in it."