(Xiao Wu beauty illustration)
Xiao Wu bit her lip and rolled her eyes inwardly.
She wanted to meet Lin Jiang more than ever.
But she couldn't do it now. She had to keep Tang San and Tang Hao steady and avoid alerting them.
As for that sausage peddler...
Xiao Wu silently added Oscar's name to the little list in her heart.
Ning Rongrong stood frozen, watching the scene unfold before her, her mind in a complete jumble.
How was it exactly the same as the Simulator had said?
Dai Mubai, Tang San, Oscar...
The names matched.
The personalities matched.
Even their sleazy words and actions matched.
And the other things the Simulator had said...
Ning Rongrong lowered her head, unconsciously gripping the hem of her clothes.
She was starting to waver.
She murmured to herself, her voice so quiet only she could hear it.
"That Lin Jiang... does he really exist?"
But...
"Why would the three of us fight over being his wives?"
Ning Rongrong's face flushed again.
She bit her lip, growing more and more unconvinced the longer she thought about it.
"How exceptional could this guy be? Is it really necessary?"
She paused, and the Simulator's words came back to her.
"...Is he really that exceptional?"
Her voice grew softer and softer until it was barely a mosquito's buzz.
"Rongrong? Let's go!"
Xiao Wu called back from up ahead.
Ning Rongrong snapped out of it and hurried after her.
After a few steps, she couldn't help looking back toward the village entrance.
There was nothing there.
She turned back and quickened her pace, still wondering,
Where was that Lin Jiang now?
The next day.
Dugu Manor.
Lin Jiang got up early.
He stretched, feeling refreshed and full of energy.
The sun shone brightly outside, and birds sang amid the fragrant flowers.
Beside him, Dugu Yan woke up too.
She tried to move—
"Ugh..."
Her back and waist ached, and her whole body felt as if a carriage had run over her.
She turned to Lin Jiang, giving him a resentful look.
"Lin Jiang, did you hit me in my sleep last night?"
Lin Jiang spread his hands, looking innocent.
"Am I to blame?"
Dugu Yan's face reddened, and she didn't answer.
She tried to get out of bed, but her legs gave way, and she nearly fell to her knees.
Both legs were weak and trembling; she could barely stand.
Holding on to the edge of the bed, she slowly sat back down and sighed.
"Great. Guess I don't have to go to school today either..."
Lin Jiang leaned against the headboard, looking at her, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
This little girl won't be back on her feet for days.
Dugu Yan shot him a glare, then slipped back under the covers, leaving only her jade-green eyes visible.
"Go take care of your things. I'm going to lie here a while longer."
Lin Jiang chuckled and shook his head as he got up to dress.
He went to the guest room and closed the door.
Taking the Golden Dragon Carving Knife he'd obtained last night from his storage ring, he examined it.
The golden blade gleamed in the morning light, and the ruby set in the dragon's eye glimmered faintly.
"I've got the carving knife now." Lin Jiang turned it over in his hands. "Where am I supposed to find the raw materials?"
He thought it over.
Making Soul Tools required all kinds of metal ores and Soul Beast materials, and he didn't have much of that stuff.
It wasn't like he could go mine it himself, was it?
Lin Jiang put the carving knife away and rubbed his chin.
"Maybe I should go find Xue'er?"
What materials couldn't she get her hands on?
He stood up and walked out.
The sun was shining; it was a fine day to go out.
Lin Jiang stepped outside, took his time over breakfast, then went to the courtyard and headed for the main gate.
Just then, someone knocked at the gate.
"Yan Yan! Are you there?"
"Yan Yan!"
The voice was gentle, but laced with urgency.
Lin Jiang stopped and listened.
"Hmm? She sounds about the same age as Dugu Yan." He rubbed his chin. "Who could it be?"
He walked over to the gate and slid the bolt back.
A girl of about eighteen or nineteen stood outside.
She was slender, dressed head to toe in black, with a black veil covering her face and only a pair of striking eyes exposed.
Her waterfall of blue hair fell down her back, its ends softly curled and fluttering in the morning breeze.
Her eyes were the same shade as her hair, clear as water and utterly unblemished.
Her long lashes curved upward, and even the slightest blink seemed to speak volumes.
When she saw that the person opening the gate was an unfamiliar young man, she instinctively lowered her head and took half a step back.
"Um..." Her voice was quiet, touched with timidness. "Why hasn't your young mistress gone to school again today?"
Lin Jiang leaned against the doorframe and looked her over.
"Hmm? May I ask who you are?"
The girl kept her eyes lowered, twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers. "I'm Ye Lingling... I was worried about Yan Yan, so..."
Lin Jiang understood.
Ye Lingling, a student at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, and a good friend of Dugu Yan's.
"She's doing fine." Lin Jiang stepped aside. "I'll take you in."
Ye Lingling finally looked up, ready to thank him—
Then she froze.
This "servant" was a little too handsome.
He had sharp brows and bright eyes, a straight nose, and features so exquisite he looked as if he'd stepped out of a painting.
He wore a simple, plain-colored robe, yet somehow it gave him an air of nobility.
His bearing didn't seem like that of a servant at all.
Ye Lingling blinked, then quickly lowered her head again.
She wasn't very good at talking to strangers. She only murmured, "Thank you," then followed Lin Jiang inside.
After a few steps, she couldn't resist sneaking another look at his back.
Broad shoulders, a narrow waist. He walked at an unhurried pace, leading the way, yet there was nothing servile about him.
Ye Lingling grew puzzled.
Was this person really a servant at Dugu Manor?
She lowered her head and followed behind him quietly, not daring to look again.
Lin Jiang led Ye Lingling through the front courtyard, around the covered walkway, and into the sitting room outside the bedroom.
"Yan Yan, your friend is here to see you."
He called toward the inner room, then sat down in a chair and poured himself a cup of tea.
Ye Lingling stood at the doorway, feeling puzzled.
Yan Yan?
He'd called her "Yan Yan," not "young mistress."
Was this person not a servant?
Dugu Yan's voice came from the inner room, sounding somewhat flustered.
"Hmm? Is that Lingling?"
Ye Lingling stepped inside and saw Dugu Yan wrapped in a quilt, leaning against the headboard. Her green hair was spread across the pillow, her face rosy, but somehow she looked... guilty.
"Yan Yan, why are you still lying in bed?" Ye Lingling hurried over and looked her up and down. "Are you okay? You've been missing training a lot lately, and I was getting worried."
Dugu Yan's gaze darted between Lin Jiang and Ye Lingling, and her face grew redder and redder.
"Uh... well... I'm fine."
Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito's buzz. She clutched the edge of the quilt, gripping it tighter and tighter.
Ye Lingling's gaze fell on the pillows at the head of the bed—two of them.
They lay side by side, and both showed signs of having been slept on.
She looked at Dugu Yan again—her face was rosy, her eyes darting about, and a few faint red marks showed on her neck.
Then she followed Dugu Yan's gaze. Lin Jiang was sitting in the sitting room drinking tea, calm and composed, with none of a servant's air about him.
Ye Lingling's mind went boom.
She looked at Dugu Yan, then Lin Jiang, then the two pillows.
Could it be...
Was this pretty boy Yan Yan's boyfriend?
No. Dugu Yan's boyfriend would have to be someone with standing and ability, like Yu Tianheng.
Then who was this pretty boy...
Ye Lingling's face turned bright red.
Before you continue