Bathing

Once both hordes of magical beasts had passed, Dongfang Wanyu took her to a nearby spot to rest.

"What have you been doing all this time? Raiding birds' nests? Stealing their eggs?" Seeing her covered in dirt and looking utterly bedraggled, Dongfang Wanyu could not help questioning her.

Dongfang Minghui looked miserable. Her suffering was impossible to explain. There probably wasn't a more wretched supporting female character in the world. All she had done was play cook for a little while. How had she ended up in so much trouble?

"If you don't want to tell me, fine. But the next time you run into something this dangerous, don't expect me to save you again." Dongfang Wanyu's tone was rather harsh. She had to admit that seeing Dongfang Minghui looking so pitiful had softened her heart a little. Otherwise, she would never have gone out of her way to help her escape just now.

"I didn't steal any birds' eggs," Dongfang Minghui could not help protesting. She was the dignified ninth young lady of the Dongfang Residence. How could she do something like that?

Dongfang Wanyu snorted. "If you didn't steal their eggs, did the Golden Crow eggs climb into your pocket on their own? Why else would their entire flock chase you down?"

Dongfang Minghui felt wronged. They didn't climb into my pocket on their own, but that's not far from what actually happened. It was far too humiliating for her to admit.

"Your Ninth Sister really is your lucky star. If she hadn't brought that flock of Golden Crows here, those Ironclad Beetles probably wouldn't have retreated so quickly."

Golden Crows were the true natural enemies of Ironclad Beetles. The beetles' shells were impervious to blades and spears, but against a Golden Crow's golden, hooked beak, they were utterly vulnerable. Besides, one crawled and the other flew; they were natural enemies to begin with.

"Tsk, tsk. If I hadn't seen the state she was in earlier, I would never have believed she did it by accident."

The cool voice made those two remarks in Dongfang Wanyu's mind, then fell silent on its own.

Since the other girl had helped her yet again, Dongfang Wanyu decided not to pursue the question of where she had gone during her long disappearance.

"Find somewhere with water later and clean yourself up properly." Dongfang Wanyu tossed the bundle straight to her.

Dongfang Minghui looked herself over. Her hair hung loose, her clothes were filthy, and her face was even worse—greasy and dust-covered. She was a complete mess.

No wonder The Female Lead had looked at her with such disdain.

Dongfang Minghui found a lake with clear, blue-green water that let her see all the way to the bottom. The surrounding scenery was beautiful, so she undressed and stepped into the water in her underclothes. Fortunately, the lake was shallow. She tested it near the shore, and even standing upright, the water only reached just above her chest. Even a landlubber like her, who could not swim, had nothing to worry about.

Only after making sure of that did she venture confidently toward the center of the lake.

"At last, I can take a bath." Life over the past few days had overturned everything she was used to. Not only had she been eating and sleeping outdoors, she hadn't even had anywhere to bathe—and now she had to settle for cold water. After carrying the smell of Corpse-Stench Grass around all day, she felt as though her sense of smell had stopped working.

Dongfang Minghui washed while silently grumbling, unable to stop wondering how much longer she would have to live this wandering life.

In the end, she realized that the decision still lay in The Female Lead's hands.

At that thought, Dongfang Minghui groaned and submerged her whole face. She loosened her hair so she could give it a thorough wash as well. Just as she was enjoying herself, a voice suddenly intruded.

"This lake is spotless. Let me cool off first."

Two men suddenly approached the shore. On a whim, one of them stripped down to his shorts and jumped into the lake.

With a splash, water sprayed high into the air.

"Ah, young master, be careful you don't catch a chill." The other man gathered up the clothes he had discarded, then found a rock on the shore and settled down to wait patiently.

Dongfang Minghui's eyes widened in horror, and she choked on a mouthful of water. The moment she heard the man's voice from the shore, she had bent her knees slightly, sinking into the water and holding her breath to keep herself hidden.

But that was no lasting solution. The man swam back and forth as happily as a fish, singing as he went, and also...

Dongfang Minghui covered her eyes and tried to retreat somewhere with cover where she might be able to hide. But as she backed away, her foot accidentally landed on something, and she slipped.

"Glug, glug."

She accidentally swallowed a mouthful of water. "Ah, help—"

She could not swim.

The man raised his head at the sound and saw Dongfang Minghui's water-speckled face. They stared at each other, then—

"Ah—"

"Help—cough—me." Dongfang Minghui flailed in the water for a while, then regained her footing and was fine.

The two screams rang out almost simultaneously.

A flock of birds by the quiet lakeshore took fright and flew away in a flurry of wings.

Dongfang Minghui tried to cover herself and retreat a little farther.

"Young master!"

The man scrambled frantically back to shore. With no time to spare, he threw on an outer robe and pulled on one boot, without even managing to put on the other.

Dongfang Wanyu, who had been resting nearby, heard Dongfang Minghui's cry. Thinking something had happened, she rushed over.

What she saw was a man with his pale chest exposed, his wet clothes and trousers clinging tightly to him, and his hair hanging loose in a disheveled mess. A servant stood beside him holding a pile of clothing. Meanwhile, Dongfang Minghui hid in the water, afraid to come out, her arms crossed over her chest as though she had been bullied.

Dongfang Wanyu drew her long whip almost instantly and lashed it hard against the ground. "You've got some nerve."

"Miss, you've misunderstood. This is all a misunderstanding. If you don't believe me, ask that—young lady. I didn't see anything, truly. I swear." The man hurried to explain while his attendant helped him put his clothes back on. Whether they were dry or wet no longer mattered.

"Seventh Sister." Dongfang Minghui was on the verge of tears. This time, she truly wanted to cry but had no tears left. She had only been away from the residence for a few days, yet one disaster after another had befallen her. She could not even take a bath in peace without some ridiculous melodrama unfolding. It was unbearable.

Dongfang Wanyu immediately cracked her whip again and snapped, "Both of you, turn around."

The two men obediently spun around at once and stood ramrod straight.

Only then did Dongfang Minghui dare to make her way slowly to shore. Hiding behind a tree, she removed her wet underclothes and changed into a clean set of clothes. She was still dressed as a man, and her wet hair still hung loose as she emerged from behind the tree, looking rather aggrieved.

"Did he do anything to you?" Dongfang Wanyu asked bluntly.

Dongfang Minghui shook her head and pulled her aside, lowering her voice. "I went in wearing my underclothes. He probably didn't see anything. He just startled me, that's all. It's nothing serious. Why don't we let them go?"

Dongfang Wanyu looked her up and down. Once she was certain she was all right, she said, "But he still saw something he shouldn't have. We can't just let the matter end here."

"What do you think, young master?" Dongfang Wanyu directed the question back at the man involved.

The young master had a rosy face, white teeth, and youthful features. He was clearly a pampered young man from a wealthy family. When had he ever faced anything like this? If Dongfang Wanyu hadn't arrived, he would already have fled with his servant.

"Er, what would you like me to do, miss?"

Dongfang Wanyu's eyes shifted slightly as she proposed, "Since you saw something you shouldn't have, naturally, you must take responsibility. The best solution is for you to marry my Ninth Sister. Do you have any objections?"

Dongfang Minghui: "..."

The Female Lead is going to be the death of me.

Before the young master could state his position, Dongfang Minghui pulled The Female Lead aside. "Seventh Sister, stop joking. It's not like I've lost a chunk of flesh or anything happened to me. I only accidentally showed a shoulder. Surely that doesn't mean I have to entrust my lifelong happiness to a—a man I don't know at all?"

With her lifelong happiness at stake, she had to put up a fight.

Dongfang Wanyu raised her brows. "Then what do you want to do?"

Dongfang Minghui waved her hands. "I just want to make my position clear, Seventh Sister. I'm still in one piece, and I haven't suffered any harm. He doesn't need to take responsibility." A marriage cobbled together like this was far too unreliable. There wasn't even any affection between them. She wanted no part of it.

Perhaps because this was the first time she had seen Dongfang Minghui so firmly decide anything, Dongfang Wanyu looked at her several times before finally nodding. "I overstepped. Don't regret it later."

Dongfang Wanyu had intended to act as an older sister for once and fulfill her sisterly duties, but now there was nothing for her to do.

"Consider yourselves lucky. Since my Ninth Sister has kindly decided to let you off, you may leave." Dongfang Wanyu put away her whip. "But you'd better forget what you saw today. If a fifth person learns of this, you'd better watch out."

The young master had probably never met anyone so overbearing. After nodding and giving his assurances, he grabbed his servant and ran as though something were chasing them.

Watching them flee in panic, Dongfang Minghui could not help laughing aloud.

"You can actually laugh? I've never seen a girl laugh after a man has seen her body." Dongfang Wanyu wanted to crack open Dongfang Minghui's head and see what was inside.

Dongfang Minghui immediately wiped the smile from her face like a meek little wife, then pouted. "It's already happened. Do you want me to spend every day crying over it, Seventh Sister?"

She was daring to talk back now.

Dongfang Wanyu gave her an indifferent glance. "If you don't care, then neither do I. But women still come off worse in these matters. I won't tell anyone about what happened today. You can rest assured."

Dongfang Minghui blinked. She was perfectly reassured. This sort of thing was hardly a big deal. In this era, however, people were bound to be sensitive about it. No wonder The Female Lead had tried to force the man to marry her.

Thinking of The Female Lead's future harem... Dongfang Minghui pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh. She certainly wanted to see how The Female Lead would handle that someday.

It seemed she would have to be more careful when bathing from now on. At the very least, she could not bathe alone in a lake. She would need someone standing guard before she could feel at ease.

"I'm hungry. Make something to eat." Having said everything she needed to say, Dongfang Wanyu found a place to close her eyes and rest.

Dongfang Minghui was left speechless. When had she changed careers and become a cook?