A lotus rises from clear water, naturally free of adornment

"": 200,

"": "",

"": "Most importantly, he had already lived in the village for a little while. He had been cautious about every detail; he couldn't let people grow suspicious of him as easily as before, much less put him to the test.

The Spirit Medium reached out and patted Luo Bin's chest.

His palm was hard, and the blows landed on Luo Bin's chest with dull thuds.

"Now you look more like a person." There was a trace of raspiness in the Spirit Medium's voice.

Luo Bin had already been on edge, and his heart lurched.

What did that mean? Had he seen through my secret?

"My Xiao Shan has become much more sensible." Gu Ya spoke up at just the right moment, a protective look in her eyes.

"Ahem, ahem..." The Spirit Medium coughed twice more, then smiled and headed out of the courtyard.

Zhong Zhicheng left with him.

Luo Bin swallowed, his mind still in a haze.

"The Spirit Medium really is petty." Gu Ya came over and straightened the clothes over Luo Bin's chest before saying, "What's the point of bringing up how immature you used to be?"

Clearly, Gu Ya was unhappy, deeply displeased.

"When Xiao Shan was immature, he really was immature." As Luo Feng spoke, he gave Luo Bin another meaningful look.

Only then did Luo Bin understand.

So the Spirit Medium had been saying, in a roundabout way, that I hadn't acted like a human being before?

A moment later, Luo Bin smiled bitterly.

The original Luo Shan's reputation had been terrible. No wonder the villagers still hadn't changed their opinion of him after he exposed the matter with Zhang Jun. The Village Chief, at least, seemed to treat everyone equally.

Still, nothing serious had happened, and Luo Bin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who wasn't a child once?" After saying that, Gu Ya let out an "Oh!" and hurried into the kitchen.

Only then did Luo Bin notice the strong scent of medicinal herbs filling the courtyard. It wasn't particularly bitter or unpleasant; there was even a faint fragrance.

The herbs Zhang Yunling had brought were ready.

Gu Ya soon carried out a bowl of dark brown medicinal broth. With the smell concentrated like this, it was much more overpowering.

Luo Bin's brows knotted together as he drank it, and afterward, the bitterness made him dry-heave.

"My Xiao Shan is so capable now. He can even drink Chinese herbal medicine." Gu Ya, however, beamed with delight.

"Oh, right, Xiao Shan. Go take something to your Sister Ling." With that, Gu Ya hurried back into the room and brought out a pair of hand-sewn cloth shoes. Pale pink and white, they were quite delicate and pretty.

Luo Feng frowned and was about to speak, but Gu Ya glared at him and cut him off.

"Ling is a lovely girl. Xiao Shan has always liked her, and now he's become sensible, she's showing concern for him too. Stay out of this."

Those words from Gu Ya further confirmed all of Luo Bin's earlier guesses.

Sure enough, the original owner of this body had feelings for Zhang Yunling.

Gu Ya pressed the cloth shoes into Luo Bin's hands and said earnestly, "Come back before dark. Oh, and keep your eyes open. See if Ling needs help with anything-whether her firewood has been chopped, whether the roof leaks, whether her knives need sharpening. I don't need to teach you all that, do I?"

The corners of Luo Bin's eyes curved despite himself.

Definitely my own mother.

Whatever the original owner's feelings had been, he was Luo Shan now.

More importantly, Zhang Yunling was beautiful, kind, and gracious. A girl with that friendly, older-girl-next-door air would have been an absolute rarity in his previous life.

It wasn't just an innocent adolescent boy who would fall for her. Luo Bin had suffered enough at the hands of those supposedly "ideal" women in his previous life; Zhang Yunling would surely be sweet.

"Sure, Mom. I'll definitely be back before dark." Luo Bin tucked the cloth shoes under one arm and promised repeatedly.

Luo Feng shook his head without a word and went into the main room.

Luo Bin hurried out of the courtyard and headed straight toward Zhang Yunling's house.

His nap hadn't been long, and the Spirit Medium hadn't delayed him for very long either. It wasn't even two o'clock yet.

But as he walked, Luo Bin raised a hand and knocked on his own head.

For no apparent reason, a scene replayed before his eyes: Old Kong earnestly lecturing Zhang Li about his dear cousin, about lust being a blade hanging over one's head, and the like.

Luo Bin instantly snapped to his senses.

That's right... lust is a blade hanging over your head!

What kind of place was Cabinet Mountain Village? What sort of circumstances was I living in?

Was there really time for tender romance?

I'd momentarily failed to resist temptation and started lusting after a pretty face. What good could come of that?

How many problems was I facing right now?

Luo Feng's constant disapproval alone said a great deal.

And Luo Bin had far more problems than Luo Feng knew about.

Luo Feng was only considering how the family could survive in Cabinet Mountain Village and explore a way out.

Luo Bin exhaled deeply, lowering his head with a genuine, bitter smile.

He needed lamp oil just to stay normal right now, and there was no telling what would happen to him later.

The person who might be able to solve his problems was Gu Yiren, and the Village Chief had left her with the Spirit Medium. Where would he find the time to chop firewood and repair someone's roof?

Having thought it all through, Luo Bin steadied himself and quickened his pace.

In less than ten minutes, he reached Zhang Yunling's gate.

He raised his hand and knocked. Knock, knock, knock.

"Who is it?" Her pleasant voice was a little faint. It sounded as though there was another door between them, not just the courtyard gate.

"Sister Ling, it's me!" Luo Bin called back.

"The gate's open. Just come in." Zhang Yunling's voice was still quiet.

Only then did Luo Bin push open the courtyard gate.

"Xiao Shan, wait for me... I'll be ready in a moment."

Her voice came from the right-hand room, much clearer now.

"Uh... okay..." Luo Bin pulled the courtyard gate shut behind him. He had originally intended to drop off the shoes and leave.

What was Zhang Yunling doing?

Tidying her room?

He glanced around the courtyard out of the corner of his eye. The woodshed door was open, and several cut sections of tree trunk lay crookedly on the ground. Beside them were a few pieces of firewood chopped into uneven sizes.

A direct look revealed that some roof tiles were indeed cracked. Weeds had grown there too, making everything look untidy.

Did Zhang Yunling live here alone?

Didn't she have any family?

Gu Ya really did understand Zhang Yunling. If he actually wanted to pursue her, having his own mother on his side would be an absolute godsend.

Unfortunately, Luo Bin had the desire but not the means.

With a soft creak, the door on the right opened.

Zhang Yunling held up her wet hair with one hand and carried a towel in the other. She wore an oversized T-shirt that reached down to her thighs. The exposed portions of her legs were shapely and slender, her skin even fairer.

Her slightly damp skin almost glowed white in the sunlight, and the beads of water on it stood out especially clearly.

Luo Bin froze.

A line sprang into his mind.

A lotus rises from clear water, naturally free of adornment.

Zhang Yunling's beauty was pure and flawless, almost breathtaking...

"Xiao Shan, did you need something? I still have to dry my hair." Zhang Yunling rubbed her hair with the towel as she walked toward him.

Luo Bin did his best not to let his eyes wander. He took two steps forward and handed the cloth shoes to Zhang Yunling.

"My mom asked me to bring these. She made them for you."

Surprise and delight filled Zhang Yunling's eyes. She reached out to take them, her wet hair spilling over one shoulder. A few drops of water landed on Luo Bin's hand, and her faint fragrance made his heartbeat quicken.

"Thank Auntie Gu for me." Zhang Yunling smiled sweetly.

"Xiao Shan, go

sit in the main room for a bit. The courtyard's a little messy. I was chopping firewood earlier and got tired, so I went to take a bath. I'll pour you some herbal tea right away." Zhang Yunling looked at Luo Bin again, her eyes flickering, her lashes especially lovely.

"Uh... I won't stay, Sister Ling. My dad told me to hurry home. There's something I need to do. Just keep the shoes." With that, Luo Bin turned straight around and hurried out of the courtyard.

The wind was rather strong.

The gate made a soft sound as Luo Bin pulled it shut behind him.

Her wet hair blew loose, striking her face and forehead and falling across the bridge of her nose.

Zhang Yunling stared at the closed courtyard gate, bewilderment in her eyes. She bit down hard, utterly disheveled in the wind.

When she had brought the herbs that morning, Gu Ya had invited her to stay for lunch. She had made an excuse, saying she had lots of firewood left to chop at home and her roof was leaking, so she needed to find a way to deal with it, then hurried away.

She understood some of Gu Ya's intentions.

She knew Gu Ya would definitely send Luo Shan over that afternoon.

She had timed her bath carefully. Her hair had gotten wet and dried several times before Luo Shan finally arrived.

She had been certain she could wrap Luo Shan around her finger. He already had feelings for her.

On the table in the main room was herbal tea prepared with various medicinal herbs. When evening came and it was nearly dark, she would casually mention at just the right moment that she had run out of lamp oil, then have Luo Shan go find Village Chief Zhong Zhicheng. That would complete her plan!

But Luo Shan... had left?

He'd actually just left like that?!

Zhang Yunling clutched a lock of her hair tightly. Slowly, a faint blood-red hue seeped down from the crown of her head...

That blood-red hue seeped into her eyes. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly in a smile, but that smile was chillingly sinister.