Delicious food and newly bought clothes were all brought into the room, each item exquisite, showcasing the man's status as either wealthy or noble.
Especially the sentence that Zhusheng blurted out: "Our young master is one of the most important figures in the capital. It is a blessing accumulated over lifetimes that you have caught the young master's eye. Hurry and recover your health, we must continue our journey tomorrow. If we delay the itinerary, our master will be angry."
From his words, it seemed he wouldn't let her leave.
Xue Niang felt immense disgust, thinking of finding an opportunity to leave quickly.
Who would have thought that later she would realize she had already left Donglin and was currently staying in an inn in Xinyu City.
"Why haven't you changed your clothes?"
The man looked at her in her plain cloth clothes with displeasure, as if looking at a pile of unsightly rags.
She could play a little temper to attract his attention, but there had to be a limit. Stubbornness was unacceptable; he didn't have that much time to play these games with her.
"Esteemed young master, I feel my body has recovered. I shall take my leave now!"
The man gazed at her with deep eyes, as if trying to see through her. In an instant, he seemed to understand.
So be it! Since she wanted to find an excuse to stay, he would give her one.
He flicked his sleeve and sat down on the chair nonchalantly, saying in a light tone, "My surname is Lu, my given name is Yanmo. I live in Shengjing. I have a wife at home and no concubines. If you follow me, apart from not being able to give you the status of a principal wife, you will have everything else. Looking at your clothes, your previous life must not have been good. You can consider whether you want to follow me."
"No need. I have sworn to only be a principal wife. Since you cannot provide that, I bid you farewell."
Shameless! What did he think he was, to dare ask her to be a concubine? Where was his shame?
He was indeed the eldest son of Grand Tutor Lu. What good could come from a family with such improper upbringing!
Xue Niang bypassed him, preparing to leave.
"Stop!"
Lu Yanmo's face turned ugly. "Your appetite is too big. Who sent you? You want to leave if you can't complete the mission? I'll give you another chance, will you stay or not?"
Did he have a delusion?
However, Xue Niang did pause. To avoid arousing this man's suspicion, she had to say something.
Lu Yanmo thought his words had worked, and this woman was sensible. His expression improved slightly.
"Young Master Lu, to tell you the truth, I also come from a scholarly family. I was a pampered daughter raised by my parents. It's just that my family suffered a disaster, and I came from Su'nan to this remote small town to find relatives, but without success. Now I only wish to return to my hometown. As for being a concubine, that is absolutely impossible."
After speaking, Xue Niang ignored his displeased expression, opened the door, and left the inn.
As soon as she exited the inn, she quickened her pace and soon disappeared down the street.
She didn't expect to leave so easily? Xue Niang breathed a sigh of relief. But now she was penniless, how could she return to Donglin?
If she relied on her feet alone, she might collapse on the road again.
What was Xiao Shan doing now?
She missed him.
How wonderful it would be if he could suddenly appear before her, just like last time.
Xue Niang didn't notice the few sneaky figures following her until she was cornered in an alley.
She tried to use her mental power, but only felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if she were weak from insufficient blood supply.
So, without Xiao Shan, she was so useless.
"A'shan, why haven't you come yet?"
...
At this moment, Xiao Shan's heart ached fiercely again. His face instantly turned pale. He had rushed back day and night but hadn't seen the person he wanted to see. He had searched the city for a whole day. His eyes were bloodshot, but he dared not close them to rest for a moment.
The first pain was estimated to be when Xue Niang had an accident. Then this time... he dared not think further.
"Brother, this coachman has seen sister-in-law!"
Yuan Bufei dragged the person over. The coachman, upon seeing Xiao Shan's bloodthirsty eyes, immediately collapsed on the ground.
"Yes, yes, I've seen her. She was taken away by a young master."
"Someone! Get a portrait!"
...
"Brother! It's him! Why is he here in Donglin?"
Xiao Shan was furious and stomped his foot. "You're asking me? How did you manage things? Useless!"
Yuan Bufei, useless as he was, was kicked in front of his subordinates and dared not complain. Du Ling also lowered his head, not daring to breathe.
Did that person know Xue Niang's identity?
"Go and find out if that person is still in Donglin! If she loses a single strand of hair, you can go back to the capital!"
...
Xue Niang looked at the figure blocking her path and slid down weakly, her hand still tightly clutching the blood-stained silver hairpin.
The few hooligans scattered. Lu Yanmo turned to look at Xue Niang, seeing the bleeding hole on her neck. If he had been a moment later, she would have truly plunged it into her own neck!
This woman, this woman, was truly spirited!
He believed her now. She truly came from a scholarly family, a daughter of a good family, not the plaything sent by someone trying to please him, as he had thought.
"Hurry and throw away this unlucky thing!" He went to pry her hand, trying to pull the hairpin out and discard it.
But her soft hand now had an unknown strength, refusing to let go.
"This is my thing!" She glared at him fiercely.
Lu Yanmo was almost spitting fire. His refined face cracked inch by inch, and his years of cultivation were ruined.
"What kind of useless thing is this? Who would snatch it from you? I can buy you gold ones, jade ones, as many as you want!"
"I don't want them."
Xue Niang staggered to her feet, wiped the blood from the hairpin with her clothes, and then stuck it back into her hair, her eyes stubborn and defiant.
How could he think she was a delicate beauty sent by someone else? This was clearly a stubborn and difficult person.
"Don't go home, come back to the capital with me!"
"I won't—"
"You can't return to Su'nan alone. Bandits roam the roads, and refugees are countless. In your state, you can't even get out of Xinyu! I won't force you. You can stay by my side and serve tea and pour water. Once we reach the capital, I will protect you, and no one will dare bully you. Isn't that better than being alone and bullied in Su'nan? Do you think a lone woman like you can survive in this chaotic world?!"
Xue Niang was speechless. He had believed her words, but how could she escape? They were leaving Xinyu tomorrow, which meant they would be getting further and further away from Donglin!
Lu Yanmo stared at her bleeding neck, a flash of impatience in his eyes. Without another word, he grabbed her hand and started walking.
"Let go! You scoundrel! Let go!"
Lu Yanmo turned sharply and directly picked her up.
In his entire life, this was the first time anyone had called him a scoundrel!
In her extreme anger, Xue Niang quieted down.
No, she couldn't waste her energy on these matters. She had to think carefully about what to do.
Seeing that she had become obedient, Lu Yanmo felt a little more at ease. He carried her back to the inn. His accommodation was naturally the most upscale in the city. The innkeeper, adhering to the principle of serving distinguished guests, saw the situation and chose not to hear or see. After they went upstairs, they thoughtfully sent up hot water.
Zhusheng's eyes widened when he saw his young master carrying that woman back.
The young master was truly smitten with a woman, carrying her in public without regard for propriety. This was a treatment even the young madam had never received.