"Ten thousand taels?"
Lu Hao was shocked.
He had heard before that his master charged a hefty fee for treating illnesses, a price ordinary folk couldn't afford, though his master often waived the fees for the common people.
He had previously used his master's name to swindle people. Fearing he was asking too little, he would often pretend to demand a thousand taels, which he had thought was a terrifying sum back then.
To his surprise, people weren't scared away. Instead, many brought piles of silver to him.
They begged him to save them. If he hesitated even slightly, more silver would be shoved before him, dazzling him.
He hadn't thought much of it before, but now he realized how short-sighted he had been. When his master took action, it was ten thousand taels per person!
"Hmm, you've accumulated quite a fortune under my name these past few years, haven't you?" Yun Shu asked with a half-smile.
Her question nearly scared the courage out of Lu Hao. He quickly swallowed and replied, "Well... it's not really that much..."
If he had been bolder, demanding tens of thousands of taels from each person, he would have been living as freely as Ruan Xi long ago.
But in front of his master, he felt incredibly guilty.
"Um... how about I give Master a hundred thousand taels? If Master hadn't saved me this time, I'd definitely be in the King of Hell's palace right now! Ten thousand taels... I can't even bring myself to offer that!" Lu Hao gritted his teeth, his heart aching terribly, but he put on a show of generosity.
Anything for his master!
He thought about yesterday; his life had been hanging by a thread, and all the silver he had hidden was useless.
Yun Shu looked at Lu Hao, who appeared generous but was likely in great pain, and suppressed a smile. "Alright, I accept."
"Master, please don't think it's too little!" Lu Hao endured the throbbing pain in his face and forced a smile.
Yun Shu was immediately repulsed by his expression and looked away. "That's enough. Stop your insincere smiling. Stay here with Ruan Xi for a while. Next time, if you're caught by the Regent King again, no one will be able to save you, understand?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Master is right! I'm truly scared now. I'll never easily leave the Ruan manor again!" Lu Hao quickly declared his resolve.
If he didn't learn his lesson this time, he must have a problem with his head!
Seeing that Lu Hao had truly learned his lesson, Yun Shu sat to the side and tapped her fingers lightly on the table. "Once your injuries have healed, you should change your identity."
"Change my identity?" Lu Hao was confused. Even if he changed his identity, with so many spies from Zhan Ming in the capital, they would surely recognize him.
Yun Shu looked at the slow-witted Lu Hao before her and said nothing.
Her silence made Lu Hao's heart pound nervously. "Master, did I say something wrong?"
He suspected that his slow reactions and dull mind were a result of those guards from the Regent King's manor. Several of their fists and feet had landed on his head!
Otherwise, how could he not guess what his master was thinking?
Yun Shu took out an exquisite box and placed it on the table. "This is a skin."
"Skin?" Lu Hao was stunned.
The next moment, he suddenly understood. "A skin! Is it made by Master? For me?! Master, you're too kind!"
Oh my!
The hundred thousand taels were well worth it!
He had heard from Ruan Xi that his master's medical skills were superb, and her disguise skills were even more exceptional. Every skin she made was priceless, yet she never sold them.
Even if someone genuinely wanted to buy one, they might not be able to get it for tens of thousands of taels.
This was because the skins made by his master were flawless. No matter how one looked, it was as if a person had transformed their appearance. Even masters of disguise could not find any flaws or loopholes in the skin.
Yun Shu really didn't want to look at Lu Hao's bruised and swollen face anymore. She had other matters to attend to that evening.
"Alright, rest well."
Lu Hao stared at the brocade box as if it were a treasure and nodded repeatedly. "I will obey Master's instructions! I will rest well!"
"Mm."
After leaving Lu Hao's room, Yun Shu was about to depart.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Ruan Xi, who was embracing two beautiful concubines and being intimate with them.
Ruan Xi knew how unrestrained he looked at that moment, with his clothes disheveled. He quickly pushed away the two concubines, skillfully tidied his clothes, and then looked at Yun Shu with a smile. "Are you here to see Lu Hao? Don't worry, that kid won't run away again! And, look, these two beauties are the ones I'm going to give to Lu Hao. Let them take good care of him. I'm being this good to Lu Hao all because of you. He accumulated good karma in his past life to be your disciple in this one; otherwise, I wouldn't even spare him a glance."
Upon hearing this, the two beauties turned pale with fear.
Yun Shu glanced at the two curvaceous beauties and waved her hand. "Stop your silly talk. Go enjoy yourselves if you want to have fun. I have important business to attend to."
"What business? Do you need my help?" Lu Hao leaned in.
Seeing Lu Hao, smelling of perfume, approaching, Yun Shu immediately leaped up and landed on the rooftop, looking down at him. "I have important business to attend to. You don't need to worry about it."
She glanced again at the two pleasing beauties and kindly reminded them, "Don't forget to take your medicine."
With that, Yun Shu left.
Under the dark night sky, bathed in moonlight, Ruan Xi watched Yun Shu disappear before his eyes.
He suddenly felt a pang in his heart. It was impossible for him in this lifetime.
"Young Master, this concubine doesn't want to serve others. I only want to serve you. Please don't send me away, Young Master, okay?" The soft, seductive voice could easily make a man's bones go weak.
The other beauty's eyes also welled up. "Young Master, I truly love you. And didn't you say you liked my shoulder massages the most? You said no one could compare to my massage skills."
The two beauties looked utterly pathetic, stirring pity in anyone who saw them.
Any man, at that moment, would find it impossible to refuse them.
But Ruan Xi sighed lightly. "Do you know who that person was just now?"
"It was Miss Yun the Second," one of them replied.
Ruan Xi nodded with a smile, appearing very gentle. He drew both beauties into his embrace again. "Therefore, your young master can lie to anyone and doesn't need to keep his promises, but he absolutely cannot break a promise with her. Since I told her I would give you to Lu Hao, I cannot go back on my word, otherwise, wouldn't I become a scoundrel who breaks promises in front of her? Go, go and serve Lu Hao well." Ruan Xi finished speaking, released his hands, and pushed the two beauties forward.
The two beauties' faces turned white again.
Upon closer inspection, they noticed a chilling coldness in Ruan Xi's eyes as he looked at them.
He would not change his mind.
...
Under the hazy moonlight.
Yun Shu sat on a wall.
She watched the alleyway where people occasionally passed by.
She was waiting for someone to appear.