After a moment, Zheng Mu Yao pursed her lips and tentatively asked, "Uncle Su, did you say all that because you think I'm too forward?"
Su Yi beckoned her, "Come here."
Zheng Mu Yao hesitated for a moment, her mind filled with confusion, but she still timidly moved closer, her voice sweet and tender, "Uncle Su, what are you going to do?"
Su Yi reached out and casually pinched her delicate and fair face.
The girl's body stiffened, a barely noticeable trace of embarrassment appeared on her exquisite and charming face, and she quickly moved away as if electrified.
Her beautiful eyes carried anger, she wanted to speak but held back, and her rosy fists clenched quietly.
"Is being this defensive also considered being forward?"
Su Yi lazily reclined, calmly saying, "Stop pretending. Your father asked you to work by my side to solve problems, not for you to keep testing me."
Zheng Mu Yao's expression changed, she said with a hint of grievance, "Uncle Su, what do you mean by testing? I don't understand."
Su Yi's gaze was clear and profound as he said, "If I had shown a hint of desire due to your teasing, you would have despised me and thought that I, Su Yi, am nothing more than that. Far from being as powerful as your father claimed. You might even have been pleased with your own seductive methods."
"Um..."
Zheng Mu Yao was about to retort, but when she met Su Yi's clear and calm gaze, an inexplicable sense of guilt washed over her. Subconsciously, she lowered her head and avoided his gaze.
"Your father must have talked to you a lot last night and made you promise to serve me carefully no matter what, right?"
Su Yi poured himself a cup of wine from the wooden cabinet.
With her head lowered, Zheng Mu Yao's delicate face showed changing expressions.
"With your personality, you must be very reluctant. So you thought of testing how capable I, Su Yi, am. If you could play a trick on me and make a fool out of me, it would fit your intentions."
Su Yi finished his cup of wine and said, "Then, when you return home, you can tell your father that I, Su Yi, am just like that, easily swayed by desire and coveting your beauty."
"By then, even if your father doesn't dare to confront me, he will find a way to keep you from working by my side. In this way, you will be liberated, no longer having to serve me like a maid."
After listening, Zheng Mu Yao felt extremely uncomfortable, and her hands quietly clenched her clothes. She felt as if all the secrets inside and outside her body had been laid bare, and a sense of panic surged in her heart.
How could this person see through her so easily when they had just met?
Su Yi poured himself another drink and continued, "As the daughter of the Zheng family, your status is illustrious. There's no need to say more. In addition to your outstanding appearance, wherever you go, you will be the center of attention, shining brightly. How could you, because of a few words from your father, become a servant to a stranger?"
He pondered for a moment and said, "However, you do have some cleverness. You know you can't act willfully. After all, if you offend me, your father will be the first to not spare you. That's why you resorted to playing the role of a temptress."
Finishing his words, he couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
Zheng Mu Yao sat there blankly, completely deflated.
Su Yi's words were like a sharp knife, dissecting the tricks she had hidden deep inside her heart layer by layer, as if stripping away the clothes covering her body, making her even have the impulse to run away.
The carriage continued to speed through the city.
The atmosphere inside the carriage became somewhat heavy.
"Ah, if I had known, I wouldn't have made a fool of myself."
Zheng Mu Yao sighed softly, feeling frustrated.
She seemed no longer interested in pretending, her slightly raised willow eyebrows and the lightly pursed lips exuded a proud curve. When her beautiful eyes glanced around, there was a hint of rebelliousness, like a wild cat.
Soon, she started laughing again, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Su Yi. "Uncle Su, I think I'm starting to like you a little. From now on, I promise to be obedient and make sure not to make you angry again."
Su Yi chuckled, stretching out his legs and saying, "Can you massage legs?"
Caught off guard, Zheng Mu Yao widened her beautiful eyes. "???"
After a moment of hesitation, she whispered, "I'll give it a try."
The enchanting and delicate young girl took a deep breath, revealing a pair of fair jade-like hands, gently pressing them on Su Yi's lower leg. With her ten fingers exerting force, she kneaded, pounded, tapped, pinched, and patted...
But deep within the proud depths of the girl's heart, a profound sense of humiliation and anger surged, causing her grip to unknowingly become stronger.
Su Yi, on the other hand, comfortably lay there, closing his eyes as if dozing off.
"This guy is so audacious, he actually treats me like a leg-massaging servant. I must find an opportunity to make him embarrass himself!"
Zheng Mu Yao gritted her teeth inwardly, her beautiful eyes filled with annoyance.
It was unknown how long had passed, but she began to feel a slight soreness in her fingers. Suddenly, Su Yi spoke up, "Stop the carriage."
The carriage immediately came to a halt.
Su Yi took out a blood-red candle from his sleeve, the candle shining brightly and exuding a faint trace of a bloody scent.
Zheng Mu Yao was momentarily stunned, her gaze drawn to it.
Before she could ask, Su Yi had already stood up and walked down from the carriage. "Stay here."
It was a dilapidated street, with dense and chaotic houses sprawled out, and the paths between them narrow and tangled like a spider's web.
"Where is this?"
Su Yi stood in front of the carriage, surveying his surroundings.
The coachman was an unremarkable skinny old man who hurriedly replied, "Sir, this is Yong'an Lane. The residents in this area are mostly merchants and servants from out of town. There are also many ordinary martial artists seeking a living nearby. In short, the residents here come from all walks of life."
Su Yi nodded, holding the blood-red candle in one hand, and casually walked toward a narrow alley not far away.
Soon, his figure disappeared from sight.
"Liao Bo, what is he planning to do?"
Inside the carriage, Zheng Mu Yao leaned forward, curiously asking.
"Lady, earlier I thought this young man intended to stroll around the city and familiarize himself with the situation. But now it seems that he is clearly looking for someone."
Zheng Mu Yao exclaimed, "Using a blood-red candle to find someone? This guy is really strange."
The man called Liao Bo's eyes flickered as he said, "Miss, there are extraordinary individuals in this world with mysterious and unfathomable means. This Su young master, who is highly respected by the clan leader, must be an extraordinary existence. People like him often act in ways that we cannot fathom."
"Hmph, I don't see anything special about him."
Zheng Mu Yao pursed her lips and added in her mind, "He sure has a talent for bullying and leg massaging!"
Liao Bo chuckled lightly, his words carrying deep meaning. "Miss, the clan leader considers you as a precious gem in his palm. But today, he wants you to lower your status and accompany this Su young master. Do you know why?"
Zheng Mu Yao absentmindedly replied, "Isn't it to use me as a link and strengthen the relationship between the Zheng family and him?"
Liao Bo said, "Miss, has the clan leader ever made you suffer like this before?"
"No, he hasn't," Zheng Mu Yao answered, puzzled. "Liao Bo, what are you trying to say?"
Liao Bo sighed, "Parents love their children and plan for their future. Miss, the clan leader is accumulating goodwill for you. Regardless of whether you feel wronged or not, you should at least understand your father's good intentions."
Zheng Mu Yao let out a disinterested sound, feeling listless.
...
The alleyways intersected, with disorderly houses scattered in between.
Su Yi walked alone, occasionally glancing down at the blood-red candle in his hand. His footsteps never halted.
The blood-red candle was called the "Soulsummoning Candle" and was obtained from Chu Siliang, one of the guardians of the Yin Sha Men Gunzhou Branch.
This treasure was refined from the essence blood of Weng Yunqi. As long as Weng Yunqi appeared within a radius of a thousand feet, this item could sense his presence.
The reason Su Yi had been strolling around the city in a carriage was to use this item to find traces of Weng Yunqi.
After about half an hour.
Su Yi turned over his palm and put away the blood-red candle, his gaze fixed on a dilapidated courtyard not far away.
After a moment of contemplation, he turned and left.
He had confirmed that the courtyard he just passed was Weng Yunqi's hiding place.
However, Su Yi didn't plan to meet Weng Yunqi at the moment. As long as he knew his location, he could find him anytime in the future.
Returning to the waiting carriage, Su Yi asked Liao Bo, "How long will it take to reach the Tianyuan Academy from here?"
Liao Bo hurriedly replied, "Tianyuan Academy is located in the mountains several tens of miles outside the city. If we go from here, we should be able to arrive in less than half an hour."
Su Yi asked, "Are outsiders allowed to enter Tianyuan Academy?"
"No," Liao Bo shook his head, then smiled. "However, if the young master wants to go, Miss can take you there. Miss is the closed-door disciple of Yue Yu Chi, the fifth elder of Tianyuan Academy, so she is most familiar with the situation there."
"Good, let's go there now."
Su Yi nodded and went straight into the carriage.
"Uncle Su, what are you going to do at Tianyuan Academy?"
The alluring and sexy young girl Zheng Mu Yao in her black dress asked curiously.
Su Yi lazily lay there and replied, "I'm looking for someone."
Zheng Mu Yao became even more curious and said, "Uncle Su, could you tell me in detail? Maybe I know them."
"We'll talk about it when we get there."
Su Yi closed his eyes and fell silent.
When a woman is curious about something, she can ask ten times, digging deep until she gets a clear answer, never giving up.
Therefore, Su Yi didn't give Zheng Mu Yao a chance to ask again.
Zheng Mu Yao pursed her lips, realizing that Su Yi clearly didn't want to say more. She wouldn't seek trouble for herself.
Immediately, her eyes rolled, and she suddenly extended her slender jade hand, gently pressing it on Su Yi's thigh and giving it a tight pinch.
Su Yi opened his eyes and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Um, I just wanted to massage your leg, Uncle Su."
Zheng Mu Yao smiled coyly, secretly delighted. When she pressed on Su Yi's thigh earlier, she clearly felt his muscles tense up as if he was startled.
"Are you scared too?"
She felt proud in her heart.
Su Yi glanced at this alluring and cunning little fairy, then closed his eyes again and said, "Apply some force. I won't say stop, and you can't stop either."
Zheng Mu Yao was stunned. What was this?
Hurt the enemy a thousand, but harm oneself eight hundred?
Outside the carriage, Liao Bo shook the reins and said in a low voice, "Go!"
The carriage raced at full speed through the city, heading towards the outskirts.