Chapter 77 Sparring

Words : 1364 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 77: Chapter 77 SparringBackyard bamboo house. Su Jin was preparing medicine on the corridor. Xingxing came over with pastries and said, "Miss is preparing a medicinal bath for the master so early." Su Jin glanced at her and said, "Why were you gone for so long? I was afraid you got beaten up by the kitchen staff." Xingxing, holding the pastries, smiled with her eyes curving, "The kitchen staff were really nice. They not only invited me for a meal but also gave me red bean cakes before I left." "Did anyone try to get information out of you?" Su Jin was a bit worried. This maid was so honest it was exasperating. Once asked, she would say everything she knew. And she knew a lot about Qingyun Mountain, all things that shouldn’t be known by others. Xingxing shook her head like a rattle drum, "Madam has instructed that I must not speak about Qingyun Mountain in front of outsiders, and I haven’t forgotten." Su Jin, "...." "In this Duke Mansion, who are the outsiders?" Su Jin asked seriously. "Except for the master and his sidekick, everyone else is an outsider," Xingxing replied. "...." A certain sidekick was coming over with a bucket, with the corners of his mouth twitching. Had he, a Hidden Guard, already fallen to the level of a sidekick? Fortunately, this maid didn’t think of him as an outsider. Perhaps this maid didn’t know he wasn’t originally one of the Eldest Young Master’s men but was sent by the Duke to protect him during his absence at the battlefield. Xingxing took the pastries into the house and came out to continue preparing the medicine. Su Jin was busy preparing the golden sore medicine. It was still early in the hour, and the preparation process was simpler than the bruise removal ointment, not requiring staying up late. Yet that night, Su Jin stayed up until midnight again. She could predict the hours for preparing the golden sore medicine but couldn’t foresee unexpected events and provocations. The ointment had just been poured into the bathtub when Xie Jingchen was undressing. From a distance, a maid ran over and said, "Eldest Young Madam, Princess Shouning and her companions are coming into the backyard, and we can hardly stop them!" Su Jin had ordered that no one was allowed into the backyard without her permission and had assigned two maids to take turns guarding the door to prevent any intrusions. The little maid ran closer, seeing Xie Jingchen undressed down to his undergarments and standing tall, and she was stunned. There’s no need to climb so high for a bath. Also, the backyard smelled of medicine, which was somewhat overpowering. Su Jin’s face darkened, and she said, "Go and tell Princess Shouning and her companions that the Eldest Young Master is bathing in the Lotus Pond. If they want to look, they can come in." Little Maid, "...." Xie Jingchen, "...." Afraid that Princess Shouning might actually come in, the little maid turned and ran back. That was close. The other guarding maid had already been held. Princess Shouning and Xie Jinyu were approaching, and the little maid rushed forward, "Eldest Young Madam said the Eldest Young Master is bathing in the Lotus Pond. If you want to see, go in." Immediately, Princess Shouning and Xie Jinyu’s faces turned red. Their eager steps seemed nailed to the ground, unable to move further. Xie Jinyu stomped her foot angrily, "Is elder brother really bathing in the Lotus Pond?!" The little maid said nothing. Xie Jinxiu frowned and said, "Tell the truth!" Scared, the little maid said, "The Eldest Young Master is not bathing in the Lotus Pond." Xie Jinyu pushed the little maid aside, "I knew it was a lie!" The little maid quickly added, "But the Eldest Young Master is indeed bathing, right in the yard, visible at a glance." Xie Jinyu’s face flushed as she stared at the maid. The maid did not waver, as she spoke the truth. By the bathtub, Xie Jingchen glared at Su Jin, "Could you occasionally consider my feelings?" Su Jin patted the bathtub and said, "If I didn’t say that, they wouldn’t just be told, they’d actually come in to observe your herbal bath. Haven’t I considered your feelings enough?" "Or have I misunderstood and shouldn’t have stopped them from coming in?" Su Jin asked. "...." "If you want them to come in, I can help call them for you." "...." Xie Jingchen held his forehead. Unwilling to speak, he soaked in the bathtub. The little maid ran back, seeing from afar, Xie Jingchen soaking in the bathtub amid the rising steam. Su Jin had just taken out the silver needle. The little maid called out, "Eldest Young Madam, Princess Shouning wants to see you." "Let her wait." "...." "How long should she wait?" The little maid’s voice trembled a bit. Daring to make Princess Shouning wait, probably only the Eldest Young Madam in the whole Duke Mansion. "A quarter of an hour." "...." The little maid turned quietly and left. Not daring to directly say to make Princess Shouning wait a quarter of an hour, the little maid said, "Eldest Young Madam has something to attend to. She asks Big Young Lady to accompany the princess for a cup of tea while waiting." A cup of tea, a quarter of an hour. Princess Shouning was indignant but dared not enter. What if he really was bathing? She couldn’t risk her reputation. Princess Shouning turned around angrily. Xie Jinyu accompanied her to the main hall to drink tea and wait for Su Jin. By the bathtub, Su Jin was helping Xie Jingchen with acupuncture, Xingxing was a bit concerned, "Miss, is Princess Shouning coming to challenge you with the whip?" Su Jin, "...." "Are you sure?" Su Jin was somewhat unsure. "Probably, that day you whipped her once. After failing to complain to the Emperor, she threatened you to wait, saying she would practice the whip well and come to challenge you," Xingxing said. "...." S~eaʀᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "But we didn’t expect her to come so soon," Xingxing worried. "...." "You can’t learn in a quarter of an hour." "...." This maid even intended for her to cram last minute. If she accidentally whipped herself twice, it would save Princess Shouning the trouble, relieving her anger. Su Jin steadied her mind and continued the acupuncture for Xie Jingchen. As she descended the steps, Su Jin said, "Where’s my whip?" Xingxing patted the bundle, "Don’t worry, Miss. I’ve always carried it with me." Afraid Su Jin was in a hurry, Xingxing opened the bundle to take out the whip. "Put it back in the room," Su Jin said. "Huh?" "Hurry." "...." Su Jin insisted, so Xingxing had to comply. Just at the quarter-hour mark, Su Jin entered the main hall, finding Princess Shouning already impatiently waiting. She already had a belly full of anger. Waiting so long made her even more furious. Having been whipped once, she lost face completely. Her father pacified her by promising to gift her a large East Pearl. She had yearned for it for a long time, only to have it presented to her, but it was entirely taken away by her father along with the tray. And it was all given to her. Upon seeing Su Jin, Princess Shouning’s palms felt itchy and she longed to whip her. Su Jin approached with a calm smile. Xie Jinyu said coldly, "Elder Sister-in-law really made us wait." "Alright, this time it’s not your fault. Next time if you’re coming, give half a day’s notice, otherwise I might not have the time to see you," Su Jin smiled. "...!!!" Who is to blame here after all?! Is this any way to treat guests?! Princess Shouning sneered coldly. She had come to the door, yet Su Jin maintained such a laid-back demeanor. Doesn’t she know if she can still smile later? "It’s stuffy in the room, let’s walk in the garden." Princess Shouning stood up, giving Su Jin a glance. Just you wait! Finding a spacious place to deal with you!

Chapter 77 Sparring

Comments (0)