Chapter 133: A Scheme Within a Scheme

A lean figure in black slipped into Ruan Qinglian’s room with extreme speed, and vanished back out almost immediately.

Ji Changge looked at the unfamiliar room with hazy, drunken eyes, and asked, "Seven, where is this?"

"It is secluded here; no one will ever disturb the Young Marquis. Just rest well here, and I shall undress you." With that, Ruan Qinglian began her work.

Ji Changge cast a dazed glance toward the door, then collapsed flat onto the bed.

A smile curled the corners of Ruan Qinglian's lips as she reached out to strip away Ji Changge's outer garments.

Wen Jing gently poked a hole through the paper window and was instantly startled by the scene inside. Ruan Qinglian’s delicate, jade-like hands were working in tandem, removing Ji Changge's outer robe in a matter of moments.

She looked at the motionless Ji Changge. He seemed genuinely drunk—wasn't he supposed to be able to hold a thousand cups without getting intoxicated?!

Director, he is not following the script!

Strange... why can't I move? Ji Changge thought to himself. Though his mind was entirely clear, his entire body felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

Feeling a sudden chill across his upper body, Ji Changge felt a jolt of alarm. This thieving Taoist nun must have poisoned him at some point; otherwise, given his alcohol tolerance, he would never be so drunk as to become completely immobilized. The detested nun!

"Actually, I rather dislike taking the initiative," Ruan Qinglian murmured with a soft laugh. "However, since you are a fine gentleman like the Young Marquis, taking the initiative on rare occasions has its own unique charm, don't you think?" Her hands then climbed upward onto Ji Changge's bare chest.

Damn it!

Ji Changge tried hard to shake off Ruan Qinglian, who was pressing her body against him, but he couldn't muster even an ounce of strength. Could it be that today... he was truly going to... lose his chastity right here?

Where on earth were his guards?! Seeing their master stripped bare and not coming to the rescue! Not a single one of them could be relied upon at a crucial moment!

Staring wide-eyed at the increasingly scandalous scene inside, Wen Jing had a fierce battle waging between the two little voices in her head.

"Charge in there! Otherwise, the Young Marquis is going to be completely devoured!"

"Wait a little longer... Perhaps the Young Marquis is doing this on purpose. If the roster isn't in Ruan Qinglian's room, it might be hidden on her person. Bursting in now might just ruin everything."

What should she do? Charge in or not... Wen Jing struggled internally.

Ruan Qinglian reached out to untie Ji Changge's undergarments, her cheeks flushing with a rosy tint, resembling a maiden stirred by spring longing. Ever since she first laid eyes on Ji Changge, she had fantasized about this exact scenario countless times. Today, it was finally within her grasp.

Ji Changge felt an unusual sensation at his lower abdomen and was inwardly horrified. What a shameless Taoist nun!

This time, his innocence truly seemed indefensible. No matter how he tried to circulate his inner energy, his body remained trapped as though sunk in a muddy marsh. The thieving Taoist nun certainly had her tricks; no wonder she held so much sway in the capital. He had let his guard down and fallen right into her trap.

"Stop right there!"

Wen Jing shoved the door open.

Ruan Qinglian stared at Wen Jing in utter shock. "How did you find this place?"

Meeting Wen Jing's cold gaze, Ruan Qinglian understood immediately that this was all a ruse acted out by Ji Changge and Wen Jing, and that they had never quarreled at all.

Hearing Wen Jing's voice, Ji Changge breathed a sigh of relief, though internally he could not help but complain: Why didn't you show up a little sooner!

Ruan Qinglian suddenly flung a handful of powdery substance straight at Wen Jing.

Watch out! Ji Changge shouted in his heart, though he couldn't even voice a single word.

Holding her breath, Wen Jing had already anticipated this move. With a swift flash of her body, she closed the distance to Ruan Qinglian, popped a pill directly into Ruan Qinglian's mouth, and shoved her chin upward.

"Swallow it!"

Caught off guard by Wen Jing's sudden counterattack, Ruan Qinglian swallowed the pill before she could react, and retched repeatedly without managing to cough it up.

"Don't waste your energy. This kind of pill dissolves instantly upon contact with moisture. Don't assume you are the only one who knows how to use poison," Wen Jing said, squatting down to look at Ruan Qinglian.

"You... wretched..." Before Ruan Qinglian could finish, she collapsed to the ground with a soft thud.

Seeing that Ji Changge was still completely motionless, Wen Jing finally understood why he had allowed Ruan Qinglian to paw at him earlier—he must have been poisoned by her. Thank goodness she had charged in when she did.

As Wen Jing set to work searching Ruan Qinglian's body for the roster, Ji Changge wailed inwardly: Untie me first! I'm still naked over here!

"Found it! It really is on her!" Wen Jing opened the booklet in her hand. Indeed, it was the disciple roster of the Huaqing Taoist Temple.

When Wen Jing turned around, her eyes met Ji Changge’s bare skin, which gleamed with the luster of white jade. From an anatomical perspective, his bodily proportions were nothing short of perfection: broad shoulders, a narrow waist, a six-pack of abdominal muscles, and not a single ounce of excess fat. This was clearly the result of rigorous physical training day after day. Combined with a face that could drive ordinary women wild with longing, Ruan Qinglian's actions suddenly seemed entirely logical. Most women would probably wish to spend a lifetime with such a man. Though Ruan Qinglian knew she could never win Ji Changge's heart, she must have felt that even a single night of intimacy would make it all worthwhile.

Catching Wen Jing staring intently at his body, Ji Changge felt a twinge of awkwardness. He thought to himself, Why is this Seven acting just like that thieving nun...

Meeting Ji Changge's gaze, which flickered between embarrassment and shyness, Wen Jing snapped back to her senses. She hurried over to help him dress, but upon seeing his undergarments pulled halfway down, her face flushed slightly. Though she had seen many male bodies, they were always corpses; this was the first time she had ever seen one alive.

Feeling Wen Jing's slightly chilled fingers, Ji Changge took a deep breath. Being touched by the woman he favored naturally felt entirely different from being touched by someone he loathed, and his body suddenly stirred with a strange reaction.

Noticing the physical change in a certain part of Ji Changge's body, Wen Jing naturally understood what it meant. The heat in her cheeks surged a few degrees higher, and she hurriedly scrambled to dress him. This body wasn't a corpse; she couldn't just stand there staring without expecting any reaction at all.

As a result, the more panicked Wen Jing grew, the more clumsy her movements became. Feeling those two cold little hands fumbling all over him, Ji Changge felt an itch as if tickled by an octopus. Wanting to move but unable to, this torment was far worse than taking a slash from a blade.

Finally, she managed to get all his clothes back on, albeit quite rumpled. Wen Jing let out a sigh of relief, then looked at the still-motionless Ji Changge and remembered something crucial: she hadn't given him the antidote yet.

"I actually have the antidote."

Hearing this, Ji Changge nearly fainted on the spot. You did that on purpose!

Wen Jing shoved the antidote pill into Ji Changge's mouth—it was the very last one Lin Bai had given her.

A moment later, Ji Changge finally recovered the ability to speak. Yet after holding back so many words for so long, he didn't even know how to begin. Was he supposed to say, "Did you withhold the antidote just so you could touch me?"

"Let's hurry and leave. That thieving nun will wake up before long."

"Mn," Ji Changge replied, stepping down from the bed.

Observing Ji Changge's rather peculiar gait, Wen Jing wisely chose not to ask.

"Are we just going to leave her here?" Wen Jing asked.

"She is hardly likely to go around broadcasting... this sort of matter," Ji Changge said. "However, you can no longer stay at Qinglian Residence. Move to Lingyun Hall instead."

Wen Jing nodded. Having completely burned her bridges with Ruan Qinglian, it was indeed no longer appropriate to stay at Qinglian Residence. Moreover, given Ruan Qinglian's temperament, having her plans ruined meant she would certainly not let her off easily. A wise person does not stand beneath a tottering wall.

"Though it was perilous, we finally found the roster," Wen Jing said with a faint smile.

You may have had a safe journey through peril, but this lord was nearly seen in the buff! Ji Changge could not help complaining internally. The memory of Ruan Qinglian's slippery hands roaming over him—feeling like a snake slithering across his skin—made him feel nauseated. But worst of all, Wen Jing had witnessed that entire spectacle!

Noticing Ji Changge's livid expression, Wen Jing felt somewhat baffled. She naturally could not guess what was going on in his mind, and instead assumed he was still displeased because she hadn't given him the antidote right away. Could it be... was he still a virgin?

Wen Jing was startled by her own thought. What did it matter to her whether Ji Changge was a virgin or not?

Besides, he was the undisputed number one gentleman of the capital, the Young Marquis whom every debutante dreamed of marrying—how could he possibly still be a virgin?

Seeing Wen Jing alternate between puzzlement and shaking her head, Ji Changge's face darkened a few shades further. Could it be because of that inappropriate physical reaction he'd had earlier... His lofty, wise image was completely ruined!

Realizing this, Ji Changge's hatred for Ruan Qinglian deepened even further.

Thus, the two of them walked the entire way back, exchanging thoughts entirely through glares and unspoken mental dialogue.