Chapter 157: Aunt and Uncle

Chapter 157: Aunt and Uncle

Sisi was not afraid of Tang Wanzhuang at all. She hadn't even shown her true face yet; who knew who she'd turn out to be? Why should she care about her?

She was thoroughly annoyed. Why should all her hard work wrapping the bandages be undone with a casual slash, only to be told she'd done it wrong? The Tang family's benefactor had been lying in bed for so long. If she knew how to treat wounds, why hadn't she come to do it herself? Others treat him, and she says it's no good. How noble, how pure!

Seeing Sisi's fuming expression, Tang Wanzhuang pressed her lips together and found herself momentarily unable to retort.

Though from the battle's surface, Sisi seemed to have done almost nothing, who knew how much she'd contributed below? Even if she'd done little down there, simply by accompanying and aiding Zhao Changhe, she was theoretically one of the Tang family's benefactors this time. Tang Wanzhuang really couldn't lose her temper with her.

But applying medicine to Zhao Changhe...

Tang Wanzhuang hesitated greatly.

She wasn't as uninhibited as Sisi. Besides... besides, there were certain matters between Zhao Changhe's identity and her own, which both sides were tacitly trying to shake off. Would applying the medicine cause things to spiral out of control?

Tang Wanzhuang truly couldn't bring herself to do it. She said apologetically to Sisi, "I really am not in a convenient position. Since you are Sir Zhao's maid, please..."

Sisi stomped her foot: "You're known for your wisdom, yet even Tang Buqi knows I'm a fake maid by now!"

Tang Wanzhuang: "?"

She had just arrived and had a mountain of things to do; she hadn't inquired about this yet. How was she supposed to know? And if you're not a maid, what were you doing just now?

Zhao Changhe watched the two women staring at each other and finally couldn't help but laugh: "Sisi, don't make things difficult for the First Seat..."

Sisi was even more irritated: "Oh, I see. We're both virgins, so I'm supposed to accompany you through this and that, while she's pure and aloof. And she's an old auntie too, what's she pretending for!"

"Where did that come from..." Zhao Changhe looked at Tang Wanzhuang's rare embarrassment and secretly applauded. Making her lose her composure wasn't easy; Sisi was truly remarkable. But he couldn't say that, so he could only mediate: "The First Seat and I aren't that familiar. It's just official dealings. You and I are the ones who fought side by side."

Sisi blinked. Hmm... He could talk.

She snorted and deliberately said, "Official dealings? Then why do you call Young Master Tang 'big nephew' so affectionately? Doesn't seem like official dealings to me."

Tang Wanzhuang glanced at Zhao Changhe, expressionless.

Now it was Zhao Changhe's turn to be embarrassed: "That... it was just a joke, a joke..."

Sisi said leisurely, "Those who are good to you, you think they're loose and disrespectful. Those who put on airs, you think they're pure and respectable. I'm not stupid. You two can be pure and clean all you want. Let's see who's willing to help treat your wounds—the loose woman or the pure First Seat."

With that, she turned and walked out, slamming the door shut.

Inside, Zhao Changhe and Tang Wanzhuang looked at each other. Tang Wanzhuang had no idea who Sisi was and thought it was jealousy. But Zhao Changhe quickly understood what the girl was really upset about.

It seemed his obvious respect for Tang Wanzhuang had provoked her. She probably felt that since they'd met, everything they'd done had been a mess—she'd been taken advantage of, and he thought it was only natural. If she'd known he was like this, couldn't she have played the same game? It made her feel cheap, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

But she still hadn't explained her background to this day. How was he supposed to think?

Then Tang Wanzhuang sighed and said, "Did that young lady misunderstand something? Should I go explain?"

Zhao Changhe shook his head: "No, it's not a misunderstanding... It's just that the fate of how people meet is strange. Anyway, just leave the medicine there. My injuries are mostly on the front; I can apply it myself. I don't need delicate hands to serve me. I'm not that pampered."

For some reason—perhaps because Sisi had left and the awkwardness had lessened, or perhaps because Zhao Changhe's natural attitude made Tang Wanzhuang feel at ease—she no longer found it problematic. She naturally scooped up some medicine and applied it to the most severe wound on Zhao Changhe's shoulder.

Zhao Changhe was startled but said nothing. If it wasn't about male-female awkwardness, this was perfectly normal. Saying something would only make it awkward.

He thought for a moment and instead brought up another topic: "With the two matters in Yangzhou and Gusu, I've fulfilled my duties as a secret agent well enough, haven't I?"

Tang Wanzhuang smiled lightly: "No secret agent of the Demon Suppression Bureau has had greater achievements than you in recent years. How long have you been in Jiangnan, and what level of cases have you prevented? If that's not enough, nothing is."

"So the Dragon Sparrow and the Six Harmonies Divine Art count as my rewards for meritorious service. Don't bring up that topic again. The jade token is on the table over there. Take it back. I'm not taking this job."

Tang Wanzhuang was surprised: "This token is very useful for you—authority without responsibility. Why return it?"

"I don't know if it's fate... I was originally carefree, roaming the jianghu, avenging wrongs. Ever since I took this token, all I've done is solve cases. It's ridiculous. Though this kind of thing is interesting, doing it occasionally is fine. I really don't want to keep investigating cases all the time. It's exhausting."

Tang Wanzhuang chuckled: "Because you went to Jiangnan and planned to target the Maitreya Sect, and the Maitreya Sect operates secretly in Jiangnan, so naturally everything seems like solving a case. What fate? Keep the token. If you still end up investigating cases inexplicably, you can just smash this fate."

Zhao Changhe was delighted: "Deal, then."

"In the end, you're just afraid of being constrained."

"Maybe."

Tang Wanzhuang slowly applied the medicine and thought for a while, then said, "Speaking of the Dragon Sparrow... Its power has now been revealed. Those who are observant, like Maitreya or my elder brother, probably know what blade this is. I'm afraid even if you don't want this blade now, it's too late. Trouble will follow. What are your plans?"

"It doesn't matter if Maitreya knows. I was afraid of people knowing before because I didn't want trouble. Now I've already offended Maitreya to the death. We're irreconcilable. Whether he's a prince or not makes no difference."

"What if he spreads the word to others? Like the Vermilion Bird."

"Probably not. He's not just a martial artist focused on grudges. He's a rebel leader with political considerations."

"For example?"

"If only he knows the secret, capturing me might still be a valuable bargaining chip. What benefit would it be to him to leak it to the Four Symbols Sect? Let them once again boast of killing a prince? Or hand over the bargaining chip to them? If I were him, I definitely wouldn't leak it to others. But who knows how he thinks? He might be crazy enough to do anything."

Tang Wanzhuang laughed again: "You say you're not fit for the court, but I think you're becoming more and more suitable."

"Come on." Zhao Changhe said impatiently, "This court is rotten, whether it's Xia Longyuan or the Tang family. Joining the court to learn from your painstaking efforts? I'm not sick."

Tang Wanzhuang applied the medicine absently and didn't answer.

Zhao Changhe continued, "As for your elder brother and the others knowing, I trust you'll make them keep quiet. That's not a problem, is it?"

Tang Wanzhuang came back to her senses, a faint blush finally spreading across her face: "I can make them shut up, but what will they think? I'm afraid my father might come from the capital to see you in a few days."

Zhao Changhe: "...Have you ever thought this is simple? I don't understand why someone known for wisdom would be tangled up over this."

Tang Wanzhuang was surprised: "Simple?"

"Of course it's simple." Zhao Changhe said matter-of-factly, "I just tell your family that I have no interest in a twenty-eight-year-old old spinster. That solves everything."

As Tang Wanzhuang listened, her brows unconsciously gathered a murderous aura, and her hand involuntarily pressed harder.

The third-ranked on the Earth List's strength was no joke. Even a slight increase made Zhao Changhe's eyes bulge: "Damn, you're trying to murder your..."

"Brother Zhao! Brother Zhao!" The door suddenly burst open, and Tang Buqi rushed in: "My father said... wait, what did you just say about murder? Uh..."

He looked at Zhao Changhe lying on the bed with his bare chest, then at his aunt sitting by the bedside applying medicine with her delicate hands. His mind churned with the phrase "murder your husband." His face cycled through colors as he slowly backed away, caught his heel on the threshold, and fell flat on his back.

Tang Wanzhuang took a deep breath, suppressing her nearly explosive shame and anger, and said through gritted teeth, "Is it the Tang family's upbringing to barge into someone's room without knocking?"

The Tang family's upbringing also didn't allow a woman to touch a man like this before marriage.

Tang Buqi muttered inwardly but dared not talk back to his aunt. His expression was almost tearful: "It was Uncle who told me not to knock from now on, so we could be friends..."

Zhao Changhe's mouth fell open.