Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 99

Volume 4: The Perils of the Jianghu

Encirclement

The Valley Master didn’t quite trust her son. “What method are you planning to use?”

Feng Lin smiled faintly. “Mother, among those guests, who do you think truly holds the power?”

            

The Valley Master thought carefully. There were many people, but they all revolved around two exceptionally beautiful women, especially the taller one…

At the mention of height, a dull ache throbbed in the Valley Master’s heart.

If… if she had been that tall, would her beloved man​¹ have accepted her? Would he not have died? Their family of three could have lived a peaceful life.

            

Seeing his mother’s expression, Feng Lin knew she had guessed.

Every time she revealed this nostalgic look, Feng Lin knew she was thinking of his father, that lofty priest whom she had forced to be with her.

What a detestable woman. If she hadn’t coerced his father back then, he would still be the influential priest in the Huachen Kingdom, and he himself wouldn’t have become an object of ridicule in Changsheng Valley.

            

Towards the woman before him, Feng Lin’s hatred far outweighed any gratitude for her raising him. His heart held only resentment, only hatred, only anger, without a shred of love.

But in this Changsheng Valley, he still needed to use her power as Valley Master, use her authority, and make her impart all the valley’s knowledge to him. So, he had to endure her.

Pretending not to see her wistful, nostalgic expression, he smiled and said, “Mother, you’ve noticed too, haven’t you? It’s that tall, stunningly beautiful woman.”

            

He deliberately emphasized “tall” and “stunningly beautiful.”

Powerful, exceptionally beautiful, and tall—this was practically a fatal blow to the Valley Master.

If such a person had competed with her for her beloved man back then, she would surely have lost. Her beloved man would definitely have fallen for her.

            

She ignored the fact that others might not have even looked twice at her beloved man, and also ignored the fact that there was nearly a twenty-year age difference between that person and her beloved man. Just thinking about the possible scenario made the Valley Master’s heart ache dully, and her expression darkened considerably. “Indeed, that young woman does seem to have much more real power than the sickly one… What are you trying to say?”

Feng Lin didn’t answer directly, just smiled shyly. “Mother, do you think I’m beautiful?”

The Valley Master carefully appraised her son. Snow-white skin, vibrant red lips—this was the appearance his father had bequeathed him. How could her son not be handsome?

            

So, she said proudly, “My son is, of course, the most beautiful.”

Feng Lin thought so too. Growing up, whether man or woman, no one had ever surpassed him in beauty, except for the two women who had come this time… No, he still had an advantage: he was a man.

Women all loved men. Just like his mother; her lifelong obsession with his father was etched in his memory. The way his senior brothers and senior sisters around him interacted was also etched in his mind. Men were always strong in front of women, exceptionally charming. No woman could resist a man… except for that disgusting disciple of the Hundred Herbs Elder and that dead woman named Feng Chen who liked her.

            

But it didn’t matter. One of them was already dead, and the other was being pursued by Xuanji Tower and would soon be dead too.

The women in this valley were all like his mother; they all loved men. He was so beautiful; if he went to seduce that woman, she would definitely take the bait.

“I also think I’m the most beautiful.”

            

The Valley Master realized what her son intended to do. She frowned. “You can’t do that.”

Feng Lin smiled. “Mother, I’m a man. I won’t get pregnant, and I won’t be at a disadvantage. That woman has power and looks, so why not go for it?”

That was right. The Valley Master re-evaluated the child before her. He was a man. He wouldn’t get pregnant, wouldn’t suffer. Even if he was promiscuous, there was nothing to criticize.

            

She sighed. “Once that woman takes the bait, what will you do?”

“By then, her guards will all be mine. I can do whatever I want. Won’t it be simple to make them keep the valley’s secrets?” Feng Lin said with an air of certainty, smiling. “Mother, just wait. I will definitely resolve this matter for you.”

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After bringing Feng Qing back to their lodgings, the maids they hadn’t seen for a long time rushed forward, hugging them and anxiously looking them up and down, chattering away asking if they were alright.

            

Su Yi smiled and rubbed the faces of the two young maids she had brought. “Your Young Miss is perfectly fine, what are you crying for?”

Her gaze swept to Ye Shui, who was standing stock-still not far away, and she asked strangely, “Miss Ye, what’s wrong…”

Before she could finish, her heart lurched, and she looked at Feng Qing.

            

Oh no! In her haste to bring Senior out, she had Ji Qingchi make a mask, but she had forgotten that besides herself and Feng Ruoqing, her maids and Ye Shui had also seen that face.

She could restrain her maids, but Ye Shui might not be so obedient.

Sure enough, upon seeing Feng Qing’s face, which strikingly resembled “Chi Qing,” Ye Shui stared entranced, oblivious to everything else around her, and walked step by step towards Feng Qing.

            

As soon as Feng Qing entered the room, she was surrounded by the curious maids. She was very fond of juniors, and seeing so many young girls at once, her heart overflowed with affection. She chuckled and took out the dried fruits she had brought from the bottom of the cliff, distributing them one by one.

When she offered some to Ye Shui, she held it out for a long time, but Ye Shui didn’t take it. Feng Qing looked up in puzzlement, only to see the young girl staring at her face, looking as if she was about to cry.

Gancao and Yan Can also saw Feng Qing’s face clearly by now. They gasped softly and turned to Su Yi. “Young Miss…”

            

Before they could finish, Su Yi clapped a hand over each of their mouths.

The two blinked, understanding that this was something that couldn’t be spoken of. They nodded to indicate they wouldn’t make a sound, and only then did Su Yi release them.

Ji Qingchi and the other two had gone with Yue Ling to check if there were any gu near their bamboo lodge. Here, Su Yi was the only one who knew the inside story.

            

She thought for a moment, then stepped forward to help Feng Qing out. “This venerable senior is our savior… You’re not mistaken, she is also the mother of my late fulang, Senior Feng Qing.”

Feng Qing was utterly bewildered.

Huh? How did she not only become a savior after coming out of the cliff bottom, but also get promoted a generation and gain a son?

            

Hearing Su Yi’s explanation, everyone else looked as if they had a sudden realization. No wonder this senior looked so much like the late master, and even their names were similar—”Chi Qing” and “Feng Qing.” It seemed they must be mother and son.

Su Yi held Feng Qing’s hand, dabbing at the corner of her eye. “My fulang ventured out alone back then, leaving Senior at home to live on a few mu​² of barren land. Now, although my fulang has passed away, we were husband and wife after all. I couldn’t just leave Senior uncared for, so I brought her up here.”

The surrounding maids were moved by their Young Miss’s loyalty and righteousness. Gancao, however, secretly pulled Yan Can aside to whisper, “Young Miss isn’t calling her ‘Mother,’ but ‘Senior.’ Is she planning to remarry? I’ve read in storybooks that it’s always like this. When a certain fulang dies, his wife master becomes estranged from his maternal family.”

            

Yan Can patted her head. “Remarry what? Don’t talk nonsense.”

The Ninth Highness is so close to our Young Miss now, remarry? More like entering the palace.

Although Feng Qing didn’t know what trick this young lady was playing, she knew it was always right to cooperate. So, while maintaining her old persona of being mute, she caressed Su Yi’s face, her eyes glistening with tears as she performed this new role with her.

            

The two of them acted quite well, and Ye Shui quickly believed their story.

She scurried back to her room, poured a cup of tea, walked up to Feng Qing, respectfully offered her the tea, and made a “drink” gesture.

Feng Qing looked at Su Yi. Seeing her nod, Feng Qing took the tea and drank it. After finishing, she gave Ye Shui a thumbs-up, indicating the tea was good.

            

Ye Shui happily hugged the teacup and ran back into the room to pour her another.

Feng Qing drank seven or eight cups in a row, feeling like her stomach was sloshing with water and she couldn’t take much more. So, she looked at Su Yi pleadingly.

“Miss Ye, the venerable senior has had enough to drink, she shouldn’t be thirsty anymore,” Su Yi said with a smile, stopping her.

            

Ye Shui hugged the teacup, the smile on her face a little stiff. A dark glint flashed in her eyes as she looked at Su Yi, disappearing in an instant.

As if to verify whether Su Yi’s words were true, she looked at Feng Qing.

Feng Qing nodded immediately. Heavens, if she drank any more, she felt her stomach would burst.

            

Ye Shui put down the teacup and dejectedly took it back into the room.

Taking advantage of her absence, Su Yi led Feng Qing into a room to rest.

After dismissing everyone, Su Yi hurried forward to check on her. “Senior, are you alright?”

            

Feng Qing chuckled. “I’m fine. That young girl is really enthusiastic, isn’t she? By the way, I noticed she cares so much about this face of mine. Is there a reason?”

“The person who used this face before… she’s no longer here. Miss Ye was very familiar with that person, and now that she’s heard Senior is the mother of the owner of this face, perhaps she wants to show filial piety to Senior on that person’s behalf…”

Feng Qing quickly figured it out. “You said the person who used this face before was a young man. Was she in love with that young man?”

            

Su Yi nodded uncertainly. “Perhaps.”

In the original novel, Ye Shui was absolutely loyal to Ji Qingchi, a loyal hound who would rather die than let Ji Qingchi suffer the slightest harm. For such a loyal person to have no feelings for Ji Qingchi would probably be unconvincing.

“Ai, I saw her constantly gesturing with her hands. Is she mute?”

            

“Yes, we originally brought her here to seek medical treatment, but the Valley Master said you were gone and her own medical skills weren’t good enough to treat her, so she has remained unable to speak.”

“My junior sister specialized in gu; her medical and poison skills were indeed not that great. Since I’m back, and that young lady seems nice, I’ll take a look and see what’s wrong with her.”

“Then I’ll thank Senior on her behalf.”

            

“No need, no need. I’m also a mute now, aren’t I? Two mutes together, it’s a good opportunity to learn how to communicate.”

Feng Qing was quite open-minded. After coming up with these juniors, she wasn’t overly reserved. She did whatever she was asked and accepted whatever persona was given to her, adapting faster than these young people.

When she saw Ye Shui again, she was particularly enthusiastic, pulling her to sit down and asking her to open her mouth so she could see what was causing her inability to speak.

            

After examining for a long time, she deduced that Ye Shui had suffered a trauma in childhood, causing her to shut down and stop speaking.

Su Yi had no intention of prying into someone’s privacy and directly asked how she could be cured. Feng Qing truly lived up to her reputation as a renowned doctor of Changsheng Valley. Her use of poisons was formidable, and her acupuncture skills were even more superb.

After performing acupuncture on her for three shichen​³, Ye Shui was able to utter single syllables.

            

Su Yi and the maids sat in the courtyard watching Feng Qing treat Ye Shui. When Ye Shui uttered her first single syllables, they all clapped and exclaimed how amazing it was.

Su Yi was no exception, smiling and clapping along with the maids, praising Feng Qing. Seeing Feng Qing, despite her age, blush red, Su Yi laughed so hard she bent over. Just as she was about to say a few more teasing words, her peripheral vision caught Ji Qingchi and the others returning.

Ji Qingchi, at the head of the group, had a dark, gloomy expression, looking as if someone had provoked her.

            

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