Chapter 7: Princess Shaomin

Zhou Zhiruo let out a sigh, her voice filled with a melancholic tone, "Wuji, now I am already Lady Song. If you truly have feelings for me, as long as you promise to marry me, I'm willing to leave my current husband even if it means enduring the world's mockery. I'll marry you. On our wedding night, whatever you desire from me, I will comply." After saying these words, Zhou Zhiruo's face seemed to be burning with embarrassment.

Zhang Wujil's heart raced, and he stood up, wanting to reach out and hold her tender hand, "Zhiruo, I promise I will marry you!"

Zhou Zhiruo instinctively took a step back, covering her collar and saying, "I meant that after we are married, we can... but not now. I am still Lady Song. I hope Grandmaster Zhang will show some restraint."

"Yes, yes, I was too impulsive." Zhang Wujil nodded hurriedly.

"Wuji, do you really want to marry me?" Zhou Zhiruo's heart was filled with joy, and she asked again, blushing and shy.

"Of course! I want to marry you." Zhang Wujil walked to her side, looking at her with deep affection.

Zhou Zhiruo let out a soft sigh, "Wuji, you're putting me in a difficult position..." In this heartwarming moment, both of them unconsciously avoided mentioning Zhao Min.

The two of them remained quietly lost in their thoughts for a while. Suddenly, Zhou Zhiruo's gaze fell on Song Qing Shu lying on the bed across the room. As she thought about her current status as Lady Song, a pang of guilt hit her heart. She sighed softly, "I'm not being fair to Qing Shu."

Zhang Wujil consoled her, "Zhiruo, we were originally meant to be together. You never loved him in the first place, so what do you owe him?"

"But we can't keep sneaking around like this." Zhou Zhiruo's eyes shifted, and her expression turned cold as she looked at Song Qing Shu, "What if I kill him? And you go back to kill Zhao Min? That way, no one can interfere with our secret meetings in the future."

"Is that even possible?" Zhang Wujil was taken aback. Despite his feelings for Zhou Zhiruo, abandoning Zhao Min was an impossible request.

"Wuji, I was just testing you." Zhou Zhiruo grinned slyly, "I've already wronged my husband enough. If I were to take his life as well, what would distinguish me from those infamous women in history? If you had agreed just now, I wouldn't have dared to associate with you anymore. I don't want to be a Pan Jinlian while you become a Ximen Qing."

After Zhang Wujil's initial astonishment, he smiled and said, "My Zhiruo is truly the kindest..."

The next day, sunlight streamed into the room. Song Qing Shu woke up to find the room empty, the bed across neatly made, devoid of any traces. He heaved a sigh of relief, wondering, "Could last night have been just a dream?"

Suddenly, his expression darkened as he noticed that the bedsheet on the opposite bed had been changed. Although the difference was subtle, Song Qing Shu distinctly remembered it wasn't the same one as yesterday. Why had the bedsheets been changed? He looked up at the sky and muttered to the air, "If you have a spirit in the heavens, you should know it's not that I haven't been working hard, but your wife is quite something, to have already slept with Zhang Wujil."

Unbeknownst to him, the bedsheets had been changed because they were accidentally stained by tea. Zhou Zhiruo had simply replaced them with a clean set.

"Qing Shu, are you awake?" Zhou Zhiruo walked in with a basin of warm water. Seeing Song Qing Shu awake, she wrung out a towel and handed it to him.

Song Qing Shu cast her a disdainful look, thinking that this woman had betrayed her husband last night and was now pretending to be tender and caring out of guilt.

"Why were the bedsheets changed?" Song Qing Shu accepted the towel without moving, deliberately feigning ignorance.

Zhou Zhiruo glanced behind her nervously and explained, "I accidentally stained them, so I changed them."

"Oh..." Song Qing Shu didn't press further. He couldn't afford to be too aggressive at the moment.

While Zhou Zhiruo went out to fetch water, Song Qing Shu, whether due to a psychological suggestion or not, watched her walk with a graceful sway in her waist. Her face seemed to have shed the awkwardness of a young girl and revealed the allure of a young woman. A sense of annoyance inexplicably surged within him.

"Unlucky fellow, I'll definitely avenge you, my brother." Since the situation had already unfolded, he had to face it. Song Qing Shu was not one to shy away from challenges. However, considering that he couldn't even defeat one of Zhou Zhiruo's disciples, let alone Zhang Wujil, whose martial skills were unparalleled, and given that beneath Zhou Zhiruo's gentle appearance lay a heart that was not as fragile and kind as it seemed, he realized that if he wasn't careful, he might end up losing his life without taking revenge.

Lost in thought, a hearty laughter reached his ears, "Senior Brother Song is looking much better now. It seems your injuries have healed quite a bit."

Song Qing Shu looked up and saw Zhang Wujil walking in, causing his blood vessels to twitch involuntarily. He responded coldly, "What are you here for?"

Everyone present was aware of the friction between Song Qing Shu and Zhang Wujil, so his tone wasn't surprising. However, Zhang Wujil remained unfazed by his attitude, and with a warm smile, he said, "I've heard that Senior Brother Song is troubled by his meridians. I came to see if I could be of any assistance."

"Wuji, it seems someone here isn't very appreciative." At that moment, a sweet and melodious voice, both tender and charming, echoed through the room. Song Qing Shu had been consumed by anger earlier, and he hadn't noticed the other person accompanying Zhang Wujil. Only now did he realize that the speaker's eyes were clear as water, her complexion radiant like jade, her cheeks blushing like the first bloom of a flower. Her beauty was so striking that it made him feel ashamed to even glance at her.

It turned out to be Zhao Min, who couldn't tolerate Song Qing Shu's taunting remarks and had stepped in to defuse the situation. Song Qing Shu gave Zhao Min a fierce glare. Although she exuded an air of nobility due to her prestigious status, which might make others feel self-conscious when meeting her gaze, Song Qing Shu was a time-traveler, and combined with his antagonistic feelings toward Zhang Wujil, he felt no such pressure. After a quick appraisal, he averted his gaze. There was no need to engage in a petty argument now.

Zhang Wujil was truly living a life of luxury, surrounded by two stunningly beautiful women. However, the thought that he already possessed a beautiful princess like Zhao Min and yet still pursued Zhou Zhiruo filled Song Qing Shu with even more irritation.

Zhao Min was caught off guard by his gaze, feeling as though her entire body was exposed to his scrutiny, which made her feel uncomfortable. She quickly moved behind Zhang Wujil, her impression of Song Qing Shu turning sour.

"Qing Shu, I heard you mentioned the Four Great Healers of the Martial World yesterday, saying they might be able to treat your meridians. I thought about Zhang Wujil having inherited the true teachings of Hu Qingniu and specially invited him to see if there's a possibility of restoring your meridians," Zhou Zhiruo said in a cold tone, not even looking at Zhang Wujil. Her mention of his name was particularly chilly. It seemed that Zhou Zhiruo's resentment towards him still lingered. Zhao Min and the others assumed the same, but Song Qing Shu couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

"Didn't he say he couldn't cure it last time?" Song Qing Shu gave both of them a disdainful glance.

"Senior Brother Song, indeed at that time, I had no solution. But later, after poring over medical books from various generations, I found a method that might be worth a try," Zhang Wujil responded calmly, his composed demeanor earning him admiration from everyone present. His humility was truly commendable.

"Really?" Song Qing Shu's interest was piqued. Ever since confirming that he was in a world created by Jin Yong's novels, he had felt a sense of invincibility. With his knowledge of the storyline, he could easily acquire treasures and martial arts secrets. However, his damaged meridians had rendered all that meaningless. In the chaos of the current world, even if he found treasures, he couldn't guarantee his safety, and even if he obtained secrets, he couldn't cultivate them. Now that he heard Zhang Wujil might have a solution, he felt a glimmer of hope. In that moment, Song Qing Shu even thought that if Zhang Wujil could restore his meridians, he might even overlook the matter between him and Zhou Zhiruo. After all, it was that poor fellow who suffered the losses, not him.