Chapter 24: Encounter in the Water

  Yang Liu Qing was gazing at Liu Qing Qing with a burning passion, our female lead is truly a fox spirit, wearing a white dress, holding a thread-bound book and reading it seriously. Putting down the book, she scanned her surroundings, and several people felt like she was looking at them. The electric-eyed beauty, deservedly so, had electrified Yang Liu Qing as if he had been struck by high voltage, almost collapsing to the ground. His confidence in coming up the mountain had gushed out like a fountain, all his hesitation flying away like soap bubbles. He knew that his cousin Hu Zhong Ren would not be happy about his arrival, just like how he knew his cousin's thoughts, and his cousin also knew his. Previously, his cousin had not shown much enthusiasm for his various wives, so he had easily won them over, but towards Liu Qing Qing, his cousin was extremely cautious, not to mention that he had taken in a concubine named Xiao Lian to gain favor with his wife, and this time coming to Hong Cui Mountain Villa was largely to avoid him. Originally, he had planned to wait for them at the foot of the mountain, but unexpectedly, his cousin's wife had already set a trap before entering the villa, truly frightening his little heart. Seeing his cousin's furious expression as he rushed down the mountain, he felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart, but upon hearing that his cousin's wife was unconscious, his heart almost jumped out of his chest, worried and anxious, despite having Yan Yan by his side to accompany him, he couldn't suppress his desire to go up the mountain to visit. Now, seeing his cousin's wife standing alive in front of him, his heart finally felt at ease. However, looking at her behavior, it seemed like she really didn't recognize people, no wonder his cousin had fallen in love with someone else so quickly. Actually, our female lead, because she was a true body crosser, unlike other crossers who relied on souls, she relied on the spirit of Bi Yu Buddha, and naturally would be restricted by Bi Yu Buddha. Now, her behavior was just like her behavior in modern times, bold and uninhibited, which would surely shock ancient people.

  Yang Liuqing only heard her soft voice, almost lost his thoughts, and nearly forgot the main purpose of coming to the mountain villa. Until he heard Liu Qingqing say: "General pot, did you come on purpose to see me?" He was suddenly awakened. Ah, yes, he came for Liu Qingqing. So he said: "Yes, little sister-in-law, I heard that you were seriously ill, and my heart was burning like a fire, so I immediately came with Yan Yan to see you."

  Liu Qingqing's big eyes sparkled as she turned around, "Ah, little sister, thank you for coming to see me!" She said warmly and took Yan Yan's hand. Although she was modern in her demeanor and had a bright mind, among the three people present, only one unfamiliar beauty didn't recognize her, and that must be Yan Yan.

  "Miss, I really don't dare to, I am your personal maid, I don't dare to be on an equal footing with you, you're killing me!"

  "Hey, what's up? I'm glad you can come see me. Want to go out and have some fun together? It's scorching hot today."

  Yang Liuqing sincerely wanted to comfort Liu Qingqing, so he followed along with what she said and looked at the swallows flying about, saying: "Yes, the weather is indeed scorching hot. Why don't we take a walk by the lake together?" Although he really wanted to be alone with his younger sister-in-law, he knew that now was not the best time. As an outsider who had just arrived, he couldn't give his brother any reason to drive him out of the mountain village. His brother had always been vengeful and would never let go of a grudge, knowing that Yang Liuqing had feelings for his younger sister-in-law all along. If it weren't for his aunt's protection, he would have been banished to the northern seas long ago.

  "Little sister-in-law, shall we take a walk by the lake together? Are you willing?" Yang Liuqing said with courtesy and respect, facing Liu Qingqing. He wanted to make her like him first, regardless of whether she knew him or not, so that it would be easier to entice her later. Liu Qingqing seemed to have no objections to being alone with him and agreed enthusiastically: "Okay, I was just thinking of going for a swim, the weather is so hot!" Her sweet voice made people's hearts flutter.

  Four people walked out of the Yangsheng Hall, and the four servants held umbrellas to shade Miss and Young Master. They accompanied the two and slowly headed towards the lake. The Yangsheng Hall was behind the Fengqi Building, and the four people passed through the grand hall of the Fengqi Building, walking past the pavilions and artificial hills, turning west, and following the wooden bridge towards the mountain peak. In the distance, they could see the Youxu Residence to the south. However, the four people did not head south but continued to walk on the wooden bridge to the west, going to a solitary island in the water that was only connected by this wooden bridge. From afar, they saw the four large characters "Between Mountains and Water", which was indeed the name of this house. Yangliuqing had not been here for a long time, remembering that the last time he came was when Xiulian was still around, but he was still very familiar with the situation. Perhaps it was because of his curious eyes that stirred up his emotions, and as they walked, he enthusiastically introduced everyone to the surroundings. With three beauties accompanying him, he no longer felt the desolation of the past, and even the pain hidden deep within his heart seemed to have disappeared. Before long, the four people crossed the arched wooden bridge and sat in "Between Mountains and Water", looking out at the surrounding scenery that was breathtakingly beautiful.

  Its internal structure is also very special. It's a circular milky white building, without doors, all the floor-to-ceiling windows open to the top, and are hollowed out into large skylights. Four roads lead to it from all directions. On the roof, countless round holes appear, because it's daytime, sunlight shines through the holes, revealing blue sky and white clouds, I believe that at night, the starry sky and the bright moonlight will shine through these holes, making it even more breathtaking. In the central position, there is a largest circular skylight, with a blue top, under which nine night pearls are inlaid on a blue background, one large pearl in the middle, surrounded by eight smaller ones, illuminating the house exceptionally brightly. Looking at these valuable jewels, even though Liu Qingqing was ill, even if she had forgotten about these ancient friends, her greedy little heart couldn't help but think of taking them down, wanting to possess them for herself, but looking up at the height, she could only give up, because when she looked up, she still felt dizzy, it's hard to imagine how high it was. The middle of the house is covered with a snow-white carpet. Against the wall, there are square tables placed, each table corresponding to four chairs. White curtains are half-drawn and half-rolled in the inner circular rings, while outside, high eaves are flying above the roof, forming a harmonious color with the green outside, making one think of a poem "Water shines brightly on a sunny day".

  At 10 o'clock in the morning, the weather was extremely hot, not a single breeze, and the outside ripples were even more attractive. After sitting for a while, Liu Qingqing's heart moved with her intention, walked out of the inner room between the mountains and waters, came under the eaves, suddenly became very interested, took off her outer clothes, only leaving her underwear, if they knew what Liu Qingqing was wearing, they wouldn't be shocked. But in ancient times, there were no such clothes, so Miss Liu's behavior was considered shocking. She was only wearing a bra and briefs, and with one jump, she entered the lake water. When it was said, it was slow, but at that time, it was fast, even Yang Liu couldn't catch a corner of her clothes, because the clothes floated lightly into his hands, only to see her like a happy little fish swimming back and forth in the water.

  Liu Qingqing was happily playing in the lake, swimming with different strokes, including the frog kick and butterfly stroke, and even dog paddling. The three people in the house were shocked by Liu Qingqing's excellent swimming skills, but they were surprised for different reasons. Yang Liuqing praised Liu Qingqing's beautiful posture and skilled technique, while Yingying and Yanyan were puzzled, wondering when their mistress had learned to swim, as people from northern regions, especially women, rarely knew how to swim. The two of them looked at each other in confusion, unaware that the Liu Qingqing before them was not their real mistress. Not only was she a substitute bride, but also a substitute for another substitute. Yingying couldn't help but speak up, "Our mistress, I remember she can't swim, and I recall when we were young, the lady of the house told her to cross the river, and she almost drowned."

  Swallows thought for a moment, indeed there was such a thing, remembering that the old master and madam had been angry about this matter for a long time.

  "It was probably that incident that prompted Miss to learn how to swim, otherwise it would be painful to see the water every day after marrying into this Jiangnan water town and not being able to touch it." Yanyan said, thinking that she had followed Yangliuqing, and would likely spend her whole life in this Jiangnan water town. Unconsciously, she spoke out of emotion, looked at Yangliuqing, and coincidentally, Yangliuqing also turned around to look at her, "If you want to learn, I'll teach you later."

  Swallows were overjoyed and thought to herself, "It's said that Yangliuqing is heartless towards women, but unexpectedly he still cares about me, I guess I'm not so unlucky after all."

  Yang Liuqing was so clever and immediately sensed Yan's feelings, "...

  "You follow me with all your heart, I will not disappoint your true feelings." Yanyan said: "I dare not be extravagant, as long as the young master does not despise me, I will definitely follow you to the death."

  "Hey, hey, there's a big light bulb among you guys, don't show off your love, it makes this lonely person feel even lonelier."

  Swallow said: "Afraid of being alone, you can also follow Young Master and avoid being alone."

  "Dead girl, you're willing to get married early and yet you want me to suffer too? You've really become heartless and ruthless!" As she spoke, the two of them started chasing each other on the steps, splashing water at each other. Yang Liuqing watched as they played together, feeling her mood lift along with theirs. From a distance, she saw Liuqing swimming in the emerald waves, thinking it was a delightful sight to behold, watching as she floated up and then sank beneath the surface, her emotions changing unconsciously with her movements. How could there be such an enchanting creature like her?

  While indulging in fanciful thoughts, she felt that the time it took for Liu Qing to sink was too long. She looked closely at the water's surface and saw a string of bubbles rising from the bottom. She cried out in alarm and, without even removing her clothes, jumped into the water. With one swift dive, she disappeared. The two servant girls, who were playing nearby, saw Yang Liu Qing hastily jump into the water and then lost sight of their mistress. They immediately sensed that something was amiss and began to shout frantically. But all around was quiet and deserted - who would come to their aid?

  Yang Liuqing secretly entered the water, saw a water monster entwining with Liu Qingqing, and hurriedly pulled off his own belt to swim into the water monster, tightly strangling the water monster's neck. The water monster was subdued and forced to release Liu Qingqing, cutting off the belt around its own neck and escaping to the bottom of the water. Yang Liuqing originally wanted to chase after the water monster, but Liu Qingqing was also sinking down, so he had no choice but to give up chasing the water monster and instead carried Liu Qingqing under his arm, treading water all the way until they climbed ashore. Yang Liuqing placed Liu Qingqing on the steps, and Liu Qingqing coughed loudly several times, having been choked by the water. At this time, the two maidservants also called for people to come rescue them, and when Yang Liuqing saw them, he hastily took off his own clothes to cover Liu Qingqing's body. Yingying ran towards the young lady, crying and laughing at the same time, while Liu Qingqing was still smiling, "Why cry? I'm not dead yet! Quickly help me into the house, my clothes are there, these wet clothes are really uncomfortable." Even at this point, Liu Qingqing could still joke around. The servants saw that Ninth Lady was fine and retreated, after all, men and women were different. The two maidservants supported Liu Qingqing as they entered the house, changed her clothes, and the two maidservants were still shaken, busily asking what had happened. Liu Qingqing said it was just a slight cramp in her leg, nothing else, and covered it up, but in her heart, she was thinking about who that water monster could be and why they wanted to kill her.

  Yang Liuqing walked up to the wooden bridge, planning to return to his residence and change clothes. The clever old woman had already brought him clean clothes, which he put on under the scorching sun. He then gestured for her to deliver the clean clothes to Madame Ji in the mountains. At this moment, listening to his own heartbeat, it was still racing tightly. This scare was not small. In his heart, he had already made plans, and tonight he must go find the person who harmed him to settle accounts.