302: Chapter 82 Father-in-Law's Quartet

After reaching a secret agreement with A Zhu that couldn't be told to outsiders, Meng Li went straight to the guest rooms.

He planned to check on Ruan Xingzhu's condition and devise a corresponding plan, striving to achieve the 'Miao 'Yu' Lian 'Zhu'' Minor Achievement as soon as possible.

A Zhu went to talk to A Zi and did not accompany him.

When Meng Li walked to the small courtyard of the guest room where Ruan Xingzhu was staying, he heard a splash; someone had fallen into the water.

His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly used Lightness Skill to flip over the wall into the courtyard. Taking a quick look, as expected, it was Ruan Xingzhu who had jumped into the pond.

Meng Li leaped toward Ruan Xingzhu's position, reached out to scoop her up, brought her back to the shore, and then circulated his power to strike her on the back.

Ruan Xingzhu instantly opened her mouth and spat out the water she had swallowed.

After a fit of coughing, she glanced at Meng Li, stood up expressionlessly, and continued walking toward the pond.

"I have a way to remove the scars on your face and body."

Ruan Xingzhu paused in her tracks and turned to ask, "Really?"

Meng Li's expression was indifferent. "If it's a lie, you can just seek death once more."

Thud!

Ruan Xingzhu fell to her knees and pleaded, "I beg the Young Master to help; I will surely be eternally grateful."

Meng Li said, "Answer one question first."

"Please speak, Young Master."

"Why don't you use a Human Skin Mask to hide your disfigurement?"

Ruan Xingzhu was stunned, then replied, "I do not have a Human Skin Mask."

Meng Li: "???"

His first reaction was disbelief; how could someone proficient in disguise not have a Human Skin Mask?

But Ruan Xingzhu didn't look like she was lying, and there was no need to hide it.

Could it be...

Thinking of a possibility, Meng Li asked Ruan Xingzhu, "Do you know the Disguise Technique?"

Ruan Xingzhu shook her head.

Meng Li: "..."

So, has Ruan Xingzhu been nerfed?

Just like how the Murong Family's four great retainers only have two left, and the Four Swords Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum were cut in half.

It must be!

Because Meng Li recalled carefully and realized that in the 2003 version of the demi-gods and semi-devils TV series, Ruan Xingzhu never showed any disguise skills, nor was it even mentioned. The idea that she knew disguise was from the original novel and online discussions, but even there it was only mentioned briefly without specific examples.

He had remembered incorrectly.

Having understood this, Meng Li's confusion vanished. He walked up to Ruan Xingzhu and looked down to examine the condition of her face.

Kneeling on the ground and being looked down upon by him, Ruan Xingzhu felt somewhat uneasy. She wanted to say she could stand up for him to look, but seeing how seriously he was looking, she swallowed her words and blushed slightly. The posture of the two at this moment made her think of some scenes unsuitable for children.

If not for the fact that there wasn't a trace of lust in Meng Li's eyes or face, Ruan Xingzhu would have thought he was doing this on purpose to humiliate her.

Soon, Meng Li finished examining her face carefully. Having a plan in mind, he said, "Get up."

Ruan Xingzhu stood up as told and asked expectantly, "Young Master Murong, I wonder when you can remove the scars for me?"

Meng Li said, "Don't be in a hurry. Before we start, I'll tell you the general steps. These scars of yours have already formed. To remove them, they need to be completely scraped away, then a special secret medicine must be applied to allow the flesh to regrow, making it no different from before."

"In short, you have to endure the pain of being disfigured once more."

"Can you accept that?"

Ruan Xingzhu's heart trembled, and the terrifying image of Ye Erniang, her face covered in blood and looking like a mad demon, instantly flashed in her mind.

"Is there no other way?"

Meng Li nodded.

Ruan Xingzhu bit her lip and nodded. "I accept. Is there anything else to be aware of?"

Meng Li shook his head. "No. If I had to say something, it's that this isn't something that can be achieved overnight; you'll have to stay here for a while."

"That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Ruan Xingzhu nodded. "It's not a problem."

"Then clean yourself up first. I'll have A Zhu arrange a bath and a change of clean clothes for you."

"Thank you, Young Master Murong."

"Don't thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank A Zhu. She's the one who asked me to do this."

Ruan Xingzhu was stunned.

Meng Li didn't care and planned to find A Zhu.

Just then, Qin Hongmian arrived.

"Young Master Murong, why are you here?" Seeing Meng Li there, Qin Hongmian was a bit surprised. A moment later, she added, "Just as well, we are preparing to take our leave."

Taking leave?

Meng Li was surprised, but then it dawned on him.

Qin Hongmian and her party had come to seek medical treatment from Xue Muhua. Now that their goal was achieved, they naturally wouldn't stay long, not to mention the incident where Duan Zhengchun lost control of his bladder in public.

Hearing Qin Hongmian's words, Ruan Xingzhu asked, "Are you here to ask me to leave with you?"

Qin Hongmian nodded.

Ruan Xingzhu immediately said, "I can't leave with you right now."

"Why?" Qin Hongmian was puzzled. After saying that, she glanced at Meng Li with suspicion in her eyes.

Meng Li's lip twitched; he ignored her and left on his own.

Ruan Xingzhu organized her words and briefly explained about A Zhu, A Zi, and the prospect of the scars on her face being removed.

After the story was told, Qin Hongmian was first astonished, then for some reason, her expression turned strange.

"So that means there are four of Brother Chun's daughters here, all of whom are in love with Murong Fu. This..."

She didn't know what to say for a moment.

A Father-in-law Quartet?

Ruan Xingzhu did the math and was a bit confused. "Four? Isn't it three? You have one, and I have two."

Qin Hongmian said expressionlessly, "Li Qingluo also had one named Wang Yuyan, who is Murong Fu's childhood friend. They just got married yesterday."

Ruan Xingzhu: "..."

After a few seconds of silence, she asked Qin Hongmian, "So, you agree to your daughter being a concubine?"

Qin Hongmian looked helpless. "A grown daughter cannot be kept at home. What can I do if I don't agree?"

"Even as a concubine, at least she has a status. On the contrary, as her mother, I don't even have a status."

By the end, there was a hint of resentment in her voice.

Ruan Xingzhu heard it and felt something was wrong. She asked tentatively, "Did something happen after you all went back just now?"

Qin Hongmian glanced at her and said nothing.

Ruan Xingzhu felt more and more that there was a problem. She reached out and tugged at Qin Hongmian's sleeve. "Sister Qin, we've been through life and death together; there's nothing that can't be said."

Qin Hongmian sighed softly and whispered, "Didn't Brother Chun have that... incident earlier? He had to change his clothes when we got back, but he couldn't move, so someone had to help. Hero Qiao is an outsider, Guard Zhu had to change his own, and Duan Yu is a Junior—none of them were appropriate."

"So, only I could help him."

"As a result, he felt embarrassed and flew into a rage out of shame, taking it out on me."

Ruan Xingzhu was stunned, then whispered in persuasion, "Sister Qin, I know this is Brother Chun's fault, but you also know that having become like this, he must be feeling terrible."

Qin Hongmian laughed out of anger. "He feels bad, but do I feel good? I've been taking care of him all along this journey, and I didn't see him lose his temper before!"

Ruan Xingzhu said weakly, "He was unconscious before; even if he wanted to lose his temper, he couldn't."

Qin Hongmian: "..."