Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 222 Awkward

Nianyao said, "You mean, when you're middle-aged, you'll send someone to burn me, right?"

Luo An wasn't angry; his voice sounded alluring in the darkness: "The night is long, we can chat whether we're lying down or sitting up. This bed is so soft and warm, it's very comfortable. Why don't you try it? Why make life difficult for yourself? As the Buddhist saying goes: All beings are like this, only..."

This is just like a monk chanting scriptures! Nianyao got a headache listening to this and started taking off her clothes: "Alright, alright, go to sleep then, do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Luo An suppressed a laugh, his voice sounding calm: "Madam fears neither heaven nor earth, how could she be afraid of me? I don't eat people."

Nianyao groped her way into the covers in the dark, muttering, "Not eat people? You eat people and then spit out the bones... What do you want to do?"

Luo An held her in his arms and explained very seriously, "It's cold in the mountains, this is to warm you up, Madam."

Nianyao said warily, "We're in a temple. Don't mess things up like last time and ruin our business."

Luo An replied, "Madam is right. Madam is sleepy, please go to sleep."

The bed was indeed very comfortable. Nianyao couldn't help but say, "I sleep on the grass at the foot of the mountain, while you sleep on a brocade quilt in the temple. You really have the airs of a young master. You're never mistreated wherever you go."

Luo An didn't argue, but gently patted her back: "Madam has been wronged!"

It sounded very warm, as if she felt sorry for her. Nianyao, on the contrary, felt embarrassed: "Actually, it's nothing. I'm used to it from living with my father and the others. It's you who have always been privileged, so this environment is still unfair to you."

The young master of Heaven and Earth has a mansion with its own hot spring in Bianjing, and his food, clothing, and daily necessities on Chongming Island have never been lacking. How good could the things in this little shabby temple be?

Nianyao was overcome with drowsiness: "How did you know I lived in a thatched hut and that it burned down?"

Luo An's voice was gentle: "You've just arrived, how could you have time to build a new house? You're dressed so poorly, and you don't usually show your face during the hot summer. If you don't want to arouse suspicion, you can only live in a thatched hut, or better yet, make do with a temporary straw hut that someone else has abandoned."

Since you can find Tumote, you can definitely find Baishan. You're capable of protecting yourself, and with Dashu providing close protection, I have nothing to worry about. Aren't you afraid of being recognized by Manduo for shouting outside today?"

Nianyao said, "Don't worry, I was dressed as a man then, with my head down and my face looking sickly. I didn't face him directly, and we didn't even exchange a word. Now I'm lively and energetic, dressed as a woman, and we're so far apart, how could he possibly guess it's me?"

Luo An touched her neck with his fingers: "Where's your longevity lock? Didn't I tell you not to take it off?"

Nianyao said, "The longevity lock is too exquisite. I've seen many of them in the military camp before. I was afraid of giving myself away, so I didn't wear it around my neck. I didn't take it off; I'm carrying it in my bosom."

Luo An kissed her forehead: "So thoughtful, so good!"

Nianyao relaxed after receiving the praise and wrapped her arms around Luo An's neck: "Of course, who am I!"

Exhausted, Nianyao vaguely thought before falling asleep: Did Luo An ask Dashu to find her so that Dashu could protect her?

Three of the four shadow guards were looking for An Jingchen, while the other was with her. Luo An was alone, without anyone to protect him?

Nianyao's eyes suddenly widened: "Luo An?"

Luo An thought she was falling asleep, but hearing her voice, which sounded perfectly awake, he naturally became anxious: "What's wrong?"

Nianyao said, "Luo An, I will protect you."

Luo An didn't think he needed protection, but Nian Yao's words, spoken in her distress, sounded undeniably powerful. For a moment, Luo An didn't know how to respond. When he came to his senses, Nian Yao's breathing was even; she had truly fallen asleep.

Luo An muttered to himself in the darkness, "I know!"

Luo An was of noble birth, and many people had been kind to him, from the brothels to the imperial palace. He didn't feel moved; sometimes, he even felt it was a burden. But when Nian came alone to the northern desert to find him, Luo An truly felt the depth of her affection.

Nianyao slept soundly and even had a dream about that time in the military camp... When she slowly woke up, she realized it wasn't a dream at all.

Nianyao was shocked: "Buddha..."

Before she could utter those two words, Luo An shattered them. Nian Yao dared not shout, struggling violently and silently.

She was completely bewildered during that incident at the military camp. Having learned her lesson from that experience, Nianyao had been wary of Luo An all night. Luo An did nothing, which surprised and relieved her: Luo An still had reverence for Buddha!

I never imagined I'd overestimated Luo An. Da Shu said Luo An was willful, but that's more than just willful; he's downright lawless! And last night he was all high and mighty, saying: "Before the Buddha, a young lady should be pure of heart and desire, and devoted to spiritual cultivation."

Bah! What kind of spiritual practice is that! You're just a cunning little man who talks a big game but does a lot of nonsense!

Nianyao was quite strong and deliberately uncooperative, making it difficult for Luo An. He simply stopped what he was doing and leaned down to gently kiss her cheek: "What's wrong?"

Nianyao instinctively turned her head to avoid it, reminding her, "This is a temple, a sacred place for quiet cultivation, you really are..."

Blinded by lust! Nianyao thought this, but couldn't say it aloud, only managing to say, "...utterly disrespectful!"

Luo An didn't care at all: "There are so many temples in the world, how many monks are truly devoted to Buddhism? Let's not even talk about drinking and eating meat. Puji Temple is known as the National Temple of Dongyang, so it's not surprising that monks have affairs. There's a doctor in the Heaven and Earth who is the illegitimate son of a monk from Puji Temple."

Nianyao pushed him forcefully: "Can't you see all the virtuous monks in Puji Temple? Why do you have to pick on one particular monk? Instead of learning to be a good person, you have to learn to commit crimes? You who study the classics, haven't you learned to emulate the virtuous..."

Luo An suddenly sat up, his face displeased, and interrupted her, saying, "We are a lawfully wedded couple who have bowed to heaven and earth. It's perfectly normal and aboveboard. How can it be considered a crime?"

He was naked like that, it was unbearable to look at. Nianyao grabbed the clothes from the bedside table and threw them at him: "Put some clothes on first."

Luo An threw the clothes on the ground: "I won't wear them! Does being naked in a room constitute a crime?"

Nianyao sat up, clutching the blanket, looking at the clothes on the floor, then at Luo An. She could hardly believe her ears: "What did you say? Not wearing clothes? How could you... be so childish!"

This can no longer be called willfulness; it can only be called childishness.

They argued about this first thing in the morning! If word got out, it would shock the whole world! Who is Luo An? A cold-blooded, heartless miracle doctor!

It was childish enough, but this level of childishness was unbearable for Nianyao. However, she had no choice but to endure it! The temple was packed with people, and there was no room for the slightest mistake.

Nianyao clenched her fist and then relaxed it. With a sullen face, she put on her clothes first, then picked up Luo An's clothes: "You put on your clothes first."

Her voice unconsciously carried a hint of coaxing. Luo An's expression softened slightly. He got off the bed, stood in front of Nian Yao, and opened his arms: "Help me get dressed."

Nianyao almost threw the clothes over his head, but she quickly pulled her hand back and compromised, saying, "Okay, I'll help you put them on."

The worse Nianyao's expression became, the more relaxed Luo An's expression became. After Nianyao helped him put on his clothes, Luo An's expression returned to normal. He sat down at the table and pulled out a comb from somewhere: "Help me comb my hair!"