Chapter 603 - 606: You Just Wait

Chapter 603: Chapter 606: You Just Wait

In the end, Hua Manman and Yue Niang each got their own room, while Li Liao and Li Ji shared one.

Hua Manman knew tonight wouldn’t be peaceful, so she first went to the kitchen to get some things and started busying herself once she returned to her room.

By the time she finally had everything ready, she was exhausted. She collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep.

After some time, a loud CLANG! suddenly echoed in the room.

Hua Manman was jolted awake.

She had placed a copper basin above the door, filled with flour.

As soon as someone entered, the basin would tip over.

’The noise just now must have been the basin hitting the floor.’

Hua Manman quickly threw off the covers, sat up, and got out of bed, dagger in hand. Her other hand fumbled for something on the bedside cabinet.

On top of the cabinet was a bowl of soybeans.

She planned to scatter the soybeans on the floor. ’The assassin was just hit by the basin and must be panicking. With flour blurring his vision, he won’t be able to get his bearings. The moment he gets near, he’ll step on the soybeans and slip.’

However, just as she picked up the bowl of soybeans, she heard a familiar voice in the room.

"Manman... COUGH COUGH, it’s me!"

’It’s Li Ji’s voice!’

Hua Manman was startled. "Prince?"

She quickly put down the soybeans and lit the oil lamp on the bedside cabinet.

By its dim, yellow light, she saw Li Ji near the door.

He was covered head to toe in white flour. He was even inhaling it, which sent him into a coughing fit. The copper basin lay overturned on the floor by his feet.

He was a truly sorry sight. As the one responsible, Hua Manman couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

"W-Why are you here?"

Li Ji didn’t blame her, however.

He casually closed the door behind him, bent down to pick up the copper basin, and commented.

"This trap of yours is well-designed, but it’s not vicious enough. If I were you, I wouldn’t have filled the basin with flour."

Hua Manman asked humbly for his wisdom, "Then what should I have used?"

Li Ji: "Quicklime."

Quicklime is highly corrosive. Direct contact with the skin would immediately cause redness, swelling, and ulceration.

Hua Manman gave him a thumbs-up. "You’re the ruthless one!"

Li Ji placed the copper basin on the table, his gaze sweeping over the bowl of soybeans on the bedside cabinet.

"This trick only works on ordinary people. Those assassins know Qinggong. If they find an obstacle on the ground, they can just fly over it."

Hua Manman slapped her forehead. ’Right, I forgot about that!’

Li Ji slapped his clothes a few times. Not only did he fail to brush off the flour, he sent it flying into the air.

He couldn’t help but cough a couple more times.

Hua Manman was very embarrassed. "Why don’t I get some water for you to wash up?"

"No need."

Li Ji took off his outer robe, turned it inside out, and wiped his face, getting rid of the flour.

Hua Manman couldn’t help but ask, "What are you doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping in your own room?"

Li Ji stared at her fixedly.

"I want to ask you, what exactly is going on between you and that woman, Yue Niang?"

This had been bothering him all day.

He had barely managed to hold it in until night. While everyone else was asleep, he had quietly snuck into Manman’s room, planning to have a serious talk with her.

He never expected to be doused with flour the moment he stepped inside.

Hua Manman touched her nose. "Duke Zhen should have already explained it to you, right? Yue Niang and I are just putting on an act. You can’t take it seriously."

Li Ji sneered. "But it looks to me like you’re enjoying yourself."

His tone was dripping with jealousy.

Hua Manman gave an embarrassed laugh.

"No, no, I don’t actually like deceiving people.

Yue Niang is a good person, just that her life has been hard.

Once this is all over, I’ll be sure to apologize to her properly."

Seeing her still defending Yue Niang at a time like this, Li Ji felt even more jealous.

"Have you ever thought about how I would feel?"

Hua Manman asked cautiously, "You can’t possibly be jealous of Yue Niang, too, can you? She’s a woman."

Li Ji: "So what if she’s a woman? Does that mean you can be all lovey-dovey and touchy-feely with her?"

Hua Manman felt deeply wronged.

"When was I ’touchy-feely’ with her?"

Seeing that she still wouldn’t admit it, Li Ji grew even angrier.

"You touched her hand, and her hair, and her face."

’Manman hasn’t even touched me since she got back, but she’s already touching someone else.’

’It’s just too much!’

’I feel like a cheating husband being interrogated by his shrewish wife about who he’s fooling around with.’

Li Ji heard her inner thoughts, and naturally, he also heard the word "shrew."

’She thinks I’m a shrew?!’

Li Ji couldn’t take it anymore.

"You just wait!"

With that, he turned and stormed out.

Hua Manman thought he was going to get some tool to punish her, like a washboard or something.

Just as she was feeling uneasy, she saw Li Ji storming back in, looking furious.

He was now holding a basin of water.

Hua Manman was completely baffled.

’What’s he doing with that water? Does he plan to splash it on me? Is this supposed to be some metaphor about spilt water that can’t be put back?’

Li Ji set the basin on the table, took out his personal silk handkerchief, dipped it in the water, wrung it out, and then strode over to Hua Manman.

"Give me your hands."

Hua Manman was quite intimidated by his aura. Not daring to hesitate, she hurriedly held out both her "paws."

Li Ji grabbed her hands and scrubbed them meticulously three times.

The way he was doing it, it was as if her hands were covered in something filthy.

He didn’t stop until her hands were red from the rubbing.

He commanded coldly.

"You are forbidden from touching her ever again!"

’If you’re going to touch someone, it can only be me!’

Hua Manman obediently nodded and agreed.

’I was afraid that if I said no, he’d scrub the skin right off my paws.’

Now that everything had been explained, Hua Manman thought Li Ji would go back to sleep, but then she heard him say.

"You go to sleep. I’ll keep watch for you."

Hua Manman was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. "There’s no need for that, is there?"

’There’s only one bed in this room. If Li Ji stays, doesn’t that mean we’d have to squeeze onto one bed?’

Even though the bed was wide enough for two adults with room to spare, Hua Manman still felt nervous.

She wasn’t mentally prepared for so much physical contact with Li Ji.

Li Ji gave her no chance to refuse.

He swept Hua Manman up into his arms and strode toward the bed.

Hua Manman was so scared she cried out.

"Ah! Put me down!"

She was so flustered she even forgot to use his formal title.

’This damn dog of a man isn’t planning to force himself on me, is he?!’

’If he really dares to try anything, I’ll smash his dog brain in.’

Just as Hua Manman was tensing up, Li Ji gently placed her on the bed, pulled the quilt over her, and tucked her in.

"Sleep."

His large hand ruffled her hair, messing it up.

Then he took two steps back, bent down to blow out the oil lamp, and with a single leap, landed on a roof beam.

Hua Manman propped herself up on her elbows and craned her neck to look up, where she saw Li Ji already lying on his side on the beam.