Chapter 854: Do You Agree to This Request?

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

A person was standing beside Zi Qing. From this angle, Ling Er could only see a small silhouette, like a woman.

Zi Qing’s body stiffened as he looked down at Qin Shu. When Qin Shu heard the woman’s voice, she could hardly wait to go in. She tried to push Zi Qing away.

Before she could make her way through, her vision blurred and the back of her neck hurt. Her vision subsequently went black. Before she fainted, she inexplicably felt that this scene was very familiar, as if she had experienced it not too long ago.

A second before Qin Shu fell, Zi Qing quickly caught her and carried her in his arms.

This was the first time he did not respond when Ling Er called him. She stood up and walked over, puzzled. She asked again, “Zi Qing, who is here?”

Zi Qing carried Qin Shu in his arms and turned to look at Ling Er. “My disciple,” he said.

Ling Er looked at the girl in Zi Qing’s arms. It was the same girl she saw the last time. Xiao Jiu was her son. She had gotten married and had children at a young age.

She remembered that she had heard her speak. Why had she fainted now?

Baffled, she asked Zi Qing, “What’s wrong with her?”

Zi Qing did not answer her question. Instead, he said, “I’ll carry her inside to rest for a while.”

With that, Zi Qing carried Qin Shu and turned around to walk to the room in the side wing.

Ling Er stood rooted to the spot, and the doubt in her eyes deepened. She remembered that Xiao Jiu was still on the hanging swing chair and that the egg custard should be cold by now. Hence, she did not follow behind. Instead, she went to feed Xiao Jiu his egg custard.

In the room, Zi Qing bent down and placed Qin Shu on the bed. He pulled the thin blanket up to cover her, his gaze falling on her slender wrist. His long fingers reached out to hold her wrist and feel the martial art strength in her body. She had already broken through to the upper intermediate stage of platinum.

He was a little confused. It was clear that he had already sealed her martial art strength. How could she suddenly have rebounded?

He placed Qin Shu’s hand under the blanket and stood up straight. Looking at her still unconscious in bed, he felt a little helpless.

This time, it was a complete accident.

He suddenly remembered something his father had said. If you were greedy for pleasure, it would be easier to make mistakes.

That was indeed the case.

Zi Qing stood by the bed and watched Qin Shu for a bit, then turned around and left, closing the door behind him.

When he walked to the courtyard, he saw Ling Er holding a bowl and feeding Xiao Jiu egg custard mouthful by mouthful.

In the past, she would always stay in the room to read, play chess, and draw. Sometimes, when she was in the mood, she would even play the piano. She seemed to enjoy it very much. She was very quiet and laidback, but he always felt that something was missing.

Ever since Xiao Jiu came, the smile on her face had never waned. She no longer stayed in the room to read, draw, and play the piano. Instead, she often carried Xiao Jiu out to bask in the sun, talk, chat and tell stories.

The once-quiet Qi mountain was now full of jokes and laughter.

Although he rarely participated in the banter, he was very happy.

If you were greedy for pleasure, it would be easier to make mistakes.

So what?

Zi Qing walked over and sat down at the table. He looked at Ling Er and saw that she was feeding Xiao Jiu earnestly. He then looked at Xiao Jiu and found that he was also eating happily.

Ling Er smiled and said, “Zi Qing, Xiao Jiu loves the egg custard you made. He is about to finish this small bowl.”

“Ling Er likes Xiao Jiu very much,” commented Zi Qing.

Ling Er nodded. “Yes, Xiao Jiu is very likable. When I play with him, I feel that time passes very quickly.”

Zi Qing pressed his lips together. He could not bear to say it, but he had to. “I’ll send them down the mountain tomorrow,” he told her.

Ling Er’s hands stopped moving. When she saw Xiao Jiu’s mother arrive, she knew that Xiao Jiu would follow his mother home. Moreover, Xiao Jiu had stayed on the mountain for so long. His mother must have missed him too, which was why she suddenly came up the mountain.

However, she was a little reluctant to part with Xiao Jiu.

She took the last mouthful of egg custard and put it into Xiao Jiu’s mouth.

Zi Qing did not say anything. He just looked at her quietly.

After feeding the egg custard, Ling Er placed the small bowl on the table. She looked up at Zi Qing and said, “Well, Xiao Jiu has been away from home for so long. He must miss his parents too.”

Zi Qing saw her reluctance and said, “If you miss Xiao Jiu, I will bring him up the mountain again in the future.”

“Sure.” Ling Er smiled at Xiao Jiu, who had just finished eating the egg custard and was already dozing off.

“Xiao Jiu is sleepy. I’ll carry him back to his room to sleep,” said Ling Er.

“Okay,” replied Zi Qing.

Ling Er carried Xiao Jiu into the room.

After Xiao Jiu had fallen asleep, Ling Er walked out of the room and saw Zi Qing coming out of the next room. “Why did Xiao Jiu’s mother suddenly faint just now?” she asked him.

“She’s fine.” Zi Qing held her hand and walked towards the study.

Ling Er turned back to look at the tightly shut door and followed Zi Qing into the study, puzzled.

Zi Qing brought her to a painting. “This is what I drew last night. Do you like it?” he asked.

Ling Er looked at the painting he was talking about. In the painting, she was holding Xiao Jiu and looking at birds under the silk cotton tree.

She was aware of Zi Qing’s superb painting skills and the realness of the characters he painted.

However, this painting was by far her favorite.

She turned her head to look at Zi Qing. “I like it very much,” she said.

Zi Qing held her in his arms and rubbed against her soft hair with his jaw. He said in a low voice, “You like children. Let’s have one too.”

This was the second time he had mentioned having children.

Ling Er pursed her lips. She had been on the mountain for a few years and her memory was not good, to begin with. She could not even remember her age. She asked him, “How old am I this year?”

Zi Qing stroked her soft hair and replied, “You are thirty-nine years old.”

Ling Er sighed, lamenting at how time had passed so quickly. She did not know how she had managed to survive for so many years.

“How about you?” she asked him.

“Forty-two,” replied Zi Qing.

Ling Er could not help but laugh. “It is said that a man’s spring comes in their forties. I see that you look like you’re not even thirty yet. I’m afraid it wouldn’t be a problem for you to pass off as a high school student.”

When she had nothing to do, she would go watch idol dramas. The male and female celebrities in the dramas were not young anymore, yet they acted as high school students. However, none of them were as good as Zi Qing.

He was good-looking and charismatic. Most importantly, he looked very young.

Zi Qing looked down at her and saw her wanton smile. “Are you laughing at me?” he asked her.

Ling Er hurriedly shook her head. “No, I’m complimenting you.”

Zi Qing stared at her for a while. “Then are you willing?” he asked again.

Ling Er thought about it and abruptly raised her head to look at Zi Qing. Looking at the man she had been with for four years, she thought of how well he took care of her and how considerate he was. Although he was a man of few words and kept a poker face all day, and did not know how to speak romantically, she could feel how much the man in front of her cared about her.

However, she constantly felt that something was missing.

As for what exactly was missing, she did not know.

It had been four years, enough to understand a person well.

Yet, she kept feeling that the man in front of her still maintained some kind of mystery, and what she saw was only the tip of the iceberg.

“We…” Ling Er gritted her teeth as if she was about to make a drastic decision.

Zi Qing listened intently to what she wanted to say next.

Ling Er didn’t think of herself as an impulsive person.

Perhaps it was this calmness that kept the both of them from getting over that hurdle.