The White Moonlight Disdained by the Male Protagonist of Redemption - Chapter 9.1

Ning Yuzhu’s words made Ning Yao believe him, but not because she trusted him as a person. After all, he was a superficial guy; what did he know? It was simply because he was talking about something good, and she liked to believe in good things.

When people are in a good mood, they tend to think about doing something productive. So, Ning Yao decided to go through some ancient books and research the best way to cook the Nine Yin Cold Spirit Mushroom.

This thing was so rare that when her father was still alive, it was right around the time the Cold Spirit Mushroom was about to mature, but not quite. He knew she’d just happen to witness the rare occurrence of this thousand-year-old treasure, so he had prepared some notes for her to use.

After flipping through the books, she got some ideas but wasn’t quite sure. Just as she was planning to discuss it with Jie Zhongyi, he came to find her first.

Jie Zhongyi knew Ning Yao had been busy these past few days and looked at the ancient books with a somewhat resentful gaze.

Ning Yao asked, “Master, why do you look like you’ve been wronged?”

Jie Zhongyi replied, “Go away, don’t be so cheeky.”

Ning Yao laughed and teasingly moved closer, “Are you worried about me? Old Jie, you need to be more decisive like a bodhisattva.”

Jie Zhongyi frowned, reluctantly saying, “Fine, you say so, I’ll do it your way. But, our family rules are clear. It’s true that saving lives is important, but this is a major matter, a sacred treasure of the entire clan. Shouldn’t we let everyone know and have them agree on it?”

Ning Yao replied, “I know them. They won’t have any objections.”

“Hmm…”

“But still, it’s better to mention it. Let’s hold a meeting. By the way, there’s something else I need to remind you about. Feng Jingzhuo will stay with us on the mountain from now on. His past life was hard, so we should talk to everyone, make sure they treat him well, and not gossip about him like idiots.”

Jie Zhongyi nodded, “Right, these people can’t see the bigger picture. They act like flies around fresh news, buzzing around with no sense.”

Ning Yao raised her hand, “Stop, stop, be careful with your words from now on.”

“Oh.”

After a pause, he hesitated before saying, “I think I can handle it. I’m old and can keep control, but I’m not sure about the others.”

Ning Yao also knew that these people were hard to change and might cause trouble: “So, as the Mountain Master, I’ve really had enough of it. I can’t even handle a single day… I’d rather pray that Feng Jingzhuo isn’t a petty person and doesn’t act like a fool.”

Jie Zhongyi asked, “So, no meeting?”

Ning Yao replied, “We will still have a meeting.”

Jie Zhongyi sighed, then calculated, “But the meeting will be incomplete. Ning Tang won’t come, she won’t return for a thousand years. And those two? Forget it. Who knows where they are? It’s just going to be me and Little Bamboo (Ning Yuzhu).”

Ning Yao said, “Chu Xiao sent me a letter. He’s done with his adventures and will be back tonight. As for the senior sister… I’ll send her a message. She’ll probably just complain about me bothering her.”

Jie Zhongyi nodded. “That’s true. It’s better for these people to show up slowly. If they all appear at once, you’ll just scare Feng Jingzhuo off even more.”

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow. “Why does it seem like it’s me he’ll look down on if we embarrass ourselves?”

Jie Zhongyi said matter-of-factly, “You’re the head, the Mountain Master. The people below you are like that, so your level will be obvious.”

Ning Yao stopped talking. After a moment, she sighed dramatically. “Really, I don’t want to do this anymore. Can someone please start a rebellion? Please.”

***

Feng Jingzhuo had been alone for five days.

During this time, Ning Yuzhu sent him medicine twice, an ointment to apply externally.

Feng Jingzhuo didn’t want to waste this kind intention and used it each time. The medicine worked wonders. After just two uses, the scars had faded significantly, and his facial features began to emerge more clearly.

Ning Yao hadn’t come by yet. He didn’t dare ask, but he didn’t want to be idle either. After all, he had received such a great favor from Luoxiang Mountain, and he was staying here while recovering. Not doing anything felt wrong.

But Ning Yao hadn’t assigned him any specific tasks, so Feng Jingzhuo decided to take action himself. Wherever something was broken, he fixed it, and wherever it was messy, he tidied up. It was such a mess that even after several days, there was still a lot of work left.

These past few days, Feng Jingzhuo had been fixing the floor tiles in Ning Yao’s courtyard. The tiles were old, and none of them were intact. He asked Ning Yuzhu, who told him there were no new tiles, and that it had been like this for several generations of Mountain Masters.

After hearing this, Feng Jingzhuo quietly gathered some small stones and carefully filled in the gaps.

This was a delicate task, and once he started, he forgot the time, often working late into the night.

“Yao Yao! Yao! Yao!”

Feng Jingzhuo paused, stood up, and looked toward the sound. The night was deep, and the person was still far off. But the voice was loud and clear: “Yao! I’m back! Let me tell you something big! Wait, who are you?”

Feng Jingzhuo stared in surprise as the person quickly approached, panting and resting his hands on his knees: “You…”

Feng Jingzhuo raised his hand to cover his face and bowed deeply: “I’m the little demon saved by Mountain Master Ning. Good to meet you sir.”

Chu Xiao straightened up, waving his hand: “No need for ‘sir.’ Just call me ‘bro.'”

He looked and motion Feng Jingzhuo up, walking around him thoughtfully, then stopped in front of him: “Ning Yao saved you… you’re not from the Xuan Yue Immortal Clan, but you have such strong Dragon Qi… Are you from the Cangyuan Dragon Clan?”

Feng Jingzhuo lowered his eyes, his long lashes hiding the expression in his eyes.

It seemed there was more to the story than that.

Chu Xiao asked, “What’s your name?”

Feng Jingzhuo hesitated, then replied, “My name is Feng, Feng Jingzhuo.”

Chu Xiao’s expression shifted slightly. He leaned in, asking, “I’ve heard that in Cangyuan, exile is the highest form of punishment, more severe than the death penalty. What did you do to deserve that?”

Feng Jingzhuo turned his face away.

This time, he couldn’t hide his expression. His whole aura seemed to express sadness, even shame.

Chu Xiao noticed, but still had the nerve to ask, “Why? Can you tell me?”

“Chu Xiao!”

Chu Xiao jumped and turned around to see Ning Yao standing nearby with hands on her hips, staring at him with a neutral expression.

He smiled and greeted her: “Yao Yao, you’re just in time! I—”

“Are you here gossiping again?” Ning Yao walked up and poked his shoulder several times. “Didn’t I tell you in the letter to come straight to see me when you get back, instead of wandering around the mountain asking questions? Why are you so annoying?”

Chu Xiao looked surprised: “I was being good! I came to find you the moment I got back. Who told you weren’t here?”

Ning Yao sighed dramatically: “Fine, I admit I was wrong. I didn’t wait for you. Want me to apologize as the Mountain Master?”

Chu Xiao replied, “Thanks, but you can keep it.”