Mosquito Bites and Morning Revelations

Morning.

Yu Lian jolted awake from her slumber, abruptly sitting up and gasping for breath.

What had she dreamt of? Mosquitoes—so many mosquitoes, an countless swarm biting at her legs and chest, a tingling, unbearable itch.

Thankfully, it was only a dream.

Otherwise, Yu Lian couldn’t imagine what kind of hellish scene it would have been.

“Has Young Miss woken up so early?”

Yu Lian glanced at where Bai Muya had slept last night.

The spot was now empty, only a lingering chill remaining, her presence long gone.

She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.

Yu Lian rummaged for the long dress she had taken off and folded the previous night.

Just as she was about to put it on, her hand paused, her gaze fixed directly on her chest.

Why were there so many red spots?

She reached to remove her inner garment, but then suddenly remembered.

She couldn’t take the thing off. Without Young Miss’s permission, she was powerless against the imprinted innerwear.

“You’re infuriating.”

Yu Lian huffed, hitting the quilt. Anyone unaware might have thought she was simply venting her morning grumpiness.

“Just you wait. Sooner or later, I’ll turn you into a fluffy ball and toy with you back and forth with my toes, hmph!”

She pinched a corner of the inner garment and peeked inside.

Even if she couldn’t take it off completely, it didn’t mean she couldn’t pull back a corner to look. A slight tug was manageable.

“So many marks. Are there really this many mosquitoes here?”

Yu Lian was startled. Had spring arrived early for the mosquitoes? Why were there more marks closer to her chest, as if they specifically targeted those areas?

It wasn’t just her chest; her long, fair jade-like legs also bore a scattering of red marks.

She touched the marks, yet they didn’t itch much.

This left Yu Lian even more bewildered.

How could the mosquitoes in this Bai Estate be more numerous than those in the wilderness? Bearing the name ‘Estate’ surely meant it was a prominent family; didn’t they bother with mosquito extermination?

After donning her long dress and adjusting its ties, she heard a knock at the door.

“Miss Yu, it’s us.”

It was the serving maids bringing food.

Yu Lian checked the clock on the wall; it was only seven. Were the maids already delivering meals? It was much earlier than before.

She gave her assent, and the maids, as usual, set out her plates, bowls, chopsticks, and spoon before preparing to leave.

Yu Lian called out to them, “Why are you all so early today?”

One of the maids replied, “Reporting to Miss Yu, it was Young Miss’s instruction. Before she left, she said you might wake up very early, so she had us prepare.”

Left?

That was far too early; even if she was in a hurry, it wasn’t like this. No wonder she hadn’t seen her upon waking. However, how could she have predicted when I would wake up?

Yu Lian pondered, but couldn’t figure it out, so she dismissed the maids. She picked up her chopsticks and bowl, absently eating.

Only after swallowing did she realize it was a bowl of meat porridge. She didn’t know what kind of meat it was, but it certainly wasn’t seafood; otherwise, she would have long since thrown up.

“Young Miss has left, so Lingyi isn’t here either. It’s peaceful, but it’s also become boring.”

“How should I pass the time?”

She had two or three days of leisure ahead of her.

****

As she slowly pondered, two figures stood on a great crane, flying towards a small town within the territory of Bai Commandery.

The Bai Estate was the largest estate in Bai Commandery, possessing many territories, and the small town they were heading to was also under the Bai Estate’s jurisdiction.

“Young Miss, why aren’t we going to a larger town? The probability of finding a beauty in a small town is too low,” Bai Lingyi asked.

Bai Muya raised an eyebrow triumphantly. “This is where you’re mistaken. Do you know that Yu Lian was discovered by me in the town closest to the sea? Where there’s one, there’s two. We must learn to think outside the box.”

“Beauties don’t necessarily appear in large cities. Sometimes, the chances of finding a beauty in a small town are greater than in a big city.”

“So Miss Yu Lian was found in a town,” Bai Lingyi said, hearing this for the first time.

“What else?”

“Young Miss, have you investigated Miss Yu Lian’s background? Aren’t you worried about offending someone with a powerful backing?”

“Lingyi, have you ever seen a young lady, starving and drooling at a steamed bun stall?”

Bai Lingyi was confused.

“At that time, I observed her carefully. Yu Lian absolutely has no background. She didn’t even have money to buy food, relying on the charity of a plump woman to get enough to eat. Tell me, although I forcibly brought her back with a sword, wasn’t it to ensure she could live a better life?”

“Rather than starving and wandering outside, it’s better to be brought home by me. Moreover, a woman, especially an extremely beautiful and defenseless young girl, if targeted by ill-intentioned villains and dragged into a dark alley, I don’t need to explain what would happen.”

“So, you see, I’m saving her!”

“I just want to give her a warm home!”

No matter how passionately Bai Muya spoke, the unconscious drool at the corner of her mouth betrayed her true intentions, causing Bai Lingyi to roll her eyes.

‘Young Miss, please control your expression when you speak. Are you really trying to give her a home? You clearly just covet her beauty.’

Despite her internal thoughts, good upbringing allowed Bai Lingyi to maintain her facial expression, offering a slight smile. “Young Miss is kind-hearted. Miss Yu Lian will understand your good intentions in the future.”

“In the future, you say…”

Bai Muya murmured softly, her voice carried away by the rushing wind, leaving no trace behind.

Bai Lingyi suddenly realized she had said the wrong thing. She grabbed Bai Muya’s hand, intending to interlace their fingers to comfort her, but was shaken off.

“My apologies, Lingyi was impolite.”

“Lingyi, you say…”

Bai Muya started to say something, then laughed wryly and stopped.

Bai Lingyi felt a pang in her heart.

“Never mind. Let’s just find beauties.”

“Understood, Young Miss. Wherever you go, Lingyi will follow, absolutely inseparable.”

“Then you’ll have to keep a close eye on me, won’t you?”

“I will certainly keep a close eye.”

They flew towards the sun, their backs cast in deep shadow.

****

“Haa—”

With nothing to do, Yu Lian decided to start exercising. Young Miss only bullied her, a helpless girl, because of her greater strength. So, she would retaliate in kind, using a surprise attack to achieve victory.

Even if Young Miss was incredibly sharp, she surely wouldn’t be able to counter her sudden attack and takedown, hmph. Then it would be her turn to teach the other party a lesson.

“No more. I’ve done ten push-ups. My progress must be enormous now!”

Plop.

Her rounded chest made close contact with the bed surface, then was pressed flat. Yu Lian was drenched in fragrant sweat, her small mouth open as she panted heavily.

She lay prone, her hips slightly raised, not wanting to move a single finger.

Indeed, becoming stronger came with a price.

‘Once I’m rested, I can definitely take on ten Young Misses. This is just the result of one day’s exercise. By the third day, even if thirty Young Misses ganged up on me, it would be a piece of cake; I could easily defeat them.’

The more she fantasized, the wider Yu Lian’s smile became. ‘I truly am a martial arts prodigy, hah.’

“Oh, what are you doing?”

“You’re all wet.”

“Did you just finish entertaining yourself?”

Yixiya pushed open the door, her mouth agape in surprise. She had just arrived and witnessed such an explosive scene.

‘This woman is truly wild!’