Chapter 184 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

The antidote lady raised the teacup to take a sip. The rising mist from the tea swirled around her pale face and gradually dissipated. She still maintained the appearance of a young man. Her hair was styled in the fashion of a young noble, and she wore men's clothing. However, she did not futilely use yellow powder or chest binding to conceal her gender, allowing her delicate features and prominent chest to tell the truth. He Yunxiao gazed at the lady before him, with her captivating phoenix eyes and bewitching teardrop mole at the corner of her eye, and felt deep regret. Why did he make the decision to give up on the antidote lady? Was it because I have no interest in her anymore, or is it because she's not beautiful enough anymore? Then, a sword-wielding woman appeared silently. She stood behind the antidote lady without uttering a word. This woman had concealed her cultivation level so well that He Yunxiao, a ninth-ranked cultivator, couldn't sense her strength at all. He Yunxiao was composed. He realized that he needed to remain calm. The antidote lady was Meng Qingqian's confidante, a member of the Jiangnan Li family. Given her scheming character and her influence, dealing with her would be extremely challenging. With his current strength, just avoiding conflicts between Nanzhu and Ziruo was already too difficult. Adding the uncontrollable antidote lady to the mix would undoubtedly lead to a "separation of man and machine." I need to mature and build influence. Borrow money! For the first time, He Yunxiao hesitantly asked a girl for money. "Ahem, Miss Li, I wouldn't have come here today if it weren’t important…” Meng Qingqian placed the teacup down and smiled teasingly, "Do you want a book?" A book? Damn! Does she still remember those few martial arts novels I buried under the tree? Oh god, is she trying to deceive me? He Yunxiao abandoned his delusions about the antidote lady and pretended to play dumb, "A book? What book?" Meng Qingqian, reading He Yunxiao's expression, realized that he seemed genuinely unaware of the matter concerning the books. "Never mind, go on." After this exchange, He Yunxiao deeply understood the meaning of "scheming." He decided not to act the noble gentleman and observe etiquette in front of Nanzhu and Ziruo's wives. However, in front of Jiang Jiejie and the antidote lady, he didn't need to maintain any sense of dignity. "Oh, I see. Well, Miss Li, I need to borrow some money," He Yunxiao said. Meng Qingqian lightly frowned. She had initially thought that He Yunxiao had come specially to retrieve those uninteresting martial arts novels, so she hadn’t expected his request for money. "Why do you need money?" she asked. He Yunxiao didn't plan to conceal his intentions, realizing that with the kind of power the antidote lady possessed, she would undoubtedly find out if she wanted to. "I plan to open a shop, and I'm short of funds." "Open a shop? You want to do business?" Meng Qingqian raised her eyebrows in disbelief. He Yunxiao nodded. "Is that not okay?" In ancient society, merchants held the lowest social status, lower even than farmers. For the legitimate son of a marquis household to engage in business was akin to a wealthy capitalist emigrating from a beautiful country to venture into a lower-status society. What was the purpose? Meng Qingqian gave He Yunxiao a strange look. "It's fine." He Yunxiao was straightforward about his goal. "That's fine. So, can I borrow the money?" "No, you cannot," Meng Qingqian said resolutely. Although she couldn't see through the intentions of the Hou Mansion or He Yunxiao at this moment, in the end, the Marquis of Wuqing was under Han Wenxin. Lending money to He Yunxiao would be akin to aiding the enemy. He Yunxiao: Not lending? Well, I was prepared for this. He Yunxiao took out a wooden box from his bosom and placed it on the table, slowly opening it in front of the antidote lady. A neatly folded handkerchief lay within, seemingly a precious item. Meng Qingqian couldn't contain her emotions. She picked up a piece of preserved fruit from the plate and consumed it. Her headache eased a little. "What are you doing with the money?" she asked He Yunxiao. He Yunxiao didn't hesitate. His intentions were clear. "I'm going to use it to open a shop." The interaction was interrupted when Jian Ling and the others made their exits. After Jian Ling left, He Yunxiao teased, "Are you done pretending?" "I don’t understand what you're talking about," Meng Qingqian replied with a poker face. "Okay," He Yunxiao continued, "then I'll continue. One morning at the gardens of Lu Jiao Academy, I saw a beautiful woman dressed in men's clothing. She was doing something unconventional: sneaking into someone's courtyard and picking the fruit trees..." Meng Qingqian continued consuming preserved fruit, one after the other. "Have you finished?" she asked once He Yunxiao had completed his story. She seemed relieved. "Is that so?" Now in control, He Yunxiao didn't panic. He lifted the handkerchief from the box, as though cherishing a treasure, and slowly brought it closer to his lips. Meng Qingqian's pupils dilated as the handkerchief approached his mouth, which was tainted with his saliva. "Don't... Please don't," she pleaded. Startled by the antidote lady's reaction, He Yunxiao put the handkerchief back in the box. "I need to borrow a hundred thousand taels." [Tl: He went from ten to hundred real quick lol] With his fingers tapping against the table, He Yunxiao was unfazed by the fact that the antidote lady might refuse. Chapter 185: Borrowing Money Tl. Soothsayer.io