Chapter 330: From Now On, I Sleep on the Couch; You Sleep on the Floor

Dark clouds veiled the moon, half hiding it, half revealing it. Insects chirped in the corners of the walls, now loud, now faint. Inside the courtyard where Guan Fangyi lived, lamplight shone brightly through the lattice windows. Niu Youdao came walking beneath the moonlight. He was stopped at the courtyard entrance.

Smiling, he asked the guards, "Do you still not know who owns Fufang Garden now? Do you want me to have Hongniang throw you out?"

The two guards exchanged a look. One remained at his post. The other quickly went inside to report. Niu Youdao paid no attention and simply forced his way in. The remaining guard did not know whether to stop him or let him pass. Niu Youdao had no interest in accommodating the man's feelings.

At a time like this, far too many people had their own feelings about what was happening. He could not possibly take care of every one of them. The man who had gone in to report soon returned. As he passed Niu Youdao, he turned and stared coldly at his back. A maid emerged from the tightly shut room ahead and immediately closed the door behind her.

She blocked the entrance and said nervously, "Sir, the proprietor is bathing. Please wait a while."

Niu Youdao sniffed lightly. There really was the fragrant scent of bathwater in the air. It did not seem to be a lie. He simply had no idea how long this resentful woman intended to leave him standing outside. So he raised his voice.

"Hongniang, I'll give you fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, I'm coming in."

Guan Fangyi's curses immediately came from inside.

"This old lady only just got into the water! Fifteen minutes isn't enough. Wait!"

"That isn't up to you!"

Niu Youdao tossed back the reply, turned, and returned to the middle of the courtyard. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the moon as dark clouds alternately concealed and revealed it.

"Bastard..."

Muttering curses drifted from inside the room. No name was mentioned, but both the person cursing and the person being cursed knew exactly who she meant. The maid remained by the door, staring nervously at Niu Youdao's back. Guan Fangyi did keep time. Before the fifteen minutes were up, the door opened. Two maids carried a large bathing tub outside.

With her long hair hanging loose behind her, Guan Fangyi walked over to Niu Youdao and glanced at his impassive profile as he looked toward the moon.

"What do you want?"

Niu Youdao leaned his upper body slightly back, then stretched his head sideways toward her and sniffed.

"Very fragrant. One can know the beauty by her scent. What fragrance did you use?"

That line, "know the beauty by her scent," amused Guan Fangyi.

She chuckled.

"Guess for yourself."

Niu Youdao said, "Qingshan Commandery has all the raw materials I need. Once we get back, I'll make you some perfume. Sprinkle a little on yourself and you'll smell wonderful. I guarantee you'll like it."

Guan Fangyi plainly did not believe him. She looked at him with disdain.

"Talk after you manage to return alive."

Niu Youdao turned, caught her by the arm, and turned her around with him. His hand naturally came to rest against her back as he guided her toward the room.

"Let's talk inside."

"Keep your hands to yourself!"

Guan Fangyi twisted twice and knocked his hand away. Using his sword like a walking stick, Niu Youdao smiled and went ahead of her. He entered her room first and looked around. A faint fragrance from the bath still lingered inside. Guan Fangyi followed him in.

"You went to all this trouble. Don't tell me you really want to sleep with me."

Niu Youdao paced once around the room.

"Refined and elegant. Simple furnishings, tasteful arrangement. Doesn't quite match your reputation."

Guan Fangyi pursed her lips.

"Stop circling around the point. Say it plainly. Why did you fix your eyes on me and refuse to let go?"

Niu Youdao stopped in front of her and planted his sword upright before him.

With a teasing smile, he said, "It isn't that complicated. I just want to sleep with you."

Guan Fangyi snorted.

"You can sleep with me if you want, but you have to follow my rules."

Niu Youdao looked genuinely interested.

"What rules? Let's hear them."

"You need the ability to make me sleep with you."

"What kind of ability?"

"If you can make it impossible for me to refuse and force your way into my bed, then I suppose that counts as ability too. If you can't do that, then you at least need something worth showing off. I like talented men. Qin, chess, calligraphy, painting—if there's even one thing you can do well enough to satisfy me, I'll follow your wishes."

Niu Youdao smiled.

"And what standard counts as satisfying you?"

Guan Fangyi walked to the couch, swung her long hair around, and sat down. She crossed one leg over the other.

"My standards have three grades: high, middle, and low. High grade means I'll sleep with you. Middle grade means you can only sleep on the floor. Low grade means get out."

Niu Youdao smiled without quite smiling.

"So whether the standard is good or bad is entirely up to you. If you don't want someone taking advantage of you but also don't want to offend him, I imagine most men end up sleeping on the floor. And outsiders can hardly tell the difference afterward. Am I right?"

Guan Fangyi abruptly stared at him. Niu Youdao turned, walked to the door, and closed it first. Then he came back and sat on the couch beside her. His voice lowered.

"No one outside can hear us talking in here, can they?"

"If I don't shout, they can't."

Guan Fangyi looked him up and down suspiciously.

"Why are you acting so furtive?"

Niu Youdao reached into his sleeve, took out a sheet of paper, and unfolded it. It was her indenture. He showed it to her, then crumpled it in one hand and rubbed until it became fine scraps. Guan Fangyi looked surprised. Then she raised her brows.

"Don't think doing this will make me grateful. Everyone outside already knows. Whether that piece of paper exists or not doesn't mean much anymore."

"At least it means no one can casually buy and sell you from hand to hand. If your heart isn't with me, keeping the paper really would be meaningless."

Niu Youdao looked at her seriously.

"Until we return to Qingshan Commandery, sleep in the same room as me. Don't misunderstand. I'm not asking to sleep with you. I'm not interested in you. I can sleep on the floor."

The words "I'm not interested in you" made one corner of Guan Fangyi's mouth lift.

"Still thinking about returning to Qingshan Commandery? Can you even get back alive?"

Niu Youdao asked, "If I get rid of Wei Chu, can I leave safely?"

Guan Fangyi was startled.

"Are you insane? Do you think that man is so easy to touch? Forget that he's Prince Jin's confidant. If he were truly that easy to kill, Prince Jin's rivals would have acted long ago. There'd be no need to wait for you. I'm warning you, don't start doing something reckless and drag me into it. I still want to live a few more years."

Niu Youdao set that subject aside.

"Do you know Su Zhao, the proprietress of Among the White Clouds?"

Guan Fangyi froze briefly.

"Don't change the subject. You cannot act recklessly. I still want to live."

"Do you know Su Zhao or not?"

"Of course I know her. I've met her plenty of times. Why are you asking about her?"

"Can you remember her appearance?"

"Of course. I'm not blind."

Niu Youdao immediately stood. He walked to a table, pulled a roll of white paper from his sleeve, and spread it across the tabletop. He casually used objects from the table to weigh down the corners. Guan Fangyi approached curiously.

"What are you doing?"

Niu Youdao had already taken out a charcoal pencil he had prepared in advance.

"What shape is her face?"

"An oval face, I suppose."

The moment Guan Fangyi answered, Niu Youdao's pencil began moving. With swift strokes, he sketched the rough outline of an oval face onto the paper. Guan Fangyi looked surprised. It was the first time she had seen someone draw in this manner.

Niu Youdao asked again, "What hairstyle does she usually wear?"

By now Guan Fangyi had roughly understood what he was doing.

"Just a proper married woman's hair bun. Nothing especially distinctive."

She described. He drew. One question, one answer. As the picture gradually took shape, he no longer needed to keep asking. Guan Fangyi occasionally reminded him from the side.

"The brows need to be a little longer... The eyes a little larger... Make the cheeks a little rounder..."

After quite some time and repeated corrections, the portrait of a woman was finally complete. Some places, however, had been rubbed and darkened until they looked messy. Niu Youdao tore away the top sheet. Using it as a reference, he immediately redrew the portrait on the sheet beneath. His pencil moved rapidly. Before long, a clean version of the portrait appeared. When he finished, Niu Youdao stepped aside.

"Take another look. How is it? Does it resemble her? The difference shouldn't be large."

Guan Fangyi examined it and nodded faintly.

"Nine parts out of ten. That's roughly what she looks like. What's missing is her spirit and bearing."

Then her eyes brightened slightly.

"What kind of painting method is this?"

Close enough was all Niu Youdao needed. He took the portrait and looked it over, feeling somewhat emotional. Originally, he had planned to draw Su Zhao only after meeting Yuan Gang in person. Unfortunately, the two of them had no way to meet. Nor did they dare meet. Even apart from the portrait, he wanted to see Yuan Gang. He believed Yuan Gang wanted to see him too.

But the lessons written in blood from their previous life told them that under circumstances like these, they absolutely could not meet.

"If I draw you while looking directly at you, I can definitely capture the missing spirit as well. Want me to draw one for you?"

As Niu Youdao spoke, he began folding Su Zhao's portrait.

"Yes!" Guan Fangyi's eyes lit up and she immediately nodded.

Then she suddenly became wary.

"You're not going to attach some condition, are you?"

"Smart. Two conditions."

"What conditions?"

"From now on, I sleep on the couch. You sleep on the floor."

"Are you even a man? What's the second condition?"

"Have someone call Shen Qiu over."

"That's the second condition?"

"Are you agreeing or not? If not, I won't draw it. One painting from me is worth a hundred thousand gold coins!"

"Only a ghost would believe you!"

Guan Fangyi rolled her eyes at him. Still, she quickly walked over, opened the door, and ordered someone to summon Shen Qiu. Shen Qiu arrived before long. Niu Youdao called him aside, handed him the folded portrait, and whispered into his ear.

"Send this back home immediately. Have the people there forward it to Beizhou..."

He gave a series of detailed instructions. Shen Qiu nodded silently throughout. In the end, he accepted the order, took the portrait, and quickly departed. Guan Fangyi looked at Niu Youdao with disdain.

"All furtive and secretive. One look and I know you're up to nothing good. Why are you targeting Su Zhao? I'm warning you, the Prince of the Western Court stands behind her. That prince oversees the affairs of the imperial clan. His influence is considerable."

Niu Youdao closed the door, then turned back to her.

"Do you still want the portrait or not?"

Guan Fangyi immediately walked toward the dressing table and sat down. She picked up a comb.

"Wait. Let me tidy myself first. My hair is hanging all over the place like some madwoman."

"No need. I'll draw you like this."

"How can that be? I look terrible."

"I say it's fine, so it's fine. You're old already. Your looks aren't as compelling as your charm and bearing. Trust my eye. I won't be wrong."

"Niu Youdao!"

Guan Fangyi erupted. She whipped around and glared at him.

"Do you still want the portrait? Get onto the couch. Lie on your side..."

In the end, Guan Fangyi was still coaxed onto the couch. She lay on her side. Under Niu Youdao's instructions, she propped her head on one arm, bent one leg, and assumed an alluring pose. The woman's face showed obvious annoyance. She was clearly unhappy, yet still obediently let him arrange her. Niu Youdao then fetched the small incense burner from the room, lit it, and placed it before her. She now looked like a beauty reclining on her side, savoring incense.

Then he moved the drawing table in front of the couch. His charcoal pencil began racing across the paper.

[End of Chapter 330]