Chapter 29.2 (Part 2) (1/2)
Chapter 29: Legendary Face-Changing Expert (Part 2)
Ah…
Not bad, I could agree to that. I nodded and smiled before turning with an exclamation of surprise.
“Where’s the water…”
“The water’s in the copper basin.”
“Then where’s the copper basin?”
“Walk forward seven to eight steps. There’s a copper basin on the rack with some cold water inside. The hot water pail and ladle is on the ground…as for a face towel, you can use your sleeves for now.” His eyes were gleaming, but their gaze was gentle and soft, his voice unhurried. “Understand?”
I rolled up my sleeves and stuck a pinkie in my ear. But then he raised a foot and gave me a light kick. “If you know, then why aren’t you hurrying over?”
Nice guy, you sure change moods fast.
I peered into the basin and had a sudden bout of laziness. I didn’t feel like adding any hot water, so I just leaned over and splashed my face, shaking my head a few times. This basically made me clean…but excess water was still trailing down from my hair, so I quickly rubbed it dry with my sleeves.
When I raised my head, I saw Nongyu staring at me blankly.
“What?”
He sucked in his lips and pursed them, as if just regaining his senses. But it seemed he was resisting the urge to smile with great difficulty. “To sink to this level, Younger Sister Shào has already amazed me. Your movements are so violent, and yet you treat it as a small trifle. Such behavior is worthy of acclaim.” He clasped his hands in a bow, and refused to meet my eyes.
How contemptuous.
Nothing but bare disdain…
I smacked the table and gave him a glare as I sat in my seat.
“Come and pick one.” His sleeves whisked over the table. I swept over the surface with a careless gaze, but was instantly transfixed.
There was a white jade vessel sitting on the table, within which were suspended various skin masks as thin as cicada wings…the water wafted with the scent of sandalwood as it quivered.
He lifted his gaze to look at me. “Let’s use this one.” So speaking, he deftly lifted out a mask from the very bottom, and pressed it against my face.
“Hey…you, I didn’t even pick yet.”
A mild tone rose from somewhere above me. “These are my masks. You pick what you want, I give what I want…if you pick something I refuse to give, then you couldn’t do anything about it anyways.”
—All reproductions of this work not on volaretranslations are stolen copies.
Abominable.
This guy was really abominable!
“Don’t move around. Each mask is as precious as gold,” he stuck his finger around my eyebrows and pressed down a few times, slowly sliding it down…after stroking seven or eight places, his eyes crinkled and he gave a cheerful laugh. “It’s done.”
I felt an ominous premonition and stole a look at him. Turning away, I furtively touched my face. The surface was pretty slippery, and thin enough that it felt like I was rubbing my own skin. My anxiety slowly calmed down.
He embraced me from behind, hands slowly reaching upwards. “There’s one more thing that we need to change.”
He rested a finger above the front b.u.t.ton of my collar.
Exactly what did he plan to do…?
—All reproductions of this work not on volaretranslations are stolen copies.
Seeing his face get increasingly closer, my expression turned serious.
From the depths of my sleeves, I grabbed some packets of powder. There was still time to throw them…
His hands clamped around my wrists, preventing me from moving within his embrace.
“Do you want to poison me again?”
“A well-read sage of the Confucian cla.s.sics would never be as rude as you.”
“I’m only like that with outsiders, but I don’t need to be with you.” He smiled and used a finger to prop up my face. “Moreover…I usually read medical books.”
His hand moved lower, brus.h.i.+ng against the top b.u.t.ton of my collar with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
“What are you doing…”
“Don’t misunderstand, I said there’s one more thing you have to change.” He pressed closer and asked, “Do you know what it is?”
I lowered my head, silently looking…
The place where he’d rested his hand was very particular…a little bit lower and he’d be a shameless rogue; a little higher and he’d be considered a tease.
“You’re too artistic with your hand placement. Forgive me for being dull, but I really don’t understand.”
He laughed, lifting his hand to brush a slender finger past my throat and chin. His face drew by my side, the eyelashes drooping as he spoke softly in my ear. “Your voice…”
“Voice?”
“You asked me why I could recognize you even after you changed your looks. Though I’m a face-changing expert who can tell with a glance, those people familiar with you will be able to guess just from listening to you talk.” He turned away, taking a small square box off a rack. From its depth, he took out a round, black pill and held it in his hand. “So…eat this.”