When I think of the past, even though I feel relieved, I still feel a little displeased when I see Cheng Qiao's face, and I subconsciously want to stab him a few times.

"Greetings to the Marquis!"

The Luowen guard responsible for escorting Nian Duan and Duan Murong immediately knelt down on one knee with his sword in hand.

"Thank you for your hard work. Let's go and rest for a few days after handing in the task."

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

"Go ahead."

"Here."

Soon the net guards left, and everyone in the mansion stood near the door, not daring to approach without hearing the call.

"Come here, give Xiao Ronger a hug." Cheng Qiao said with a smile and opened his arms.

Duan Murong was thin-skinned and could not stand such a way of greeting her. Her pretty face turned red and she shyly lowered her head and shook her head left and right to express her rejection.

"Rong'er is already a grown-up girl. She's not a child anymore, she's still a majestic prince. Don't you understand this?"

Nian Duan suddenly grabbed Duan Murong's hand and pulled her to his side. His eyes were alert and he scolded rather angrily.

Of course Cheng Qiao knew the right thing to do, and he did it on purpose.

In addition to seeing Nian Duan unable to maintain his cold face and seeing Nian Duan's furious look, it was very satisfying. It was also to shorten the distance and eliminate the strange feeling of not seeing each other for a long time.

"The situation you are talking about is not suitable for Ronger and I. We are brothers and sisters, so we don't have to stick to vulgar etiquette."

Hearing Cheng Qiao's excuse, Nian Duan sneered and said, "I have never seen or heard of the custom of hugging brothers and sisters when they meet. Which evil book did you read this from?"

Cheng Qiao was speechless for a moment, but he quickly came to his senses and said confidently: "I created it myself!"

Nian Duan was speechless. She still underestimated the other party's shamelessness. It was so shameless.

"That's all. If you don't want to hug me, I won't hug you. Let's go into the house."

"Two people come and salute."

Hearing Cheng Qiao's words, the steward responsible for welcoming and seeing off guests rushed out. His speed was far faster than that of his servants, and he was absolutely in the lead.

This made the servant, who was slow to respond, sigh in his heart, no wonder he can be a steward. With his eyesight and speed, he was convinced.

"No need, our master and apprentice don't plan to live in the mansion this time. Didn't you invite me to go to the academy to serve as a doctor?"

"There should be accommodations prepared for various doctors in the academy, right?"

When the steward heard this, he was stunned and looked at Cheng Qiao. Cheng Qiao waved his hand, and the steward immediately stepped back respectfully.

"Of course we have prepared accommodation in the Academy, and the conditions are pretty good, but it is definitely incomparable to those in the Mansion."

"I think it's better to live here. Even if you don't think about yourself, you still have to think about Ronger. Ronger is familiar with the house."

Nianduan was a little hesitant when he heard the words, but after thinking about it he said: "Forget it, I am planning to let Rong'er get in touch with more people. This child is too simple and kind."

"People in the academy are expected to be more accessible than outsiders, which will be beneficial to Ronger's growth. Living in the mansion is full of greetings, which is harmful rather than beneficial to Ronger."

Cheng Qiao heard this and thought it made sense. Even with his protection, it would be okay for Duan Murong to remain simple and kind.

So I didn't plan to persuade him anymore, but after reading the next sentence, I made Cheng Qiao unhappy.

Although it makes sense and has a lot of backbone, it still makes me unhappy.

"Besides, living here is like living under someone else's roof. Living over there in the academy is still half a family. It's not uncommon to be prosperous and wealthy!"

"Wouldn't it be considered a family if you marry in?"

Nian Duan's face turned red when he heard this, his defense was completely broken, and he cursed angrily: "A dog can't spit out ivory from its mouth!"

He didn't seem to be relieved after cursing, so he raised his hand and flicked three silver needles towards Cheng Qiao. The acupuncture points he aimed at were not important points, but the laughter point, itching point, and dumb point. Obviously, he wanted to give Cheng Qiao a good meal. Eat the hard way.

How could this little trick hurt Cheng Qiao?

Cheng Qiao raised his hand and turned it around. Without any complicated movements, he caught three silver needles in his hand.

When Nian Duan saw it, he let go of Duan Murong's hand, and with both hands, six silver needles flew out. This time, he was a little more ruthless and rushed to hurt people.

Of course, this was still of no use to Cheng Qiao, so he raised his hand to grab it, and all the silver needles were in his hand.

Now Nian Duan finally realized that there was nothing he could do about Cheng Qiao, so he took Duan Murong's little hand and turned around to walk towards the carriage.

Cheng Qiao didn't panic when he saw this. When a woman like Nianduan is angry, being reasonable and sweet-talking basically have no effect. It's best to settle it with a slap.

However, since Nian Duan is not his woman, he cannot use sex, but he can use a forceful attack with the same effect, and wait until the anger has passed before he can reason with her, apologize, etc.

Cheng Qiao's figure flashed, and he snatched Duan Murong from Nian Duan's hand without any effort, picked up Duan Murong by the waist, and stepped into the mansion in a flash, leaving only a word.

"If you want Ronger, come into the house and talk."

Nian Duan was stunned for a moment, sobered up and turned around to see Cheng Qiao sneaking into the house with Duan Murong in his arms. The next moment, the figure disappeared. Suddenly, he felt a mixture of suffocation, anger, helplessness, and some sadness and grievance.

The thought of being strong quickly drove away the sadness and grievances, and he cursed in his heart.

Scoundrel! Bastard!

The dignified Marquis Che actually robbed people in broad daylight. Does Qin still have royal laws?

Is there any law?

I really want to stick this bastard with a needle and poison this scoundrel with medicine!

…

Nian Duan stood there for a long time, his expression changing, and he was so entangled that he finally couldn't help but walk towards the mansion.

When he first entered the mansion, Nianduan's steps were fast, but then he became slower and slower.

By the time they reached the front hall, Cheng Qiao had already made Duan Murong giggle.

After laughing, the conversation between the two attracted Nian Duan's attention, which stopped Nian Duan in his tracks. There happened to be no one around, so he listened outside.

"Brother Cheng, why do you always like Master Qi?"

"You still don't know your master's temper. Although some of her words are indeed reasonable, it always makes people angry when she says them."

Nian Duan heard this outside and gritted his teeth with hatred. This bastard said bad things about Ronger in front of her. He couldn't bear it!

Just when Nianduan was about to rush out and fight back, the following words stopped her again.

"Although the master sometimes has a bad temper and is very strict, he is a good master who truly cares for Ronger."

These words almost moved Nian Duan to tears, and she felt that her pain for this girl was not in vain.

"I agree with this."

"Although your master has a weird temper and shuns the world, he still adheres to the doctor's philosophy of saving lives and healing the wounded."

"She is cold on the outside and hot on the inside. She has a sharp mouth and a soft heart. Many people near the medical village have been treated by your master, right?"

"Yeah, they are very grateful to the master."

"This is enough for you as a disciple of a medical family. How can you ask a woman to take you with her to travel around the world and help the world by hanging a pot?"

"In these troubled times, studying medicine can save a few people, but it cannot save the world."

"This time I invited her to be the Academy Medical Doctor. Your master came without any conditions. To be honest, I admire her very much."

"Brother Cheng, please don't bully the master in the future, okay?"

What a good disciple. Outside the main hall, the corners of Nian Duan's eyes were slightly moist.

"Your master has a mental illness and has been keeping it in his heart."

"I'm angry with her, and besides the fact that she does make me unhappy sometimes, I also intend to let her vent the emotions she's holding back."

"What is heart disease?"

"Rong'er doesn't understand, but the master is so powerful, he can definitely cure himself."

"It's a mental illness. It's not difficult to say, but it's not simple either. It depends on your master whether he can figure it out, otherwise it's just treating the symptoms but not the root cause."

"It's just a man. Is it necessary to remember and hold him dearly?"

"Don't give up an entire forest for a tree. There are still many good and outstanding men in the world."

Outside, Nian Duan's face was filled with tears. She covered her mouth hard to prevent herself from making any sound. Memories surged through her mind, and she finally came to a conclusion that left her powerless.

Although there are many good and outstanding men in the world, no matter how good or outstanding they are, he is not the only one...

Although Nian Duan still couldn't escape the shadow of his past, his mood became much calmer.

"Rong'er still doesn't understand."

"When you grow up, you will understand and stop talking about these adult things."

"Rong'er, please continue to stay here and taste the pastries. I'll go out and take a look. Don't really leave."

"Master will not leave Ronger behind."

Hearing the footsteps getting closer and closer, Nianduan quickly wiped away his tears, jogged outside for a short distance with light steps, and then pretended to be in a hurry and walked towards the main hall.

Little did he know that all the movements were within Cheng Qiao's perception, and Nianduan's whereabouts had long been exposed.

Although what he said before was deliberately meant for Nian Duan to hear, Cheng Qiao meant it sincerely.
To be continued...