Su Xiaoliu was filled with indignation as she thought about it. After a hasty wash, she sat on the flower - shaped cage stool beside and let the maid do her hair.
"The young mistress will surely be highly favored by the alliance leader. Among the ten concubines, only the young mistress is lucky enough to live so close to the alliance leader," the maid said with a naive smile on her lips as she combed Su Xiaoliu's long hair strand by strand.
Thinking about living so close to the alliance leader, Su Xiaoliu became glum again. Just a few rooms away lived that philandering alliance leader. She had to pass by his door every time she wanted to take a stroll, feeling as if she was being watched. She would rather be a neglected concubine.
Moreover, why did that Chief Protector Chang ask her to pretend to be the alliance leader's concubine? Was he so sure that the alliance leader would take a fancy to her? If she failed to please him and was kicked out, wouldn't the 200,000 taels of gold be given to her in vain?
"Young mistress, what are you thinking about?" the maid glanced at her and asked curiously.
Su Xiaoliu came back to her senses, looked at the maid, shook her head, and said with a smile, "It's nothing."
Lowering her eyes, Su Xiaoliu felt a bit uneasy. Life had suddenly become so strange. Could she ever go back to the past?
Unconsciously, an image of a handsome man in white standing in front of an old temple floated into her mind, and Su Xiaoliu suddenly froze.
Situ Qianyue... Where had he gone? Was he okay?
"By the way, young mistress, the alliance leader asked you to wear this veil and not show your face," the maid beside her suddenly remembered something and quickly took out a transparent white veil and handed it over.
Su Xiaoliu was stunned for a moment and then slowly took the veil.
Why couldn't she show her face?
The small building stood far away, and the rockery faced the pond.
A group of people walked slowly on the pebble - paved path, chatting leisurely.
A middle - aged man in an apricot - colored long gown with graying temples looked at the subordinates coming and going in front of him and said to the alliance leader beside him with a smile, "Alliance Leader Zuo, I haven't been here for three years, and there seem to be many more people here."
The alliance leader in a cyan brocade robe smiled. His starry eyes were captivating as he looked at the middle - aged man and said, "Sure enough, you are the Island Master Tang with divine eyes. You observe everything so minutely."
Tang Linyi stroked his beard and laughed heartily, then flicked his sleeves and continued walking forward.
Su Xiaoliu in a green silk dress quietly looked up and observed. Her slightly - made - up face was covered with a white veil, only half of her nose and a pair of lively almond - shaped eyes were exposed.
This Island Master Tang was quite handsome. He must have charmed many beautiful women when he was young.
Looking at the alliance leader who was talking in front, Su Xiaoliu wrinkled her nose secretly. This alliance leader was no good either. He had married so many wives but never visited them.
Su Xiaoliu couldn't help but despise them. All the men in the jianghu were either heartless or overly amorous.
Su Xiaoliu secretly looked elsewhere. There were also two black - armored guards with long knives hanging from their waists walking with them, and in the middle stood several handsome men in brocade robes, who seemed to be acquaintances of Island Master Tang. Seeing the same few faces back and forth, Su Xiaoliu felt bored and turned back.
Unexpectedly, the group had already reached a door and stopped. Su Xiaoliu didn't react in time and bumped straight into the alliance leader's back.
"Ouch..." Su Xiaoliu gasped in pain, closed her eyes, and frowned.
The soreness on the tip of her nose made her immediately cover her nose, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.
The alliance leader turned around and looked at Su Xiaoliu. Just as their eyes met, he was glared at fiercely by her.
"Are you okay?" The alliance leader reached out his hand to touch her, but Su Xiaoliu took a step back.
Su Xiaoliu gave him a look with annoyance and mumbled, "Your back is so hard that it could break a stone."
Only then did Tang Linyi notice Su Xiaoliu. Looking at Su Xiaoliu covering her nose and frowning, Tang Linyi burst into laughter and said to the alliance leader beside him, "Alliance Leader Zuo, the people you've taken in recently are really interesting."
Several of the men in brocade robes beside him also couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The alliance leader gave Su Xiaoliu a half - smiling look and said, "Some girl doesn't look where she's going. She's just looking around everywhere, and she's even trying to shift the blame."
Su Xiaoliu blushed at his words and lowered her head without saying a word.
The alliance leader looked up at Island Master Tang, gave a soft laugh, and said, "I've made you laugh, Island Master Tang. My concubine has only been here for half a month and doesn't understand the rules yet. Please don't mind."
Su Xiaoliu secretly rolled her eyes at him and whispered in her heart, "She clearly came yesterday, not half a month. He's full of lies."
"It's okay, it's okay," Island Master Tang shook his head and then looked at the alliance leader. "The Golden Jade Tree that Alliance Leader Zuo is going to show me, is it the one that belongs to you?"
The Golden Jade Tree? It was mentioned again.
Su Xiaoliu was stunned for a moment, and there was a faint expectation in her heart. She had never seen this Golden Jade Tree before. Everyone praised the Golden Jade Tree as if it were a treasure from another world. What on earth did it look like?
The alliance leader opened the door, and the group slowly walked in.
"There's only one Golden Jade Tree in the jianghu. No one else has it except me," the alliance leader was about to close the door when he suddenly noticed Su Xiaoliu beside him, blinking her eyes and looking at everyone curiously. He paused for a moment and said to her, "Little girl, why don't you go out and play by yourself?"
Not letting her take a look?
Su Xiaoliu frowned and said discontentedly, "I won't cause any trouble."
Island Master Tang's group lowered their heads and chuckled. The alliance leader looked at her with a somewhat helpless expression on his face and said again, "You won't be of any help if you follow. I'm going to take Island Master Tang and the others to the secret chamber. It's dangerous there. If you take a wrong step, you'll be shot by random arrows."
Su Xiaoliu pursed her lips and looked at him with a pitiful look in her eyes, saying, "I also want to see the Golden Jade Tree."
The alliance leader chuckled, unmoved by her plea, and said, "You'll see it at the Pingshan Assembly. If you go now, you'll only cause trouble."
Su Xiaoliu wanted to say something else but was afraid of making him angry. She lowered her eyes, nodded gently, and whispered, "Okay."
Seeing that she was a bit glum, the alliance leader gave a faint smile but didn't say anything. After she went out, he closed the door.
Su Xiaoliu looked back at the closed wooden door, made a face, and then wiggled her hips with her back to the door.
"Who cares about the Golden Jade Tree."
Su Xiaoliu straightened up, flicked her sleeves, and walked towards the back courtyard.
The two guards standing motionless at the door, holding long spears and wearing iron armor, twitched the corners of their eyes slightly.
What an unashamed woman...
In the back courtyard, a small building stood upright, and wisps of white smoke rose from the Immortal - eyed Lotus Pond.
Su Xiaoliu stood in front of the pavilion and felt bored. Just then, a servant passed by.
She quickly grabbed the servant and said, "Go and call a few people to play with me. Tell them that the alliance leader asked them to accompany me."
The servant glanced at her. Hearing her mention the alliance leader, he didn't dare to be negligent and quickly nodded in agreement, "Yes," and then backed away.
Not long after, several servants and maids about sixteen or seventeen years old really came.
"Who are you?" a little maid with two buns on her head looked at Su Xiaoliu curiously and boldly asked.
Su Xiaoliu looked at her and got in the mood to play. She replied mysteriously, "Me? I'm the alliance leader's most favored concubine. Don't tell anyone."
Suddenly, awe and admiration filled the eyes of the group.