Chapter 30: The Woman in White

Chapter 30: The Lady in White

Indeed, the fishing rod held by the lady in white was the very same one Li Qi had stuck into the riverbank moments ago. Li Qi could not fathom why it had ended up in her hands, but one thing was certain: this young woman had been playing games with him. He reached out his hand, his tone irritable. "Give me back my rod."

"Here, take it!" Seeing Li Qi’s anxious expression, the lady in white smiled radiantly and handed the rod over.

Li Qi took the rod, gave it a careful inspection, then cast a resentful glance at the lady. "It’s a good thing you’re at least decent to look at, or you might have scared my fish away."

Hearing his mutterings, the lady in white covered her mouth and chuckled. "Since you have no intention of actually fishing, what use is this rod? Could it be, sir, that you are imitating Jiang Taigong fishing by the river?"

*Wow! This girl is sharp!* Or rather, it should be that his own imitation was quite convincing.

However, thick-skinned as Li Qi was, he dared not openly admit he was emulating the legendary Jiang Taigong. He asked with a grin, "What makes you say that, miss?"

"I observed you leave your rod by the riverbank and pay it no mind. Out of curiosity, I picked it up and noticed there was no bait on the hook. You don’t seem to have brought any bait, either. To fish without bait—throughout history, no one has done that but Jiang Taigong," the lady said, her eyes dancing with amusement.

*Sweat!* Her observational skills were far too sharp. It would be a waste if she didn’t become a detective. Li Qi reached up to touch his head, only to realize it was completely bare.

*Damn it! Where the hell is my bamboo hat?*

Li Qi was now quite annoyed. He had only brought those two things out, and after waking from a nap, both were gone.

He looked left and right, eventually spotting his hat lying beneath a tree. He must have knocked it off while sleeping. He strode over, picked up the hat, brushed off the dust, and placed it back on his head with a flourish. Clearing his throat, he said with a self-deprecating smile, "You flatter me, miss. I’m just an idler; how could I dare compare myself to Jiang Taigong? That great man fished for giant catches; I’m lucky if I can snag a few minnows. But as for you..." Li Qi trailed off with a dry, knowing laugh.

Upon hearing the first part, the lady sensed there was more to his words. When he mentioned her, she said with interest, "Pray, continue, sir."

Li Qi smirked. "You’re a young lady—shouldn’t you be at home practicing your needlework instead of wandering off to such a secluded spot? Could it be a secret rendezvous with a lover?"

The lady’s face flushed red. She gave a soft huff and replied, "What I do is none of your business. Stop your nonsensical chatter."

"You’re quite right, miss. You aren’t my wife, so I certainly have no say in where you go or what you do. However," Li Qi changed his tone, pouting, "why did you take advantage of my slumber to peek at me? Though I am tall, handsome, brilliant, and adorable, I am also a very conservative man. You make me feel quite embarrassed."

*A shameless man is truly invincible!*

The lady spat in disdain and glared at him. "I—when did I ever sneak a—a peek at you?"

Li Qi feigned grievance. "Miss, that’s not very kind of you. I’m not asking you to take responsibility, so why are you so eager to draw a line between us?"

"I have no connection to you whatsoever," she retorted coldly. "Do not insult my purity again, or don’t blame me for being discourteous."

Seeing she held no weapon and didn’t seem to possess any martial arts—far weaker than that "she-male" surnamed Zhao he had encountered before—Li Qi wasn’t afraid. He cried out, "Insult your purity? Where are you getting this from? As the saying goes, to catch a lecher, you need witnesses; to catch a thief, you need stolen goods. I won’t even mention you spying on me, but I saw you with my fishing rod with my own eyes. How do you explain that?"

The lady argued back, "What use would I have for your tattered rod? Besides, if I truly intended to steal it, I would have walked away. Why would I bother waking you up?"

"That’s something only you would know. Perhaps you were so bewitched by my handsome exterior that you decided not to steal the rod, but instead decided to try and steal my heart," Li Qi said with shameless audacity.

The lady’s face turned scarlet, and she stammered in indignation, "You—you are truly shameless!"

Li Qi remained unperturbed and chuckled. "You stole my rod, spied on me, and then attempted to steal my heart. When it comes to being 'shameless,' I must humbly concede defeat."

Li Qi’s triple use of the word "steal" nearly drove the woman to the brink of collapse. She was unable to form a retort, her cheeks flushed crimson and her cherry lips trembling.

Seeing the lady so frustrated she couldn't speak, Li Qi felt a great sense of satisfaction. *Daring to play games with me? Now you know who you’re dealing with.*

Since his grievance was aired, he decided not to torment her further—after all, being beautiful was an advantage. He waved his hand and sighed, "Fine, fine. Seeing as you’re young, I won’t hold a grudge. You should leave now."

The lady let out a huff. "You think it’s that easy? I ask you: why are you here at this time?"

*This girl really has a fearless spirit. Could it be that the heavens heard I haven’t had a taste of romance in a month and sent her as a reward?* After a moment of fantasy, Li Qi yawned, sat back down under the tree, and pulled his hat over his eyes. He stopped looking at her, fearing that if his baser instincts took over, he might do something he’d regret.

Seeing his silence, the lady pressed, "Why don't you answer? Are you hiding something?"

*Even if I were hiding something, it would be because you provoked it.* Li Qi kept his eyes shut, deciding to ignore her.

The atmosphere grew quiet. After a while, there was still no movement.

*Has she left?* Li Qi cautiously opened one eye and peeked at the spot where the lady had been standing. She was nowhere to be seen. He let out a long breath. *Phew, finally gone.*

But before the breath was fully released, a voice called out from behind him, "Shopkeeper Wu, you’ve arrived."

*Damn! She’s like a persistent ghost. Wait—who did she just call—Shopkeeper Wu? Damn! No way, don't tell me Old Wu is here too.*