knife

Chapter 58 Be Yourself

With a bang, Gu Xiaoman kicked open Xia Zhi's bedroom door, and Xia Zhi immediately covered her head with the blanket.

"What's wrong? Afraid to see anyone?" Standing at the head of the bed, Gu Xiaoman's words were full of sarcasm.

Xia Zhi suddenly sat up, glared at Gu Xiaoman, and said loudly, "What's there to be ashamed of? You're just heartbroken."

Gu Xiaoman chuckled, "Should I ambush you, young master, capture him, tie him up, stuff him into your bed, and make it a fait accompli?"

"You can't beat the young master!" Xia Zhi pouted.

"I'll team up with the kitten and launch a surprise attack, that should be enough," Gu Xiaoman said, looking at Fang Xiaomao.

Fang Xiaomao's face darkened as she looked up at the roof.

Xia Zhi blinked. "No, it won't work. If it were a ninth-rank enemy, the two of you could easily take him down with a sneak attack, using any means necessary. But it won't work against Young Master!"

"Then how about I hide a highly effective sleeping potion called 'Three Steps to Death' in my bosom? I'll use it when you're not paying attention and knock him out. What do you think?"

"That'll do! Young Master would never expect you to have sleeping potions." Xia Zhi jumped up, but then slumped back down. "No way. Young Master is the real expert on poisons. You're just a novice. You'll probably end up killing people instead of getting what you want!"

Fang Xiaomao snorted, "So you're really planning to make a move?"

Before Xia Zhi could answer, Gu Xiaoman reached out and grabbed Xia Zhi's ear, then twisted it hard, causing Xia Zhi to scream in pain.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Senior Brother, what are you doing?"

"What would I do? You actually have such thoughts!" Gu Xiaoman said fiercely, "What did Master tell us when we went to Young Master's side? I only tested you once, and I found out. If I don't give you a good beating, you won't know your place!"

Xia Zhi said angrily, "You said it, not me."

"I said it, but you're really going to do it!" Gu Xiaoman tightened her grip.
Xia Zhi dared not resist, and grabbed Gu Xiaoman's hands with both hands, shouting loudly, "Senior Brother, I know I was wrong. I do like Young Master, but he doesn't want me!"

At this point, Xia Zhi was overcome with grief and began to wail loudly again.

"Shut up!" Gu Xiaoman looked at Xia Zhi, her face full of anger and resentment: "Look at you, all made up and dressed in bright colors. Is this the Xia Zhi who commands thousands of elite soldiers and is decisive in battle?"

"Does the young master like it this way? I asked, and Zhang Qingyun always dresses up carefully, so why can't I?" Xia Zhi said angrily.

“She is herself, why do you imitate others? You are you, and you should be who you are. Trying to imitate others will only make you a laughingstock. This outfit doesn't suit you at all!” Gu Xiaoman said, “What suits you is the best, understand?”

"Does this mean I have to wear armor and swords all day, spitting out sweat and stench?" Xia Zhi said aggrievedly. "Although I feel comfortable this way, Young Master doesn't like it. In his heart, I'm probably just like a man. But I'm a woman! Even Brother Cat says I'm very pretty. And when I changed into this outfit, Young Master said I was very beautiful!"

“It is beautiful, but you have lost yourself!” Gu Xiaoman said coldly, “Who is the young master? Is he someone who can be deceived by external things? No matter how beautiful or gorgeous something is, in the young master’s eyes, it is just a toy to be admired and played with, and he will forget about it in the blink of an eye. It’s a pity that you have been by the young master’s side for so many years, but you are not as good as Zhang Qingyun, who has only spent a short time with the young master. She immediately found the key point and put it into practice immediately.”

"What did she do? What can she do? Isn't she just a pretty face who can play the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, and compose poetry? There are plenty of people like that in Yingchun Tower in Tai'an City!" Xia Zhi said angrily.

"Little Cat, you tell her!" Gu Xiaoman slammed her fist on the bed in annoyance. "Sit up straight!" Fang Little Cat glanced at Xia Zhi, whose face was covered in tears, looking like a cat's face. "After Zhang Qingyun arrived in Tai'an City, she entered the Zhi Qiu Academy. She stayed there for less than ten days before submitting a plan to the young master for developing our intelligence network within the pass. And it's already being implemented. If she can complete the intelligence network within the pass, she will definitely become the person in charge. At that time, she will become the third most important person in the Zhi Qiu Academy. When our major events outside the pass are settled and we begin to advance into the pass, her importance will definitely increase even more."

Xia Zhi listened, somewhat dazed.

Gu Xiaoman said coldly, "Do you understand? This person has only been in contact with the young master for a month or two, yet he was able to accurately grasp the young master's modus operandi, find our organization's biggest weakness, and propose a solution to it, which was immediately put into implementation. Do you still think this person is just a pretty face?"

Xia Zhi shook his head violently.

"They're working hard to become someone the young master can't do without in the future, someone he'll rely on immensely. And what are you doing?" Gu Xiaoman said, "Xiaozhi, only when you become irreplaceable will you be the most important person to the young master. Otherwise, you'll only become his family because of childhood ties. You need to understand this: how can you become an irreplaceable person by the young master's side!"

"Irreplaceable?" Xia Zhi murmured to herself.

“Not bad!” Gu Xiaoman said, “If you can’t even get to this step, then there’s no need to talk about the rest.”

Xia Zhi stared at Gu Xiaoman for a long time, then suddenly jumped up, tearing her gorgeous dresses into a mess with a whoosh. She then grabbed her fur coat from the bedside, wrapped it around herself, picked up the sword she had thrown on the table, and strode towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Fang Xiaomao asked loudly.

"Go and become irreplaceable!" Xia Zhi shouted. "I won't lose to Zhang Qingyun. Who does she think she is?"

Watching the summer solstice disappear like the wind, the kitten looked back at Gu Xiaoman: "Senior brother, didn't you use a bit too strong a medicine? This little girl, don't go from one extreme to another!"

“That’s still better than now!” Gu Xiaoman said.

"Young Master, do you really have no romantic feelings for Xia Zhi at all?" Fang Xiaomao was also unwilling to give up: "To be honest, Xia Zhi is capable and beautiful, but she is a bit wild."

“We’ve grown up together since we were little, we know each other too well. How come you don’t have any romantic feelings for Xia Zhi?” Gu Xiaoman asked in return.

“I’ve always treated Xiaozhi like a little sister, ever since we were little,” Fang Xiaomao said.

“The same goes for you, young master!” Gu Xiaoman said, spreading his hands.

"Doesn't that mean that no matter what Xiaozhi does, there's absolutely no hope?"

"Not necessarily," Gu Xiaoman chuckled. "Maybe things will change someday. Who can say for sure about matters between men and women? They're not really siblings. If Xia Zhi can truly be irreplaceable as I said, then things will probably fall into place naturally. By the way, I haven't met Zhang Qingyun yet. Does the young master really have feelings for her?"

Fang Xiaomao shook her head: "Young Master talks a lot of nonsense, but nothing is actually happening. Right now, he's just thinking of using Zhang Ruo and Zhang Qingyun. If Zhang Ruo becomes Xiao Changche's most capable advisor, then this connection will make the relationship between the two sides even closer. Moreover, the intelligence network that Zhang Qingyun is building within the Great Wall can indeed make up for our shortcomings."

"What about that girl, young master?"

"That's hard to say!" Fang Xiaomao said, "Zhang Qingyun probably still admires you, young master. And now they can only rely on you. If she really has feelings for you, it would be reasonable. I think your move is not very honorable and will damage your reputation if word gets out."

Gu Xiaoman laughed heartily: "What's shameful about it? If you succeed in your great cause in the future, what does it matter if it's Zhang Qingyun, Xia Zhi, or even a few other girls?"

(End of this chapter)