No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 1014 passed smoothly.
Inside the pavilion, the young woman in swordsmanship smiled, holding a copper token between two fingers, and waved it at Ouyang Rong:

"Liu Aliang, do you know why Master gave me this item?"

Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then glanced at the smile on Chen Jiaxin's lips, and answered methodically:

"Did the goddess hand it over to you, so that you could perform a certain duty on my behalf?"

Chen Jiaxin smiled slightly and shook her head:

"Yes and no."

This time, Chen Jiaxin didn't continue testing Ouyang Rong. She tossed the bronze token forward, landing it in the arms of the somewhat unprepared Ouyang Rong.
"Take it."

Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment, touched the bronze token that seemed to have been warmed in her arms, and looked at the sword-clad girl with a puzzled expression.

Chen Jiaxin stated directly:
“You did quite well. First of all, when Master first went to investigate the water dungeon, she probably didn’t find any clues. Plus, with the story we prepared beforehand, and me putting in a good word for you, you were naturally fine… So, after you left the bronze token, Master checked it, asked me a few questions, and then handed it back to me. She asked me to give it to you.”

Ouyang Rong hesitated for a moment, then feigned a cautious expression and asked:

"So, what the Five Goddesses mean is..."

Chen Jiaxin nodded with a smile:
"That's right, you've passed."

"My master kept me behind and said that it was rare that you went in to deliver the vegetarian meal and were completely unharmed. Although you fell asleep in the middle and didn't deliver the meal until daytime, you were not bewitched or harmed when you saw the prisoners. She was also a little surprised."

"Master also said that he heard you were quite tough and told those prisoners that you were a cook and a food deliveryman, and even threatened them not to hurt you, haha...Master thinks you're a very interesting kid..."

Chen Jiaxin's smile faded, her expression turned serious, and she asked again:
"Oh, and also, did you take a bucket of water in without permission and pour it on a prisoner?"

Ouyang Rong said calmly:

“Miss, I followed the procedures exactly. I didn’t touch the water curtain prison doors, nor did I enter the water prison. The water buckets were pushed in through the doors, just like the food boxes that were delivered every night.”

"I know, I don't mean to blame you. Of course, it's mainly because Master didn't blame you. On the contrary, she thinks you're quite clever. Regarding the water bucket, Master said that she actually forgot to remind you, which almost caused a problem. You did a good job and made up for it."

Chen Jiaxin, with a clear and melodious voice, patted Ouyang Rong on the shoulder, praised him, and then said:
"Besides that, the main reason for awarding this bronze token is that Master may leave the water prison again soon, at an uncertain time. However, it shouldn't happen in the next few days, but just in case, she is unsure when she will leave. So, she will need your help to deliver the vegetarian meals. Therefore, I am entrusting you with this bronze token in advance."

"However, Master said that she would ask me to hand over the bronze token to you when she goes out. Until then, I will keep it here. But I'm too lazy to bother. Liu Aliang, you can take it for now. But remember, don't wear it on your waist for now. Wear it after Master leaves and go in to deliver the vegetarian meals. Do you understand?"

"Understood, miss."

Chen Jiaxin paused, then smiled as she looked at the joy on the taciturn young man's face and said:
"In short, you did a pretty good job, kid. You didn't let me down..."

Ouyang Rong hadn't expected things to turn out so unexpectedly. After a moment of stunned silence, he turned his head to look in the direction of the waterfall.

Remembering something, Chen Jiaxin added another instruction:
"Also, before Master leaves, you should continue to deliver the vegetarian meals to Master every day, and Master will personally take them into the water dungeon. Don't overstep your bounds."

Ouyang Rong nodded vigorously:
"Yes, ma'am."

Chen Jiaxin turned around and faced the pavilion entrance, but paused for a moment, as if she had no intention of leaving.

She suddenly spoke without turning her head, her voice low:

"Now that you've made contact with that old Taoist priest, we'll begin our operation next time Master goes out..."

Ouyang Rong asked curiously, "What does Miss want me to do?"

Chen Jiaxin's figure fell silent for a moment, then a deep voice came from behind:

"I'll tell you when the time comes, don't ask yet."

Ouyang Rong inwardly scoffed, but outwardly nodded woodenly:
"Yes, ma'am."

Chen Jiaxin waved her hand:
"Alright, that's all. You should go back and rest. You must be tired after working so hard for so long."

"Miss……"

Ouyang Rong hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Chen Jiaxin seemed to have sensed something; without even asking, she took the initiative to speak:
"Let me guess, you want to ask about Wu Cui? Don't worry, Master is back, and I have time again. I'll continue teaching her, and I'll also catch up on the progress that was delayed. Go and tell her to be patient..."

Ouyang Rong interrupted:

"Miss, it's not about that."

Chen Jiaxin was somewhat curious:
"No? Then what is it?"

Ouyang Rong clenched his fist, covered his mouth, and coughed lightly:

“Miss, it’s about going down the mountain every month. You promised me that you would let me take a few days off each month when I go down the mountain from the canteen’s storeroom to Taoyuan Town to buy ingredients and visit my family…”

Chen Jiaxin, who was about to walk out of the pavilion, paused, slowly turned around, and seemed to look at him.

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes slightly, not looking at her expression.

The atmosphere was quiet for a moment.

Chen Jiaxin said slowly, "I do remember, but now is a crucial moment. What good will it do you to wait a month? Are you really that impatient?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head and said seriously, "It's mainly about purchasing ingredients for making vegetarian meals."

Before Chen Jiaxin could speak, he added:
"Ingredients like sauerkraut and pickled radish are relatively niche, so it's best if I personally select them, Miss. I'm not only visiting family, but also busy with important business."

“The vegetarian meals are very important. As you saw, the Five Goddesses praised me for my courage in threatening those prisoners. But it was precisely because I was certain they would love the vegetarian meals I made and wouldn’t be willing to lure and kill me that I dared to do such a thing… Therefore, the quality of the vegetarian meals is of utmost importance, Miss. Think about it, isn’t this also the key to continuing to talk to Old Master Sun?”

Chen Jiaxin frowned, staring at the dull young man who was spouting off a string of reasons for a while.

After a short while, her brows relaxed slightly, and she spoke again:
"You've got a whole set of reasons, kid. Don't think I'm stupid enough to not know your ulterior motives. If you have something on your mind, just say it. There's no need to use official business as an excuse to put pressure on me."

Ouyang Rong hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head somewhat embarrassed and said:
"It's about 50/50. I do want to go down the mountain for both personal and professional reasons... The main reason is that I've been too stressed lately."

"Moreover, Miss, we finally managed to wait for the Five Goddesses to return. As you said, the Five Goddesses will be guarding the water dungeon for a while. Even if I have the copper token, I can't go deep into the water dungeon to deliver the vegetarian meal. Why not postpone it for a while? It can be considered a break... I hope Miss will allow it."

Chen Jiaxin stared at the sincere-sounding young man for a while, then asked:
"Then, when you go down the mountain for a few days, who do you plan to have deliver the vegetarian meals to your master in your place?"

Before Ouyang Rong could speak, Chen Jiaxin gave him an impatient glare:

"It's Wu Cui again, isn't it?"

Ouyang Rong looked somewhat embarrassed.

Chen Jiaxin took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and said coldly:
"Then I also have a request."

Ouyang Rong frowned inwardly and asked in a gentle voice:

"Please speak, Miss." Chen Jiaxin stared at him expressionlessly for a moment before slowly beginning to speak:
"You can't just wander around aimlessly this time you come down the mountain. I will ask Madam Chen to accompany you to see your family."

Ouyang Rong nodded, his expression unchanged, and asked:
"Does Miss suspect me?"

Chen Jiaxin flicked her sleeves and said quickly:

"It's not really that bad, it's just a precaution. Better safe than sorry. Just take it easy. It's just taking Madam Chen along for a quick visit, it won't bother you. You can see your family as you please, just pretend she doesn't exist."

"By the way, Madam Chen will convey my greetings to your family. Also, if you think she's blocking your way from catching up, that's fine too. Just tell her directly, and she'll leave after one glance; she won't stay long..."

Ouyang Rong hesitated for a moment, carefully observing Chen Jiaxin's expression. After a short while, he slowly nodded:
"Of course, Miss's concerns are not unfounded. It is only right that we send someone over to take a look."

"Good, as long as you understand."

Chen Jiaxin's expression softened somewhat. After a moment's thought, she said:
"Alright, go back and wait. I will instruct Madam Chen to take you down the mountain in the next couple of days, just like last month. Go soon and come back soon."

"However, you should talk to Wu Cui and tell her to arrange for her to deliver the vegetarian meals while you're away. It's not convenient for me to do it myself, but you should be careful not to let her talk to Master or let her let something slip."

Ouyang Rong certainly knew what Chen Jiaxin was referring to.

Previously, Ouyang Rong had taken Wu Cui's spot in the water prison because of his "heartlessness," and he felt sorry for her. In order to make up for it, he lied and said that the Five Goddesses had sent their personal disciple Chen Jiaxin to teach her swordsmanship.

If Wu Cui is sent to deliver vegetarian meals next time, and she takes the initiative to talk to the Five Goddesses, and talks too much and accidentally lets something slip, then it will be terrible.

However, Ouyang Rong wasn't too worried about this matter. He knew Wu Cui's personality well, and handling this worry properly wouldn't be difficult; he just needed to give her some instructions...

At this moment, the taciturn young man clasped his hands in a fist salute:
"I understand, thank you, Miss."

Chen Jiaxin gave a soft snort, glanced at him, and said:
"Don't be so polite. Just do your job well and stop with the empty talk. Do you think I would mistreat you? Remember, come back soon. I'll be waiting for you."

Ouyang Rong readily agreed.

After discussing their important matters, the two exchanged a few more words and then left the spring pavilion to return to their respective homes.

……

Ouyang Rong returned to the courtyard.

Looking around, everything in the courtyard was as before, with no signs of anyone else having disturbed it.

Speaking of which, Mrs. Li and Mr. Lu from next door haven't visited his kitchen for quite some time now.

It's likely that they've been searching for the rare treasure for a long time without success, and have given up somewhat.

Or perhaps the mother and son have found another way to monitor the red maple forest behind the yard, so the kitchen area has been abandoned.

Regardless, their attention has now shifted away from Ouyang Rong.

Ouyang Rong shook his head slightly.

Pushing open the door, Ouyang Rong walked to the desk and sat down, resting his chin on one hand.

The room was quiet for a while.

A small head peeked out from the wardrobe, curiously eyeing the taciturn young man by the desk.

Miao Si noticed that Xiao Rongzi's eyes were fixed on the empty house in front of her, and she didn't know what she was thinking.

After a while, Miaosi jumped down from the wardrobe, came to the table, leaped onto the tabletop, looked up at Ouyang Rong, and poked his arm with her finger:

"Hey, are you okay?"

Ouyang Rong remained silent.

Miao Si muttered to himself, "Why is he sitting here as soon as he gets back today? Isn't he going to rest? ...Did something happen? Say something, you little brat."

Ouyang Rong slowly came to his senses and looked down at her:

"I have something to tell you."

Hearing his tone and serious expression, Miao Si felt a little uneasy and asked in a low voice:
"What?" She paused, then quickly added, "Little Rongzi, this fairy hasn't been stealing anything lately, nor has she been causing any trouble..."

Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and asked, "Really not?"

Miao Si replied decisively: "No! I vouch for your reputation."

She had barely finished speaking when she saw Ouyang Rong's face darken, and he immediately said:

"Alright, it's this fairy's reputation."

Ouyang Rong asked suspiciously, "You still have a reputation?"

Brilliant idea: ?

She glared at Ouyang Rong, but remembering the words he seemed to be saying but couldn't, she immediately cowered and muttered under her breath:
"Okay, tell me quickly, what is it? It can't be anything bad, can it..."

Ouyang Rong took a deep breath, leaned close to her ear, and spoke in a low voice… Miao Si immediately tensed up, even secretly preparing to run away. At this moment, she focused her attention on listening to the words coming from the dull young man's mouth:

"Pack your things and get ready to go down the mountain."

Ingenious idea: ...

The atmosphere was quiet for a moment.

Miao Si stared wide-eyed and asked, "That's...that's it?"

Ouyang Rong nodded, calmly got up, left his desk, and prepared to wash up and rest, his steps appearing somewhat light.

Miao Si wanted nothing more than to rush up and bite him:
"Don't you dare run away, you little brat! Trying to scare this fairy maiden! You're the most shameless of all, bar none!"

Ouyang Rong laughed for a while, then his expression turned serious.

Actually, he was just now very focused on reviewing the matter between Yun Xiangyi and Chen Jiaxin.

Although Chen Jiaxin relayed many messages, Ouyang Rong was not overly trusting and remained somewhat wary throughout, as he had to prevent Chen Jiaxin from being used by Yun Xiangyi or from joining forces to trick him.

However, he has now successfully left Qingliang Valley without any incident, so it seems he was overthinking things. But as the saying goes, better safe than sorry...

Ouyang Rong silently touched the bronze token on his waist, then took it off and casually tossed it into the Peach Blossom Spring painting.

Regardless, I've managed to get past Yun Xiangyi today.

(End of this chapter)