No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 977 Ji Huang Yu Tang
The moment Yun Xiangyi spoke, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

Ouyang Rong turned around, somewhat surprised.

Yun Xiangyi said softly:

"They don't need to come down anymore. You go up and bring down the vegetarian food. The rest of you, let them disperse, and..."

The woman in white seemed to dislike crowds and noise. After a pause, her eyes seemed to be fixed on a solitary lamp before her, and she slowly said:
"Tell Li Ruotong that there is no need to worry about Yutang. Everything is fine here. I am here. However, I will be in seclusion in the water dungeon for a while and will not be going out for the time being. As for vegetarian meals, just send a servant down every night."

Ouyang Rong noticed that as the Five Goddesses spoke, her eyes seemed to be fixed on the solitary lamp in front of her, or on the tightly closed wooden door behind it.

Her voice sounded somewhat ethereal and even... hollow and tired.

Her mind was elsewhere, it was certainly not on him, the little guinea pig servant who came down to deliver food.

Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Yes, Goddess."

Ouyang Rong bowed slightly to the back of the woman in white, then turned and left, thoughtfully closing the gray wooden door behind him.

After leaving the house, before heading up the stairs, Ouyang Rong glanced back at the quiet wooden gate.

In the darkness, his face was expressionless, and his eyes were somewhat deep and unfathomable.

A hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes.

Putting aside her stunningly beautiful face, Ouyang Rong could describe this Fifth Lady in two words.

terrible.

There's one detail that Ouyang Rong only realized now:

Whether it was due to the special restrictions of the water dungeon or some other reason, he had no idea that a living person was sitting inside before he pushed open the gray wooden door.

After stepping out and closing the wooden door behind him, Ouyang Rong silently sensed Yun Xiangyi's presence again from outside. Yun Xiangyi's aura had vanished once more, as if she had never existed.

Separated by a door, the woman's presence was almost nonexistent, just like the table, oil lamp, and books inside the room.

Just like her ethereal voice, it didn't belong to the mortal world, but came from the celestial palace.

But this ability to conceal one's presence, this silent and subtle detail, is what's truly terrifying.

There are two possibilities: either he has a constitution or supernatural ability to gather and store energy, similar to Ouyang Rong, or it is something more special.

Ouyang Rong's intuition told him that it was most likely the latter.

Because he himself possesses the quality of gathering and storing energy, he can slightly sense those of the same kind, while Yun Xiangyi clearly does not belong to this category.

In addition, there was the white she was wearing.

The layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

Yun Xiangyi's clothes were all white, without a single other color.

The moment Ouyang Rong saw it, his intuition sent chills down his spine, and a sense of unease and apprehension arose in his mind.

This is not as simple as just wearing white clothes.

Many people like to wear white clothes, but they get dusty and dirty when they go out, and they need to wash and change them frequently every day. Over time, white clothes will turn yellow or fade.

It can be said that white clothes are the most difficult to keep clean, especially maintaining the "purity" of the same white clothes year after year.

This requires a very rare kind of willpower and demands a very high level of personal self-discipline.

In addition, we should also look at the environment she is in.

This is an underground water dungeon, damp and dark, with no place to bathe at all. To be able to maintain the pure white appearance of the same clothes for a long time in this filthy water dungeon, without a speck of dust or stains, shows how strong this woman's self-discipline and willpower are!

So the moment the door opened, Ouyang Rong knew that this woman was no ordinary person.

In his previous view, being able to maintain a completely white appearance was an unspoken physical proof of a person's rationality and self-discipline.

In life, lazy and easygoing people often like to wear black or dark-colored clothes because they are easy to care for and not easy to see dirt. It can be considered a way of being lazy because they are afraid of trouble.

Wearing white is the true test of one's self-discipline.

Because it gets dirty most easily.

This pure and simple color makes it stand out the most; a person dressed in pure white is definitely one of the most eye-catching people in a crowd.

This sensory benefit has led many people to flock to it.

Most people who wear white are just doing it for the novelty. Countless people are only cleanest on the first day they wear white, and then it's all downhill from there.

Therefore, Ouyang Rong has always understood why the Yue women of Yunmeng Sword Marsh are always dressed in white Wu skirts.

The more central a figure is in the Queen's Palace, the whiter Wu's skirt becomes.

Maintaining the white color of one's clothing is also a form of invisible cultivation, especially for those who are closer to higher positions within the Queen's Palace.

So every time Aqing came home, she liked to wash her skirts diligently. The little girl also valued the whiteness and cleanliness of her clothes. She was indeed self-disciplined and simple in nature, which matched her personality.

Ouyang Rong felt that the founder of Yunmeng Sword Marsh, or rather, the Yue woman who set the rule that Yue women should wear white Wu skirts, must have been an extremely self-disciplined and demanding obsessive-compulsive patient.

So far, the person Ouyang Rong had seen who embodied this principle best was the beautiful woman inside the wooden gate in front of him.

She's absolutely ruthless.

The definition of a ruthless person is not ruthless towards others, but ruthless towards themselves.

In a sense, a self-discipline fanatic is also a kind of masochistic person who is ruthless to themselves.

Those who understand this principle can see at a glance that "this touch of white" is like a crane standing out among chickens, or like an awl in a bag, its tip immediately visible.

Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes slightly.

After a moment's thought, his expression turned serious, and he turned and walked up the steps.

Climb the steps and return to the top via the same route.

Before the waterfall's curtain of water, at the cave entrance, Li Ruotong and four other Yue maidens from the Jade Hall, along with Wu Cui and Gao Shi, were quietly waiting for the figure of a certain dull young man.

At that moment, a noise came from inside the passageway, and the sound grew closer. They all turned their heads and looked towards the dark passageway.

Inside, a faint ball of candlelight grew larger and larger, approaching the cave entrance.

Wu Cui, Gao Shi, and the others were unaware of certain details, and their expressions showed no worry; in fact, the former even looked on with envy.

However, Li Ruotong and the other Yue women from the Jade Hall, who had been keeping a tense and serious expression, now noticed footsteps coming from the passageway. They gripped their swords, looking as if facing a formidable enemy.

Li Ruotong, with her keen observation skills, was the first to notice that the footsteps sounded somewhat familiar. After carefully observing the luminous figure in front of her, her expression softened slightly.

She tilted her head to signal the Yue women around her to lower their guard, lowered her hand from her sword, and walked past Wu Cui, Gao Shi, and the others, taking the initiative to greet them.

As Ouyang Rong emerged from the long passageway, holding a tinderbox in one hand, he had already prepared his words. Li Ruotong stepped forward, her eyes fixed on his calm, expressionless face, and asked:

"Is the Fifth Lady down there?" she blurted out instinctively, then paused and corrected herself, "I mean, has the vegetarian meal been delivered to the Fifth Lady?"

Ouyang Rong nodded, extending his free hand in a gesture:

"I left it to the Five Goddesses. When I went downstairs, she was sitting in the room reading a book."

The four Yue maidens behind Li Ruotong looked at each other in bewilderment.

Li Ruotong glanced at the unharmed Ouyang Rong, nodded slightly, and unusually, her usually taciturn tongue uttered a word of praise:

"Good job, Liu Aliang, you did very well."

She immediately asked, "The Fifth Lady has not come out for many days. Has she given a reason?"

Ouyang Rong nodded calmly:
"The Fifth Goddess asked me to tell you not to worry about Yutang. You can disperse and not gather here. She will be in seclusion down there for a while and won't be able to come out. As for vegetarian meals," he paused, enunciating clearly, "Yutang only needs to send servants down to deliver them as usual each day."

Li Ruotong seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and nodded vigorously:

"it is good."

She turned her head, preparing to leave with her people, but her gaze fell on Wu Cui and Gao Shi, glanced at the four large food boxes in their hands, and waved her hand, saying:
"It's your turn. Go down and follow the same route as Liu Aliang as I just told you. Take these vegetarian meals inside; the Fifth Lady needs them. Go now, and be quick about it."

A hint of joy flashed in Wu Cui's eyes as she prepared to lead the timid and submissive Gao Shi into the passageway.

Gao asked timidly, "Fairy, besides the Five Goddesses, are there any other people down there? Why are so many vegetarian meals being sent down?"

Li Ruotong ignored it.

Ouyang Rong, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up:
"and many more."

Li Ruotong, Wu Cui, and the others looked at the taciturn young man who had stepped forward with a puzzled expression.

"The Five Goddesses said that I should take the remaining vegetarian food downstairs, and not have a group of people running down there to bother them."

He faithfully repeated Yun Xiangyi's request, word by word.

Li Ruotong listened without suspicion and nodded slightly.

“That’s right. Fifth Lady likes to read quietly. Since you’ve already gone down there, then make two more trips and bring all four food boxes in. Be careful to be quick and quiet so as not to disturb Fifth Lady’s reading.”

Ouyang Rong replied, "Yes, I understand."

He turned and walked toward Wu Cui and Gao Shi who were standing beside him.

Gao was alright, but for an old woman who had done odd jobs for many years, it was better to avoid trouble.

Meanwhile, Wu Cui, the young woman beside her, looked anxious and reluctant, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't, unwilling to hand over the food box in her hand.

Ouyang Rong knew that she had brought the sword manual she had studied day and night, which she had worn out, with her tonight.

The taciturn young man pursed his lips, silently apologizing, and first took the two food boxes from Wu Cui's hands.

Then, turning his head towards Li Ruotong, he said calmly:
"Oh, right, the Five Goddesses also said that from now on, I, the only servant, will be needed to deliver meals every night; there won't be many other people."

The atmosphere at the cave entrance suddenly fell silent for a moment.

Wu Cui was stunned for a moment, her eyes involuntarily drawn to his face.

The five Yue maidens, including Li Ruotong, also stared intently at the wooden face of the young man who had spoken.

His eyes were calm and unwavering, as if he were simply repeating the words of the Fifth Lady in a businesslike manner.

This time, Li Ruotong didn't immediately agree. She frowned slightly and stared at Ouyang Rong for a while.

"Is this what the Fifth Lady instructed you to do?"

"Ah."

Ouyang Rong nodded calmly, then a hint of difficulty appeared in his eyes:

“But, Fairy Li, I have to prepare vegetarian meals every night, running around and delivering them from far away. If it's windy or rainy, it might be just as troublesome as tonight. The Five Goddesses probably misunderstood and don't know I'm the cook. Could you please put in a good word for me and find someone else to replace me…”

This time, however, Li Ruotong flatly refused him, waving her sleeve and saying:
"No, you'll do. There's always a way. In Qingliang Valley, whatever the Fifth Lady says goes. There's a reason behind it, and it can't be questioned or changed arbitrarily. That's the rule."

Li Ruotong no longer doubted, but instead slowly nodded, her expression becoming resolute:

"I guess they see you're young and strong, and it'll be faster for you to deliver the food boxes. You're more capable than the older women, and it'll be less noisy with so many people. Yes, that's right. Fifth Lady is very thoughtful. Her instructions are spot on... So you'll be the one delivering them, Liu Aliang."

Ouyang Rong hesitated, but Li Ruotong had already turned her head slightly and given an order to a silver-ranked Yue maid next to her:
"Go to Lantang during the day and tell them that Liu Aliang, the cook at Qingliang Valley's dining hall, needs to do an extra job for Yutang at night in addition to the vegetarian meal he serves at midnight. Ask them to raise his monthly salary, and give him double the amount."

Upon hearing the following words, the taciturn young man fell silent. After a short while, under Li Ruotong's calm and careful gaze, he only muttered something under his breath:

"Having two jobs isn't impossible, but I'm afraid they'll interfere with each other and neither will be done well..."

Li Ruotong immediately said:

"You should focus on delivering the vegetarian meals. As for preparing the vegetarian meals... how about this: after you deliver the vegetarian meals each night, you can go back and rest. You don't need to go back to the dining hall to wait until dawn. Go back and sleep early. Come back the next night to prepare the vegetarian meals in advance. It won't be too rushed... that's settled then. If there are any difficulties, just tell me anytime and I'll take care of them."

Her tone was firm and decisive, conveying an air of absolute certainty.

Ouyang Rong lowered his head and thought for a moment, then nodded reluctantly and answered in a muffled voice:
"understood."

Gao didn't seem to mind, but compared to the quiet Wu Cui beside her, she nodded and praised her eagerly:
"Fairy Li's arrangements are truly excellent."

Li Ruotong then showed a rather satisfied expression and continued to make arrangements carefully:
"Take these four food boxes down first. When you come back up, I'll send someone to escort you back. It's raining outside, and the road conditions in Qingliang Valley won't be easy for you."

"Yes, fairy."

Ouyang Rong and Gao Shi responded in unison.

This time, only Wu Cui remained silent.

The freckled young woman had been standing silently in place since the beginning, and it was unclear when it started, but her hands had been clenching the hem of her dress so tightly that the fabric was crumpled...

At first, Wu Cui was staring at Ouyang Rong's face, but now she has been looking down for a long time, and it is unknown what she is thinking.

Li Ruotong glanced at her sideways twice, then looked away, not paying much attention.

Ouyang Rong sighed inwardly, refraining from looking at Wu Cui's expression.

He turned his head and said to Gao:
"Madam, please hold these for me. I'll take two down first."

After speaking, Ouyang Rong took over from Wu Cui and left with her two food boxes.

Li Ruotong and the other Yue maidens stood still, waiting, watching Ouyang Rong's figure disappear into the dark passageway once more...

(End of this chapter)