When Jiang Zhongxue saw Qin Changsheng again, the latter was squatting on the ground, holding a small handful of rice in her palm. She was clucking softly, teasing a few naive little chicks that had yet to experience the world.
The fluffy little chicks hesitated, twisting their tiny heads and cautiously eyeing Qin Changsheng. The small yellow hen was also extremely wary, clucking to call her chicks while cautiously stepping closer to Qin Changsheng.
Playing hard to get, playing hard to get. Qin Changsheng watched the little yellow hen tiptoeing toward her, a gentle smile on her face but impatience burning in her heart.
The little yellow hen took one step, glanced left and right, then took another step, glancing left and right again, pretending to be nonchalant while keeping her eyes fixed on the gleaming white rice in Qin Changsheng’s hand.
Qin Changsheng remained calm, maintaining a friendly outstretched hand to show the white grains to the little yellow hen. Her legs had gone numb, but it didn’t matter. To stroke the fluffy down of the little chicks behind the hen, what was a few minutes of squatting?
After a long period of hesitation, the little yellow hen slowly made its way to Qin Changsheng. It stretched its neck, about to tentatively peck at the rice in her hand, when suddenly, as if startled, it spread its wings and fled abruptly.
The little chicks, frightened by the hen’s panic, scattered in all directions.
Qin Changsheng’s hand, still holding the rice, froze in place. From behind her, Jiang Zhongxue’s voice was exceptionally cold: “What are you doing?”
Qin Changsheng’s scalp prickled. She adjusted her expression for a couple of seconds, then turned around with feigned surprise and delight. “Ah, you’re back? So early?”
She had just finished lunch, taken a short nap, and come down to tease the hen for a while, never expecting Jiang Zhongxue to return so soon.
She had thought Jiang Zhongxue would be gone for several hours, but she hadn’t anticipated such a quick return.
Jiang Zhongxue didn’t answer. Her gaze fell on the handful of white rice in Qin Changsheng’s hand.
Qin Changsheng felt a pang of distress, thinking to herself, “This is bad.” She hid her hand behind her back. Jiang Zhongxue stood with her back to the sun, her face shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to discern her expression.
But Qin Changsheng could feel as if two laser beams were burning holes through her face.
Under such a gaze, Qin Changsheng’s face instantly grew hot. Steeling herself, she braced for the impending storm.
But Jiang Zhongxue said nothing.
She stood still, gave a cold “Hmm,” and turned to leave.
Seeing her walk away, Qin Changsheng’s expression froze for a moment. She immediately stood up and obediently followed behind, asking softly, “Where are you going?”
Jiang Zhongxue replied indifferently, “Back to the room.”
Qin Changsheng hummed in acknowledgment. Jiang Zhongxue stood with her back to her, scanning the surroundings, and asked, “Have you not left this courtyard at all?”
Qin Changsheng answered honestly, “No.”
Jiang Zhongxue showed no reaction. Qin Changsheng followed behind her, carefully gauging her tone as she asked, “Are you hungry? Tired? Did you find anything?”
Just then, Aunt Zhang returned carrying a load of dry firewood and was drawing water by the well. Spotting Jiang Zhongxue at the door, she immediately straightened up and called out with a smile, “You’re back?”
Jiang Zhongxue gave a noncommittal nod, maintaining a composed expression as she approached the door. Qin Changsheng followed behind her, but Aunt Zhang quickly grabbed her arm. “Girl! The village chief is hosting a feast at his place tonight. I’ll take you both along to eat!”
Qin Changsheng let out a surprised “Ah!” and hurriedly declined, “Oh no, Aunt Zhang, we’re not related to the village chief, and we’re just tourists. It wouldn’t be right for us to crash the feast!”
Aunt Zhang pursed her lips and spoke with firm conviction, “What do you mean, ‘crash the feast’? Just go when you’re invited! The whole village is going! Our village is small, and if you come with me, you’ll help liven things up! It’s just a matter of adding a couple more chopsticks, how can you call that crashing?”
Despite Qin Changsheng’s repeated attempts to decline, she eventually gave a half-hearted, vague agreement. Only then did Aunt Zhang let her go and head to the backyard to unload the firewood.
Jiang Zhongxue sat on the edge of the bed and looked up abruptly upon hearing Qin Changsheng enter.
Her face was cold and rigid, her expression utterly detached. Qin Changsheng entered the room with trepidation, and Jiang Zhongxue watched her without saying a word.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was Qin Changsheng’s deliberately suppressed breathing.
Before Qin Changsheng could speak, Jiang Zhongxue said, “Tonight, wait until the villagers are asleep, then get up and come with me to the Broken Cliff.”
Qin Changsheng nodded, feeling an inexplicable sense of relief. Jiang Zhongxue frowned, her eyes shadowed with gloom, and continued, “There are people on the Broken Cliff.”
Qin Changsheng first acknowledged with an “Mm,” then paused to think before asking seriously, “There are people on the Broken Cliff? But I heard from Xu Jing that the ancient plank road on Jishan’s Broken Cliff has long since weathered away. How could there be people up there? Rock climbers? Or…?”
Jiang Zhongxue looked at her with an inscrutable expression, her emotions complex. After a moment, she shook her head and said, “I went to the Broken Cliff today. I didn’t see any living people, but I saw something resembling a village, and smoke. To be cautious, I didn’t reveal myself. From a distance, I couldn’t make out any living beings. Jishan is vast, and the ancient plank road on the Broken Cliff has long been in disrepair. Logically, a village shouldn’t exist there.”
Qin Changsheng looked at her with curiosity, pondered for a moment, and then tentatively suggested, “Could it be the legendary Peach Blossom Spring? A hidden community living atop Jishan…?”
As she spoke, she couldn’t continue fabricating the idea. No matter how imaginative she was, she couldn’t seriously entertain the possibility of a Peach Blossom Spring appearing out of nowhere.
However, she remembered Jiang Zhongxue mentioning earlier the legend of Empress Xi being exiled to Jishan.
Dwarves, disabled individuals, and those with deformities, all selected from among the common people, had been organized into a guard by Emperor Xiao Yan and sent thousands of miles to the ancient lands of Shu. What if they had managed to survive and thrive on Jishan through their own efforts?
Could the village Jiang Zhongxue saw on the mountain be traces of the lives of those dwarves, disabled, and deformed people?
Jiang Zhongxue neither confirmed nor denied the idea. After a moment of contemplation, she said, “That possibility can’t be ruled out. We’ll see for ourselves tonight when we set out.”
Qin Changsheng nodded in agreement. Jiang Zhongxue then asked, “Did you leave the courtyard at all today?”
Qin Changsheng’s mind took a moment to catch up. At first, she was stunned, then she shook her head: “I went out through Aunt Zhang’s backyard. She didn’t see me leave. I just took a general look at the terrain and layout of Shanjiao Village.”
After a moment’s thought, she added, “I chatted with Aunt Zhang for a while, and besides what she told me, I also went to see for myself. The village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, backed by the cliffs of Ji Mountain. One side is a dense forest, another is a slope covered with large exposed rocks, and the only road is a mountain path. They usually rely on mules for transportation, the infrastructure is too backward, the geographical conditions are too poor, so it’s no surprise the village is impoverished.”
Jiang Zhongxue looked at her, expressionless: “I just heard her say she’s taking you somewhere tonight?”
Qin Changsheng let out an “ah” and explained, “She’s taking me to a banquet, ‘zuoxi’ means going to eat. The village head is hosting a feast, and everyone in the village is going. Aunt Zhang said she’d take me along to join in the excitement.”
Jiang Zhongxue gave a noncommittal “hmm” and said, “Decline on my behalf.”
Qin Changsheng nodded, “I’ll go tell Aunt Zhang,” and turned to leave.
Jiang Zhongxue watched her and suddenly spoke coolly, “Aren’t you suspicious?”
Qin Changsheng paused and turned back. Jiang Zhongxue looked at her and let out a cold laugh, “You’re laughably slow and pitifully naive. We’ve just arrived, emerging from what the locals call the ‘ghost forest.’ They don’t question why, and instead treat us with such warmth. Don’t you find that the least bit suspicious?”
At the first sentence, Qin Changsheng’s expression shifted, then flushed with anger. She laughed bitterly, her tone laced with sarcasm, “Oh, have you forgotten? Even someone as cold-hearted as you can be swayed by money. Jiang Zhongxue, I don’t know how much the Qin family paid to hire someone as lofty as you, but your constant snide remarks, I’ve had enough! You know as well as I do that even in a backward place like this, money still talks. No one turns down money! Should I be like you, thinking everyone is out to get me? Besides, this is just a poor, underdeveloped village. Even if I had doubts at first, I’ve been here long enough to sense no danger! I’m the one with the ghost eyes, the one who can foresee danger. If you have a problem with me, you can leave!”
Jiang Zhongxue looked at her, eyes icy, chin slightly raised, and said softly, “The Qin family’s money? Fine. A delicate young lady like you should be kept sheltered in the Qin family, treated like a treasure, shielded from even a hint of light or a breath of wind. Do you really think it was just money that brought me here?”
She gazed disdainfully at Qin Changsheng’s furious face and said coldly, “If you want to know the price of hiring me, go ask your brother. How much is the lives of the Qin family’s leaders worth?”
Qin Changsheng was so enraged she could barely breathe, her eyes reddening. Standing rooted to the spot, she gritted her teeth and spat out, “I don’t know how much they paid you! But get out! I don’t need someone who only belittles and humiliates me around! I have the ghost eyes, the matter of Yu Yin has nothing to do with you anymore! Even if the Qin family spent billions, consider it charity! Get out! Get out of my sight!”
Her eyes reddened with anger. From the moment they first met, Jiang Zhongxue’s sarcastic and disdainful remarks had ignited fury within her. She knew how much Qin Shifeng valued Jiang Zhongxue and was aware of the Qin family’s wariness toward her. Jiang Zhongxue was no ordinary guest who could be casually invited or dismissed. Throughout their interactions, she had tried her utmost to coexist peacefully with Jiang Zhongxue, but the latter repeatedly mocked her, treating her sincerity, goodwill, and kindness as worthless trash, carelessly trampling them underfoot.
Jiang Zhongxue watched her, unmoving for a long while. Qin Changsheng’s eyes were crimson, her body rigidly upright. She raised a hand, pointing toward the door, gritting her teeth with an expression of deep-seated resentment.
Jiang Zhongxue’s expression remained unchanged. After a long pause, she fixed her gaze on Qin Changsheng, stood up, and walked step by step toward her.
Qin Changsheng clenched her jaw, hardening her resolve as she glared back with hatred. She thought Jiang Zhongxue had been provoked and was about to slap her, to teach her a lesson on how to behave.
But Jiang Zhongxue merely looked at her calmly, as if sincerely asking, “Are you crying?”
Qin Changsheng had braced herself for a storm, but upon hearing these words, she was momentarily stunned. Jiang Zhongxue’s gaze remained fixed on her face, a mocking smile curling at the corners of her lips. “Treasure these days when you can still shed tears. In the future, all you’ll have left is bloodshed.”
With that, she walked past Qin Changsheng and left without a hint of hesitation, leaving Qin Changsheng rooted to the spot, utterly dumbfounded.