In the end, Shen Xiu still left.
Upon learning that Lin Guanqing and his senior sister had once again fallen into a dispute concerning her affairs, Shen Xiu had proactively sought him out once, only to be turned away by Lin Guanqing under the pretext that he was busy.
Ever since that day, Shen Xiu never came looking for him again.
A couple of days later, leaving behind only a brief letter, she quietly slipped away from Biyue Manor all by herself. Because her departure was entirely solo, she managed to leave without alerting anyone.
Even Lin Guanqing only found out afterward that her proactive visit on that day was actually meant as a farewell.
It was just that at that exact moment, he and his senior sister had just engaged in a minor quarrel after his senior sister discovered that he had agreed to let someone teach Shen Xiu martial arts. Although he explained to his senior sister that he had not actually helped much and that Senior Brother Fang had always been the one providing guidance on the side, for reasons unknown, his senior sister stubbornly insisted that his feelings toward Shen Xiu were out of the ordinary.
At the time, his mind was thoroughly distressed, and he felt as though his emotions had been split right down the middle, being pulled back and forth. His entire state of mind was gripped by contradiction. On one side, the words spoken by his senior sister left him feeling deeply aggrieved and vexed; on the other, Shen Xiu’s inexplicable aloofness sent him into a flurry of agitation.
Therefore, when Shen Xiu took the initiative to find him, he subconsciously turned her away under the guise of being occupied, doing so partly to avoid gossip and partly to ease his own turbulent mind.
When he finally received word of Shen Xiu’s departure, it was already the morning of the following day.
Lin Guanqing could not clearly articulate what he felt at that moment; an inexplicable surge of nameless fury mixed with a trace of panic rushed straight to his head, leaving his chest aching with a frantic, suffocating distress. Without even taking the time to open and read the letter she left behind, he turned and bolted out of the manor to give chase.
She was merely a frail young woman with neither family nor backing, where on earth could she possibly go after leaving Biyue Manor?
Thoughts raced uncontrollably through his mind: Why did she leave? Was it because she sensed his distant attitude, or for some other reason entirely? Could someone in the manor have gossiped behind her back?
What exact reason could have driven her to leave without even a parting word, vanishing in such utter silence?
Upon learning that she was gone, Lin Guanqing immediately saddled a horse and galloped out in pursuit. He searched the entirety of Mingzhou City, all the way to the outskirts, and even checked the residence of her former fiancé, yet there was not a trace of her to be found.
Nowhere at all.
It was as though she had simply vanished into thin air.
That sensation squeezed his heart so tightly that a suffocating panic gripped him. Knowing full well that a fragile young woman traveling alone was vulnerable to danger at any second kept him on tenterhooks, the terrifying thought clung to him like a shadow, crushing the breath right out of his lungs.
He had no idea how to calm his raging emotions, which shifted wildly from initial shock and fury to lingering worry, disappointment, and frantic anxiety, accompanied by a mounting panic that he himself hadn’t even consciously realized.
Yet he could not find her; that slender, frail, and quiet figure was nowhere to be found.
He didn’t even know where she might head next.
With a world this vast and a sea of humanity stretching endlessly before them, she didn’t even possess a fixed refuge. How impossibly difficult was it to track down a fragile woman who was deliberately trying to hide?
Clenching his fists tightly, Lin Guanqing suddenly remembered the letter Shen Xiu had left behind.
Panting heavily, he wheeled his horse around at once, hurried back to the manor, located the letter inside the room where Shen Xiu used to stay, and began reading it line by line.
The opening lines of the letter carried her customary soft and gentle tone. She first apologized for leaving without a formal farewell, asking him not to let anger get the better of him.
Reading further down, Lin Guanqing finally understood the reason for her departure. As it turned out, she simply refused to become the root cause of the quarrels between him and his senior sister. She wished to spare him from being torn apart by her affairs and hoped to prevent him from sparking further friction with his dearest loved ones.
Lin Guanqing felt a sudden, heavy ache in his chest, entirely at a loss for how to describe the obscure misery flooding his mind.
Toward the end of the letter, she also mentioned:
“I only hope that the young master will not feel troubled on account of my affairs. I am deeply sorry for causing the young master so much inconvenience.”
“I am also truly grateful for the young master’s shelter over this period, which granted me a safe refuge.” The tone of the letter remained characteristically gentle throughout.
In closing, she left behind a piece of jade pendant. The letter noted that this jade pendant was a keepsake left by her late mother and happened to be the most valuable possession she owned.
She concluded by expressing her hope that the young master would accept the pendant. Since she lacked the present capacity to repay the one thousand taels of silver owed by Cheng’an, she could only leave the pendant as collateral.
Should fate ever grant them a chance of reunion in the future, she would surely pay back that sum in full.
At the very bottom of the letter were written three compact characters: Written by Shen Xiu. The characters were slender and neat, conveying a gentle and meticulous grace that felt precisely like the person herself.
Finishing the letter, Lin Guanqing felt a stifling tightness crush his chest. Only then did he realize that the reason Shen Xiu left was because of him, because she refused to become an obstacle between him and his senior sister.
What was the meaning of this?
For reasons unknown, upon learning this truth, a sudden wave of annoyance, resentment, and remorse welled up within him. What gave her the right to decide she was an obstacle between him and his senior sister?
Who did she think she was? By what right could she come and go as she pleased? Yet, despite the intense frustration, an overwhelming sense of helplessness soon overtook him, for Shen Xiu would never know his thoughts now, she was gone.
That vague, desolate ache left him utterly clueless on how to soothe himself.
At last, with a deep, shuddering breath, Lin Guanqing looked down at the jade pendant resting on the table and ultimately chose to keep it.
Whether driven by some unknown impulse, he ended up carrying that jade pendant close to his body ever since.
Moreover, for reasons he couldn’t explain, every time his eyes brushed against the pendant, Shen Xiu’s slender, fragile figure would automatically surface in his mind.
Along with the gentle, tranquil gaze she used to direct toward him. He had truly never encountered a woman quite like her.
He had no idea if the two of them would ever cross paths again, yet whenever his thoughts drifted to her, an unavoidable flicker of lingering care and complicated emotion stirred within his heart.
It was an indescribable feeling.
And at that moment, Lin Guanqing could never have anticipated that their next reunion would only take place more than a year later.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the early summer of the following year arrived.
The weather grew warm day by day, and the foliage along the roads had long since grown thick and verdant, draping lushly across the branches to shield passing travelers from the scorching glare of the sun.
Yuan Cheng was a small city located at a moderate distance from Mingzhou, its location was neither particularly remote nor exceptionally bustling. An ordinary little town, the lives of its inhabitants were peaceful and steady, marked by an unpretentious routine where common folk lived and worked in contentment.
Recently, however, a series of bizarre events had shaken the city. Within the span of just a few days, seven or eight young women had vanished without a trace in Yuan Cheng.
Initially, the local townspeople assumed human traffickers were at work. The city lord, alongside the prefectural constables, scoured the entire city inside and out for over a week, yet they failed to find the slightest trace of any traffickers.
To make matters worse, right in the middle of their search, another three to five women disappeared one after another, and all of them vanished in broad daylight.
Because these incidents occurred so abruptly and the city lord was entirely out of his depth, throwing the residents into a state of panic, he eventually had no other choice but to turn to Biyue Manor for help.
He hoped to commission the talented adepts and exceptional experts of Biyue Manor to resolve this bizarre mystery and, if possible, help track down the missing young women.
Biyue Manor had received this commission half a month prior, but due to a heavy backlog of internal affairs, they had been unable to free up manpower to handle it immediately. Only recently, once things had finally settled down, did they manage to dispatch people to Yuan Cheng to investigate.
The ones assigned to this investigative mission were none other than Senior Brother Fang and Lin Guanqing.
Traveling light with minimal retinue, the two of them reached Yuan Cheng within two days.
Entering the city, they found that the pedestrians on the streets were somewhat more numerous than anticipated. Although Yuan Cheng could not compare to the prosperity of Mingzhou, its daytime streets were exceptionally lively.
The avenues were wide and bright, filled with a steady flow of passersby.
Because riding horses at a gallop was prohibited along this main thoroughfare, both men held their reins, intentionally slowing their pace to a walk.
A short distance ahead, the bustling noise of the marketplace grew louder. The sides of the street were lined with various shops and inns, alongside numerous small roadside stalls displaying an array of delicate, attractive jade pendants, hair accessories, face powders, and rouge.
However, owing to the recent string of mysterious disappearances that had everyone on edge, far fewer women ventured out onto the streets, dragging down the business for those cosmetics and making the area appear considerably more desolate and neglected.
Lin Guanqing and Senior Brother Fang exchanged glances, each harboring their own private thoughts. Since they were acting on a commission from the city lord, upon arriving in Yuan Cheng, they headed straight for the city lord’s residence.
The city lord proved exceedingly courteous. Upon hearing that representatives from Biyue Manor had arrived, he personally led his servants out to the main gates, hurried down the steps with cupped hands, and greeted them warmly:
“I have long heard that Biyue Manor produces a continuous stream of exceptional talents, and seeing you today proves the reputation is well deserved.”
Senior Brother Fang raised his hands in a fist-and-palm salute, exchanging polite pleasantries: “The city lord is far too kind.”
“Haha, the young heroes are too modest.” The city lord waved his hand with a hearty laugh, leading them into further conventional small talk.
Standing to the side, Lin Guanqing observed quietly without showing much expression. Glancing at the timid and evasive steward following behind them, a faint frown flickered across his brow, though it smoothed out almost instantly as if nothing had happened.
Ultimately, City Lord Zhao made the concluding remark:
“Both young heroes have traveled a long way through wind and dust, and you must be exhausted. Please come inside to rest for a bit. Zhao has prepared a modest feast to welcome you both and wash away the fatigue of your journey. Tomorrow, I shall personally act as host and show you both the local customs and scenery of Yuan Cheng.”
This speech was thorough and well-mannered, granting the two visitors ample face. As the old saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face; given the city lord’s enthusiastic reception, even though both men secretly wished to resolve this bizarre case and return to the manor as quickly as possible, it was difficult to decline right then and there.
Lin Guanqing and Senior Brother Fang exchanged another meaningful look. Since the host was so hospitable, they decided to follow local custom and gracefully agreed with a nod.
During the evening banquet, the city lord recounted quite a few local anecdotes, including his expression of awe toward Biyue Manor. Senior Brother Fang responded with polite helplessness, until Lin Guanqing steered the conversation back to the recent string of missing women. Only then did the smile on the city lord’s face gradually fade, replaced by a heavy cloud of worry, presumably from being hounded by the case day after day.
Following the banquet, City Lord Zhao enthusiastically tried to have the two stay overnight within the estate, but his offer was firmly declined. They claimed to have already reserved rooms at a local inn and wished not to cause further disruption at the residence.
Hearing this, City Lord Zhao did not press the matter any further.
However, as he escorted them out of the gates, he gifted each of them a carriage full of parting gifts. He thoughtfully instructed the steward and servants to accompany them all the way until a drunken Lin Guanqing and his senior brother were safely settled into their inn, only departing with peace of mind once the arrangements were complete.
Once everyone else had cleared out, the two previously intoxicated men lounging on their beds simultaneously snapped their eyes open and exchanged a glance.
Lin Guanqing rolled off the bed with agile grace, poured a cup of warm tea for his senior brother to clear his palate, and then poured one for himself.
Senior Brother Fang slumped heavily onto a stool, took the teacup, gulped down its contents in one breath, and tossed out a question: “What do you think?”
Lin Guanqing glanced at him, walked over to the window, gently pushed open a narrow gap in the shutters to peer outside. The street outside was pitch black and dead quiet with no anomalies in sight, prompting him to speak:
“Something feels off.”
“That city lord acted anxious enough in his letter requesting help, yet during the banquet tonight, he spent all his time rambling about Yuan Cheng’s local scenery, only mentioning the missing persons case right at the very end.”
Lin Guanqing frowned slightly, continuing: “Furthermore, when he spoke of the missing cases just now, his expression was full of worry rather than genuine panic; he didn’t look like someone truly anxious for the safety of his city’s people. That is why I feel he is hiding something.”
Sitting nearby, Senior Brother Fang clapped his hands together and nodded repeatedly in agreement, “Exactly, exactly, that is precisely how it felt.”
“I initially thought I was just overthinking things, but during the banquet, the city lord also mentioned that our Biyue Manor wasn’t the only group invited, and that they had also brought in quite a few masters from other places, yet none of them managed to uncover any clues. Yet he casually told us not to take it to heart. That defies all common sense.”
He furrowed his brows as well, turning to look at his junior brother for instruction: “So, Junior Brother, what do you think we should do now?”