“Are you breaking off the engagement with the Bai family because of that Jiang…”
Lu Qingtang belatedly realized that Jiang Xunbai was somewhat angry. The curve at the corner of his lips had long vanished, and he was now burying himself in eating, occasionally casting a resentful glance at her.
But she didn’t understand why he was angry, so she didn’t pay it much mind.
Surely, she hadn’t been the one to provoke him, she thought, as she happily continued eating and listening to Qingzhu play the zither.
Jiang Xunbai took a bite of a pastry but suddenly found it tasteless. He then picked up the teacup beside him and brought it to his lips. Before he could take a sip, Lu Qingtang urgently called out, “Wait—”
Jiang Xunbai paused, lifting his eyelids to glance lightly at Lu Qingtang. She hesitated before saying, “If I remember correctly…”
“That teacup you’re holding is the one I drank from.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xunbai froze mid-air, his hand still holding the cup. Not far away sat another teacup identical to it.
He fell silent, trying to recall the details. Lu Qingtang watched him nervously.
Surely, he couldn’t have mistaken whose cup was whose.
No sooner had the thought crossed Lu Qingtang’s mind than Jiang Xunbai spoke up, “Can you tell which one is yours?”
Lu Qingtang nodded.
After Jiang Xunbai had handed her the teacup earlier, he had placed it on the table. She remembered it was on the side closer to her.
Jiang Xunbai tilted his head back and drank the tea in his cup, then raised an eyebrow at Lu Qingtang. “How do I remember this cup being mine?”
Lu Qingtang: “…”
She shouldn’t have bothered reminding him out of kindness.
Jiang Xunbai glanced at Lu Qingtang, who was now ignoring him. She picked up another teacup, poured herself some tea, and took a sip. She had eaten far too many sweets today—never in her life had she imagined she would consume so many desserts in one day.
After washing down the greasiness with tea, Lu Qingtang started on the fried crispy chicken in front of her. Jiang Xunbai couldn’t resist stealing another glance at her, only to find her cheeks puffed out with food as she looked back at him.
Caught in the act, Jiang Xunbai decided to stare at her openly instead.
Lu Qingtang found his gaze inexplicable and asked, puzzled, “Why are you looking at me?”
A faint smile tugged at Jiang Xunbai’s lips, and a teasing glint flashed in his eyes. “Miss, you have something on your face.”
Lu Qingtang took his words at face value and immediately set down her chopsticks to feel her cheek. She then looked at Jiang Xunbai, her eyes bright. “Is it still there?”
Jiang Xunbai smiled as he met her gaze, then pointed to his own face. “Around this area.”
Lu Qingtang stared at his face, touched her cheek again, and looked at him expectantly. “How about now?”
Jiang Xunbai remained silent for a moment before suddenly reaching out to her. Without much hesitation, Lu Qingtang extended her hand as well.
Jiang Xunbai took her wrist through her sleeve, guiding her hand upward to where the crumbs of fried chicken were.
“Right here.”
His voice, as clear and fresh as the air after rain, drifted into her ears. A faint chill seeped through the thin fabric of her sleeve from his palm to her wrist, and Lu Qingtang unconsciously held her breath.
Her fingertips brushed lightly over her own face. A smile bloomed in Jiang Xunbai’s eyes. Lu Qingtang looked up at him. “Is it gone?”
Before Jiang Xunbai could reply, a startled shout suddenly broke the subtle atmosphere between them: “Wh-what are you two doing?!”
With a sharp snap, Qingzhu halted the zither music. Jiang Xunbai abruptly withdrew his hand, his expression flustered.
Lu Qingtang glanced at Qingzhu and saw his face pale with anger. He stood up, pointing at Lu Qingtang and Jiang Xunbai, his eyes slightly red and lips trembling.
Lu Qingtang explained, “What did we do? Young Master Jiang was merely helping me remove something from my face.”
Seeing Lu Qingtang’s indifferent expression, Qingzhu felt even more aggrieved and said sorrowfully, “Why must you humiliate me like this, Miss…”
Lu Qingtang: “…”
Wait, how had she humiliated him?
Jiang Xunbai’s expression had returned to normal. He lifted his gaze to Qingzhu, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Young Master Qingzhu, you are mistaken. Not to mention that Miss and I are entirely innocent, even if there were something between us, it would hardly be your place to comment.”
He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. “After all, what exactly is your relationship with Miss Lu?”
Qingzhu’s face instantly turned ashen, shifting between shades of green and white, looking utterly discomfited.
Jiang Xunbai picked up his teacup, took a leisurely sip, and lazily glanced at Qingzhu, feigning nonchalance as he remarked, “Did Miss Lu give you some mistaken impression that you have the right to meddle in her affairs?”
His demeanor was relaxed, but his tone carried an unmistakable sharpness that sent a chill down one’s spine.
Even Lu Qingtang couldn’t help but look at him, yet she remained silent. It was just as well to use Jiang Xunbai’s words to sever the ties with Qingzhu.
Qingzhu’s expression shifted abruptly. After a moment’s thought, he bowed deeply, biting his lip and speaking with utmost deference, “This servant was at fault. Miss never promised me anything, and her treatment of me was merely ordinary kindness. It was my mistake…”
Gritting his teeth, Qingzhu continued, “This servant desired too much, asked for too much.”
The smile in Jiang Xunbai’s eyes deepened. He cast a faint glance at Lu Qingtang, who then said, “It’s alright, Qingzhu. Your zither music is truly captivating. Play another piece for us.”
“As you wish.”
Qingzhu lowered his head submissively and sat down again to play the zither.
The melody was soft and melodious, lulling Lu Qingtang into a drowsy state. Jiang Xunbai nibbled on peanuts and asked, “Might I ask, Young Master Qingzhu, if there have been any unusual occurrences in the city lately?”
Hearing this, Lu Qingtang immediately perked up. Qingzhu’s fingers paused briefly on the strings. He glanced at Lu Qingtang and, seeing her attentive gaze, averted his eyes. As he continued playing, he replied, “If we speak of recent oddities, there is one matter—does Miss still remember Kumu Temple?”
Jiang Xunbai slowly lifted his eyelids and looked at Lu Qingtang, who searched her memory for fragments about Kumu Temple.
“Is that the temple that once gained fame throughout the city, only to be struck by lightning a few months later, burned to the ground, and reduced to ruins?”
Qingzhu nodded. “In recent days, I’ve heard that at the hour of Zi every night, people sing and dance under the moonlight at Kumu Temple. The songs are enchanting, the dances graceful—yet it is profoundly eerie.”
As if suddenly recalling something, Jiang Xunbai asked, “What is the date today?”
Lu Qingtang didn’t understand why he asked but answered truthfully, “The twelfth of June.”
Jiang Xunbai breathed an almost imperceptible sigh of relief, but Lu Qingtang abruptly inquired, “Are those singing and dancing truly human?”
“Uncertain, which is why I said it is a strange occurrence.”
Qingzhu added, “There is another peculiar matter. Has Miss heard of it?”
Lu Qingtang tentatively asked, “Has someone in the city personally seen people who disappeared or passed away long ago?”
Qingzhu nodded, “Exactly—to be frank with you, miss, I have personally experienced this as well.”
Lu Qingtang and Jiang Xunbai abruptly turned to look at Qingzhu, “What do you mean by that?”
Qingzhu’s voice was soft and gentle, “My neighbor is a family named Chen. The old lady of the Chen family passed away several months ago, and I personally witnessed her burial. But two days ago, when I went out, I saw her leaving the Chen residence. She was carrying a vegetable basket, smiled faintly at me, and greeted me, saying she was going out to buy groceries. I was terrified and fell ill for a full day and night afterward…”
By the time Lu Qingtang and Jiang Xunbai left the Southern Wind Pavilion, the sun had already tilted westward, its lingering rays as red as blood, casting a golden glow over the world.
“Do you think Qingzhu’s words can be trusted?”
Jiang Xunbai, holding a box of leftover desserts they had packed to take home, lowered his gaze to look at Lu Qingtang as he asked.
Lu Qingtang nodded, “I think it’s credible.”
Jiang Xunbai also nodded, “Alright, tomorrow night we’ll make a trip to Kumu Temple.”
Lu Qingtang made a mournful face, “Can I not go?”
If it were a demon, that would be one thing, but what if it’s a ghost? She would be scared to death.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xunbai doubled over with laughter, his shoulders shaking and his peach-blossom eyes sparkling with mirth. Lu Qingtang glared at him discontentedly, “Jiang Xunbai, what are you laughing at?”
What’s so funny??!
Jiang Xunbai waved his hand, “No more laughing, no more laughing—”
Lu Qingtang kept a stern face, “You’re still laughing.”
Jiang Xunbai glanced at Lu Qingtang’s face, which was barely suppressing her anger, and stifled his laughter, “I never thought there would be something that the esteemed Miss Lu is afraid of?”
Lu Qingtang looked at Jiang Xunbai displeased, “Shouldn’t I be afraid? I’m just a weak and powerless mortal who can’t even tie a chicken, how could I be as fearless as you, Second Young Master Jiang?”
“When I saw Miss Lu fearlessly offering herself as bait to lure out the Skin-changing demon, I thought you were incredibly brave.”
“Are demons and ghosts the same?”
“Who told you the thing in Kumu Temple is a ghost?”
Jiang Xunbai raised an eyebrow and asked.
Lu Qingtang’s eyes widened abruptly, “Y-you—are you saying that thing is a demon?”
Jiang Xunbai shook his head, “I don’t know, that’s why we need to go and see.”
Lu Qingtang, “…Jiang Xunbai, are you insane!”
Was it fun to mess with her??!
Lu Qingtang stomped off angrily toward Lu Manor, while Jiang Xunbai, carrying the desserts, followed closely behind her, “Miss Lu?”
Lu Qingtang quickened her pace without looking back.
“Miss?”
“Miss Lu?”
“…”
Seeing that Lu Qingtang was still upset, Jiang Xunbai leaned in from behind her, bending down with a smile, “Don’t be angry, miss. Look, aren’t I helping you?”
Lu Qingtang couldn’t help but stop and look up at him, “Helping me with what?”
“Miss, don’t you like my elder brother? If we gather such important information together and then investigate the matter at Kumu Temple, my brother will surely admire you.”
Lu Qingtang’s eyes shifted. What mattered wasn’t Jiang Yijie’s admiration, but Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao agreeing to let her follow them all the time.
“I’ll think about it.”
After saying this, Lu Qingtang lifted her chin and strode forward. Jiang Xunbai watched her haughty retreating figure, his lips unconsciously curling into a smile.
Lu Qingtang and Jiang Xunbai had just returned to the residence when Jingchun approached hesitantly and said, “Miss, the master is waiting for you in the study.”
Lu Qingtang asked in confusion, “What does Father want with me?” But as it happened, she also had something to discuss with him.
Jingchun shook her head like a rattle-drum. “I don’t know.”
Lu Qingtang had no choice but to go to the study herself. The moment she stepped inside, Lu Huai said, “Tang-Tang, close the door.”
Lu Qingtang shut the door and smiled. “Father, what did you want to see me about? Why so serious…”
As she approached Lu Huai, she spoke first before he could say anything: “Father, I want to break off my engagement with Bai Wujin.”
Lu Huai’s expression turned strange, tinged with gravity. “Tang-Tang, let me ask you—are you breaking off the engagement with the Bai family because of that second young master of the Jiang family?”