Endless warmth passed from her fingertips to his…
Lu Qingtang’s eyes widened instantly in surprise. “Father, what nonsense are you talking? How could it be because of him?”
Meeting Lu Huai’s skeptical gaze, she deflated and admitted, “I simply feel that I shouldn’t settle like this. Father, Bai Wujin and I have never even met—how could there be any deep affection between us? If I am to marry, the person I wed must be the finest gentleman in the world. I would love him, and he would respect me, cherish me, and regard me as his very life.”
Lu Huai opened his mouth slightly, seemingly astonished that his daughter—the same willful girl he had coddled since childhood—had suddenly developed such strong convictions.
Lu Qingtang’s gaze shifted to the portrait of a woman hanging on the wall. Dressed in plain robes, the woman had a gentle appearance and an aura of mystery, yet she gave Lu Qingtang a strangely familiar feeling. Without thinking, Lu Qingtang blurted out, “What I desire is a love like yours and Mother’s—deeply devoted, inseparable even in life and death.”
Following her gaze to the portrait, Lu Huai sighed softly, as if relenting. “I understand. This marriage was arranged by your grandfather, and breaking it off won’t be easy, but I will find a way.”
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Lu Qingtang suddenly remembered that Lu Huai had summoned her to the study for a reason—one she still didn’t know.
“Father, what did you need me for?”
Lu Huai glanced at her eager, wide-eyed expression and rubbed his forehead with a wry smile. “It’s nothing now.”
He had called her precisely to discuss the matter of her avoiding the marriage, but since Lu Qingtang had broached the subject first, there was nothing left to say.
By the time Lu Qingtang left the study, dusk had settled outside. Lu Manor was filled with long corridors, and lanterns placed at intervals cast a warm, hazy glow, lending an inexplicable sense of comfort.
Hearing Lu Huai promise to find a solution had stirred a wave of emotion in her heart. In the novel, Lu Qingtang had lost her mother at a young age and was raised solely by Lu Huai, who played both father and mother roles and had nurtured her with utmost care.
Yet, sadly, the novel’s Lu Qingtang had fallen for Jiang Yijie at first sight, stubbornly refusing to see reason, and ultimately descended into darkness.
As Lu Qingtang walked along the corridor, her hair and ribbons fluttered in the gentle breeze. Her eyes were vacant, fixed on the ground, so much so that she failed to notice Jiang Xunbai watching her from not far away, arms crossed.
Seeing her draw nearer and about to collide with a pillar at the corridor’s turn, Jiang Xunbai swiftly extended his hand.
With a soft thud, Lu Qingtang bumped into something cold. Instinctively, she clutched her forehead, eyes wide, and gasped, “Ah, that hurts…”
Jiang Xunbai frowned slightly, a teasing tone in his voice. “The young lady truly is a delicate blossom raised in luxury. I’m not the one complaining of pain—why are you?”
Only then did Lu Qingtang realize someone stood before her. Startled by his sudden voice, she stumbled backward, lost her footing, and staggered, nearly falling—
Jiang Xunbai’s expression shifted. Lightly pushing off the ground, he swiftly caught her wrist and pulled her upright. Propelled by momentum, Lu Qingtang lurched forward and collided squarely with his chest.
Jiang Xunbai’s chest was unyieldingly hard, leaving Lu Qingtang seeing stars from the impact. After the initial fright and now this collision, her heart was racing wildly. Jiang Xunbai’s heartbeat was equally frantic, the endless thumping sounds filling her ears until she could hardly distinguish which rhythm was hers and which was his.
Before she could even rub her reddened forehead, she heard Jiang Xunbai’s sharp intake of breath. He said:
“I know you hold grievances against me, Miss. Though I’ve saved you twice, I don’t expect your gratitude. But must you attempt to murder me?”
Lu Qingtang hastily pulled away from his chest. Seeing Jiang Xunbai grimacing in pain and noticing the faint redness at the tips of his ears, she assumed she had hurt him badly. Without thinking, she reached out to pat his chest anxiously, “Jiang Xunbai, are you alright? Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry, so sorry…”
The moment Lu Qingtang’s hand made contact, Jiang Xunbai’s body stiffened abruptly. He looked down at the flustered girl gently patting his chest, her expression so distressed she seemed on the verge of tears. That faint lotus fragrance wafted into his nostrils again, unsettling him completely.
Somewhat flustered, Jiang Xunbai took a step back before stopping himself. He chuckled lightly, “I’m fine! Don’t worry, Miss Lu—” His voice trailed off as Lu Qingtang took the hand he had used to shield her forehead from the pillar and began examining it carefully.
Bent over his hand with serious concentration, Lu Qingtang’s eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. From his angle, he could see her delicate, well-shaped nose and the fine down on her cheeks glowing softly in the dim lantern light.
Endless warmth flowed from her fingertips to his palm. Jiang Xunbai felt his mouth go dry. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as an itching sensation spread from where her fingers had touched his palm, creeping all the way to his heart.
Lu Qingtang said dejectedly, “The back of your hand is red from the impact—come to my room, I’ll apply some ointment for you.”
A cool breeze swept through, jolting Jiang Xunbai back to reality. He quickly withdrew his hand, hiding it behind his back, deliberately adopting his usual casual tone, “No need. I’m not that fragile.”
Seeing him brush off the topic so nonchalantly, Lu Qingtang said softly, “I’m sorry, Jiang Xunbai. And thank you.”
Walking side by side along the corridor, Jiang Xunbai chuckled, “Rather, Miss Lu, you should watch where you’re walking. What were you thinking about?”
Lu Qingtang shook her head wistfully, then her expression shifted as a smile bloomed on her face, “Jiang Xunbai, did you need something from me?”
Jiang Xunbai had been about to say “nothing.” He’d spotted Lu Qingtang walking alone along the twilight-filled corridor from afar and had been watching her the whole way. She seemed completely unaware, walking with her head down until she nearly collided with the pillar, prompting him to intervene.
He changed his response: “Naturally, I have business with you—my brother and the others have brought back intelligence today. Why don’t you come listen?”
Lu Qingtang’s eyes lit up: “Really?!”
Jiang Xunbai couldn’t help laughing: “Of course.”
Overwhelmed with joy, Lu Qingtang recognized that Jiang Xunbai’s invitation meant he considered her part of the main group. From this point on, the complete success of her first mission seemed within reach.
When Lu Qingtang followed Jiang Xunbai to the courtyard where they were staying, night had unknowingly completely descended. Jiang Xunbai knocked on the door three times: “Big Brother.”
Jiang Yijie’s warm voice came from inside the room: “It’s A-Xun. We were just about to go look for you. Come in—”
Jiang Yijie’s words trailed off as he saw a smiling face peeking out from behind Jiang Xunbai.
“Qing-Tang, you’re here too.”
Jiang Yijie’s puzzled gaze swept over Jiang Xunbai before he stepped aside to let both of them in.
Jiang Xunbai explained: “Big Brother, today Miss Lu and I toured Gusu City and gathered some information. We specifically came to tell you about it.”
Lu Qingtang nodded repeatedly: “Exactly, exactly.”
Su Lingyao motioned for them to sit first, then poured two cups of water for them. Jiang Xunbai recounted what he and Lu Qingtang had heard from Qingzhu at the Southern Wind Pavilion during the day to Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao.
After exchanging a glance with Su Lingyao, Jiang Yijie was asked by Lu Qingtang: “Big Brother Jiang, Sister Su, what’s wrong?”
Jiang Yijie smiled slightly: “We visited the Chen Family today.”
Jiang Xunbai’s heart stirred: “The same Chen Family we heard about?”
“Exactly.”
“The situation at the Chen Family is quite similar to what you heard,” Su Lingyao said. “We visited all the households in the city where this incident occurred and discovered a common point…”
Jiang Xunbai and Lu Qingtang held their breath, listening intently as Su Lingyao’s calm voice echoed in the room: “Each of these households possesses a sachet from the Meeting Spring Temple.”
“Where is the Meeting Spring Temple?”
Jiang Xunbai asked.
Lu Qingtang explained: “Kumu Temple and Meeting Spring Temple are located on two opposing mountains. When Kumu Temple was thriving with incense, Meeting Spring Temple was deserted and lonely. After Kumu Temple was reduced to ruins in the heavenly thunder calamity, Meeting Spring Temple became prosperous with incense again. The decline of one and prosperity of the other make them seem like natural rivals.”
“In that case, let’s visit the Meeting Spring Temple tomorrow during the day, and go see that Kumu Temple at night to find out what exactly is dancing under the moonlight.”
Jiang Yijie said.
Just as Lu Qingtang was about to nod, the long-dormant system in her mind suddenly emitted a cold mechanical sound:
[Congratulations, Host. Task Three has been activated…]
Lu Qingtang thought to herself: Another task! What’s there to congratulate about! A task arriving at this time definitely won’t be simple.
Sure enough, as she expected, this task truly gave her a headache.
[Task Three: In the current instance, find an opportunity to spend two hours alone with character Jiang Yijie and give him a sword tassel.]
??? Is this one task?! Isn’t this two tasks combined?!
Lu Qingtang couldn’t understand why this damned system would combine two tasks into one.
But no matter how much she protested, the system remained silent.
Spending time alone with Jiang Yijie was difficult enough, but spending two hours alone with him! Setting aside the difficulty of that, was giving him a sword tassel any easier? He already has Sister Su, how could she give it to him? And how could she make him accept it?
Just thinking about this task made Lu Qingtang’s head hurt.
“Miss Lu?”
Lu Qingtang suddenly snapped back to reality to find Jiang Xunbai looking at her sideways, his dark eyes flashing with confusion.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
Lu Qingtang felt somewhat guilty – zoning out during a meeting was really not a good thing.
Jiang Xunbai chuckled softly, “What are you thinking about, miss?”
Lu Qingtang remained silent. Just then, Su Lingyao spoke up again, smoothly changing the subject for her.
“Tomorrow will surely be fraught with dangers. Tang-Tang, are you really going to go?”
Su Lingyao was still somewhat worried.
Lu Qingtang nodded, “Sister Su, I want to go with you all.”
Jiang Yijie said, “A-Yao’s concerns are not without reason, Qing-Tang. Mortals are most easily bewitched by demons and are the most fragile. You must think this through carefully.”
Lu Qingtang said firmly, “I want to go.”
Jiang Xunbai gazed at Lu Qingtang, his eyes smiling as he enunciated each word clearly, “Brother, rest assured. I will stick close to Miss Lu without straying a single step.”
Author’s note: