A streak of light flew from the distance. Jiang Xunbai lazily raised his hand to catch it. Crushing the Fu Zhi (Talisman Paper), he watched as a line of characters appeared in the air: “We have found Lu Huai.”
Seeing this, Lu Qingtang’s heart settled with relief. Since Jiang Yijie and Su Lingyao had found her father, she could rest easy.
Noticing Lu Qingtang’s relieved expression, Jiang Xunbai’s eyebrows curved slightly in response. But then he saw her glance at him, happily extending her hand with a playful laugh: “The ground is cold, Young Master Jiang. Why are you still sitting there?”
Jiang Xunbai’s gaze shifted to her outstretched hand. He chuckled softly, then placed his hand in her palm. A wave of warmth and softness surged through his hand as Lu Qingtang gently pulled him to his feet.
Holding Lu Qingtang’s hand, Jiang Xunbai gazed at her with a smiling expression: “Then I must thank Miss Lu.”
Lu Qingtang lifted her chin slightly, shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks, her demeanor resembling a proud little cat: “You’re welcome!”
The great demon, having failed in its attempt, had already departed.
Jiang Xunbai recalled Chang Sheng and walked alongside Lu Qingtang through the ruins. They now needed to find the “gate” that would lead them back to Meeting Spring Temple.
Walking shoulder to shoulder, the wind ruffling their sleeves and hair, Lu Qingtang wondered aloud: “Why would the three great clans that should be far away in the Demon Capital come to Gusu to set up formations?”
She strongly suspected the script the system had given her was fake. The script contained no introduction about the three great clans of the Demon Capital, making her feel like she’d boarded a pirate ship. This journey was proving far more dangerous than she had anticipated.
Jiang Xunbai shook his head: “As of now, no one even knows the exact location of the Demon Capital, let alone the motives of the three great clans. However, when the great demon and the formless demon appeared, we were still in Wangshui Zhen (Forget-Water Town). Put another way, even if they wanted to obtain something, it must be something that recently arrived in Gusu City.”
This made investigation difficult. Whether they came for a person or an object remained open to debate.
Lu Qingtang couldn’t be bothered to think about it anymore. Her mission wasn’t to protect all living beings or safeguard the mortal realm. Let the main characters handle demon slaying and evil vanquishing. What could a powerless mortal like her possibly change?
Thinking this, she kicked a small pebble in front of her. The stone spun several times on the ground before coming to a stop. Noticing her lack of enthusiasm, Jiang Xunbai chuckled lightly: “Want something to eat?”
Hearing this, Lu Qingtang’s eyes lit up: “What do you have?”
Jiang Xunbai rattled off numerous names. After thinking for a moment, Lu Qingtang said: “I want sugar-fried chestnuts.”
Jiang Xunbai raised an eyebrow slightly: “Aren’t they too hot?”
Despite his words, he still took out slightly warm sugar-fried chestnuts from his storage bag.
Biting into a sugar-fried chestnut, Lu Qingtang frowned: “Why aren’t your chestnuts shelled?”
Jiang Xunbai found this amusing: “What, do you expect shelled chestnuts too, young mistress?”
Lu Qingtang raised her eyebrows: “Naturally! Not only should sugar-fried chestnuts be shelled, but even grapes should be peeled!”
Jiang Xunbai scoffed: “Truly spoiled rotten.”
But he still took the bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts from Lu Qingtang’s hand and began peeling them for her. Plump, round chestnuts rolled between his slender fingers before he handed the peeled ones to Lu Qingtang, asking with a smile, “Is the young mistress satisfied?”
Lu Qingtang nibbled on a chestnut, her eyes curving with contentment. “Very satisfied! Thank you, Second Young Master Jiang!”
Her voice was sweet and full of emotion, making one willing to do anything for her.
When Lu Qingtang had almost finished eating, Jiang Xunbai took a cup of cardamom-infused water from his storage bag. After taking a sip, Lu Qingtang sighed, “With Second Young Master Jiang around, I never have to worry about going hungry. You’re like a walking granary—you have everything! Wherever I go, I just need to bring you along.”
“That won’t do. Bringing me along costs extra.”
Lu Qingtang lifted her chin. “What’s the big deal? When I return home, I’ll give you a bag of golden leaves!”
Jiang Xunbai’s mouth fell open in disbelief. “…Is this the disparity of the world?”
He suddenly felt a twinge of resentment toward the wealthy.
Amid their laughter and chatter, they reached the end, where a door floated quietly in the void. Staring at the door, Lu Qingtang couldn’t help but ask, “What time do you think it is outside now?”
They had arrived at the Meeting Spring Temple at noon, and she wondered how much time had passed outside during their stay here.
Jiang Xunbai reached out his hand to her and replied, “Perhaps it’s midnight?”
Lu Qingtang glanced at his hand and placed her palm in his, hurriedly adding, “No grabbing my wrist this time!”
Every time he rescued her, he would grab her wrist, and she had developed a psychological aversion to it.
Jiang Xunbai froze, his gaze falling on the delicate hand in his palm. He hesitated to clasp it. Lu Qingtang raised a brow slightly. “What’s the matter?”
Surely he wasn’t going to grab her wrist again? It hurt so much!
Reluctantly, Jiang Xunbai took Lu Qingtang’s hand, lightly tapped his toes, and soared into the air.
His palm grew sweaty and sticky. He nervously glanced at Lu Qingtang, afraid the young mistress would be displeased, but her expression remained neutral, showing no particular emotion.
The moment they exited, he immediately released her hand.
The world outside remained unchanged, with lush trees surrounding the long corridor. However, Lu Qingtang was vexed to find that, right after stepping out, she bumped into a tree branch.
The branch tangled in her hair, and she had to undo her bun to free herself.
With her long hair cascading down, Lu Qingtang looked somewhat dispirited. Jiang Xunbai’s eyes shifted thoughtfully as he said, “I’ll take you somewhere.”
“Where to?”
A spark of curiosity lit up Lu Qingtang’s eyes. Jiang Xunbai merely smiled without answering and led the way ahead.
After passing through the long corridor, the two successfully returned to the Meeting Spring Temple. The sky was dark, and cicadas chirped incessantly from the pine trees in the courtyard. Jiang Xunbai brought her to the back of the temple.
Behind the Meeting Spring Temple was a spot with an exceptionally open view. Standing there, one could see the city of Gusu at the foot of the mountain and the endless emerald peaks in the distance.
Jiang Xunbai took out his black cloak from his storage bag, spread it on the ground, and invited Lu Qingtang to sit.
A faint red glow began to appear on the distant horizon, as if a maiden’s rouge had been sprinkled across it. The blush rapidly spread, and the surrounding darkness gradually faded.
A smile blossomed on Lu Qingtang’s face. “Jiang Xunbai, the sun is rising!”
Jiang Xunbai couldn’t help but glance at her, seeing her curved brows and eyes, shallow dimples, and her gaze filled with crimson light. He unconsciously lifted the corners of his mouth: “Mm, the sunrise is here.”
A gentle breeze brushed past, lifting their sleeves and hair. Lu Qingtang’s long hair fluttered in the wind, some strands drifting onto Jiang Xunbai’s face, tickling him—a sensation that crept all the way to the depths of his heart.
In the distance, the red sun leaped over the mountain peak, its first rays showering the mortal world. The mist-shrouded city of Gusu at the mountain’s foot appeared breathtakingly beautiful.
The sunlight warmed their bodies, gilding them with a golden halo. Jiang Xunbai’s heart raced with nervousness as he hesitantly asked, “Shall I… tie your hair for you?”
Lu Qingtang turned to look at him, her beautiful eyes brimming with fragmented light. Jiang Xunbai felt scorched by her utterly pure gaze, slightly averting his eyes as an unnoticed blush spread across his neck.
His heart pounded like a drum, as if it might leap out of his chest at any moment.
Was this too presumptuous? Would she refuse? Why wasn’t she saying anything? Why did she keep looking at him?
Though only a few seconds passed, to Jiang Xunbai it felt like an eternity.
Just as he was about to retract his words, Lu Qingtang finally spoke: “But you didn’t know how before?”
Last time he’d only adjusted her hair ribbon for her, not knowing how to style her hair properly.
Jiang Xunbai had secretly studied “101 Ways to Charm Someone” given by the system, reading it over and over until he’d nearly mastered hair styling—though he’d lacked opportunities to practice.
“I know how now.”
He said with a straight face.
Lu Qingtang made a soft “oh” sound and nodded: “Alright.”
With permission granted, Jiang Xunbai moved behind Lu Qingtang and lowered his head to arrange her hair.
When his fingers touched the girl’s smooth, soft hair again, his heart trembled inexplicably.
As Lu Qingtang gazed at the distant scenery, she asked curiously, “Where did you learn this?”
After she spoke, Jiang Xunbai’s tension eased slightly. He replied softly, “From a book.”
Lu Qingtang exclaimed in surprise, “You specifically learned how to style hair?!”
Jiang Xunbai immediately retorted, “Not specifically! I didn’t specifically learn hair styling for you! I… just happened to come across it…”
The more he explained, the more he sounded like someone protesting too much.
Jiang Xunbai inwardly blamed the system—it was all the system’s fault for giving him that “101 Ways to Charm Someone”!
Now he couldn’t explain himself properly in front of Lu Qingtang.
Unexpectedly, the usually unresponsive system suddenly “came to life” upon hearing Jiang Xunbai’s internal complaint: 【Please understand, host, this system never requested you to style character Lu Qingtang’s hair.】
Its voice remained as cold and emotionless as ever, yet Jiang Xunbai somehow detected a hint of mockery in it.
The implication was that Jiang Xunbai had done this voluntarily! But when had he been willing? He was just completing missions, just trying to win her over!!
The system resumed its silent pretense.
Lu Qingtang continued, “Oh, I never said you learned it for me—so who did you learn it for then?”
Jiang Xunbai: “…” Was that important?!
He deftly changed the subject: “I only know the simplest hairstyles.”
“That’s fine!” Lu Qingtang said cheerfully, “Jiang Xunbai, will you teach me how to style hair?”
She didn’t know how to style her hair in ancient fashion. Later, when she would join the main characters’ group to hunt demons, there would be no maidservant accompanying her. She needed to learn some simple hairstyles.
Jiang Xunbai carefully gathered Lu Qingtang’s hair, but her hair was just as unruly as its owner. No sooner had he gathered one section than another would slip loose, keeping him thoroughly occupied.
Hearing Lu Qingtang’s request, Jiang Xunbai replied without thinking: “You don’t need to learn.”
Lu Qingtang mistakenly thought Jiang Xunbai was unwilling to teach her. She exclaimed angrily: “You actually refuse to teach me! Jiang Xunbai, you’re so stingy!!”
Jiang Xunbai stopped what he was doing and hurriedly explained: “What I meant was I, I—”
The words died on his lips as he swallowed them back.
Lu Qingtang became very interested in this rare sight of Jiang Xunbai stammering and hesitating. She turned to stare at him, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, waiting to hear what he would say next.
At the critical moment, Jiang Xunbai finally found an excuse: “Since Miss Lu is going to give me a bag of golden leaves, helping you with your hair is merely a small effort—”
His peach-blossom eyes brimmed with laughter: “Whenever you need assistance in the future, just command me.”
“After all—one shouldn’t receive rewards without merit.”
Author’s Note: Jiang TangTang: From now on, I’ll always do your hair (scratched out)
For a fee, of course.
TangTang: I knew Jiang Xunbai wouldn’t be that nice!
Jiang TangTang: It’s all the system’s fault balabalabala, anyway I’m not wrong.
System: I never told you to do her hair!
Jiang TangTang: Don’t interfere, I have my own rhythm.