His fingertips still retained the lingering warmth and softness…
This was the first time Jiang Xunbai had addressed Lu Qingtang by her full name. Lu Qingtang was stunned for a long moment before she understood his meaning. She patted her chest, her eyebrows dancing animatedly as she said, “Me? Of course I’m not worried. Don’t I still have the Fu Zhi you gave me? And there’s Big Brother Jiang and Sister Su—I believe they’ll arrive in time. I’ll definitely be fine.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xunbai couldn’t help but turn to look at Lu Qingtang. She blinked at him, and he frowned almost imperceptibly.
He didn’t know whether Lu Qingtang was pretending or genuinely carefree. How could she so recklessly disregard her own safety to lure out the Skin-changing demon? How could she so easily place her trust in them, willing to entrust her life completely to people she had known for less than two days?
Seeing Jiang Xunbai remain silent, Lu Qingtang added, “If you’re suffering from heatstroke, you should go back to the Inn and rest properly. If it’s really bad, go see a physician—”
“Lu Qingtang,” Jiang Xunbai’s voice carried a hint of seriousness, “don’t underestimate the Skin-changing demon.”
Lu Qingtang instinctively retorted, “I’m not underestimating her.”
Jiang Xunbai ignored her rebuttal and continued, “This journey is fraught with danger, Miss Lu. You still have a chance to back out now.”
Lu Qingtang shook her head and said earnestly, “I’m not afraid.”
Jiang Xunbai sighed, downed the mung bean soup in his hand, and said, “Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“To go boating and pick lotus flowers.”
“Aren’t you suffering from heatstroke?”
Jiang Xunbai turned back and asked, “Miss Lu, are you coming or not?”
“Coming, coming!”
Without another word, Lu Qingtang lifted the hem of her skirt and followed Jiang Xunbai.
As they walked side by side on the street, she couldn’t resist leaning closer and saying, “Jiang TangTang, could you walk a little more… like a girl?”
She chose her words carefully. His steps were too quick and rigid, lacking any semblance of a girl’s gait. Though not all girls walked the same way, Jiang Xunbai was currently in women’s clothing. If he didn’t pay attention, it would be easy to give himself away—especially in front of a demon like Huapi, who had seen all sorts of flower-like girls, making it even easier to detect Jiang Xunbai’s disguise.
Jiang Xunbai paused mid-step. After a moment’s thought, he stubbornly insisted, “How am I not like a girl?”
Lu Qingtang glanced at him but said nothing more. However, she noticed that Jiang Xunbai did indeed tone it down a little.
They made their way toward the Wangshui River, where they saw an endless expanse of lotus flowers along the bank. A gentle breeze blew, bringing a touch of coolness, rustling their robes and hair. Lu Qingtang quickened her pace toward the lotus pond, then turned to look at Jiang Xunbai, her eyes sparkling. “Jiang TangTang, is this really okay?”
Weren’t they supposed to be luring out Huapi? How did they end up here?
Jiang Xunbai had already tuned out Lu Qingtang’s form of address for him. He strode ahead toward the small boat moored by the lotus pond, raised an eyebrow, and retorted, “What’s wrong with it?”
Whatever he did must have his reasons.
Lu Qingtang stopped overthinking it, lifted her skirt, and followed behind Jiang Xunbai. She saw him pitching his voice higher as he spoke to an auntie by the shore: “…So we can take this little boat and roam around freely, right?”
“Right.”
After receiving an affirmative answer, Jiang Xunbai took out a piece of broken silver from his robe and handed it to the auntie. The woman immediately beamed with joy and hurriedly said, “I hope you two young ladies enjoy yourselves!”
They drifted in a small boat through the boundless lotus pond. In the height of summer, the lotus flowers were in full bloom—vibrant green leaves dotted with delicate pink blossoms created a truly enchanting scene.
Lu Qingtang couldn’t resist reaching out to touch a lotus flower brushing past her. Noticing this, Jiang Xunbai reached out and plucked several lotus flowers, handing them to her.
Delighted, Lu Qingtang accepted the flowers and held them in her arms.
The young girl’s faint dimples and lively eyes, paired with her green dress that harmonized perfectly with the lotus blossoms in her arms, made Jiang Xunbai truly understand for the first time the phrase “the beauty outshines the flowers.”
Realizing he was staring, he almost flusteredly averted his gaze. But after looking away, he couldn’t help stealing another glance at Lu Qingtang, only to find her hugging the lotus flowers with a smile that curved her eyes. He couldn’t help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.
As the boat meandered through the lotus flowers, Jiang Xunbai reached out to pick some lotus seed pods. Lowering his gaze, he began carefully shelling the lotus seeds.
When Lu Qingtang glanced at him, she saw him bowing his head as he shelled the seeds. The bluish-green lotus pods trembled between his jade-white, slender fingers as he peeled them open, extracting green lotus seeds one by one, then removing their shells to reveal plump, snow-white kernels.
Lu Qingtang was mesmerized by the sight, only snapping back to reality when Jiang Xunbai handed her the shelled lotus seeds.
The seeds were sweet, cool, and refreshingly delicious. A satisfied expression spread across Lu Qingtang’s face.
Jiang Xunbai also ate a few, savoring the fresh fragrance that filled his mouth.
The next moment, the system in his consciousness chimed again: 【Congratulations, Host. Character Lu Qingtang’s current favorability is 4/100. Please keep up the good work.】
A slight smile tugged at Jiang Xunbai’s lips.
The boat drifted leisurely deeper into the lotus flowers. Lu Qingtang grew somewhat tired and couldn’t resist lying down on the deck, reaching her hand into the water. A cool sensation traveled from her fingertips, dispelling some of the summer heat.
Growing increasingly playful, Lu Qingtang cupped water in her hands and splashed it into the air. The crystal-clear droplets sparkled in the sunlight, blending with her flower-like smiling face.
Jiang Xunbai nibbled on a lotus seed and pushed the pile of jade-like, shelled seeds on a lotus leaf toward Lu Qingtang. Before she could say anything, he spoke first, “I can’t eat anymore. You have them.”
Lu Qingtang looked at him skeptically. Unable to withstand her direct gaze, Jiang Xunbai simply turned his face away, avoiding eye contact. Lu Qingtang didn’t press further. She rolled over onto her back, lying on the deck as she gazed at the azure sky, grabbing the lotus seeds beside her and popping them into her mouth while basking contentedly in the sun.
Tall lotus leaves cast some shade over her. Lazily closing her eyes, she lay there until she gradually fell into a deep sleep.
Truthfully, it wasn’t her fault—she had been on the move all night, and as soon as she returned to Wangshui Zhen this morning, she went out to wander. When would she have had time to sleep?
Jiang Xunbai had been staring absently at the shimmering water. After not hearing any movement from Lu Qingtang for a while, he glanced back at her and saw the young girl with her eyes closed, her butterfly-wing-like eyelashes casting faint shadows on her porcelain-like face.
He sat beside her, lowering his gaze to see the soft down on her face. She breathed lightly, appearing to be in deep slumber. Jiang Xunbai unconsciously softened his own breathing, afraid that the sound might startle her.
The small boat drifted along with the current and had now reached the depths of the lotus pond. The surroundings were quiet, with only an occasional croak or two from frogs.
Jiang Xunbai suddenly felt somewhat drowsy as well.
This was quite unreasonable. As the second young master of the Jiang family, a renowned demon-hunting clan, he had mastered talisman and array techniques since childhood. His physique was naturally different from that of ordinary mortals—he could go for days without rest. Yet today, he inexplicably felt weary.
It must be because of Lu Qingtang, he thought.
Surely, her drowsiness had affected him.
Jiang Xunbai’s mind was in disarray as he stared blankly at the sleeping girl’s face.
Unaware of what she was dreaming about, she suddenly furrowed her brows and reached out, grabbing the hem of Jiang Xunbai’s robe. A thin layer of sweat beaded on her forehead.
Jiang Xunbai remained silent for a moment before retrieving a palm-leaf fan from his storage bag and gently fanning it.
He told himself it was because he felt too hot and needed to cool down.
Secretly, he shifted the fan slightly toward Lu Qingtang. Clutching the hem of his robe tightly, her furrowed brows gradually smoothed out.
After an unknown amount of time, the sun gradually tilted westward, painting the sky in brilliant shades of red. The fiery clouds reflected on the water’s surface, casting a golden glow that enveloped everything, including them, in a faint golden light.
When Lu Qingtang opened her eyes, she was greeted by an endless expanse of golden light and fiery red. The blazing clouds, vivid as flames, were unbelievably beautiful. Her eyes curved into a smile as she exclaimed, “How beautiful!”
Her voice, still carrying a hint of sleepiness and huskiness, made Jiang Xunbai subtly shake the hand that had been fanning her all along. “It’s alright,” he replied casually.
Only then did Lu Qingtang notice the palm-leaf fan in Jiang Xunbai’s hand and realize that the soft fabric she had been clutching was the hem of his robe. She immediately released it and sat up.
So, the faint breeze she had felt in her dream was actually fanned by Jiang Xunbai. Gratefully, she said, “Thank you, Jiang TangTang.”
Jiang Xunbai looked into the distance. “No need. I was just hot.”
Knowing he was being stubborn, Lu Qingtang didn’t press further. Instead, she smiled and glanced around, exclaiming in surprise, “It’s already evening. I slept for so long.”
[Congratulations, Host. Character Lu Qingtang’s current favorability is 5/100.]
Jiang Xunbai replied calmly, “Not that long.”
Lu Qingtang turned to him and began, “Jiang Er—”
Before she could finish, Jiang Xunbai pressed a finger to her lips.
Wide-eyed, she stared at him, only to find him staring intently in a particular direction with a serious expression.
Realizing his impropriety, he quickly withdrew his finger and whispered, “It’s here.”
Lu Qingtang didn’t need to ask to know what “it” was.
The Skin-changing demon had finally taken the bait.
Jiang Xunbai lowered his hand, letting his wide sleeve conceal it. He slowly rubbed his thumb against his index finger—though he had only briefly touched Lu Qingtang’s lips, he felt as if the warmth and softness still lingered on his fingertip.
His cheeks, along with the tips of his ears, flushed red. His heart raced, blood surging through his body, engulfing him in an unfamiliar excitement.
Lu Qingtang called out softly, “Jiang TangTang?”
Jiang Xunbai noticed a flicker of unease in her eyes. He lifted the corners of his lips slightly and reassured her, “Don’t be afraid.”
For some reason, upon hearing Jiang Xunbai’s comforting words, Lu Qingtang’s anxious heart gradually calmed.
Unnoticed by anyone, the brilliantly colorful sky had vanished, replaced by heavy dark clouds. The air grew unbearably stifling, almost suffocating.
A fierce wind rose, causing the lotus leaves, blossoms, and seedpods around them to tremble and swirl. Even the small boat they were in began to rock.
Suddenly, a familiar, enchanting voice reached her ears: “Miss, we meet again.”
Lu Qingtang clenched her dress tightly, the color draining completely from her face. In the next instant, an unusual fragrance washed over her, and Jiang Xunbai beside her abruptly collapsed unconscious.