Chapter 85 [VIP]

Chapter Summary: Intentionally.

"What a coincidence!" Qianhe smiled and slowly walked up to Yu Jing.

Yu Jing subconsciously took a step back.

Seeing Yu Jing's appearance, Qian He moved closer and asked, "Am I that scary?"

Yu Jing smiled and thought to himself, "Someone who can create a crack in the seventh level of hell by challenging someone to a fight, what kind of person is that!"

“How could that be? The young prince is so handsome, dashing, and elegant. Why would I be afraid of him?” Yu Jing said, then added, “Young prince, I’ve been out for a while now. Please take your time. I’ll take my leave now.”

Yu Jing turned around and breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to leave, she felt a tightness around her neck. Yu Jing turned around and saw Qian He holding the collar of her outer robe.

"Since you're not afraid of me, then walk with me for a bit. I'm feeling bored by myself." Qianhe released his grip, crossed his arms, and smiled at Yu Jing. He stood under the lantern, and whether it was the lantern's light or the wine he had been drinking, his face was flushed, and his eyes gleamed. Unlike Su Siyang, he possessed the allure of a demon, along with a touch of youthful arrogance.

Yu Jing initially wanted to refuse, but when she thought about how badly he had been hurt by her in the mortal realm, she suddenly felt a little sorry for him. So she nodded and replied, "Okay."

Hopefully, if she accompanies him around a couple of times, Qianhe's obsession with accounting will lessen.

On a spring night, a gentle breeze blows, carrying the fragrance of grass, trees, and flowers. Red candles flicker softly under the eaves, and fireflies dart up and down in the distance, echoing the scattered stars in the sky. A sense of tranquility washes over you.

Yu Jing walked a little faster than Qian He. Qian He followed behind Yu Jing, gazing at her profile in a slightly daze. He was Qian He now, not Su Siyang. He could distinguish between Yu Jing and Sheng Hua, but seeing the exact same face still made his heart flutter.

As Yu Jing walked, something suddenly occurred to her, something she had never been able to understand. Feeling that Qian He probably knew, she turned back and said, "Little Prince."

Qianhe raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue asking.

"In the mortal realm, I've been assassinated twice, haven't I? The first assassin was Li Guangwei, and the second one, I don't even know who it was, and it just fizzled out. Do you know who it was?"

Yu Jing felt that Qianhe had feelings for Shenghua, and that Qianhe should know the reason behind it.

Qianhe paused, somewhat surprised to hear Yu Jing ask this question. Then, she lowered her eyes and asked in a low voice, "Do you really think that the first assassin was Li Guangwei?"

“If not, then it must be related to the second assassination attempt,” Yu Jing said after thinking carefully.

"Qi Jin was the mastermind behind both incidents."

"Qi Jin!" Yu Jing exclaimed in surprise, her voice rising involuntarily. She had considered the possibility that Qi Jin and Sheng Hua didn't get along, but she never imagined that the one who assassinated Sheng Hua would be... Qi Jin!

"Why?" Yu Jing couldn't help but ask.

"Qi Jin's birth mother was killed by Sheng Hua." This was also something Qian He learned after returning to the Demon Clan.

Yu Jing looked at Qian He in shock. Why hadn't the Matchmaker told her about something this important? No wonder she always felt Qi Jin was acting strangely towards her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She'd thought it was because they weren't related by blood, but it turned out there was another reason. To be honest, Qi Jin was quite tolerant.

Seeing Yu Jing's surprised expression, Qian He said, "The filth and bloodshed in the deep palace are far deeper and more numerous than you can imagine."

"Fortunately, I only stayed in the palace for two years," Yu Jing breathed a sigh of relief and said with emotion. Otherwise, she really wouldn't know how she would have died.

Xie Xuan was sitting in his seat when he saw that Li'er had returned but Yu Jing had not, and Qianhe was not in his seat either. He panicked for a moment and summoned the guide butterfly.

Mu Qing watched as a water-red guiding butterfly flew away. She glanced at Xie Xuan with some surprise. Xie Xuan only had two cocoons of the guiding butterfly. One was for him to locate Xie Xuan, and the other he kept for himself. As long as the cocoon was brought close to the person he wished to guide, and the scent was inhaled and a spell was cast, the cocoon would transform into a butterfly. This butterfly was extremely intelligent, and the color it transformed into matched the guide's. It seemed that this Fairy Yu Jing was quite special to Xie Xuan! At the very least, it wasn't just about settling accounts.

As Mu Qing was pondering this, Xie Xuan rose from his seat and walked over to Mu Qing, saying, "If you ask..."

Before Xie Xuan could finish speaking, Mu Qing immediately replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble immortal understands."

"Hmm," Xie Xuan replied, and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Qianhe watched as the crimson-colored guiding butterfly flew over from a distance, then suddenly reached out and pulled Yu Jing into her arms.

The sudden movement startled Yu Jing. The faint scent of spider lilies emanating from Qian He wafted into Yu Jing's nose. Instinctively, Yu Jing reached out to push Qian He away.

"The young prince?"

"Don't move, there's a ghost."

Qianhe hugged her tighter and whispered in Yu Jing's ear.

"Huh?" Yu Jing asked softly, somewhat bewildered.

Qianhe ignored him, instead passing over Yu Jing's shoulder to meet Xie Xuan's eyes in the distance. Xie Xuan stood in the darkness, surrounded by a circle of fireflies, watching Qianhe embrace Yu Jing, his hand tightening around the jade pendant at his waist.

"There's Mount Su here, and there are immortal barriers, so where are the ghosts?" Yu Jing came back to her senses and pushed Qianhe away. "Besides, even if there really are ghosts, you're from the demon race, and I'm from the immortal race. What's so scary about that?"

Looking at the crane before him, Yu Jing found it hard to believe that this was the same person who had challenged someone to a duel and created a crack in the seventh level of hell. After speaking, Yu Jing even turned around and glanced back, but there was nothing there except for fireflies dancing in the dark night.

"I had some wine earlier, and my head is a little dizzy," Qianhe replied with a light laugh. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the spot where Xie Xuan had just been standing.

After circling around with the crane, Yu Jing returned to the banquet. When Li'er saw her return, she quickly asked in a low voice, "Yu Jing, are you alright?"

"No good." Yu Jing replied, feigning anger. She was completely unaware that Mu Qing was looking at her.

He didn't expect Xie Xuan to return so soon after leaving, looking rather unwell. He was curious about what had just happened.

Li'er poured herself a glass of wine, moved to Yu Jing's side, and said to Yu Jing in a coquettish tone, "Yu Jing, I was forced to do it just now. I was the one who spoke ill of the young prince. I don't have any relationship with him. What if he wants to do something to me? Can you bear it?"

"Jing'er, I was wrong." Seeing that Yu Jing was still unmoved, Li'er tugged at Yu Jing's sleeve and said.

"Then drink the wine, and I'll forgive you."

Li'er knew that Yu Jing wasn't really angry with her, so she smiled and drank the rest of her cup in one gulp.

"Hey, after I came back, His Majesty left his seat for a while. I don't know what happened, but when he came back, he didn't look too well," Li'er said, leaning closer to Yu Jing. She had been drinking lychee wine, and her breath still carried the aroma of lychee.

Yu Jing looked up at Xie Xuan and saw that he was sitting in a high position, and there was indeed a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

After finishing their meal, the group headed to the guest rooms at the back of the estate. Yu Jing and Li'er had just gotten up when Zhelan was already standing before them.

"Where is Master?" Yu Jing asked when she saw Zhe Lan coming over but didn't see the Old Man of the Moon.

"He's drunk." Zhelan casually tossed out a sentence. The Old Man of the Moon was fond of drinking, and Yu Jing and Li'er were already used to it.

"Let's go, I'll take you back to your rooms." Zhelan said, making a hand seal, and the group was already in front of the rooms. The estate behind was a bit larger than the one in front, but it was all rooms, without a large courtyard.

Zhelan summoned Liuying, and Yu Jing bid them farewell. She followed Liuying to the room and pushed open the door. The room was clean and tidy. Yu Jing was exhausted after a long day, so she lay down on the couch as soon as she entered. Although tired, so much had happened that day. Just thinking about Xie Xuan made Yu Jing feel conflicted, and she tossed and turned until late into the night before finally falling asleep.

"Knock knock knock".

Yu Jing was woken up by the noise and, somewhat irritated, pulled the covers over her head.

"Knock knock knock".

There was another knock on the door. Yu Jing took the blanket off, sighed deeply, then got up, walked to the door, and opened it. She froze for a moment, then slammed the door shut behind her.

Xie Xuan stood before the door, dressed in a robe embroidered with a dark green hue and silver bamboo pattern. Yu Jing recalled the scene just now, then looked herself up and down, her clothes disheveled, and regretted not asking who the other person was. She used magic to change her clothes and hairstyle, then reopened the door: "Good morning, Your Majesty."

"Are you all dressed up?" Xie Xuan asked, looking at Yu Jing who had changed her clothes.

"Mm." Yu Jing nodded.

"Then let's go." Xie Xuan turned to leave. Yu Jing asked, somewhat bewildered, "To Jizhou?"

"Mm." Xie Xuan responded and turned to look at her.

"Let's go," Yu Jing said, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her. She said this on the surface, but inwardly she was thinking, "This is way too early!"

When the two arrived in Jizhou, it was probably during the Shangsi Festival, as the city was already bustling early in the morning. Vendors were hawking their wares everywhere, the streets were crowded with people, and both men and women were dressed in their finest attire, adorned with flowers. The air was filled with a medley of fragrances—the aroma of snacks mingled with the scent of flowers, creating an indescribable lively atmosphere.

"Cifangao (sticky rice cake), wontons, scallion pancakes, pan-fried buns..."

Yu Jing had just woken up when she came over with Xie Xuan. The aroma of food made her stomach rumble with hunger.

"My lord, my lady, would you like some breakfast?"

As he passed the stall, the vendor called out to the passersby while making wontons.

Yu Jing stopped in her tracks, turned her head to look at Xie Xuan and called out, "Young Master, have you had breakfast? Why don't you sit down and have some? It feels pretty good."

Xie Xuan glanced at the food stall, then looked at Yu Jing: "Okay."

Yu Jing happily walked to the stall, looked around, ordered a few snacks, and found an empty table to sit down. The stall was on the street, so the location was naturally outdoors. It was right next to the river, and apart from being a bit crowded and noisy, the scenery was quite nice.

Just as they were waiting for the food to be served, Xie Xuan suddenly asked, "Are you and Qianhe on good terms?"