Chapter 28 Night Chase: He carried her on his back with a limp, desperately trying to keep her safe...

Huizang shuddered, and the Buddhist beads in his sleeve rubbed together until they became hot.

"The person guarding the Lantern Palace today is that lady... If you want to know what happened today, you need to ask her."

This makes no sense. Meng Shutai delivered the person to the lamp hall, and the fire was started while she was on duty. She shouldn't be questioning this old man who knows nothing.

Hui Zang, unwilling to accept defeat, adopted the air of an abbot: "Young Master Meng, it is not that I am being presumptuous. Huayan Temple is a national temple, housing the memorial tablets of the Supreme General, Lady Wei, the late Prime Minister, and other nobles. It cannot be disturbed. The Lantern Hall is also a place valued by the noble families and imperial relatives of Luoyang. Now that it has been afflicted, how do you expect me to explain this to these nobles?"

Meng Shutai smiled silently, his expression calm yet tinged with contempt and provocation.

"The person is gone, and the crane cannot return. Does the abbot intend to bring them out now so that even in death they cannot rest in peace and are used as a shield for gossip?"

"Besides," he paused, raising a long eyebrow with an air of arrogant charm, "is my wife, Meng Shutai, any less than those people?"

With a light wave of his wide sleeves, Meng Shutai ascended the steps and gracefully entered the lamp-lit hall, which was mostly burned out, leaving Huizang with only one sentence:

“If anyone wants to hold someone accountable, tell them to come find me, Meng Shutai.”

Everyone was stunned. There was not a sound of human voices. Only the howling wind swept up a few scorching embers, which suddenly went out in everyone's sight.

The mixture of water and oil stuck to the ground, along with shards of glass and soot, emitting a strong, pungent smell of burning that lingered for a long time.

Meng Shutai frowned. He was always a clean person and was no longer willing to go forward, but instead looked around inside.

The fire definitely started from inside.

Did Le Jin set it? What happened to her that made her set it on fire? And why did she hit him the moment she saw him?

Meng Shutai suddenly noticed that there were many newly pasted prayer paper lamps in the lamp hall that had not yet been lit. They were all carefully placed on the iron platform at the deepest part of the hall, and had not been burned or cracked by the fire.

The lamps offered at Huayan Temple are precious, and each person has always had only one lamp, which is lit immediately upon offering. How come there are so many lamps sitting empty?

He suppressed his disgust and went over to see what was going on.

Each lamp has the same name written on it.

He moved closer and examined it closely. When he saw the traces that could not be called words, his heart skipped a beat, and he chuckled softly.

"What ugly handwriting."

The paper was crookedly written with wishes like "May Meng Shutai live a long and healthy life," "May Meng Shutai rise to higher positions," and "May Meng Shutai's wishes come true." The person only wrote a few four-character wishes; the rest were childish phrases like "Eat well," "Sleep well," "Be happy," and "Be joyful."

They are all "Meng Shutai".

Taking down the wishing paper that read "Long Live to a Hundred Years," Meng Shutai's fingertips traced the scraggly characters as if caressing the woman who wrote them.

Live to be a hundred years old...

Living to be a hundred years old is a curse. To live a hundred years in endless boredom, to be left for a long time among this foolish, sentimental, vulgar and indifferent world, like ants crawling all over his skin, to be bitten, scratched and tormented by them... what torture that would be.

However, things are different now.

He put the wishing paper, along with Le Jin's "love" tinged with hatred and resentment, into his sleeve.

Touching his own sleeve, Meng Shutai frowned slightly, a hint of regret in his expression.

She didn't even have time to notice how handsome he looked in that outfit today.

——

The evening breeze caressed Le Jin's tear-streaked face, and she felt cold even though it was summer.

Looking at the large tomb in front of her, repaired with stone bricks and covered with lush orchids, Le Jin felt the reality of Meng Shutai's "kindness".

Judging from its appearance alone, this could not possibly be the tomb of a minor eunuch, because even the tombstone has been specially built with an exquisite wooden niche to protect it from wind and rain.

She reached out and touched the name that once stood on the tombstone.

Although her time as Jiu'an was short, she genuinely believed that good fortune had befallen her while in that body.

As you slide your finger down, you'll see a sachet lying prominently beneath the tombstone.

Le Jin recognized it at a glance; it was the gift Meng Shutai had given her as a greeting present, the one containing Qingzhou osmanthus.

She carried it with her until the day she died.

Even though "Jiu'an" is dead, why does he still keep her enshrined in front of her tomb? Even as a ghost, he won't let her go?

Le Jin grinded her teeth, grabbed the sachet, and tried to throw it far away, but when she touched it, she found that it was soft inside and contained something else.

She pulled open the sachet and looked inside; it was the handkerchief Meng Shutai had used to wipe her tears.

She had said she would return the handkerchief to Meng Shutai after washing away her tears, but now he had carefully placed it in a sachet and put it here with him.

A feeling of weakness and powerlessness, like creeping vines growing from the soil, wrapped around her legs, binding them tightly, from which she could not escape.

At that time, the task only revolved around Jiang Yingyun and Yuan Jingming. Le Jin was neither a saint nor a fool, and she didn't necessarily want to provoke Meng Shutai. It's just that she felt a bit of his "goodness".

No one understands the importance of kindness in people's hearts better than a girl who dropped out of school early to work.

He closed his eyes tightly and exhaled a breath of stale air from the bottom of his chest.

In many moments of life, if it weren't for the yearning for and persistence of "beauty," Le Jin might have already collapsed.

She sniffed, her thumb lightly touching the two characters "Jiu'an," as if comforting herself when she was stabbed multiple times and couldn't even utter a sound from the pain.

"You will survive."

"Le Jin, you will live on."

After calming down, Le Jin leaned against the tombstone to rest, but many real-world problems kept her from having a moment's peace.

I shouldn't have directly confronted Meng Shutai. What if he'll be even less accepting of me now that I've made this scene?

But he doesn't seem angry?

However, he was never usually angry; he always maintained that gentle, feigned demeanor. She couldn't discern his true emotions based on Meng Shutai's words and actions.

Le Jin was completely baffled when another thought suddenly popped into her mind: If figuring out a madman could lead to a conclusion, then is he the madman or am I the madman?

How terrifying!

Le Jin shook her head, not wanting to think about Meng Shutai anymore.

She burned down the lantern hall of Huayan Temple; she should have been thinking about how to make amends.

The panic and fear of committing a terrible disaster finally descended upon Le Jin. She discovered that it was bigger and heavier than she had imagined, like the sky had truly collapsed.

We're doomed.

She knew she was dreaming. Le Jin frantically searched her mind for someone who could help her, only to sadly discover that she had only two choices.

One is her fiancé, Meng Shutai, and the other is her brother, Le Zhao.

Even more despairing is the fact that finding Le Zhao still depends on Meng Shutai...

She was an innocent, lively, and down-to-earth girl who, after all the twists and turns, could only play the emotional card with a madman who randomly kills people. Le Jin let out a "howl" and started crying again.

The sound of heartbroken sobs drifted in the night wind, and the air was damp with tears.

"Lady Yue—"

Suddenly someone called her. A beautiful yet anxious voice came from afar, ethereal like the cry of a phoenix, chirping and piercing her heart.

Meng Shutai!

Le Jin cried even louder.

Is he some kind of lingering ghost?!

Meng Shutai rushed to Le Jin's side upon hearing the sound, and with a lantern in hand, he found that Le Jin was hiding behind Jiu An's tombstone.

"Lady Le?"

Meng Shutai took a step closer to her, and Le Jin immediately hid behind him, crying.

He understood Yue Jin's resistance and didn't go forward again.

"Is it Shutai's fault? Has she been wronged today?"

"Don't worry, I'm here."

Meng Shutai slowly squatted down and handed the lantern handle to Le Jin with both hands.

"Are you afraid of the dark? Holding this will make you less afraid."

His eyes were fixed on the disheveled Le Jin, a gentle smile playing on his lips, like shimmering ripples on a river in the warm glow of the lanterns.

In the past, Yue Jin would have immediately taken the lantern, stood beside him, and excitedly thanked him loudly: "Thank you so much, Lord Meng!"

But now her fingernails were digging into the tomb niche, her survival instincts making her not want to get close to Meng Shutai at all, and she instinctively chose another path.

"I don't want you, I want my brother..."

All she wants to see right now is Yue Zhao.

Thinking of him, Le Jin's lips trembled and tears streamed down her face.

"I want a brother."

She repeated the phrase as if it were some kind of life-saving incantation to ward off evil spirits.

But Le Jin didn't notice that Meng Shutai's expression suddenly darkened the moment she first mentioned her brother.

Le Zhao?

Where can you pray to Le Zhao and receive a responsive response?

Now that the dew is heavy and the night is deep, isn't he the one keeping her company?

Meng Shutai gripped the lamp handle tighter and tighter, unaware that he was competing with Le Zhao, whom he had never met before.

He never liked others interfering with or disturbing the things he valued, such as Jiu'an's death and Le Jin's heart.

Meng Shutai blinked her smiling eyes, her tone softening further: "Even if we want to find Mr. Yue, we have to go back and look for him, right? Mr. Yue isn't here."

Only Mengshutai.

He reached out his hand to Yue Jin, "I'll take you home."

"Go back and help me find my brother?"

Meng Shutai's eyes turned cold, but his expression remained calm and composed.

"right."

Le Jin slowly stood up, but her legs wouldn't obey her, twisting and turning, and she sat back down with a thud.

My legs are numb...

Meng Shutai placed the lamp handle in Le Jin's arms, squatted down with his back to her, and said, "I'll carry my wife on my back."

Le Jin carefully climbed onto his back to hold a lamp for him, and Meng Shutai limped along the wild grass towards the temple.

That's when she realized that Meng Shutai had injured his leg.

Ah, this situation seems so familiar.

Although she did kick his leg, what if it wasn't that hard, or what if this bastard was lying to her again?

Le Jin was determined not to ask about his health condition and kept quiet the whole way.

But Meng Shutai, who was usually reserved, suddenly had a lot to say.

On the long mountain road at night, his voice was light and airy, strangely prolonging the return journey, as if he were walking further and further away, with no end in sight.

"Are you hungry? Haven't you eaten yet? I've asked Qisheng to prepare some snacks for you."

"The fire in the Lamp Hall has been extinguished. I've spoken with the abbot, and he won't make things difficult for you. Everyone will act as if nothing happened."

"Today...did someone lock the door so you couldn't get out, and that's why you set the fire?"

Le Jin had kept her lips tightly closed and ignored him until this question made her heart race. She was eager to know the reason for the problem and finally opened her mouth: "Yes."

Right now, there was a section of Meng Shutai's white neck. The sandalwood scent in his collar was sweet at first, but the aftertaste was sharp, like a soft fishhook that seemed harmless, but suddenly pierced through and bled.

The smooth, delicate lines are exceptionally beautiful in the hazy light; even this small section of muscle and bone reveals how stunningly beautiful the body's owner is.

Le Jin's hand, which had been gripping his shoulder, inexplicably loosened and gradually moved to his neck. If she just gave it a firm pinch, she wouldn't need to think about reconciliation anymore; all grudges would be clear.

She diverted Meng Shutai's attention, asking, "Were they doing this on purpose?"

The shadow of his outstretched fingers, illuminated by the dim lantern light, resembled a long-legged spider crawling on the back of his neck.

Meng Shutai shook his head. "I haven't investigated yet. I guessed it because I accidentally saw a lock that had been left by the door when I entered the hall."

"Do you believe someone is trying to frame me?"

"Mmm." Meng Shutai bounced her up and down, supporting her with his arms and bending her legs for better stability.

"Although there is no evidence, I believe you must have been wronged."

Why should he comfort her? Wasn't it Meng Shutai who harmed her this time?

The spider on her neck disappeared.

However, the numbness that she only realized later was like the rattling sound of scissors biting into a piece of cardboard, which made Le Jin's scalp tingle.

What was she doing just now? She actually tried to kill someone?!

She's a normal person, how could she be exactly like this madman?

Le Jin, you can't do this.

A light drizzle fell, turning into silver embroidery threads that densely pierced the two of them, as if drawing out countless tangled threads of emotion that could not be cut or untangled, binding them together.

In the vast darkness, she carried a glass lantern on his back, and he, with a limp, struggled to carry her, trying to give her a sense of security.

The sandalwood incense, dampened by the night rain, felt somewhat cool.

Le Jin sniffed the air, feeling even more depressed.

A note from the author:

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Sorry, dear readers [crying emoji] Although I said I'd update daily last Thursday, I've already reached the word count for the rankings, so I'll be taking two days off to revise and edit the story. I'll resume updating this Thursday~