Chapter 2: First Meeting

"Cousin, come with me to find mother." The cousin stepped over the threshold, went upstairs with his head held high, and walked straight towards Luo Qingling with a calm smile on his face.

No, he is not my cousin!

Luo Qingling turned and stared at her "cousin," who was slowly walking up the steps. She hurriedly grasped the copper ring on the door and pushed hard. The wooden door was locked tightly, and the door frame, which had been in disrepair for a long time, creaked continuously with Luo Qingling's movements.

"What's wrong with you, cousin? Didn't you say you were going to look for my mother?"

"Cousin" is almost here! Luo Qingling was anxious, but the wooden door behind her wouldn't open no matter what she did. Coincidentally, the left wing was at the end of the second-floor corridor. In other words, she had no other way to escape except to break in.

How could a perfectly normal person just disappear out of thin air? There must be something fishy going on here! The only room she could hide in was locked, and in front of her was her "cousin" getting closer and closer... She had a plan!

"Cousin, do you know where my aunt has gone?" Luo Qingling turned around, her back pressed against the door. She quietly pulled out her dagger from behind her back. She forced a smile, "Could it be that my aunt is with Madam Deng?"

Since she couldn't escape, she might as well take advantage of the situation. Perhaps this demon disguised as her cousin could give her the answer. Luo Qingling had a hunch that perhaps her aunt, like Deng Yesi, had met with misfortune.

Three or two steps away, the "cousin" stood silently, his face still expressionless. The candlelight in his eyes flickered, and his eyelids drooped slightly when he looked at Luo Qingling. Apart from his eyes, his whole face was lifeless.

This was definitely not the look her polite cousin would show! Luo Qingling maintained a gentle smile, twirling the dagger in his hand. Rather than avoiding it, it was better to find a way to break the situation.

"How could my mother be with Madam Deng... Ugh!"

The dagger suddenly flew out and pierced his "cousin"'s abdomen. He hunched over and swayed, holding the exposed hilt with one hand. He looked up at Luo Qingling with confusion in his eyes: "Cousin...?"

"Cousin" was muttering to himself but could not utter a complete sentence. Black lines flew out from the wound pierced by the dagger, and in the blink of an eye, they wrapped around his entire body, swallowing up the human body like the darkness of night. "Cousin" disappeared in an instant, and even Luo Qingling's dagger evaporated before his eyes.

The candlelight became bright again, and the inn was noisy again. It was unknown when the heavy rain outside had stopped, and stars were reflected in the darkness, as if what had just happened was just an illusion of Luo Qingling.

What on earth could possibly be so capable of pretending to be her cousin and deceiving her? She wondered if she had just stumbled into some otherworldly world. It was so bizarre and strange, and she figured she couldn't stay here any longer. She had to leave quickly.

Luo Qingling hurried downstairs and saw his cousin jogging in from outside the yard, his steps hurried and his expression nervous.

"Cousin! How come the rain stopped when I turned around and parked the car? Why don't we set off for Xiangshan Temple immediately?" My cousin came up to her and saw that most of the clothes on his shoulders were wet. It was obvious that he must have been caught in the rain.

Luo Qingling stood in the hall, looking her cousin up and down for a long time, until the waiter passed by her with a cup of tea and said in surprise, "Tonight is also strange. Just as my wife said she wanted two side rooms to shelter from the rain, the rain stopped. I guess God has destined me not to receive the reward from these two nobles."

As expected, she was the only one who knew what had just happened. It seemed that Deng Yesi wasn't the only one acting strangely; her aunt must have met with misfortune as well. Without further ado, she had to find her aunt and Deng Yesi!

Luo Qingling casually threw a few taels of silver on the counter as a reward, and left the post station with his cousin, with the waiter behind him holding the silver and seeing them off.

"Mrs. Luo, my dear—"

A man on horseback came rushing over from a distance. It was the attendant who had just been sent to search for someone. He dismounted, bowed to the two of them, and pulled out a handkerchief embroidered with peonies from his bosom. He looked at them and said, "Madam, my lord, I found your handkerchief near Xiangshan Temple. I'm afraid it's not..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Luo Qingling glanced at her cousin with red eyes, raised her hand to take the handkerchief, which had a strong smell of powder.

Such a familiar taste.

She put the handkerchief in front of her nose and sniffed carefully. The pungent fragrance immediately filled her nostrils, reminding her of the man who had passed by her at the post station just now. He had the same smell of powder on him!

The man and Deng Yesi disappeared in the post station together. I wonder if my aunt also fell victim to the man's murder.

Luo Qingling didn't dare to think further. Now they couldn't find their aunt anywhere, which was bad. But where could the man take his aunt and Deng Yesi?

"I remember... there was a brothel nearby." My cousin wiped his tears and said with a sniff, obviously noticing that the fragrance on the handkerchief came from an unknown source.

The circle of noble ladies in Beijing has always been elegant and no one would use such a strong fragrance. What's more, his mother is a Buddhist and never uses fragrance on a daily basis. This fragrance must come from someone in the brothel.

"There is no time to lose, take me to see her!" Luo Qingling was worried about his aunt and did not doubt his cousin.

*

The moon was dim in the sky, and there was not a single trace of the heavy rain. If there were no water stains on the ground, no one would believe that it had just rained heavily.

The cousin sat in front of the carriage to lead the way, and everyone rushed to the riverside. Luo Qingling looked at the Qin Tower standing in the river and fell into deep thought.

In front of me, there is a four-story building floating on the river. There is no corridor bridge connecting it to the river bank. There are only a few small boats parked on the shore. I think the boats are used to pick up and drop off passengers, which is quite strange.

"Is that man smelling of powder really in there?"

Luo Qingling was a little skeptical. She had just arrived in the capital and naturally didn't know there was such a Qinlou in the suburbs. But her cousin and followers who had lived in the capital since childhood were clamoring to go in and see the lady, so she agreed.

Of course, the most important thing is that Luo Qingling could feel that her dagger, which followed the black line and disappeared at the post station, was nearby.

Luo Qingling raised his hand, facing Qin Lou with his palm, and whispered, "Sword!"

The next moment, a dagger flew out of Qinlou, passed over her head and went straight into the bushes behind the crowd, and there was a scream from that place.

Luo Qingling hurried forward to investigate, only to see the young man with one leg bent, half-sitting on a branch, the other leg hanging and swaying, half of his body leaning against the trunk, his eyelids drooping, a bit of anger on his face, and he was carefully examining the dagger that had inexplicably flown towards him.

The young man in front of him had a handsome face, wore a silver crown on his head, and was dressed like a prince. His black and gold python robe was particularly eye-catching in the night.

The only person in the capital who dares to dress so ostentatiously...is the young prince who refused her marriage proposal, saying she had "evil intentions"!

Luo Qingling felt a darkness before her eyes. How could she meet Qin Yanheng, the man who "threw" her portrait out of the room, in such a remote place?

"Didn't our ancestor tell you that you should never take back things that were taken away by monsters?" Qin Yanheng seemed not to recognize the person. He sat on the tree and just played with Luo Qingling's dagger.

With a pursed mouth, he turned the hilt of the sword with his fingers, and the dagger spun around between his five fingers for a few circles. The black line was wrapped around his white fingers. Qin Yanheng lowered his eyes to look at the evil spirit on his fingertips and smiled contemptuously.

"The sword flying back is not yours." He said lazily, and then he pinched his fingers hard, and the short sword floating on his fingertips broke instantly, and the black silk dissipated immediately.

This is... evil spirit!

Luo Qingling's heart skipped a beat. Fortunately, she had run into Qin Yanheng, otherwise she would have been deceived by the demon again. Her aunt and Deng Yesi hadn't been found yet, so she couldn't delay any longer. However, it would have been dangerous if she were alone...

Before Luo Qingling could speak, Qin Yanheng had lost his patience. He retracted his long legs and jumped down suddenly, landing directly in front of her. He did not even glance at the three of them from beginning to end. He just walked sideways past Luo Qingling and walked straight out of the woods.

The young man was very tall, with thin shoulders, and a cold expression, which made him even more difficult to get along with.

But it was such a person who happened to become the Taoist immortal's only disciple in the world!

Luo Qingling was as puzzled as the rest of the world, but Qin Yanheng had shown a talent for Taoism since he was young. It was said that he could learn techniques that many old Taoists had never mastered in their entire lives in just one glance.

If Qin Yanheng took action, her aunt and Deng Yesi would definitely be able to escape unscathed, but how could she make this rebellious little prince not only not get angry but also listen to her obediently?

Looking at the young man walking away, Luo Qingling blinked her eyes and softened her voice, saying, "The sword on your back looks like a top-grade one. Why don't you lend it to me? I'll return it to you after I rescue the person."

Qin Yanheng paused but did not look back.

Young man?

He raised his eyebrows. This was the first time he'd heard someone call him "young hero," which was quite unusual. Although Taoist instruments couldn't be lent out casually, it was just a sword. It wasn't like he was giving her a person, so it was easy to say.

Besides, the master is drinking somewhere now, so he doesn’t bother to care about borrowing his sword.

"Young man, you are listening to the rain and wind here late at night. You look so cool and elegant. You must be a kind-hearted person. It should not be difficult to lend you a sword to save others?" Luo Qingling continued in a loud voice, becoming more and more insightful as he spoke.

"Save someone?"

Qin Yanheng turned around and threw the sword on his back towards Luo Qingling, then looked at her straight with his arms folded across his chest.

Under the moonlight, the boy's eyes were bright, with a hint of smile on his lips, barely curving the corners of his eyes. He spoke the coldest words in a gentle tone.

"Miss, you may not know this, but this is not an ordinary sword. You can use it to chop things, but if you use it to catch monsters, I'm afraid you are not qualified enough to use this powerful sword."

What a big mouth.

Luo Qingling secretly complained and looked down at the golden sword in his hand. A golden dragon was wrapped around the sword body, and the dragon's tail turned into the hilt. The workmanship was fine and it was obviously of high quality at first glance.

How much more arrogance could a sword have? As expected, a sword follows its master, equally erratic. She wanted to test whether she was qualified to wield this sword.

Spiritual energy gathered in his palm, and the sword suddenly glowed with a golden light. Luo Qingling looked up at Qin Yanheng, who was a few steps away, raised his eyebrows and tilted his head.

Isn't it being used? Why do you still say she is not qualified?

"You...I..." Qin Yanheng pointed at the lit sword, his eyes wide with disbelief. "This sword was passed down from my master. Only I can use it. How did you light it up so easily?"

Qin Yanheng couldn't help but step forward and pick up his sword. He examined it from side to side, muttering, "It's indeed my Golden Dragon Sword... How can a sword that has recognized its master still be manipulated by others?"

He seemed unable to believe it, and circled around Luo Qingling again with his sword in hand, carefully looking up and down at the girl in front of him who could awaken the Golden Dragon Sword with ease.

No, no, no, this is absolutely impossible. Master once said that he was born to be the master of this sword, and he is the only one in the world who can wield it. But how could this person...

Luo Qingling had no desire to waste time with him. Saving people was the most important thing right now; whether or not he had a sword was secondary. She casually said, "Young man, if you don't want to borrow your sword, why don't you come with us to save them?"

Qin Yanheng nodded and walked towards the river.

He would naturally not sit idly by if there were any monsters. Moreover, the reason why he appeared in this forest tonight was because he sensed a strong demonic aura.

Seeing this, everyone hurried to catch up, only to see Qin Yanheng standing by the river, his back cold in the night wind. He wanted to swing out his sword, and the long sword drew several times in the air, but no golden light appeared.

Huh? What's going on? Qin Yanheng thought he hadn't used up his spiritual energy and injected a lot more into the sword, but the sword remained motionless. Unconvinced, he tried a few more times, but the Golden Dragon Sword still showed no reaction.

Luo Qingling stood aside and tried to use his spiritual energy to awaken the Golden Dragon Sword. A golden light flashed before his eyes, and the Golden Dragon Sword lit up.

"..." Qin Yanheng slowly turned his head to look at her, his face full of disbelief, "My Golden Dragon Sword has recognized you as its master?"

"Your Highness—"

A golden light flashed, and his cousin and followers beside him exclaimed in surprise. Luo Qingling suddenly felt that his neck was suddenly restrained by a magical power, and he could not move at all. He could only watch Qin Yanheng walking towards him with a sword in hand.