Chapter 63: Jiangnan Travel Disappears

"Does your Highness like Gyokuro dumplings?"

Su Luning knelt beside the table, holding a glass plate and looking up at Qin Yanheng without blinking.

She had prepared so many dishes for him, but only the plate of jade dew dumplings in front of him made the little prince smile. Su Lu Ning must grasp the topic well.

Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, the young prince coughed lightly, and then looked meaningfully at Miss Luo beside him. Su Luning wanted to ask more questions, but Qin Yanheng suddenly turned his head and looked at her directly, without a trace of smile in his eyes.

Su Luning thought it was just the young prince's usual temper and didn't take it to heart. Just as she raised her hand to place the glass plate with the jade dew dumplings in front of Qin Yanheng, the latter suddenly took the plate and placed it steadily in front of Madam Luo. Without turning around, he said, "I am not a bully. I don't need Madam Su to serve me personally."

"Madam Su, please go back." Qin Yanheng said without raising his eyes as he picked up the silver chopsticks to pick up food for Luo Qingling.

After hearing this, even an outsider would have understood that Young Prince Qin was mocking the Su family for sending their daughter to him.

Seeing this, Governor Su hurriedly stepped forward with a glass of wine to apologize. He clasped his fists and drank it all in one gulp. His words were all excuses for Su Lu Ning. After all, if he couldn't climb up the ladder of Prince Rong'an, he couldn't offend anyone.

"My daughter Su Lu Ning has always been enthusiastic. Normally, she would personally serve the dishes to distinguished guests. This is the family tradition of our Su Mansion. If my daughter has offended Prince Rong An, please don't blame me, Your Highness." Governor Su drank a glass of wine, and then led his men to the backyard of the Governor's Mansion.

Tonight, everyone stayed at the governor's mansion.

I don’t know if it was a special arrangement by Governor Su, but Luo Qingling’s room was separated from Qin Yanheng by half the mansion. The two of them stayed in two courtyards, one in the east and the other in the west, like beasts guarding the mansion.

The wooden door was ajar. Qiulai had already brought a basin of water and placed it at Luo Qingling's feet. The water was boiling hot, and wisps of white mist rose from the surface. Perhaps because he had fainted in the hot spring last night, Luo Qingling had been listless all day, and now, at night, he was too sleepy to open his eyes.

"Qiu Lai, why is there not even a bathtub in such a big governor's mansion?" Luo Qingling was exhausted and just wanted to lie in the warm water.

"My lady, it's said that Governor Su is rather short of money. His mansion only has four or five bathtubs, and the other rooms are not equipped with any." Qiulai was about to ask Luo Qingling to change her clothes, but she hesitated and was reluctant to take them off. Qiulai patiently persuaded her, "My lady, please make do with this for tonight. Tomorrow, I will inform His Highness, and then I will go find a better inn outside."

After hearing this, Luo Qingling nodded. This was the only way now. He couldn't go to Qin Yanheng in the middle of the night just to ask for a bath.

“Dongdong——”

There was a knock on the door, and Qiu Lai asked loudly, "Who's outside?"

The young man's voice was clear and sweet, with a hint of smile: "It's me."

Qin Yanheng?

What is he here for?

Luo Qingling was a little confused, but he still straightened his clothes and walked forward, opening the half-closed wooden door.

Outside the door, the young man was facing the moonlight with a gentle smile on his face. Seeing her open the door, Qin Yanheng suddenly leaned over to her. Luo Qingling hurriedly took a step back and asked with her head raised.

"Your Highness, is there anything important that brings you here so late?"

"Madam Luo, do you still remember what I told you yesterday about General Luo accidentally killing Scout Gao? Xuanying has found Scout Gao's descendants."

Perhaps because he was facing away from the moonlight, Qin Yanheng's face was covered in shadow, making it difficult to see his expression. Even his bright eyes, which had been looking at her in the past, now looked extremely dim.

Hearing Qin Yanheng's words, Luo Qingling could no longer care about anything else. The only thought in her mind was to clear her father's name. She stepped forward and grabbed Qin Yanheng's clothes, raised her head and asked, "Young Prince, have you found his descendants? Where are they? I want to see them!"

She thought Qin Yanheng would refuse her request, but he nodded, then grabbed her wrist and led her away, saying as he walked, "Madam Luo, come with me. I'll take you to see him."

There were only a few servants on duty in the Su Mansion, and the two of them walked out of the mansion smoothly.

It was already completely dark. The city of Si'an Prefecture was not as prosperous and bustling as the capital. As soon as night fell, every household would close their doors and windows. Only the lanterns hanging under the eaves swayed slightly in the wind, and the light and shadows cast on the ground, swaying like water ghosts.

In front of her, Qin Yanheng's back was hurried, pulling her wrist without letting go for a moment. Luo Qingling had no choice but to jog to keep up with Qin Yanheng's pace, but who knew that this man seemed to be in a hurry to do something, dragging her from the Su Mansion to the street with no intention of stopping at all.

"Where are you taking me, Your Highness? Where are the descendants of that scout Gao?" Luo Qingling felt vaguely uneasy.

Qin Yanheng didn't answer, but silently quickened his pace, and the hand holding her wrist couldn't help but tighten. Luo Qingling suddenly felt uncomfortable and wanted to pull his hand back, but Qin Yanheng suddenly stopped and stood in front of her with his back to her.

"Your Highness?"

When Luo Qingling walked up to Qin Yanheng to ask for clarification, she saw the young man, who was a head taller than her, standing straight in the same place, his head facing forward, but his eyes looking down at her sideways, with a clear distinction between black and white in his pupils.

Even though the street lights were bright at this moment, there was not a trace of light in his eyes, and his pupils were filled with extreme darkness.

This is not Qin Yanheng!

Luo Qingling was startled and pulled out the Golden Dragon Sword from her sleeve with one hand and stabbed it towards Qin Yanheng's waist. The latter cried out in pain and suddenly loosened his grip on her wrist.

Seeing this, Luo Qingling did not dare to delay and threw the golden dragon at the monster in front of him, then turned and slipped into a small alley.

With a cold wind blowing behind him, Luo Qingling did not dare to stop. He did not care where he was and ran straight towards the road in front of him.

*

Governor's Mansion, East Wing.

Qin Yanheng sat on the couch with his legs crossed, his arms folded across his chest as he looked down at the master and servant kneeling before him. He sneered, raised his chin, and said, "Who gave you the courage to drug this king?"

There were broken jades all over the ground beside Su Lu Ning's knees. They were broken by Qin Yanheng after he discovered that someone had drugged the teacup.

She sobbed and shook her head, then raised her eyes to look at the person on the couch, her eyes full of resentment: "Prince Rong An, no...it wasn't me."

“It’s her!”

Su Lu Ning suddenly pointed at her maid Xier, a mixture of surprise, joy, and panic appearing on her face at the same time: "Yes, it was Xier who asked me to come. She said that once I became a princess, I would be a high-ranking official, and as my maid, Xier would surely follow suit."

Su Luning crawled forward a few inches on his knees, reaching out to touch the hem of Qin Yanheng's clothes, but the latter suddenly put down his raised feet, avoiding Su Luning's restless hand.

Qin Yanheng stood up, lowered his eyes to look at the master and servant on the ground, and coldly ordered Xuanying to throw these two annoying people out of the door.

"Prince Rong'an—" Su Luning suddenly shouted, "It is normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Why is Your Highness so unkind?"

When was he inhuman?

Qin Yanheng slowly turned his head to look at Su Luning, his thin lips opening and closing: "This king has already found his destined person. She is the only love he has in this world."

"Except for her, no one else can replace her. The title of the only princess of this dynasty belongs to her."

After saying this, Qin Yanheng suddenly thought of the Jade Dew Dumpling on the table tonight. He wondered what his Jade Dew Dumpling was doing at the moment. It was still early, so why not take Luo Qingling out of the house for a walk and some fresh air?

Thinking this way, Qin Yanheng, who was always quick to act, naturally couldn't wait to see Luo Qingling. He put on his coat, walked into the courtyard, leaped onto the roof, and ran straight towards the wing where Luo Qingling was.

The wooden door of the wing room was closed. Qin Yanheng was sitting on the roof opposite, with one leg hanging down and the other on his side. He was staring at Luo Qingling's door without blinking.

Do you want to come in?

But if he went in, and Luo Qingling asked him why he came, how would he answer? He couldn't just say that he came because he wanted to see her late at night. Even if he could say such reckless words, Luo Qingling would not let him off easily if she heard it!

While he was lost in thought, the wooden door of the wing room suddenly opened from the inside. Qin Yanheng perked up and looked, only to see that the person coming out was not Luo Qingling, whom he had been thinking about, but her maid Qiu Lai.

As soon as Qiu Lai went out, she saw the little prince sitting on the roof opposite. She was surprised and said, "Didn't the prince go out with his wife? Why did he come back?"

Hearing this, Qin Yanheng frowned and asked, "When did I go out with Luo Qingling?"

"Just now, the young prince knocked on the door and announced that he had found the whereabouts of the important official whom General Luo had mistakenly killed. He then took my wife out of the mansion together. It's almost half an hour now..."

Qiu Lai had only said half of his words when Qin Yanheng had already disappeared.

The wind whistled in his ears as Qin Yanheng sped through Si'an Prefecture, his uneasiness growing. Qiu's words had just made Qin Yanheng think of the demon who had transformed into a human form last night. Could it be that it had transformed into his appearance again tonight and tricked Luo Qingling away?

Yes, the monster once said that the reason he transformed into Luo Qingling was to combine with him so that he could absorb the immortal energy and ascend to heaven as soon as possible.

Now that she knows that Luo Qingling is the jade that can subdue him, then she must also have the same immortal aura as him. Does this mean that whether she combines with him who is the gold stone or Luo Qingling who is the jade stone, she can ascend to heaven?

Thinking of this, Qin Yanheng felt as if the sky had fallen. Waves of regret surged in his heart, and he couldn't help but punch himself hard in the chest.

It was all his fault for being so careless that he allowed Luo Qingling to live in a room so far away from him. If he had insisted on letting her live in the same yard with him, this wouldn't have happened.

If anything happens to Luo Qingling, he will be the first one to not let him go!

There was no trace of Luo Qingling anywhere in the city. Even Xuanying, who led his soldiers to search, could not find any trace of him. It was as if Luo Qingling had disappeared out of thin air in Si'anzhou City.

The drizzle fell on Qin Yanheng's long eyelashes. At this moment, he didn't care about his miserable appearance. He spread out his right hand hanging by his side, wanting to summon the Golden Dragon Sword, but for some reason there was no response at all.

The restraint of the Golden Dragon Sword also disappeared along with Luo Qingling.

Qin Yanheng would never again be dragged to Luo Qingling's side by that annoying tether late at night, fending off all the monsters for her. He would never again be confined within ten miles of her. He finally had the freedom he had always cherished.

"Search! Dig three feet underground for me!"

The rain was getting heavier. Qin Yanheng stood in the torrential rain and angrily ordered: "She is your future princess. If a piece of her flesh is missing, I will only hold you responsible."