Chapter 58 The Stubborn Woman's Lament (Part 8) My good-for-nothing little disciple...

The dim light cast swaying shadows on the plain gauze bed curtains, the flickering light creating a restless atmosphere.

Gu Lianzhou lay quietly on the couch, his dark eyes staring blankly at the top of the tent. After a moment, he suddenly sat up, looking at the oil lamp on the table with displeasure.

It was the noisiest thing in the house.

With a slight thought, a wisp of dodder split off from beneath her, creeping down the edge of the bed and quickly climbing towards the stool and table, where it abruptly tightened its grip on the small flame. The oil lamp suddenly went out, plunging the room into darkness.

Seeing this, he lay back down, only to feel a hard object pressing against his back. At the same time, he heard his senior brother's muffled groan.

Gu Lianzhou sat up as if pricked by a thorn, and turned his head to look. He saw that his senior brother's arm had somehow broken free from the tightly rolled-up blanket and was lying across his sleeping position.

He lay down so hastily just now, I wonder if he crushed anything?

With this thought in mind, he carefully knelt on the couch, picked up the hand and examined it closely, pinching it from the fingertips to the wrist. He glanced at his senior brother's face from time to time, and seeing that his expression was peaceful and his brows were not even furrowed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Lianzhou tucked the restless arm back under the covers, then lay down, arms crossed, watching his senior brother's every move.

Because he had never taken care of a drunk person before, he felt uneasy, so even though it was late at night, he was not sleepy at all.

Staring at his senior brother's sleeping face for a long time, he suddenly saw the blankets churning up and down, and soon an arm stretched out from the blankets and slammed down on him.

Gu Lianzhou lowered his eyes and caught the unruly arm accurately. After a moment of silence, he gave up the idea of ​​tucking it into the blankets and simply placed it gently beside him.

As if receiving some kind of signal, the silkworm-like bedding beside him suddenly stirred, and a leg stretched out from it, straddling his senior brother's lap as he turned over.

His breath hitched.

The senior brother's face was inches away; if they moved just an inch closer, their noses would touch.

Realizing this, Gu Lianzhou's heart began to pound uncontrollably. He held his breath and moved back half an inch, his gaze falling from top to bottom at Song Qiling's eyebrows, eyelashes, and even the corners of her lips.

As if to prove something, he let his senior brother's legs press against him, raised his hand and gently lifted a strand of hair from his senior brother's cheek, tucking it behind his ear, and carefully looked at his senior brother's face again and again.

The longer I watched, the more my heart pounded, almost as if it would jump out of my chest.

It was as if something was stirring beneath the calm surface of the water, and that indescribable emotion was about to pierce the surface and reveal its terrifying form.

Gu Lianzhou looked away in alarm.

No, it won't work, it's impossible.

How dare he?

He must be suffering from a mental illness; that must be why he reacted that way to his senior brother…

I should see Brother Liu tomorrow and ask him to prescribe some medicine to help me recover. Otherwise, if this continues, I'm afraid I'll go into a state of demonic possession.

After much difficulty convincing himself, Gu Lianzhou finally rolled over and lay flat on his back, letting out a long sigh as he looked at the dark tent ceiling.

-

Song Qiling was awakened by thirst. Her throat was extremely dry, as if a rusty copper hook was hanging in her throat, scraping against her throat bone with each breath.

She swallowed hard, opened her eyes, and stared blankly into the darkness. Then, supporting her heavy head, she sat up and tried to crawl out.

She had no idea that the bed would be so uneven tonight. She tripped and fell after taking just one step. The next moment, a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Senior brother, why did you wake up so suddenly? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Gu Lianzhou's concerned voice suddenly rang in my ears.

"..."

Song Qiling lowered her eyes and thought for a long time before finally realizing that she was currently crawling on Gu Lianzhou's legs.

For a moment, her thoughts were so chaotic, like a pot of boiling paste, that they clouded her mind and mouth, leaving her speechless for a long time.

When did she start sleeping in the same bed with Gu Lianzhou?

Oh, right.

She drank some wine at the banquet tonight, and then was followed by Chu Yue on her way back to her room. In order to avoid him, she went into Gu Lianzhou's room, ate some pastries, and then what?

My thoughts abruptly ended there. When I tried to recall the past, my head felt heavy, as if it were being crushed by a mountain, and my temples throbbed with pain.

Now that things have come to this...

She looked up at the table in the center of the room and said in a hoarse voice, "Water... I want to drink water."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hand on his shoulder suddenly loosened, and Gu Lianzhou shuffled off the bed, walked quickly to the table, picked up the teapot and cups, and returned.

Suddenly, she felt a weight on her side. Her junior brother sat down on the edge of the bed, poured her a cup of tea, and handed it to her, saying, "Senior brother, here you go."

Such thoughtfulness left Song Qiling feeling overwhelmed. After hesitating for a moment, she took the teacup, brought it to her lips, and gulped it down. The cool water eased her discomfort somewhat.

Seeing that the cup was empty, Gu Lianzhou quickly picked up the pot and refilled it.

Song Qiling drank very slowly this time, secretly glancing at her junior brother while holding the cup. When she saw him staring at her intently, she almost spat out her water.

"Cough—Why are you looking at me like that?" She swallowed her tea, her face flushing red without her realizing it. Fortunately, it was dark at night and visibility was not very clear, so her junior brother should not be able to see her embarrassment.

Strangely enough, her clothes were still intact, but her shoes and socks were nowhere to be found. She didn't know if she had taken them off herself, or... She glanced at Gu Lianzhou and silently swallowed the other answer.

"Senior brother, are you sober now?" Gu Lianzhou asked, relying on his limited experience with drinking.

Song Qiling nodded: "After sleeping for a while, the smell of alcohol dissipated. By the way, what time is it now?"

“It’s probably around the beginning of Yin hour, the middle of the night.” Gu Lianzhou glanced at the door and said meaningfully, “If we sleep a little longer, the sky will probably be turning light by then.”

It was already the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

Song Qiling was speechless, and for a moment she even forgot to drink water.

She had planned to finish the glass of water and then use the excuse of getting up in the middle of the night to return to her room, but now that it was already late at night, it would be too deliberate for her to do so.

Once she was fully awake, she couldn't face Gu Lianzhou, who was sharing her bed, with a calm expression. She scratched her head, handed the cup to Gu Lianzhou, yawned deeply, and said, "My head is really dizzy. I'm going to sleep a little longer."

After saying that, she nimbly rolled onto the bed, and only when her shoulder touched the cold wall did she close her eyes in annoyance.

The footsteps behind her gradually faded away. A moment later, the bottom of the teapot touched the table with a soft "click," followed by a brief silence. Song Qiling clutched the corner of the blanket to cover her face, and then heard the footsteps getting closer and closer.

"Creak—"

The other end of the bed sank slightly, and the unique scent of an adult man approached her, his breathing, which was usually unnoticed, was amplified at this moment.

Song Qiling's back stiffened, all sleepiness vanished, and she wished she had eyes in the back of her head to see clearly what Gu Lianzhou was doing at that moment.

She remained silent for a long time, until tiny beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, before a force slowly lifted the blanket off her face.

Gu Lianzhou's voice sounded softly from above: "Senior brother, aren't you hot?"

Still holding the blanket, Song Qiling looked at her junior brother, who was so close to her, in horror. Her brow twitched. "No... I'm not hot. I'm cold."

That's blatant lying.

Gu Lianzhou took this seriously, a hint of panic flashing across his face as he asked worriedly, "Why do you feel cold? Are you shivering? Are you feeling unwell?"

After saying that, he reached out to touch her forehead.

Seeing that this person was determined to get to the bottom of things, Song Qiling's smile was more like a grimace. She turned her head away from the hand and repeatedly begged for mercy: "No, I'm perfectly healthy. Don't worry, go to sleep!"

If this continues, it might be dawn by then.

Fortunately, Gu Lianzhou could understand human speech. He turned his hand, which was hanging in mid-air, and tucked the blanket around her before lying down quietly.

Nothing more was said in the latter half of the night.

-

Fine raindrops tapped on the tiles, making a soft pattering sound. Although the sky was bright, it seemed as if it were shrouded in a thin gray veil.

Song Qiling, dressed neatly, pushed open the door and looked at the maidservant standing under the eaves of the opposite door.

The maid's name was "Li Jie'er," and she was the clever maid who was specially sent by Master Murong to take care of Song Qiling.

Now, holding a paper umbrella, Li Jie'er looked at Song Langjun who came out of Gu Lianzhou's room and slowly opened her mouth wide.

Song Qiling understood her hesitation, a hint of embarrassment flashing across her face. She raised her hand to touch the back of her neck and explained, "I drank a bit too much last night, so I came to sit in my junior brother's room for a while..."

Then it was dawn.

That's all.

Li Jie'er turned her head to look at the tightly closed door, then looked at Song Qiling, and then a smile appeared on her lips: "This servant didn't see anything, so please rest assured, my lord."

After saying that, he bent down and leaned the oil-paper umbrella against the wall, turned around and bowed to Song Qiling, then ran away into the distance.

How could she feel at ease after fleeing in such a disheveled state?

Song Qiling wanted to defend herself, but felt that it would be too obvious to deny it, so she kept quiet, went down the steps, and walked towards her bedroom.

Because of the arrival of the Tianshui family, the Murong residence was bustling with activity today. The light rain could not dampen Murong Xiao's enthusiasm, and he even ordered a stage to be built in the back garden.

"The grand competition ends tomorrow, and there will be a good show to watch in the manor." The servants gathered under the eaves, chatting as they watched the vermilion stage. After a moment of silence, they became excited again when Song Qiling walked by with an umbrella.

"Is he a disciple of the Heavenly Mystery Sect?"

"It doesn't look like it. Aren't the Tianji Sect members all dressed in wide robes and long sleeves? I saw the Tianji Sect leader at the banquet yesterday. He was truly an otherworldly figure, extraordinary and refined."

"Since entering the manor, this young master Song has been staying with the young master of the Gu family. Indeed, I have never seen him meet with anyone from the Tianji Sect."

"So, could this person be an imposter?"

Using the sound of rain as cover, the group became increasingly unrestrained in their discussion, even fabricating a story about a "fake sorcerer swindling people," and eventually convinced themselves of it.

As they were joking around, a pair of black boots slowly approached through the rain. Everyone looked up and saw a jet-black oil-paper umbrella approaching from afar.

Fine raindrops fell on the umbrella, creating a thin mist. The person holding the umbrella was tall and slender, dressed in a blue robe. With his steps, the robe fluttered, like a blue lotus in a pond.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

Suddenly, the umbrella was lifted slightly, revealing a handsome face beneath. The man looked over, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Excuse me, have you all seen my good-for-nothing little disciple?"

He paused, then gestured to his chin, adding, "His height is about this height, his surname is Song, and his given name is... Qi Ling."