Chapter 9 The moon rises above the treetops, over the courtyard of Biyu Pavilion...

As the moon rose high in the sky, a figure appeared in the courtyard of Biyuxuan.

The servant on night watch rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked again, only to find the courtyard empty except for dappled shadows of trees. There was no sign of anyone there, so he assumed he was seeing things and perked up to continue his watch.

The blue bricks underfoot still carried the dampness of the daytime rain, and the puddles by the roadside reflected the full moon hanging high in the sky. As a figure lightly passed by, the splashing water fell, shattering the reflection of the jade plate.

Xie Baoqiong evaded the patrolling servants and sneaked into Xie Rongjing's courtyard. The lights in the courtyard had long been turned off, and the only people awake were the servant on duty and Shi Tou, who was crouching in the tree.

Since Xie Zhuo couldn't get any clues, he could only ask the people who disappeared in the story.

Xie Baoqiong never met the key "white moonlight" in the story.

In the few days since he arrived at the Marquis's residence, he had never heard any rumors about Xie Rongjing's birth mother, nor had Xie Rongjing ever mentioned her in front of him.

Fortunately, he had seen a spell in the miscellaneous books Xiaochun gave him that could track the whereabouts of the person being searched through the blood of those connected by blood, and it was generally used to find lost cubs.

—

Taking advantage of the moment when Xie Rongjing's servant was distracted, Xie Baoqiong concealed her presence and slipped into the room through the window.

The room was dimly lit, with only the moonlight filtering through the paper windows and falling on a corner.

The poor lighting didn't bother Xie Baoqiong. He looked around and tiptoed toward the bed.

Standing beside the bed, Xie Baoqiong stared at Xie Rongjing, who was fast asleep. She didn't rush to make a move, but instead made a hand seal, and wisps of spiritual energy flowed from her fingertips.

They should have succeeded in keeping Xie Rongjing from waking up for the time being.

Xie Baoqiong reached out to take Xie Rongjing's fingertip to draw blood.

The moment her hand touched Xie Rongjing's, it was firmly grasped without any further movement.

Xie Baoqiong sensed something was wrong and turned her head, only to meet a pair of open eyes. She froze.

His magic failed? That shouldn't be the case; he performed the incantations exactly as described in the book.

"Where did this little thief come from?" Xie Rongjing grabbed the thief's struggling hand, stood up, and subdued the person in the darkness.

The moonlight, filtered through the window paper, fell on the faces of his men. The moment Xie Rongjing saw them clearly, he exclaimed in surprise, "Qiong'er!"

Seeing that Xie Rongjing had already seen through him, Xie Baoqiong said awkwardly, "Brother, please let go of me first."

Xie Rongjing released his hand as instructed, helped Xie Baoqiong up, and joked, "I thought it was some kind of petty thief, but it turns out it's one of our own."

Xie Rongjing made a joke, walked to the bedside, picked up his coat, and put it on.

"Young Master, what has happened? Should I come in?" The servant outside asked loudly upon hearing the commotion.

"It's nothing," Xie Rongjing replied, lit the candle, picked up the candlestick, and pulled Xie Baoqiong over. "Qiong'er, why did you come over so late at night?"

"I can't sleep." Xie Baoqiong made up a lie, but it sounded full of holes. Fortunately, Xie Rongjing didn't pursue the matter.

Instead, he asked with concern, "Shall your brother take you back to sleep?"

Xie Rongjing was very close, his unbound long hair almost touching Xie Baoqiong's face. Xie Baoqiong remained silent, staring at Xie Rongjing's hand that was about to touch hers.

From Xie Rongjing's perspective, it was a picture of his younger brother with his eyes downcast and lips pursed, looking pitiful as the candlelight illuminated him.

Xie Rongjing's voice rang out above him again: "Don't want to go back? Then stay here and keep your brother company?"

Xie Baoqiong remained silent, but his eyes lit up as he looked up at Xie Rongjing. He could try again after Xie Rongjing fell asleep.

The eyes in front of him were almost brighter than the candlelight in his hand. Xie Rongjing couldn't help but laugh when he saw Xie Baoqiong's appearance. He put down the candlestick and patted Xie Baoqiong's head with affection.

His younger brother ran away to the capital alone. Not long after arriving, he was implicated and imprisoned. His father then suddenly took him home. With these successive misfortunes and no familiar relatives or friends around, he must have felt uneasy, even if he didn't say it.

The lamplight softened Xie Rongjing's features, and he sighed silently in his heart. After all, he was still young, and it would be difficult for him to adapt to being away from his familiar environment.

—

Xie Baoqiong took off her outer garment and lay down on the inside of the bed.

The candle was blown out, and beside him was a pair of wide-open eyes. Xie Rongjing remained silent for a moment, but that gaze remained fixed on him.

The gaze was too intense, so Xie Rongjing opened his eyes and asked helplessly, "Qiong'er, is something on your mind?"

Jin moved slightly beside her, and Xie Baoqiong moved a little closer to the outside: "Young Master, you're still not asleep?"

He wanted to try the spell again to see if he could succeed.

The change in address made Xie Rongjing feel as if the "brother" he had just heard moments before was a figment of his imagination. He turned to meet the gaze of another pair of eyes in the darkness.

Xie Baoqiong's eyes showed no signs of sleepiness, only a fleeting look of doubt, but she didn't think there was anything strange about what she had said.

Xie Rongjing thought of Xie Baoqiong's "brother" a moment ago, and seeing that she was not sleepy at all, he thought that he might as well take this opportunity to completely change her mind.

"What did Qiong'er call me just now?"

The doubts that had just subsided resurfaced. Why was Xie Rongjing asking this instead of sleeping?

To satisfy Xie Rongjing's curiosity and get him to sleep early, Xie Baoqiong replied, "Young Master?"

In the dim light, Xie Baoqiong saw that Xie Rongjing's lips twitched down slightly.

Sure enough, Xie Rongjing's tone when he spoke again carried a barely perceptible resentment: "Qiong'er didn't call me that just now."

Didn't he always call Xie Rongjing "Young Master"? Xie Baoqiong was full of confusion. As for the "brother" he called out when he was caught a moment ago, he had long forgotten about it.

Xie Baoqiong felt innocent, but before he could think of anything, he heard Xie Rongjing continue:

"Qiong'er, is it because Father caused you to be stranded outside and implicate me that you refuse to acknowledge me as your brother?" A hint of hurt appeared in Xie Rongjing's eyes. His emotions always surged like the tide at night, and Xie Rongjing asked the question that had been suppressed in his heart:

"Or perhaps, Qiong'er feels that I have taken your place and dislikes me?"

Xie Baoqiong hadn't expected Xie Rongjing to still care about what happened during the day. He should have explained it clearly, so why didn't Xie Rongjing believe him? But he couldn't reveal his identity as a demon; he still needed to use his human identity to infiltrate the human world and find out the real culprit who killed Princess Huayang.

Thinking this, his whole face scrunched up. He nodded at Xie Rongjing, then shook his head, realizing something was wrong.

Xie Rongjing's heart rose and fell with Xie Baoqiong's movements, but he couldn't understand Xie Baoqiong's thoughts after she kept nodding and shaking her head.

Xie Baoqiong also felt that her actions had not clearly expressed her attitude, so she spoke again:

"I don't dislike you." Xie Baoqiong was telling the truth. He didn't dislike Xie Rongjing, and he didn't dislike Xie Zhuo either. He just wanted to finish dealing with Princess Huayang's matter and return to Sishui Mountain to cultivate.

Xie Baoqiong didn't really understand human hatred and love.

These things are not as important to him as preventing frost from forming on his body when it gets cold in the mountains.

The white frost, damp and clinging to your body, will take a long time to bake after the sun comes out.

The turmoil in his heart subsided, leaving only a few ripples of joy. Xie Rongjing suppressed the smile on his lips: "Is Qiong'er doing this because of her father?"

Xie Rongjing straightened Xie Baoqiong's loose hair: "Qiong'er, don't blame your father. After Princess Huayang had her accident, I finished dealing with matters in the capital and then went to Huaiyang County. I have been looking for you and Princess Huayang all these years."

Slender fingers stroked through Xie Baoqiong's black hair, and Xie Rongjing's unhurried voice continued to reach her ears:

"My father had just learned of your existence, and before he even saw you, he had people tidy up the yard. He secretly pondered what name to give you, came up with several, but then worried whether you would like them..."

Xie Baoqiong remained silent, silently assessing Xie Zhuo in her heart based on Xie Rongjing's words. If Xie Zhuo was the real culprit, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to be so concerned about the whereabouts of Princess Huayang.

Seeing that Xie Baoqiong was unmoved by his words, Xie Rongjing's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Does Qiong'er hate her father?"

Xie Baoqiong didn't respond, blinking as she looked at Xie Rongjing, who was so close to her. Why wasn't he asleep yet? He wanted to try the spell again to see where things went wrong.

"Brother." Xie Baoqiong didn't answer directly. Since she couldn't use magic openly, she could just lull the person to sleep.

But Xie Baoqiong had no idea how much of a ripple his two words had stirred in Xie Rongjing's heart.

Xie Rongjing's pupils dilated slightly, and he immediately lost the will to speak well of Xie Zhuo. Let the father and son resolve their own issues.

"What does Qiong'er want to ask?" Her tone softened unconsciously.

Xie Baoqiong originally wanted Xie Rongjing to go to sleep, but since Xie Rongjing had already asked such a question, he decided to inquire further: "Brother, have you met Princess Huayang?"

Xie Rongjing was taken aback. Qiong'er was missing her mother. Thinking of this, his gaze became even more tender: "I saw her when she was little."

Xie Rongjing was still young when he met Princess Huayang, so he didn't have much of an impression of her. But when he saw the eyes of the princess looking at him expectantly, he couldn't bear to disappoint her, so he repeatedly searched his memory.

In the end, all he could say was, "Princess Huayang is a kind person."

Lowering his gaze, Xie Rongjing met Xie Baoqiong's eyes again. Suddenly, those eyes matched another face from his memory, and he quickly added:

"Qiong'er's eyes are similar to those of Princess Huayang."

Upon hearing this, Xie Baoqiong was taken aback. He and Princess Huayang were indeed destined to be together. It seemed that his choice to go down the mountain to avenge Princess Huayang was the right one.

Xie Baoqiong turned over and lay flat on his back, looking at the bed curtains. Xie Rongjing saw his movement and assumed that the former was preparing to rest, so he also quieted down.

But then Xie Baoqiong's voice rang out again: "Brother, tell me more about Lord Xie and Princess Huayang."

I've heard that there are ways to lull someone to sleep in the mortal realm by telling stories, but unfortunately he doesn't know how to tell stories. I hope Xie Rongjing can use a story to lull him to sleep.

—

The method of telling stories to lull someone to sleep is indeed effective; Xie Baoqiong felt her eyelids were already stuck together.

Xie Rongjing knew very little about the story of Xie Zhuo and Princess Huayang, and what he said became the miscellaneous travelogue in the book.

Xie Baoqiong mumbled a reply, her hand under the covers making a gesture to wake herself up.

He mixed up the two spells.

In the last moment before his consciousness was swallowed up, Xie Baoqiong heard Xie Rongjing's story transform from casual conversation into his own past.

"My mother changed my ways when I was still young..."

Half a sentence about Xie Rongjing's past entered Xie Baoqiong's mind, and she was overcome by sleepiness, unable to think clearly. She only remembered that she must wake up before Xie Rongjing the next day.

The sound of even breathing filled the air beside him. Xie Rongjing's voice gradually faded away. He glanced at Xie Baoqiong, who was already fast asleep, and reached out to tuck her in.

I disturbed other people's peaceful sleep, but I slept soundly myself.

A note from the author:

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Xie Baoqiong: Don't worry, leave it to me. I'll mess it up anyway. (o°u°o)