Chapter 15: A Journey Through the Painting – Her “Watson”

Jiang Geyun's tone was somewhat intrigued as she asked, "How so?"

Cheng Xi withdrew his arms and put his hands behind his back, saying, "Isn't my wife worried that I am the real culprit who framed her?"

"Hmm..." Jiang Geyun pretended to be conflicted and said, "I was particularly worried, so I planned to crush you and then push you into the pool to finish you off!"

Cheng Xi seemed somewhat at a loss for words in the face of this blatant teasing.

He seemed used to being serious and methodical, and used to saying profound and enigmatic things like riddles. He was momentarily surprised when he encountered this slightly over-the-top joke.

Jiang Geyun had always been the one being teased, and she was initially a little puzzled by such jokes—of course, only good-natured teasing; if it were malicious… well, she was quite good at joking too.

In short, she didn't fully understand the fun of this until she saw Cheng Xi's reaction.

That's really interesting.

Jiang Geyun spread her hands like Pei Xueyi and said, "Based on my trust in you, if you wanted to kill me, there should be an easier way. Besides, I already have some clues about the death of the manor lord."

Cheng Xi asked, "Really? Who does Madam Jiang think the murderer is?"

Jiang Geyun pondered for a moment and said, "...It can't be said that way. We have made some progress, but we need to explore the specifics together, my lord."

Cheng Xi smiled and said, "Alright, I'll go with my wife."

“Also, I think that if you can survive, you should always struggle a little,” Jiang Geyun suddenly said. “Humans, well, all living beings have indeed been barely surviving. The universe is vast, unknown, and dangerous. As a whole, all living beings have always lived in a life-or-death situation, and as individuals, they have never had peace. You’re right, you don’t need to do anything; all living beings will eventually bring about their own destruction.”

Cheng Xi remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on her.

Jiang Geyun continued, "Generally speaking, I should say: because the beauty in desperate situations is so moving, I have seen the cruel reality and truth, and I appreciate the beauty of everyday life even more..."

"But to put it bluntly, I just want to live, even if I know I'm facing a desperate situation, no matter what kind of desperate situation it is."

Cheng Xi smiled.

Before he could say anything, Jiang Geyun insisted on finishing her final summary:

"That's what I think, and that's what I'll do. But saying too much always sounds like I'm being coy... Since you're by my side, just watch me—"

“Watch me until the very end.”

Cheng Xi said, "Okay."

"Hiss," Jiang Geyun remembered the key point: "I originally calculated the patrol time of that thing before coming down, we need to hurry up and leave!"

For Jiang Geyun, this talk therapy took a lot of effort and time, but it was necessary for the mental health of "Watson".

Seeing Cheng Xi's current expression, it seems that this time wasn't wasted.

However, we did miss the best window of opportunity to escape, alas.

Jiang Geyun looked at the door beside Cheng Xi with some worry.

...

Even after successfully exiting the manor's private prison, Jiang Geyun was still somewhat dazed.

They didn't encounter any more monsters along the way, and didn't even hear their voices.

She did carefully observe the routes those guys took, and she did try her best to avoid them.

According to her prediction, there would be some thrilling moments, but ultimately it should go smoothly, and it seems that the outcome will be the same as it is now.

No, how could we not even hear that "whoosh-whoosh" dragging sound anymore?

Guided by her inner doubts, Jiang Geyun turned to look at the door behind her and fell into a brief moment of thought.

"Wife?"

A slightly cool voice asked from behind her.

Jiang Geyun turned her head and saw Cheng Xi looking at her with a smile, her eyes showing no urging, only concern.

There are still many things to do, but now that I've escaped, I'll stop thinking about them for the time being.

Fortunately, that's what she thought.

If she were to return to the prison and investigate what had happened, she would find the ground covered in blood, and that the highly lethal monsters had been crushed to death as if they hadn't even had time to let out a cry before collapsing, cracking, and losing their life.

Jiang Geyun responded and walked to Cheng Xi's side.

Cheng Xi looked down at her and asked gently, "Where would you like to go next, my wife?"

Jiang Geyun replied confidently, "Mountain God Temple."

*

"Is it still possible to get to the mountain god temple from here?"

A deliberately lowered voice came from above, and Jiang Geyun could even feel the other person's chest vibrating slightly.

Jiang Geyun looked up and met Cheng Xi's gaze, making a "shh" gesture as silently as possible.

Cheng Xi complied with her wishes and remained silent, which pleased Jiang Geyun.

However, Jiang Geyun did not let go of Cheng Xi's hand; she carefully watched the distance.

It wasn't the monster who kept watch over the night watch, but two people she never expected to end up together—

Xie Jiming and Mu Jin.

The man in blue and the man in purple were exchanging words, and Jiang Geyun could only vaguely make out that their conversation seemed pleasant, just ordinary small talk. Why did they have to come out and exchange small talk in this kind of weather?

Compared to the two people's conversation, what Jiang Geyun could hear more clearly was Cheng Xi's steady heartbeat.

It's so regular it's almost unreal.

If Jiang Geyun didn't have a bunch of messy murder cases on her hands, she definitely wouldn't be hiding like this. Unfortunately, there are no "ifs"...

In fact, Jiang Geyun's choice of Cheng Xi as her "Watson" was a well-considered one.

Although most people's conventional thinking is that when encountering difficulties, they should seek help from those they have helped before, in reality, it is more likely to receive help from those who have helped them before. This is not surprising. Like the farmer and the snake, it is mostly the givers who actively nurture goodwill, rather than the passive recipients.

The same logic applies to Jiang Geyun's current situation. Someone who once trusted her will most likely trust her again, and Cheng Xi is her only option at the moment.

Therefore, upon noticing Xie Jiming and Mu Jin approaching, Jiang Geyun, who did not intend to travel with the two, decisively used some force to push Cheng Xi against the artificial hill beside her and subdue her.

Surrounded by clusters of lush flowers and layers of artificial mountains, the snow obscured their view, allowing the two to hide among the blossoms and rocks and observe from the shadows.

Cheng Xi was very cooperative and let her do as she pleased.

Jiang Geyun originally intended to wait for the two to leave, but unexpectedly, the two started walking around while talking.

She had no choice but to get up, stop pressing down on Cheng Xi, and instead pull him along, using the artificial hill as a pivot, moving in the opposite direction from the two people.

Once you grab someone's sleeve, it's difficult to avoid skin-to-skin contact.

Cheng Xi's body temperature was much cooler than Jiang Geyun had expected. Just like a piece of jade that looks warm and smooth, it always feels cool to the touch. Although she was surprised, she didn't dislike it.

After taking only a few steps, Jiang Geyun vaguely felt that Cheng Xi's steps seemed to pause for a moment, and then she gently pulled him back.

Sensing something, she shifted her gaze away from the two people in the distance, turned around, and saw Cheng Xi pointing to the house next door, mouthing to her, "Shall we hide there?"

Under a clear sky, amidst blooming flowers and a young man, his gaze towards her, since leaving prison, seemed to carry a more obvious undercurrent, like specks of black quicksand rising and falling.

Jiang Geyun was momentarily dazzled by the beautiful scene before her, but quickly regained her composure and looked in the direction Cheng Xi was pointing.

I was jolted again.

Although the snow continued to fall without stopping, the afternoon sun was just right.

The roof is covered with glazed tiles, which shimmer with a honey-like luster in the sunlight. A plaque hangs above the main entrance, which reads "Cheng Guan Huai Dao". The plaque is clearly made of wood, but it inexplicably has a golden texture.

The building is constructed with extremely luxurious materials, mostly gold and jade. However, it is surrounded by lush, green plants that are growing very well, though they look a bit tired now because of the sudden snow.

Even though Jiang Geyun didn't care about external things, she was still quite shocked when she suddenly saw this golden place.

Cheng Xi's idea was reasonable; circling around the artificial hill like this wasn't a good solution. However, entering through the main entrance of the building would definitely attract attention, which wasn't a good choice either.

Moreover, that building looks so valuable, there are probably a lot of people guarding it inside, and neither she nor Cheng Xi seem like they can fight!

Jiang Geyun didn't think Cheng Xi was grasping at straws in desperation; since he said that, there must be some truth to it.

If he could speak up right now, he would have given more specific guidance...

Why does it feel like I'm being tested?

Jiang Geyun looked up and quickly observed the building's shape, and a guess formed in her mind.

If the main entrance is blocked, then it must be the side entrance.

Regardless of their true feelings, people like Master Bai would always appear to love "nature" and "refinement".

Therefore, if this house has a side door, it must be hidden under something to make people admire its "style" rather than as magnificent as the main entrance... Upon closer inspection, one can discover that under the lush greenery, there is a door shaped like a scroll painting.

Jiang Geyun didn't delay any longer, grabbed Cheng Xi, and made a move to push the door open and go in.

The expected sound of the door being pushed open and the sensation of it being pushed did not occur. The two entered the building almost in a flash.

Wow, what's Platform 9¾?

Within the worldview of this book, such an event is somewhat reasonable.

Upon entering the building, Jiang Geyun immediately looked around warily.

To be honest, she liked the interior of the building more than the exterior. The ceiling was extremely high, exceeding Jiang Geyun's expectations of an ordinary house, and it looked more like a library.

Speaking of books, the building boasts bookshelves that reach all the way to the ceiling, filled with a vast collection of books. The faint scent of ink that lingers in the air may well come from there.

Besides the books, there are other carefully preserved items, sleeping quietly in black boxes on the shelves.

Apart from the dazzling array of treasures, there were no servants or guards in the room as Jiang Geyun had expected.

It was extremely quiet all around, so quiet that she could hear herself and Cheng Xi breathing.

strangeness.

But it's a good thing for her.

Jiang Geyun shook off the snow and, seeing that Cheng Xi had also brushed it off, stepped deeper into the house. She heard Cheng Xi following behind.

Facing a strange spot, she suddenly stopped and half-squatted down.

This place must have been deserted for a long time; a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the ground, and on top of that dust were messy footprints.

Jiang Geyun compared her own footprints with the original ones. There were no water marks in the original footprints, so the owner of the footprints must have arrived before the snow fell this morning.

After examining the size of the footprints and combining that with a certain piece of information that Jiang Geyun already knew…

oh.

She thought to herself.

This is where the protagonist made his fortune.

It's probably no coincidence that Xie Jiming has reappeared near this house.

Was he trying to come back to check if he had left any clues? And then, unfortunately, he was intercepted by Mu Jin, who had been transferred here?

Another voice in Jiang Geyun's mind asked herself: Why didn't he deal with the flaws before?

Perhaps Xie Jiming didn't expect anyone to come here these past few days, or perhaps he did expect it, but in order not to alert the guarding monster, he had no choice but to leave first.

In that case, many things can be explained.

Looking at it this way, the bookshelves and desks around are indeed not very tidy. Some places are strangely empty and the arrangement is not very aesthetically pleasing, just like they have been "looted".

“My lady,” Cheng Xi said softly, “this should be the study of Yunling Manor. The phrase ‘Cheng Guan Huai Dao’ is often inscribed in the study by scholars of the Great Zhou.”

Jiang Geyun stood up and said with a sudden realization, "So that's how it is."

Clearly, Cheng Xi's purpose was not simply to introduce her to common knowledge about the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Seeing her response, he slowly said, "The dagger that was taken from my wife may be here."

ah……

Cheng Xi was talking about the dagger that she used not only for self-defense but also to represent their engagement.

Jiang Geyun turned to look at him, blinked, and asked, "Does my lord want me to find it?"

A note from the author:

----------------------

The romance and plot of this story are thus inextricably intertwined...

It seems like I've almost reached 100 views, so I've added an extra chapter to my drafts early. There will be one tomorrow too! [Sprinkling flowers]

I'm so sad that I'll probably be on the PC poison list after the rankings change. If you can, please add me to your favorites! [pity]