Chapter 16 As if seeing that I could not refuse, I touched the ten fingers of her right hand...

Cheng Xi didn't answer, but instead asked, "Doesn't my wife want to find it?"

Jiang Geyun said frankly, "Of course I want to. It's very important to me. It's my most important self-defense weapon right now."

Cheng Xi remained calm and replied gently, "We came here unintentionally, but we didn't expect to have this opportunity. It seems that you are lucky, and you will surely get what you want."

Good luck?

He truly doesn't understand her.

Jiang Geyun chuckled dryly and said, "In that case, let's search around here. Young Master Cheng should remember what the dagger looked like?"

Cheng Xi nodded and said gently, "Its name is 'Shouzhuo'."

This was something her mother had never told her.

Why didn't Cheng Xi mention this before?

The situation was urgent, so forget about it.

Having prepared a reason for him, Jiang Geyun didn't ask the question that was on her mind, and readily replied, "I've got it."

The two fell silent and began rummaging through the shelves.

In Jiang Geyun's eyes, the items in the room were rather ordinary.

She never truly experienced an era when books and scrolls were treasured. Paper, pen, and the internet have made too many things readily available. Even if she has some understanding of the preciousness of these things, it's hard for her to truly feel that reality when she sees them in person.

Moreover, she didn't know much about the customs, traditions, and history of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Without the added value of a story, many treasures and luxury goods are really just that, nothing special.

When describing the opulence of Qin Keqing's room in *Dream of the Red Chamber*, the author uses more than just inanimate objects like mirrors, gold plates, and paintings. He uses the same mirrors found in Empress Wu Zetian's mirror room, the gold plate on which Zhao Feiyan once danced, and Tang Bohu's painting of crabapple blossoms in spring slumber. Because it's so artificial, it feels incredibly real.

As she pondered, Jiang Geyun almost chuckled to herself. She found an empty spot on the desk beside her, turned her back to the bookshelf, and sat down on the desk deep inside the bookshelf, her fingers brushing over the black brocade boxes.

Cheng Xi stood beside her, rummaging through the shelves.

After a short while, Cheng Xi spoke up: "That might be General Pei Min's treasured sword."

Following his pointing finger, Jiang Geyun saw a sword hanging on the wall. The blade was as white as frost and snow, with a deep red color that seemed to flow between the hilt and the blade, like a blood groove filled with blood that would never dry up.

"General Pei Min of the Pei family in Langzhou should be the senior of those two Night Watchers. It is said that General Pei killed a dragon demon on a snowy night. The dragon demon was highly skilled, and the bloodstains have never been removed since they were stained."

Jiang Geyun nodded, thinking to herself that the Pei family and Xue had a very close relationship.

Wait a minute, if this belongs to General Pei, shouldn't it be part of the Pei family? Does Yunling Manor legally own these things?

Jiang Geyun looked around, and after a brief consideration, decided that since the things here were of dubious origin, she should take them as well...

However, she is not Xie Jiming after all.

Moreover, the good stuff has probably already been taken by Xie Jiming.

No, that's not why she didn't take it!

Jiang Geyun lowered her head, continuing to open the box, check its contents, and close it, while replying to Cheng Xi, "I don't know if this sword is real or fake."

Cheng Xi laughed and said, "Whether it's true or false, it's not of much value. General Pei is a legendary general of the Great Zhou Dynasty and also a remarkable person."

"After he removed his armor, he discovered that his sword was being praised by the world. He not only took out all the old swords he had used, but also had many skilled craftsmen make many more in the same style. He sold them all, saying that he would never touch weapons again in his life."

If you can make money, then sell like crazy. Jiang Geyun realized this, like Picasso, right?

Picasso was still a prudent man who protected himself.

She chimed in, "While tools can help people to some extent, they are ultimately just tools. The old general doesn't value material possessions; he's very magnanimous."

Cheng Xi said, "That's right. Even if you use the sword he used, you can't unleash his power. Hmm... this is the Hua family's Nine-Colored Glazed Lamp."

As he spoke, he handed the black box he had opened to Jiang Geyun.

Jiang Geyun leaned over to look. Inside the black box, there was a red cloth, on which was a clear glass cup. It was exquisitely shaped and looked extremely transparent, almost like a glass product.

"There's no color at all," she tilted her head and asked, "Nine Clouds?"

Cheng Xi explained, "The magic of this cup lies here: if you pour wine into it, you can see nine-colored clouds swirling within it."

“Wow,” Jiang Geyun said calmly, then after thinking for a moment, asked, “The Hua family?”

Cheng Xi chuckled softly, gently closed the box, and replied, "This is a very wealthy family in our dynasty. Although none of them hold official positions and they have suffered several calamities because of this, they always manage to survive against all odds, which is quite legendary. This thing is not something that an ordinary craftsman could make."

“Hmm,” Jiang Geyun said, “There are quite a lot of other people’s things in this manor. You are really knowledgeable, sir.”

Cheng Xi said, "They're just some useless, trivial anecdotes."

Really? I feel like he could write about night ships. Speaking of which, does he even know how to tell time?

Jiang Geyun casually asked, "Does my lord know the time?"

Cheng Xi replied, "One quarter past the hour of You (5-7 PM)."

—No, you really know?

Jiang Geyun was stunned by Cheng Xi's encyclopedic knowledge, then suddenly remembered the key point and asked, "Young master, was Shouzhuo really placed here? I was in prison at the time and didn't know any of this."

Cheng Xi pondered for a moment and said, "According to the location of this study and what Miss Yao Ji said at the time, it should be here."

Hmm, if Yao Ji put it in herself...

Someone like Yao Ji would surely have noticed the footprints, so why didn't she investigate? Or was she on her way to investigate?

Moreover, it's strange that this place is unguarded. Even if the owner of these treasures is dead—the owner of the manor is dead—the manor should still function naturally for a while. Just as a centipede doesn't die easily, security shouldn't collapse so easily…

Jiang Geyun said, "My lord, we must hurry."

Cheng Xi understood and asked, "If we haven't found it within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, shall we leave?"

Jiang Geyun nodded, her hands still moving, and asked, "How are the others in the manor?"

Cheng Xi replied, "The Fourth Madam is in a panic and has lost her mind. She has refused to see anyone. After Miss Yao Ji threw the lady into prison, she calmed down a lot. At present, she is coordinating the whole manor. The Fifth Madam is angry and at a loss. She can only follow Miss Yao Ji's lead."

Cheng Xi stopped.

Jiang Geyun looked up in confusion. "It's quite comprehensive, but why did it only go this far?"

She asked, "Where are the Night Watchers?"

Cheng Xi replied briefly, "We are currently investigating the case under Lord Pei's guidance."

I wonder what those three will find out.

Pei Xueyi seemed completely unconcerned about the truth of the matter and often relied on the methods of Xuandujian when resolving it; Xie Jiming had already "cleaned up" this place, and he was satisfied no matter what the outcome of the matter was.

Is Pei Xuexiao the only one who is truly being investigated?

Brother Pei, you really should go to the Dali Temple.

Between conversation and reflection, the two had finished inspecting one shelf and moved to another position to continue, but their posture remained the same: Jiang Geyun sat with her back to the table, and Cheng Xi stood beside her.

Jiang Geyun carefully examined the wound for a while, then inadvertently looked up, causing her blood to almost freeze for a moment—

There seems to be someone behind the shelf!

Looking through the gaps in the shelf in front of Jiang Geyun, she could see what appeared to be a figure, which immediately startled her and sent a chill down her spine.

However, she soon discovered the truth.

That wasn't a real person, but a portrait.

This is not an ordinary portrait.

The picture seems to depict her and... Cheng Xi?

With some distance between them and the bookshelf obscuring the view, many details were not clearly visible. Jiang Geyun squinted and carefully examined the mirror-like painting.

No, it's not like a mirror either.

The figure in the painting is in a different pose than the two people in the painting.

Cheng Xi was clearly standing to her right at that moment, but in the painting, he was directly in front of her.

The distance between the two people in the painting is also quite subtle; Cheng Xi in the painting is almost standing between Jiang Geyun's legs.

Moreover, the figures in the painting are moving in a rather strange manner...

Jiang Geyun stared intently and discovered that Cheng Xi in the painting was not only facing her very closely, but his right hand was also... intimately brushing against the shackle mark on her neck in the painting.

Even she got goosebumps from it in real life.

Immediately afterwards, in the painting, his right hand climbs from her neck to the back of her head...

He gently yet firmly pressed her towards him—

An illusory kiss was born.

Her eyes were misty for a moment, then she seemed to soften, letting him do as he pleased.

Jiang Geyun couldn't see the details, but she could see the expression of "herself" behind the gap, both strange and familiar, with watery eyes and slightly red corners.

With her head bowed, her hair intertwined with his. Her left hand, just like in real life, rested on the desk, while her right hand rested on "his" shoulder.

He seems to be hesitating: should he refuse or agree?

Just then, he extended his left hand, and with an air of absolute certainty, intertwined his fingers with her right hand, leading her hand towards...

Um?

Um? ? ? ? ?

The reason she's watching this far isn't because Jiang Geyun enjoys it, but because she's completely stunned.

She had never seen anything like it before, not in either of her two lifetimes!

Noticing her dazed expression, Cheng Xi turned to look at her and asked with concern, "Madam Jiang?"

After he finished speaking, he noticed that Jiang Geyun's gaze was like a dye vat, mixed with a variety of emotions such as surprise, collapse, confusion, and contemplation, as she stared fixedly at the bookshelf in front of her.

Upon hearing Cheng Xi's question, Jiang Geyun, whose mind was still recovering after a while, suddenly regained its senses and immediately said to Cheng Xi, "Wait, don't move!"

As she had said, Cheng Xi did not move again, her eyes filled with confusion and a barely perceptible smile.

Given Jiang Geyun's current state, it was impossible for her to analyze his mental state in detail, so she immediately jumped off the table.

Then, she ran around the bookshelves and came to the picture.

Running gave her cheeks a more suitable reason to turn red.

Jiang Geyun stopped watching the person in the painting and ignored their progress. She closed her eyes tightly and tore the painting down.

A scroll painting, as tall as a person, cascaded down, piling up like snow waves in front of Jiang Geyun.

After opening her eyes, Jiang Geyun was still worried. As if she was afraid that the painting would move, she pressed it firmly to the ground with both hands.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Geyun finally calmed down. The system, which had been silent for a long time, asked in confusion: [What's wrong, host? Did the painting hit you?]

Jiang Geyun really wanted to answer, "Yes, even more ruthless than you, a real psychological attack, it's terrifying."

However, after calming down, she replied: "This painting is haunted, I'm scared."

The system's voice carried a hint of disdain for her lack of worldly experience: [It's normal for fantasy worlds to have ghosts, and besides, host, you've seen real ghosts, haven't you?]

"This is different," Jiang Geyun said confidently, "This is the Valley of Uncanny Ops."

Before the system could reply again, she heard Cheng Xi's footsteps.

The man in blue was dressed simply and acted with restraint and politeness. His eyes were full of concern. He didn't ask what she was doing, but looked at her knees, which were half-kneeling on the painting, and asked, "Are you injured?"

Oh, Jiang Geyun came to her senses.

Just now, in order to subdue this monster, she directly pressed down on it with a "thud," and Cheng Xi probably heard that sound and came to check the situation.

Jiang Geyun forced herself to remain calm and said, "It's alright, I'm fine."

Cheng Xi neither agreed nor disagreed, but leaned over.

As Jiang Geyun watched the blue shadow slowly press down in front of her, she hadn't felt anything when she pressed the person against the artificial hill earlier, but now her heart was pounding.

She ultimately misunderstood the reason for her heartbeat.

Seeing him bend down and extend his hand, Jiang Geyun was momentarily stunned.

Does he want to see the painting?

...Let's just say she has really bad luck!

A note from the author:

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Yun: I found a super affectionate cat, everyone! So cute and cuddly, I'm taking it home first... Wait... what's this? Not going to keep it?!

-

I once thought the romantic development was progressing quickly, but then I realized that the current pace might just be someone else's starting point (sweating profusely.jpg), or even slower than someone else's, because it was just a fake kiss that made Yun realize, oh, there's such a possibility as falling in love... But for me, it's already very fast! In the last book, the male lead didn't even appear until ten chapters in!

In short, the romantic storyline in this book is a 50/50, complex and intertwined affair, with its own foreshadowing, development, and ending. I hope you adults will enjoy it [please!].