Chapter 8 Before the Flowers She looked at him and tapped the plum blossom cup three times in the air…

Mu Jin still felt like she was in a dream.

Not long ago, one of her cats went missing.

In a mix of genuine anxiety and secret excitement, she shunned the servants, followed the sound of cats meowing, and left her house, entering a narrow alley she would never normally have the chance to go into.

Just as Mu Jin was enjoying this little adventure and unconventional behavior, fog suddenly rose all around.

In her confusion, she wandered aimlessly in various directions, the scenery around her changing rapidly, and she suddenly found herself transported from a city alley to the depths of the mountains.

She finally realized that she was in a bad situation and panicked.

Just then, Mu Jin spotted the figure of a young man in blue not far away. He reminded Mu Jin of the young men who had won the poetry competition.

Mu Jin often hid behind the curtain and peeked out. It was too far away for her to see the faces of those people clearly, but their demeanor was just like that of the young man.

With an air of refined elegance and graceful demeanor, he exudes a noble air when he bows with his hands clasped in greeting.

Although he was walking in a place where it was obvious that something was wrong without even thinking about it, he seemed to have nothing to do with ghosts or monsters. Instead, he looked like the kind of husband her father would choose for her when she came of age.

Mu Jin followed behind the young man and saw him calmly knock on the vermilion door. The maid behind the door stood there expressionless for a moment before stepping aside.

Seeing the young man enter the manor, Mu Jin quickly followed.

The young man seemed to only notice her at this moment. He glanced back, suddenly smiled, and said, "Different paths, same destination."

Unsure of the boy's meaning, she inexplicably dared not meet his gaze and shyly lowered her eyes.

Next came the banquet.

The owner of this villa is truly hospitable and quite wealthy.

Mu Jin was raised in a pampered manner and has a wide range of knowledge.

But whether it's the clothes worn on the beaded curtains of the banquet hall, the material of the tables and chairs in front of them, the inscription on the plaque, the string of beads hanging on the manor lord's body, or even the clothes worn by the servants who attend to him...

It's almost as good as what's on her body...

She clicked her tongue in surprise, feeling uneasy, wondering what kind of divine banquet she had stumbled into.

Indeed, only a place like this is worthy of hosting that young man's banquet.

Just as the manor lord was about to announce the start of the banquet to everyone, a servant stepped forward and whispered a few words to the manor lord.

Upon hearing the servant's words, the manor lord's face froze for a moment before revealing an exaggerated smile, almost drooling, which startled Mu Jin, who happened to glance over.

She immediately looked at the young man beside her, who remained calm.

The manor lord's expression seemed to be Mu Jin's illusion. Looking again, the middle-aged man had returned to his usual demeanor, his brows serious and composed, just like Mu Jin's father.

He chuckled softly and said that another new guest had arrived.

The beaded curtain made a crisp sound, like rain falling from the eaves.

Mu Jin immediately looked towards the door.

She had a lingering unease, perhaps without even realizing it herself.

Hearing that there were new customers, she unconsciously relaxed a lot, as if the more people there were, the more she could convince herself that this place was safe.

The young lady Yao Ji brought four guests.

All three were dressed in the blue robes of the Night Watchers, the gold embroidery on which shimmered and sparkled like the moon on the sea.

Mu Jin was taken aback.

Ordinary people are unaware of the existence of the Night Watchers, let alone the style of their official robes; they can only guess that they are officials based on the general design.

But Mu Jin was no ordinary person. She had seen her father receive the Night Watcher. Even though they were of the same rank, her father was very courteous and did not dare to be negligent.

With the Night Watcher involved, this must truly be a feast for the gods!

Mu Jin finally smiled, lowered her head to pick up her chopsticks, and accidentally knocked over her cup.

The expected shattering sound did not occur; the cup was caught steadily by a young girl.

Mu Jin opened her eyes and saw the plainly dressed girl among the four, the one she hadn't looked at closely.

Mu Jin could easily tell a girl's family background from her clothing.

Nothing special, not worth mentioning.

Such a person showed absolutely no reaction to the luxury before him.

Neither unease nor envy.

The girl's eyes were calm like black glass. This calmness had nothing to do with being dejected or old-fashioned. Rather, it was more like a firmness and clarity honed by the trials of life, which impressed Mu Jin even more than her appearance.

As for the black mark on the neck...

Mu Jin moved away from the girl and forced a fleeting smile at her.

【Huh?】

The system is making strange noises again.

Jiang Geyun placed the small cup back beside the girl, nodded to her, and turned to the system, asking, "What's wrong?"

System: [According to the information in the original book, the owner of Yunling Manor should be a woman, so why is there a man above her?]

Then she started muttering things like "the male lead's harem," "an incredibly beautiful and intellectual older sister," and "giving away gifts and treasures."

nerve.

Jiang Geyun was too lazy to argue with it any further, and simply said: "You've already come ahead of time, do you expect nothing to change? Why don't you just let me go back to my world?"

The implication is that since you don't think the original book will be changed, what's the point of having me?

The system has gone silent; I wonder if it's up to something again.

Jiang Geyun took her seat, sitting to the left of the girl, with Cheng Xi to her right.

The table in front of me was black with red patterns, looking like some kind of lacquerware. As the light shimmered, the patterns seemed to come alive, and it was quite impressive at first glance.

However, Jiang Geyun didn't have any particular feelings.

Not to mention that everything in front of her was too "new," she, from another world, had seen real national treasures in museums.

The Pei siblings sat opposite her, while Xie Jiming sat opposite Cheng Xi.

The others also noticed the cup that was at risk of falling earlier, but they didn't object to Jiang Geyun's choice of seat.

The middle-aged man in the main seat wore a long string of beads around his neck, which looked like Buddhist prayer beads; they were small and exquisite.

This place has always revered Buddhism, Taoism, and various other forms of magic, so it's not surprising that the manor lord is dressed like this.

The manor owner said things like "Welcome everyone," "Be careful after nightfall," and "I hope you all return home in high spirits."

Everyone responded and each recounted how they had arrived at the manor.

Finding cats is quite fun, it has a bit of an Alice in Wonderland vibe.

But now is not the time to be interested in such things.

To be honest, Jiang Geyun was getting a little impatient listening.

She was constantly worried. Originally, she only needed to worry about her own safety, but now Cheng Xi was also there. She didn't want Su Guang's brother to encounter any mishaps... Sigh.

She suddenly felt a sense of empathy for those middle-aged people who had elderly parents and young children to support but dared not quit their jobs for fear of losing their jobs.

The food was being silently distributed and placed in front of each person by the servants, and the wine in the plum blossom cups was fragrant and refreshing.

Jiang Geyun always felt that those servants were strange.

How could they remain completely silent? Was it due to strict rules, or some other reason?

Jiang Geyun glanced at the three people opposite her and noticed that they had all started eating before she began to eat as well.

With something on her mind, she unconsciously looked to her right.

As a result, it was unclear whether Cheng Xi was looking at the newly appointed head of the manor or at her, but their eyes met again.

Jiang Geyun's heart stirred.

She briefly lowered her eyes to acknowledge him, then looked up to meet Cheng Xi's gaze. The chopsticks that had been reaching for the dishes moved to the plum blossom cup, and she tapped the small cup three times in the air.

It was a banquet, so the master of the manor didn't stand on the rules of not speaking while eating or sleeping. While enjoying the food, he said to everyone at the table, "It's been a long time! I should have kept my wife from resting and shared this with you all, haha!"

lady?

A strange manor, a strange manor owner, and the manor owner's wife...

It's really hard not to think of that classic story: Bluebeard.

The wealthy Bluebeard had many wives. After marrying his new wife, Bluebeard gave her all the keys to the house and instructed her never to open any of the doors.

Because behind the door were the corpses of countless ex-wives.

Jiang Geyun calmly put away her chopsticks and looked at the three people opposite her.

She had assumed that Pei Xueyi, who was not good at horseback riding and had been traveling all day, must have been exhausted.

But Pei Xueyi was particularly energetic in such situations; she was the one who had the most fun chatting with the manor lord just now.

"Madam?" Pei Xueyi asked, "The master's wife must be a goddess-like figure, right?"

The manor lord was clearly pleased, and after laughing a few times, he said, "It's not just one. You will all see them at breakfast tomorrow morning. My Yunling Manor not only hides... not only treasures that the world envies, but also my ladies!"

Jiang Geyun remained silent, too exhausted to complain about them one by one. She thought it best if they really could have a tomorrow morning. She hoped tonight wasn't their death day.

And tonight...

She stopped thinking about it and finished eating with the others.

*

It was late at night, before midnight.

The hall where the owner used for banquets was not far from the guest quarters, so the distance from the guest quarters to the plum garden was not too far either.

The road was brightly lit, and the lively atmosphere of the banquet was still vivid in my mind. However, I couldn't see a single person in sight. In addition, the flowers along the way made my eyes and mind tired after a while, which gave it a strange and surreal feel.

Jiang Geyun lifted her skirt at her side and carefully moved forward.

Unlike the bright and dazzling scenery of the villa, the unopened plum garden was shrouded in darkness.

As Jiang Geyun passed by the place before heading to the banquet, she felt something was off and thought to herself that she would avoid coming here in the future if possible.

In her desperation, she couldn't think of any other place or way.

Let alone other methods, it's still unknown whether Cheng Xi can understand the cryptic hints she's already given.

Jiang Geyun stood by the wall next to the main gate of the plum garden, carefully hiding her figure in the shadows.

Yunshui Temple strictly enforces a curfew, which often wakes Jiang Geyun, who is a light sleeper, from her dreams. Even after arriving at Yunling Manor, she is still unable to escape its curfew.

However, the night watchman here is probably not a harmless one.

Beneath the monotonous, repetitive "thump-thump! thump! thump!" sound wasn't footsteps, but the dragging sound of something on the ground—

"Whoosh, whoosh—".

It was the strange sound I heard not long after I entered the park.

What kind of creatures does this estate keep to "guard the house"?

Startled by the eerie sound, Jiang Geyun's heart leaped into her throat.

It's already past midnight. Did Cheng Xi not understand her hints at all?

She learned it from "Journey to the West." When Bodhi Patriarch tapped the traveler three times, the traveler understood his master's meaning.

She looked at him and tapped the plum blossom cup three times in the air.

Jiang Geyun wanted to meet Cheng Xi away from everyone to make sure he was safe.

She's in more danger now.

Judging from the sound, the thing that she wondered if was the night watchman was getting closer and closer.

The system said to her in a dazed tone: "Host, the system is not omnipotent. If you seek your own death, the system has no obligation to save you."

You've been useless for more than just a day or two.

Jiang Geyun did not answer. As the voice grew closer, she quickly turned around and went to the gate of the plum garden!

A chain hung on the wooden door, with a brass lock on it.

Jiang Geyun pulled out a plain hairpin from her hair, her gaze calm, her hands moving swiftly. A few breaths later, the copper lock opened with a click.

Jiang Geyun's palms were inevitably sweaty, so she wiped them haphazardly on her clothes.

She carefully loosened the chains slightly, leaving a gap in the plum garden gate large enough for her to pass through, and quickly slipped inside, closing the gate behind her!

Jiang Geyun leaned against the door, deliberately slowing her breathing and concentrating on listening to the sounds outside. Her frantic heartbeat was almost right next to her ears, incredibly loud.

The system's strange response: [The host can also pick locks!]

Jiang Geyun replied: 【You don't do background checks when you hire people?】

In fact, the background check was useless, since she hadn't specifically "trained" in this skill.

Jiang Geyun lives alone most of the time, so she pays special attention to some safety-related "tips and tricks".

Jiang Geyun had seen this move in a video and tried it out of curiosity.

However, she only knows how to open these basic old locks; she has absolutely no knowledge of more advanced lock picking techniques.

As Jiang Geyun passed by the plum garden, she noticed the style of the lock from afar, and it left an impression on her.

But what she just did was something even she herself couldn't have predicted at the time.

The sounds outside the door were getting closer.

Jiang Geyun looked up at the plum garden in front of her, which was pitch black, and pondered for a moment.

She decided to remain inactive.

Although she was somewhat curious about the night watchman's instrument.

If it were a game, she would definitely click on the spy perspective.

But reality... let's just let her off the hook.

Before long, the sounds outside the door faded into the distance.

Jiang Geyun confirmed with the system: "Has that thing left?"

The system replied listlessly: "It didn't find a host and has already left."

Banishing the recurring image of her turning around to kill someone from her mind, Jiang Geyun asked the system again: "You still want me to do the mission, right? It wouldn't be good for you if something happened to me here, would it?"

The system's tone was languid: "Of course, don't worry, host, it's really gone."

Jiang Geyun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned around and gently pushed open the gate to the plum garden.

The system asked her: "Why did you come here in the middle of the night, host? There's nothing here..."

After leaving the plum garden, restore everything to its original state and remove the copper lock.

Jiang Geyun turned around and looked around again.

No one came.

The system's questions became even more pronounced at this moment...

This only makes her seem like a delusional person!

Jiang Geyun was getting annoyed, thinking to herself, "Is it okay for her to come see her fiancé?"

However, she wouldn't reply to the system like that, lest it go crazy, and would just give a perfunctory answer.

Brushing her clothes down, Jiang Geyun prepared to return to her residence by following the path of the night watchman's errand when another set of footsteps sounded.

She looked up warily and saw the young man in blue robes walking out from the shadows, calling her gently, "Miss Jiang."

A note from the author:

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My revision journey is complete. I probably won't revise it anymore unless there are major plot changes. You can tell from the chapter titles that I really like things that are neat and orderly. I want to see the update time all set at 18:00, hehe.

See you at 18:00 on June 28th!