Chapter 929 Fairy, you don't want anyone to know either...

As Chen Jiaxin nodded over there.

Ouyang Rong, who was hiding in the corner, was already looking around, preparing to sneak away.

He didn't have the storeroom key. If Chen Jiaxin and Madam Chen left the storeroom and locked the door, he wouldn't be able to get out.

He had observed all the windows in the warehouse; the gaps were too small. Even with the supernatural ability of a sorcerer to control muscles and bones, it would be impossible to pass through silently.

Seeing that the two women were running out of things to say and were about to part ways.

He needs to make plans early.

Fortunately, the sorcerer's Dao lineage had reached the seventh rank, far surpassing that of the Jade Cup Immortal from before. After planning the route, Ouyang Rong moved as lightly as a swallow, making no sound as he walked.

Like an ant, he moved along the wall, sometimes climbing, sometimes lying on the ground, slowly inching towards the half-open door along the target route.

The warehouse was a large, dark space, with only the faint glow of the tinderbox in Madam Chen's hand illuminating the surroundings.

This gave Ouyang Rong a perfect opportunity to escape.

Before long, Ouyang Rong walked to the last shady corner by the warehouse door, which was located right under a window.

The windows above are high up, and the faint moonlight, though barely enough to draw attention, actually makes one overlook the darkness below.

Ouyang Rong was meticulous and prepared to cross over.

At this moment, Chen Jiaxin suddenly spoke:

"Is there anything else? If not, let's call it a day."

Madam Chen shook her head:

"That's all. I'll trouble you to come over here, Miss."

Chen Jiaxin remained silent, not putting away the letter in her hand, but extending her other hand forward in a flat position as a gesture.

Madam Chen was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening.

The tinder was handed out.

Chen Jiaxin took the tinderbox without saying a word, and walked to the side with her grandfather's letter.

The direction was directly below the window where Ouyang Rong was.

Ouyang Rong immediately froze in the darkness, holding his breath and staring intently at the "sparkling ember" that was slowly approaching.

Chen Jiaxin stopped five steps away from the window.

They did not continue to approach the dark corner where Ouyang Rong was located.

She gently blew on the tinder, then opened the letter, bringing the tinder close to her face. At the same time, she carefully read through the letter by the faint moonlight streaming in from the window above her.

The two were standing almost face to face.

Ouyang Rong could smell the faint scent of gardenias on the young lady.

When Chen Jiaxin blew on the tinderbox, a breeze even fell on his face.

It's a little itchy.

But Ouyang Rong stood still, his hand already resting on the bamboo tube at his waist.

With his other hand, the sleeve hung down at his side, as if he were tightly gripping a certain ink stick that was easy to expose.

He remained motionless, like a marble statue, without even blinking.

If the warehouse lights were on at this moment, it would be clear that the two were only three steps apart.

Chen Jiaxin's breathing was even as she repeatedly perused the letters in the dim light.

Ouyang Rong exerted all his strength to control the tension in his muscles, not only holding his breath but even slowing his heartbeat.

My eyes, which were starting to sting, stared intently at Chen Jiaxin's focused and serious face in front of me.

They were paying close attention to her subtle reactions.

He seemed to be trying to find the subtle change in the young woman's expression after she discovered him.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea has passed.

Ouyang Rong felt as if a century had passed.

Finally, Chen Jiaxin raised her head, seemingly absentminded, and folded the letter again.

She turned away from Ouyang Rong, her mind preoccupied, and spoke to Madam Chen, who was patiently waiting not far away:

"You should go back first."

Ouyang Rong loosened his grip on the bamboo tube slightly.

Chen Jiaxin, who had her back to him, immediately walked away. After folding the letter, she did not put it away, but instead brought it close to the sparks on the tinderbox.

With a "hiss".

The letter was lit, and the flames spread between the white paper and the ink-written words, transforming into a graceful flame that was reflected in the pupils of everyone in the room.

Ouyang Rong glanced sideways and let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Because Chen Jiaxin was facing away from him, the flames from the burning letter couldn't reach him, who had been facing him just moments before.

The family letter was burned to ashes.

Chen Jiaxin watched the whole thing unfold, then lifted her foot to head towards the door.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside, followed by a questioning voice:

"Huh, that's strange, why is there a fire in the warehouse?"

"Could it be a fire? Let's go check it out."

Inside the warehouse, the atmosphere between Chen Jiaxin and Madam Chen suddenly froze.

The two women quickly exchanged glances.

In less than half a breath, they each took action.

Despite the danger, Chen Jiaxin remained calm and immediately turned around and returned to the warehouse.

After a brief moment of panic, Madam Chen seemed to be calmed by Chen Jiaxin's composed actions, straightened her clothes, and walked forward.

She brushed past Chen Jiaxin and headed straight for the gate.

Chen Jiaxin subconsciously returned to the window where she had just read the letter. Without thinking much, she walked directly into the shadows ahead and hid there.

In the next instant, her forehead bumped into something moving, something broad yet subtly soft. Her forehead touched it first, and then, due to inertia, her whole body slammed into it.

With a "bang".

Madam Chen quickly opened the door, the sound of which just masked the slight knocking sound from inside the storeroom.

She didn't hear him, walked out of the storeroom, glanced at the person who came in, and nodded slightly, saying:

"It's me. You've arrived? I was just about to call you to change shifts. Also, who was so careless as to leave the door unlocked? I went in to check if anything was missing. It was dark in there, so I lit a tinderbox..."

She took the initiative to walk forward, subtly blocking the servants' view.

The latter looked at each other, but without thinking much, they responded with a "Yes, sir."

The darkness concealed Madam Chen's gaze as she solemnly began giving instructions on other tasks...

at the same time.

Inside the warehouse, in the shadows beneath a certain window, the air seemed to freeze.

Neither of the two people who collided made a sound.

The moment Chen Jiaxin crashed into Ouyang Rong's arms as he tried to escape, both of them froze.

Ouyang Rong hoped that the other party would ignore him.

As for why Chen Jiaxin stopped moving, he didn't know.

The most embarrassing thing is that the tinderbox is still in Chen Jiaxin's hands.

Its faint light illuminated Ouyang Rong and half of her face.

In the dim firelight, their eyes met briefly.

Ouyang Rong intently observed Chen Jiaxin's face, trying to catch her subtle expressions.

His hand had returned to the bamboo tube at his waist, and at the same time, the tightly gripped and restrained Miao Si's natal ink stick had been released.

Chen Jiaxin glanced at him, her eyes showing a hint of surprise, before she frowned slightly.

She glanced at the dark corner where Ouyang Rong was, and then at his clothes, her expression thoughtful.

Then, she looked in the direction of the warehouse door.

Madam Chen was talking to the servant at the door, trying to smooth things over.

Chen Jiaxin did not speak immediately.

Ouyang Rong didn't speak first and waited silently.

He would wait for Chen Jiaxin's reaction before deciding how to proceed.

This is called "If the enemy doesn't move, I don't move; if the enemy moves, I move first."

In the instant he was hit, Ouyang Rong had already thought of several ways to deal with the situation.

The scene was a bit awkward, though.

Madam Chen has no cultivation level. Although Chen Jiaxin is the direct disciple of the Fifth Lady Yun Xiangyi, she has only been a disciple for a short time and is still a low-grade Qi Refiner.

Ouyang Rong possesses both the Daoist lineage of a swordsman and the Daoist lineage of a sorcerer, both ranking at the seventh grade, placing him among the mid-grade Qi cultivators.

Dealing with them isn't difficult, but the challenge lies in ensuring that Chen Jiaxin doesn't possess any tokens that could inform the Five Women Lords if they encounter an enemy, just like the jade pendant his junior sister obtained for him from the academy.

The storeroom of this dining hall is very close to Qingliang Valley. If it attracts the attention of the Five Heroines from the water dungeon in the valley, things will get out of hand...

In that instant, Ouyang Rong was overwhelmed with thoughts.

But Chen Jiaxin did something unexpected.

She seemed to give Ouyang Rong a deep look, but instead of drawing her sword, she turned away.

With a "hiss".

Chen Jiaxin blew out the tinderbox.

Ouyang Rong squinted at her retreating figure.

At this moment, Madam Chen, who was outside, dismissed the servants at the door, turned around and went back inside.

She looked around the warehouse; it was pitch black, without the light of a tinderbox.

Madam Chen asked curiously:

"Miss? Where are you?"

"Um."

Chen Jiaxin responded softly, and then said:

"You go back first, don't lock the warehouse door, I'll leave later, I want to be alone."

Madam Chen was somewhat surprised: "Miss, you..."

"Stop talking nonsense."

"yes."

Madam Chen had no choice but to obediently nod.

Although she didn't know why this little princess suddenly wanted some peace and quiet, she was already used to Chen Jiaxin's unpredictable and difficult-to-please temper, so she didn't ask any further questions.

"Miss, I'll be leaving now. I'll come back to lock the door in the morning. Also, no one else will be here before dawn, so please don't worry."

Madam Chen said with utmost respect.

Chen Jiaxin suddenly asked, "Are you sure no one else will come here?"

Madam Chen found this rather strange, wondering why her young mistress would ask such a question, yet she nodded nonetheless:

"right."

Ouyang Rong heard Chen Jiaxin continue calmly asking:

"Judging from the attire of those two people at the door, were they your purchasing agents?"

"Indeed, Miss has a good eye."

Madam Chen praised him, but with a hint of helplessness in her voice:

"These brats are so clueless. They come at the wrong time. But there's one good thing about them: they're all roughnecks who are careless and easy to deal with."

Chen Jiaxin asked herself a question as if talking to herself:

"Easy to please..."

Before Madam Chen could answer, she spoke again:

"Alright, you can go back now."

"Yes, Miss. You should also go back and rest early."

Without giving it much thought, Madam Chen left the storeroom door slightly ajar, turned around, and slowly walked away.

The warehouse was pitch black.

The atmosphere fell silent once more.

Ouyang Rong remained silent. He had heard what Chen Jiaxin had said, but he wasn't quite sure what she was up to.

But they didn't seem to be very hostile.

Otherwise, I would have made my move just now, even if it was a thunderous strike to knock him unconscious.

After waiting a short while, the tinderbox that was expected to be lit again did not appear.

In the darkness, Chen Jiaxin seemed to walk to a box, sit down, and face him.

It subtly blocked the way to the door.

She said softly:

"I remember, your name is Liu... Liu something?"

It was as if he was trying hard to recall.

Ouyang Rong hummed:

"Liu Aliang".

"Oh, right, Liu Aliang, the kid who gets along really well with Song Zhian and Yu Mili."

After saying something to herself, Chen Jiaxin suddenly asked:

"Who sent you to eavesdrop? Song Zhian or Yu Mili?"

As the young woman spoke, she looked around as if waiting for someone from behind the scenes to come out.

Ouyang Rong remained unmoved upon hearing this.

He roughly understood the woman's attitude.

At least she didn't intend to kill him to cover it up, or rather, she felt that killing him to cover it up was pointless.

Furthermore, Chen Jiaxin probably doesn't know that he is Aqing's older brother, otherwise she certainly wouldn't be so suspicious now.

After being repeatedly probed by her words, Ouyang Rong simply became a bit wooden in attitude.

Respond to all changes with constancy.

He replied with:

“I have always been here; you are the ones who have come.”

Chen Jiaxin nodded, and handed over a hat first:

"This is a storeroom where valuables are stored. You came here in the middle of the night. You must be up to no good or steal. It doesn't seem like the work of an honest person. Besides, the fact that I ran into you here suggests that you are a repeat offender. You come here often."

Ouyang Rong said without changing his expression:

"I was on duty in the warehouse tonight and was so tired that I overslept. I was woken up by the noise of my colleagues outside. That's when I found you fairies. I'm not a thief. If you don't believe me, you can call someone to check."

The darkness in front of him quieted down for a moment.

A cold snort rang out, Chen Jiaxin's voice indifferent:

"It's hard to say whether it was a lucky accident or a result of extensive experience."

Ouyang Rong's confused tone:

"What does the fairy mean by that?"

He seemed somewhat anxious: "Does the fairy think I'm bluffing? That I'm a habitual thief? Fairy, I, Liu Aliang, may not be anything great, but I'm upright and honest. You can call everyone here right now and check in front of everyone to see if anything is missing..."

The taciturn man seemed to blush, his loud voice echoing around him.

Chen Jiaxin intentionally or unintentionally ignored the long speech that followed, and changed the subject by asking:

What did you call me?

"Fairy."

Ouyang Rong, without blushing or skipping a beat, lowered his eyes slightly and said woodenly:

"I'm a handyman now, and I just want to stay in Jianze to make a living. The pay here is good, better than down the mountain."

Chen Jiaxin seemed to tilt her head slightly:

"You're quite self-aware. The last time I saw you, I thought you were tough as nails, just like Yu Mili's mouth."

She paused, then asked calmly:

"Didn't you go to the dining hall to work as a cook, making soup for Sixth Uncle? How come you're here guarding the gate and doing errands? Are you working for Madam Chen now?"

Ouyang Rong nodded:

"I was just transferred here."

Chen Jiaxin chuckled softly:

"Have you done something wrong?"

Ouyang Rong remained silent.

A sound came from the darkness ahead, like the rustling of a snow-white skirt brushing against the edge of a trunk.

Chen Jiaxin stood up from the box.

She spoke softly, her tone carrying a subtle warning:

"Alright, I'll trust you this time. I'll go see Madam Chen and the other women in charge during the day to verify if you were on duty tonight and check if anything is missing from the storeroom. If you're lying, you'll be in big trouble, hmph..."

(End of this chapter)