Chapter 51 Night Visit to the East Garden and Study
After parting on bad terms with Xi Ling, Huo Qin stormed off.
He walked around the courtyard again and again to calm the burning anger within him.
The sky was overcast, and it looked like a downpour was imminent.
He looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and wished that a torrential rain would fall, enough to wash away his sins.
But soon, Huo Qin was caught up in the rush of time and remembered the important things he needed to do.
After confirming that he had gotten rid of Xi Ling, he turned his gaze to the East Garden.
Xi Ling has disappeared somewhere, and the East Garden seems to be a place where secrets are hidden. Perhaps we should explore the East Garden first, then the study; it won't take much time anyway…
With that thought in mind, Huo Qin moved quickly, passing through the octagonal gate like a cat, and continued along the path in the bamboo forest.
Before long, a charming little garden came into view.
Outside the East Garden, an old swing stands not far away, its "hat" made of various flowers. It's not hard to imagine how vibrant the flowers would be in the warm spring or summer.
Huo Qin glanced at the swing but didn't notice anything unusual.
He guessed that the swing must have been made by Xi Ling for Mei Zhiying, and if he wasn't mistaken, the East Garden must have been the place where the two of them used to live together.
The doors and windows of the East Garden were covered with some unknown material, so that one could not see inside from the outside, not even a sliver of light could pass through, forcing one to go inside to see clearly.
Fortunately, the East Garden Gate was not locked. Huo Qin's left hand covered the door, and his hand, missing a little finger, contrasted with the simple wooden door, creating a kind of imperfect beauty.
Whether it was psychological or not, he felt a chill emanating from him, and he couldn't help but shiver.
With a creak, the door, which wasn't locked, was easily pushed open.
Outside, it was dark and gloomy, with a mountain rain looming, but inside, the lights were as bright as day.
Huo Qin almost thought that Xi Ling had deliberately lured him here, but after standing outside the door for a moment, there was no other sound from inside except for the bright candlelight.
He took a deep breath, walked into the East Garden, and quietly closed the door.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the East Garden was so brightly lit because it used a total of sixty-two luminous pearls!
Sixty-two enormous luminous pearls hung from the roof beams, and lampshades shrouded the candlelight on the tables, beside the bookshelves, and by the bedside. The pearl light and candlelight blended together, making the entire East Garden look warm and cozy.
—It seems so.
In fact, Huo Qin felt even colder as soon as he entered the East Garden.
It was as if he had fallen into an ice cave, or as if he were standing on a block of ice that had never melted in a thousand years. The warmth he felt was just a drop in the ocean; he was so cold that his bones felt like they were about to freeze to pieces.
He exhaled a puff of white mist, breathed on his hands, and looked around.
The layout of Dongyuan is simple, but it is small yet complete.
Looking from the entrance, there is a long table at the four corners on the right, and behind the table is a huge bookshelf.
Looking ahead, there is a screen that covers the bed, and behind the bed is a bookshelf.
On the left are some ceramics containing scrolls; at a glance, there should be dozens of scrolls.
Huo Qin first looked at the desk, his gaze falling on the two cups of cold tea.
There was nothing on the desk except for these two cups of tea. He carefully picked up one of the cups and gently sniffed it, but apart from a very faint tea aroma, he couldn't smell anything else.
Two cups of tea. Has Xi Ling entertained any guests here before?
But why weren't the two glasses finished, and why weren't they cleaned up?
Huo Qin pondered, put down his teacup, and his fingers touched a slightly uneven spot under the table.
He crouched down and stared intently, his fingers tracing the lines—slender, like scratches, but also like claw marks…
Did someone once fall down sitting here and their fingers scratch under the table?
Upon closer inspection, there were also dark red, dried bloodstains.
Now Huo Qin was truly certain that someone had indeed died in Dongyuan.
"Better to die than to die myself," Huo Qin thought, having no interest in who actually died. Right now, he only wanted to find out how Xi Ling planned to bring Mei Zhiying back to life.
With a question lingering in his mind, his gaze finally fell upon the tall bookshelf behind him.
From the moment he entered, Huo Qin couldn't stop thinking: Xi Ling clearly already has a study, so why does she need to put these two huge bookshelves in the East Garden? Even the bookshelves behind the desk and the bed are completely full!
His attention was drawn to the bookshelf, and he stopped worrying about the unusual table, his gaze sweeping over the shelves one by one...
Travelogues of Mountains and Rivers, Records of Xu Xiake, Landscapes and Geography...
The first row contains travelogues and similar articles;
"Special Metallurgy," "The Influence of Forged Products on People," "Are Love and Soul Imbued in Forging?"...
The second row is related to forging.
Seeing this, Huo Qin realized that the bookshelf probably belonged to Mei Zhiying.
How strange that this couple's book collections are so clearly separated, they can't even share a study or a bookshelf?
Huo Qin continued reading.
"The Beginning of the Sacred Mountain", "The Climate and Environment of the Sacred Mountain"...
The third row is surprisingly related to the holy mountain.
Why does Mei Zhiying collect so many books related to the sacred mountain? Is it to "remember the person by looking at the objects"?
Because she hasn't seen her child for a long time, she can only look at her collection of books to infer how she is doing.
How strange, it doesn't make sense. If it's really for Xi Bingyi's sake over the past four years, why not collect items related to her?
Huo Qin picked up "The Beginning of the Holy Mountain," flipped through it casually, and didn't find anything tucked inside.
This book tells the story of the relationship between the Holy Mountain and the Sword Tomb.
With the Sword Tomb, the "Holy Mountain" truly becomes a "Holy Mountain." The Holy Mountain is not some magical place; it is called "Holy" solely because of the Sword Tomb within it.
In addition, the book also explores the true function of the sacred mountain treasure, the Cloud and Rainbow Scissors. Huo Qin glanced at it briefly and found it too complicated to understand in a short time, and he didn't have that much time either.
Since this bookshelf is full of Mei Zhiying's books, whose bookshelf is behind the bed?
With that thought in mind, he walked around the screen and came to the back of the bed.
To his disappointment, the bookshelf had far fewer books in comparison, but at a glance, they were all Mei Zhiying's!
The Scholar's Journey to the Imperial Examination, The Fox Spirit's Gratitude, The Butterfly Lovers...
They're all just storybooks!
Huo Qin immediately understood why the bookshelf was so close to the bed...
He recalled the broken sword Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai and chose to take down the book.
This book tells the exact same story as the one passed down through generations: Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai fall in love, but Zhu Yingtai has already been betrothed to Ma Wencai. Liang Shanbo falls ill with lovesickness and dies. When Zhu Yingtai passes by his grave on her way to her wedding, she commits suicide out of love, and the two transform into a pair of butterflies, finally becoming a couple.
Huo Qin read it quickly and found nothing wrong.
The only annotation was that Mei Zhiying drew a heavy circle around "died for love".
He frowned, feeling anxious, and at the same time, he felt increasingly cold.
The East Garden was unbearably cold. Huo Qin put the books back, glanced at the bed, and even felt under the pillow to see if anything was hidden, but still found nothing.
At this point, he began to doubt his own judgment. Could it be that there was nothing hidden in the East Garden?
Now that he hadn't seen the scroll yet, Huo Qin walked around the screen and stood in front of a pile of ceramic jars.
Intuitively, given Xi Ling's cautious nature, if there were no clues on the long table, bookshelf, bed, or screen, there was no reason for them to be on such a conspicuous scroll.
But he was still not giving up, so he picked up a scroll and unfolded it.
The scroll depicts a beautiful woman reclining on a couch, whose eyebrows and eyes bear a resemblance to Xi Bingyi. Huo Qin recognized that this must be Mei Zhiying.
He picked up another scroll, this time it was Mei Zhiying writing on the long table;
The next volume is about Mei Zhiying enjoying the snow in the plum grove;
The next volume features Mei Zhiying giggling as she reads a storybook…
These dozens of scrolls all depict Mei Zhiying!
Huo Qin's vision went black, and he gained a new understanding of the extent of Xi Ling's infatuation.
It was getting late, and he had gained almost nothing in the East Garden...
Huo Qin gritted his teeth, wanting to search more carefully, but also afraid that taking too long would arouse Xi Ling's suspicion.
What is in this East Garden? Why is it so cold...?
He looked around the East Garden one last time, reluctant to leave, before finally setting off.
By the time we left the East Garden, it was completely dark.
The inky blackness of night poured down, swallowing up all the buildings.
Huo Qin had decided not to wait for Xi Bingyi any longer; he would go to the study alone to investigate.
The weather was gloomy during the day, so much so that only one moon hung high in the sky at night. But soon, dark clouds covered the moon, and the last glimmer of light disappeared completely.
Having already briefly surveyed the layout, we walked from Huo Qin's current bedroom, through a long corridor, to the study.
He tiptoed through the window and easily reached the corridor.
Huo Qin glanced back, then, without further delay, hurried to the study.
Arriving at the study felt so relaxed, almost unreal.
Huo Qin took a deep breath and looked up at the detached house in front of him, as if looking at a sleeping beast.
He stepped forward and gently pushed the door, already prepared to lock it. But to his surprise, the door slowly opened with that gentle push!
Huo Qin wondered, if the East Garden wasn't locked because there wasn't anything important inside, then why wasn't the study locked either?
Xi Ling even equipped Zhou Ziheng's room with a mechanical lock!
Huo Qin felt a pang of anxiety and bent down to check the keyhole. He found nothing unusual; the lock was undamaged and showed no signs of being pried open.
There were no signs of vandalism, so was it just that the lock was forgotten?
Is it too casual to use a place that hides secrets?
Filled with doubt, Huo Qin lit the oil lamp he carried with him and began to observe the layout of the study by its dim light.
The study is similar in layout to the East Garden, with a long table on the right and a screen facing the entrance.
But unlike other places, there are no beds or huge bookshelves here.
The first thing that caught his eye was the broken sword hanging behind the long table; it was almost immediately drawn to him.
Even though Liang Zhu is a broken sword, you can still see the care Mei Zhiying put into forging it.
At the hilt of the sword are a pair of intertwined butterflies, one above the other. The upper butterfly is about to take flight, while the lower one is drooping, its wings folded together to envelop the hilt.
Even a layman could tell that the material of the sword was extraordinary; in the darkness, it resembled a handful of cold snow, radiating a chilling light.
Huo admired Mei Zhiying's forging skills and praised her relationship with Xi Ling, but he had learned a lot about swordsmanship from Zhou Ziheng and thus noticed something amiss.
The problem with this sword is not that it is "incomplete", but that it is "incomplete in just the right way".
When Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were being forged, it wasn't unintentional, or rather, it was forced to stop.
Huo Qin was almost certain that "stopping halfway through the forging" was something Mei Zhiying did on purpose.
The cut of the sword was smooth and neat, ending exactly halfway down the blade, which was also exactly the length of the pair of butterflies.
Besides, this sword is more for show than for practical use; just by looking at the hilt, you can tell it's definitely not meant for human use.
These doubts flashed through his mind, and he turned his attention back to the long table. Compared to the spaciousness of the long table in the East Garden, the long table in the study seemed a bit crowded.
The table was covered with various books, some neatly arranged on the right, others scattered and open.
Huo Qin held up the oil lamp and glanced at the books that had already been opened, discovering that most of them were travelogues written by Mei Zhiying herself.
The books on the right side contain a lot more information. Most of these books are about curses, which shows that Qu Ling did indeed study the curse of Zhegui.
However, he did not find any documents related to "planning" or "conspiracy," and it was obvious that Xi Ling would not put these things out in the open.
Huo Qin was not discouraged, as he had expected this.
He braced himself on the long table, took a deep breath, barely suppressing the anxiety in his heart that made him want to destroy everything, and then walked behind the screen.
The screen was exceptionally thick, and behind it were tea sets. There was even a hidden door deeper inside!
The surprise came so suddenly that Huo Qin's eyes lit up, and he rushed towards the hidden door. Just as he was about to open it, he heard footsteps outside the door!
Overjoy turned to shock. Huo Qin immediately blew out the oil lamp, pressed himself against the hidden door, and stared intently at the source of the sound.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, thinking that perhaps it was the footsteps of a cat, or perhaps it was the wind blowing?
However, his luck failed. Footsteps drew closer, and his heartbeat resonated with the ever-approaching footsteps, sounding like muffled thunder in his ears.
Did Xi Ling notice something amiss? Did he see the flickering light of the oil lamp inside the house? And how would he explain that? How could he escape?
Or should we just go all the way and kill Xi Ling directly?
But killing him will bring endless trouble...
The footsteps grew closer and closer; he could even hear Xi Ling turning the lock!
Just then, the hidden door behind them opened without anyone noticing, and a cold hand covered Huo Qin's mouth, quickly dragging him into the hidden door!
Huo Qin's pupils dilated in shock. Just as he was about to struggle, he heard a soft voice in his ear: "Don't move, it's me."
That sound is...
-----------------------
Author's Note: I'll be taking a break on Monday. There will be another chapter on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
