Chapter 45 Dodder (Part 9) An Unspeakable Allure…
With father and son reunited, Murong Xiao was in high spirits. He changed his previous casual attitude towards Song Qiling and his group, and personally brought them the list of participants for them to review.
“If your master has passed the first four rounds of the competition, his name should be recorded in the last roster.” The head of the Murong family picked up a slightly thinner roster and handed it over. Then he turned his head and winked at the maid next to him. “It’s getting late. If young friend Gu doesn’t mind, why don’t you stay here for the time being? It would be a good way to fulfill the wishes of my son and me.”
At this point, he looked at Song Qiling and Liu Dai, "Since you are my son's friends, you are honored guests of the Murong family. You must not refuse, lest outsiders say that I have not been hospitable enough and have been impolite."
Before the others could react, the maid had already nimbly gone to prepare.
As the saying goes, "A fool wouldn't take advantage of a good deal."
Song Qiling smiled, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "It would be impolite of me to refuse."
The remaining people had not expected today's turn of events. Seeing Song Qiling's reaction, they nodded in agreement, "We've troubled you."
Seeing the reserved look on these people's faces, Yu Qi scratched his head and said, "Why are you being so polite? It makes me feel quite uncomfortable. There are plenty of guest rooms in the house anyway, so you can stay as long as you want. Just consider it keeping me company."
Upon hearing this, Liu Dai clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed in his direction, saying, "Yes, Young Master Murong."
Oh dear, what serious illness has suddenly struck this person?
He finally couldn't hold back any longer, glaring at her a few times, and said irritably, "Liu Xingchuan, be normal for once."
"Yes, yes, yes." Liu Dai nodded, quickly changing his form of address, "Seventh Brother Yu. Is it settled now?"
Yu Qi opened his mouth, looking like he had swallowed a fly, hesitant to speak, then his father's hearty laughter startled him so much that his soul almost flew away.
"Good, good, good. I'm relieved to see you all getting along so well." Murong Xiao smiled so broadly that his eyes disappeared. "It's a pity that it's a bit late tonight, otherwise I would definitely have hosted a welcome banquet to celebrate my son's arrival."
At this point, she still felt regretful. "Tomorrow is a bit rushed. My son has been found again. Such a great joy must be celebrated in a grand manner. How about this, after the competition is over, we will hold a celebration banquet and announce it to all the guests."
Upon hearing this, Yu Qi's lips twitched slightly, and he said with considerable disdain, "Father, please lower your voice."
Is this something to be proud of?
The head of the Murong family turned a deaf ear, seemingly lost in his own fantasy, oblivious to the world around him, which sent a chill down one's spine.
Well, they've made up their minds to push him out into the public eye.
-
With the combined efforts of the two, they could only flip through a few pages before Song Qiling exclaimed "Eh!" and her fingertip stopped at the last column of the roster. Gu Lianzhou followed her finger.
The three characters 'Nie Xifeng' were circled in red ink, with smaller characters below: "No sect, puppeteer."
"A puppeteer?" Song Qiling asked in surprise, "When did my martial uncle learn puppetry techniques?"
Gu Lianzhou shook his head and said, "I don't know either."
Having finally found her martial uncle's name, Song Qiling had no time to think about anything else. Pointing to the red seal, she asked Murong Xiao, "What does this vermilion pen mean?"
Upon seeing this, Murong Xiao clapped his hands and said, "This is the approval for advancing to the next round of the competition. You all just need to wait patiently for the competition in three days. At that time, you will definitely see your master."
His gaze swept over the "puppet master" below, and his eyes lit up. "It's this person?"
He looked up at Gu and Song, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face. "Although I can't remember this person's face, I do remember his masterful puppetry skills. They were truly brilliant and outstanding, making him a top expert in the field."
Upon hearing this, Song Qiling was speechless.
Gu Lianzhou also fell silent. After a moment, he stood up and bowed to the head of the Murong family: "I thank the head of the family for his help."
Seeing this, the remaining people stood up and followed suit, bowing to Murong Xiao.
Murong Xiao waved his hands repeatedly: "It was just a small favor, nothing at all."
After several rounds of polite exchanges, the night deepened.
After the meal, the group was led into the guest room by the servants. Song Qiling put down her luggage and saw maids and servants carrying trays enter one after another. They placed the trays on the table in an orderly fashion and then quickly left, leaving only two clever-looking maids to wait by her side.
Song Qiling was puzzled and peered at the red lacquered tray. It turned out to be several clean changes of clothes, crowns, and belts.
So this is...
Seemingly noticing the confusion on her face, the maidservant slightly bent her knees and curtsied, explaining, "My lord has come from afar and must be tired from the journey. The master has ordered me to help you bathe and change your clothes."
A bath?!
Song Qiling's eyelids twitched, and she quickly shook her head to refuse: "It's too late to take a bath. Please bring a bucket of hot water, and I'll just wipe myself down."
The maidservant just smiled and remained silent.
The other person also laughed and said, "Young master, this is the master's will, and this servant cannot disobey."
"..." This situation and this dialogue feel quite familiar.
Left with no other choice, Song Qiling had to agree, saying, "Then you all stay outside the door. I'll call you if I need anything."
Upon hearing this, the maid nodded in agreement and shuffled towards the door.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, someone brought a bucket and filled the bathtub with hot water.
The heated room is filled with steam, creating a warm and cozy space of its own.
After locking the door, Song Qiling took off her clothes, leaned against the tub, and immersed herself in the water.
On the low table beside the bucket, a triangular talisman bag with yellow background and red characters lay quietly.
Once the concealment talisman was removed, the woman's slender and delicate lines were clearly visible underwater. Song Qiling raised his hand to touch her throat; it was smooth and delicate to the touch, completely devoid of any masculine features.
She had originally put on this body for her own convenience, but now it seemed increasingly difficult to take it off.
Song Qiling gave a wry smile, picked up a water ladle and splashed water on herself. After soaking until her whole body felt weak and her head was heavy, she stood up while holding onto the edge of the tub.
After wiping the water droplets off her body and changing into clean undergarments, Song Qiling carefully put away the talisman and hung it at her waist. She then opened the door and called someone in to help her tidy up.
After a flurry of activity, the water clock in the room had already reached the middle of the Hai hour (9-11 PM).
Perhaps it was because the bedding in the Murong residence was too soft, or perhaps it was because she had taken a bath, but Song Qiling lay on the bed staring at the bed curtains above her head, her thoughts wandering, and she was wide awake.
Suddenly realizing something, his eyes widened abruptly, and he sat up as if he had sprung a fish out of water.
broken.
How could she have forgotten about that?
If she meets with Uncle Fengxi three days later, wouldn't her identity be exposed to the public?
Although a long period of time has passed, and her martial uncle might not recognize her face, her identity as a disciple of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, and her famous name Song Qiling...
Unless one suffers from amnesia, it would be difficult not to recognize them.
What should we do?
Anxious and uneasy, Song Qiling's hands were also busy. She raised her fist to her lips, unconsciously biting her thumb nail, and a small mountain slowly furrowed between her brows.
Feeling stifled, she noticed the air in the room was thin, so she slipped on her slippers, got out of bed, and walked towards the window.
Pushing open the window and securing it with the window hook, Song Qiling moved a high stool over and sat in front of the window, looking out.
In early spring, the nights are still chilly. The old leaves of the photinia, which survived the winter, are now sprouting new buds. The old and new leaves overlap, making the photinia even more lush. Moonlight leaks through the gaps, casting dappled shadows on people's faces.
Song Qiling looked at the branches and leaves swaying gently in the wind and let out a long breath. Perhaps she was too focused on it and did not notice the slight noise from the other side. When she came back to her senses, her gaze turned slightly and met the gaze of the person behind the window across the way.
"..."
It's so late at night, I saw a ghost.
Startled, Song Qiling slid off the high stool without thinking and hid under the windowsill.
After a moment of silence, she felt it was absurd. She wasn't guilty, so what was she afraid of?
Standing up, holding onto the windowsill, Song Qiling looked at the person opposite her again, stiffly raised the corners of her mouth, and smiled, "Junior brother, what a coincidence."
What a coincidence! I don't know what the head of the Murong family was thinking, but perhaps seeing that the two of them addressed each other as brothers, he took it upon himself to arrange for them to be placed in the same courtyard.
Unfortunately, their houses were very close to each other, and as soon as they opened their windows, they could see the view across the street.
I thought my junior brother should be asleep by now, but I didn't expect him to be a night owl too.
Gu Lianzhou must have just finished bathing. His long, black hair was draped behind him, with a few strands falling over his shoulders, making his features even more striking. He had red lips and white teeth, and looked like a spirit that haunts the night and bewitches people's souls.
"What are you worried about, Senior Brother?" he asked slowly and deliberately, his voice soft but clear enough to reach Song Qiling's ears.
How does he know what he's thinking?
Song Qiling slowly withdrew her smile, her gaze towards Gu Lianzhou becoming more wary. "Tell me first, are you Gu Lianzhou now, or something else?"
The man was puzzled: "I am who I am, nothing else."
Seeing that she still looked nervous, Gu Lianzhou opened his arms and chuckled, "If you don't believe me, senior brother, you can come and take a closer look. The demonic energy in my body is very calm now."
Song Qiling: "..."
It didn't sound like comfort; it sounded more like a provocation.
How could she easily take the bait?
The two remained silent for a moment. Song Qiling took a breath and said to the other person, "Wait, I'm coming."
As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped up, bracing himself against the windowsill!
The hem of his clothes slipped through the night, leaving a white mark. Gu Lianzhou seemed not to have expected his senior brother to respond. He slowly opened his eyes wide, and in a few breaths, his slender figure, accompanied by a cool breeze, reached the window.
Under the bright moonlight, his senior brother stood by the window, looking up at him. "I've been thinking about it. If I just come here because you tell me to, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
What kind of logic is this...?
Then he saw his senior brother raise his index finger and beckon him.
Gu Lianzhou tilted his head, puzzled.
In an instant, his clothes were suddenly grabbed, and a strong force pulled him forward.
He felt a cool, delicate fragrance waft into his nose, and his senior brother's face grew larger and larger before his eyes. In a flash, he raised his hand to brace against the windowsill, barely managing to stop himself from falling out of the window.
Looking up again, he saw his senior brother, who was standing close by, turn his head and sniff lightly along his neck a few times.
Due to extreme tension in his body, Gu Lianzhou let out a muffled groan unexpectedly, which, falling into the night, added a touch of indescribable allure.
Song Qiling froze, looking up at her junior brother in disbelief. "What are you doing?"
Gu Lianzhou: "..."
It seems like he should be the one asking that question.
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