Chapter 20 Cooperation Qin Yuqi stroked the blade, recalling Jiang Yuhuo…
Inside the temple, everything seemed normal, still running slowly like an ancient machine, but only those inside knew how difficult it was to keep it running. With the high priest absent, all sorts of matters, big and small, fell on the shoulders of Qingdai, the priestess.
The annual Feather God Festival is approaching. This is the grandest festival of the Li-Yue people, where the best offerings are made to the highest god in the Li-Yue people's faith. Even if the high priest is not present, the festival cannot be delayed.
While busy handling the various affairs left behind by the High Priest, Qingdai would occasionally think of the High Priest's daughter, that stubborn person who was as headstrong as an ox. She wondered how she was doing on her own. But then she would quickly recall the scene at the temple that day.
She did nothing wrong; it was Jiang Yuhuo who was ungrateful first.
His eyes were like those of a wild beast, and his heart was as ruthless as a beast's. Qingdai sneered inwardly.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the window of the warehouse. Qingdai looked up and saw a gray magpie perched on the windowsill.
The magpie, its small eyes darting about, seemed to be surveying its territory as it looked into the room, chirping softly.
Qingdai didn't pay any attention, assuming it was just a bird that had stopped there by chance. She glanced at it once and then turned back to continue with her work. There were many birds in the forest, and occasionally a few would fly into the house.
"Thump—"
No bird could make such a loud noise; it was clearly the sound of a heavy object falling.
Qingdai peeked out from behind the shelf with a puzzled look. The gray magpie fluttered away, and then she saw Jiang Yuhu lying on the ground.
The warehouse window was quite high, and it would take some effort to climb in. Xiao Jiang had the magpie check if Qingdai was there first, but he still slipped and fell flat on his face when he climbed in.
"What are you doing here? This is a restricted area, outsiders are not allowed to enter, don't you know that?" Qingdai stood condescendingly in front of Xiaojiang, her face full of displeasure.
Xiao Jiang moved her shoulder and, sure enough, felt a sharp pain. Just now, in order to protect the glass bottle at her waist, she had leaned inward when she landed, intending to use her arm as support to prevent the glass bottle from hitting it. Unexpectedly, she injured her arm instead.
"I came to find you." Xiao Jiang stood up, supporting herself on her arm. Qing Dai was a few years older than her, but Xiao Jiang was already about the same height as Qing Dai.
"What? You refused to recuperate at the temple before, but now you've changed your mind? It's a pity that many things don't wait for you once they're over. If you hadn't chosen this path in the first place, you wouldn't have had another chance. Don't think that just because you're of priestly blood, the gods will..."
I have a soft spot for you.
Qingdai suddenly stopped, realizing she had said too much.
Seeing Xiao Jiang clutching her arm, she guessed she had fallen and hurt herself, but she stubbornly remained silent. Qing Dai's tone softened slightly, "Speak quickly if you have something to say."
Xiao Jiang stared intently at Qing Dai, looking directly into her eyes.
Qingdai is a priestess, so she might know things that she doesn't.
Qingdai was the only one who told him that his father would be alright, and she was grateful whether it was for comfort or because she genuinely believed him.
If possible, she hoped to get Qingdai's help. Her strength alone was too weak, and she desperately needed to find an ally who wouldn't alert the enemy.
“You said before that Father would be alright, and I believe you.”
"Now, I also need you to believe me."
"What do you mean?" Qingdai looked into the eyes of the person opposite her and suddenly remembered the smoke that had settled on her in the temple that day, as if it were a divine revelation.
"I have found some clues about my father's disappearance."
*
On Qin Yuqi's desk sat a wooden box, a sandalwood box, its color heavy yet textured, emitting a faint sandalwood fragrance.
He drew the scabbard, revealing a short knife wrapped in silk. The black scabbard was simple and unadorned, with no superfluous decorations except for two small, ancient characters engraved on the hilt—"Jianxing" (翦星). That was the name of the knife.
The short sword, once drawn, immediately exuded a chilling aura. Its blade was entirely jet black, with only a sliver of light at the edge, gleaming brilliantly in the candlelight. The material used for forging it was unknown; its exterior and interior presented two completely different impressions. Such a sharp blade was concealed within its unadorned scabbard. It was indeed a fine sword.
Qin Yuqi stroked the blade, recalling Jiang Yuhuo.
The last time she used it to threaten him, it was a knife sharpened from bone. The young Crown Prince of Yong smiled with satisfaction; she would surely like this "Star-Cutting Knife."
"Sir's collection is indeed extraordinary." Qin Yuqi said, but he didn't even look at Jia Qianyang beside him. His gaze remained fixed on the short knife in his hand. "You have done very well on this journey. I will report to my father when we return."
Jia Qianyang paid no attention and took out a small celadon bottle from his sleeve and presented it to the customer.
"A fine knife needs careful maintenance from its owner. This is a special oil formulated for this knife; you may accept it as well, sir."
"Mr. Jia, you are very kind."
Qin Yuqi accepted the celadon bottle, but didn't put down the knife in his hand. He continued to examine it closely by candlelight, imagining how Xiao Jiang would react to the knife. She was rough and combative, yet as tenacious as a wild animal in the forest; she would surely like it.
“Cough…” Jia Qianyang, who was standing next to him, let out a soft cough.
Qin Yuqi looked up and saw that Jia Qianyang was still there. He suddenly remembered something and realized, "Last time, it was our recklessness in closing the door to your room, sir. When we return to the capital, I will have someone arrange a house for you at the foot of Dongshan Mountain as an apology."
"Your Highness is too kind."
Jia Qianyang only gave a polite reply, but still showed no intention of leaving.
Qin Yuqi asked in confusion, "...Is there anything else, sir?"
"It's nothing serious." Jia Qianyang said with a slightly serious expression. "Does the young master still remember the dome he saw that night?"
Qin Yuqi certainly remembered. He had never seen anything so beyond his comprehension in his life, and it even shook his worldview formed under the long-standing teachings of Confucianism. How could he forget?
"I have recently observed some interesting signs," Jia Qianyang said with a smile, his face flickering in the candlelight.
*
A gust of wind extinguished the candle in Qingdai's hand. In the pitch-black temple, the only thing that could be seen was Jiang Yuhuo's eyes, with a faint, flowing golden light.
Qingdai put down the extinguished candlestick, took a deep breath, and felt the strange "aura" that Jiang Yuhuo had just mentioned.
As expected, I didn't smell anything.
Humans are not beasts, nor are they animals that survive on mere breath. But this time, she believed Jiang Yuhuo's words.
“I will help you. But if that person can really hide the High Priest to this extent, he must not be an ordinary person, and may even be a sorcerer with extraordinary cultivation. To deal with such a person, an ordinary person would have no way to begin. You should think carefully about why he would hide the High Priest?”
Xiao Jiang couldn't understand it. Her father and Jia Qianyang were like two separate threads, and she couldn't figure out what could connect them. She stopped thinking about things she couldn't understand and simply followed her intuition.
Qingdai led the people out of the temple.
Looking down from the high steps of the temple, the village lights twinkled like stars.
Jiang Yuhuo walked towards the village settlement, his slender figure growing smaller and smaller in the night.
Qingdai knew that none of these lights were lit for the girl before her. A mixture of pity and disgust made her gaze towards her complex.
Just as Qingdai was lost in thought, the grass by the roadside rustled softly.
"Who's there? Come out!" Qingdai shouted at the bushes.
Upon hearing the sound, Xiao Jiang turned around and stared at the patch of grass, which was about half the height of an adult, together with Qing Dai.
A short, chubby hand emerged from the bushes. Wu Hu pushed aside the weeds blocking his way and reluctantly stepped out. He spotted Xiao Jiang beside him and pursed his lips, saying, "Why haven't you left yet?"
Qingdai tapped Wuhu's forehead with her knuckles. "Why are you here? Answer me honestly."
Wu Hu wanted to glare at Xiao Jiang, but Qing Dai forcibly turned his head back.
Faced with his cousin's serious gaze, Wu Hu dared not stammer any longer and confessed honestly, "We went to those people's mine together today because Boone said there were glowing blue stones inside, so we thought we'd sneak in and take a look after everyone left. But it was already dark by then, and we agreed to just take a quick look and leave. However, we walked in for a long time without seeing any glowing stones, so Liu Chong'er wanted to go back. But Boone kept saying they were definitely still inside, so we continued to walk in."
Wu Hu glanced at Qing Dai, then lowered his head even further, and continued, "The stone was indeed inside; we watched for a while. But when we came out, we discovered that Liu Chong'er had disappeared sometime earlier."
Xiao Jiang remembered the child with the topknot, so thin he couldn't even step on an ant, always following behind Wu Hu and his gang, the last follower in the small group.
“We called out outside the cave for a long time, but we couldn’t find Liu Chong’er. He’s so timid, he definitely wouldn’t chase someone home alone. What should we do, Sister Qingdai? Could Liu Chong’er have been captured by a monster? Could there really be a monster in that cave, just like it captured the High Priest, and captured Liu Chong’er?”
Xiao Jiang and Qing Dai exchanged a glance, realizing that the other also knew. They had only thought about their residence and overlooked the mine, which was also under their control.
"Don't talk nonsense!" Qingdai pressed down on Wuhu's shoulder to calm him down. "Did you go back into the mine to search again later?"
Wu Hu shook his head, sniffed, and seemed a little embarrassed. He leaned closer to Qing Dai and whispered, "It's too dark. We're scared."
"Why weren't you afraid when you wanted to see the stones? Did you only look at them?" Qingdai narrowed her eyes and held out her hand to Wuhu. "Give them to me."
Wu Hu reluctantly opened his chubby palm, and a pebble in his palm was emitting a faint blue light.
When Xiao Jiang learned for the first time about the stones they had collected in the cave, he couldn't help but move closer.
Upon noticing this, Wu Hu immediately pulled his chubby hand back, clutching it to his chest, as if afraid Xiao Jiang would snatch it from him. "I won't let you see it."
"Alright! Don't cause any more trouble." Qingdai stopped Wuhu's confrontational mood in time, and didn't want his stone anymore. Pointing to Xiaojiang, she solemnly said to Wuhu, "Liu Chong'er also disappeared in the mine, so we are all in the same boat."
Wu Hu was stunned by Qing Dai's serious tone and was momentarily dumbfounded.
Qingdai patted his shoulder, "Now, we're going to fight side by side, understand?"
The large but young tiger nodded.
Qingdai finally showed a satisfied look. She turned around to call Xiao Jiang to go to the mine together. But as soon as she turned around, she saw that he had somehow produced a torch.
The path to the mine is mostly a mountain trail, so having a torch for light would certainly be much easier. But when exactly did she bring it? She clearly came empty-handed earlier.
Before Qingdai could even voice her question, a torch was thrust into her hand. Xiao Jiang plunged into the mountain path, his steps brisk and steady, as if he were walking in broad daylight.
It was originally for her.
Qingdai examined the object in her hand. It wasn't a torch at all; it was clearly just a piece of wood she'd picked up off the road. But where did the fire come from?
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