Chapter 29, Part Fifteen. ...
fifteen.
Xie Baoqiong was thinking about her promise to Meng Rui, and after lunch, she rushed out of the mansion.
Before the person disappeared from sight, Xie Zhuo reached out and hooked his son's collar.
"?" Xie Baoqiong, who had been pulled along, had no choice but to stop.
"Where did you run off to again?" Xie Zhuo let go of Xie Baoqiong's hand and let her sit down again. "Stay here for now, I'll take you out in a bit."
"Father, I'm going to find Meng Rui." Xie Zhuo had known about this for the past two days, so he couldn't possibly be changing his mind at the last minute.
Seeing that the person was sitting uncomfortably, looking as if they were about to jump up at any moment, Xie Zhuo explained helplessly:
"It's still early, and the stalls for the evening temple fair haven't been set up yet. The midday sun is also very strong at this time of year, so be careful not to get sunburned."
When you return, your father will take you directly to the gate of the Meng residence; he will make sure you are not late.
Following Xie Zhuo onto the carriage, Xie Baoqiong finally remembered to ask, "Father, where are we going?"
"I have a day off today, so I'll take you to see your maternal grandmother."
The Princess's Residence.
Although Xie Zhuo said he was taking him to visit Lin Yu, the two obviously had important matters to discuss. Lin Yu spoke with him for a while and then instructed a maid to take him to another room.
Having rarely gone out, Xie Baoqiong didn't want to stay cooped up in her room any longer, so she called out to the maid leading the way, "Sister, let's stay in the garden."
"Young master, my name is Qiaoyue. You can just call me by my name." Qiaoyue smiled and did as he said. She turned around and did not lead him into the house, but instead found a shady place to walk.
Passing by a courtyard, surrounded by lush vegetation, meticulously maintained, the air was tranquil, with only the occasional chirping of insects.
Xie Baoqiong followed Qiaoyue along the tree-lined path, dodging the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves. But as he sensed a hidden fluctuation of spiritual energy, he stopped and turned his head, his gaze taking in the courtyard.
Although Qiaoyue was walking ahead, she was also paying attention to Xie Baoqiong's movements behind her. The moment she heard the footsteps behind her disappear, she stopped and turned around. Her gaze followed Xie Baoqiong to the courtyard, but she quickly looked away after seeing it clearly and explained:
"This is the princess's courtyard."
"My mother's courtyard?" After saying that, Xie Baoqiong felt she was becoming more and more accustomed to her current identity: "Why can't I hear any insects chirping around here?"
"After the princess disappeared, the eldest princess would come here every night. After hearing the chirping of insects, she would feel disturbed and would send someone to sprinkle some insect repellent medicine in this place."
The chirping of insects here is hardly an explanation; perhaps the slight fluctuation of spiritual energy he sensed was just his imagination.
Qiaoyue looked at him and continued, "This courtyard is rarely visited by anyone..."
Xie Baoqiong couldn't hear what was said after that; his gaze was fixed intently on the openwork windows in the courtyard wall.
A white figure flashed past through the bat-patterned window lattice.
Even though it only appeared for a moment, Xie Baoqiong could see a certain familiarity in that figure from behind.
But the owner of the mansion was still discussing matters with Xie Zhuo in the main courtyard. Who could be the person who appeared in the courtyard at this time?
"Qiaoyue, may I go in and take a look?"
The Princess's residence was inhabited by ordinary people. Recalling the faint fluctuation of spiritual energy, Xie Baoqiong decided not to inform Xie Zhuo and the others for the time being, and instead let him go and investigate alone.
Telling Qiaoyue to wait at the courtyard gate, Xie Baoqiong stepped into the courtyard alone.
The courtyard had been uninhabited for a long time, but the houses were clean and tidy, showing no signs of dilapidation or desolation. They must have been carefully maintained, waiting for their owner to return.
Xie Baoqiong looked around with her naked eye, but the figure she had glimpsed through the window was nowhere to be seen.
He held his breath, moved quietly, and silently approached the house.
His shadow spread out from his feet, reflected on the white wall, and together they tiptoed toward the door.
When she was still three steps away from the house, Xie Baoqiong glanced at the shadow cast on the white wall under the window, and then turned her toes as she took her first step.
He bent down to prevent the shadow from peeking out first, then reached for the window and lifted a corner of the curtain. He glanced around warily, his spiritual energy enveloping him. The boy under the window disappeared from his spot, and a chipped blue stone tablet floated to the ground as lightly as a feather.
Xie Baoqiong shrank herself even smaller, leaped up with all her might, and squeezed into the room through a corner of the window screen.
He landed steadily in the corner of the low table on the chaise lounge, with an overturned cup in front of him concealing his figure—it was the perfect position.
After a moment of reflection, he began to observe the room. To the side was a mahogany dressing table, indicating that this was Princess Huayang's boudoir.
But before he could finish observing the room, a shadow suddenly fell from in front of him, completely enveloping the low table and surrounding him.
Xie Baoqiong steadied herself, gathered her energy around her body, and ignored everything else, treating herself as nothing more than an ordinary stone.
The shadow hanging overhead gradually dissipated, and a few footsteps faded into the distance.
The stone behind the teacup swayed slightly from side to side, then suddenly leaped high into the air, heading straight for the figure's head.
When he was still half a palm's distance from the black hair, a net of spiritual energy enveloped him, rendering him unable to move.
The spiritual energy, carrying killing intent, attacked him, but stopped the moment it touched the stone's surface, deflecting the attack and firmly adhering to his body.
Xie Baoqiong was trapped in mid-air, unable to return to her original form or move, as if she were imprisoned in a soft, gelatinous substance, a truly unpleasant experience.
He searched for weaknesses while gathering all his spiritual power in an attempt to break the restraints.
"Found it."
The spiritual energy that had been binding him suddenly dissipated, and he fell into someone's palm.
Before he could break free, the air around him was suddenly compressed, and the hand gripped him tightly, holding him up to his eyes.
Suddenly, a pair of enlarged eyes appeared before her. Xie Baoqiong met those eyes without warning, and her mind went blank for a moment.
What kind of eyes were those?
Xie Baoqiong, who has seen little and knows little, finds it difficult to give a clear evaluation of these eyes.
The gray pupils were lifeless, yet they made the demon realize that those eyes were indeed focused on his true form.
The eye sockets, which housed the eyeballs, were covered with tiny, white, and messy scars, like countless white moths perched on trees along a riverbank.
The white, elfin-like "life" was entwined with wisps of ominous aura.
Xie Baoqiong felt that if he were in human form, he would probably swallow hard and then quickly move away from those eyes.
The gray eyes scrutinized his body closely. He was clearly about a hand's width away from the eyeball, but he felt that the distance was still too close. The swarm of white moths with fluttering wings were almost growing alongside him, carrying the gray glass ball in their beaks.
He tried to distract himself from those eyes, so he looked at the other features of the man and prayed in his heart that he would not see the white scar.
The more he looked at the person in front of him, the more he felt that the person's features were quite in line with human aesthetics. Recalling the eyes that were completely different from his own, with upturned corners, when put together, they could indeed be considered a beautiful face.
However, it looks somewhat familiar.
It seems like something has been added.
He attempted to remove a portion of the composite facial features.
After his eyes were removed, a name seemed to leap from his lips.
The person who had grabbed him released him at that moment.
Seeing that he remained motionless in his palm, he channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into the stone:
"Xiao Bao, were you scared?"
Upon being recognized, Xie Baoqiong immediately jumped down from the palm of his hand, reverting to human form just before landing, and stood in front of Lin Zhechun.
"Grand Preceptor, what are you doing here?"
Although I recently learned that Princess Huayang and Lin Zhechun were old acquaintances, it still seems a bit strange that Lin Zhechun would appear here.
"I'm looking for an old item," Lin Zhechun said.
But then Xie Baoqiong thought again and realized that he didn't understand what was strange about it. Moreover, Lin Zhechun's reason was quite normal. He could also go to Xiaochun's cave to look for the things that had been left behind.
He kindly asked, "Did you find it?"
"Yes, it's been found."
But Lin Zhechun's expression showed no joy, especially his dull gray eyes, which were like dark clouds before a rainstorm, making even white moths cower in place for fear of getting their wings wet.
His gaze, fixed intently on Lin Zhechun's eyes, still caught Lin Zhechun's attention:
Did the injury to my eye scare you?
Xie Baoqiong shook his head. Although he was somewhat bothered by the white moths on it, touching the wound didn't seem like a good idea.
"Can the Imperial Advisor still see?"
As he spoke, he waved his hand in front of Lin Zhechun's eyes.
Her gray eyes didn't even blink, nor did they focus on his hand.
But his outstretched hand was firmly grasped by Lin Zhechun:
"Cannot see things that ordinary people can see."
Lin Zhechun then asked Xie Baoqiong, "Why are you here?"
“My father brought me to find my maternal grandmother. I saw a figure in this courtyard and came in.”
Lin Zhechun sighed, "He really is a newborn calf."
"Your Excellency, I am not a bull demon."
Seeing the man's naive and foolish appearance, Lin Zhechun didn't know whether he should feel fortunate or not, but his sigh was even longer:
"Yes, I saw it today; it's a stone."
Lin Zhechun patted his head: "I'm leaving now, hurry back."
"Is the Imperial Advisor also going to see my father and maternal grandmother?"
Lin Zhechun shook his head, his gray eyes glancing at Xie Baoqiong:
"There is something I did today that I should not tell anyone."
"Why?"
"Your father is a jealous and overthinking man. As his son, you should save him some trouble."
Before parting, Xie Baoqiong suddenly remembered something, grabbed Lin Zhechun's robe, and asked:
"Grand Preceptor, what did you say to my father when you first met him?"
Upon meeting the other party involved, Xie Baoqiong was finally able to continue the story she hadn't finished hearing.
Lin Zhechun didn't know what Xie Zhuo and Xie Baoqiong had talked about, but Xie Baoqiong's question was only about trivial matters, so he thought for a moment and replied:
"I told Lord Xie back then that his soul was somewhat special."
The hem of her robe was still being held in someone's hand; Xie Baoqiong clearly hadn't heard enough.
Lin Zhechun said helplessly, "That's all."
"But if we're talking about what's special about it..."
Lin Zhechun stopped speaking halfway through his sentence.
"What's so special about it?" Xie Baoqiong showed considerable interest in this strange and unusual story.
“There are many strange things. Apart from him, I have only seen one other case, so I don’t know much about it.” Lin Zhechun did not say it explicitly, but added to reassure Xie Baoqiong, “But it has never affected her health.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
