Chapter 44 The Incurable Addict: A Deep-Seated Addiction
Jiang Geyun had just escaped from the broken painting and her mind had barely settled when she encountered this group of puppets silently staring at her, which were exactly the same style as the puppets in the painting that harbored murderous intent towards her.
A chill ran through her heart, and even the innocent night seemed to grow eerily sinister.
Jiang Geyun held her breath and remained silent, as did the puppets, who were as still as wood and stone.
Just as she was about to succumb to the unbearable silence, a familiar figure slowly emerged from the depths of the puppet horde.
It was the brown-clad accountant from Yinguanglou whom she had seen many times before.
A long sword hung behind the accountant's office, and the moment it appeared in the dark moonlight, it exuded a mysterious and desolate air, like a swordsman in disguise.
Jiang Geyun smiled bitterly to herself, then quickly dismissed the inappropriate thought.
What kind of chivalrous hero is this? She should be thankful that the sword wasn't meant to be pointed at her.
Before Jiang Geyun could ask any questions, the accountant spoke first: "This servant has come to escort Lord Jiang back to Yinguang Tower."
Jiang Geyun pursed her lips and did not respond.
If the accountant hadn't pulled this stunt, Jiang Geyun would definitely have gone back to Yingguanglou.
Not to mention that she had no other place to stay, Ur was still hiding in her closet.
However, the fact that the accountant went to such lengths to block her away, as if afraid that Jiang Geyun hadn't returned, made Jiang Geyun uneasy, unsure of Zhengyi's intentions.
After returning to Yingguang Tower with the accountant, will she be able to stay as usual, or... is there something else waiting for her?
"Oh dear! What kind of show is this?"
The voice of the man in the black hood came from behind.
I must say, there were a lot of familiar faces tonight.
Jiang Geyun turned her head and saw the man smiling as he stepped forward, subtly blocking her from the accounting room.
The accountant stood before a group of puppets. Facing the suddenly appearing black-hooded figure, she remained expressionless and simply repeated, "This servant has come to escort Lord Jiang back to the Drinking Light Pavilion."
The tone was no different from the last time, even more mechanical than the system, with a kind of eerie feeling that was neither human nor inhuman.
Jiang Geyun took a step back.
The man in the black hood didn't turn around, yet he seemed to understand her thoughts.
Remembering the Crown Prince's instructions, his smile deepened, and he said in a negotiating tone, "I appreciate the shopkeeper's kindness, but Lord Jiang has to investigate a case tonight and probably won't get any rest. Please go back!"
The accountant, who had not yet made a move, said upon hearing this, "Your words are merely empty promises."
The man in the black hood had been wearing a smile that made him seem easy to talk to, even a little slippery. But when he heard the accountant's words, his unchanging smile vanished instantly!
With a wave of his hand, several subtle and dangerous auras suddenly appeared in the silent darkness.
Jiang Geyun was horrified.
She had thought that so many people were hiding under the peaceful night sky.
There are really talented people everywhere here...
The man in the black hood suddenly lowered his voice, revealing an undisguised threat: "How strange, a mere accountant from the Yinguang Tower dares to inquire about Lord Jiang's itinerary? What, do you want to verify the Crown Prince's edict?!"
Before he finished speaking, the accountant knelt down.
This gesture was the most submissive imaginable, but the accountant maintained a dignified and respectful expression, only humbly apologizing, "This servant dares not!"
The man in the black hood was already poised and ready to take down the man in the brown robe.
The accountant's kneeling made it impossible for him to find a reason to cause trouble.
The man in the black hood said, "...Alright, step back. We will take care of Lord Jiang."
The accountant slowly rose to his feet.
Her gaze passed over the man in the black hood and fell on Jiang Geyun behind him, her eyes containing a deep meaning that Jiang Geyun could not understand.
She said, "I wish you all the best, my lord. I will come to fetch you when you need me."
The man in the black hood took a step forward with a "whoosh," his sword drawn an inch from its sheath, its cold light flashing!
He said impatiently, "Hey! Aren't you done yet?!"
The accountant remained silent, bowed one last time, and quietly retreated behind the puppets.
Jiang Geyun was about to take a closer look when, for some reason, the brown figure vanished among the puppets in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace.
The man in the black hood turned around and bowed and scraped to Jiang Geyun, who was waiting behind him.
He adopted a fawning expression and gestured, "Lord Jiang, this way please?"
Jiang Geyun was taken aback.
She thought the man in the black hood was just trying to get her out of trouble, but now it seems he's going to take her away.
No, are you really investigating the case overnight?
...She underestimated the extent to which the main villain was diligent in his duties.
*
They traveled light and simply.
The moon was high in the sky when the sedan chair came to a stop.
Jiang Geyun walked from the darkness of the street after curfew into a brightly lit room.
Although the place is exquisitely arranged, it is a bit cramped and should not be Su Heng's residence.
Jiang Geyun curtsied and quietly glanced at the person behind the desk.
It was unclear how much time had passed between the two when they left the painting, but Su Heng had already changed into a brocade robe. He wore a dark blue belt around his waist, with an antique-style white jade buckle in the center. The cuffs of his outer robe were slightly rolled up, revealing a small section of snow-white lining, which was edged with an almost imperceptible gold thread.
He was sitting at a desk, with countless folded documents piled up beside him. The bright candlelight illuminated him, and its shimmering light further accentuated his refined and elegant demeanor.
His outfit today is somewhat similar to what he wore on the day the results were announced, only more understated in its elegance.
It's so late at night, and they're not going out, so I don't know why the main villain is dressed so nicely...
Jiang Geyun lowered her eyes, focusing on her nose and her mind, silently making plans.
Not long ago, she asked the man in the black hood how long it had been since she entered the painting.
If her calculations are correct, she has over eighty days to dismantle the system, or... win the heart of the person before her.
The anxiety brought on by the urgency of time was already lingering, but seeing Su Heng deeply mired in the burden of paperwork, she felt a strange sense of kinship, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips, a smile that she herself was unaware of.
Perhaps she was too engrossed in reading the memorials, because Jiang Geyun had been inside for quite some time and had secretly looked Su Heng up. Just as she was about to turn her gaze to look around the room, Su Heng "coincidentally" raised his eyes.
He put down his brush and said in a gentle voice, "Lord Jiang, please rise. Would you like to view this painting with me?"
Upon hearing Su Heng's question, Jiang Geyun noticed an upside-down painting hanging on the wall behind him.
The painting was hidden in the shadows, and the person in front of her was too conspicuous. She didn't notice for a moment, and only realized it when the person in front of her pointed it out.
Seeing Jiang Geyun looking at the painting, Su Heng said, "Sir, come closer and take a look?"
Jiang Geyun withdrew his gaze, shook his head, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Highness, please forgive me. Now that I have obtained the scroll, I dare not presume to look further."
Chao Wujiu's painting skills are quite remarkable.
Having a thought in one's mind is one thing, but actually dealing with it is another. Now, she not only has to protect her own life, but also constantly remember her promise to Cheng Xi and try her best to return to Lianzhou unharmed.
When facing a major villain, you can never be too wary.
Su Heng's smile remained unchanged. He picked up another document, not even raising his head, and asked in a light tone, as if casually, "Does Lord Jiang know why I summoned you in the dead of night?"
Jiang Geyun paused for a moment.
She didn't know.
She came here because she found Zhengyi's side more frightening.
Could it be that we've just escaped one danger only to fall into another?
She said, "This humble official dares not make any presumptions."
Su Heng paused for a few seconds before saying, "The unconscious envoy has just woken up, and I wish to test the power of this painting."
exactly?
Jiang Geyun was suspicious. Was it really just a coincidence?
Or is it that this "comatose" envoy has always been in a "comatose" state, and will only wake up when the main villain needs him to?
Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it.
By her standards, she was never in a safe environment.
Let's take it one step at a time.
The main villain summoned her to see the unconscious envoy, whether to test her reaction or simply to have her, a "person of the Bureau of Strange Things," protect him.
Although the latter sounds unlikely.
...Why am I getting anxious and conflicted again!
Jiang Geyun breathed a sigh of relief, deliberately feigning understanding, and said, "This humble official will certainly protect Your Highness's safety."
Su Heng glanced at Jiang Geyun quietly.
A moment later, he got up and walked to her side, his long shadow looming over her, almost completely covering her.
He glanced down at their intertwined shadows and said emotionlessly, "Come with me."
...
Although the lights were bright, the room was really stuffy and filled with a strong medicinal smell. If Su Guang were here, he might be able to tell Jiang Geyun what kind of medicinal herbs the smell represented, but Jiang Geyun herself... she could only summarize it as "a medicinal smell".
Lying on the bed was a foreign man in his forties.
Unlike Ur's red hair, the man lying down had hair that was closer to ginger yellow. His face was ordinary, already looking weathered, and with an added layer of sallow, sickly appearance, it was hard to describe him well. He could only be described as looking rather resolute.
Jiang Geyun turned around and looked at Su Heng, who was being protected behind her.
The person on the bed doesn't seem to be in a state of "awakening".
Su Heng did not return her gaze, but instead followed her gaze to look behind him and at the shelf to the side.
On the shelf were suspicious-looking, bloodstained, tattered clothes, neatly folded and topped with two bronze eagle-head shoulder ornaments.
Su Heng explained gently, "The Tulan people have always been good at communicating with nature and its creatures. Different tribes have different beliefs. I suppose this envoy's tribe admires the bravery of the eagle."
She had no intention of asking that at all!
The main villain is trying to change the subject, isn't he?
We called her over, but she fainted again, which is hard to explain, right?
Indeed, there does seem to be some kind of animal pattern on Ur's clothes. What was it again?
The atmosphere during their first meeting wasn't exactly pleasant, and her limited attention wasn't focused on that. So, for the moment, she could only recall what impression she had of Ur because of that pattern, but what it was was rather vague in her mind.
Just then—
"Ho...!"
A hoarse gasp, as if squeezed from a broken throat, came from the couch, and the lifeless envoy suddenly opened his eyes!
Startled by the commotion, Jiang Geyun frowned, her hands already forming a hand seal beneath her sleeve.
Su Heng nodded slightly to the attendants behind him.
One of the men carrying the tray immediately stepped forward, carefully picked up the medicine from the tray, and fed it to the foreign man on the bed who looked very weak.
The foreign man's eyes were lifeless as he let his attendants do as they pleased.
After taking the medicine, the foreign man's ashen complexion improved considerably, but his eyes still remained devoid of emotion.
It seems his dazed state wasn't because he had just woken up, but rather... because he was injured somewhere?
Jiang Geyun stood before the bed, quietly fulfilling her duty as a guard, her hand seals never loosened.
After administering the medicine, the attendant placed the medicine bowl back on the tray, turned around to bow to Su Heng, picked up the tray, and stood in the corner of the room again.
Another attendant carrying the painting stepped forward, laid the rolled-up painting flat on the table beside the couch, and began to untie the knot that had been tied not long ago.
Almost everyone in the room was focused on the painting that was about to be opened.
Just then—the sickly-looking foreign man suddenly leaped up and reached out to grab Jiang Geyun's neck!
Jiang Geyun reacted extremely quickly. She swiftly made a hand gesture with the magic she was holding, and with a flash of golden light, she knocked the foreign man's arm aside!
The foreign man's five fingers formed a claw, his intention clear: to break Jiang Geyun's neck. But the blow caused him to lose his bearings, and he accidentally grabbed the silver hairpin from her hair.
Having temporarily repelled the aggressor foreign man, Jiang Geyun wanted to take a half step back and stand in front of Su Heng.
Su Heng was faster than her.
As the golden light flashed, he had already pulled Jiang Geyun into his arms and taken a few steps back.
Having lost her silver hairpin, Jiang Geyun's hair was half-loose, falling onto Su Heng's shoulder.
Her heart was pounding, the rhythm of her blood beating in his ears in anticipation of the crisis before them.
He never paid attention to whether people change when they are thinking. After all, no matter how well thoughts are concealed, they are transparent to him, leaving only annoyance, disgust for affectation, and irritation for noise.
She wasn't exactly quiet at the moment.
Before the usual boredom could rise, what he felt first was—interestingness. There was more than one new emotion. He wanted to be skin to skin with her, not missing any of her physiological reactions, her blood, her heartbeat, and the fluids she offered.
Just like what happened not long ago, her cleverness vanished in his presence, leaving only pure trust and intimacy, which he instinctively felt was extremely precious.
He never found self-discipline and propriety difficult, nor did he ever perceive any so-called "instinct," so how could he talk about restraint? The unfamiliarity, excitement, and exploration at this moment made his heart beat a little faster.
Up to this point, he still did not understand that the deeper, more persistent pull was an addiction that had silently seeped into his very being.
Su Heng chuckled softly, remaining motionless. He glanced at the silver hairpin in the foreign man's hand and whispered in Jiang Geyun's ear, "...What a pity."
The foreign man holding the hairpin stared blankly at the two of them, then looked at his attendant whose hand was still on the painting.
Su Heng's voice sent a shiver down Jiang Geyun's neck.
The situation was dangerous, and she had no intention of responding, so she focused her attention back on the foreign man.
...Why are so many people eyeing her hairpin?
The attendant who had been targeted by the foreign man quickly closed the scroll and tossed it into a corner of the room, where another attendant caught it with both hands and immediately blew a whistle.
Orderly yet hurried footsteps approached the room.
The foreign man standing in the middle made no further move.
After the sudden attack on Jiang Geyun, he returned to that bewildered and dazed state, whether he was feigning ignorance after witnessing the rapid turn of events or was truly oblivious.
When the door was broken open, the foreign man finally moved.
He seemed to have just woken up again, and some emotions surfaced in his eyes.
He raised the silver hairpin in his hand, stared at it for a moment with empty and frantic eyes, and then, in full view of everyone, resolutely plunged it into his own neck!
Blood splattered!
Unlike the black tide in the painting, the spurting blood was like a red longsword, or like scattered red silk, which stopped after a moment.
But Jiang Geyun still seemed to see a red shadow before her eyes, which had not faded away.
The foreign man lying in a pool of blood had his eyes wide open, still staring at her.
Jiang Geyun opened her mouth slightly, as if to say something, but was stopped by the dryness in her throat.
Suddenly a shadow appeared in front of them, completely obscuring the horrific scene.
It was Su Heng's hand.
She blinked, and her eyelashes brushed against his palm.
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Author's Note: The prize draw is about to begin! Adults who want to participate, remember to do so!
Also: Yesterday I thought I could write at least 9,000 words...! However, what I thought was a stable situation turned into a series of new troubles, and I was too busy to keep up after a whole day QwQ. But don't worry, everyone, you'll get what you need!
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