19. Face Change (Part 1)
"...Liar."
"Misunderstanding?" Ran Qinghe laughed out loud in anger, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Then tell me, Immortal Lord, what misunderstanding have I made?"
"The Nightmare Forest was exhausted of spiritual energy to save me, and Tianhai Valley ignored me. But just now they came to my aid. What, have I misunderstood something?"
She recounted the past one by one, but only after she spoke did she suddenly realize that she remembered it too clearly.
Seeing that Lou Tinglan still didn't answer, she suppressed a sudden, inexplicable disappointment in her heart, and a smile returned to her usual playful expression. She stepped forward and raised her hand to touch the red mole on his forehead: "Immortal Lord, could it be that you've taken a liking to me, and that's why..."
No, there isn't.
Lou Tinglan stepped back to avoid her movement, instinctively denying it at first, then explaining methodically, "He lost his balance and fell in front of you, which is why you..."
He had only gotten halfway through his explanation when he realized his words were somewhat of a cover-up, so he stopped abruptly and abruptly changed the subject:
"When did you start recognizing me?"
Seeing that he avoided answering, Ran Qinghe's expression also turned indifferent: "The first time we met."
"The Imperial Preceptor's Mansion, that's where I first met the Immortal Lord." As she spoke, she reached down and pressed her hand against his chest until he groaned in pain. Only then did she withdraw her hand with satisfaction and continue to explain, "That's how I recognized the Immortal Lord."
"But at that time, I was only 90% sure, and the last 10% was because of Qi Feng."
Lou Tinglan repeated, "Qi Feng?"
Ran Qinghe: "He asked me how I knew the Imperial Preceptor was a disciple of the Discipline Hall. If the Imperial Preceptor were you, he wouldn't have asked that question. Only after that did I have complete confidence."
Lou Tinglan frowned: "But back then you said you already knew the Imperial Advisor and couldn't bear to see him get hurt..."
Ran Qinghe interrupted, "The Immortal Lord remembers my words very clearly, but they were all just made up on the spot."
Lou Tinglan felt a tightness in his chest for no reason, and only hummed in response. He knew that she had always been like this, always saying what she liked or disliked, but she might not have been sincere in her heart. She was like this in Tianhai Valley, she was like this in the vine prison, and she was like this just now, casually flirting with others.
The atmosphere between the two suddenly turned cold until Ran Qinghe broke the silence again.
What did you see in the sales home?
She always wanted to obtain the Mirror of Past Lives, not to use it to change anything, because once the past is changed, the future becomes unpredictable and even uncontrollable. On this point, she was very clear-headed and rational.
But she desperately wanted to know the truth. Was it only her mother-in-law who had mentored her who was involved in what happened back then, or were other people she had genuinely trusted also involved?
Lou Tinglan replied, "Now that you have attained enlightenment and become a cultivator, being overly attached to the mortal world will only harm yourself."
That makes sense, but she can't help but care.
Her gaze drifted to the side of his face, as if trying to find answers in his expression.
Lou Tinglan avoided her direct gaze and said, "On your coming-of-age day, your mother-in-law, who tied your hair, put medicine in your wine cup."
Ran Qinghe paused for a moment, then pressed on, "I know... what about the others? Were they involved too?"
Lou Tinglan blinked quickly: "I don't know." His tone was natural and calm, but after he finished speaking, he lightly bit his tongue, the slight stinging feeling like a punishment for his lie.
The image of her slashing her face with the end of a hairpin and then stabbing her heart flashed through his mind again, blood gushing out, her entire body a bloody mess intertwined with her red dress. She went to such lengths just to avoid harming her companions in the orphanage.
He wasn't good at lying, but he just inexplicably felt that someone who had paid such a price for others might not want to hear that the person she had sacrificed for wasn't actually worth it.
Therefore, he did not explicitly state what everyone had said at the coming-of-age ceremony, but simply said he did not know.
Ran Qinghe laughed, but her laughter was devoid of warmth. Looking at his trembling eyelashes, she sighed softly in her heart, "Liar."
However, it's unclear who this "liar" is referring to.
*
Along the main street of the capital, every household remained indoors. Lou Tinglan kept an eye on her movements while also observing the situation on the street.
Ran Qinghe noticed his occasional glances and said with amusement, "You don't need to keep such a close eye on me. If you want to see the Imperial Advisor, I want to see him too."
She was genuinely curious: did the Imperial Advisor activate the Mirror of Past Lives merely to save Ran Zheng from her clutches? Was a mere imperial merchant so important to him?
If she remembered correctly, the day she attained enlightenment and left the mortal realm was the same day that Prince Yong captured the imperial capital.
The Yongwang Rebellion began in Jiangling and advanced all the way to the outskirts of the capital. The war had lasted for more than three months. The people in the city were afraid that the Yongwang would invade one day, so most of the time, every household kept their doors tightly shut.
However, before Ran Qinghe left the mortal realm, she had heard a little about the outcome of the Yongwang Rebellion—the Yongwang was besieged in the capital city, and the Anwang Shen Zihuai secured the throne under the guise of suppressing the rebellion.
Ran Qinghe suddenly thought of this person, Shen Zihuai, the Jingming Emperor who took her into the palace after their first meeting in the restaurant.
She had a vague feeling that he might also be connected to this Mirror of Past Lives.
Although the two followed the spiritual energy traces left by Qi Feng, the traces were winding and circuitous, clearly indicating that the Grand Preceptor was leading them in circles and trying to conceal his true destination.
At that moment, the sound of bells rose from the bell tower in the southeast corner of the city, shattering the twilight. Sunlight, like gold, spread out and fell on the red and white robes.
"Thump—thump—"
The clock struck ten times, signifying that it was already late afternoon. The two exchanged a knowing glance, as if they had both thought of something at the same time.
They had all heard that every day at the hour of You (5-7 PM), the Imperial Preceptor would discuss matters with Emperor Jingming, Shen Zihuai, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. This time was chosen very strangely, as the court assembly had already ended at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), and the emperor and his ministers usually discussed matters after the court session. Why did the Imperial Preceptor have to enter the palace at the hour of You?
Lou Tinglan suddenly asked, "Do you know where the Ran residence is located?"
Ran Qinghe nodded. It seemed that the two of them had the same idea. The Imperial Advisor wanted to prevent Ran Zheng's death, and his purpose might be related to the Ran family.
The two rushed there together, but there wasn't a trace of spiritual energy around the Ran residence. This was strange, as if they were deliberately avoiding the Ran residence.
Perhaps because there was an atmosphere of impending storm throughout the capital, the Ran residence was extremely quiet. The gates were tightly closed, and there wasn't even a single servant sweeping the vast courtyard.
Lou Tinglan stood on the courtyard wall and tried to activate the spirit leaf in her hand again, but there was no response from the other end of the spirit leaf, so the two of them had to wait patiently.
After a long while, a figure suddenly darted out from the main hall. It was a young girl dressed in hunting attire, followed by several guards, who tried to persuade her:
"Young Miss, you can't leave."
“Miss, His Highness Prince An has instructed us to keep a close watch on you and not to leave the house in the coming days.”
The girl ignored everything, led a red-maned pony from the stable, deftly stepped into the stirrups, and leaped onto the horse.
"I couldn't go out the day before yesterday, I couldn't go out yesterday, and I can't go out today. Am I supposed to stay indoors every day?"
Several guards continued to try to persuade her, but the girl said, "Don't worry, I will come back as soon as I find my father. He said he was going to discuss business with someone today, but he hasn't returned yet, and there's not even anyone to tell him. How can I not be worried?"
Seeing that he couldn't stop her, the lead guard remembered his master's instructions, gritted his teeth, and pulled the others to stand in front of the horse, saying, "His Highness Prince An said that if the young lady wants to go out, she should step over us."
"My daughter is also Qinghe, but she is a lotus in bloom." Ran Zheng's words suddenly rang in her ears. Ran Qinghe was stunned for a moment before she remembered. Her gaze fell again on the girl in the red hunting outfit in the courtyard. She must be Ran Zheng's daughter, Ran Qinghe.
Seeing everyone blocking her way with their horses' hooves, Ran Qinghe pulled on the reins and retreated a short distance. Everyone thought she was going to give up, but she suddenly raised her whip and shouted, "Giddy up!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the horse leaped up without hesitation, straddling the crowd on the ground, and galloped away in a cloud of dust.
Ran Qinghe was an excellent rider. In just a short while, she circled the narrow alley and left her subordinates who came out to stop her far behind.
She spurred her horse and galloped towards the alley entrance again, but unexpectedly, the courtyard wall at the alley entrance collapsed with a crash, stirring up a cloud of dust and blocking her way.
The Imperial Advisor stood to one side, looking at both the girl on horseback and Ran Qinghe and Lou Tinglan who were following behind.
A look of surprise crossed his eyes. He had been circling the city repeatedly, completely unaware that they would go directly to the Ran residence. His heart sank.
Lou Tinglan drew his sword extremely quickly; almost the instant he saw the Imperial Preceptor, Jingxin had already thrust at him.
"Disciples of the Discipline Hall are ordered to retrieve the Azure Sky Mirror of Past Lives."
The Imperial Advisor raised a whisk to defend himself, and the two figures met in mid-air before suddenly separating.
Lou Tinglan's sword, Jingxin, emitted a clear and melodious sound, and its sword energy attacked the Imperial Preceptor one after another.
The Imperial Preceptor, however, did not linger in battle. He tapped the air with his toes and retreated continuously, even taking the opportunity to knock down another courtyard wall on the ground, leaving bricks and stones in front of Ran Qinghe.
Although Ran Qinghe did not intend to help, seeing that the Imperial Preceptor was still distracted in pushing down the courtyard wall, she did the opposite. With a flick of her long whip, the silver bell caused the spiritual energy to vibrate, clearing a space in the originally blocked road.
Ran Qinghe was a reflection in the mirror; she couldn't see the fight in mid-air. She only saw the alleyway suddenly blocked by a collapsed courtyard wall. In a moment, the bricks and stones automatically separated, making way for her.
Ran Qinghe: ...?
It's like a ghost story.
Ran Qinghe was startled and squeezed the horse's belly, running even faster than before.
The Imperial Advisor caught a glimpse of Ran Qinghe leaving and was about to use the same trick again, but Ran Qinghe had already reached the main street. He flicked his whisk and was about to strike at the shops on the main street, but was stopped by Qi Feng, who had rushed over, with the sword energy he unleashed.
The four of them mingled together. Lou Tinglan and Qi Feng entangled the Grand Preceptor's movements, while Ran Qinghe followed behind him, clearing away the path that had been blocked for him.
Qi Feng abandoned his usual frivolous and flirtatious manner and said seriously, "Senior Brother Lou, don't you know that the past cannot be changed? Why do you knowingly commit such a transgression?"
Although Qi Feng was admonishing the Grand Preceptor who was disguised as Lou Tinglan, Lou Tinglan paused for a moment upon hearing this. In that brief instant, the Grand Preceptor seized the opportunity and struck Lou Tinglan in the chest with his whisk.
Lou Tinglan was already seriously injured and had not yet recovered. The fight with the Imperial Preceptor had consumed a lot of spiritual energy. When he was hit on the ground by this sudden blow, his already healed wounds were torn open again.
Qi Feng flew over and helped him up: "Senior Brother!"
Even Ran Qinghe stopped whipping her whip and made a move to go down.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Imperial Advisor was about to attack the shops along the main street to block Ran Qinghe's path, but then he discovered:
Ran Qinghe, who used to ride her horse through the long street, has disappeared without a trace.
[Author's Note]
[Starry eyes][Starry eyes] Wishing all our readers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
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