Broken Linglong (7)
Qin Zhiqing's departure was so sudden that Ye Yingying and Zhao Yuxiao were caught off guard. Once only the three of them remained in the room, Ye Yingying exclaimed, "Young Master Qi, did your bride dislike you?"
Qi Shuojun sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation: "If that were the case, it would be easier to handle."
Throughout his time with Qin Zhiqing, she always kept her distance from him whenever they met. He tried everything to amuse her, but the best he could get was a faint smile like today. Ah, girls really do change a lot as they grow up; she was so much cuter as a child.
Thinking of this, Qi Shuojun sighed again and looked up at Ye Yingying: "You've seen the person now, don't forget our agreement."
Ye Yingying smiled and nodded: "Of course."
Qin Zhiqing's appearance made her curious about what secret this young lady from a prominent family was hiding.
On the other side, Qin Zhiqing rushed out of the room and walked away without looking back. Zhique, who had been guarding the door, was startled by her actions and, half puzzled and half flustered, chased after her young mistress onto the carriage to return to the manor.
Inside the carriage, Zhique cautiously observed Qin Zhiqing. She noticed that the young lady's eyes were closed and her brows were furrowed, as if she was somewhat displeased.
Could it be that she had a falling out with Young Master Qi? She had long felt that her mistress's attitude towards Young Master Qi was too cold, and now it had finally erupted at this critical juncture? What should she do? The more Zhi Que thought about it, the more worried she became. What was Young Master Qi thinking? Could he be considering breaking off the engagement...?
The moment this thought crossed her mind, Zhi Que couldn't help but shudder. The master would never tolerate such a thing happening. In two days, he and his wife would arrive in Yuancheng. If the master found out, then she would be...!
"Miss!" Zhi Que cried out in fear, looking at Qin Zhiqing with trembling eyes, "Are you and Young Master Qi alright?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhiqing suddenly opened her eyes, a hint of confusion showing in her cold phoenix eyes: "Why are you panicking?"
"I...I..." Zhique realized her lapse in composure and quickly lowered her head, suppressing her fear as she explained, "I was just afraid it would affect your wedding..."
Qin Zhiqing was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood what she meant. She looked away and comforted her, "Don't worry, this is Qi family territory. He wouldn't dare to do anything in Yuancheng."
The "he" in this context clearly refers to Qin Zhiqing's father, Qin Chaofeng, who is also the head of the Qin family.
The Qin family has strict rules, and Zhique has been whipped many times over the years for violating them. Furthermore, Qin Chaofeng himself is a patriarch who highly values the reputation of his family. If Qin Zhiqing and Qi Shuojun's marriage falls through, regardless of the reason, Zhique, as Qin Zhiqing's personal maid, will not escape severe punishment.
The Qin family's punishments could only be described as torture; in the worst-case scenario, beating her to death wouldn't be an exaggeration. Zhi Que will probably never forget how those who came in with her were beaten to death for breaking the rules of the manor, their eyes wide open in death as they were carried out. Just thinking about those faces makes Zhi Que tremble uncontrollably.
Qin Zhiqing was naturally aware of all this. Her behavior at Zuijinlou had been inappropriate, and her own irritable expression had caused Zhique to be so worried. But Qi Shuojun's actions were so unexpected; she simply couldn't accept Qi Shuojun's kindness with composure…
"I'll apologize to him tomorrow, don't overthink it," Qin Zhiqing could only comfort her maid.
She closed her eyes again, remaining silent, wanting only to quickly clear her mind of those chaotic thoughts. The most important thing right now was not yet done; if she failed, she would suffer the same fate that Zhique had imagined.
Thinking of this, Qin Zhiqing unconsciously frowned again, sighed helplessly, and exhaled a breath of stale air.
The sparrow beside her dared not utter a sound, but could only clench its hands tightly, watching anxiously as she rubbed her furrowed brows, but could not shake off the feeling of unease.
The two returned to their residence. Qin Zhiqing went straight to her room and instructed Zhique not to disturb her further. Since arriving in Yuancheng, she had always stayed alone in her room and rarely appeared in public. Zhique saw this and, despite her great anxiety, could only obediently leave.
Before long, it was late at night. The bright moon hung high in the sky, the stars were sparse, and the night breeze gently swept across the earth, slipping into Qin Zhiqing's room through the half-open paper window. The person sleeping soundly on the bed suddenly opened her eyes. She listened quietly for a while without moving, and after confirming that there were no obvious footsteps, she nimbly got out of bed, tied her hair, changed her clothes, and stepped back into the boundless night.
Qin Zhiqing quietly slipped over the wall, her light and swift steps weaving through the narrow, quiet alleys of the city. A gentle evening breeze brushed against her cheek, bringing a chill. She warily scanned her surroundings, ears perked, intently listening for any unusual sounds as she raced through the streets and alleys.
Having finally escaped Yuan City, Qin Zhiqing stopped under an old locust tree outside the city, took a deep breath, and calmed herself. She looked around again, even using her spiritual power to probe her surroundings, a strange premonition rising in her heart, as if a pair of eyes were secretly observing her every move. But all around her was an endless expanse of flat land, sparsely wooded, with a wide-open view, and the occasional faint barking of dogs in the distance, but no human movement in sight.
Perhaps it was because she had met Ye Yingying today that she felt this way, Qin Zhiqing comforted herself. If she wanted to be on the safe side, she should lay low tonight and just sleep in her room. But time was of the essence; finding that item was more important than dealing with people of dubious intentions.
Qin Zhiqing touched the hilt of the short sword at her waist, gritted her teeth, and continued running towards her destination.
Just moments after she left, a slender, dark figure coincidentally landed under the old locust tree where Qin Zhiqing had left. The moonlight illuminated her face, and upon closer inspection, it was Ye Yingying, dressed in a dark, fitted outfit.
Ye Yingying checked the surroundings but found no marks left by Qin Zhiqing. She looked in the direction Qin Zhiqing had gone, took a step, and followed her again.
Qin Zhiqing's agility is quite good. She can leap several meters in one bound. Her path is very straight. Even if she encounters any obstacles, she can easily bypass them with a light sidestep.
Ye Yingying, following ten meters behind, seemed to be struggling. Firstly, Ye Yingying was unfamiliar with the terrain, and secondly, she had to move stealthily, restricting her spiritual energy to avoid being detected by Qin Zhiqing. With so many restrictions, her speed naturally slowed down, and Ye Yingying could only rely on her experience from her previous life to maintain the closest possible distance behind Qin Zhiqing.
The two chased each other until they reached the foot of a mountain. The mountain wasn't particularly high; the summit was visible at a glance. However, Ye Yingying could clearly sense the denser spiritual energy emanating from it, unlike anything she encountered elsewhere. Furthermore, there seemed to be something inexplicable here, drawing her in to explore further.
Ye Yingying looked at Qin Zhiqing and saw her touching the outer edge of the tree trunks, as if searching for something. A moment later, she stopped in front of a tree, her slender fingers carefully tracing the marks on the trunk. Suddenly, a few faint lights appeared in the previously dim forest. These evenly spaced points of light guided a path through the darkness.
Following the light, Qin Zhiqing disappeared into the forest. Ye Yingying blinked in surprise when she saw this.
What was she trying to do? Ye Yingying stepped forward and examined the glowing mark on the tree. It was a leaf-shaped rune, with a few strokes pointing like an arrow into the mountains. Ye Yingying followed the mark into the mountains. The mark seemed to guide her towards the summit. The mountain was densely wooded, the moonlight shimmering, and the branches rustled in the night wind, making her unconsciously tense. Her vision was obscured, and Ye Yingying never saw Qin Zhiqing again.
She quickened her pace involuntarily, but the glowing marks on the trees seemed to be deliberately leading her in the wrong direction. After walking around for a while, Ye Yingying realized that she had been going in circles for some time.
This is bad! Ye Yingying bit her lip and carefully observed the markings on each tree. These markings were almost identical, all leaf-shaped, with the leaf tip pointing forward and the leaf tail curving upward. Curved upward?
Ye Yingying suddenly realized something. She compared the marks and discovered that not all the leaf tips pointed straight up to the sky; some pointed to the ground instead.
Could it be that some of the markings are real and some are fake? Ye Yingying recalled the leaf tail of the first marking when she entered the mountain and decided to follow all the markings that were pointing upwards, just like the first one.
Good heavens, she actually made it out! Ye Yingying was pleasantly surprised to find a stone path ahead, and her heart leaped with joy. She walked forward and squatted down to examine the stone path. The stone slabs were flat and compact, and the surface still bore the carefully carved patterns of the craftsmen, gleaming faintly in the moonlight.
Ye Yingying recognized one of the patterns; she had seen it on Qi Shuojun's clothes and folding fan just two days ago. Wasn't this the Qi family crest? Was this the Qi family's ancestral home?
Ye Yingying walked along the stone path for a while and indeed saw a tombstone. She wondered which ancestor of the Qi family was buried there. She was shocked. Just as Qi Shuojun had said, Qin Zhiqing had gone to the cemetery in the middle of the night instead of sleeping! Ye Yingying immediately felt a deep respect for Qin Zhiqing. What was she trying to do? Was she planning to rob a grave? But she was about to marry into the Qi family; was there any need to do it now?
Ye Yingying couldn't understand what Qin Zhiqing was trying to do, and besides, she had vanished without a trace. Staying in her ancestral land wasn't a solution. After thinking it over, she decided to return the way she came and discuss it again tomorrow.
After learning to recognize the signs, Ye Yingying's journey back became much smoother. She quickly arrived at the entrance to the mountains and headed towards the city without looking back.
Behind Ye Yingying, in the dark forest, a slender golden light flashed by through the quiet woods.
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