78. Innocence
"Don't you want me anymore?"
After the orchid fairy died, two demons remained on the map. Du Zhijin did not rush to leave Liulijing, but patiently waited for one of the red dots to light up.
Ying Jianhua asked her, "Since you're not in a hurry to leave, why did you say goodbye to Zhao Zhonggan?"
She explained, "We're not innocent after all. If people find out that Xiao Zhao might be involved in the assassination of the emperor... that would be bad."
"Not innocent?" He disagreed. "We are completely innocent. The emperor was killed by the Orchid Fairy, and Number One was killed by Shi Er. From beginning to end, we only saved two people."
He didn't use any of his tricks, so he's completely innocent.
Du Zhijin, however, thought of something else. She whispered, "Our relationship wasn't exactly innocent to begin with..."
To be precise, it was her feelings for Amo that were unclear.
"What did you say?" he asked. She shook her head violently, nervously putting her hands behind her back, her eyes darting around: "N-nothing... Let's go inside and see the house!"
After leaving the Marquis of Jianchang's residence, they needed to find another place to stay. Given the national mourning period, few outsiders sought lodging in Liulijing. To avoid attracting attention, Ying Jianhua lied and claimed they were servants who had been driven out of the Marquis's residence.
Anyway, Zhao Zhonggan gave them a lot of identity documents, which came in handy.
Upon hearing that he had been dismissed by the homeowner for a minor mistake, the homeowner, a fellow laborer, expressed deep sympathy: "Indeed! Although important people may reward you handsomely, they also have many rules! Don't worry, my house is the cleanest and tidiest, guaranteed to be more than your money's worth!"
Du Zhijin: "How much does it cost?"
The homeowner pointed to a number, and she did the math in her head, and was greatly surprised.
It's even cheaper than Xiaohong's rent in Wanze City? Is this still the capital city where land is so expensive?
Just as she was about to ask for more details, Ying Jianhua, who was standing to the side, had already agreed: "Deal."
Then they took the keys and watched the homeowner happily walk away.
Du Zhijin looked at the courtyard in front of him and hesitated: "Amo, the rent is so cheap, is there a scam?"
“Of course there’s something fishy going on.” He pointed to the well in the yard, his tone calm. “Someone threw themselves into this well last year.”
Because of the haunting rumors, the price of this house has been reduced again and again, but no one dares to live there.
But he and Du Zhijin are different. One is a demon, the other a cultivator; they're not afraid of any number of ghosts coming, which just benefits them.
The homeowner wasn't lying; the house was indeed clean and tidy, with everything in place. In the middle, besides a well, there was also a small garden.
Du Zhijin walked around the garden and was very satisfied: "At this price, why don't we buy it?"
"What for?"
"Amo, don't you want a home?"
Ying Jianhua was taken aback.
Home......
He stopped what he was doing and looked at her, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
Her expression was so composed, as if she were simply discussing what to have for dinner, without any other emotions mixed in.
His mind was thrown into turmoil by a single sentence.
Yingjianhua, Yingjianhua, stop being delusional. Didn't you decide to control your heart and stay with her for as long as you could?
After saying that, Du Zhijin held his breath and waited nervously for Ying Jianhua's reaction.
Wasn't she blunt enough? Will Amo understand what she means? What should he do if he says no?
The jumbled thoughts gradually subsided in the silence, and her racing heartbeat calmed down. She waited and waited, belatedly realizing that her question seemed to have been forgotten.
She was somewhat discouraged, but quickly rallied.
It's okay, one day she will win over Amo.
————
Ying Jianhua noticed that Du Zhijin had been acting strangely lately, as if he was hiding something from him.
Specifically, she started leaving early and returning late, and could only be seen during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The rest of the time, even when she was in her room, the doors and windows were tightly closed, and you could only tell she was still inside by the dim candlelight.
On the first day, he didn't pay much attention, assuming she had gone out to practice, just as she had done when she taught Zhao Zhonggan. But after three days, he finally couldn't contain himself and casually asked at lunch, "Have you been busy lately?"
"Hmm? Hmm? No rush." Despite saying this, Du Zhijin quickened his eating pace and finished eating in no time before leaving the table.
He was left with each grain of rice, but it tasted like nothing at all.
Where did she go? Why won't she tell him?
He knew he had no right to interfere in Du Zhijin's affairs... but she had clearly told him everything before, and now that things had changed so drastically, he couldn't accept it.
That evening, Ying Jianhua lingered in front of Du Zhijin's door several times, raising and lowering his hand to knock.
Judging from the shadows cast by the window, she was sitting at the table, doing something, I couldn't tell. But one thing was certain: she was definitely inside.
He took a deep breath, knocked on the door, and asked in a low voice, "Are you in there?"
The room was silent for a moment, then the candlelight suddenly went out, and everything went dark.
Du Zhijin emerged into the night. The door wasn't fully open, only a crack was visible. She squeezed into the crack, completely concealing herself from behind.
"Is there something you need so late?"
Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua's carefully prepared draft instantly lost its effectiveness. He stared blankly at her, naturally not missing the evasive look on her face.
She didn't want to see him.
Sorrow overwhelmed Ying Jianhua like a tidal wave, a single gentle ripple enough to shatter him. He couldn't utter a single word, bowing his head and whispering, "It's nothing."
The moon was bright and the wind was gentle tonight. He thought she would be willing to admire the moon with him.
"Oh, I see... If there's nothing else, I'll go back to sleep now," she said.
"Hmm..." He only managed to utter one word before she impatiently turned and closed the door. The door lock clanged shut, like a gust of wind slamming into his heart.
Ying Jianhua did not leave immediately. He stood like a puppet in front of Du Zhijin's door, watching as the person who said he was going back to sleep left the lamp lit until dawn.
The morning mist was thick, and the first rays of dawn were breaking through. Unbeknownst to him, he had stood in the courtyard all night.
He thought a lot that night. He couldn't understand why Du Zhijin's attitude had suddenly changed so drastically. He felt that he hadn't done anything excessive, much less wronged her.
Sitting idly by and letting things drift is not his style. Ying Jianhua decided to get to the bottom of things.
That day, Du Zhijin woke up before dawn as usual, and before leaving, she made a point of checking outside his room. Only after confirming that someone was on the bed did she feel relieved enough to go out.
The moment she turned to leave, he immediately put on his coat, got up, and quietly crept to the door to follow her.
This isn't stalking, much less tailing. Liuli Capital is a chaotic place, full of unpredictable people. She's so naive; what if she gets deceived?
After convincing himself, he stopped hiding his actions. Knowing that Du Zhijin had keen senses and that getting too close might alert her, he could only maintain a distance that was neither too close nor too far. Whenever she showed any sign of turning her head, he would pretend to buy something.
Along the way, he held four bunches of scallions in his hand, priced at one, two, three, and four coins respectively.
However, he ended up throwing all the scallions away because Du Zhijin went into a "Jin Cui Fang" shop, and it was obvious that he couldn't get in with the scallions in his hands.
What is she doing at the jewelry store? Buying jewelry?
But as far as I can remember, she never wore jewelry; she would just wear whatever was at hand.
Then it can only be sold to someone else.
For some reason, Ying Jianhua's heart suddenly started beating faster. After Du Zhijin left the silver shop, he pursed his lips, chose not to follow, and instead walked into "Jin Cui Fang".
It was still early, and Jin Cui Fang was not crowded. The maid inside, seeing that although his clothes were ordinary, his appearance and demeanor were refined, greeted him with a smile: "What would you like to buy, sir? For an elder or for your wife?"
Upon hearing the word "Madam," Ying Jianhua paused slightly and waved her hand, saying, "I'm not here to buy anything... I'd like to ask what the young lady in the blue dress bought here."
"The girl in blue?" The maid glanced at him, her smile unchanged. "I was wondering why. That girl came all the way here to ask if we had any jade pendants or hairpins suitable for men. Turns out she bought them for you."
A jade pendant suitable for a man?
Did you buy it for him?
Having received such significant news, he stopped following Du Zhijin. He returned to his room in a daze, poured water in a daze, and only when the scalding tea splashed onto his wrist did he snap out of his daze.
Du Zhijin bought him a jade pendant.
I bought him a jade pendant.
I bought a jade pendant.
Jade pendant.
Ying Jianhua felt that everything in the world had become lovely. The sky was soft, the earth was gentle, and even the door that had stood between him and Du Zhijin last night seemed to have become loyal and protective, no longer hateful.
He devoutly bathed and burned incense, changed into his newest set of clothes, and combed his long hair repeatedly. Glancing at his face in the bronze mirror, he hesitated for a long time, but still quickly applied a little lip rouge to his lips.
It's just used to improve one's complexion.
He blushed and thought.
However, he waited until dusk, but Du Zhijin did not return.
She didn't come back all day.
The joy of the day instantly turned into boundless chill; disappointment after expectation is harder to accept than simple disappointment. He sat alone in the courtyard all night; that night felt incredibly long.
Was she tired of him? Who did she buy the jade pendant for? Yet another man he didn't know?
Did she finally... fall in love with someone else?
He didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't think of a second reason, so he just stood there blankly in the yard all night, exposed to the cold wind.
When Du Zhijin returned home, Ying Jianhua was asleep leaning against the stone table in the courtyard.
Her long, thick eyelashes and brightly colored lips immediately caught her eye.
Suddenly, she felt that all the running around all night was nothing; all she wanted was to see his sleeping face every day from now on.
But we can't let him sleep here.
"Amo, wake up, go back to your room and sleep." She called softly a few times, advising, "You'll catch a cold."
Ying Jianhua was a light sleeper, and upon hearing her voice, she immediately opened her eyes.
The gentle expression on her face was one he hadn't seen in days, yet he clearly used to see it often.
Who stole her attention? He was so unwilling and resentful.
Uncontrollably, something warm welled up in her eyes. Through her blurred vision, Ying Jianhua could no longer feign composure or indifference, and asked in a trembling voice, "Don't you want me anymore?"
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