Entanglement
The sky was clear and the view from above was expansive. Sitting on the roof tiles along the wall, one should feel relaxed and carefree. However, a person with clearly ill intentions was squatting by the roof ridge, seemingly having been waiting for a long time. Mu Qing felt uneasy.
But Song Baixuan said indifferently, "Miss, how have you been?"
Mu Qing couldn't help but wonder. When she was in the village, she had barely spoken a few words to Song Baixuan. She only remembered that he was a rather unlikable child who didn't pay much attention to people but always got into conflicts with other children. He was always the one who couldn't beat them and often had bruises on his face. Whenever she saw him, he would lower his head and run away.
Seeing his pitiful state, the monkey decided to teach him to escape so he wouldn't be bullied. Mu Qing was initially reluctant, as the monkey had only intended to teach her, and having another apprentice would inevitably take up a lot of her time and energy. However, not long after, she had a falling out with the monkey and stopped caring, figuring it wouldn't be enough to make him hold a grudge over such a small matter.
If it wasn't for himself, but for his father Song Fang, then it was even more wrong. Song Fang and her father died together, both murdered; they should have sympathized with each other.
Mu Qing thought for a moment and suddenly remembered that the book "Cuiying Ji" said that his father was alive and that his adoptive father also had the surname Song.
The sunlight was bright, and the change in her expression from surprise to bewilderment was immediately apparent. Song Baixuan, standing by the roof ridge, watched silently and moved quietly.
When Mu Qing looked back, she noticed that he had moved closer, and her whole body tensed up immediately.
"Er..." she almost called out Er Gouzi, "Don't come any closer!"
The big dog at the base of the wall hadn't run away yet. Hearing her voice, it barked incessantly, drowning out her words.
But Song Baixuan clearly heard him clearly, and curled one corner of his mouth, "Er Gouzi? That's the only name Miss remembers, how sad."
Mu Qing sensed something was off and said, "Now that you've been reborn, why dwell on the past?"
She stood up and saw that Song Baixuan also quickly stood up.
Clearly, he wasn't going to let her off easily.
Hurried footsteps and Ning Gu's voice came from the alley entrance, as if she had summoned the guards for help.
Mu Qing glanced down and saw a figure. He figured it wouldn't be difficult to return to the Lu family now, but once back, he would have to be constantly on guard against hidden attacks. It would be better to take this opportunity to eliminate the source of the problem.
She turned and walked quickly, lightly touching the black tiles, and ran out of the alley.
Song Baixuan saw someone coming from the alley and was about to frown when he noticed that the person on the same roof was running away in the opposite direction. He smiled to himself and immediately followed.
Unfamiliar with the winding, nameless alley, Mu Qing, seeing no one in the alley, leaped down from the wall and found herself lost in a maze.
She turned left and right, moving with lightning speed, not caring where she was, calculating how to quietly get rid of the guy chasing her.
After passing through a narrow, filthy passageway, Mu Qing entered an overgrown, abandoned courtyard. She picked up a long wooden stick from the corner of the wall, hid in an empty room covered in dust and cobwebs, and listened as the person following her into the courtyard approached the door. She stared intently at the dilapidated door, waiting for it to be pushed open again.
But the other party wasn't without sense. He knocked on the door and said, "Miss, there's no need to be so afraid. I just want to have a chat with you."
Mu Qing remained tense. "What do you want to talk about?"
"When the mountain stronghold was wiped out, countless people died or were injured. Don't you want to know who is still alive?"
Mu Qing remained silent.
Song Baixuan waited outside the door for a while, then said sarcastically, "How heartless. So many people followed the chief back then, even when he got drunk and became a complete madman, they were still loyal and flattered the young lady. I was so envious."
Mu Qing gritted her teeth.
The older her father got, the worse his temper became, and in the last two years, the number of people in the village who valued loyalty and righteousness had greatly decreased. That night, only about ten people went to the Jiang family's villa under the pretext of revenge, but there were lurking government troops surrounding them. After sending her and Ayu away, they had no chance of survival.
As for the others in the village, many of them harbored ulterior motives. Mu Qing didn't know much about them, but she could imagine that if they truly followed her father, there was no reason for them not to participate in that night raid.
Unless she was just a child like Song Baixuan at the time, but why should she bother to understand those children?
Mu Qing said coldly, "If you want to say who is still alive, just say it."
But then Song Baixuan outside the door said, "For example, my father."
Mu Qing's eyes widened suddenly. "How is that possible?!"
"Although I learned a few things from the monkey, it wasn't enough to escape the pursuit of the soldiers. Fortunately, my father was rescued and survived. He came back to find me and saved me."
Song Baixuan spoke without any hesitation, seemingly quite sincere.
Mu Qing was taken aback. "Who rescued Uncle Fang?"
"That's a long story," Song Baixuan said slowly. "If Miss really wants to know, she'll have to show some sincerity."
This didn't sound good. Mu Qing pondered for a moment, wondering if Song Baixuan would storm in in a fit of rage if she refused, or would he leave in a huff and then use even more insidious methods to deal with her later.
Just to be on the safe side, she thought for a moment and then it occurred to her, "Did Uncle Fang send you to find me?"
Song Baixuan asked, "Does the young lady want to see my father?"
"..." Mu Qing couldn't give a definite answer. She cursed the other party for being cunning, using a question as a substitute for an answer, without revealing at all whether Song Fang knew about her situation. If he did know, then she would have to deal with the father and son.
Song Baixuan had anticipated this. "Not wanting to see her? That's not hard to understand. Miss is truly fortunate. Even after leaving the mountain stronghold, she can still live the life of a noblewoman. What do the past relationships matter? Back then, she called me 'Uncle,' but now she probably just hopes to stay out of it."
Mu Qing felt embarrassed. "Judging from you, you and Uncle Fang should be doing well now. I... I just don't think there's any need to meet. If Uncle Fang wants to see me, that's fine too."
She wasn't entirely cold-blooded. Remembering how much Song Fang had taken care of her back then—how he would often bring her some of the food and toys he brought back for his son whenever he returned from leaving the village, and how Song Fang would intervene when her father went on a drunken rampage and beat her, even sacrificing himself for him—she had received quite a bit of kindness in return.
Upon reflection, I realized I had forgotten my earlier precautions.
She used a long stick to prop open the door, and saw Song Baixuan raise his eyebrows and smile, "If I had known that Miss was so easy to invite, I would have said so earlier. I blame myself for doing something foolish and causing Miss to be frightened."
He seemed to have no ill intentions and had specifically asked her to meet him.
Mu Qing was skeptical, but after Song Baixuan told her an address in the city, she figured it wouldn't take too long to get there, so she agreed.
After the two left, some noises came from the dilapidated courtyard. In a corner where miscellaneous items were piled up in the courtyard, an old beggar with gray hair crawled out from behind the weeds, looked in the direction the two had left, and chuckled.
Behind the City God Temple lies a low-lying forest called Guiyan Forest. Because it forms a mountain-backed, water-encircled landscape with the inner city moat, it was considered auspicious for the surrounding residential areas according to feng shui principles and was thus preserved. Walking along the main street would involve a long detour, but taking the side paths over the eaves can greatly reduce the time required.
Mu Qing followed Song Baixuan to Guiyan Forest, but halfway there she sensed something amiss. The other party had gone to great lengths to invite her to meet, so it must be more than just a one-time meeting.
Even if they had ulterior motives, she had to go and meet them. The passive situation was unsettling; it was better to see the truth sooner rather than later.
The two darted across the rooftops and ran into the dense forest where the branches and leaves blocked out the sky. The sounds of people faded away, leaving only the chirping of birds and insects.
Mu Qing held her breath and observed. The shadows of the trees were dappled all around, and the paths in the forest were crisscrossing. It was quite different from a few years ago, but it was no different from the first time she came here.
Song Baixuan led the way, taking her deep into the dense forest.
Mu Qing followed for a while, gradually losing her sense of direction. She called out to confirm, "Is Uncle Fang ahead?"
Song Baixuan stopped and turned around. "In Miss's heart, what kind of person is my father?"
Mu Qing couldn't discern his expression, but sensed it wasn't well-intentioned, and asked, "Why are you asking this?"
Song Baixuan smirked, "I want to see just how stupid you can be."
Mu Qing's heart skipped a beat. Although she had expected it, she was still surprised to see him tear off the mask like this.
She knew she wasn't a bright person. From a young age, she often made those around her sigh. Sometimes, when others got impatient with teaching her and were about to give up, they would look at her and then comfort her, saying it was okay and she would get it eventually.
During her two years at the Lu family, she worked especially hard, reading books to understand principles and to figure out people's hearts, and made great progress. At this moment, she was still able to remain calm when she heard Song Baixuan's words.
Mu Qing looked at him expressionlessly. "So, your father is just a decoy. What do you want from me here?"
Song Baixuan did not answer, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe without restraint.
On this day, because she was going to the Prince's Mansion, Mu Qing dressed up carefully, adorned with jade beads and gold hairpins, and wearing a light purple silk gauze skirt with brocade flowers. Although the edges were dirty and messy, she still looked elegant and beautiful at first glance.
Feeling the intense, lingering gaze on her, Mu Qing took a step back, and Song Baixuan pounced on her.
Fortunately, she has never given up what she has learned over the years. Especially in the last two months, she has been going out at night from time to time to practice her jumping and climbing skills, and she is quite quick at dodging.
Song Baixuan chased after her several times, but couldn't even touch the hem of her clothes. He snorted, "The monkey really taught you something different."
Hearing him mention monkeys, Mu Qing felt both angry and disgusted. This guy was just a callow child back then, yet he dared to covet her.
She jumped onto a high branch and paused briefly, saying bitterly, "If the monkey knew that teaching you these skills would allow you to use them against me, he would definitely regret it."
Song Baixuan grabbed a branch not far away and chuckled, "Maybe he'll even be envious and jealous, after all, I can do what he wants to do but doesn't dare to."
If Mu Qing hadn't witnessed the monkey's death with her own eyes, she might still have held a grudge. But now, her resentment towards the monkey had vanished along with the person she was talking about. Hearing Song Baixuan mention it, she only felt that Song Baixuan was despicable.
What gave him such confidence? While dodging, Mu Qing looked back at Song Baixuan's actions and discovered that he was imitating her, and learning very quickly.
Before long, Song Baixuan was close by.
Mu Qing gritted her teeth, suppressing the urge to escape from the forest. She couldn't just run away like this; she had to deal with Song Baixuan.
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