Chapter 150 Danger

"Ahem, well... I was the one who told her to go."

Xichi looked at Young Master Jiang Lan with absolute disbelief. "Young Master, if you wish to protect her, so be it, but why resort to such an excuse? Xichi doesn't believe your lies anyway."

Jiang Lan wore an exasperated expression. "I really did send her. Their Zhongnan Mountain has a secret art capable of soul-interrogation. Handing a spy who died of poison over to Qingli—what could possibly be wrong with that?"

Hearing Jiang Lan's counter-question, Xichi glanced up at Jiang Lan, then looked back at Qingli, before stepping forward to untie Qingli.

Jiang Lan originally thought Xichi had finally seen reason, but unexpectedly, she dropped this line:

"It seems the Young Master has been utterly bewitched by this vixen. Rest assured, this maid will certainly find a way to break this spell and uncover this vixen's true colors so you can see her for who she really is."

Jiang Lan wanted to argue further, but seeing that Xichi firmly believed she had been charmed by Qingli's beauty, Xichi turned on her heel and strode away.

Jiang Lan looked at Qingli, who was now freed and sitting on the ground. "Are you alright?"

Qingli shook her head, listening to the rooster crowing in the distance. "I'm fine. It's just a shame the interrogation wasn't finished. I suppose we'll have to wait until tomorrow, Young Master."

Jiang Lan rubbed her head, then looked at the talisman on the rope. It didn't look like some cheap, street-market knockoff.

"Did this thing have no effect on you?" Jiang Lan asked curiously.

Qingli nodded, pulling a yellow talisman attached to a red cord out from her collar. "Young Master, could it be because of this?"

"What is this?" Jiang Lan asked, puzzled. "It looks like there's human blood on it?"

"Human blood?" Qingli instantly felt a wave of nausea. "Sanmu gave this to me. It's supposed to help mask my demonic aura."

Seeing Qingli about to take it off, Jiang Lan quickly stopped her. "Keep wearing it. If not for this, your cultivation would have been severely damaged by that yellow talisman long ago. Sanmu is a orthodox cultivator, and his blood is relatively pure. Presumably, the yellow talisman on the cord mistook you for a Daoist practitioner, which is why it didn't attack you."

"I see. In that case, don't I owe Sanmu a massive favor?"

Jiang Lan yawned, tightening her robe around herself as she gazed at the gradually rising morning sun.

"It's too late. I'm going to sleep a bit longer. Skip breakfast today; wake me at noon."

***

Instead of returning to her own room, Xichi slipped out through the nearest side gate, navigated the alleys, avoided the patrols and the night watchmen, and arrived at a deserted courtyard.

Upon stepping inside, Xichi spotted Rong牧, who was dressed in his black and white Daoist robes.

"I assume Xichi Girl already knows that what this poor Daoist said was no falsehood?" Rongmu turned around and looked at Xichi.

Xichi stared straight back at him. "No. The only problem is that woman. What does she have to do with our Young Master?"

"Why must Xichi Girl continue to deceive herself? That person is no longer your young master; he is an evil ghost crawling up from the netherworld," Rongmu declared.

Xichi shook her feet slightly, her gaze filled with undisguised scrutiny.

"You've said so much, but do you have any evidence?" Xichi challenged.

Rongmu retrieved the square piece of jade he had seen that day. "You must be extremely familiar with this item, I presume?"

When Xichi saw the object in Rongmu's hand, she was momentarily startled, but quickly managed to compose herself. Yet, swift as her concealment was, it could not escape Rongmu's sharp eyes.

"This was left behind at the Bureau of Astronomy the other day by a man overflowing with demonic arts. Is this not an item belonging to your young master?"

"No!" Xichi denied it instantly, without a moment's hesitation.

Rongmu put away the square jade and said calmly, "Xichi Girl, I know all of this is difficult to accept, and you need time. However, if you delay too long, your true master may truly be beyond saving. Are you planning to betray your master?"

Xichi looked at Rongmu. Realizing that the young woman before him had been shaken, Rongmu pulled a white porcelain bottle from his robes.

"If you still don't believe me, you can use this to test him." Seeing Xichi's probing and suspicious gaze, Rongmu immediately dispelled her doubts. "If you don't trust this, you can try something else. This thing is not poison; it will simply force any demonic entity to reveal its true form. Of course, you can also choose to reject it, pretend you know nothing, and continue to serve the murderer of your master wholeheartedly."

Xichi stepped forward and snatched the bottle of liquid.

Watching Xichi leave, Rongmu leaped up onto the rooftop. Gazing at the boundless morning light, he murmured, "Whether it brings fortune or disaster, there is no turning back this time."

Jiang Lan slept all the way until afternoon. The moment she opened her eyes, she found Xue Mingrui flipping through a book by the edge of the couch.

Jiang Lan instinctively clutched her collar tight, pulled the quilt over herself, and scolded, "Cousin! Breaking into someone else's room like this is rather ungentlemanly, isn't it? Is this what a gentleman does?"

Xue Mingrui tossed a book at Jiang Lan's arched back. "The sun is already past the meridian, and you're still sleeping like a lazy bug—what kind of behavior is that? Besides, if you forbid me from coming in, could it be that you're afraid I'll walk in on some shady business of yours?"

Jiang Lan massaged her temples. What kind of shady business could a woman possibly be up to? And why did his words carry such deep, ambiguous undertones?

Seeing her cousin roll her eyes and attempt to burrow back into the quilt, Xue Mingrui promptly dragged her out from beneath the covers.

"Stop sleeping. We have business to discuss."

Jiang Lan lay on the bed with her eyes closed. "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Xue Mingrui sighed helplessly. Seeing the dark circles under Jiang Lan's eyes, he decided to spare her further torment. "Tomorrow is Grandmother's birthday, and I have a favor to ask of Cousin."

Jiang Lan opened half an eye. "Speak."

"Grandmother's birthday is tomorrow. Eldest Brother asked for leave to return, no matter how busy he was. But this time is different; the assignment Eldest Brother encountered is rather tricky. I've told you before, we still haven't received news of Uncle. However, since Uncle took action, Eldest Brother's life should be secure. It's just that he won't be able to make it back in time for Grandmother's birthday.

"All the arrangements that usually fall to Eldest Brother have now landed on me. The invitations, the guests... everything is exceptionally tedious. I genuinely won't have the time tomorrow. If Cousin has nothing better to do, perhaps you could come over early and help your cousin out."

Jiang Lan replied lazily, "No, I'm busy, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"A whole month's supply of drunken chicken from the Taibai Restaurant." At the mention of food, Jiang Lan immediately sat straight up.

Qingli, who had just stepped through the door carrying a tray of tea, paused and thought to herself, *Doesn't the Young Master lack a sense of taste? What difference does it make whether it's drunken chicken or sober chicken?*

Of course, she wouldn't dare say it aloud. The Young Master had given strict orders: the fact that she had lost her sense of taste must not be spread to anyone—absolutely no one.

Qingli's strange expression caused Xue Mingrui to spare her a couple of extra glances. After Qingli retreated, he asked, "It hasn't even been two days, and when did you acquire such a beautiful maidservant? Didn't you used to dislike having people serve around you? What made you change your mind, and why did you specifically pick someone so striking and vivid?"

Jiang Lan leaned back against the headboard, tilted her head, and rolled her eyes.

"Cousin, let me tell you something. With Uncle and Auntie away, Grand Duke and you are separated by a generation, and Empress Dowager dotes on you endlessly, giving you whatever you want. No one is keeping you in check, but when it comes to matters of principle, you still need to hold yourself together, you know? You—"

Jiang Lan pulled a pillow from behind her and hurled it straight at him.

"Shut up."

Xue Mingrui sidestepped to dodge it, and seeing that the pillow was about to hit the floor, he hurriedly caught it in his arms.