Chapter 109
Chapter 109
Rain or shine, Mo Qingyi had to attend the Golden Tree every day. This was her duty as the Saintess.
The City Lord’s Manor was vast and housed many people, but wherever the most maids gathered, Mo Qingyi was certain to be found.
What she did and where she went each day followed a fixed routine. Today, however, something unusual appeared along her regular route.
“The sunlight is splendid today. To encounter a beauty by chance is truly one of life’s greatest blessings.”
Ming Caihua folded his arms and leaned back against an ornamental rockery. He raised one brow and smiled, looking every inch the suave young charmer.
Mo Qingyi never broke stride. She walked straight past without sparing him so much as a second glance.
Ming Caihua showed no embarrassment at being ignored. Braving the maids’ displeased stares, he moved closer again. “I’ve been watching you for several days. You do the same things every day. Don’t you ever get bored?”
Mo Qingyi said nothing.
Ming Caihua continued, “What difference is there between repeating the same things every day and being in prison?”
Mo Qingyi seemed not to hear him. Each rigid step she took covered exactly the same distance.
Ming Caihua simply could not understand how anyone could enjoy such a tedious life.
Yes, as the Saintess, Mo Qingyi appeared lofty and revered. But in Ming Caihua’s eyes, her unchanging life was that of a prisoner.
Watching her back, Ming Caihua called, “Lady Saintess, don’t you want to see the world beyond Yunling City?”
Mo Qingyi’s steps seemed to pause slightly, though it might have been no more than an illusion. She swiftly resumed her usual pace and replied without looking back,
“My life now is very good.”
Ming Caihua tried to follow, but the sword-bearing maids stepped forward to block his path.
“Mind your conduct, young master.”
Ming Caihua could only watch Mo Qingyi’s back gradually disappear. This would not do.
His eyes darted. He retraced his path while quietly beginning to scheme.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted a man and woman crouching beside a wall. Curiosity immediately sent him bounding over.
Qiao Ying stroked the flower blooming before her. “Shen Qingyu, the peonies here are so beautiful.”
The vivid red blossoms had opened in splendid profusion, brilliant beyond compare.
Shen Qingyu copied her and crouched on the ground, echoing, “So beautiful.”
Qiao Ying continued, “Flowers and plants grow everywhere in the City Lord’s Manor, especially in the Saintess’s courtyard. I heard the manor servants say that the City Lord’s younger sister, who died many years ago, loved flowers. That’s why so many were planted here. You can often see gardeners tending them too.”
Qiao Ying’s finger lightly touched a petal, and Shen Qingyu’s fingertip lightly touched hers.
He smiled. “So many flowers and plants.”
Qiao Ying looked up at him. “Don’t you find it strange?”
Shen Qingyu turned his face toward her. “Strange?”
Qiao Ying said, “The peonies are blooming, and so was the poppy Ming Caihua plucked last time. They both flower in late spring, yet we’re in the dead of winter. It’s strange that their flowering seasons have landed in the middle of this bitter cold.”
The City Lord’s Manor held more than peonies and poppies. White plum blossoms released their faint fragrance from the branches, pink lotus flowers floated in the ponds, and even clusters of golden chrysanthemums bloomed in corners, all of them exquisitely beautiful.
Flowers from different seasons had somehow met in the same freezing winter. It was utterly inconceivable.
A third voice cut in. “What’s so strange about that?”
Qiao Ying looked back and saw Ming Caihua.
Ming Caihua stroked his chin and offered a confident explanation. “The City Lord’s Manor enshrines a Golden Tree. If even the Saintess who attends it can possess such miraculous power, then the Golden Tree must have altered the ley lines here and helped every living thing flourish.”
Qiao Ying understood. “So that’s why.”
Ming Caihua got along reasonably well with Qiao Ying, but he was deeply afraid of Shen Qingyu. He stole a careful glance at Shen Qingyu. The man was smiling and appeared to be in a good mood.
So Ming Caihua crouched on Qiao Ying’s other side. “Hey, Qiao Ying…”
A bone-piercing chill suddenly struck him. Ming Caihua swallowed and silently retreated two steps. When the cold did not fade, he silently backed up another two, putting even more distance between himself and Qiao Ying.
Shen Qingyu smiled with pure, friendly innocence.
Once Ming Caihua could no longer feel the chill, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the oblivious Qiao Ying, cleared his throat, and said, “Hey, Qiao Ying, did they find the person who abducted you into the City Lord’s Manor?”
Qiao Ying shook her head. “The City Lord investigated but found no one suspicious. He said he couldn’t tell whether the person behind it was friend or foe or what they intended. He advised us to stay a few more days so he could act in time if anything happened.”
“Oh,” Ming Caihua said. He stole another glance at Shen Qingyu, then cautiously asked Qiao Ying, “The City Lord’s Manor is so dull. Do you want to find some excitement?”
Qiao Ying hurriedly took Shen Qingyu’s hand. “I’m already married!”
Shen Qingyu said gently, “We’re already married.”
Ming Caihua’s scalp prickled. He hastily explained, “Where did your minds go? I only wanted to ask if you’d like to explore Yunling City. We finally made it inside the city. If we don’t look around beyond the City Lord’s Manor, won’t the trip have been wasted?”
Qiao Ying answered decisively, “No.”
Ming Caihua was surprised. “Why?”
Qiao Ying said, “I have a feeling that going out will bring trouble down on us.”
Shen Qingyu smiled too. “Trouble will find us.”
Ming Caihua was speechless for a long moment. Caution was a good thing, but surely they did not need to be this cautious. Since they had nothing to say to each other, he rose and declared with his usual carefree swagger,
“This young master is off to enjoy himself. You two can stay here and admire the flowers.”
Qiao Ying watched Ming Caihua’s back recede and muttered, “Why do I get the feeling he managed to stay peacefully in the City Lord’s Manor for several days because he’s planning to cause an enormous scene?”
Shen Qingyu only smiled and said nothing.
Qiao Ying was about to complain that his mysterious airs were terribly irritating. But when she looked up, she saw the young man beneath the sunlight, pure as ice and snow yet seemingly bathed in spring. His warm smile resembled the morning sun of April. The words of distaste poised on her tongue changed despite herself.
“Shen Qingyu, you’re so beautiful.”
Shen Qingyu’s smile deepened and grew more genuine. “So you like me even more now?”
Qiao Ying laughed and admitted it freely. “Yes. I like you even more.”
Shen Qingyu took her hand. Amid the rich fragrance of flowers, he felt her warmth and her undisguised joy. For some inexplicable reason, his ears began to burn.
“Yingying, I’m sick again.”
Qiao Ying deliberately asked, “Is it very serious?”
He nodded. “Very serious.”
Qiao Ying deliberately asked again, “Do you need me to cure you?”
He nodded once more. “I do.”