Chapter 490: Qi Dongjing’s Worries
A thick cloud drifted over from afar, blocking the warm sun.
Lu Sheng wiped the sweat off her forehead and waited silently for Ye Luo’s reply.
“I heard from Peak Master Lu that a layer of strange light would appear in Yong Fu Town every night. However, my Senior Brother has checked and there’s nothing.”
As soon as Ye Luo finished speaking, Chu Sihan and Lu Sheng looked at each other.
It had not been long since the matter of the living puppets happened. Now, there was a strange light. Could that land have been cursed before?
Or could it be that Xian Ya and Xian Jing had actually returned to Yong Fu Town and were preparing to regain their old jobs and continue refining living puppets?
No wonder Chunyu Dong let Qing Yi guard Yong Fu Town, and Lu Zhou let Lan Yi and Lu Yi guard the intersection of the two towns.
They were definitely worried that Xian Jing and Xian Ya would prepare to refine new puppets.
At the same time, at Yang Cheng Mansion.
In a quiet courtyard, two people were sitting.
One was wearing black clothes, while the other was wearing a black robe. The black hood completely covered his face, preventing others from seeing his face clearly.
Neither of them spoke. The man in black stood silently behind the black-robed man.
At this moment, the courtyard door was pushed open and a woman in red walked in.
She walked in front of the black-robed person and knelt on one knee. She reported, “Lord Emperor Ghost, Sect Master Kong has already chased after us with the elders and Peak Masters of the Five Peaks.”
After hearing the woman in red’s report, the coffee table in front of the black-robed man suddenly shook, and some tea spilled from the teacup.
The man in black glanced at the coffee table from the corner of his eye and did not dare to speak.
The woman in red did not even dare to raise her head.
“When I regain my strength, I’ll ma.s.sacre the Five Peaks!”
The black-robed man’s voice was like a knife cutting through gla.s.s. It was ear-piercing and unpleasant, but it also made one feel fear from the bottom of their hearts.
“How’s your preparation going?”
Emperor Ghost stood up and asked the duo with his hands behind his back.
Xian Jing hurriedly said, “Lord Emperor Ghost, more than half of the living puppets have been refined. They can be refined into lying puppets in less than two months.”
“Very good. There’s nothing else here. There’s no need for you to continue watching. Continue refining puppets.”
“Yes!”
After agreeing, the siblings turned around and walked out the door.
—————
Liu Yue Village.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had pa.s.sed. During this period, there was no bad news. Everything seemed to be very calm.
However, the more this was the case, the more Lu Zhou and the rest found it strange.
Recently, the Chu Mansion was already preparing the invitation. In ten days, it would be Lu Sheng’s and Chu Sihan’s big day.
There was news of Qi Dongjing in town. s.h.i.+ Yi and Yun Ting had returned and wanted Chu Sihan to bring Lu Sheng to town for a gathering.
Seeing that Xian Jing and Xian Ya were nowhere to be seen for half a month, Lu Zhou felt that they might not have come to Liu Yue Village.
Hence, he agreed to let them go to town.
However, even so, he still followed them secretly, just in case.
“Brother Chu, Miss Lu, take a seat!”
As expected, they were still gathered at the Lu family’s restaurant.
The Lu family’s restaurant was different from before.
As they had bought the restaurant next door, He Zhang and He Qin used it as a private room.
Of course, this was also Lu Sheng’s suggestion.
At this moment, s.h.i.+ Yi, Lu Zhou, and the rest were in the room.
Looking at the pile of new food on the table, Lu Sheng raised her eyebrows slightly but did not say anything.
s.h.i.+ Yi mumbled, “Miss Lu is really bad. The Lu family’s restaurant has produced so many new delicacies. Why didn’t you write a letter to inform us?”
“That’s right!” Fu Sisi pouted and added, “After eating the food from the Lu family’s restaurant for too long, everything I’ve eaten has become tasteless since I returned to the capital. I miss the taste of chili so much.”
As she spoke, she picked up a green pepper and took a bite.
Lu Sheng chuckled. “I heard from Young Madam Fu that you’ll be back soon. I thought you would be able to eat them when you’re back.”
“When I came back this time, not only were there more dishes, but there were also a few more fruits. I’ve never seen them before.”
Yun Ting looked at Lu Sheng and asked, “Is this watermelon related to winter melons?”
Lu Sheng nodded. “Yes.”
Everyone stopped eating and prepared to listen to her explanation.
Unexpectedly, she raised her eyebrows and said, “They’re all melons.”
Everyone was speechless.
Chu Sihan chuckled and said dotingly, “Naughty.”
Lu Sheng blinked innocently and asked him, “Am I wrong?”
He shook his head and smiled faintly. “You’re right.”
Yun Ting sighed softly. “Miss Lu is so humorous.”
Lu Sheng shrugged, accepting the praise.
“What should this thing be called?”
Fu Sisi pointed at the plate of roasted sweet potatoes and asked blankly, “Why is this called steamed sweet potato and steamed purple sweet potato but the roasted ones are k.u.maras?”
“It’s just to differentiate the types of sweet potatoes. If you want it to be simpler, you can call it sweet potato.”
Fu Sisi nodded.
s.h.i.+ Yi leaned back in his chair and looked at Chu Sihan. He asked, “I heard that the date of your big day has been decided. When will it be?”
Although the invitation had not been sent to him yet, they had already received the news.
“The first day of next month.”
Chu Sihan replied faintly.
“Didn’t you say July?” Qi Dongjing raised an eyebrow.
The last time he went to the Chu Mansion to find Chu Sihan, he specially asked him. He said that it would be in July.
“July?” s.h.i.+ Yi sneered. “Brother Qi, would July be appropriate for people to get married?”
Qi Dongjing frowned. “Why not?”
He did not care much about these, so he really did not understand why they could not get married in July.
“Ghost Month!”
s.h.i.+ Yi glanced at him disdainfully. “You don’t even know these. You’ve lived for twenty years in vain.”
“Who knows these?” Qi Dongjing pouted and looked at Chu Sihan aggrievedly. “Brother Chu, I didn’t expect you to lie too.”
When Chu Sihan answered his question, he was so serious that he believed him.
Lu Sheng smiled and explained for Chu Sihan. “He didn’t lie to you. He indeed wanted to get married in July, but my master didn’t agree.”
Speaking of this, Chu Sihan’s face paled immediately. However, he recovered immediately, so no one present noticed.
Even Lu Sheng did not notice.
“Come, come. Let’s congratulate the two of you in advance!” s.h.i.+ Yi raised his cup and smiled.
When the others saw this, they raised their cups to the two of them.
Seeing that Lu Sheng had already raised her cup, Chu Sihan could not help but smile. Then, he also raised his cup to toast them.
There were still a lot of guests in the Lu family’s restaurant. Be it downstairs or upstairs, it was very lively.
Lu Sheng pushed open the window and leaned against it, looking down at the world.
She suddenly felt dizzy and her vision darkened.
She shook her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were clear again.
“What’s wrong?”
Sensing that something was amiss, Chu Sihan hurried forward to ask.
“I’m fine. Perhaps the weather was too hot and I suffered a heat stroke.”
She rubbed her temples in an attempt to alleviate her dizziness.
Chu Sihan raised his hand to test her forehead and realized that there was nothing wrong.
However, he still suggested, “Why don’t we return to the Chu Mansion to rest first and return to the village at night?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine!”
Her discomfort just now was only for a moment. Now, she felt that there was nothing wrong.
Seeing that her face had regained its color, Chu Sihan did not force her.
“Brother Qi, you haven’t returned to the capital for years. Some time ago, we met Old Master Qi. He even asked if we had seen you. He wanted you to go back.”
On the other hand, s.h.i.+ Yi leaned his chair towards Qi Dongjing and spoke solemnly.
“Why should I go back?”
Qi Dongjing smiled faintly. “Go back and marry, then have children?”
“What’s wrong with that?” s.h.i.+ Yi sighed softly. “Old Master Qi is right. You’re not young anymore. It’s indeed time to start a family.”
Qi Dongjing’s mother was too sad because her eldest son died in the battlefield and she pa.s.sed away after a few years.
His sister-in-law had remarried after being widowed for three years. Now, only Matriarch Qi was left holding the family together.
Qi Dongjing had a nephew, but he was only ten years old this year and was not up to the task.
Now, Matriarch Qi was already old. It was unknown how long she could last. If she pa.s.sed away one day, the entire Qi Mansion would really be without a female owner.
Qi Dongjing sighed softly. “I’ll go back, but not now.”
“It’s all in the past now. There’s no point in trying to escape.”
Chu Sihan stopped Lu Sheng and walked over.
Qi Dongjing’s face paled slightly. He pursed his lips tightly and did not speak.
Fu Sisi, Yun Ting, and s.h.i.+ Yi’s worried gazes landed on him.
The atmosphere became a bit oppressive.
Lu Sheng looked at this and then that, confused.
After some time, Qi Dongjing sighed.
“I know, but I can’t get over that pit in my heart.”
He clenched his fists and tried his best to suppress his emotions.
Seeing his expression, Lu Sheng, who was about to ask about the situation, suddenly swallowed her question.
It seemed like it was not a small matter. Perhaps it was a big matter that had affected Qi Dongjing’s life.
Asking such a matter in person was no different from rubbing salt on one’s wound.
“It’s been four years. No matter how much you hate Matriarch Qi, you can’t abandon the entire Qi Mansion. General Qi is now outside the Great Wall. Your grandfather is already at an age where he can’t do anything even if he wants to.”
Chu Sihan’s voice was faint, but his gaze at Qi Dongjing was filled with worry.
Lu Sheng did not know what happened to Qi Dongjing, but from Chu Sihan’s words, she knew that this was not a small matter.
The others did not speak but listened silently.
“I know even without your advice, but…”
Qi Dongjing pursed his lips again. Tears welled up in his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to force them back. Unexpectedly, they still fell.
He wiped his tears, sniffed, and said in a low voice, “However, the moment I returned to the Qi Mansion, I would think of her tragic death in the woodshed.”
Chu Sihan patted his shoulder lightly and sighed faintly.
He could not persuade Qi Dongjing too much. He did not understand this in the past, but now, if such a thing happened to him, he would probably be the same as Qi Dongjing.
“I still have some matters to attend to at the bookstore, so I’ll go back first.”
Qi Dongjing wiped his tears and forced a smile at them before striding out of the room.
“Sigh—”
Fu Sisi stared at the door and said softly, “Young Master Qi is so pitiful.”
“Qi Dongjing… What happened to him?”
After Qi Dongjing left, Lu Sheng could not help but be curious.
Fu Sisi turned back and looked at her. “Young Master Qi used to have a servant called Qing Huan. She grew up with him and they have a good relations.h.i.+p.”
“However, Matriarch Qi disapproved of their relations.h.i.+p. Later, when Young Master Qi was on a long trip, she wanted to betroth Qing Huan to a cripple. Thankfully, Young Master Qi felt that something was amiss and returned to the Qi Mansion. That was how he saved Qing Huan.”
“What happened after that?” Lu Sheng asked.
“After that, no matter where Young Master Qi went, he would bring Qing Huan along. After a while, they… they…”
Fu Sisi paused for a long time, her face blus.h.i.+ng suspiciously.
However, Lu Sheng, who was bent on knowing the answer, did not notice her change.
“They what?”
“They…”
“Cough—”
Yun Ting coughed lightly and tried to interrupt Fu Sisi.
Lu Sheng looked suspiciously at Yun Ting, then at Fu Sisi. Only then did she realize that there was something wrong with her expression.
s.h.i.+ Yi and Chu Sihan did not intend to explain to her.
No matter how stupid Lu Sheng was, she could guess the answer.
She coughed lightly and said to Fu Sisi, “I understand. You just have to say what happened next.”
Fu Sisi smiled awkwardly. “Because Qing Huan is pregnant and can’t afford to travel, Young Master Qi bought a courtyard outside to settle her down.”
“Unexpectedly, Matriarch Qi found out about this. When Young Master Qi left, she got someone to bring Qing Huan back to the Qi Mansion and even forced her to drink the abortion medicine.”
When Lu Sheng heard this, she could not help but sigh.
“That’s one thing,” Fu Sisi said angrily. “Matriarch Qi is a vicious person. Not only did she force Qing Huan to drink the abortion medicine, but she also got someone to beat her up and throw her into the woodshed.”
“It was still snowing outside and it was very cold. When Young Master Qi found her, Qing Huan was lying in a pool of blood. She had already… stiffened.”
She looked at the frowning Lu Sheng and said, “Qing Huan is the girl Young Master Qi loves the most. She died just like that, and it was caused by his grandmother. At that time, he vomited blood and fainted. He only woke up after five days. When he woke up, he was seriously ill again and almost died.”
Lu Sheng more or less understood why Qi Dongjing was unwilling to return to the Qi Mansion.
“Matriarch Qi’s methods are indeed ruthless.”
Regardless of Qing Huan’s ident.i.ty, she was pregnant with her great-grandson, a child of the Qi family. How could she bear to be vicious?
And…
“Qing Huan is a servant. If she thinks that her status is not worthy of Young Master Qi, wouldn’t it be better to make her a concubine? Why did she force her to such a state?”
Lu Sheng really did not understand this.
“There’s a reason.”
Chu Sihan explained calmly, “Back then, Qing Huan’s mother was Brother Qi’s Aunt Qi Xun’s servant. However, after Qi Xun got married, Matriarch Qi brought Qing Huan’s mother along. Qing Huan’s mother lost her husband early and when she was by Matriarch Qi’s side, she once tried to…”
Speaking of this, Chu Sihan paused and coughed lightly before continuing, “She once tried to climb into General Qi’s bed, but was later executed by General Qi in a fury.”