“What do you mean?” Ling Long’s brows twitched almost imperceptibly.

Yin Yin looked at him, her gaze growing darker. “Maybe we were wrong from the start.” She said after a pause. “The only one who really knows the truth about this is probably Liu Ruoxi.”

Ling Long’s eyes dimmed as well. He looked at Yin Yin but said nothing more.

Yin Yin had originally wanted to go see Liu Ruoxi right away, but Ling Long insisted she eat lunch first. Only after that did they head to Tianxiang Pavilion together.

In truth, after seeing that charred corpse, Yin Yin had completely lost her appetite. But under Ling Long’s unwavering gaze, she forced herself to eat a bowl of rice and drink a bowl of soup.

Just as the two of them arrived at the entrance of Tianxiang Pavilion, Bitao came out to greet them, “Young Master Ling Long, our sect leader is already waiting for you inside.”

Yin Yin was a little surprised. “She knew we were coming?”

Bitao glanced at Yin Yin, her expression a little complicated, but merely said, “Our sect leader is in Qingle Pavilion.”

“Thank you, Miss Bitao.” Ling Long nodded slightly, then pulled Yin Yin inside.

Inside Qingle Pavilion, the same crisp scent of cypress leaves lingered in the air.

Liu Ruoxi was reclining alone on a soft couch, her expression haggard. When she saw Yin Yin and Ling Long enter, she merely lifted her eyelids slightly. “Sit.”

This time, Ling Long didn’t sit next to Liu Ruoxi. Instead, he pulled up a chair with Yin Yin and sat across from her.

Liu Ruoxi offered a faint, weary smile and looked at Yin Yin. “Miss Yin, you truly surprised me.”

……What did that mean?

“When I first met you, I thought you were just like the rumors— an uneducated, spoiled young lady. But you turned out to be unexpectedly sharp.”

……

Yin Yin really wanted to know who the hell had spread those damn rumors!

“I suppose you’ve figured out the truth of the matter, haven’t you?”

“Mm……” Yin Yin nodded. “Actually, it’s just a guess of mine.”

“Oh?” Liu Ruoxi raised an eyebrow, her face showing a faint smile. “I’m all ears.”

“Actually, the Shangcha from Tianxiang Society isn’t Qing Shangcha at all. We were wrong from the very beginning.” Of course, this was partly due to your deliberate misdirection.  But Yin Yin didn’t say that part out loud.

“Not Qing Shangcha?” Liu Ruoxi looked at her with great interest. “Then who is she?”

“Luzhu.”

That name made Liu Ruoxi’s expression change slightly. Yin Yin continued, “Two years ago, something major did happen in the Qing family, but we mixed up the perpetrator and the victim. The one who was poisoned and disfigured wasn’t the young lady, Qing Shangcha, but her personal maid, Luzhu.”

Yin Yin’s words left Liu Ruoxi silent for a long while. Finally, she spoke in a heavy tone, “That’s right. Luzhu may not be able to speak, but that doesn’t mean she can’t write. When I saved her, she told me everything.”

Liu Ruoxi seemed to sink into distant memories, her expression somewhat vacant. “Back then, Ning Qingfeng and Zhu Wuwen, along with two other sons of wealthy families, traveled to Nanping County. On the road, they met Qing Shangcha. Both Ning Qingfeng and Zhu Wuwen were taken with her. But Ning Qingfeng confessed his feelings first. Since the Ning and Zhu families had long-standing ties, Zhu Wuwen didn’t want to ruin that over a woman, so he kept his dealings with Qing Shangcha a secret.

Qing Shangcha liked Zhu Wuwen too. But with her wedding to Ning Qingfeng approaching, she finally couldn’t take it anymore. She arranged to meet Zhu Wuwen and told him she didn’t want to marry Ning Qingfeng. She wanted to run away with Zhu Wuwen. But Zhu Wuwen didn’t agree at the time. He didn’t want to offend Ning Qingfeng, but he also couldn’t bear to part with Qing Shangcha. So the two of them came up with a plan.”

“The golden cicada sheds its shell^[1]evading danger, pursuit, or responsibility by leaving behind a false appearance.” Yin Yin said.

Liu Ruoxi looked at her and nodded. “As long as Qing Shangcha ‘died’, the Ning family would stop pushing for marriage. They wouldn’t offend the Ning family, and she could be with Zhu Wuwen. It was a perfect solution.” She sneered. “But there was one critical element missing in their plan.”

“Qing Shangcha’s corpse.” Yin Yin said grimly. It was just as she had suspected.

“Exactly. The first person Qing Shangcha thought of was Luzhu. She was her personal maid, defenseless and easy to deal with. Plus, Luzhu knew about her relationship with Zhu Wuwen. Killing her would also silence her. So they went ahead with the plan of poisoning and arson. Everything went smoothly, but in the end, Luzhu didn’t die.

Qing Shangcha hadn’t expected to be discovered so quickly before she could flee with Zhu Wuwen. She was caught almost on the spot. But so what? She was the Qing couple’s only daughter. They were heartbroken, but they wouldn’t really send her to the authorities. So the Qing family played along, let Qing Shangcha go, and locked up the disfigured Luzhu in her place. Since Luzhu survived but was disfigured, the engagement was naturally canceled. Qing Shangcha and Zhu Wuwen still got what they wanted.”

Yin Yin’s heart thudded heavily. What a vicious plan! For their selfish desires, they ruined an innocent person. How could they live happily ever after with such a burden?

“Can you imagine what Luzhu’s days locked up in the Qing family’s household were like? It was hell.” Liu Ruoxi’s voice trembled slightly with emotion. “Later, when I passed by the Qing family’s residence in Nanping, I felt something was off about that family. Out of curiosity, I investigated and found Luzhu. I rescued her.”

She looked at Yin Yin again, “But how did you find out?”

“Uh……” Yin Yin scratched her nose. “First, my mother said she found Qingmei familiar. Then Zhu Wuwen’s death made me suspicious.” Most importantly, this kind of ‘the golden cicada sheds its shell’ scheme, she’d used it too many times during her days as a con artist. That’s why it felt so eerily familiar.

The door curtain rustled softly as a figure stepped out from the inner room.

“Qing Shangcha?” Yin Yin paused, then corrected herself. “Luzhu.”

Luzhu still wore that ghostly mask. Yin Yin couldn’t see her expression, but she could sense that Luzhu seemed more at ease than before. “So the one who died was the real Qing Shangcha— Qingmei?”

“Yes.” Liu Ruoxi picked up her teacup and took a sip. “She should’ve died two years ago. But she changed her name, kept to the shadows, and somehow thought no one would recognize her. She even dared show up at the Fragrance Banquet.”

Yin Yin’s mouth twitched. Where did the woman get such shameless confidence?

“She might have forgotten the whole thing,” Liu Ruoxi said, “but Luzhu never will.”

“This matter isn’t so simple.” Ling Long said, staring at Luzhu. “The Zhu family won’t let it go.”

Liu Ruoxi’s brows drew together. “The culprit they’re after— Qing Shangcha— was burned to death by the river.”

It was a true chain of schemes. But……

Yin Yin winced inwardly. “From what I’ve observed, that Head Constable Xu isn’t a fool. He’ll probably figure out soon that the one who died wasn’t Luzhu.”

Luzhu made a few hand signs to Liu Ruoxi. Her gaze darkened slightly. “She says that as long as Qing Shangcha and Zhu Wuwen are dead, she can die without regret.”

Yin Yin felt a pang in her chest. She couldn’t quite explain it. It was understandable for Luzhu to seek revenge after what she’d been through. But was that really enough? She could’ve had a better life, escaped death, and used her strength to move on. But instead, she poured everything into vengeance. And in the end, it still cost her everything.

But if she didn’t take revenge, could she really find a reason to keep living in that condition? Could she ever be truly reborn?

Life was a century-old riddle. No matter how hard Yin Yin thought, she couldn’t solve it.

Ling Long reached out and rubbed the top of her head gently. “Alright. Let’s not disturb Miss Liu any longer. We should take our leave.”

Still lost in thought, Yin Yin didn’t catch the weight behind the phrase ‘Miss Liu’, but Liu Ruoxi heard it clearly. She smiled to herself bitterly. When had Ling Long become so distant with her?

Probably from the moment Yin Yin appeared.

Liu Ruoxi’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Young Master Ling Long, please wait.”

Ling Long turned back to her. “What is it?”

“If the Zhu family asks about Luzhu, please don’t tell them anything.”

Ling Long lowered his eyes in thought. “Alright.”

Liu Ruoxi let out a quiet sigh of relief. As long as Ling Long kept silent, the other intelligence networks wouldn’t be much of a threat. “Thank you.”

“Think of it as repaying your life-saving kindness that day.” With that, Ling Long pulled Yin Yin out of Qingle Pavilion.

Behind them, Liu Ruoxi let out a bitter laugh. So now they owed each other nothing?

She stared at the two people’s retreating figures, and her gaze gradually darkened.

────ρя

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

On the way back, Yin Yin remained silent. Ling Long tapped her on the head. “Feeling sad?”

Yin Yin looked up at him. “I think Luzhu is really pitiful.”

Ling Long’s lips moved slightly. “Everyone has their fate.”

Fate?

Yin Yin frowned. Was there a way to help Luzhu?

Wait!

“Jia Qing!” Her eyes lit up as if fully recharged. “Jia Qing could definitely cure her!”

Since Jia Renyi had come to the capital, Jia Qing was probably there too. “Do you know where Jia Qing is?”

Ling Long raised an eyebrow. “How much are you willing to pay for that information?”

Yin Yin: “……”

Ugh! Why did her crush always bring up money at critical moments? It was so unromantic!

“How much do you want?”

“I want……” Ling Long looked at her and blinked, as if considering.

Yin Yin swallowed nervously.

“Forget it. You can owe me for now.” Pay it back later.

“Aww! Ling Long, you’re the best!” She clearly didn’t realize that ‘owe’ and ‘free’ were not the same thing.

Owing meant interest!

“So where is Jia Qing?”

“Shili Courtyard.”

“I’ll go find him tomorrow! (^o^)/~”

“……'”