Chapter 59 Glimpse

Chapter 59 Glimpse

He Qingxiao turned at the sound, his expression calm as he looked over.

Xin You stepped closer and lowered her voice. "Sir He, I see a dark cloud on your forehead; you may be in danger of bloodshed."

He Qingxiao: ""

"Sir He?" Noticing He Qingxiao's distraction, Xin You called out.

He Qingxiao snapped back to reality, coughed into his fist, and made an excuse. "Sorry, I suddenly remembered a case. What did Miss Kou say?"

"I said, Sir He, you may be in danger of bloodshed. Be cautious when dealing with cases," Xin You said seriously.

In the vision she had just seen, He Qingxiao was leading his men to arrest someone. The suspect suddenly pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed him in the abdomen.

Blood splattered immediately.

Xin You looked at the man before her, as upright as a pine or bamboo, and shook her head slightly.

Logically, anyone who could become the Chief of the Jinlin Guard should have decent martial arts skills. He Qingxiao's reaction during the incident with the startled horse was good, so why did he always seem a bit clumsy in her visions?

But everyone has moments of carelessness.

Xin You found her reason.

Looking at the earnest young woman, He Qingxiao felt a mix of emotions.

Given her previous warning, he didn't doubt Miss Kou's words. However, if she was this proficient in physiognomy, he might hear "Sir He, you may be in danger of bloodshed" quite often in the future.

He Qingxiao had noticed since childhood that his luck was slightly off, with various accidents happening frequently. Fortunately, after practicing martial arts, his reflexes improved, and his mindset was also honed, reducing such incidents, making others unaware of his peculiar misfortune.

He Qingxiao composed himself and thanked her without showing any signs of his feelings. "Thank you for the reminder, Miss Kou. I will be careful."

"Sir He, please take care."

After seeing He Qingxiao off, Xin You left the bookstore.

The evening in the capital was bustling, with teahouses and taverns welcoming customers.

Xin You walked through the streets and alleys until she reached Auspicious Square.

Ji Cailan and Zhou Ningyue were cousins. Ji Cailan's mother was Zhou Ningyue's father's sister. After Zhou's father was transferred to the capital, they rented a house in Auspicious Square due to the family connection.

Both the Ji and Zhou families lived in Auspicious Square. Xin You came here to see Zhou Ningyue.

She wanted to see what Zhou Ningyue looked like.

Smoke rose from chimneys, and the aroma of food wafted through the air, accompanied by calls for children to come home for dinner.

Xin You looked around and spotted a large tree.

The tree's trunk was straight and smooth, reaching nearly two zhang high before branching out. Such a tree made it almost impossible for ordinary people to climb, but for Xin You, it wasn't a problem.

Xin You quietly climbed the tree, hidden by its dense foliage, and looked down at a nearby residence.

It was a single-story courtyard house with a main building, front rooms, and east and west wing rooms, suggesting a simple middle-class household.

A maid was collecting clothes in the courtyard, smoke rose from the kitchen, and a cat lazily lay on the steps.

Xin You watched patiently.

Perhaps it was luck, but after waiting a while, she heard a voice.

"Hupo—"

The cat on the steps stirred but remained lying down.

Soon, a young girl emerged from the west wing and headed towards the main house.

"You don't even respond when I call you. You're so lazy." The girl bent down, picked up the cat, rubbed its head discontentedly, and walked back to the west wing.

From her vantage point, Xin You finally saw the girl's face clearly.

Round face, almond eyes, and skin as white as snow. She didn't appear to have any mobility issues when walking.

Could this be Zhou Ningyue?

Xin You thought it must be.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. The girl holding the cat paused and looked towards the gate.

A moment later, another girl carrying a basket entered, it was Ji Cailan.

"Sister is here," the girl smiled upon seeing Ji Cailan.

Ji Cailan held up her basket. "My mother made some osmanthus cakes. I brought them over."

Hiding in the tree, Xin You could hear their conversation clearly despite the distance, confirming that the round-faced girl was indeed Zhou Ningyue.

"Cousin, have you finished reading *Painted Skin*? Was it good?"

Zhou Ningyue nodded. "Yes, it was good. Can you buy me a copy so I can read it whenever I want?"

"Cousin, let's go buy one together. I'll tell you, Qingsong Bookstore has a new owner, a girl our age, and she's very nice."

Zhou Ningyue seemed interested but shook her head. "No, it's too troublesome to go out."

"Cousin, come on, come on. Your legs are fine now; you can't stay inside all the time."

"I always feel uneasy when walking."

"That's just your imagination. As agreed, I'll come find you tomorrow, and we'll go to Qingsong Bookstore together."

Xin You watched her cousins enter the main house as the courtyard grew quiet.

Ji Cailan seemed to have been invited to stay for dinner; it took quite a while before she came out of the main house, escorted by Zhou Ningyue to the courtyard gate.

It was getting dark, with mosquitoes swirling around. After waiting for a while and seeing no further activity, Xin You used the cover of night to climb down from the tree and return to Qingsong Bookstore.

The bookstore had already closed for the day. Xin You entered the eastern courtyard through the side door and saw Xiaolian pacing back and forth.

"Miss, you're finally back!" Seeing Xin You, Xiaolian's eyes lit up with joy.

"Is something wrong at home?"

"No, nothing. It's just that it got dark and you still hadn't returned, so I was a bit worried."

When serving Xin You during her bath, Xiaolian noticed the red bites all over her body and couldn't help but nag: "Where did you go? Why are you covered in mosquito bites?"

"Just apply some ointment later to reduce the swelling." Xin You felt rather cheerful, knowing she would likely see Zhou Ningyue the next day.

A girl from out of town had a copy of the storybook published in the capital. At the time, Xin You deduced that this girl must love reading storybooks.

It was certain that the girl had come to the capital with her family. If a bookstore's storybooks were popular, it was highly likely that this girl would come to buy books. Even if she didn't buy *Painted Skin*, she would eventually buy others.

For Xin You, finding this girl as soon as possible was ideal. Zhou Ningyue's appearance made her feel that her luck wasn't too bad.

For the first time, Xin You went to bed eager to fall asleep, looking forward to the next day.

The next morning, Xin You headed to the front of the bookstore early.

Liu Zhou and Shitou were still wiping tables and sweeping the floor. Seeing Xin You arrive, they were somewhat surprised.

"The owner is here so early today."

"There's nothing else to do; I just wanted to see how many customers there are."

"You came too early. Customers won't start arriving until another hour or so." Although Liu Zhou said this, he was secretly delighted.

Business has been really good lately. In the past, there might not even be any customers until the afternoon.

"Is that so?" Xin You's gaze shifted to the entrance.

Liu Zhou watched He Qingxiao walk in early in the morning, then looked at Xin You, his curiosity igniting.

Did the owner and Lord He make an appointment!