Chapter 166: Night Visit to Xie Nai

Chapter 166: Night Visit to Xie Nai

Qin Jiao shot a glare at Shen Fuqing, then quickly pushed him away before Si Lu could react.

Qin Jiao spoke through gritted teeth. "Lord Shen, what are you doing?!"

Shen Fuqing shrugged, with a look of total indifference. "Oh, there was a little bug behind his ear."

With that, Shen Fuqing spread his palm open—but there was nothing in his hand. Where was this so-called bug?

Qin Jiao nearly choked. "Lord Shen, are you messing with me?"

"It's nothing, Young Master Qin, don't worry about it."

Compared to Qin Jiao's speechlessness, Si Lu was clearly more composed. He met Shen Fuqing's gaze, his gray-blue eyes gleaming like precious crystal under the lamplight. "There was indeed a little bug behind my ear."

Qin Jiao was even more puzzled. "What?"

"Right here." Si Lu tilted his head to the side, brushing aside the hair near his ear to reveal a sun-shaped crimson birthmark behind his right ear.

It wasn't like this was the first time Qin Jiao had seen Si Lu's birthmark. Back when they first crossed paths in Lingbei, Qin Jiao had noticed the mark behind his ear—but what did that have to do with any bug?!

Seeing Qin Jiao still utterly confused, Si Lu explained on his own: "In our Mengqin, birthmarks are also called 'imprint insects,' so Lord Shen wasn't wrong." Si Lu spoke with a breezy, unconcerned air, yet the hand hidden in his sleeve trembled involuntarily.

"Is that so?"

Qin Jiao's gaze darted back and forth uncertainly between Si Lu and Shen Fuqing. For some reason, he felt the two of them were acting a bit off.

Shen Fuqing looked at Qin Jiao and curled his lips into a smirk, his eyes brimming with interest. "Little Master Qin, is this your friend? What beautiful eyes."

Qin Jiao didn't understand and didn't respect how Shen Fuqing could lapse into the same kind of delirium as Li Nanli at any given moment. "Pretty or not, that's got nothing to do with you, Lord Shen. We should get going."

Qin Jiao pushed Shen Fuqing away, thinking to himself that he shouldn't let Si Lu get scared.

"Si Lu, we'll see you next time."

The moment Qin Jiao finished speaking, Shen Fuqing turned to Si Lu with keen curiosity. "So your name is Si Lu."

"Mm." Si Lu gave a small nod by way of response.

Shen Fuqing arched an eyebrow. "Good. See you then."

Qin Jiao: "..."

What's so good about that?

Lord Shen was acting so strange tonight—his craziness seemed even worse than usual...

-

The night was deep and silent, moonlight spilling into the room.

Beneath the bamboo fence of the county magistrate's residence, a few crickets chirped cheerfully, breaking the summer night's stillness. It looked like rain was coming—heavy clouds piled up at the horizon. As Qin Jiao snuck out, he could smell the heavy, muggy scent in the air.

Dodging the patrolling guards the whole way, Qin Jiao felt his way to Xie Nai's door like a little cat stealing dried fish.

"Creak—"

Qin Jiao gently pushed the door open and darted inside.

Why was he being so furtive? It all went back to tonight's evening meal at Linxiang Tower.

Actually, when Qin Jiao and the others first set foot in Xiaoxiang County, they'd stayed at a nondescript inn. Since everyone around them was people they knew well, Qin Jiao had been rooming with Xie Nai all along.

It wasn't until after finishing dinner at Linxiang Tower tonight that Guan Jiu invited Xie Nai, Xie Ji'an, along with Qin Jiao and Shen Fuqing, to stay at the county magistrate's residence. Qin Jiao guessed Xie Nai wanted to sound out Guan Jiu further, which was why he'd accepted his proposal. Though Qin Jiao had come along too, since there were outsiders around, the two of them weren't staying together.

Xie Nai, Qin Jiao, plus Shen Fuqing, Xie Ji'an, and Li Nanli—who had "chased after" Xie Ji'an and then refused to leave—filled the not-exactly-spacious county residence to capacity tonight.

When Qin Jiao entered, the room was a bit dark. Behind a screen of huanghuali wood carved with red-crowned cranes and gilded branches, a man's silhouette stirred, as if he were changing clothes.

"What are you doing here?" Xie Nai's voice floated over from behind the screen. "Come in."

"Sixth Brother, how did you know it was me?"

Xie Nai's voice carried a smile barely perceptible to others. "Not everyone dares to sneak into the Prince of Lingnan's chambers at night."

"Oh, I see." Qin Jiao gave a light huff, then slowly shuffled behind the screen. Under the soft, dim candlelight, Xie Nai stood in a white undergarment, ink-black hair draped over his shoulders—a far cry from his usual stern and composed demeanor.

Qin Jiao's gaze unconsciously swept toward Xie Nai's chest as he asked, "Sixth Brother, has your old ailment acted up?"

"It's fine." Xie Nai looked puzzled. "Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

Tonight, Qin Jiao and Xie Nai had agreed to stay in separate rooms. Since Luo Bei and Luo Yue were both absent, Xie Nai had even arranged for Luo Ri to secretly protect Qin Jiao—only for the man to come sneaking over on his own.

"Really fine?" Qin Jiao asked again, uncertain.

Xie Nai: "Naturally."

"Then why did Shen Fuqing tell me your old ailment had flared up?" Qin Jiao was confused. If Shen Fuqing hadn't happened to pass by his room and mentioned that Xie Nai was feeling unwell, Qin Jiao wouldn't have crept over in the middle of the night.

"Shen Fuqing was a bit distracted tonight..." Xie Nai thought for a moment. "Perhaps when Xie Ji'an and I were discussing flood control, he misheard."

Xie Nai explained to Qin Jiao that when they'd first entered the county residence, Xie Ji'an had asked him what strategy he had for the summer floods. Xie Nai had answered "relieve the urgent and aid the weary," and they'd actually said much more, but Shen Fuqing apparently only latched onto the phrase "old ailment flared up."

Qin Jiao listened to Xie Nai's explanation and helplessly pressed his hand to his forehead. "This Lord Shen is really..."

He couldn't quite find the words. Should he say Shen Fuqing wasn't paying attention? But he'd specifically come to tell Qin Jiao that "Xie Nai's old ailment had flared up." Should he say he was attentive? Then he'd gone and misheard everything.

"In all these years, this is the first time I've seen Shen Fuqing look so dazed," Xie Nai said as he led Qin Jiao to the table.

"Maybe it's because of Si Lu?" Qin Jiao guessed.

"How so?"

Xie Nai poured Qin Jiao a cup of tea, looking earnestly ready to hear him out.

Qin Jiao didn't hold back. In a few sentences, he recounted everything that had happened at Linxiang Tower tonight, especially emphasizing the look Shen Fuqing had given Si Lu. "Really, the way Lord Shen looked at Si Lu—complex and excited. I just feel something's off."

"Could Lord Shen and Si Lu have known each other before?" Qin Jiao speculated.

"I'll ask Shen Fuqing about it another day," Xie Nai said, and Qin Jiao couldn't help but laugh. "You think he'll actually tell you?"

Qin Jiao felt Shen Fuqing was a closed-mouth gourd—hard to pry anything out of.

"Worth a try." Xie Nai reached up to trim the lamp wick, his handsome features growing ever more refined and striking in the dancing firelight. A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips as he spoke in an even, unruffled tone. "After all, secrets are meant to be pried open."

Qin Jiao shook his head with a smile, thinking to himself that no wonder the two of them were friends.

At their core, they had the same temperament.

"Oh, Sixth Brother, there's one more person I find very strange."

Now that Si Lu had come up, Qin Jiao suddenly remembered that peculiar "Mr. Wu."

"Who?"

"His surname is Wu. Not long ago, he was the one who saved me and He Zhao in the alley."

Earlier, Qin Jiao had only told Xie Nai that someone saved him and He Zhao, but never mentioned the person's surname.

As Qin Jiao brought it up now, a slight change came over Xie Nai's face. "Wu? Wu Tuyin?"

Qin Jiao paused, the teacup in his hand freezing mid-air. "Wu Tuyin? The Mengqin Chieftain—the one who hurt you?"

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