Chapter 59: Fear

Chapter 59: Fear

Su Hang's body stiffened for a moment, then he slowly turned his head to look toward Elder Yang's side, only to see her walking over to where the three of them stood.

He felt a chill run down his spine, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead, his breathing faltering for half a beat.

Elder Yang stood with her back to the light, and Su Hang couldn't make out her expression, but the pressure she gave off made it impossible for him to look away, or even move.

Elder Yang simply came over quietly. She lowered her gaze to look at Su Hang's panicked expression, a flicker of confusion flashing through her eyes before she raised her head again and said in a calm tone, "It's late. Get an empty room ready and rest for the night. We'll question these townsfolk in the morning."

The air went silent instantly. Qu Wenshan, standing beside Elder Yang, was clearly caught off guard for a moment before he responded, "Yes, Master."

'Master... what's gotten into her? On any normal day, not only would we not get to rest at night, but even after days of nonstop work, if the mission wasn't done, none of Baigong Hall's disciples would be allowed to rest... Maybe Master has her own reasons.'

Su Hang caught every word of Qu Wenshan's inner thoughts. His limited memories of Baigong Hall all came from what Immortal Venerable Lingqing had told him.

Back then, he and the Immortal Venerable had been discussing what path he might take if he didn't take the sword path.

Su Hang had mentioned the artifact path, but the Immortal Venerable simply shook his head, saying that in the celestial realm, only Baigong Hall specialized in artifact forging, and its elder was exceptionally strict—most disciples under her rarely got any sleep.

He had figured the Immortal Venerable was exaggerating...

At that thought, Su Hang shook his head to shake off those thoughts and followed Qu Wenshan into the room.

The rooms that had been dark from the beginning were indeed empty. Inside, it was pitch black all around. Su Hang took out a luminous bead from his storage ring, held it in his hand, lowered his head, and gently breathed on it—the area around him instantly lit up.

Just as the light flared to life, a black figure appeared in Su Hang's field of vision without any warning.

Su Hang was startled, jerking his head up, only to realize that Lu Jinghe had somehow appeared silently before him without him even noticing.

The dim lamp cast light on Lu Jinghe's face, his eyes seeming to absorb no light. His face was somewhat stiff, his entire demeanor like a puppet's.

He curled his lips slightly, parting his blood-red lips to reveal grayish-white teeth, and said, "The moon is full tonight."

A completely random thing to say.

Su Hang furrowed his brows slightly. He felt that Lu Jinghe was acting strangely, secretly wondering if the man was crazy.

And besides... throughout this journey, he had heard the elder's thoughts, heard Wenshan's and Ji Chuan's thoughts, but had never heard a single one of Lu Jinghe's.

This seemed extremely odd to Su Hang.

But then he remembered that Lu Jinghe had saved him before, and he thought the man was a genuinely good person—he must be overthinking it.

Su Hang's eyelashes trembled, his breath quickening slightly, but he still stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Brother Lu, what do you mean by that? We walked all the way here under a cloudy sky—I don't see how the moon or sun could be visible. And what's the big deal about the moon?"

Lu Jinghe didn't answer Su Hang's question, just flashing a playful smile as he said, "Don't sleep tonight."

Su Hang's heart skipped a beat. His mind screamed danger, but he also felt that since Lu Jinghe had saved him, he didn't want to offend the man. Finally, he could only ask cautiously, "Jinghe, have you discovered something? Should we go investigate alone? Should we inform the elder? Or find Ji Chuan and Wenshan to go together?"

After all, Elder Yang would protect the disciples' safety—she wouldn't just watch them walk to their deaths. And rather than suspecting the elder of hiding something, he would rather believe that Elder Yang wasn't a bad person.

But seeing Lu Jinghe's attitude today, Su Hang knew the man didn't trust Elder Yang much, so he suggested that if Lu Jinghe didn't want to inform the elder, they could all go together.

Lu Jinghe, hearing this, let his smile gradually fade into a cold expression, the air around them instantly freezing.

He stared at Su Hang's face—slightly bewildered and laced with fear—and suddenly let out a soft laugh.

The sound carried a hint of teasing, a glint of playfulness in his eyes.

Su Hang looked at Lu Jinghe, bewildered, not understanding why the man had suddenly laughed. Afraid that others might discover the two of them plotting to sneak out tonight, he quickly leaned closer to Lu Jinghe and whispered, "Hey! Keep your voice down! And did I say something wrong? Why are you laughing at me?"

Afraid that anyone nearby might hear, he deliberately lowered his voice, his tone somewhat muffled and soft. Su Hang's almond-shaped eyes were wide and round, his chin slightly raised as he glared at Lu Jinghe, before his temper softened as another thought crossed his mind.

Lu Jinghe raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery creeping into his voice: "You really think... those friends of yours would agree to sneak out at night to investigate right under Elder Yang's nose?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "friends." Su Hang's almond eyes, which had been glaring, drooped downward, his confidence instantly deflating.

He naturally knew that Qu Wenshan and Ji Chuan wouldn't do anything against the rules.

If they actually found evidence that Elder Yang had done something wrong—for Qu Wenshan, Elder Yang was his master, so he'd be stuck in a dilemma; for Ji Chuan, reporting Elder Yang to the sect leader would be a thankless task with no payoff—why would he bother?

And if they found nothing, going out at night could still be dangerous, not to mention that sneaking out to investigate right under Elder Yang's nose was nearly impossible.

And if they got caught...

At that thought, Su Hang quickly looked up, his tone growing more urgent: "Then if I go out with you, how can you guarantee we won't be discovered by the elder?"

Lu Jinghe looked at Su Hang's expression, knowing Su Hang was willing to go, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "I have my ways."

Su Hang nodded solemnly upon hearing this: "Fine, I'll listen to you—only because I don't want to hear you bad-mouthing Elder Yang's reputation with baseless talk!"

Seeing this, Lu Jinghe's smile deepened. He instinctively raised his hand to touch Su Hang's soft, fine hair, but Su Hang flinched away in alarm.

Seeing Su Hang tilt his head, looking at him with confusion, Lu Jinghe could only withdraw his hand, avert his gaze, and drop the matter.

Su Hang, for his part, was stunned for only a moment. Just now, in the instant Lu Jinghe raised his hand, he thought he caught the unique crisp fragrance of Immortal Venerable Lingqing—very faint, but Su Hang knew it all too well.

"Young master, the bed is made."

Qu Wenshan's gentle voice came from beside Su Hang's ear. Su Hang suppressed his confusion and walked over to Qu Wenshan. His face was slightly flushed with embarrassment—making the bed was supposed to be his own task, but he had been so occupied talking with Lu Jinghe that he'd neglected it.

"Wenshan, thank you—this was supposed to be my job..."

Qu Wenshan glanced at Su Hang and smiled lightly: "What's there to thank? Zhihua isn't here, so I naturally have to take care of you in her place."

As he spoke, a strange emotion flickered in Qu Wenshan's eyes, and the smile at the corner of his mouth gradually faded. He asked abruptly, "Speaking of which, Zhihua's talent seems exceptional too—why hasn't she come with you?"

Su Hang was taken aback, looking at Qu Wenshan in confusion. He didn't understand why Wenshan would connect talent with this mission. After a long pause, he finally replied, "Zhihua has dual spiritual roots, so her talent is naturally top-notch. It's just... I haven't seen her in a while either. Perhaps she's been busy—she's favored by the elder, so she's constantly swamped with matters big and small."

Qu Wenshan didn't look up, still arranging the bedding. He dusted off the fabric and spread out a dark-colored blanket. After a long while—so long that Su Hang thought he wouldn't answer—he finally spoke: "I see. That's good then."

Su Hang was momentarily stunned, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable. He quietly stepped aside, and whether it was his imagination or not, a faint sneer reached his ears.

"Heh."

*

The moon was bright that night, its light exceptionally clear and eerily brilliant, and Su Hang slipped out with Lu Jinghe under its glow.

Su Hang didn't know why, but Ji Chuan and Qu Wenshan had both slept especially deeply that night. Though Su Hang had moved with light footsteps, Lu Jinghe beside him had walked boldly to the door without muffling a single sound—yet neither Ji Chuan nor the other stirred.

They stepped forward, and Su Hang felt his vision grow slightly blurry, as if a layer of grayish-white gauze had been draped over everything around them. Through this veil, he looked toward the courtyard gate.

Sure enough, Elder Yang, who should have been standing guard outside the door, was nowhere to be seen.

A cold mist had settled overnight, brushing against Su Hang's nose with a slight chill. His nasal passages filled with cold air, and he sniffed—the biting wind told Su Hang he wasn't dreaming.

Su Hang turned his head stiffly toward Lu Jinghe, staring at him in disbelief: "Wh-What's going on? Shouldn't Elder Yang be standing guard here?"

At that moment, Lu Jinghe's face appeared deathly pale under the moonlight. Seeming to notice Su Hang's gaze, he turned his neck stiffly like a puppet, looked back at Su Hang, and revealed a sinister, bone-chilling smile.

"Isn't this just what we're after? If Elder Yang doesn't act, how else would we figure out what she's really doing?"

Su Hang's heart pounded. Ever since they'd taken this job, something felt off in a way he couldn't put his finger on...

It was like... like being in a dream.

The thought made Su Hang shiver, his scalp prickling with a fear he couldn't name.

"Quit overthinking it. Let's move—I can pick up Elder Yang's trail, so we'll follow her."

Lu Jinghe's voice snapped Su Hang out of his thoughts, leaving him no choice but to trail after him.

The moon was bright tonight, almost like daylight. In its glow, their skin took on a sickly pale gray. Lu Jinghe was walking way too fast up ahead, and Su Hang could barely keep pace. The chilly night air hit his mouth and nose, making him choke back a cough.

It kept getting colder.

Since when was summer this cold?

Every cell in Su Hang's body was screaming danger. He couldn't take it anymore, so he hurried ahead and stopped Lu Jinghe in his tracks.

"Where are we going?"

"To find Elder Yang."

Su Hang felt like he couldn't breathe under Lu Jinghe's steady stare. He was so tense his body shook a little, and his voice came out shaky with fear.

"Who are you, really?"

"Lu Jinghe."

==========Author's Note:==========

Huge thanks to everyone who's stuck with the story this far! Love you guys!