Chapter 1637: [Illusion] (Part 2)

Jian Rongxin saw this and couldn't help a bitter smile at the corner of her mouth. Her father probably didn't even know what was inside that wax pellet; if he knew in the afterlife that the medicine he left behind had harmed his daughter, who knows how he'd feel? Jian Rongxin couldn't help but turn back to look at Hu Xiaotian, only to see him still sound asleep. She couldn't help resenting him: this brat slept so sweetly, having just taken someone's purity, yet he felt completely at ease. Yet she suddenly realized she wasn't as heartbroken as she imagined; gazing at Hu Xiaotian's peaceful sleeping face, she couldn't muster even a hint of resentment.

Jian Rongxin bit her lips, her pretty face flushing. No one knew this subtle change better than herself. She put away the letter, walked to the table, and stared at the piece of human skin; as her eyes met the pattern on it, her cheeks flushed crimson. Could her father not know what was drawn there? Emperor Jingde was disgusting enough—a sovereign actually tattooed such a pattern on his back.

The image didn't stir as before, but above it, Lan-colored characters faintly appeared. Jian Rongxin reached out and picked up the human skin; the moment her fingers touched it, she felt nauseous, hastily pulling her hand back. After several attempts she finally managed to roll up the skin and put it away.

After she had cleaned everything in the room, a rooster's crow sounded outside. Only then did Jian Rongxin realize she and Hu Xiaotian had spent the whole night in bed. Thinking that dawn was approaching, she panicked; if someone came looking for Hu Xiaotian and found him in her chamber, she would have no way to explain herself.

Jian Rongxin came to the bedside and saw Hu Xiaotian still sleeping naked, snoring loudly. What made her face flush and heart race was that his lower half remained proudly erect. She blushed, shut her eyes, and fumbled with a cup to cover him—she lacked the strength to move him back to his own room. All she could do was wait for him to wake; but if he did, how would she face him?

Jian Rongxin bit her lips, thinking that while Hu Xiaotian slept soundly, perhaps she should leave and never see him again in this life or the next.

Having thought this through, Jian Rongxin immediately made up her mind. She tidied up briefly, then before leaving turned to look at Hu Xiaotian again. He remained oblivious, yet a sudden reluctance welled up in her heart as memories of his kindness these past days surfaced, making her eyes misty. She shook her head and finally, resolutely, pulled open the door and stepped out.

Hu Xiaotian had slept like a log. When Xia Zhangming returned, he couldn't find Hu Xiaotian. He knocked on Jian Rongxin's door—no answer—and pushed it open lightly, only to discover Hu Xiaotian still snoring away on Jian Rongxin's bed.

Hu Xiaotian lay stark naked on Jian Rongxin's bed, fast asleep, while Jian Rongxin's whereabouts were unknown; even a fool could guess what had happened.

But Xia Zhangming soon sensed something was off. Given Hu Xiaotian's cultivation, it was impossible for someone to enter the room without him noticing; yet when he went to the bedside and called Hu Xiaotian's name, there was no response, and shaking his body elicited no reaction. That's when Xia Zhangming panicked. In Yongdu, the only divine physician he could think of was Qin Yutong, so he had to go to the Qingya Inn in the western part of the city to fetch her.

After Qin Yutong took Hu Xiaotian's pulse, she found his body normal, yet she frowned, puzzled as to why this had happened. She summoned Xia Zhangming outside and whispered, "Where is Jian Rongxin now?"

Xia Zhangming shook his head. "I don't know. When I returned, it was already like this—the master has been in a deep sleep, and Jian Rongxin's whereabouts are unknown."

Qin Yutong blinked her clear, beautiful eyes and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this room should belong to Jian Rongxin."

Xia Zhangming's expression inevitably turned a little awkward; in fact, he hadn't thought well of it either, and in front of Qin Yutong he couldn't hide the truth. He nodded and said, "Indeed, but I also can't figure out why the master would be there."

A faint cold smile appeared on Qin Yutong's face, her gaze showing a hint of disdain. Even Xia Zhangming felt embarrassed for Hu Xiaotian, silently sighing, "Lord, Lord, you lack all restraint—Jian Rongxin is a married woman, yet you dare lay hands on her." Still, before Qin Yutong he had to protect Hu Xiaotian's interests, so he said softly, "Perhaps the master was harmed by someone."

"How could someone so sly be harmed?" Qin Yutong said, pausing before adding, "Check carefully—does he have any other wounds on his body?"

Xia Zhangming nodded and went back inside.

He lifted Hu Xiaotian's blanket and saw him lying stark naked inside, feeling both amused and worried—this lord was truly outrageous this time. He examined him thoroughly: aside from a few scratches, Hu Xiaotian's body bore several bruises, which after repeated checks Xia Zhangming concluded were love bites.

As he lowered his head to check for injuries on Hu Xiaotian's thigh, Hu Xiaotian woke up at that very moment. Seeing the scene, he was startled, sat up with a jerk, and Xia Zhangming was likewise startled, stumbling and falling flat on his butt with a thud.

Hu Xiaotian said, "What are you doing?" while frantically pulling the cotton blanket over himself.

Xia Zhangming laughed and cried at once: "What can I do? You've slept nearly a full day and night, and Miss Qin asked me to check you for wounds."

Hu Xiaotian wrapped himself tightly in the blanket: "Miss Qin? Get out! Get out!"

Seeing Hu Xiaotian's sorry state, Xia Zhangming struggled not to laugh: "My lord, then I'll step out first."

Hu Xiaotian called out from behind: "Hey, you, stop right there!"

Xia Zhangming sighed: "Do you have any other orders?" thinking to himself, "Wasn't it you who told me to go out?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Clothes—go fetch a set from my room."

After Xia Zhangming left, Hu Xiaotian lifted the blanket and saw the specks of blood on the sheets. He slapped himself hard—this was a big trouble. No need to ask; last night he must have... taken Jian Rongxin. He had never felt so embarrassed in his life, covering his face while memories of last night flooded back, vivid and clear, though at the time he'd been overcome by passion and unable to control himself. Even if Xia Zhangming knew, it would be fine, but this brat actually summoned Qin Yutong—having called her, why didn't he first move himself back to his own room? Anyone with half a brain could guess what had happened.

Xia Zhangming brought the clothes in; Hu Xiaotian hurriedly put them on, and seeing Xia Zhangming still standing by the bed, quickly pulled the blanket over himself: "What's there to look at? Haven't you seen a man before?"

Xia Zhangming shook his head: "All right, I'm leaving then."

After dressing and folding the blankets, Hu Xiaotian went to the mirror, examined himself, and found his lip split, his neck covered with fresh love bites; even before dressing he'd seen more than ten scratches on his body, love bites—enough to prove how fierce his encounter with the talented lady Jian Rongxin had been last night.

What exactly is that Lan-colored willow fluff, capable of turning a chaste, heroic woman into this? Not to mention I, a vigorous young man. Hu Xiaotian sighed inwardly, "Scholar Jian Xihe, Grand Secretary—others harm their fathers, you harm your own daughter, harming your family is bad enough, but you've dragged this outsider into it too. Now I'm in trouble—what do I appear to be in Jian Rongxin's heart?"

Thinking of Jian Rongxin, Hu Xiaotian felt a twinge of nervousness. She appears gentle outside but is firm within, and she has always valued chastity above heaven. Now that this has happened, how will she face it? Hu Xiaotian patted his own face: what's done is done; some things simply can't be controlled—whether you do them or not, they've happened. Anyway, I'm willing to sacrifice this face; let others laugh if they want.

Hu Xiaotian stepped outside and saw Xia Zhangming and Qin Yutong there. Xia Zhangming had just seen him, but when Qin Yutong had examined his illness he'd been snoring away; now they finally met properly.

In front of Qin Yutong, Hu Xiaotian felt a bit guilty, as if a thief; with her wisdom it wasn't hard to guess what he'd done. He inwardly sighed, "Now Qin Yutong looks down on me even more." He put on a thick-skinned smile and said, "I drank too much last night; I don't know how I ended up sleeping till now… hehe… sorry to trouble you, Miss Qin."

Qin Yutong's eyes grew ever more indifferent; the more so, the more embarrassed Hu Xiaotian felt, his smile turning stiff as a board. Indeed, one cannot do something against one's conscience. He inwardly calculated how he should respond if Qin Yutong asked about last night's events.

Qin Yutong, however, said nothing about what had happened to him, and softly asked, "And Jian Rongxin?"

Hu Xiaotian's heart sank; he had hoped to get news of Jian Rongxin upon coming out, but Qin Yutong's question made it clear she had already left. He shook his head: "I don't know. We drank a little last night; somehow I got drunk, and I remember nothing of what happened afterward."

A faint cold smile curled Qin Yutong's lips as she turned and walked out. Hu Xiaotian stared, astonished: "Where are you going?"

Qin Yutong replied, "Looking for someone!"

Hu Xiaotian and Xia Zhangming exchanged a glance, and Hu Xiaotian complained, "Why did you bring her here?"

Xia Zhangming said, "The master was in a deep sleep and wouldn't respond no matter how I called; I worried something was wrong with you, so I summoned Miss Qin. She said you were just asleep, and now it seems she was right."

Thinking of the missing Jian Rongxin, Hu Xiaotian instantly felt uneasy. Given her temperament, she might do something extreme; if she were to take her own life because of what happened between us, I could never forgive myself for the rest of my life.

Hu Xiaotian placed his hand on Xia Zhangming's shoulder; the sudden familiarity startled Xia Zhangming, who eyed him warily: "What are you doing?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Is there any way you can help me find Jian Rongxin?"

Xia Zhangming shook his head: "If someone truly wants to hide, finding her won't be easy."

Hu Xiaotian said, "We must find a way to look for her; I'm worried she'll come to harm."

Xia Zhangming hesitated, then said, "If you really want to find her, it's not entirely hopeless—if you have an item of hers that's been close to her body, a Black Kiss Bird might be able to track her by scent."

Hu Xiaotian blinked, thought of something, leaned close to Xia Zhangming's ear and whispered a sentence; hearing it, Xia Zhangming's face suddenly flushed.

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