Kiyomi Tsuki and His Fox

Chapter 137

Outside the painting hall, a very young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, wore a coarse cloth jacket and skirt, without any valuable jewelry. Yet, she was like a finely carved piece of jade, possessing a captivating and ethereal beauty. Her skin, as smooth as jade, was translucent and glowed with a natural, beautiful rosy luster. Her innate beauty required no makeup; even the finest cosmetics would only tarnish her.

Madam Cai was deeply moved, thinking to herself, "I never imagined there was such a beautiful and innocent girl in this fortress. Judging from her attire, she has no status or position, yet she dares to stand opposite Jian Yue, with a white fox crouching at the hem of her skirt. Who is she?"

She didn't ask aloud, but her son did. Cai Zhonghe asked his personal attendant, "Who is she?"

"Don't you know, sir?" his trusted attendant Cai Fuqi said, "She is Miss Xiaoqian."

Cai Zhonghe suddenly realized and said, "She is Xiaoqian?"

"Yes, yes. That day, when Master fainted in the snow, it was Miss Xiaoqian who saved him. Because of this, Miss Xiaoqian was late and was even scolded by the little crow." Cai Fu praised, "Miss Xiaoqian suffered an injustice, but she didn't say a word in her own defense."

"Is she the Xiaoqian who was favored by Jianyue?" Madam Cai couldn't help but interject. Cai Zhonghe hurriedly turned around to support his mother, and Cai Fu quickly bowed in greeting.

"Young Master, Young Master Jianyue..." On Xiaoqian's beautiful oval face, two naturally beautiful eyebrows resembled crescent moons, and beneath those crescent moons, her beautiful eyes were filled with tears.

Qingjian Yue exclaimed in surprise, "Xiaoqian, why did you come here on such a cold day?"

Tears streamed down her face, glistening in the sunlight, Xiaoqian's eyes red and swollen. Seeing her like this, Qing Jianyue felt an indescribable surge of emotion and whispered, "Silly girl, I'm living better than anyone else, there's no need for you to cry like this."

Xiaoqian quickly wiped away her tears and smiled shyly.

Madam Cai sighed, "Look at this temperament! How could a poor little girl have it? Sooner or later she will rise from her humble beginnings and become a golden phoenix. Zhonghe, don't forget their kindness. You must find a time to repay them."

Cai Zhonghe replied, "Yes, Mother, I remember."

Cai Fu praised, "That day, when I arrived after receiving a message from the white fox, I saw Miss Xiaoqian holding you, shielding you from the wind and snow with her own body, turning herself into a snowman. During the days that Young Master Jianyue was unconscious, Miss Xiaoqian served him without taking off her clothes, being both gentle and considerate. No wonder Young Master Jianyue likes her. Even we all like her."

After hearing this, Cai Zhonghe paid even more attention to Xiaoqian.

"Let's go," Lu Qingcheng said.

Qing Jianyue then released Xiaoqian, who moved aside to let him pass. A woman's innate sensitivity made Xiaoqian notice the strange gazes coming from elsewhere. She subconsciously looked over, and when her eyes met Cai Zhonghe's intrigued gaze, she was startled and quickly gave him a polite greeting. Cai Zhonghe smiled and returned the greeting. Xiaoqian blushed.

The cry of a white fox reached Xiaoqian's ears, and she quickly lifted her skirt to catch up with Lu Qingcheng and Qingjian Yue, who had walked away into the distance...

In the backyard of Yixin Garden.

"Why? Why are you treating me like this? You're my brother, you love me, don't you? But why are you helping Qing Jianyue? Why?" Xu Yun angrily questioned her brother.

Xu Lan said in a deep voice, "Is it worth it for you to love Lu Qingcheng so painfully, and to hate Qing Jianyue so painfully?"

“There’s no going back now,” Xu Yun said bitterly. “I have to love him painfully, and I have to hate him painfully. If I don’t, I’ll go crazy. I will go crazy.”

Xu Lan sighed.

Xu Yun's beautiful face was like a sculpture of ice and snow, and her eyes, as black as sulfur glass, were extremely cold and cruel. "I will not give up. I cannot bear to think about how he treated me in the study for Qing Jianyue. I will not give up, never."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lan's face turned as cold as ice.

Qingfeng approached the painting hall silently, his entire being radiating a chilling and menacing aura. He stared intently at Madam Lu, who lay on the bed with her eyes closed as if asleep, his heart filled with hatred and rage. As he drew closer to the bed, Madam Lu remained fast asleep, completely unaware of his presence.

If I kill her now, I can avenge my dead father and mother. Should I kill her? Should I do it? Qingfeng clenched her fists. This is a good opportunity, one that will go unnoticed. Now is the time to kill her.

Suddenly, Xu Yun's voice rang out sharply, as if a blade were slicing through the air, "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

Qingfeng suddenly shuddered. Madam Lu awoke with a start, staring at Qingfeng in horror.

"What are you doing here? Madam is unwell and needs to rest." Xu Yun trembled with nervousness. "Please leave. If you don't leave, I'll call for help."

Qingfeng's expression returned to normal in an instant. He glanced at Xu Yun casually and said coldly, "I have something to ask Madam."

“Even if you have something to ask Madam, this isn’t the time,” Xu Yun said urgently. “If you don’t go out soon, I’m going to call for help. My brother is outside. He’ll appear as soon as I make a sound.”

Qingfeng raised an eyebrow, and a dark cloud of anger instantly rose to his forehead.

"Yun'er, don't provoke him," Madam Lu stopped her. "Alright, just say what you want to say. Do you want to ask about Liu Mei?"

“You killed her,” Qingfeng said with absolute certainty.

Madam Lu said softly, "I didn't kill her."

"Why did you kill her?" Qingfeng asked coldly. "Because she knew your unspeakable secret?"

"Have you seen your wet nurse?" Madam Lu asked sadly.

Qingfeng said coldly, "Didn't Xu Lan report to you? The wet nurse is dead."

Madam Lu's gaze gradually became unfocused, and she sighed, "I deserve to die, I didn't even get to see her one last time."

Qingfeng was furious. "If I wanted to kill you, even ten Xu Lans couldn't stop me."

Madam Lu withdrew her gaze and stared at him intently. "Whether you believe it or not, I didn't kill Liu Mei. You can go ask He Yunya. If you don't believe me, you should at least believe her, right?"

Qingfeng blurted out, "I don't trust anyone."

Madam Lu burst into laughter, "Poor Yunya, is this the person you like? Is this the person you like?" After saying that, she laughed again.

Xu Yun walked to Madam Lu's side, her gaze shooting towards Qingfeng's back, her eyes slightly narrowed, filled with mockery.

Qingfeng was shocked. He turned around abruptly, and there stood He Yunya, graceful and elegant, in front of the painting hall. A white mink coat wrapped around her slender body, her black hair flowing like silk, and her lips painted with rouge, making her face appear whiter than snow and more translucent than jade. Her deep, sorrowful eyes gazed at him.

"You, you..." Qingfeng wanted to say something, but suddenly found it so difficult.

Tears welled up in He Yunya's deep, clear eyes and dripped down her snow-white cheeks.

"Should we invite the lord of the fortress over?"

After Qingfeng left, Xu Yun asked.