It's him! It really is him!
No one but him could laugh so hatefully!
No one else could look at me with such gentle yet sharp eyes!
No one but him could make a perfectly good white shirt so dirty!
Besides him, no one else would ever lean so lazily against the door, tilting their head slightly, looking at me with a half-smile as I lay there with tears streaming down my face, and slowly say, "It really is spring. What a beautiful pear blossom in the rain."
"You...you're still alive?" I murmured, my voice light and my eyes blurry, as if I were dreaming.
Xiao Zuo slowly stopped laughing, his dark pupils gradually gleaming. He stared at me intently, then suddenly reached out and handed me a handkerchief, saying in a hoarse voice, "If you keep crying, you won't be able to face anyone."
I instinctively reached out to take it, and the cool touch of the silk had just spread from my fingertips when Feng Qiansu's cold voice sounded behind me: "Miss, let's go to another inn."
I was startled and abruptly withdrew my hand. In the instant I looked down, I seemed to see a fleeting look of disappointment on Xiao Zuo's face. I gritted my teeth and turned away after all.
Enough! It is already a blessing from heaven that we can meet again. If I were to try to have any further contact with you, that would be an outrage against heaven.
I looked up, forced a smile at Feng Qiansu, and said, "Let's go."
"Where to?" Xiao Zuo's voice came from behind, mysterious as if he were plotting something. "All the inns and rooms in town have been booked. Miss Gong, are you perhaps planning to spend the night in that little dilapidated temple in the west of town?"
I was taken aback. Feng Qiansu had already turned around and said, "Book all the inns? That's quite an expense—Young Master Xiao, you've got quite the spending power!"
"No problem, no problem."
I was stunned again. He actually admitted it? He was so poor that he even had to pick up the invitations I threw away to exchange for wine. Where did he get so much money now?
Feng Qiansu sighed, "I never expected that in just one day, Young Master Xiao would not only have made a fortune, but also become so honest."
Xiao Zuo laughed and said, "I have already experienced Chief Steward Feng's paranoia. Even if I deny it, will Chief Steward Feng believe me? So, it is better to just admit it... Besides, I am an honest man, but there are some things that I did not do, so of course I cannot take the blame for others."
He clearly had a hidden meaning in his words, and Feng Qiansu naturally understood it. She immediately sneered and said, "Then, please tell me honestly, Young Master Xiao—why exactly do you want to book all the inns?"
That's exactly what I wanted to know, so I turned around too.
Xiao Zuo was still half-sitting by the door, a smile on his face, and said to Feng Qiansu in a very polite and courteous tone, "Because I'm happy, and because it's none of your business."
No one expected him to answer like that, and Feng Qiansu was no exception. She stared at him blankly for a long time, unable to utter a single word.
Xiao Zuo then slowly said, "Chief Steward Feng seems dissatisfied with this answer? So, does Chief Steward Feng intend to poison me again? Last time it was happiness, what is it this time? Sadness?"
No matter what kind of poison it was, it was clearly no longer effective against him.
Feng Xiansu suddenly laughed.
"How dare I?" She was smiling, but there was not a trace of a smile in her eyes. She said, word by word, "Even if Feng Qiansu had the greatest courage, she would not dare to poison the future city lord of Baili City."
My heart sank silently with Feng Qiansu's words.
It's a very strange feeling; you can feel your heart sinking little by little, at such a slow pace that you have plenty of time to think about many things in the process.
—Rumors circulate that the adopted son of the city lord of Baili City had a miraculous encounter in his youth, making him immune to all poisons; Feng Qiansu suspects that Xiao Zuo is that person; she sets up a bet, forcing him to choose the poisoned wine; if Xiao Zuo is not that person, he should already be dead by now... But he is still alive!
Therefore, there is only one possibility—he is the adopted son of the city lord of Baili City.
In other words, what Feng Xiansu said next to Baili Chenfeng's body yesterday was not a guess, but a conclusion!
Xiao Zuo, he really did lie to me after all...
My heart sank completely to the bottom at this moment. However, apart from feeling utterly exhausted, I felt nothing else at all.
I turned around gently and said calmly, "Sister Qiansu, say no more. Let's travel through the night and return to Luoyang."
"Young Miss!" Feng Qiansu exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't we going to Baili City?"
“I’m not going.” I continued walking forward without turning my head, saying, “Right now, give this—adopted son—the treasure that Baili Chenfeng bought at the exhibition…”
"Then, what about the Arga vase?"
I stopped in my tracks and said coldly, "The Ega Bottle is a family heirloom; how can we lend it to someone like this!"
No sooner had I finished speaking than I saw a white shadow flash before my eyes, and Xiao Zuo had already blocked my way.
"What kind of person am I?" His voice was no longer calm and composed, but trembled slightly and became hoarse. "In your heart, what kind of person am I?"
By asking that question, he was essentially admitting his identity... He really is an honest man, isn't he?
I stared at him expressionlessly, pretending not to hear his question, and continued, "The seven treasures that Baili Chenfeng purchased at the exhibition have all been paid for in full. All the accounts are with Steward Feng. If you have any objections, please go and check them yourself... Oh, by the way..."
I took off the Hualin Lock from my waist and handed it over, saying, "This is also among the seven treasures. Please take it with you."
Xiao Zuo's gaze was as intense as fire, fixed on my face, yet he refused to reach out to take my hand.
I didn't want to keep looking into his eyes like this, nor did I want to stay in this stalemate with him any longer, so I handed the Hualin Lock to Feng Qiansu and walked around Xiao Zuo. I had just taken a step when I suddenly heard Feng Qiansu exclaim in surprise, and then I saw Xiao Zuo snatch the Hualin Lock back from her and stand in front of me once again.
I sighed helplessly and said, "Please, move aside."
"I'll give in! I'll give in right now!" he said through gritted teeth. "But you must promise me you'll leave the Transformation Lock and tie it back! You need it!"
I furrowed my brow slightly, too weak to argue with him, and said calmly, "Fine, I'll keep it. Sister Qiansu, the asking price for this item is 100,000 taels of silver. Give him the silver notes."
"You're giving me money?" Xiao Zuo's voice sounded bloodthirsty. "You actually... gave me money..."
"Young Master Xiao!" Feng Qiansu's sharp voice interrupted his unfinished words, "Ten thousand taels of silver notes, please count them."
Xiao Zuo remained silent for a moment, then took a few steps back to the side. When he spoke again, his voice was completely cold: "Miss Gong, please."