Guía sobre viento y humo

Capítulo 27

Jun Xiaoling didn't ask how she got there. Queyue was always cautious, and since she had managed to sneak in, she must have already planned her way out. He just quietly looked at her, but unfortunately, her face was disguised, and even face to face, he couldn't get a proper look at her.

“Zhijin…” Jun Xiaoling’s eyes were slightly complicated. He wanted to reach out and touch her cheek… He already knew her identity, her past at Qingzun Tower, and after returning here, he knew everything. But why, after experiencing so much, being wronged and hurt, could she still maintain her composure?

Such calm and serenity caused him great pain, yet it was also so precious.

Before his hand could even touch the person in front of him, a small pebble suddenly flew towards him. Startled, he was about to retaliate when Queyue grabbed his arm. Not far away, the person who had brought Queyue here was hiding behind the bushes, peeking out halfway and waving frantically.

"Someone's probably coming, I have to go."

Jun Xiaoling grabbed her hand, squeezed it tightly, and gave a helpless, bitter smile. His warm palm still held the familiar temperature; no matter what, he was still Adi.

Another small stone flew over, and the hand waving from afar grew more urgent. Queyue steeled her heart, withdrew her hand, and turned to walk away quickly.

When she turned around, Jun Xiaoling was still standing in the same spot, silently watching her walk away.

There's a dull ache in each other's hearts, as if we could feel it no matter how far apart we are. When will this pain stop?

Queyue followed the guide, bypassing the patrolling guards. Before they even returned to the banquet, they suddenly heard a voice from above: "Who goes there?!" The guide's face immediately changed; if discovered, he would likely lose his life. Hearing that the voice wasn't nearby, Queyue quickly pushed him to hurry, then went out alone. A guard jumped down from the shadows of a tree. His clothes were clearly different from the other guards. Queyue knew this was one of the guards hidden throughout Qingzun Tower. She lowered her head slightly, trying to hide her face to avoid being recognized as a disguised guard.

"Brother, I came here with my cousin for a banquet, but I left midway and got lost... I don't know if I've offended anyone by entering a place I shouldn't have..."

The guard looked her up and down but couldn't detect anything unusual. Fortunately, they weren't far from the banquet, so his words didn't seem too far-fetched. After all, he was just a guard, and he wouldn't dare offend a distinguished guest of the manor.

“Mei’er—ah, over there…”

A cold voice sounded from behind him. A servant was standing beside him. He walked over in a few steps, took Queyue's hand, and said, "Mei'er, you've been out for a while. I was afraid you would get lost, so I came out to look for you..." He nodded politely to the guard in front of him and said to the servant who had come with him, "I have found her. Thank you."

"You're too kind, young master," the servant replied respectfully, then gave the guard a wink to indicate that nothing was wrong, before inviting Leng Yu and Que Yue back to their seats.

After everyone had left, Leng Yu asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"

"It's alright, thank you for coming to my rescue."

Leng Yu shook his head. "No need to thank me. This is what Young Master Zhou instructed me to do. In case you're gone for too long, I'll have someone guide you to find you." If it's really difficult to get away, Young Master Zhou will personally step in and pretend it's a misunderstanding to cover it up. Spending this money on Young Master Zhou is worthwhile.

Unable to leave early, they could only try to remain in their seats discreetly.

Although what had just happened could be attributed to guests accidentally getting lost, it was still necessary to guard against Jun Yuqing finding out. Finally, after the banquet ended and some people took their leave, they left quickly with the other guests, without waiting for Zhou Shao.

They finally breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived at the Zhou family's inn in the city. They had changed sedan chairs here on their way here, and agreed that they would wait for Young Master Zhou here for a day after they came out. If he was delayed by something, they would leave first.

Queyue hadn't changed out of her disguise and was still dressed as a woman in front of Leng Yu. Poor Leng Yu, the second young master, was a dashing playboy who claimed he could never mistake a woman's appearance or figure after just one glance. However, after confusing Xinyue and Queyue, his confidence had already been shaken, and he began to doubt his own judgment. Now, he was even more suspicious and couldn't recognize that the woman in front of him, whose figure alone was enough to make one's heart flutter, was someone he had seen before.

Looking at the slender, ethereal woman before him, the simple disguise on her face did nothing to diminish her beauty. Leng Yu desperately reminded himself—he was Duan Jin, he was a man, a man, a man…

But even men... he...

Although he didn't know his background or what he wanted to do, he always felt an irresistible urge to reach out to him. Every time he managed to suppress it, he would sadly discover that he had truly fallen for him.

Duan Jin seemed somewhat anxious and suddenly stood up, saying, "Brother Leng, let's go now."

“But Young Master Zhou…” Leng Yu hesitated slightly, thinking that Young Master Zhou would probably linger at Qingzun Tower for quite some time. He didn’t know the details of Duan Jin’s relationship with Qingzun Tower, so it was better to listen to Duan Jin’s judgment. “Alright, then let’s not wait for Young Master Zhou, let’s go first. I’ll go to the manager to leave a message for Young Master Zhou, you… uh, shouldn’t you change your clothes first…” Since they were going to ride horses, men’s clothing would be more convenient. Que Yue nodded, and the two went to prepare separately.

Leng Yu asked the innkeeper to leave a message, and waited at the door of the room for a while before seeing Duan Jin come out. Now dressed as a man, he was still the handsome young man, but no longer had any feminine grace. Leng Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief, seemingly less nervous, but his heart was filled with more complicated feelings.

He was attracted to Duan Jin in women's clothing, but when he saw Duan Jin in men's clothing—he actually—

The eldest son of the Leng family has been wandering the world for many years without any news. If the second son of the Leng family were to engage in homosexuality—after the Leng family is gone, I wonder if he would be beaten to death by his father?

"Brother Leng?"

"Ah, it's nothing, let's go."

The waiter brought the horses, and the two rode out of the city. Seeing that Duan Jin seemed to be in a hurry, Leng Yu, though it was like a cat scratching at his heart, wanted to know about him, but he still suppressed his desire and didn't ask anything, and spurred his horse to follow.

As soon as he left the city, two figures suddenly attacked him. Queyue was startled—as expected, Jun Yuqing had discovered him!

Two men, two swords, attacked Queyue simultaneously. Lengyu spurred his horse forward, leaping onto Queyue's back, gripping the reins with one hand and drawing his sword with the other to defend himself.

One of them turned and stabbed at the horse's belly. The horse neighed a few times and threw them off.

Leng Yu, holding Que Yue, rolled over and got up to fight the newcomers. The newcomers were all skilled in martial arts; one held Leng Yu back while the other focused on attacking Que Yue. They were all members of the Dark Pavilion, and Que Yue recognized one of them—Luo Yi. She remembered that name.

Leng Yu's martial arts skills were enough to fend off one Dark Pavilion assassin, but with two, he was overwhelmed. He cried out in alarm, "Duan Jin!!" as Luo Yi's sword was already at Que Yue's chest.

Chapter 48

In that instant, Queyue saw a pair of resentful eyes—unrelated to orders or missions. Was it resentment, or jealousy?

The sword was already upon her, and Queyue knew she couldn't dodge it, but how could she willingly die here—

How could that be?

For a moment, everything went black, but then a warm breath enveloped me, and I felt myself being lifted into the air before landing steadily on the ground. I looked up and met a pair of worried eyes, filled with anxiety, yet feeling a sense of warmth and kindness.

She was already in Jun Xiaoling's arms, avoiding Luo Yi's attack.

Upon seeing Jun Xiaoling, Luo Yi's face turned ashen. Her lips moved slightly, but she couldn't utter a word of explanation. The other person also stopped and bowed to Jun Xiaoling.

Jun Xiaoling's eyes swept over the two of them without any warmth, finally settling on Luo Yi's face.

"What's going on, Luo Yi?"

"Xiao, this is the Lord's order..."

“If I remember correctly,” he interrupted Luo Yi, “you are now my direct subordinate, aren’t you? Or do you think it would be better to go back to Master Tie or my elder brother?” His tone was calm, without reproach, merely stating a fact. However, upon hearing his words, Luo Yi’s face turned deathly pale.

"Xiao, no! I was wrong, I won't do it again, let me stay by your side..."

Jun Xiaoling didn't answer her. He looked down at Queyue and, seeing that she wasn't injured, said, "I'm sorry, it was my oversight... I should have made sure you left safely..."

Queyue smiled and shook her head, indicating that it was alright. "I know your situation... Is it okay for you to come out like this? Will Jun Yuqing make things difficult for you?"

Jun Xiaoling's expression darkened slightly. "It's alright. If I really want to come out, who can stop me? Besides, this time it was my elder brother who broke the agreement first and attacked you. He won't say anything, at most he'll pretend that this never happened—so naturally I haven't left Qingzun Tower."

Luo Yi looked away, refusing to look at the two of them again, but Leng Yu couldn't help but look—in front of Jun Xiaoling, who was dressed in black, the slender Duan Jin appeared weak yet resilient, and his undisguised worry and concern stung Leng Yu's eyes.

Anyone with eyes could see the relationship between these two people.

This person is Jun Xiaoling, the soon-to-be new master of Qingzun Tower—if he can disregard worldly conventions and put everything aside to achieve this, there's no reason why I can't do it! So what if I'm a man?

(...Leng Er...you really misunderstood |||| - -)

“Young Master Jun.” Leng Yu stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting. Jun Xiaoling turned around. “You are…”

"I will treat you coldly."

"Young Master Leng, the Carefree Traveler?" Jun Xiaoling smiled gently. "Thank you for escorting me all the way..."

"No need to thank me. Duan Jin and I are friends, so protecting his safety is only right. Although I don't know the details of this matter, since Young Master Jun cares about Duan Jin, shouldn't you also consider his safety?" He had ears and had naturally heard their conversation just now—the person who wanted to kill Duan Jin was Jun Yuqing, and whatever the reason, it was naturally related to Jun Xiaoling.

Jun Xiaoling was slightly taken aback, not failing to understand the other meaning in Leng Yu's words. He glanced helplessly at Queyue, but was not annoyed. "I will reflect on my actions. I hope Young Master Leng will take good care of me on the return journey." He squeezed Queyue's hand under his sleeve, smiled slightly, and seemed to be deep in thought.

"Duan Jin, it's time for us to get going." Seeing Duan Jin standing next to Jun Xiaoling was an eyesore.

Queyue looked up at Jun Xiaoling and smiled, "Go on, there shouldn't be any danger on the rest of the way... I won't let anything else happen." He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Let's find a new place to stay when we get back."

As Queyue walked towards Lengyu, about to mount her horse, Lengyu suddenly lifted her up and placed himself behind her on the same horse. Queyue was slightly taken aback by Lengyu's sudden [consideration]... She wasn't so useless that she couldn't mount a horse... (obviously, this wasn't the point).

With a flick of his whip, Leng Yu shouted, "Giddy up!" and rode off with Queyue.

Jun Xiaoling watched them until they were far away before slowly turning back to look at the two people who had been standing like wooden stakes for so long. Luo Yi, who had refused to show weakness to outsiders just moments before, suddenly knelt down. She knew that Jun Xiaoling today was no longer the Blood Asura of the past; his identity was different now.

Jun Xiaoling glanced at the other person first, "Are you one of Pavilion Master Tie's men?"

"yes."

"...You can go now. Since you're following orders, I won't make things difficult for you."

"Thank you, young master."

Only after the person left did he slowly walk to Luo Yi's side, but he did not look down at her.

"Luo Yi, I am not the master of Qingzun Tower yet. Your true master is still Jun Yuqing... It's just that I once thought that, given our past relationship, you would side with me..."

"No, it's Luo Yi's fault. Since I've already followed you, I shouldn't have gone against your wishes. Please punish me!"

"...You just said you wouldn't do it again?"

"Yes, Luo Yi will never do it again!" Even if she hated and hurt, she could only endure it... She could endure it for as long as she could.

"Alright, I'll trust you one more time." Jun Xiaoling's voice rang out calmly, causing Luo Yi to pause slightly. She thought he cared deeply for that woman and wouldn't forgive her for attempting to assassinate her... but she never expected this...

"Fortunately, Zhijin wasn't hurt, so I forgive you. Zhijin once told me that even if I lied to her one day, she would wait until I could tell her the truth. Even if I hurt her one day, she could wait until things were over and I could give her an explanation. Until then, she wouldn't blame me. — Before this, I never knew that my so-called kindness and tolerance were nothing but hypocrisy, something I could ignore simply because it didn't concern me. But because of her, I now know what tolerance is, and I only want to become someone who can be tolerant like her — You should thank Zhijin. You should also be glad that you didn't really hurt her just now." Jun Xiaoling's smile was so gentle, his voice so kind, but Luo Yi suddenly felt a chill run through her body, as if a saw had ripped through her heart — at this moment, she would rather be punished, she would rather not be forgiven, than accept this kind of "tolerance" from him! — This "tolerance" from that woman, which made her heart bleed even more with each passing moment!

Queyue and Lengyu returned to their residence, intending to immediately change locations as Jun Xiaoling had instructed. However, Lengyu disagreed. Since their whereabouts had already been exposed, it would be too late to change locations now if the other side sent people to follow them. Besides, compared to other places, Xiangyu had him, his friends, and the Zhou family to look after him here, which was better than going elsewhere.

Queyue knew he wasn't wrong; once her whereabouts were exposed, it didn't matter where she went. If Jun Yuqing really wanted to deal with her, how far could she go even if she left now? The key was the mutual restraint between Jun Yuqing and Jun Xiaoling, preventing either of them from coming to find her.

She didn't leave in the end, but she vaguely felt that the cold treatment she received after returning was somewhat different from before. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

At night, a dark shadow flashed outside her room. Queyue got up alertly, but there was no further movement.

Although she had some doubts and worries, nothing happened. However, once she became aware of something, she noticed that there seemed to be someone outside her room every night.

Several days later, Zhou Shao reappeared. Unlike these wealthy young masters who spent their days leisurely, he was, after all, the head of the Zhou family business. His disappearances for days at a time went unnoticed, and everyone was used to it. This day, he stormed in, even forgetting Leng Yu was still standing there, and shouted to Que Yue, "Found it! Found it! We have news of Xin Yue!"

Leng Yu, standing to the side, was startled and nearly knocked over the teacup beside him.

Crescent Moon sat up from her seat. "Where is she?"

Zhou Shao picked up the teapot on the table and drank a lot of tea before saying, "She is currently in Mo Nan with Xiao Wuqing. My contact there has already made contact with her. If she comes back from there immediately, it will take about seven or eight days."

Mo Nan? No wonder I couldn't find her anywhere in Cangzhou. What was she doing in a place like that?

"Young Master Zhou, could you please do me another favor? I'll pay you separately—"

Zhou Shao nodded immediately. He liked dealing with customers like Queyue the most. They were definitely self-aware and cooperative, unlike some people who would refuse to pay their bills and make him work for free.

"Please be sure to deliver this message to Jun Xiaoling! The sooner the better!" This is the last and only shackle on Jun Xiaoling's body. As long as he can get rid of it, he will no longer have to worry about anything he faces!

Zhou Shao frowned. "That's a bit difficult. Jun Yuqing has been even more wary since your last meeting. I'll try my best."

The two men talked, seemingly having completely forgotten the cold reception they were receiving. Until he stood behind Zhou Shao with a stern face—"What do you mean by these words?"

"Well?"

Why did Duan Jin want to find the new moon?

"Well……"

Zhou Shao glanced at the cold reception, then at the crescent moon... and... hadn't they noticed after all these days?

If there were only one Duan Jin who looked like a crescent moon, it could be a coincidence. But this Duan Jin who looks like a crescent moon is searching for someone in Cangming, can that still be a coincidence? Even a fool could see the connection.

“Duan Jin…could it be that you…” He stared intently at Que Yue, “You really were—you weren’t telling the truth from the beginning, were you? You really are Que Yue’s brother!”

"..."