clergé

Chapitre 79

He lowered his head to pinch her chubby cheeks, but suddenly stopped halfway. He picked up a handkerchief and carefully wiped her cheeks before pressing his lips to hers.

Having successfully stolen a kiss, he was completely satisfied. He hugged Pang Wan and whispered, "We'll be husband and wife sooner or later. No one will gossip, so why should you care?"

He spoke with such self-righteousness that he seemed completely unaware that his tone was no different from that of a womanizer who seduces innocent young girls.

However, Pang Wan had no time to pay attention to his improper behavior; her attention was now entirely focused on the handkerchief in his hand.

In the corner of that snow-white cotton towel, there was a familiar-looking eagle head logo.

“What is this?” she asked, pointing to the blue mark.

“This is the clan emblem.” He Qinglu looked in the direction she was pointing. “This inn is owned by a large family. Everything they provide is marked to prevent it from being lost or confused with others.”

After saying that, he added, "All the handkerchiefs here are brand new. They are thrown away after the guests leave, which shows that the owner must be a very wealthy person."

Pang Wan nodded thoughtfully.

Night had fallen in the blink of an eye.

The so-called superior rooms in the inn were reserved for wealthy families with servants. They consisted of two separate rooms, one inside and one outside, each with a bed. So, naturally, Pang Wan stayed in the outer room at night, while the most luxurious inner room was reserved for Young Master He.

Fortunately, although He Qinglu came from a prestigious family, he was used to studying on his own since childhood, so he did not have the extravagant behavior of asking maids to help him change clothes, wash his face, and comb his hair. He just took a look at Pang Wan before going to bed, and seeing that she was alright, he went back to his room.

Pang Wan huddled under the covers for a while, making sure there was no more movement from the inner room, before secretly taking out a black jade pendant from the pillowcase.

It was engraved with the head of a majestic eagle, exactly the same as the mark on the corner of the handkerchief during the day.

She looked at it and touched it again, and made a decision in her heart.

******

The next day, He Qinglu took Jin Diluo to the Ninth Prince's villa, but they did not find Sang Chan. Instead, they received some unexpected news, and their faces immediately turned gloomy.

"Young Master, should we report this matter to Miss Wanwan?" Jin Diluo was a little unsure.

He Qinglu played with the blood-red coral bead in her hand, her long eyelashes drooping, concealing all her thoughts.

"If you were her, what would you do upon hearing the news?" he suddenly asked.

Jin Diluo was taken aback, then bowed his head respectfully and said, "If it were me, I would naturally rush back without hesitation, but..." He paused, his face slightly shy, "But Miss Wanwan is a woman, and with such a good prospect as the young master, she might not necessarily take such a risk."

"Oh?" He Qinglu gave a barely audible hum.

"Young Master, please forgive my indiscretion, but no matter our status, we must not interfere in matters of the martial world. Please think carefully before you act," Jin Diluo reminded him, bowing slightly.

He Qinglu remained noncommittal, but smiled slightly.

The master and servant sat in the inn for most of the day until the sun set, when a girl in red emerged from behind the curtain.

She had straw hanging from her head, leaves stuck to her skirt, and her hair was loosely tied to one side, making her look quite disheveled.

What are you doing?

She was startled when she saw the two people sitting upright in the room.

"Where have you been? Why are you so dirty?"

He Qinglu frowned, her gaze toward her particularly stern.

Pang Wan touched her nose and chuckled twice: "Hehe, there was a temple fair near Longfu Temple today, so I went out to play with Azhuo." Azhuo was the clever and obedient mute maid.

"Where is A-Zhuo? Why didn't she come back with you?" He Qinglu's brows remained furrowed.

“There were so many people at the temple fair that I got separated from her along the way, and it took me a lot of effort to find her.” Pang Wan shrugged. “I was sweating buckets while searching, so as soon as she got back, she went to prepare bath water for me.”

Her explanation was reasonable, and He Qinglu nodded, her doubts vanishing.

This demeanor is that of a high and mighty head of the household.

Seeing his pretentious manner, Pang Wan suddenly became emboldened and pounced on him, saying in a coquettish tone, "Young master, do you not believe I smell bad? Come, smell me, you'll know once you smell me." As she spoke, she deliberately brought her head close to his nose, and the tip of the straw almost poked into his nostril.

"How dare you!" He Qinglu was furious, and grabbed her shoulder, pushing her backward.

Pang Wan cried out in pain, stumbled, and almost fell to the ground.

However, her body was protected by someone; He Qinglu's arms were tightly wrapped around her, depriving her of the opportunity to have close contact with the ground.

"You really stink! How can you smell so bad?" He frowned and glared at her, his pupils filled with disgust. "You smell like sweat, malt sugar, dried persimmons, a yellow dog, camphor wood... wait, why do you also smell like chicken poop?!"

Pang Wan's face immediately lit up with an expression of admiration: "Young master! You're amazing! How did you know I bought candy and persimmons today? And that I accidentally knocked over someone's chicken coop while being chased by a stray dog?" This guy's nose is even better than a big yellow dog's!

He Qinglu glared at her.

He was actually quite pleased with himself, but he absolutely couldn't show it, at least not let the girl know.

He hadn't noticed at all that Pang Wan hadn't explained the origin of that "camphor wood smell."

"If you've had enough fun, take a shower and go to bed early." He released Pang Wan and deliberately put on a stern face. "Since Linyi is so lively, you and A Zhuo can travel around for the next few days. Anyway, we won't be staying for long."

Pang Wan was taken aback: "You didn't find the Ninth Prince's villa?"

He Qinglu frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "We found her, but Sang Chan has already left."

Pang Wan exclaimed "Ah!" with extreme disappointment on her face: "Does anyone know where she went?"

Jin Di Luo Fei glanced quickly at his master.

However, He Qinglu had already made up her mind.