Une jeunesse errante

Chapitre 90

Madam Lu sneered, "Over the years, I have been keeping an eye on the developments in Yunnan. As soon as Qing Jianyue appeared, I knew something was wrong. He has no background or family history, and with so many mysteries surrounding him, I naturally thought of Lu Ji."

Lu Qingcheng's face was gloomy, and she didn't say a word.

Madam Lu took a letter from her sleeve and slammed it onto the small lacquered table. "Take a look. I'm not just making baseless accusations, nor am I just guessing based on a ring on his hand."

Lu Qingcheng didn't pick up the letter to read it, but simply said, "Jian Yue has already admitted it, so what's there to see?"

"Do you really believe what Qing Jianyue said?" Madam Lu's voice became sharper, like a knife. "I just don't believe it. Lu Ji sent Qing Jianyue here for a reason that is not as simple as you think."

Lu Qingcheng said patiently, "Mother, I don't want to know where Jian Yue came from. Let's leave it at that. I don't want to pursue this any further."

"You're like an ostrich burying its head in the sand," Madam Lu said angrily. "My son, you're still too young. There are some things you simply don't know. There's an underground treasury in this fortress, and no one knows of its existence except for the successive lords who have held the key. This treasury is the treasury accumulated by our ancestors. It was meant to be used to save lives in the most difficult times."

Lu Qingcheng's face clearly showed her shock.

"But when the old master died, he didn't pass the key to me, nor to Lu Yan." Madam Lu asked, "Then who did he pass it to? It's obvious that he gave it to your dead father. Since Qing Jianyue was sent by your dead father, he must have the key to the treasure vault on him." At the mention of her husband, Madam Lu's phoenix eyes turned cold, and the ruthless aura emanating from her seemed to freeze anyone who got too close.

Lu Qingcheng's face began to pale, but he frowned deeply, clenched his teeth, and remained silent. He couldn't discern how much of his mother's words were true or false. On the other hand, the news had indeed shocked him. Qing Jianyue was not only sent by his father, but also possessed the key to the castle's treasury.

Madam Lu sneered, "Now you should understand, right? Qing Jianyue isn't doing this for you; he's after the gold and silver treasures in the treasury."

Lu Qingcheng, having undergone three years of training, quickly regained his composure. He stared at his mother with extreme coldness and said, "I understand. I will take my leave now. Please rest, Mother."

He turned and strode away. Madam Lu silently watched her son's tall, departing figure, which reminded her of over twenty years ago when Lu Ji had left without regard for anything, his back also bearing a similar silhouette. A cold darkness enveloped Madam Lu's phoenix eyes.

Leaving Yixin Garden, Lu Qingcheng headed straight for Qing Jianyue's courtyard, feeling dejected. Guo Guo and Mao Ying quickly came out to greet him. He waved them off, strode up the steps, and without waiting for servants to open the door for him, he opened the carved door and stepped into the sunlit room. Although it was winter, the room was still filled with lush flowers and trees, overflowing with a delicate floral fragrance. Qing Jianyue was reclining on a warm couch by the window, with a white fox lying beside him, covered with a soft floral quilt. The sunlight streaming in made it so warm and cozy that one just wanted to doze off.

Lu Qingcheng stood beside the warm couch, his gaze fixed menacingly on Qing Jianyue's dozing face. After what seemed like an eternity, his agitated emotions gradually calmed. He reached out and gently patted Qing Jianyue's face. Qing Jianyue jolted awake. Seeing him, he was so frightened that he tried to sit up, but Lu Qingcheng immediately held him down.

"Lie down, lie down, no need to get up."

Kiyoshi lay down again, examined him carefully for a while, and smiled, "Last night, the Lord of the Fortress came to see me and said the same thing."

His bright smile made Lu Qingcheng smile along with him. "How are Fox's injuries?"

Kiyoshi Tsuki laughed and said, "Doctor Li said that as long as I take good care of my injuries, I'll be back to my old self in no time. However, Doctor Li's analogy seems a bit off. It's a fox, how could it be full of energy? It's more like a wolf or a fox."

Lu Qingcheng's smile widened.

Qingjian Yue said softly, "If the Lord has something on his mind, could you tell me about it? Even if I can't help you, I can still be a good listener. And I promise that what you say will go in one ear and out the other."

Lu Qingcheng smiled and said, "Jian Yue, what can I say about you? Sometimes you're so smart it's frightening, and other times you're so stupid it makes me want to bite you."

Kiyomi Tsuki chuckled foolishly.

Lu Qingcheng said, "The murderer has been caught."

Kiyoshi blinked her crystal-black eyes. "Amazing! The fact that the Great Lord and the Grand Enforcer found the murderer overnight proves that they are indeed very efficient."

Lu Qingcheng smiled, "You probably can't figure out who it is even if you rack your brains. It's Master Zhong."

Kiyomi Tsuki's reply was, "Oh."

Lu Qingcheng recounted the key points of everything that had just happened at Yixin Garden.

Upon hearing this, Kiyomi Tsuki showed no excitement or shock, but simply said naturally, "Every cause has its effect. Isn't there a saying that goes, 'It's not that retribution won't come, but that the time hasn't arrived yet'?"

Lu Qingcheng looked at him with such deep, dark eyes, as if they were the depths of hell that wanted to devour everything.

Kiyoshi asked in surprise, "Lord of the Fortress, what's wrong?"

Lu Qingcheng took his hand and examined the ring in front of her eyes, coldly asking, "Is he really dead?"

“No, your father is not dead,” Qing Jianyue said. Lu Qingcheng suddenly tightened her grip on his hand. Qing Jianyue winced in pain, but he endured it, and a gentle smile even appeared on his face. “Your father is in heaven, watching over you.”

Lu Qingcheng suddenly loosened her grip, her eyes flashing with a fierce light as she glared at Qing Jianyue.

Qingjian Yue smiled and said, "Lord of the Fortress, your father is really watching over you from heaven. He has always cared about you."

"Shut up!" Lu Qingcheng roared.

Kiyoshi shrank back in fright, afraid that he would harm her hand again, and quickly pulled her hand back as well.

"Why did he send you? What does he want?" Lu Qingcheng said hatefully, "Dead? It's good that he died. He left everything to Mother and me, and left without caring about anything. Once he left, he never looked back. Even if I wanted to hate him, wanted to beat him up for Mother, I no longer have the chance. Now, I understand why Mother did what she did. She knew perfectly well that White Stone Manor was no match for Tianlong Fortress, yet she was still so determined to take revenge. She wasn't avenging her father's death; she was avenging her husband's abandonment of his wife and children."

Kiyomi Tsuki laughed and said, "People don't live for revenge."

Lu Qingcheng sneered, "Then tell me, what is the purpose of life? And why did he send you here?"

Kiyomi Tsuki's face beamed with a smile as bright as the winter sun. "Just like now, lazily basking in the sun, chatting with the lord, listening to the fox's snores. The little sparrow is brewing fragrant jasmine tea in the living room, while the little crow is studying the recipe for tonight's dishes in the kitchen. In the back garden, cockroaches and grasshoppers are playing chess while sunbathing, and locusts are chasing an owl, baring their teeth and claws. Oh, the poor owl is being bullied by an insect until it's in tears."

Lu Qingcheng burst into laughter.

The white fox awoke with a start, raised its head, and whimpered in dissatisfaction. Kiyomi Tsuki gently stroked its long, snow-white fur. The white fox grumbled, then tucked its head under its tail and went back to sleep.

Lu Qingcheng's laughter was like a June downpour, coming and going quickly. He suddenly stopped laughing, his gaze turning cold and serious. He stood up and paced back and forth in the room. Suddenly, he stopped again, facing Qing Jianyue, his expression so solemn it sent chills down one's spine.

“Jianyue, tell me, why did you come here? In my opinion, you don’t seem like the kind of person who can be easily manipulated.”

Kiyomi Tsuki smiled wryly, "Because of a bet."

"A bet?" Lu Qingcheng asked.

“Three years ago, I made a bet with your father. The bet was that if I won, Master Lu would give me his house, his slaves and maids, and his land, except for his wife and daughter. If I lost, I would come here to serve you until you married three wives and had six sons, and only then could I leave.”

Lu Qingcheng's eyes were full of disbelief.

"You don't believe me?" Qing Jianyue suddenly scratched her head in frustration and exclaimed, "It's true, I'm not lying to you. You can send someone to Yunnan to inquire."