Jing Lan pondered for a moment and said, "Could there be something strange in the water?"
An Xin felt that she was only separated from the truth by a thin layer of paper; once that layer was broken, everything would be revealed!
For some reason, she felt dizzy and had a headache, so she turned around and said, "Waiting here won't make any progress. Let's go back first."
As she spoke, An Xin took the lead and walked downstairs, but after only a few steps, she felt that everything in front of her was a little unsteady, and her body went slightly limp. She was supported by Jing Lan.
"What's wrong?" Jing Lan noticed that An Xin's expression was not good, and her gaze deepened.
"It's nothing, I'm just a little dizzy." An Xin opened her eyelashes and cheered herself up to continue walking forward.
The moonlight was beautiful, flowing like silver.
Large swathes of late-blooming flowers spread across the mountains; when the night breeze blows, their subtle fragrance wafts through the air, and the moonlight casts shimmering shadows.
An Xin and Jing Lan walked down the road side by side.
The saying goes, "Going up the mountain is easy, but going down is hard," as the steep mountain path barely provides any foothold.
Jing Lan landed on a flat spot and then reached out her hand to An Xin.
The man bathed in moonlight was like a secluded spring in a valley, his features as beautiful as a poem or a painting, a sight to behold.
An Xin stared at his long, jade-like fingers, slightly taken aback. However, the mountain was steep, and if she jumped down like that, she would probably jump into fire. So she grabbed his hand. His fingers were warm and smooth, and she felt the coolness of the night.
An Xin landed with difficulty in front of him. The flat area was pitifully small; it was just enough for one person to stand on, but it would be too crowded for two people. An Xin looked at the winding mountain path leading down and said, "Let's go."
She was a little unaccustomed to this constant "intimacy," and since Kuang Jinglan had a fiancée, she hoped she wouldn't let any rumors spread about him.
An Xin let go of Jing Lan's hand and carefully moved down the mountain on her own. She was a person who hated trouble, so naturally she wouldn't let any trouble take root and sprout, because she was afraid it would hurt to pull it out later.
Fortunately, after descending that steep slope, the path became much easier. Further down was a man-made mountain path. An Xin breathed a slight sigh of relief, stopped, turned around, and looked at Jing Lan with a nonchalant smile, saying, "Thank you for your trouble tonight, Prime Minister Zuo."
Jing Lan smiled faintly: "If it were the Right Prime Minister, would Miss An be so polite?"
An Xin frowned subconsciously. If it were Yan Zhen, she guessed she would force him to help her, mainly because she didn't like him.
An Xin smiled faintly and said, "He's the kind of person who's not worth being polite to." After saying that, she turned around and walked slowly down the mountain. When she reached the bottom, her head seemed less dizzy, but she felt an indescribable fatigue all over her body.
Jinglan lowered her eyelashes slightly, but smiled and asked, "Miss An, what is the purpose of your efforts in running around for Fengxian Village?"
An Xin paused abruptly and said, "For what? I haven't thought about it." She had loved reasoning since childhood, and perhaps because of her parents, she always seemed to have a sense of justice in her heart. To put it more nobly, perhaps she was acting for justice.
"If the murderer were your family, would you still reveal the truth?" Jing Lan's voice was clear and cool in the night, yet it inexplicably touched An Xin's heartstrings. If the murderer were her family, would she still reveal the truth?
An Xin gazed at the night sky, then suddenly turned her head and smiled at Jing Lan, saying, "That kind of thing, let's talk about it after it actually happens. It's too tiring to think about it now!"
Jing Lan was suddenly stunned. Looking into the girl's clear eyes and pure smile, her calm heart was like a small pebble falling into a still lake, causing ripples to spread.
"This lovey-dovey scene is tiring to watch." A lazy voice suddenly came, and An Xin's smile froze on her face. She turned around abruptly and saw a man in brocade robes reclining on a branch under a tree full of apricot blossoms. His hair fell like ink, and the evening breeze lifted the hem of his clothes, making him look like he was flying. He held a fan and lay there leisurely, his eyes sweeping over her with a shimmering gaze.
"Yan Zhen. What are you doing here?" An Xin frowned subconsciously. What sweet talk? You can't expect anything nice to come out of a turtle's mouth!
"What is he doing here?" Yan Zhen smiled lazily, glanced at Jing Lan, and raised her hand to rest her chin on her hand with a smile. "The Left Prime Minister is so leisurely. Taking a stroll under the moon is truly an elegant thing to do."
An Xin stared at Yan Zhen strangely, and the floral fragrance in the air inexplicably took on a sour smell.
Jing Lan looked at An Xin and smiled faintly, "The Right Prime Minister is quite elegant to be here in the desolate wilderness to admire the moon instead of sleeping in his fine golden-tiled house."
An Xin's face was blank, and she vaguely sensed a hint of tension. She was listening blankly when she suddenly felt a coolness on her forehead. It was Jing Lan's finger on her forehead, and she was startled.
"The redness and swelling will probably take a few more days to subside. Remember to apply this ointment." Jing Lan casually took out a small green bottle and handed it to An Xin, smiling slightly. "Then, is our agreement still valid?"
An Xin paused for a moment before remembering that he was referring to the agreement regarding Niu Da's matter, and nodded, saying, "Of course it counts."
Jing Lan smiled faintly and said, "Alright, see you tomorrow night." After saying that, she cupped her hands to the person who was still showing off in the tree and said, "Farewell."
Seeing Jing Lan walk away, An Xin casually put away the ointment and headed down the mountain, ignoring the person in the tree as if they were invisible.
"Is the moonlight on the mountain beautiful?" Yan Zhen couldn't help but ask.
An Xin said softly, "The moonlight is much better than here." Speaking of the mountaintop, her heart sank inexplicably.
Yan Zhen's anger was stirred up, but he laughed wildly and said, "The Left Prime Minister is indeed a talented and romantic man. He is engaged, yet he comes to seduce other women!"
An Xin suddenly stopped and glared at Yan Zhen, saying, "It's windy up in the tree, don't bite off more than you can chew!"
Yan Zhen felt inexplicably irritated whenever he thought of her watching the stars and the moon with him on the mountaintop. If he hadn't suddenly missed her late at night and gone to the Taicang magistrate's residence, he would never have known that she and he had made an appointment there!
But he knew An Xin's personality; she would never have any ambiguous or romantic relationship with anyone else. But what if she had feelings for him?
"The wind is stronger in the trees than on the mountain!"
An Xin's gaze suddenly darkened, and she said coldly, "Yan Zhen, if you continue to spout nonsense, I will..."
"So what?" Yan Zhen stared at An Xin, her expression unpleasant.
"I'm tired!" An Xin turned and left, unable to understand what the man was thinking!
As soon as she turned around, she bumped into a wall of flesh. Then, An Xin's wrist tightened, and she was pulled into someone's arms. Before she could react, she felt a pain on her lips, and then the man's breath filled her mouth.
An Xin's brain nearly shut down, and she raised her hand and slapped him across the face.
"Slap!" The slap landed squarely on the Prime Minister's perfectly beautiful face, leaving a bright red five-finger mark.
An Xin felt a numbness in her hand and was startled.
Yan Zhen's gaze deepened, and she said in a low voice, "Did you have enough?"