Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 322 Beautiful Concubine
The Marquis of Wuding's residence.

Ah Wan carefully walked to Shen Ling Shu's side, carrying a plate of fruits and pastries.

Looking over, Shen Lingshu was sitting by the window, lost in thought, her face expressionless.

This naturally worried Ah Wan a lot. The last time she saw the girl like this, it was because she was worried that Gu Jingnian had died while saving her.

It seems that the situation this time is much more serious than the last time.

"Girl, what's wrong with you?" Awan asked softly.

But Shen Lingshu completely ignored her, not even blinking.

As a maidservant, A-Wan's knowledge was very limited. She had never even heard of Shen Ji-Chi's affairs, so she was naturally confused.

She even worried that she might have done something wrong and made the girl angry, which made her very uneasy.

Fortunately, she wasn't really that stupid; she knew that as a mere maid, she wouldn't have angered her mistress to this extent.

Finally, when Shen Lingshu reacted, he directly kicked her out of the small attic.

Ah-Wan left the courtyard with a worried expression. When she looked up, the sky was gloomy, with a large patch of dark clouds pressing down overhead, as if a heavy rainstorm was about to break out at any moment.

This kind of weather has been going on for half a month, but it hasn't rained, which only adds to the frustration.

Ah Wan didn't notice that the trees in the courtyard were swaying in the wind, and each leaf looked like an eye, secretly watching them.

She also failed to notice that bronze mirrors were hanging from the eaves of each house; these were used to monitor whether anyone nearby was using teleportation devices.

Since Shen Jichi's incident, many of the servants and retainers in the Marquis's mansion have made contact with the Kaiping Division and are now on high alert in the mansion.

Ah-Wan was unaware of all this; she only sensed the oppressive atmosphere.

"what."

She saw several maids sitting idly in the courtyard and couldn't help but ask, "Why did you all come out? Didn't you leave anyone to serve Madam Xue?"

"She was in a bad mood and kicked us all out."

Ah Wan thought to herself, "Why is Xue Juju in such a bad mood? She's been acting really strange lately."

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared on the bronze mirror on the eaves behind her, reflecting a figure—the figure of a tall and handsome young man.

However, apart from a few maids, there was clearly no one else around A-Wan.

The trees in the yard swayed and twisted even without wind.

The maids were still chatting, but the servants of the Shen household had already become alert.

"coming!"

An old man shouted angrily, his white beard trembling.

Beside him was a constable sent by the Kaiping Division, who was looking at a luminous pearl. Originally, there was only a wisp of blood energy floating inside the pearl, but now the blood energy suddenly spread out and turned crimson.

"quick."

A sharp glint appeared in the old man's eyes, and a ball of orange flames swirled between his hands. Even if Gu Jingnian was a healer, he would be seriously injured and fall to the ground if he were to be struck by his palm.

He hurried toward the small pavilion where Shen Lingshu was.

At this moment, the dark clouds in the sky grew heavier and heavier, and the entire Wuding Marquis's residence was plunged into darkness.

"what?"

Ah-Wan, who was in the yard, finally noticed something was wrong. She looked up, dumbfounded, and said, "Is it going to rain?"

Inside the small attic, Shen Lingshu gripped her dagger tightly, turned to look at the attic, her brows furrowed, and waited.

She was waiting for Gu Jingnian to appear.

--------

The room was dimly lit, so candles were lit during the day to illuminate the few flower branches in the vase, casting sparse, oblique shadows on the wall.

Xue Juju was sitting in front of a bronze mirror combing her hair, with a dazzling gold hairpin inserted into her hair bun.

She was only wearing a bodice, her entire back exposed, fair and slender, as beautiful as soft moonlight.

Suddenly, she realized something, turned around, and looked at the screen.

"Master Hou?"

She parted her red lips slightly and asked, a smile playing on her lips, and said softly, "This servant misses the Marquis so much."

After a while, a figure indeed appeared in front of the screen.

He is a marquis, but not Shen Jichi, the Marquis of Wuding of Rui Kingdom; he is Gu Jingnian, the Marquis of Chengye of Yong Kingdom.

Xue Juju's beautiful eyes narrowed, she stood up, pulled a silk robe from the clothes rack and put it on, covering her alabaster skin.

This half-concealed state actually adds to its beauty.

Gu Jingnian, however, showed no interest in her, his gaze remaining unchanged.

"Don't panic, Shen Jichi sent me."

Do I look panicked?

Xue Juju smiled, walked past Gu Jingnian, sat down on a soft couch, and said leisurely, "Gu Jingnian, I have long heard of your reputation, and today I finally get to meet you."

Gu Jingnian didn't chat with her. He picked up a jade pendant and handed it to her, then took out Shen Jichi's handwritten letter and said, "I need your cooperation in doing some things for me."

Xue Juju took it and looked at it, her gaze sweeping over Gu Jingnian, seemingly lost in thought.

After a long while, she finally smiled slightly.

"Since it's the Marquis's order, then of course it's fine." "Can you find out where the Kaiping Division is imprisoning my elder sister?"

"Wait a moment."

Xue Ju stood up and walked past Gu Jingnian again, the light silk draped over her body fluttering with her steps, brushing against Gu Jingnian's face.

She walked to a shelf, opened a box, and rummaged through it.

She muttered to herself as she searched.

"I am but a concubine. Although I am favored by the Marquis, what important matters could I possibly understand? The Marquis sent you here, presumably for this... I've found it!"

After saying that, Xue Juju picked up an object and waved it at Gu Jingnian.

The shawl on her left shoulder slipped down, revealing her shoulder, but her face was filled with a happy smile, as if she was happy to be able to help Gu Jingnian.

A small gesture, both alluring and innocent. She was indeed a rare beauty, which was why she was so favored by Shen Jichi.

Gu Jingnian's gaze, however, fell only on the object in her hand, revealing a look of surprise.

He had seen this before; it was a token made of tree bark. The old tree spirit of Chongjing Academy had given him a similar one and given it to Fengniang, and later, the token that Lao Womin gave to Yingyao was also very similar.

"This is?"

“Ancient Wood Token,” Xue Juju said. “The Marquis once said that if he is not around and I encounter difficulties, I can take it to Fengchun Lane in the east of the city to find someone who will help me solve any trouble.”

"Who are you looking for?"

Xue Juju said, "I have no idea."

Gu Jingnian took two steps forward and reached out to take the ancient wooden plaque.

However, when his fingers touched the bark talisman, they passed directly through the talisman and touched the back of Xue Juju's hand.

He was a shadow, and when he touched Xue Juju, it felt like he had a physical presence, but he couldn't actually touch the ancient wooden token.

"ah."

Xue Juju immediately withdrew her hand, glaring at Gu Jingnian with a mixture of anger and annoyance, feeling insulted by his touch.

But she knew how to keep her distance. After that glare, she didn't say much, only saying, "You have to come and get it in person."

Gu Jingnian turned around and glanced outside.

He could sense that the Marquis of Wuding's mansion was already a trap, and once he revealed his true form, he would immediately be surrounded.

But he still made a quick decision and took another step toward Xue Juju.

It seemed as if the sound of a mirror shattering rang out in the distance, and Gu Jingnian's body became even more vivid.

His shadow, illuminated by the candlelight, became clearer.

The candlelight suddenly went out the next moment.

Gu Jingnian was reaching for the ancient wooden token when his vision suddenly went dark.

Before he could even touch the token, a handkerchief was handed to him, and then his hand was pricked.

It felt like being stung by a bee; it was a little painful.

"what are you doing?"

He frowned and asked Xue Juju.

Xue Juju put his hands behind his back and said, "What...what are you going to do? Don't come any closer."

"Gu Jingnian!"

"Oh!"

The door was suddenly kicked open, and someone rushed in shouting.

At this moment, the outside was shrouded in black fog, and the light was rapidly dimming, making it impossible to see anything for a time.

A flash of light appeared in the darkness; it was Gu Jingnian's Fire Wings.

Then, with a loud crash, the bronze mirror on the table shattered inexplicably, and the fire quickly went out.

"What about people?"

When the candles were lit again in the room, Xue Juju was seen huddled in a corner, hugging herself, looking very panicked, but Gu Jingnian was nowhere to be seen.

Shen Lingshu stood at the door, holding a dagger, looking around the room with a frosty expression. Finally, she grabbed a piece of clothing from the rack, walked up to Xue Juju, and threw the clothing at him.

"what happened?"

"That scared me to death," Xue Juju said. "Someone suddenly jumped out, and my heart almost jumped out of my chest."

Shen Lingshu asked, "What is he doing here?"

"It seems like she's looking for something." Xue Juju pointed to the box she had opened. "That's what the Marquis left here with me."

Shen Lingshu was about to walk towards the box when her gaze shifted and she saw the talisman in Xue Juju's hand.

"What is this?"

"The man tried to take the Marquis's things from the box, and I snatched them away. He was about to grab them back when you arrived..."

"give it to me."

Shen Lingshu bent down and took the ancient wooden token. It felt heavy and warm to the touch.

She had a premonition that Gu Jingnian would come to see her again because of this.

(End of this chapter)