ATAVID CH37

It made him look like a fool, every time he wanted to drift a little farther away, yet he feared that stupid distance limit, awkward and constrained like a battered underdog.

Jiang Qunyu was left speechless for a moment by Wei Xun’s off‑hand remark, glaring at his retreating back and grinding his teeth as he muttered under his breath, “Wei Xun, are you sick in the head!”

Of course he didn’t chase him.

What kind of idiot would go running after that lunatic when he was already in a low‑pressure, prickly mood that could last for ages? He’d have been walking straight into the line of fire, and he wasn’t stupid.

Besides, the distance limit disappearing was a good thing. It meant he no longer had to be so cautious and restrained in his every move.

He didn’t bother with Wei Xun any longer and just chose a direction at random and walked on.

Last night, Wen Xingyao had pointed out the way: the maids who served in the east wing of the City Lord’s mansion often worked there and occasionally helped out in the back kitchen. He decided to start his search from that side.

The sun climbed higher, yet the City Lord’s mansion stayed eerily quiet.

The whole way, he didn’t meet anyone; there wasn’t even a cleaning servant in sight. Jiang Qunyu wound through two corridors and passed through a moon‑gate arch, finally spotting a back in the distance at the kitchen entrance.

It was a maid, crouched by the well rinsing vegetables.

Jiang Qunyu slowed his steps and approached, stopping right behind her.

“Lady.”

The maid started violently, whirling around. Her face was round, her eyes likewise round, edged with a touch of panic.

The moment Jiang Qunyu saw that face, his heart stirred.

He’d finally found one.

He let his eyes crinkle into a soft, harmless smile. “Don’t be afraid. I was a guest at yesterday’s banquet. I was strolling in the garden enjoying the autumn, but somehow got lost and can’t find my way back. Could you please show me the way?”

The maid blinked, gaze lingering on his face for a second.

She pressed her lips together, lowered her eyes, and nodded. “This lady will show you, sir.”

In the corridor, Jiang Qunyu deliberately slowed his pace to walk beside her.

He turned his head slightly toward her and tested, “I feel like I’ve seen you before. Were you at yesterday’s banquet, or did I see you on the day we entered the city?”

Hearing that, the maid’s cheeks turned faintly pink.

She kept her head down, voice gentle. “You look like the moon in the sky; surely you’ve already forgotten about a lowly maid like this one. I was one of the women who served wine at yesterday’s banquet.”

After a pause, she added, “But on the day you entered the city, I didn’t see you.”

Her expression was natural, her eyes clear, not at all like she was lying.

Jiang Qunyu smiled lightly, tone casual. “Since there aren’t many people serving in this mansion yet the work is complicated, I suppose you were simply too busy that day to meet me.”

“That day, I went out with the kitchen matron to do some shopping,” the maid replied, as if wanting to explain properly.

A little flustered, she raised her eyes a tad and quickly flicked her gaze over Jiang Qunyu’s profile. There was a careful appraisal in that glance, mixed with a fluttering hint of something she couldn’t quite hide.

Sensing her gaze, Jiang Qunyu turned his head slowly, his eyes edged with a faint smile, but he said nothing.

Flustered, the maid hurriedly pressed her hand against her burning cheeks, eyes wide and lost. Eager to leave a good impression on him, she seemed unable to hold her tongue any longer and went on:

“Truthfully, it isn’t that busy here. The City Lord rarely sends us out to the inner courtyard, and never leaves servants to serve there. Apart from looking after the young master, these days I mainly just help with shopping for the back kitchen or washing vegetables.”

Jiang Qunyu listened quietly, storing the information in his mind.

He asked casually, “I’ve been in the City Lord’s mansion for some time now. Why have I never seen the Lady of the City Lord?”

The moment he said that, the maid’s face turned pale.

“Shhh—” She quickly shushed him, glancing left and right, and only when she saw nobody nearby did she lower her voice to whisper to Jiang Qunyu.

“The Lady passed away after giving birth to the young master; that was many years ago. The City Lord and his wife loved each other deeply. Since her passing, the City Lord has refused to take another wife. To this day, there are only two masters in this mansion: the City Lord and the young master.”

Jiang Qunyu nodded, not pressing further.

If he asked any more, he’d start to look suspicious.

When they reached the end of the corridor, he stopped and turned to the maid. “Thank you, miss. I can manage the rest of the way alone.”

She gave a small bow, dared not say more, and only whispered, “This maid won’t accompany you further. Sir, take care on your way.”

With that, she withdrew slowly, steps light.

As she turned sideways, Jiang Qunyu’s gaze by chance fell on her up‑raised wrist—

The sleeve had slipped a mere inch, revealing a faint, dark red line coiled tightly around her wrist, like凝固的血, almost vanishing into her skin if one didn’t look closely.

The mark wasn’t deep, yet it was unnervingly neat, as if carved by a thin object, or perhaps… some kind of imprint.

Jiang Qunyu’s eyes stilled for a moment, but his face didn’t show anything. He simply stood there until that delicate figure had vanished around the corner.

The wind under the corridor caught a faint, faintly cold fragrance.

He turned, his faint smile fading, expression growing a touch colder.

This maid clearly remembered yesterday’s banquet, yet beyond that, her memory was already muddled. She thought she’d gone shopping, whereas on the day they entered the city, she had actually been taking care of Cui Nian.

And that wrist mark—what did it stand for?

By the time the sun had tilted west, Jiang Qunyu still stood by the water, head cloudy and at a loss.

He hadn’t even realized how far he’d wandered.

He startled slightly, realizing his feet had led him to the edge of the lake.

The lake meandered on, its surface stretching endlessly, still as a slab of dark jade without even a ripple.

For some reason, Jiang Qunyu thought of the thing that had knocked on the door last night. It had sounded like water dripping, as if being shed from some wet, damp object. And there had been that faint, lake‑like stench seeping through the crack.

The idea struck him, and he began walking slowly along the lakeshore.

The path underfoot looked ordinary enough, following the water’s flow, but when he finally came to his senses, the scenery around had already changed. Without him noticing, he had left the City Lord’s mansion behind.

The lake in Cui Mingjin’s compound was apparently connected to the entire East Mirror Lake City.

Jiang Qunyu paused.

Dusk had just spilled over the city walls, and the lakeshore was already packed with common folk. Men and women, old and young, crowded shoulder to shoulder, each holding a simple Kongming lantern. Some had red ink characters, some lightly sketched figures, some childish scribbles. People bowed their heads, hands clasped, whispering quiet prayers.

As the gentle flames flickered and lit the paper, hundreds of lanterns lifted into the air. At first, they clustered near the city walls, but soon scattered across the whole night sky.

Countless warm‑yellow motes floated like stars in the ink‑dark heavens.

The lights shimmered, layered and flickering, until even the lakeside taverns, the willow‑trims, and the endless lake itself were bathed in soft, hazy glow.

Under that sea of swaying light, Jiang Qunyu looked through the bustling crowd, raised his eyes, and saw Wei Xun.

He stood at the edge of the human tide, tall and straight as ever, yet because he was in soul form, the warm lantern beams passed right through his body, leaving a faint, translucent haze around him, as if a gust might blow him away.

Everything around seemed blurred, time stretched thin, as if separated by some invisible, untouchable boundary.

Jiang Qunyu blinked, wove through the crowd, and finally stopped in front of Wei Xun.

He was a bit excited. “You found this place too.”

Wei Xun lowered his eyelashes and gave a faint, “Mm.”

“Mm, did you find anything interesting today?” Jiang Qunyu sighed, pouring out his whole day’s observations.

He repeated his conversation with the maid word‑for‑word, then finished with a frustrated sigh: “In short, the memories of these maids have been tampered with by some technique of Cui Mingjin’s.”

Wei Xun said nothing, just stood there quietly, watching him.

Jiang Qunyu figured he was still in a bad mood and muttered, “I’m not mad at you! You’re such a petty guy, Wei Xun.”

He’d been completely fooled for over a year!

That bad dog Wei Xun had clearly been toying with him, Jiang Qunyu thought. He hadn’t even mentioned the distance limit in the Transformation Realm, just let him follow like a stupid puppy, probably snickering at him the whole time.

“Jiang Qunyu,” Wei Xun suddenly spoke. He was looking at the stubborn tuft of hair that had sprung up on Jiang Qunyu’s head, fingers deep in his sleeve flexing faintly.

He waited a moment before saying, “Don’t share a bed with Wen Xingyao again.”

“Huh?” Jiang Qunyu blinked dumbly. “I didn’t really sleep with him last night; he was on the floor, remember?”

Wei Xun pressed his lips together. “Don’t even say it.”

Jiang Qunyu thought this guy was being such a fuss, a grown man, what could it hurt to share a bed with a friend when conditions called for it? It wasn’t like anyone would lose a piece.

Still, he had to admit that the body was Wei Xun’s. He’d forgotten him last night and hadn’t asked whether he minded when he’d blithely invited Wen Xingyao, which genuinely wasn’t considerate.

“Fine,” Jiang Qunyu conceded.

Then he’d just stay in his own body from now on.

Hearing that, even Wei Xun’s cold face softened into a rare smile.

Jiang Qunyu froze a little; he rarely saw Wei Xun smile. It was different—usually, Wei Xun wore a frosty mask, the corners of his mouth only curling upward in a sinister way when he was up to no good.

But when he truly smiled, he looked surprisingly gentle. The ice in his eyes cracked apart, and suddenly there was warmth; his whole figure seemed wrapped in a faint, soft light.

Jiang Qunyu didn’t quite know what to say, so he just rubbed his earlobe and shyly glanced away before asking, “Did you find anything today?”

After he spoke, the faint smile on Wei Xun’s lips vanished.

“Nothing,” he said, lifting his eyes to gaze up at the thousands of Kongming lanterns floating over East Mirror Lake City. The lamplight played on his face, giving him a faintly melancholy look. “I just watched you flirt with everyone, male and female alike.”

He hadn’t done anything; he’d only trailed Jiang Qunyu all afternoon. He’d stood at a distance and could still see the shy glimmer in the maid’s eyes. Naturally, he doubted some of Jiang Qunyu’s retelling—maybe Jiang Qunyu had said something else to her that evening.

Of course, he had no intention of telling Jiang Qunyu how idle he’d been.

Jiang Qunyu wasn’t disappointed, since he hadn’t expected much.

Instead, he asked, “What’s he doing now?”

Wei Xun lifted his gaze toward the lantern‑filled sky and said, “Paying homage to the gods.”

“Paying homage to the gods?” Jiang Qunyu remembered that on the first morning in Cen He, Shen Lin had said it was an honor to be chosen by the gods.

He was startled. “Is there really a god in this city?”

Wei Xun chuckled softly. “Where would a god come from? It’s just a fraud.”