The Secret Case Files of the Judicial Inspection Office, late at night.
"Found it, found it!"
Hua Yao scrambled up from a pile of bamboo slips, a case file in hand, and rushed towards the man seated at the desk, her skirt trailing behind her.
Lan Heng lifted his head from the scrolls and watched the excited woman charging towards him. Seemingly too caught up in her discovery, she tripped over the disarray on the floor just three steps in.
"Ouch!" Hua Yao whimpered, then scrambled up and continued towards him.
As her foot was about to land on another scroll, Lan Heng's heart lurched, and he quickly skirted around the desk to intercept her.
"Ugh..." As expected, Hua Yao fell again, tumbling directly onto Lan Heng.
With a scroll beneath him, Lan Heng couldn't help but cry out in pain from the sudden impact.
Hua Yao quickly got up. "Apologies, Lord Lan."
Lan Heng sighed, looking at the young woman whose eyes were now shadowed with fatigue from searching for the scrolls. He couldn't bring himself to express his annoyance.
"Did you find it?" he asked.
Hua Yao nodded and handed him the case file.
Lan Heng opened it and, upon seeing the records concerning Cui Nan, remarked, "This handwriting..."
"What is it?" Hua Yao leaned closer. "The clerical script is beautifully done."
Lan Heng shook his head. "No, it's... it's the Crown Prince's handwriting."
"What?" Hua Yao exclaimed, taking the file from Lan Heng. "The Crown Prince's? How is that possible? This file is from last year. The Goddess Cult only resurfaced this year. The Crown Prince isn't a seer, how could he have foreseen this and investigated Cui Nan so thoroughly?"
Lan Heng did not answer immediately. He glanced back at the oil lamp on the table. After a long pause, he took the file back from Hua Yao and said as he walked away, "Some things can only be clarified when Lu Wuxie returns. For now, our priority is to find this woman named Ning Qing."
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Rain County.
Zhong Li slowly awoke in her bed. She looked around the familiar surroundings and got out of bed.
This had been her most restful sleep in days, a dreamless slumber until dawn.
"Miss Zhong, you're awake? You can have some congee," Lin Jin's voice came from behind the screen.
After washing up, she walked around the screen and looked at the plate of vegetable congee on the table. She pulled up a stool and sat down.
After just a couple of bites, she suddenly remembered something and looked up at Lin Jin. "Have you eaten?"
Lin Jin nodded. "Yes, I have."
"What time is it now?" she asked, glancing out the window and noticing the sun was not in the east.
"Miss Zhong, it's almost time for dinner," Lin Jin replied.
Zhong Li nodded and took a couple more bites before her brow furrowed. "I slept for so long? I remember Mo Cang was beside me when I slept. Where is he?"
Lin Jin did not answer this time. He merely pushed a small dish of pickles closer to Zhong Li, making it easier for her to pick up.
Zhong Li looked at the bowl in front of her and eyed Lin Jin inquiringly. "Lin Jin, I'll ask you again, where is Mo Cang?"
Lin Jin could no longer maintain his composure. As his Adam's apple bobbed, a tear slid down his cheek. "Miss Zhong, my master instructed me not to wake you, but... please go and see him quickly. He... he's injured. Ah Wu and I don't understand medicine, and we don't know if we've done things correctly."
With a clatter, the soup spoon slipped from Zhong Li's hand into the bowl. She stood up and quickly walked behind the screen. When she reappeared, she was carrying a small medical kit on her back. "He's in your room, right? Let's go!"
"Mmm..."
"Crown Prince, your subordinate deserves death!"
"It's fine, continue!"
...
Lu Wuxie and Ah Wu's conversation could be heard from Lin Jin's room. The strained tone of one of them indicated that the person inside was receiving treatment for an injury.
Without hesitation, Zhong Li pushed open the door. Her eyes met Lu Wuxie's, who was shirtless, with Ah Wu fumbling to apply wound medicine to him.
"Li'er?" Lu Wuxie exclaimed, surprised by Zhong Li's awakening at this hour.
Ah Wu also put down the bottle and stood up.
"You both get out," Zhong Li said, her face stern.
Ah Wu started to speak, but seeing the stern, slightly angry expression on the woman opposite him, he swallowed with difficulty and quickly left the room at Lin Jin's signal.
Lu Wuxie turned his head, lowering his gaze and remaining silent. While he appeared composed, the cold sweat subtly beading on his forehead betrayed him.
Zhong Li placed the medicine box she was carrying on the table. Her voice was so heavy that even the two eavesdropping outside were startled.
Lu Wuxie flinched, but still said nothing.
Zhong Li moved a chair and sat opposite him. She first examined the wound, confirming that the stab wound was superficial and the bruising on his chest was the primary concern. She then picked up the wound medicine from the table and began her work.
"Li'er," Lu Wuxie slightly straightened his chest, allowing Zhong Li better access.
"..." His words were met with silence.
Lu Wuxie's lips curved slightly. He thought that in his two lives, he had never been this nervous before. A helpless yet sweet smile touched his lips. "I know I didn't tell you, and that was my mistake. But the situation was urgent. Both you, Lin Jin, and Ah Wu needed the antidote for the mist. Moreover, when I escaped, I tossed your medicine bottle at a fork in the road to ensure its safety and to prevent it from being discovered, so..."
"Sniff... sniff..."
Lu Wuxie faintly heard a soft, intermittent sound and his half-finished sentence halted.
He searched the room for a moment before his gaze finally fell on the woman opposite him. Seeing her shoulders subtly trembling, his heart tightened, and he quickly grabbed her shoulders to check on her.
"Li'er!" He saw that Zhong Li's eyes were filled with tears, yet she gritted her teeth, trying to hold them back. His heart ached intensely.
Lu Wuxie's throat bobbed several times. "I'm sorry for making you worry. I just..." he mumbled.
Mid-sentence, Zhong Li, having finished applying the medicine, seized his moment of confusion and panic. She hooked her arms around his neck and forcefully kissed him.
Lu Wuxie froze, and after a long moment, he reacted, wrapping his arms around the woman's slender, boneless waist and deepening the kiss.
Their teeth grazed, and a faint taste of blood mingled with the scent of dragon saliva and medicine on their bodies.
It began to rain again in Rain County, accompanied by the wind.
The heavy rain pattered against the leaves, and the strong wind whipped the dark clouds across the sky, raging over the land.
Zhong Li had never been so wild before. She was like a frenzied mother lion, tearing off Lu Wuxie's inner garment from his shoulder and forcefully pressing him against the back of the chair.
Lin Jin and Ah Wu were still crouched by the door, but by now, they had lost all courage to listen further.
Ah Wu's face was flushed, and he could barely stammer out words.
Lin Jin, having followed Lu Wuxie and being accustomed to his superficial flirtations, was relatively unaffected. However, his hands, restlessly gripping his sword sheath, completely betrayed his inner turmoil.
"Hey!" Ah Wu asked Lin Jin in a low voice, "Do you think it's good to be a devoted husband?"
Lin Jin shot him a glare. "That's assuming someone is willing to marry you."