Chapter 645: Background
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Xiao Heng was working in the backyard. He had changed back into men's clothing before leaving the city, wearing a white robe. His tall and slender figure was as graceful as jade, and even though he was chopping wood and carrying water, his every move was pleasing to the eye.
Gu Jiao first went into the house to change Little Jing Kong into dry clothes. Little Jing Kong then happily went off to play while Gu Jiao came to the backyard.
"You're here?" She greeted him.
"Yes." Xiao Heng responded calmly, splitting the last piece of wood in his hand.
In fact, he had noticed her return earlier, but as a man, he sometimes wanted to maintain his dignity, preferring to wait for her to come over and coax him.
He was quite the proud one.
After finishing chopping the wood, he went to fetch water.
"I'll do it." Gu Jiao offered.
Xiao Heng responded, "No need, you can sit down."
Gu Jiao looked at him steadily, curled her lips into a smile, and without refusing, moved a small stool to sit next to him.
He placed the wooden bucket into the well, drew the water, and slowly pulled it up by turning the handle.
Gu Jiao rested her chin in her hand, looking at him, and asked, "What made you come over today?"
"The academy is on break." Xiao Heng said. "Jing Kong wanted to see you, so we came."
"And you?" Gu Jiao asked.
Xiao Heng's ears turned a bit red. He didn't dare look at her, focusing only on the bucket of water he was drawing up, the surface rippling gently.
"I," his eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he softly said, "wanted to see you too."
Gu Jiao's lips curved into a smile.
Thinking of something, she asked, "But isn't your inner city tally with me? How did you get out of the inner city?"
Xiao Heng replied, "I have my ways."
As the top beauty of the academy, pursued by countless admirers, getting out of the city was no problem at all.
Xiao Heng looked towards the study and asked, "The one Jing Kong calls grandpa is..."
Gu Jiao said, "He is a kind person Jing Kong encountered on the way. Jing Kong accidentally injured him with a black gunpowder ball, so he's here recuperating. His surname is Meng."
There were many people with the surname Meng in the world, so it was hard to associate him with the Chess Saint of the Six States based on just a surname.
Xiao Heng looked at the closed door of the study and asked, "Does he stay in the study?"
Gu Jiao replied, "Yes, there are no spare rooms in the house."
The house had only three main rooms. Master Lu and Lady Nan occupied one, Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Yan another, and the last one was hers. So Old Master Meng had to stay in the study.
The study wasn't big, but typically only Xiao Heng and Little Jing Kong needed to use it. The rest of the family used their own rooms. There was only a desk in the study, which was moved out to make space for a bamboo bed made by Master Lu.
Xiao Heng muttered under his breath, "If I had known, I would have told the teacher I’d return tomorrow."
"What?" Gu Jiao didn't catch his words.
"Nothing!" Xiao Heng said seriously, "Where did you go just now?"
They rarely interfered in each other's personal affairs, but perhaps as their relationship deepened, it became difficult for him to remain indifferent and uninvolved as before.
Gu Jiao didn't hide anything from him and said, "I just went to the Imperial Advisor's Hall."
"The Imperial Advisor's Hall?" Xiao Heng was slightly surprised. After pulling up the bucket of water and placing it by the well, he turned to look at Gu Jiao, "Did you go to the entrance of the Imperial Advisor's Hall or did you actually go inside?"
"I went inside." Gu Jiao answered.
Xiao Heng was even more surprised.
Having been in Shengdu for some time, he had naturally heard of the Imperial Advisor's Hall. It was the most heavily guarded place in Shengdu, aside from the imperial palace. Ordinary people couldn't get in.
In fact, even among the nobility, few had the privilege of entering the Imperial Advisor's Hall.
Yet Gu Jiao not only went in but also came out unscathed?
"How did you get in?" Xiao Heng asked.
Gu Jiao told him about having Old Master Meng impersonate the Chess Saint of the Six States to gain entry into the Imperial Advisor's Hall.
Xiao Heng was silent for a while after hearing her explanation.
"Are you sure he's an impostor?" He asked.
"Yes, where would you find a Chess Saint who would go begging in the State of Zhao? I saw him there." Gu Jiao said, taking out her small notebook to show off the script and lines she had exclusively written.
Xiao Heng looked at the painfully awkward lines and suddenly found it hard to face Old Master Meng in the study.
After dinner, Xiao Heng and Little Jing Kong returned to the inner city.
Before leaving, Gu Jiao returned "Gu Jiao’s" inner city tally to Xiao Heng. Now that she had the Chess Saint’s token, she didn't need the tally anymore. Although Xiao Heng could use someone else's tally, having his own was more convenient.
After the pair left, Gu Jiao also planned to go back to her room to rest.
As she turned around, she saw Old Master Meng looking at the door with a complex expression.
Gu Jiao followed his gaze and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"That person... who is he?" Old Master Meng asked.
There were only two people who had left the house, Jing Kong and Xiao Heng, and Old Master Meng was obviously not asking about Jing Kong.
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow, "My husband, Liulang. Didn't you hear his name?"
Gu Jiao had initially kept her identity from Old Master Meng, but after Xiao Liulang came to the house and Lady Nan and Master Lu called him Liulang repeatedly, it was hard to keep it a secret.
Old Master Meng had already figured out who Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang were.
Old Master Meng frowned, "You're so young, how do you have a husband already?"
Gu Jiao responded fiercely, "I just do!"
Old Master Meng: "..."
Old Master Meng asked, "Is he from the State of Zhao?"
"Yes." Gu Jiao replied.
"From the State of Zhao..." Old Master Meng murmured with a frown.
Gu Jiao could be oblivious about some things, but most of the time, she was very perceptive. She caught the unusual look in Old Master Meng's eyes and asked, "Do you think he's not from the State of Zhao?"
"That's not what I mean. He..." Old Master Meng hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "Never mind, maybe I was mistaken."
Gu Jiao thought for a moment and then said, "No, no, you might not be mistaken. Have you seen him somewhere else before?"
Old Master Meng recalled, "I did see someone who looked similar to him, but I don't know him. I just saw him from a distance."
Why he remembered was probably because some people naturally leave a lasting impression.
Gu Jiao thought of the person Mo Qianxue had once seen and asked, "Where did you see him?"
Old Master Meng replied, "At the entrance of the Imperial Advisor's Hall."
Gu Jiao asked, "Is he a disciple of the Imperial Advisor's Hall?"
Old Master Meng shook his head, "No, he wasn't wearing the robes of the Imperial Advisor's Hall, nor did he have the demeanor of a disciple. He looked more like he was there for treatment."
"Treatment?" Gu Jiao fell into deep thought.
What Old Master Meng didn't mention was that those who went to the Imperial Advisor's Hall for treatment typically had extraordinary status.
Moreover, that young man entered through the main gate, and Ye Qing, the chief disciple of the Imperial Advisor's Hall, personally greeted him at the entrance. This level of reception was beyond what a young master from a noble family could expect.
That young man was very likely... a member of the Great Yan’s imperial family!
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…