Chapter 305: Chapter 123 Birthday Gift_1
Fireworks fleeting as the eye can see, gorgeous as blossoms in brocade.
The clusters of brilliant flowers burst open across the distant sky, casting their shimmering tassels down to the world below.
He hid within the flickering spectacle of fireworks, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, the lights and shadows interweaving, his expression indiscernible.
Only the handkerchief before his eyes was clear to see.
The handkerchief was a pale moon-white, and upon closer inspection, the pattern outlined with silver thread was actually a majestic eagle. His hand holding the handkerchief was defined and slender, clean, nothing like how murderous it had seemed when he was holding a knife.
Lu Tong didn’t take his handkerchief.
When she had not responded for a while, Pei Yunmeng glanced at her and stuffed the handkerchief into her hand.
"Take it, Doctor Lu, I have no interest in deceiving you."
Lu Tong lowered her head.
Her wounded finger touched the soft fabric, and immediately the fresh blood mixed with the dirt stained the handkerchief. The soaring eagle became a crumpled mess, instantly looking pitiful and disheveled.
In the blurred light of the night, Pei Yunmeng knelt down and started picking up pieces of the broken porcelain jars scattered all over the ground.
"What are you doing?" Lu Tong asked with a wary look.
"Doctor Lu," he reminded her, "your look right now makes it seem as if I was the one who just tried to kill someone to silence them."
Lu Tong was at a loss for words.
Pei Yunmeng carefully picked up the shards of porcelain and set them aside, then reached out for the yellow soil on the ground. The soil was everywhere, mixed up, indistinguishable from jar to jar.
He picked for a while and grew silent. After a moment, he said, "Sorry."
Lu Tong didn’t speak.
Unable to openly display a spirit placard to avoid revealing any clues, she had to transport this cemetery soil and river water thousands of miles back to her medical hall for worship. Without a spirit placard, without a grave, she continued her offerings to the White-Robed Guanyin Statue with incense and candlelight, commemorating during festivals and special occasions.
This was all she could do.
But now, everything was shattered, reduced to nothing.
The voice of the young man came from beside her, "If you need, I can help you find more."
Find more?
He said it so calmly, so naturally that Lu Tong couldn’t help but glance at him.
The young man was still half-kneeling on the ground, his robe brushing the muddy water, getting stained, but he didn’t mind. That handsome profile was illuminated by the fireworks outside, hazy and gentle. When he looked down to pick up the fragments of soil, his long eyelashes slightly drooped, his expression especially serious.
He was like a knife, strong and beautiful, but at times, one could forget that sharpness, beguiled by the fleeting brilliance of the silver blade.
Lu Tong closed her eyes and discreetly tucked away the poison powder in her sleeve, asking, "What exactly does the Marshal want to do?"
She didn’t understand Pei Yunmeng’s sudden friendliness; the apology came too quickly, and she couldn’t determine how much of it was feigned and how much was sincere.
She didn’t understand what this person before her really wanted to do.
Pei Yunmeng picked up the last piece of yellow soil and placed it into a fragment of white porcelain that had not been completely shattered, then stood up.
The lampwick, oblivious to the turmoil, continued to burn quietly. He looked at Lu Tong, his voice unintentionally casual, "The affairs of the Lu Family, I’ll pretend I don’t know about it."
Lu Tong felt a stir in her heart.
Was this... a sign that he wouldn’t pursue the matter?
Lu Tong watched him closely, "I thought the Commander of the Imperial Guards came tonight to seek justice."
Clearly prepared, Lu Tong saw it distinctly—when he confronted her with the list of names, the coldness and chill emanating from his body was no illusion.
He had come almost as an arresting officer ready to take her into custody.
Pei Yunmeng smiled and pushed open the window with the flower pattern in front of him. The light and shadow from the splendid fireworks expanded, making the little house also overflow with brilliance.
He gazed at the colorful display of fireworks in the distant sky and said, "I intended to, but isn’t tonight New Year’s Eve?"
Lu Tong was taken aback.
"Catching someone on New Year’s Eve..." He turned his head to look at her with a smile, "I’m not that heartless."
Lu Tong looked at him, trying to discern the truthfulness of his words.
As if he could see the doubt in her heart, Pei Yunmeng glanced at her, "Don’t you trust me?"
"No, I don’t," she replied.
"Really?" he tilted his head, "You aren’t secretly writing my name down on paper again, are you?"
Lu Tong: "..."
To be fair, it wasn’t that she had no trust in Pei Yunmeng, but it certainly wasn’t much. People’s hearts change easily. Maybe Pei Yunmeng had a moment of compassion just now, but as the Commander of the Imperial Guards and the Princely Heir of Lord Zhao Ning, he might change his mind once he had calmed down.
"Don’t get any wrong ideas. Even if you could really kill me, as soon as Zhizi arrives, she would discover it from my blood. Not to mention burying me in the yard." He spoke in a light tone, as if discussing hiding snacks rather than murder. He then bent down and picked up the page filled with names that had been blown to the ground.