webnovelvip Chapter 559 Observing in the Dark
Chapter 559 Observing in the Dark
Inside the tavern, Chen Ruoyao sat down opposite Qin Mu, her demeanor composed.
She paused after sitting down, then turned her head slightly, her gaze falling on the night outside the half-open door. She seemed to be attracted by something for a moment before looking away.
She spoke softly, "What a coincidence, to run into you here."
Qin Mu looked at her, the wine bowl in his hand was held to his lips but he didn't drink. His gaze moved from her face to the direction she had just looked in, and then he looked away.
He put down his wine bowl: "It's quite a coincidence."
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft.
Bai Yujing, who was sitting next to him, saw all of this. He picked up the almost empty glass of wine in front of him, tilted his head back and drank it all, and then stood up.
He nodded slightly in Qin Mu's direction: "It seems Brother Zhao has a date with a lady tonight, so I won't disturb you any longer."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door. His moon-white robe flashed in the candlelight and disappeared into the night outside.
Only Qin Mu and Chen Ruoyao remained in the tavern.
The oil-paper lamps under the eaves were still swaying gently in the night breeze.
Qin Mu glanced in the direction Bai Yujing had left, then looked away, lowering his voice slightly: "Xu Longxiang is watching from the alley across the street."
Chen Ruoyao's fingers, which were holding the teacup, paused slightly.
She didn't turn around, nor did she let her gaze drift to the window; she simply lowered her eyelashes.
After a moment, she put down her teacup, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said in a low voice, "He is now completely under His Majesty's control."
Qin Mu also picked up his wine bowl, took a sip, and put it down: "I didn't expect it either. His mindset changed so quickly."
Chen Ruoyao shook her head slightly: "It's not that he didn't struggle. He just chose the easier path."
Qin Mu did not respond, and picked up his wine bowl again.
He turned his head and glanced at the figure hidden in the shadows at the alley entrance outside the window, but looked away for a moment.
As he put down the wine bowl, the bottom of it made a very soft sound on the table: "He's still watching."
Chen Ruoyao didn't turn her head, but the corners of her mouth were still curved.
She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said softly, "Then let him see."
Outside the window, Xu Longxiang still stood in the shadows.
He saw Chen Ruoyao pick up her teacup, saw her slightly tilted head, and saw her maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far from the gray-clothed figure across the table.
But for some reason, he just couldn't take his eyes off that image.
His clenched fist trembled slightly inside his sleeve.
It's not cold.
He suddenly felt his breathing quicken and his heart beat a beat faster.
He tried to suppress this feeling again, naming it "expectation for a great cause" or "an urgent need to win over the powerful."
But the name sticker fell off very quickly after it was applied.
He stood there, watching two figures, one gray and one moon, in the dim candlelight.
He told himself—she was just sacrificing for the greater good, she cared about me, and she wouldn't let the other party take advantage of her.
But as that voice echoed in his mind, he suddenly realized that he wasn't sure whether those words were meant for her or for himself.
Lin Xiaolu has finished weaving the grasshopper.
She placed it on her lap and gently pressed the edge of the wings with her fingertips, causing the feathers woven from grass stems to curl up slightly.
But she neither put it away nor continued to weave another one.
Her gaze had somehow shifted from the blade of grass in her hand to the direction of the small tavern on the street corner.
She saw the moon-white figure sit down opposite Zhao San, and noticed that the two were talking casually through the candlelight.
Her finger remained on the grasshopper's wing, and did not move.
She didn't know who the woman was, and she didn't ask.
She just felt that the woman sat down very naturally, as if she was meant to sit there.
Her gaze lingered on the moon-white figure for a moment, then fell on Zhao San's profile.
The firewood in the bonfire collapsed a bit more, sending up a cluster of tiny sparks that shone brightly in the air for a moment before fading away.
Lin Xiaolu lowered her head, as if afraid that someone would see which direction she had been looking.
She gently placed the woven grasshopper on the stone, then picked it up, put it down, and picked it up again.
She didn't know what she was thinking.
Her voice was softer than before, as if she were talking to herself: "That lady... is she Brother Zhao's friend?"
Her voice drifted into the night wind, half-covered by the crackling of the firewood.
But Lin Qingshi, who was sitting next to her, still heard it.
He was still holding the bowl of wine that was almost empty in his hand. He glanced at the street corner in the direction of his junior sister's gaze, and then looked at his junior sister's profile.
He was silent for a moment, then spoke, his voice even softer than before: "What's wrong, Little Deer? You've fallen for him?"
Lin Xiaolu clenched her fingers suddenly, squeezing the grasshopper into her palm.
Then she let go of his hand and lowered her head: "Senior brother... what nonsense are you talking about?"
When she finished speaking, even she could feel her voice weakening.
Lin Qingshi neither exposed her nor laughed at her; he simply held the bowl of wine, which was almost cold, and looked at the fire.
His tone softened further: "Little Deer, people from small sects like ours may only meet a few people like him in their entire lives. If we miss him, we'll truly miss him."
He paused for a moment, then said, "If you really like him, then go for it without hesitation. It's no big deal."
After saying that, he felt a little embarrassed and picked up his wine bowl to take a sip.
Lin Xiaolu was stunned.
She looked up at her senior brother's face, which was half-lit and half-shadowed by the firelight.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but the words lingered in her throat for a moment before finally turning into a very soft "Okay."
She paused for a moment when she uttered the word.
She looked down at the grasshopper still in her palm, then looked up again, her gaze returning to the direction of the small tavern on the street corner, landing on the figure in gray cloth.
Her eyes gleamed for a moment in the interplay of firelight and moonlight.