"Is that so?" Lou Xiyan replied with a faint smile. "Lou Xiyan."
"Xiyan?" Zhuo Qing murmured, her bright eyes scanning Lou Xiyan's face with evident curiosity.
Her expression grew strange. Qi Tianyu sensed something amusing was about to unfold and crossed his arms with a grin. "Kid, you got a problem?"
Zhuo Qing shrugged nonchalantly. "Not at all."
That's it? Just when Qi Tianyu began to feel disappointed, Zhuo Qing spoke again in a tone neither loud nor soft: "Never thought a grown man would bear a woman's name."
Her "murmur" struck like thunder. The village entrance, crowded with hundreds, fell into utter silence. Panic spread among the villagers. Jing Sa and Mo Bai frowned deeply. Qi Tianyu was frozen in place. Though he had always found the name 'Xiyan'… peculiar, none had ever dared to mention it in front of its bearer. This kid—he's got guts.
Qi Tianyu swore he just saw Prime Minister Lou—renowned across the six nations for his elegance and genteel grace—twitch at the corner of his lips in a barely perceptible grimace… Someone was doomed.
Lou Xiyan remained silent. The crowd didn't know how to react. The stillness thickened, heavy and strange, as if even the air had turned oppressive. Zhuo Qing cast a sideways glance at Lou Xiyan. He was still smiling, those narrow eyes slightly lifted, watching her with what appeared to be affectionate care. Yet to Zhuo Qing, that gaze felt anything but warm—it made her skin crawl.
He's a prime minister! A "legend" known for his noble bearing and warmth! Surely not the type to hold a petty grudge… right?
Tugging her cap lower, Zhuo Qing quietly stepped back. A wise person steers clear of danger.
But before she could retreat more than a step, a sudden bolt of lightning split the sky with a deafening crash. The once gentle spring breeze turned into a furious gale, whipping through grass and trees. Zhuo Qing jolted, looking up—above, the sky was now a stormy sea of roiling clouds.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered. She hadn't uttered anything that heaven would find unforgivable, had she? Did it really warrant thunder and lightning?
Following the thunder came a torrential downpour.
"It's raining—!"
Caught off guard, the crowd scattered in chaos. Zhuo Qing seized the opportunity to slip back—but just as she turned, a sharp pain seized her wrist. A long, slender hand had gripped her tightly.
She looked up—it was Lou Xiyan!
Under the storm's relentless assault, everyone else looked disheveled. Yet he remained composed, his form hazy through the curtain of rain, still radiating an air of unbothered elegance. Though his features were nearly obscured, Zhuo Qing could feel the force of his gaze through the mist.
"The ancestral hall, this way!" Wu Si shouted above the storm. "Prime Minister, please take shelter!"
Lou Xiyan nodded with a smile, leading Zhuo Qing toward the ancestral hall beside the village gate.
She struggled a few times, then gave up. For someone who looked so refined and slender, his grip was unnaturally strong—short of severing her own hand, there was no escaping it.
Lou Xiyan glanced at the boy trailing behind him, who had ceased resisting and now followed silently. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
The so-called ancestral hall was merely a large mudbrick house, furnished with a few altar tables and remnants of burnt incense. The walls were in ruins, rainwater dripping from broken tiles. With the flood of people pouring in, the space quickly became crowded.
Fortunately, Lou Xiyan's two spectral-looking guards stood nearby, keeping the villagers at bay. He and Zhuo Qing managed to rest in a corner near the altar.
Still holding her hand, Lou Xiyan showed no sign of letting go. Annoyed, Zhuo Qing shook her arm and snapped, "Prime Minister, don't you think it's time to release me?"
He had been about to do so, but her tone irked him. Instead, his grip tightened as he said, voice still gentle as ever, "It's rather impolite to ask someone's name without offering your own."
Ow—so painful! What a petty man! He was going to snap her wrist!
Gritting her teeth, Zhuo Qing refused to answer or cry out. Feeling her tremble, Lou Xiyan finally relaxed his grip. This youth's wrist was alarmingly slender—he had truly feared breaking it. Releasing her, he asked calmly, "Your name?"
His voice was low and cool, resonant like the pluck of a deep string. Zhuo Qing looked up slightly. At close range, his features were even more striking. Without his smile, the sharp lines of his face and his slightly raised eyes carried a dark, alluring charm.
She stared, momentarily entranced, until she caught a flicker of surprise in his gaze.
Her face!
Zhuo Qing immediately ducked her head, but Lou Xiyan's fingers caught her chin and slowly turned her face toward him.
A flash of lightning illuminated the room. Under its stark light, two deep scars marred her pale cheek, rendering her features almost unrecognizable.
Lou Xiyan's eyes narrowed. Who could be so cruel as to leave such marks on a youth's face?
Unable to look away, Zhuo Qing grabbed the brim of her tattered hat, shielding the unscarred side of her face, and brought her heel down hard on his foot.
"Ugh!"
Lou Xiyan grunted in pain. The moment he flinched, she broke free and staggered several steps back.
Distance dulled the sense of pressure. Pulling her hat low, Zhuo Qing forced a surprised tone, "Stepped on you? My apologies, Prime Minister—it's dark, I didn't see you there."
She longed for her three-inch heels at that moment.
Didn't see him? How laughably fake. Lou Xiyan hesitated, his hand hovering mid-air, then slowly let it fall. He didn't step forward again.
Zhuo Qing finally exhaled, relieved—only to hear Qi Tianyu questioning Wu Si: "You said you wanted to see the Prime Minister. Now that he's here, shouldn't the little beauty you stole be returned?"
Wu Si scratched his head, utterly at a loss. Zhuo girl said not to speak of it. What now?
"Where is she?" Qi Tianyu pressed, eyes fixed on him. "Don't tell me you killed her?"
Wu Si waved frantically, "No, no, absolutely not!"
"Sold her, then?"
"How could we—?!"
"Then where is she?"
Everyone began searching the hall for a missing figure.
—Shit!
Zhuo Qing cursed under her breath. Here it comes again.
BANG! She slammed her palm down on the altar with such force that the decrepit table wobbled, then collapsed entirely.
All eyes turned to her in shock. Lou Xiyan raised an eyebrow, curious what trick she would play now.
Perfect. With all attention on her, perhaps Lou Xiyan wouldn't notice that she was the very person the villagers had been searching for.
Mission accomplished—but at what cost? Her hand throbbed in agony.
Hiding it behind her back, she took a deep breath and announced clearly, "She is perfectly well, Prime Minister. Rest assured, we shall care for her on your behalf. Once the case is reopened, you may see her in court."
"You mean," Qi Tianyu raised an eyebrow, "if the case is not reopened, then no one gets to see the little beauty?"
Glancing at the shattered altar, he clucked his tongue and smirked. "Prime Minister, she's threatening you."
Who is this guy?! Stirring trouble with every breath. Zhuo Qing bit down her fury and replied coldly, "You've mistaken me, sir. I never waste time on threats that carry no weight."
Bold words! Qi Tianyu let out a long whistle—this one was interesting. Shaking his head in mock alarm, he gasped theatrically, "So if it's not a threat… are you resorting to coercion? Coercing a court official is a serious crime, you know!"
"You—!"
Zhuo Qing was livid.
Just then, Lou Xiyan burst into laughter. "Tomorrow at noon, I shall review the case files at Yingtian Prefecture. A public inquiry will be held. I permit ten villagers from the Niu clan to attend. Whether this case will be retried shall be decided after I've seen the files—and the accused."