CHAPTER 19: CHAPTER 18: FRAGRANT BAIT

Zhu Yu was pondering irritably when she suddenly noticed Lu Qing pick up a tea cup from the table, tear open the sealing paper of a wine jar, and fill the cup with wine.

The wine was exceptionally clear, without a hint of cloudiness, presenting a light amber hue in the white porcelain tea cup.

Just by pouring it into the cup, Zhu Yu could already smell a gentle and rich aroma of the wine, allowing even someone like her, who knew nothing about the art of drinking, to instinctively judge that the wine in the tea cup was certainly a top-quality vintage.

She then watched Lu Qing raise the tea cup to his lips, his throat quivering as he drank it all in one go.

"No—" Zhu Yu exclaimed, hastily reaching out to stop him, but she was a step too late and could only watch with widened eyes as he drank the cup of wine.

Lu Qing put down the tea cup, raising an eyebrow at Zhu Yu: "Why? Is Madam interested in drinking with me?"

"I value my life," Zhu Yu shook her head without hesitation: "You really shouldn’t drink this wine of unknown origin."

"Because this wine jar carries the same fragrance as the one in the Ghost Immortal Temple?"

Zhu Yu nodded, as this was an obvious matter.

Lu Qing, however, smiled: "So Madam believes the hidden ’Ghost Immortal’ is randomly killing people without reason?"

"Of course not," Zhu Yu replied decisively, "If there were no similar scent on the wine jar as there was in the abandoned temple, this matter would be uncertain.

The other night, the steward stayed in the temple guarding that corpse but ended up fainting from the seductive fragrance, not harmed at all. This shows that the hidden killer is not randomly murdering innocents, and however many souls there are in the Ghost Immortal Temple, there must be some connection among them."

"Madam speaks wisely," Lu Qing nodded, "So this wine is merely a fragrant bait prepared by the person behind the scenes. The bait must be hung on the hook to catch fish.

The hook clearly is in the Ghost Immortal Temple.

Now I am in Qingshui County, the wine is in my hand, and without the hook, the bait is no longer bait but a delicacy for us to enjoy."

With that, he poured another cup and looked at the amber wine with a faint smile: "Look at this color and the aroma of the wine, it seems it must have been sealed in the cellar for over ten years.

This suggests that the resentment within is not only deep but also goes back a long time."

Zhu Yu had to admit that Lu Qing made a point, though she was still greatly surprised by his bold actions.

Fortunately, Lu Qing didn’t drink the second cup he poured, just setting it aside. Regardless of whether the wine was poisoned, it would be unacceptable to be rendered senseless like the two in the tavern.

After a while, the steward returned, carrying many things into the room like a treasure trove.

"Master, Madam, I bought everything back!" He wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead and said to the two in front of him, "I inquired all over this Qingshui County, and indeed the shopkeeper and staff of that tavern did not deceive us. The only place in the county that can brew and sell wine is Lu’s Winery, it’s the sole establishment with no branches.

Something did indeed happen to Lu’s; the mother yeast and the wine have both gone bad, and the head of the Lu Family is missing. The outside of the Winery is surrounded by shop staff demanding money and wine, and it’s in chaos!

I originally wanted to stay longer, but a few governmental officials came, saying they wanted to take the steward of Lu Family and the family members to the government office for questioning. I was afraid of being too conspicuous if I stayed, so I left.

Afterward, I went to the marketplace and, as per the master’s instructions, bought some food and pastries, all here now!"

"How’s the marketplace?" Lu Qing casually picked up a package of pastries to look.

"It seems lively, but walking around, there are only a few shops!"

The steward pointed to the stamps on the oil paper of the few packaged items: "There’s a Li’s Pastry at the east end of the street, another in the middle of the street, and yet another at the end.

The same goes for loquat soup shops; they seem to be left and right, but upon closer inspection of the signs, they are the same shop!

There are a lot of people in the marketplace, but not a single street vendor can be seen.

This place is really peculiar."

"Do other businesses have encounters similar to Lu’s?"

"None that I know of. When buying things, I talked with the shop staff, and it seems Lu’s is the only one with such an incident in all of Qingshui County!"

Lu Qing nodded with satisfaction, picking a few items from the snacks to hand over: "Well done. Take these to your room, eat, and rest for a while."

After the steward left, Lu Qing opened the remaining snacks on the table: "Madam didn’t eat much in the tavern earlier, you must be hungry now. Eat something, and it won’t be a waste for me to have asked the steward to buy them."

Zhu Yu looked up, meeting Lu Qing’s gaze.

Lu Qing’s eyes were exceptionally beautiful, the corners slightly upturned, always seeming to hold a faint smile. His deep eyes seemed to have a hidden glint, making it hard not to find oneself wavering under his gaze.

But at this moment, Zhu Yu was very calm.

The depth of those eyes was devoid of warmth, all the smiles and glints were just superficial.

Zhu Yu didn’t stand on ceremony, picking up a pastry from his hand to taste. It wasn’t exactly delicious, but not unpleasant either. In such a county, one couldn’t expect much more.

She also poured herself a cup of tea to moisten her throat.

Seeing her helping herself, Lu Qing’s mouth curved as he laughed: "On the day of our marriage, you were quite reserved. Today, you’re much more at ease, which is a great comfort to me."

"Naturally, freshly bought pastries are more reassuring to eat than those prepared beforehand," Zhu Yu replied with a smile, hinting at something, "Besides, even the oxen and horses in a farmer’s home have to be well-fed before plowing."

Hearing this, Lu Qing’s eyes held a deeper smile: "Do not belittle yourself, Madam. With so many matters at hand, I must rely on you."

Zhu Yu believed there was some sincerity in his words.

Having spent these days together, she had a sense of things.

Her husband, despite the title of "Prince Xiaoyao," was different from the rumors. He seemed indifferent to everything, negligently carefree, but was actually a person who remained calm and composed even in dire situations.

The mere fact that he remained unfazed when confronted by Duke Yan was enough to label him a formidable person.

Zhu Yu couldn’t see through Lu Qing’s thoughts, but that night their conversation was frank enough to let her know what Lu Qing wanted from her.

This was the reason for her current relaxation.

When a husband becomes a superior, all she needed to know was his demands, then fulfill her tasks.

Frank needs, mutual benefits, this was simpler than guessing a person’s true intentions, and apparently, there was nothing wrong with it.

However, thinking this far, Zhu Yu realized a previously overlooked issue.