CHAPTER 312: CHAPTER 297: I HAVE SIDE EFFECTS

The three of them chatted from the Northern Land to the Southern Border, and spent a full hour eating.

Before they parted, Zhao the Guard kindly reminded Yu Xiaolian that if his older brother sends her an invitation for some poetic gathering, she should try not to go if possible, as his brother holds poetic gatherings every now and then, which can be quite bothersome.

Yu Xiaolian had heard about Zhao’s love for poetry and songs.

Yu Xiaolian was also disinclined to deal with these literary gatherings and had decided to heed Zhao’s advice.

After bidding farewell to Zhao the Guard, Yu Xiaolian and Su Jingchen walked side by side on the long street.

Yu Xiaolian asked Su Jingchen, "Why did you go to Funan?"

How come he went again so soon after just returning from Funan? His maternal grandfather passed away, and that maternal grandmother is not Su Jingchen’s real grandmother.

"My uncle wrote to me, saying there is something that needs me to go back once, and it just so happened that after the autumn exams, I had a few days of vacation, so I went back." Su Jingchen said.

"Oh." She almost forgot that Su Jingchen has an uncle over there.

Su Jingchen thought his uncle called him back for business matters since he has two shops managed by his uncle.

"My uncle... he wants to betroth my cousin to me..." Su Jingchen said, his eyes unblinkingly staring at Yu Xiaolian.

Yu Xiaolian felt somewhat guilty and avoided Su Jingchen’s gaze.

Su Jingchen sighed helplessly, "I refused!"

"I... I..." Yu Xiaolian stammered, "Let’s... find a place where no one is around to talk!"

Yu Xiaolian felt it was time for an open and honest conversation, as evasion and delay were not the solutions.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t moved by Su Jingchen, rather she was fearful, hesitant, and concerned about many things.

Yu Xiaolian quietly clenched her fists, her heart in turmoil.

If she told him she was a person with severe side effects, would he back off?

Moreover, in Su Jingchen’s view, taking a concubine might seem quite normal, after all, that lady from the Huo family is a concubine his father forced upon him.

"It’s not far from Heqing Lane here, let’s go there!" Yu Xiaolian pointed in the direction of the North City Gate.

"Mm!" Su Jingchen was actually more nervous than Yu Xiaolian, feeling that whatever Yu Xiaolian wanted to talk about wouldn’t be good.

Having been rejected twice before, Su Jingchen had actually made a decision in his heart to stay away from Yu Xiaolian, preferably not even be friends.

When his uncle urged him to stay in Funan, he seriously considered it, but whenever he thought about not being by Yu Xiaolian’s side, and potentially seeing her marry someone else, it felt like a knife twisted in his heart.

Upon returning to Luocheng, seeing Yu Xiaolian at the post station entrance, he knew his decision to return to Luocheng was right.

Yu Xiaolian was different with him compared to others, he knew.

However, he didn’t understand why, despite their mutual fondness, Yu Xiaolian kept evading and repeatedly rejected him?

Yu Xiaolian led Su Jingchen to Heqing Lane, took out the key to the main door from her space, and unlocked the door, letting Su Jingchen enter first.

Although no one lived in Heqing Lane, Yu Xiaolian had someone come and clean it every now and then, so the house wasn’t entirely empty, with essentials like tables, chairs, bedding, kitchen pots and pans, and some simple tea sets available.

The two found chairs in the front hall and sat down.

Yu Xiaolian let out a long breath, inwardly encouraging herself, then candidly said, "My origins are a bit special..."

Yu Xiaolian mustered her courage and told Su Jingchen about being from the Witch Clan and possessing the Longevity Gu.

"I suppose you’ve heard, that the current emperor hasn’t given up on finding the Longevity Gu all these years, and even Prince Jin and the Princely Heir of Huainan are searching for it.

In short, I’m a very dangerous person, liable to die unexpectedly at any time."

Yu Xiaolian paused to look at Su Jingchen’s expression.

She expected Su Jingchen to be shocked, but he wasn’t.

Su Jingchen chuckled lightly and softly replied, "I know."

When Yu Xiaolian gave him that blood-scented pill, Su Jingchen already had some suspicions.

Later, through interactions with Jiang Lin, having learned Jiang Lin visited the grave of the grass witch and returned unscratched, those suspicions deepened.

Despite the Princely Heir of Huainan sending many knowledgeable people of arcane ways to that grass witch’s grave, most were lost in there, yet Jiang Lin, being reckless, somehow emerged unscathed?