Su Qingwan wore a thin veil, half-revealing a pair of bright phoenix eyes. The corners of his eyes tilted upwards, with scattered starlight in their depths. His eyelashes fluttered like raven feathers. Though his full appearance was hidden, it was still difficult to conceal his otherworldly beauty.
At this moment, he frowned slightly, as if very displeased, and said coquettishly, "Xiao Yuan, we've only walked a few steps! Look how tired you are. I'm never bringing you out again, you're such a killjoy!"
Xiao Yuan pursed his lips, looking pitiful. He had been scolded by the young master again.
He cautiously tried to persuade, "Young master, we've been out sneaking around for so long, it's time we should return to the manor. Otherwise... the mistress will be angry again!"
As he finished speaking, his eyes quickly darted over the young master's face, nervously gauging his emotional reaction.
As soon as Su Qingwan heard the word "mistress", those bright phoenix eyes instantly filled with a trace of coldness, and his tone sank a few degrees, "No. It's rare that I can come out today, so I want to wander until I'm satisfied. No one can stop me! Besides, what are you afraid of? If anything happens, I'll cover for you."
Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes at this point, not daring to speak again.
Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums came from not far ahead. People rushed forward, and the scene instantly erupted like a pot boiling over, with constant cheers and applause.
Su Qingwan stood on tiptoe to look ahead, his bright eyes flickering with excitement. He said, "Let's go look up front. It seems the September Hundred Performances Troupe is performing?"
Seeing the young master rushing off, Xiao Yuan had no choice but to hurry after him.
At this time, Lu Yuner was on her way to her appointment. She lightly opened her fan with one hand, her fair jade-like hand gracefully fanning, as if a spirit butterfly had come from among the flowers, opening to release the fragrance of a hundred blossoms.
Though dressed plainly, her otherworldly charm naturally drew the burning gazes of the young men on the street.
Lu Yuner was long accustomed to this. Instead, she smiled faintly and returned their greetings, causing the young men's faces to flush red as they shyly turned away, stealing lingering glances at her retreating figure.
This Mingyue Tower was one of General Liu's businesses, located on the west bank of the Liusu River in the southern market of the capital, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. It was indeed a quiet place for drinking and chatting with good friends, or composing poetry.
At this moment, compared to the bustling market earlier, the banks of the Liusu River seemed particularly quiet.
The full moon hung in the sky, its clear light like a veil of silver-white gauze draped down, making the rippling Liusu River shimmer with indistinct light and shadow, misty and intoxicating to the eye.
Suddenly, Lu Yuner's almond eyes narrowed, her gaze locked firmly on the undulating river surface not far away. The next second her pupils dilated, and she immediately took off her outer robe and jumped into the cold river with a splash.
A short while later.
Lu Yuner's clothes were soaked through, her hair wet and clinging to her temples as she looked seriously at the young man lying on the ground, now lifeless.
Her slender fingers immediately lifted the veil, revealing a face too beautiful for words.
Her features were cold yet alluring, with long willow-like eyebrows, a figure like a jade tree, and a coquettish tear mole adorning the corner of her left eye.
The young man's ink-black hair was scattered on the ground, his clothes clinging tightly to his body, somewhat disheveled from the river water.
The neckline was slightly open, revealing fair and smooth shoulders and neck. His skin, like congealed cream, gave off a bewitching charm in the moonlight.
However, Lu Yuner instinctively pulled his clothes together, then said, "Excuse me."
After emergency treatment, the young man was showing signs of regaining consciousness. Coincidentally, the sound of people searching came from the flickering firelight in the distance.
Lu Yuner pondered for a moment, then covered him with her dry outer robe that hadn't gotten wet, and turned to leave.
It wasn't that she wanted to do a good deed without leaving her name. It was because this was a female-dominated world, and what she had just done was already considered an act of taking liberties.
If someone saw, it would ruin this young man's reputation. If he was already betrothed...
After thinking it over, she decided it was best to leave. People were already looking for him, so at least his life was no longer in danger.
As the firelight drew nearer, someone excitedly called out, "Young master, he's over there!"
In a private room at Mingyue Tower.
"Hahaha!" A woman's hearty laughter rang out from inside.
"I say, Lu Yuner! Lu Yuner! So you're this late because you got a free bath somewhere, huh?"