novelraw Chapter 18 : What Is This Man Thinking
Chapter 18 : What Is This Man Thinking
Chapter 18: What Is This Man Thinking
Morning.
Li Yunqing got up and, seeing that the red marks on her skin had all faded under the nourishment of her newly formed blood qi, finally let out a slight sigh of relief.
If she had gone to the appointment covered in red marks, it would likely have caused unnecessary misunderstandings.
After washing up, she practiced the Mingyu Fist once more before heading into the hall for breakfast.
“Jiang Yu will come pick you up shortly!”
At the dining table, Li Yansong spoke softly. Seeing that Li Yunqing showed no sign of resistance, he quietly relaxed.
For some reason, ever since Li Yunqing agreed to the Jiang Family’s marriage proposal, he had felt somewhat guilty and lacking in confidence.
The little girl he had once held in the palm of his hand—now he no longer quite knew how to face her.
“Mm!” Li Yunqing nodded. Not seeing her elder brother, she couldn’t help but ask, “Where is elder brother?”
Li Yansong replied, “A demon calamity occurred in a small town last night. He was recalled by the Demon Suppression Division.”
“A demon calamity? Is it serious?”
There was a trace of concern in Li Yunqing’s voice.
Though she had never personally experienced one, she was not unfamiliar with demon calamities.
They were caused by demonic creatures from the mountains venturing out to devour living beings.
The responsibility of the Demon Suppression Division was to suppress all kinds of demons and evil gods—naturally, they could not stand aside.
“No need to worry. Your brother is at the Upper Tier of the Initial Realm, and with over a dozen Demon Suppression Guards, as long as they don’t encounter a great demon, nothing will happen.”
Seeing her concern, Li Yansong quickly reassured her.
Li Yunqing nodded, then couldn’t help but ask again, “Are demon calamities common?”
She had never left Qingzhou City. Her understanding of the world was limited to books, inevitably incomplete.
“With the Demon Suppression Division around, demon calamities are not frequent.”
“Rest assured, there are almost none around Qingzhou City.”
Hearing her father’s words, Li Yunqing understood somewhat—around major prefectural cities, demon calamities were likely the rarest.
After all, many powerful individuals lived within such cities, and the Demon Suppression Division was present.
The places where demon calamities occurred most frequently were likely remote villages and towns.
As soon as the hour of Si arrived, a servant reported that Jiang Yu of the Jiang Family had arrived at the gate.
After bidding farewell to her father, Li Yunqing brought Xiaolan and walked out the main gate, immediately seeing Jiang Yu standing upright outside, dressed in dark blue robes.
Many passersby unconsciously stopped to watch, whispering among themselves.
Nothing more than talk of the Li Family climbing up to the Jiang Family, and how they would soon flourish.
Upon seeing Li Yunqing, Jiang Yu stood even straighter, a smile appearing on his face. “Junior Sister Yunqing.”
“Senior Brother Jiang.” Li Yunqing returned the greeting.
Her gaze shifted to the carriage at the gate. It was made of redwood, intricately carved with patterns, inlaid with bright jade—truly luxurious.
“I heard Junior Sister Yunqing rarely goes out. Today, how about we go to Lanshan outside the city for some sightseeing?”
There was an inexplicable trace of nervousness in Jiang Yu’s tone.
It was his first time inviting a woman—he naturally wanted to leave a good impression.
More importantly, he hoped to take this opportunity to build some affection. At the very least, before marriage, he wanted the girl before him to like him.
Even if that couldn’t be achieved, he at least didn’t want her to dislike him.
There were also some matters he still needed to explain and apologize for.
“I’ll follow Senior Brother Jiang’s arrangements.”
Li Yunqing responded with a smile, silently speculating about Jiang Yu’s intentions as she slowly stepped into the carriage.
The space inside the carriage was large. The entire interior was wrapped in brocade, resplendent and magnificent, with soft carpets covering the floor.
A small table in the center held several plates of pastries and fruits.
Nearby, a hollowed incense burner emitted faint wisps of fragrant smoke.
“Dragon Saliva Incense!”
Li Yunqing’s nose twitched slightly, instantly identifying the incense.
“So this is the grandeur of the Jiang Family of Qingzhou?”
She felt a bit emotional. Dragon Saliva Incense was worth a thousand gold per jin, yet it was being used in a travel carriage—somewhat extravagant.
Just as Li Yunqing sat by the window, Jiang Yu bent slightly and entered.
He glanced at her position, then silently sat opposite her, his eyes unconsciously drifting toward her.
As always, she was quiet—as if she had stepped out of a painting.
Her hair was tied with a silver hairpin, cascading like a waterfall over her shoulders. Without any makeup, her face remained fair and delicate, with a natural blush.
Her light purple waist-cinched dress accentuated her graceful figure, making her even more pleasing to the eye.
Li Yunqing was only fifteen now. In two more years, she would likely become even more beautiful.
Sensing his gaze, Li Yunqing lifted her head, her gentle eyes meeting Jiang Yu’s without a ripple, like a clear spring.
There was none of the usual shyness of ordinary girls—instead, there was a calmness and composure that seemed to emanate from her very bones.
After maintaining eye contact for a full ten seconds, Jiang Yu instead became uncomfortable and shifted his gaze away.
His heart pounded wildly in his chest. In that instant, he didn’t know where to place his hands, unconsciously gripping the horizontal blade placed beside him.
Only in this way could he conceal the tension within.
“That’s it? I’m the woman here and I’m not shy—yet you are?”
Seeing Jiang Yu turn away, the tips of his ears reddening, Li Yunqing found it somewhat amusing. Just as she was about to speak, her brows furrowed slightly, and she instinctively looked out the window.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing her reaction, Jiang Yu also looked over instinctively, but found nothing.
“Nothing.” Li Yunqing shook her head.
Just now, she had felt a gaze lingering on her for quite some time.
But the moment she turned, there was nothing.
She had felt the same thing last night on her way home.
At this moment, the carriage began to move slowly, yet inside it remained calm—so quiet that the two could almost hear each other’s heartbeats.
“This carriage…”
Li Yunqing lightly ran her fingers over the interior. It was extremely soft, well-insulated, with barely any vibration.
Compared to her family’s carriage, it was several times more luxurious.
Watching Li Yunqing examine the carriage, Jiang Yu hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to force you.”
“That night, when I heard your zither music, I was astonished as if encountering a celestial being. That’s why I sent people to investigate you.”
“And because of that, it alerted my father and grandfather, which led to them visiting your home with a marriage proposal.”
Li Yunqing raised her head, looking at Jiang Yu’s slightly nervous yet sincere eyes, and instinctively asked, “What about you?”
“Me?”
Jiang Yu paused, not quite daring to meet her gem-like eyes, and said softly, “You’re very quiet. Very calm—different from many other women.”
That night, Li Yunqing wore a light purple dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders, playing the zither beneath the moon—like a celestial maiden of the lunar palace.
Amid that heart-stirring music, he admitted that at that moment, his heart had indeed raced a few beats.
It was precisely because of this that he did not stop his father from proposing marriage—instead, he even felt a trace of anticipation.
Anticipation to hear that music again, to see that quiet girl once more.
‘Love at first sight? Or just infatuation with beauty?’
Li Yunqing couldn’t help but mutter inwardly, though she didn’t dwell on it. The matter was already decided—there was no use saying more.
Moreover, with the memories of her past life, she couldn’t act lively or carefree, nor could she behave like a typical young girl—acting cute or coquettish.
Besides, she had no intention of marrying, nor could she accept it. There was no need for her to behave like ordinary women.
Quietly living, free from worldly strife—that was her truest inner thought.
She didn’t even have much interest in going out.
Yet somehow, this version of herself had caught Jiang Yu’s attention?
“Is Lanshan far?”
Seeing that the carriage had already left the city, Li Yunqing asked softly.
From childhood until now, she had rarely gone out, spending most of her time immersed in Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting.
With guidance from famous teachers, it was precisely for this reason that, within just over ten days after awakening her past-life memories, she had pushed all four arts to perfection.
“Not far—just over thirty li.”
Jiang Yu replied. Seemingly having adjusted to the atmosphere, his tone returned to its usual gentleness. “Lanshan is covered with maple trees.”
“At this time of year, the leaves turn red. From afar, it looks like a burning mountain range—the scenery is excellent.”
“Oh, right—the carriage behind us also carries brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and a zither.”
“Junior Sister Yunqing excels in Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting—you can paint and play the zither in the mountains. It would have a unique charm.”
Listening to Jiang Yu speak more and more, understanding the implication behind his words, Li Yunqing felt somewhat speechless.
You brought me out to relax, and you want me to play the zither and paint for you?
What on earth is this man thinking?