That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

"I don't believe his words are credible, given his elusive and unpredictable nature."

Chen Sha snorted coldly, unconvinced:

"If they really know the killer's identity, they can simply come and report it openly. Why add so many gimmicks?"

Indeed.

Wen Fuxiao nodded, also feeling that the person behind the scenes was not trustworthy:

"We cannot blindly trust someone who suddenly appears and claims to know the truth just because we lack clues at the moment. What if, three days later, we find a trap set by a villain at Listening Waterfall Manor? Or perhaps, he will throw mud at one of the three people the moonlight pointed to earlier, causing us to start fighting amongst ourselves first."

"Yes."

Jiang Jingming composed himself and calmed down:

"But regardless, since the person behind this has issued this challenge to us, we must keep our word in three days. Otherwise, given their methods, who knows what kind of trouble they might cause in the city."

"Won't that person laugh at us for walking into a trap?"

Lu Zhao gripped the sword hilt tightly, feeling somewhat uncertain.

Chen Sha stood up, flicked his sleeves, and his expression was cold and hard:

"Now that we've prepared to keep our appointment, it remains to be seen who the prey is and who the hunter is!"

"Great! You're amazing!"

Xie Yunqi jumped up and gave him a high five, looking excited and ready to fight.

Now that everyone has made peace with Chen Sha, she is no longer a fugitive. She has returned to being a smug young lady and is eager to settle things with the mastermind behind the scenes.

Jiang Jingming stood up, hoisted Wujiu to his waist, and quietly swept his gaze over everyone present.

"We are now on the same front. The enemies we will face next may be petty people who want to muddy the waters, other people with vested interests, or even the murderer of the family annihilation case himself."

He paused, then sighed softly:

"What I want to say is that no matter what happens at Tingpu Villa three days from now, please make sure to give your trust to the people standing next to you now."

Although he couldn't pinpoint any particular reason, he felt that those who were still standing together were far more trustworthy than the various forces lurking in the shadows.

"Of course!"

Xie Yunqi was the first to respond to him, grabbing Aqing with one hand and taking Fang Zhiyi's hand with the other.

She said with a serious expression:

"Ah Qing, Ah Qing, Sister Fang, if either of you is really the murderer, then please make me your accomplice!"

Fang Zhiyi laughed at her words and nodded seriously:

"Okay."

Aqing silently withdrew her hand and turned her head away.

"Young Miss, you mustn't speak nonsense!"

Chen Sha helplessly stopped her from making such a rebellious statement.

"Wah la wah la wah la!"

Xie Yunqi made a face and made a series of chirping noises in protest.

Jiang Jingming crossed his arms. The night breeze brushed past them, and petals of the "Spring-Retaining Order" rose and fell in the moonlight.

Countless sinister eyes were watching from the darkness, but the moonlight was perfect, and the beautiful woman was by his side.

It seems that all the turbid and murky things are no match for the sudden spring breeze that has arisen here.

Chapter 130 Childhood Sweethearts, Inseparable

Jiang Jingming was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window.

He opened his eyes, and a ray of spring sunlight streamed through the windowpane. Dust motes danced in the light, blurring the lines between reality and dream.

"..."

It seems like it's been a long time since I've had such a comfortable sleep. Perhaps it's the fatigue of these past few days combined with the strong effects of the Wenxinzui liquor that makes me drift off to sleep as soon as I close my eyes.

Just as Jiang Jingming sat up, rubbing his forehead, the guest room door creaked open.

Aqing came in carrying a basin of water, with a roll of white cotton cloth draped over the rim of the basin.

She placed the basin on the table, rolled up her sleeves, soaked the cotton cloth in water, wrung it out, and kept her head down the whole time, busy with her own tasks.

Jiang Jingming stretched his stiff neck and simply sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to come over.

Aqing approached, sat down beside him, rolled up a cotton cloth, and gently wiped his face.

Jiang Jingming closed his eyes and peacefully enjoyed her service.

"Aqing, is there anything you want to do today?"

The reason for asking this question is that Chen Sha's sudden defection has relieved them of their status as fugitives, allowing them to freely wander around Fengling City.

Therefore, the three-day deadline set by the person behind the scenes did not create any tension; on the contrary, it made everyone relax.

Chen Sha returned to the Shen Du Wei's garrison, organized the troops, counted the number of people, and wrote a letter to Xie Jichuan in the capital explaining the current situation.

While handling official business, Wen Fuxiao began to interfere in the matter of changing the city lord.

Lu Zhao said he needed to rest and recuperate before visiting some of the famous tourist attractions in Fengling City.

Fang Zhiyi said she wanted to stroll around the city, and if she got bored, she would find some fun to do.

No one knew what she meant by "fun".

Xie Yunqi insisted on reverting to her routine from when she was in the capital, sleeping until sunset and then going out in the evening.

She argued that she wasn't sleeping in late, but rather staying up all night to patrol and crack down on petty criminals, since nighttime was the best time for criminals to operate.

Jiang Jingming couldn't help but think of a wealthy, masked man in a place called Gotham in his original world.

Everyone had their own things to do, so no one bothered Jiang Jingming this morning. Only Aqing stayed here to wait for him to get up.

There's nothing I want to do.

After washing his face, Aqing went behind him and massaged his shoulders.

"Young Master has been working hard these past few days. Please rest well. Ah Qing will stay here with you and won't go anywhere else."

With his tense shoulders and neck relaxed by the massage, Jiang Jingming lay down on her lap and comfortably closed his eyes.

"Aqing, you told me before that your hometown is Fengling City, right?"

"Ah."

Aqing nodded, moved her fingers up, and massaged the acupoints on his forehead.

Jiang Jingming suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist:

"Let's go out for a walk. I want to see the place where you were born."

Seemingly surprised by his words, Aqing was slightly taken aback.

After a brief silence, she pursed her lips, nodded, and seemed to have made a great decision.

Looking at her expression, Jiang Jingming silently thought that Fengling City shouldn't be considered a place worth reminiscing about for A Qing.

After all, she had said that all her family members had passed away.

But that's precisely why Jiang Jingming wanted to go with her to see the places where she had wandered and suffered in the past, so that she would know that everything was in the past.

Fengling City is still the same Fengling City, but she is no longer alone.

......

Chen Sha sent someone to return the bundle that had been confiscated earlier. Jiang Jingming and A Qing rummaged through the bundle and changed into the clothes that Song Niangzi had prepared for them.

Jiang Jingming chose a moon-white wide robe, tied his hair with a gold and jade belt, and looked like a low-key nobleman.

Eight out of ten of Aqing's clothes are blue, just in shades of light and dark blue. Jiang Jingming picked out a sky blue one for her that matched his outfit better.

Aqing had no inhibitions in front of him. She took off her outer robe, revealing a shapely figure under her white undergarment, with a beautiful curve in the spring light.

Jiang Jingming leaned against the window, coughed, and looked away.

When I was a child, I didn't think much of it, but looking at it now makes me blush.

Ah Qing always maintained a calm and innocent expression, unaware that this made her behavior appear even more erotic.

When exactly did it develop into this state?

Jiang Jingming stroked his chin, thinking that the girl had grown up very quickly, as if she had grown from that skinny little girl into what she is now in the blink of an eye.

"Little Lord."

A soft call from Aqing pulled his increasingly lewd thoughts back to reality.

"what?"

Jiang Jingming raised his head.

"this......"

Aqing looked troubled, with a ribbon hanging down her lower back.

As Jiang Jingming approached, he discovered that the style of this outfit was actually quite complex, quite different from the simple robes she used to love wearing. This outfit was more like what a noblewoman would wear when going on a spring outing.

The ribbon around her waist was so tight that she needed someone to tie it for her.

Jiang Jingming took the dangling ribbon, wrapped his arms around it, and bent down to wrap it around her waist. A sandalwood fragrance wafted from her hair and behind her ears.

Just as Jiang Jingming was getting a little distracted, he suddenly noticed a very hard-to-notice scar behind A Qing's earlobe.

What's going on here?

He gently pinched Aqing's ear.

The girl, held tightly in his arms, trembled slightly, then lowered her eyes and explained:

"That child trafficker when I was a kid burned me with incense."

"why?"

Jiang Jingming's voice turned somber as he recalled the lean man disguised as a fisherman.

Unfortunately, Uncle He was too busy with the crowd at the ferry crossing and acted too swiftly, failing to kill him.

"Because you disobeyed?"

When the two first met, Aqing was scolded by him for disobeying his orders.

"No."

Aqing shook her head:

“Every child was burned. He said he wanted to leave a mark so that we would remember for the rest of our lives that we were unwanted children, the most lowly slaves.”

"..."

Jiang Jingming took a deep breath, feeling a surge of anger rising within him.

Sensing his anger, Aqing turned her head, her clear eyes looking at him obediently:

"But his word doesn't count. I already have a young master."

Jiang Jingming met her gaze, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly lowered his head and gently kissed the burn scar behind her ear.

Aqing had instinctively tried to back away when she noticed him suddenly getting close, but her waist was tightly held, and she couldn't move.

So when the kiss landed, she only trembled slightly.

Jiang Jingming did not regret the impulsive kiss. He rested his chin on her shoulder and inhaled the familiar and comforting scent of sandalwood.

The two have been childhood sweethearts for so long, and when they change clothes and use each other's laps as pillows, they really don't have any sense of avoiding suspicion.

But this is the first time we've seen such intimate behavior.

"You're right, you have me now."

Jiang Jingming nuzzled her shoulder and said slowly:

"Aqing is with me, and I'll be with Aqing. Let's stay together like this for the rest of our lives, okay?"

"Ah."