Chapter 342: Going Out Disguised 7
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Zhu Shen was taken aback—the State Preceptor rarely had midnight snacks. More importantly, he never frequented street stalls before…like this! Zhu Shen was momentarily stunned before he walked to the stall selling oil flatbreads and ordered one. Before long, the shopkeeper wrapped a piping hot oil flatbread in oil paper and passed it to Zhu Shen. Zhu Shen took the food and headed back to hand it to Li Ruoxuan respectfully.
Li Ruoxuan accepted the oil flatbread and subconsciously glanced at the ordinary-looking little lady. Her eyes were dark and shiny. Her face was filled with satisfaction under the illumination of the lamps on the side of the street.
Li Ruoxuan held the comfortably warm oil flatbread and took a bite. It was crispy and delicious, oily but not greasy—it indeed tasted pretty good.
Li Ruoxuan walked closer to Qingyang Lake, watching the lake’s surface as he ate the flatbread quietly.
Qi Qingyao was already done with her flatbread. Licking her fingers, she asked Si Jin to buy some fried sugar cake. Si Jin calmly glanced at the refined and clean-looking young man, then suggested for Qi Qingyao to get up and go with him to the fried sugar cake stall together. Although Qi Qingyao was curious, she knew that Si Jin was being cautious.
After they bought three portions of fried sugar cakes, Qi Qingyao walked back and gave one share to the young man who was eating his oil flatbread by himself.
Li Ruoxuan was a little taken aback.
“My treat!” Qi Qingyao gestured that she already had two shares in her hands.
Zhu Shen subconsciously wanted to reject it on his master’s behalf.
Since they did not know where it came from, what would they do should it be… poisoned?
However, Li Ruoxuan had already reached out his hand, accepting the food without thinking.
He had never encountered a situation like this before. Back when he was in the Capital City, he rarely ventured out alone. Basically, if he was not traveling in a sedan chair, he would be surrounded by a crowd in no time…
Qi Qingyao sat back on the stone platform. She held the fried sugar cake in her hands with a smile, then started eating it happily.
The outside was crispy. With one bite, the sugar in the middle flowed out, the sweetness practically melting one’s heart.
Si Jin also found it quite tasty.
Li Ruoxuan finished the oil flatbread then picked up the round fried sugar cake and took a bite. To a grown man like him, it was a bit too sweet for his liking. It was something Li Ruoxuan did not usually eat, but today, standing on the cold shores of Qingyang Lake with the chilly winds blowing, he instead found a distinct flavor that came with eating the fried sugar cake.
Somehow he was not really against eating it.
Qi Qingyao asked the young man who was standing by the side eating his sugar cake as she ate hers, “Isn’t it good?”
Li Ruoxuan did not answer but he nodded slightly and smiled.
He typically rarely greeted strangers.
Qi Qingyao scrutinized the young man standing by Qingyang Lake. The man’s subordinate stood obliquely at the back, silent and wearing a determined and solemn expression.
She thought, ‘Could this person be a young master from some big family?’
His demeanor, however, was silent and cold. Considering that, he probably was not one of those arrogant noble lords of Qingzhou City…
Qi Qingyao felt that this person was really ill at ease. She just wanted to share tasty food with someone who had good taste. Thinking for a bit, she asked, “You’re a foreigner, yes?”
Li Ruoxuan smiled and nodded.
He continued eating his fried sugar cake.
Qi Qingyao was also rather satisfied as she ate hers. “Qingzhou City is not a bad place. I’m sure you came for the koi temples, yes?”
Although his motive was not that, Li Ruoxuan answered in stride, “Was it that obvious?”
Qi Qingyao nodded delightedly. “Most people who come to Qingzhou City come to pray at the koi temple.
Li Ruoxuan did not answer directly but took another bite of fried sugar cake and said, “This fried sugar cake… really isn’t bad.”
Qi Qingyao agreed—the fried sugar cake was pretty good.
After finishing her portion, she turned and realized that Si Jin had only eaten one…
Qi Qingyao grabbed his uneaten portion and slowly finished the remaining sugar cake.
After that, she got up and waved goodbye to the young man who was a good food connoisseur. “I’m done eating, so I’ll take my leave first. Bye-bye, bro!”
The little raised hand gave off a sense of innocence and artlessness.
Li Ruoxuan was startled for a moment.
She and the youth by her side had already walked far away.
Li Ruoxuan looked at the unfinished fried sugar cake and laughed. “Really, what a friendly little fellow.”
Zhu Shen pursed his lips, feeling awkward. “…”
He privately thought about the many friendly individuals out on the streets on a daily basis. Why did the State Preceptor only have a change in attitude now, that he would actually exchange pleasantries with this commoner by the road?
He even accepted the fried sugar cake they gave him.
This situation, no matter how he thought of it, was strange!
Li Ruoxuan walked from the shore to the stone platform where the little lady had been seated before. Looking at the lake from her position, and slowly eating the fried sugar cake, he suddenly felt… the whole world was at peace.
He felt that he had probably never been this relaxed before…
…
…
Qi Qingyao walked past multiple streets with Si Jin before Si Jin finally could not stand it anymore and said, “Sister, that person from before, he’s a rank-nine.”
Huh?
Qi Qingyao gave a start, feeling a chill run across her scalp. She said, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
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“…” Si Jin had wanted to, but the man was a rank-nine. He naturally had amazing hearing. He would have heard Si Jin’s words the moment he uttered them… He dared not take this risk.
Qi Qingyao rubbed her lower jaw helplessly, saying more to herself than to Si Jin, “How can there be so many rank-nine powerhouses in Qingzhou City? I even bumped into one simply while having an oil flatbread by Qingyang Lake!” Could it be that rank nines were really common?
Si Jin thought for a moment and then muttered, “Or it could be that Sister has really good luck.”
Qi Qingyao, “…??”
‘Impossible!
‘To say that this was good luck.
‘Isn’t it more like sh*t luck?’
Si Jin asked Qi Qingyao if she still wanted to stay outside. Qi Qingyao shook her head like a rattle, telling him that she wants to go home, go home, go home right now!
1
In just that one night, they had first witnessed a lively scene in Zuixian Restaurant, and then almost got cheated by a shady establishment, then they even managed to meet a rank-nine while eating oil flatbread and fried sugar cake by the road!
Qi Qingyao suspected that if she were to continue loitering around, something bad might happen.
She was a coward!!
It was still safer to hurry back home.
The two arrived home without anyone noticing. Qi Qingyao returned to her room through the window.
Looking at the sleeping kids, a smile appeared on the corners of her lips. Taking off her robes, she drilled herself into the blankets! She hugged the three kids and went to sleep.
…
…
Li Ruoxuan finished the fried sugar cake and sat down for some time by the bank of Qingyang Lake before eventually getting up.
Zhu Shen looked at the State Preceptor who appeared more relaxed than before.
“Master, should we head back?”
“Let’s go.”
As Li Ruoxuan turned around and started to head back, he ordered.
“Extend an invitation to the Qi Residence tomorrow morning.”
“What should I write?”
“Just write that the State Preceptor Li Ruoxuan invites Qi Qingyao to a meal at Chunjiang Restaurant.”
“Understood, master.”
Zhu Shen knew that the State Preceptor wanted to strike the iron while it was hot.
Since that Qi lady seemed to be living in seclusion, his master…of course, would attack directly.
That was because the high and mighty State Preceptor was never one to resign himself to fate.
Slumbering, Qi Qingyao was unaware that someone was already preparing a meeting to trap her….