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墨書 Inktalez
In the middle of the night, I lay in bed with Mu Xuanche, wrapped in each other's embrace.
The night passed without incident, and I woke up early in the morning. After freshening up, I went to find Bai Qiling.
I knocked on Bai Qiling's door, but no one answered for a long time. I joked, "Bai Qiling wouldn't have run off to sleep with Shangguan Chenxi in the middle of the night, would she?"
However, I thought it was unlikely. After all, everyone knew that Bai Qiling was deeply in love with Shangguan Mingyue; it was just a painful unrequited love. A person so devoted wouldn’t casually fool around with another woman.
I politely knocked on Shangguan Chenxi's door, and I heard some rustling inside, probably as she was getting dressed or putting on her shoes.
Fortunately, Shangguan Chenxi was still in her room, so Mu Xuanche and I held hands and waited outside for her to open the door.
With a creak, the door opened.
"What are you doing here? Why were you sleeping in Shangguan Chenxi's room last night? You didn't really do anything to betray Mingyue, did you..."
To my surprise, it was Bai Qiling standing inside the room. I thought to myself, how could this be happening? I was just thinking out loud...
Bai Qiling twitched her lips. "You’re overthinking it. This hotel has issues. I couldn't sleep at all last night. When I heard some noise from Shangguan Chenxi's room, I rushed over. After that dirty thing left, Shangguan Chenxi got scared and asked me to stay. So I did; I slept on the sofa. Don't think too much about it."
I exclaimed, "If there’s a problem, why did you bring us to this hotel?"
Bai Qiling looked even more speechless. "Gu Yanxi, are you not awake yet? It was your Mu Xuanche who brought us here!"
Feeling embarrassed, I stepped aside and fell silent.
At that moment, Shangguan Chenxi also came out. She looked somewhat haggard and overly frightened, her face expressionless. I didn’t dare speak loudly and greeted her softly: "Good morning, Sister Shangguan. Shall we set off now? We should reach B City around three in the afternoon."
Shangguan Chenxi leaned slightly closer to Bai Qiling and replied, "Okay."
I didn't want to engage in much conversation with her, so I simply greeted her before walking out with Mu Xuanche.
As we stepped outside, I said to Mu Xuanche, "It seems that Shangguan Chenxi is really dependent on Bai Qiling now. What will happen in the future? Living in this hotel has left her with a shadow, and Bai Qiling will inevitably feel guilty. What about Mingyue? They are already married."
Mu Xuanche patted my head and replied, "You shouldn't interfere in other people's relationships. I believe Qiling can handle it well. Besides, your good friend doesn't even like him and won't accept him. Perhaps it's best for Qiling to meet her; after all, Shangguan Chenxi is already quite reliant on him, and her affection for him is evident."
I thought about Mingyue's attitude toward Bai Qiling and found myself at a loss for words. If Mingyue continued to reject Bai Qiling, then Bai Qiling wouldn't feel any aversion toward Shangguan Chenxi. Maybe they could try being together; perhaps Bai Qiling could gradually fall in love with this girl who had captured his heart at first sight.
"Father, this is Mr. Bai Qiling, this is Mr. Mu, and this is Sister Gu," Shangguan Chenxi introduced Mu Xuanche and the others to her father.
Since Shangguan Chenxi had already spoken with her father on the phone while in the car, Mr. Shangguan was aware of our purpose for visiting.
Mr. Shangguan appeared gentle and kind as he introduced himself, saying, "My name is Shangguan Jinhong, and I am the Director of Ying City Museum."
Once again, it was Bai Qiling who took the initiative, extending his hand and saying, "Hello, Mr. Shangguan."
After they politely shook hands, they got straight to the point.
Shangguan Jinhong spoke first: "I understand that you, Mr. Bai and Mr. Mu, are interested in the Compass Fragment from my museum?"
Bai Qiling nodded politely. "Yes, I believe Sister Shangguan has informed you about my other unusual profession. I am an Exorcist, and there are certain things within the Compass Fragment that I urgently need."
Shangguan Jinhong seemed slightly distracted and did not respond immediately.
My nature was restless, so I gently called out, "Mr. Shangguan."
He snapped back to attention and offered an apologetic smile before saying, "I'm sorry; your words reminded me of some family matters at home."
Thinking about family matters—could it be that something unusual had happened to his family as well?
However, none of us pressed further, as it was a matter of personal privacy, and asking would have been quite impolite.
Bai Qiling politely expressed that he did not mind, and then Shangguan Jinhong continued, "All the collections in the Ying City Museum come from only two sources: my own collection and donations from outside. This museum is actually private; it belongs to me. However, this compass cannot be counted as mine. I only have the right to exhibit and protect it; I cannot handle anything regarding this compass without permission from its owner, which was a condition set when I began exhibiting it."
Shangguan Chenxi, who had been silent until now, was taken aback by her father's words. He had never mentioned any taboo regarding this compass to her.
Listening to Shangguan Jinhong's words stirred a layer of frustration within me. I had thought that obtaining the Compass Fragment here would not be difficult, but unexpectedly, it seemed that I could not get my hands on it after all. I would need to find another person.
What a hassle.
After spending time with Shangguan Chenxi, Bai Qiling rarely showed signs of irritation.
This situation had too many twists and turns. A problem that could have been solved with an Illusion had turned complicated due to his rare gentlemanly behavior and reluctance to hurt feelings. Faced with Shangguan Chenxi's already straightforward affection, he had to think about how to reject her in a way that wouldn’t cause her pain.
If I hadn’t been rescued at this moment, Bai Qiling would really have a hard time explaining all these complications to Mu Xuanche.
Shangguan Jinhong continued, "The fragments of the compass have already been sent back to its owner; there’s nothing I can do."
Shangguan Chenxi couldn’t bear to see her beloved unhappy and urgently called out to Shangguan Jinhong, "Father."
Then she spoke softly and anxiously, "Mr. Bai and the others really need these Compass Fragments. Please think of a way!"
Shangguan Jinhong sighed; his obedient daughter seemed to forget about him once she had someone she cared for. For the sake of a man, she was pressuring her old father. Anyone could see that Shangguan Chenxi was infatuated, but unfortunately, Bai Qiling maintained a distance from her while being polite and considerate enough that no one could find fault.
"It’s not that I don’t want to help; if I had the authority, I would definitely give it to you. But the problem is that I don’t have the authority, and the compass has truly been sent away."
Seeing our disappointed expressions, Shangguan Jinhong suggested, "If you really want this Compass Fragment badly, perhaps I can take you to its owner's house. Whether or not it works out is beyond my prediction, but at least I've done my part; the rest is up to you."
I felt a surge of joy and exchanged glances with Mu Xuanche before quickly saying, "Then we will trouble Mr. Shangguan."
Shangguan Jinhong drove us for a long time, and as the sky began to darken, I carefully observed that we were at least outside the Fifth Ring of B City.
The car reached the outskirts, where the road had been desolate for quite a while. Suddenly, ancient and elegant buildings appeared; from the outside, it was already evident that the interior was quite spacious.
As we were about to arrive, Shangguan Jinhong made a phone call to the compass master. "Hello, Xun Lao, it's me, Su Ze."
Su Ze must be Shangguan Jinhong's courtesy name. Despite his young age, Shangguan Jinhong spoke with great respect towards Xun Lao and referred to himself by his courtesy name, indicating he considered himself a junior. It seemed that Xun Lao was not only older but also held a higher status.
I couldn't hear what was said on the other end, but Shangguan Jinhong replied in surprise, "Yes, Xun Lao truly has remarkable insight."
The car had already pulled up to the entrance. It was Mu Xuanche driving. At first, I thought he was preparing to stop, but suddenly the intricately carved iron gate swung open.
Without hesitation, Mu Xuanche drove straight in. There was only one main road with no branches, but many paths for pedestrians. Once inside, I discovered that the environment was exceptionally pleasant; trees were lush and green, flowers were in full bloom, and even those not typically in season were blooming vibrantly.
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