novelSusiti Chapter 533 The Fake Moon Goddess Has Arrived Too!
Chapter 533 The Fake Moon Goddess Has Arrived Too!
The night market was bustling with activity.
Strings of lanterns illuminated the entire street in a bright red glow.
Steam rose from the stalls on both sides, the aroma of baked flatbread, the savory fragrance of stewed meat, and the sweetness of roasted chestnuts mingling together, carried by the night breeze and brushing against people's faces.
The crowd was shoulder to shoulder, with some people carrying candied hawthorns weaving through the crowd, and vendors shouting out their family's ancestral craftsmanship.
Qin Mu came out of the mutton soup restaurant and walked slowly along the street, his pace unhurried, as if he were strolling in his own backyard.
A night breeze blew from the river, carrying the scent of water and willow leaves, and felt cool on my face.
He walked for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, then suddenly stopped.
His gaze fell across the street.
There was a horse-drawn carriage parked there.
The carriage was dark brown all over, with a dull paint finish and no superfluous decorations. The curtains were made of plain gray cloth, and the two horses pulling the carriage were ordinary chestnut horses.
At first glance, it looks no different from the cars of ordinary wealthy people in the night market.
But it remained motionless in an inconspicuous shadow on the street corner, as if waiting for someone.
Qin Mu gazed at the carriage, a slow smile creeping onto his lips.
He turned his head and his gaze fell on the figure beside him. Yun Suxin was looking down and slightly turned to the side.
Qin Mu's voice was very soft, as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary.
"Your old acquaintance has arrived."
Yun Suxin's body trembled violently, as if she had been struck by something.
She followed Qin Mu's gaze and looked at the dark brown carriage.
Her pupils contracted suddenly, as if pricked by a needle, and then dilated sharply.
That carriage was so ordinary that it would be easily lost in a traffic jam.
But Yun Suxin's pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had been pricked by a needle.
She recognized the car.
That was her carriage, the one she had used for many years. There was a tiny scratch on the shaft, which she had accidentally scratched while traveling at night. She remembered the location, shape, and depth of the scratch perfectly.
She personally selected the fabric for the carriage curtains; the subtle pattern and color of the weave were unique to this carriage, and you couldn't find another like it in the entire Moon Goddess Cult.
Her lips trembled slightly.
She no longer needed to guess who was in the carriage.
The person sitting behind that carriage curtain was the stand-in she had personally trained, Chen Ruoyao, whom she had promoted from a peasant girl in the mountains, and also the one who betrayed her.
Yun Suxin lowered her head, her long, black hair falling down and covering half of her face.
She instinctively took half a step back behind Qin Mu, trying to hide herself.
She didn't want the people in the carriage to see her like this.
She didn't want Chen Ruoyao to see her in this disheveled state.
A bitter feeling welled up inside her, like swallowing a whole bowl of bitter herbs, so bitter that her tongue felt numb.
She had never understood why Chen Ruoyao would betray her.
She gave Chen Ruoyao an identity, a beautiful appearance, power, and status, elevating her from a peasant girl in a mountain village to a person of high status.
She thought Chen Ruoyao would be grateful, that she would be loyal, and that she would always kneel at her feet.
But now she understands.
Chen Ruoyao knew Qin Mu's true identity and recognized his power before she did.
That so-called spoiled brat is actually the Emperor of Qin, a terrestrial deity, an being who can turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist.
Chen Ruoyao chose to side with the stronger party and betrayed her without hesitation.
She was the only one kept in the dark, being completely fooled by Qin Mu like a fool, and naively believing that she could turn the tables as long as she regained her strength.
She recalled how she had brainwashed Chen Ruoyao, telling her "you are the person I trust the most," "I will not mistreat you," and "we are in the same boat."
At that time, Chen Ruoyao knelt in front of her, tears streaming down her face, and said, "Your subordinate swears to serve the Moon Goddess with his life." But she must have been laughing in her heart.
They must be laughing at this fool who's still dreaming, thinking he's still the high and mighty Moon Goddess.
Inside the carriage, the gray curtain was lifted from the inside through a very thin gap.
A pair of eyes peeked out from the gap, bright and shining, like two polished stars.
Chen Ruoyao couldn't help but smile, the upturned curve impossible to suppress, like a kitten that had seen its owner.
Then she saw another person.
The person stood half a step behind Qin Mu, head down, long hair falling messily over his shoulders, his face obscured.
But that figure, that posture, that way of standing beside Qin Mu but slightly backing away, hiding himself in the shadows—she was all too familiar with it.
That is the Moon Goddess.
Chen Ruoyao's gaze fell on the carriage curtain, and through the gray cloth, she could almost see the moon-white figure outside.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
There was a hint of pride, a hint of relief, and a complex mix of emotions in that smile.
She won.
The Moon Goddess lost.
She stood with the right people, chose the right path, and lived like a human being.
The Moon Goddess was standing behind that person, like a tamed dog.
The night was as dark as ink, and the hustle and bustle of the streets had gradually faded away.
As soon as Qin Mu stepped out of the crowd, he heard a very soft sound behind him. Someone had knocked on the side of the carriage twice, once short and once long.
He didn't stop walking, but turned his head slightly and glanced at the carriage parked in the shadows out of the corner of his eye, his smile deepening.
He didn't turn back or stop, but led the women into a narrow alley and disappeared into the dim light.
He understood what Chen Ruoyao meant by "two long and one short".
People from the North were present.
Now is not the time to meet.
Just as Qin Mu and his group disappeared, a tall, dark figure strode out from the shadows at the street corner.
Xu Longxiang was dressed in a black python robe with a jade belt around his waist. His pace was faster than usual, carrying an uncontrollable urgency.
He walked up to the dark brown carriage, stopped, and stared intently at the gray cloth curtain, as if trying to see through it.
His breathing was a little rapid, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and his fingers clenched and unclenched in his sleeve.
He had waited so long, and finally she was there for him!
"Miss Suxin!" Xu Longxiang's voice was a few decibels higher than usual, filled with barely suppressed excitement and joy.
He stepped forward, almost reaching out to lift the carriage curtain, but stopped abruptly when his fingers touched the edge of the gray cloth.
He was afraid of being impolite, afraid of scaring her, and afraid that being too eager would displease her.
The carriage curtain was lifted from the inside.
Chen Ruoyao peeked out with half her face exposed, and moonlight shone through the clouds, illuminating her stunningly beautiful face.
She was still wearing that white jade mask today, only revealing her eyes, but those eyes shone brightly in the moonlight, like two stars bathed in moonlight.
She looked at Xu Longxiang, a slow smile curving her lips. The smile was neither too deep nor too shallow, just right, carrying a hint of weariness and a perfect amount of joy.
"Young Master Xu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Her voice was soft, hoarse and tired from the journey, yet also carrying a hint of joy at the reunion. Every word seemed to tickle Xu Longxiang's heart.
Xu Longxiang's Adam's apple bobbed again. He wanted to say something, but the words rolled around in his throat countless times before he finally managed to squeeze out a few words.
"No...not long. Not long. I'll be so happy that you could come."
His voice sounded somewhat unsteady, as if he were walking on clouds, unable to find a foothold.
His gaze was fixed on her face, unable to look away. He looked from her eyebrows to the tip of her nose, and from the tip of her nose to the slightly upturned corners of her mouth. He wanted to etch every detail of her into his mind.
Chen Ruoyao looked at him with a cold smile in her heart, but her face still showed that perfectly gentle smile.
She lowered her eyes slightly, her eyelashes trembling gently.
"I've been traveling for so many days, I'm a little tired. Young Master Xu, I... I'd like to rest for a bit first."
Xu Longxiang suddenly came to his senses, as if he had been woken up from a dream.
He nodded hurriedly, his voice trembling with urgency.
"Of course! Of course! I've arranged everything! The best inn, the best room, hot water and food are all ready! You...you rest first, don't think about anything!"
He turned to the side and waved behind him.
Several attendants immediately came forward and led the carriage toward the inn.
Xu Longxiang walked beside the carriage, his pace faster than the carriage itself. Every now and then, he would turn his head and say something to Chen Ruoyao through the curtain. Chen Ruoyao would occasionally respond with a soft, gentle voice, as if through a thin veil.
Xu Longxiang's smile never faded from beginning to end, like a dog whose head has been patted by its owner, its tail wagging.
Upon arriving at the inn, Xu Longxiang dismounted and strode to the carriage door, reaching out to help Chen Ruoyao out.
Chen Ruoyao did not take his hand, but stepped down from the carriage slowly on a footstool, her moon-white dress fluttering gently in the night breeze.
She stood in front of the inn, tilted her head slightly, glanced at the brightly lit lintel, and then turned to smile at Xu Longxiang.
"Young Master Xu, you've gone to so much trouble."
"No trouble at all! No trouble at all!" Xu Longxiang waved his hands repeatedly. "You should rest well. Tomorrow—the martial arts tournament doesn't start until tomorrow. You don't need to rush. It's okay to sleep a little longer. I'll have the kitchen keep some soup warm for you. If you get hungry anytime, just have someone fetch it for you..." He went on and on, as if he wanted to pour out all the words he had accumulated over the past few days.
Chen Ruoyao listened quietly, nodding occasionally, the smile on her lips never changing.
She only said something softly after Xu Longxiang finally finished speaking.
"Okay, I understand. You should go back and rest too; you have to preside over the meeting tomorrow."
Xu Longxiang paused for a moment, wanting to say that he wasn't tired and that he would stay with him, but he swallowed the words back.
He was afraid that he would be too clingy and annoy her.
He nodded, his voice a few decibels lower than before.
"Okay... then you should get some rest. I'll come see you tomorrow."
After he finished speaking, he stood there for a moment, as if waiting for her to say something else.
Chen Ruoyao simply nodded slightly, turned around, and walked into the inn.
The moon-white dress flashed in the candlelight and disappeared inside the door.
Xu Longxiang stood there, staring at the closed door, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
He stood at the door for a long time, so long that the night wind ruffled the stray hairs at his temples, so long that his attendant whispered a reminder from behind before he came to his senses, turned around, and disappeared into the night with light steps.
Upstairs in the inn, there was a private room facing the street.
The door closed gently behind Chen Ruoyao, and she leaned against the door, letting out a long breath.
Her shoulders relaxed, and the smile on her face gradually faded.
She walked to the window, pushed it open, and the night wind rushed in, carrying the chill of early winter, and ruffled the stray hairs at her temples.
She gazed at the deep night outside the window, at the lights of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion in the distance, but felt no excitement whatsoever.
She is waiting.
She knew he would come.
The night grew deeper.
The moonlight peeked out from behind the clouds, spreading a thin layer of silver frost on the floor inside the room.
Chen Ruoyao didn't turn on the light. She sat alone in a rosewood armchair by the window, her hands folded on her knees, her gaze fixed on the tightly closed door.
Her hands were trembling slightly, not from fear, but from anticipation.
She believed that with His Majesty's great abilities, he would surely be able to find her.
She just needs to wait.
The drumbeats sounded three times.
At 3:45 AM (丑时三刻).
The door was suddenly pushed open without making a sound, as if it had been blown open by a gust of wind.
A figure in moonlight appeared at the doorway, the moonlight shining in from behind, making the figure exceptionally clear.