Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 185: Chapter 79: The Last Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back

But he glanced at Song Nanshan, knowing this wasn’t the right time to say more. He sighed inwardly, patted his pants, and suddenly said his phone must have just fallen out and he had to go back for it.

Song wearily put the car in reverse again. This time, he wouldn’t dare let Zhang Shutong go down alone. Zhang Shutong didn’t object. He glanced around again, and the two of them slipped into the reeds, one after the other. Zhang Shutong pretended to look for his phone, but he was actually heading for the water’s edge.

He scanned the area quickly. The visibility in the water was very low. Just then, Song called his phone, making it ring. He pretended to pick his phone up from the water’s edge and shone its light across the lake’s surface.

There was nothing.

Nothing at all...

His brow was furrowed the entire time.

Back in the car, a drop of water from his temple ran down his face, but Zhang Shutong didn’t even notice. ’Lu Qinglian’s involvement in this is much deeper than I thought. But why would she go into the restricted area... What’s in there?’

He remembered what Du Kang had said outside the funeral home: according to the official investigation, Lu Qinglian had died by accidentally falling into the water and drowning.

But he had just looked. There was nothing in the water. That part of the lake had always been like this—the surface calm, without a single ripple. In the darkness, the water even looked thick and viscous. He couldn’t even find a single fish.

’Also, did she not go home after school? Did she come down from the mountain again? Or was she out the whole time?’

Zhang Shutong knew there would be no answers tonight. For one, he had already put Song through enough trouble. Even if he wanted to find Lu Qinglian, he had no idea where she was. And even if she had returned to the mountain, the heavy snow had blocked the roads, making it impossible for him to go up.

He would have to wait until tomorrow.

Lu Qinglian...

The Temple Priestess...

The Cyan Snake Temple...

’Could it be that the final clue points to one place—’

’the mysterious little temple?’

The small car swayed as it drove along. Song asked if he still wanted to practice driving, but Zhang Shutong was in no mood for it.

They had set out in high spirits, but there was little conversation on the way back.

Even as they turned onto the small road leading to the villa, he still didn’t have a clear answer.

The snow was still falling. The Fox came to a steady stop in front of the villa. He turned to look, and the windows were still warmly lit.

"Alright, just like we planned, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning." Song Nanshan yawned. "See you tomorrow, Qiumian. Sleep well tonight, don’t be scared..."

"What’s there for me to be scared of, Mr. Song? You should be more concerned about him. He got another fright." Gu Qiuyan pouted, then asked Zhang Shutong if he wanted to go inside and get a towel to dry his hair.

He was about to shake his head, but before he could speak, the car suddenly lurched to one side.

All three of them were startled. The recent encounter had left his nerves on edge, so Zhang Shutong immediately pushed the car door open. Song, frowning, followed close behind. They walked around to the right side of the car. Song stared under the vehicle for a moment, then suddenly scratched his head.

"Damn. The tire blew."

"How could the tire blow out?" Zhang Shutong asked.

"Remember that pothole we hit on the way back from dropping Qiumian off? The car jolted a bit. I bet it started leaking air back then."

Song kicked the right rear tire and took a closer look.

"We forgot to check it back then, since we were in a hurry to get inside and eat. Then we went for another drive, and you even practiced for a bit. We were driving slowly because of the snow, so the feel of the road was different than usual, and I didn’t notice. It must have been slowly leaking this whole time. Then it just hit a critical point—the last straw that broke the camel’s back, you know? And then it just blew."

"Can it be patched?"

"No can do." Song straightened up and sighed. "It’s a blowout. You can’t really patch this. Besides, we don’t have the tools. I don’t know if we’re unlucky or lucky. At least it didn’t leave the three of us stranded in the middle of nowhere. This late at night, in such a remote spot... you could scream your lungs out and no one would hear. At least it held on long enough to get us back."

"Ah, what a coincidence. So, if you ask me..."

At this, Song gave an embarrassed smile and looked at Gu Qiuyan, who had also gotten out of the car.

"So, uh, Qiumian... I guess I won’t be coming to get you tomorrow morning after all..."

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