Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 188: Chapter 80: Clueless About Romance

"Then what do you think she was doing, running over there so late at night?"

"Who knows? You might as well ask Du Kang to guess; he’s good at that," Qingyi said bluntly. "Let’s just talk about what I found. There are two legends about the temple. One says the Cyan Snake cultivated until it could take human form and had children. Its descendants are the Temple Priestesses, a line passed down to this day. How credible do you think that is?"

"Oh, *The Legend of the White Snake*," Zhang Shutong couldn’t help but laugh.

"Shouldn’t it be *The Legend of the Cyan Snake*, then?" Qingyi laughed too. "And there’s something else interesting. You know how lots of people on our island go to the temple to burn incense and pray for all sorts of things—wealth and peace, many children and blessings, good health, success on the high school and college entrance exams... But all of that only became popular in recent years because of the internet. In the very beginning, the so-called Cyan Snake Temple was only in charge of one thing. Guess what?"

"What?"

"Immortality." Qingyi uttered the single word. "This relates to the second legend. It says that the Cyan Snake enshrined there never died. You know snakes, they just shed their skin, and shed their skin, and shed their skin, living an infinitely long life, growing bigger and bigger, and it’s supposedly still alive today."

"So there’s a real snake in there?" Zhang Shutong’s mind went to that snake-carved staff.

"Of course not, it’s fake. It’s not like I haven’t been there. It’s just a big wood carving. But there’s actually a theory about that. You’ve heard of the Five Elements overcoming one another, right?"

Zhang Shutong grunted in acknowledgment.

"Then can you guess why it’s a wood carving, and not some other material? Forget it, I’ll just give you the answer. Think about it. The temple is on a mountain, right? And a mountain can be seen as ’Earth.’ Wood overcomes Earth, so only a wood carving can suppress the mountain, or rather, the entire island beneath it."

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment.

"But that still has nothing to do with the lakeside."

"Yeah." It was as if he could see Qingyi shrugging. "And according to you, you made quite a racket when you pushed aside the reeds, so she should have noticed you long before. But she didn’t run then; she just kept squatting by the lake. The fact that she suddenly took off the moment she saw you—that’s what I find strangest."

Zhang Shutong also found that to be the most unsettling part.

He had long expected Lu Qinglian to be mysterious, but every time he’d seen her, she always had a detached air about her. This was the first time she had ever done something like run off in a panic.

"So, do you have any good ideas? My brain’s completely fried right now," Zhang Shutong said, his head aching.

"Probe her tomorrow?"

"She already bolted. She’s obviously suspicious, and at this point, I’m in for a penny, in for a pound. She’s definitely not going to tell me the truth if I just ask."

"Then force it out of her?"

"...Can’t beat her."

"Ah, right."

The two fell silent for a moment. Then Zhang Shutong spoke again:

"I feel like I have to figure out what she’s doing. The feeling she gives me now... it’s not good."

"Why not just bypass her?" Qingyi suggested. "If you can’t beat her, can’t you avoid her? Isn’t her grandmother at the temple? Why not just go ask her grandmother directly?"

’I guess that’s a plan, for lack of a better one.’

’I hope she’s a kind old lady.’

Zhang Shutong nodded, deciding to make a trip to the temple tomorrow.

There was still another problem to solve. He once again described the situation at the Gu Family Villa:

"If someone wanted to harm Gu Qiuyan, how do you think they would get in?"

This was the best thing about Qingyi. If it had been anyone else, their focus would have immediately been on, ’How do you know so much about Gu Qiuyan’s family situation?’ or ’Why are you so concerned about Gu Qiuyan?’

But Qingyi simply followed his train of thought and fell into a deep contemplation, only speaking after a long pause:

"Are you sure the maids and bodyguards at her house have all been ruled out?"

"Yeah, I’m sure about that."

Zhang Shutong thought about the intelligence from eight years in the future. It was an unsolved case. If the staff had really done it, it would be beyond a matter of "certainty"—with Father Gu’s resources, anyone under the slightest suspicion would have met a terrible end.

"Then describe the gates at her house to me again."

"Whether it’s the fence gate or the main door, they’re both electronic. They use facial recognition or fingerprints. I’ve looked into it; it’s very hard to climb over."

Qingyi said:

"Well, this is kind of unrelated, but it reminds me of those high-tech crimes in the movies where they copy someone’s fingerprint or face to fool the system. Heh, but that’s just in the movies. It has no real-world value."

Zhang Shutong agreed.

’There were plenty of bizarre theories to go around. I might as well say the killer knew some kind of bone-shrinking art. There was no point in guessing like that.’

"If that’s the case, I suggest you..."

Just as they were both at a loss, Zhang Shutong’s ear twitched. He heard the sound of an elevator door opening.

"I have to go. It’s not convenient to talk right now. I’ll call you back in a bit."

Zhang Shutong said in a low voice.

"Okay, bye."

He put his phone away, planning to wait until Gu Qiuyan was back in her room before doing anything. But to his surprise, the footsteps drew closer and closer, until a knock sounded on his door.

Zhang Shutong froze for a second, then opened the door.

Outside the door, sure enough, stood the alluring girl in the wine-red robe. She was pursing her rosy lips, fuming.

’But what is she doing here in my room?’

’Did she leave in the middle of things just to come settle a score with me?’

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