Chapter 294: Chapter 294: So Familiar, Yet So Strange

At night, Song Lianhe crept toward the ruins, occasionally speaking to the person behind her. “Sister Mei, remember what I told you? There should be a secret room here…”

After speaking for some time with no response, she was about to turn around when a large cloak was suddenly thrown over her head, enveloping her completely.

“Who is it?!”

She had barely cried out when a large hand clamped over her mouth.

She froze.

Seeing that the woman in his arms had stopped struggling and was even leaning against him with an air of resignation, Zhou Cangyan raised an eyebrow. “Not afraid?”

Song Lianhe pulled his large hand away, yanked the cloak off her head, and tilted her head to look at him. “If it’s you, what is there to be afraid of?”

He turned. “How did you know it was me?”

“Sister Mei is far too perceptive. A stranger could never get close to her without her noticing. And besides…” She pressed her lips together and mumbled, “I’m familiar with your scent.”

“What did you say?”

He suddenly leaned in close.

“N-Nothing!”

Her face flushed red.

He stared at her, then suddenly chuckled softly.

His laugh made her blush even more, and she felt a strange flicker of annoyance. ’What’s so funny?’

Zhou Cangyan picked up the cloak and draped it over her shoulders.

“I don’t need it. I’m not cold…”

“It gets cold at night.”

He gave her no chance to refuse, smoothly fastening the ties at her neck.

Song Lianhe looked up at him, and whatever protests had been brewing died the moment she met his handsome, masculine face.

’Sigh. A handsome face is a woman’s downfall!’

“Oh, right. Why are you here? And where’s Xuan Mei?” she asked in a hushed voice.

Zhou Cangyan didn’t answer, asking instead, “Who gave you permission to investigate Huaxu Square at night?”

“Well, it’s not like they let anyone in during the day!”

she retorted confidently.

Zhou Cangyan chuckled, lightly tapping her on the forehead. “Wait here.”

Song Lianhe snapped back to reality and grabbed his arm. “You’re going in?”

“Mm.”

It was only then she noticed Zhou Cangyan was clad in black night clothes, his figure nearly one with the darkness.

“I’m going too!” she said quickly. “I can definitely help you!”

“No.”

He refused without a second thought. “Do you have any idea what’s in there? It could be a dragon’s lair or a tiger’s den. It’s too dangerous. You can’t go.”

“Of course I do! I know that inside Huaxu Square… there’s a secret room!” She leaned in and whispered in his ear, winking at him with a smug expression that screamed, ’Aren’t I amazing?’

Zhou Cangyan stared at her, his gaze holding an oppressive weight whenever it was empty of emotion.

“Oh, come on, just trust me! I’ll definitely be a help to you!”

He gazed at the woman before him. She wore well-tailored night clothes that accentuated her slender waist and graceful figure. Her hair was swept up into a neat lily-shaped bun, with a few stray wisps framing her cheeks. In the moonlight, her delicate face looked ethereal and lovely, her fair skin glowing with a soft luster. Her lively, almond-shaped eyes were fixed on him, so pure and intense that he found it impossible to refuse her.

He closed his eyes for a moment. “Once we’re inside, stay right behind me.”

“No problem!”

This was her first time on a nighttime mission, and Song Lianhe was quite excited.

’Sister Mei is incredibly skilled, of course, but for some reason, this man made her feel completely safe. With him around, she could do whatever she wanted, and she wouldn’t even have to clean up the mess afterward!’

Zhou Cangyan held out his hand to her. She froze. “That’s… not really necessary, is it?”

’Who investigates a place at night while holding hands?’

He arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

’Sigh.’

Song Lianhe placed her hand in his.

’Why is he so stubborn?’

As he took her hand, Zhou Cangyan’s gaze dropped, and the pad of his thumb unconsciously brushed against her palm a few times.

Song Lianhe felt a jolt, as if from an electric shock, and tried to pull her hand away. But he only tightened his grip, turning to lead her forward.

She followed closely in his footsteps. Her cheeks were burning, her heart was about to leap out of her chest, and she felt a strange sense of elation.

Suddenly, she froze and pulled him to a stop. “W-Why are you going through the main gate?”

’There are guards posted all around, standing like stone sentinels. How can he think they won’t be seen?’

Zhou Cangyan didn’t answer, simply leading her straight forward. Song Lianhe was practically dying of anxiety, but to her shock, the guards seemed completely oblivious to their presence. They stood with their heads held high, their gazes fixed straight ahead.

Astonished, Song Lianhe stopped. She crept closer to one of the guards and waved her hand in front of his face.

’Can you see me?’

’Can you see anything?’

The guard’s eyes didn’t so much as flicker.

“Let’s go.”

Zhou Cangyan came over and took her hand. “Don’t wander off.”

Outside the ruins, Xuan Mei frowned and asked, “Aren’t we going in?”

A Shadow Guard glanced at her. “His Lordship hasn’t given the order. We can only wait here.”

Xuan Mei’s frown deepened. Cao Jin glanced over and said, “My men are standing guard. There won’t be any trouble.”

It wasn’t until they were inside that Song Lianhe realized something was wrong. Frowning, she quickly pulled out two cloth masks, tying one over her own face before handing the other to Zhou Cangyan.

“When sulfur is detonated, it produces toxic gases. It’s dangerous for the respiratory system and can cause pulmonary edema in severe cases.”

When Zhou Cangyan didn’t move, she stepped forward without hesitation. “Can’t you smell that pungent odor? And don’t think you’re immune just because you practice martial arts. Sure, it strengthens the body, but overexertion can weaken your resistance too!”

She grumbled under her breath as she tied the mask over his face.

“How much gunpowder did they use to cause a blast this big?”

“Is it that obvious?”

He said it with a teasing glint in his eyes.

“Sigh. So obvious it’s hard to pretend otherwise.” She surveyed their surroundings. Huaxu Square looked like it had been struck by an earthquake. There were even several massive boulders smashed into the ground. Even with all his strength, E Jintang could never have caused this much damage.

She glanced up at Zhou Cangyan. ’It’s pretty obvious who was fanning the flames from behind the scenes, isn’t it?’

Staring into her eyes, Zhou Cangyan let out an unreadable chuckle.

’She’s more composed than I expected.’

Song Lianhe’s hands suddenly froze.

She held the mask, staring blankly at the man before her. After a moment’s hesitation, she gently moved the mask upward, covering his brow and eyes. Then she slowly lowered it to cover his jaw, leaving only his eyes visible.

The man’s eyes narrowed. He raised a hand and pressed hers down, his palm sliding along her arm to take the black mask from her grasp. “I don’t need this.” With that, he turned and walked away.

He left Song Lianhe standing frozen in place, her expression dazed and confused.

’Why… did he feel so familiar?’

’And yet, so unfamiliar.’

“Are you coming?”

He had stopped a short distance away, gesturing for her to follow. “Weren’t you going to help? Lead the way.”

“Oh!”

Song Lianhe quickly ran to catch up. “I only know the general area. My sense of direction is terrible, so I’ll have to rely on you to find it.”

“Just tell me the location. Leave the rest to me.”

“Okay!”

The reason Song Lianhe was so certain was because in the Chapters following the events at Li Zong Pass, there was a scene where Gu Ha reported to Zhou Junlin. A secret room behind the instrument storeroom at Huaxu Square was mentioned, and Zhou Junlin’s expression had turned grim.

Song Lianhe had skipped over all the seemingly irrelevant plot points, so she didn’t know what was actually in the secret room. But judging from his reaction, it had to be something extremely important!

“The instrument storeroom?”

Zhou Cangyan nodded. The place wasn’t unfamiliar to him.

He headed toward the instrument storage area from memory.

“You know the way?”

“I’ve seen the blueprints for Huaxu Square.”

’So that was it.’

The instrument storeroom was easy to find: the west-side storeroom on the second floor.

The destruction here was especially severe. A huge crater had formed with the storeroom at its epicenter.

The two of them stood before the collapsed doorway.

Song Lianhe asked, “The gunpowder… was planted here?”

Zhou Cangyan replied, “…Mm.”

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