Chapter 62
Mu Qing absolutely hadn’t expected that Qin Qin, of all people, could be so “brave for love.” After all, this girl always looked like a delicate, poetic type—who would’ve thought she had such courage and decisiveness? It was honestly impressive.
But on second thought, it actually made perfect sense—perhaps these gentle, literary girls were even scarier when they got fixated on something. Wasn’t that how it was in the original story? Elder Qin had been furious over Liu Feng and Qin Qin’s relationship, seeing Liu Feng as nothing more than a scoundrel who had stolen away his beloved daughter’s heart.
Men could always see through other men better.
Elder Qin probably saw right through Liu Feng’s scumbag core—fickle, always falling for the next girl, and then the next.
Call him heartless? He treated each one genuinely.
Call him devoted? He was always chasing someone new.
There was no way Elder Qin would approve of someone like that. And he certainly wouldn’t let a man like Liu Feng take his daughter as a concubine instead of a proper wife. Impossible.
But in the original plot, Qin Qin had insisted on being with Liu Feng, even if it meant being a concubine. Elder Qin had been so furious he almost died on the spot. In the end, though, he couldn’t resist her will and reluctantly agreed.
Still, he had said it from the start—this was her choice, and whatever hardship she faced down the line, she shouldn’t blame anyone else.
It was as if he’d seen the ending from the very beginning.
He’d known all along that Qin Qin’s nature wasn’t suited to a man like Liu Feng. And sure enough, she spent her life quietly and unhappily in his household, as the story went.
It was because Mu Qing knew this arc so well that she was glad she’d caused enough chaos to derail Qin Qin’s storyline, too.
And judging from current events, once someone stepped off the track laid out by the plot, it really did seem like they had a chance to live a different kind of life.
Just look at Qin Qin—ever since she dodged Liu Feng, she’d found someone new to love.
At first, when Mu Qing saw how upset she was, she almost regretted telling her about Xiao Wu’s injury.
But seeing how energized and determined she looked, Mu Qing figured maybe this was a good thing. It was a valuable experience to throw yourself into something crazy when you were still young.
At the very least, this Xiao Wu was already leagues better than Liu Feng.
He was clearly from a noble family, had good character and talent—his only flaw was probably just being a bit younger. But that wasn’t a big issue.
As long as he was a decent person with good values and ability, he could definitely be cultivated into a good match.
That idea flashed through Mu Qing’s mind, and it made her zone out a little, caught in the sudden wave of emotion that came with it.
She thought she’d hidden it well—but clearly not well enough. Qin Qin saw right through her.
Of course she did—she was Elder Qin’s genius scholar daughter, after all. Her perceptiveness was off the charts.
She gave Mu Qing a long look, as if reading her mind, and sighed softly. “Actually, Sister Qing… even if you didn’t say anything, I’d already guessed a little. I couldn’t sleep at all last night. I kept dreaming my father was beheaded… then dreamed A-Jing was covered in blood, lying on the ground… even you, and your husband, were in danger…”
As she spoke, her voice trembled, and tears began to fall.
She was already a slim girl to begin with, and she’d clearly lost more weight these last few days worrying about Elder Qin. She looked even more ethereal now, like she might float away at any moment.
Mu Qing’s heart ached. Seeing her cry like that, she couldn’t bring herself to be cold.
Truth be told, she’d also started to question the supposed safety of Baihe Academy. If it really was the “forbidden ground” respected by both the court and the underworld, as her husband and Miss Yanran claimed, how had someone managed to sneak in the night before?
Sure, it was Xiao Wu who got in. But the fact that anyone could do it still pointed to a lapse in security.
If anyone could sneak in, then how safe was it really?
Maybe all that reverence was just symbolic—respect from society at large—but it didn’t mean the place was actually protected by impenetrable walls. It was more spiritual than physical.
And that stranger’s presence last night had really shaken her. Maybe Baihe Academy wasn’t as safe as everyone believed.
So… was she really going to have to go back to the inn and ask her husband for “protection”?
Was this some kind of joke?
She’d just gotten back, and now she had to turn around and leave again? This felt like she was being played.
But looking at how pitiful Qin Qin was right now, Mu Qing could only sigh in resignation. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Fine. This time, let’s both request leave together.”
Qin Qin immediately lit up through her tears, changing her expression faster than a Sichuan opera face change.
Mu Qing stared at her, feeling a little bewildered. Was she being played?
Still, two people taking action together was easier than one. It made their story seem more believable. With teamwork, it was easier to sell the lie.
Plus, since Mu Qing had just gone through the whole leave process the day before, she knew the ropes. It went quickly.
And with Qin Qin involved this time, the approval process went even smoother.
They didn’t even have to say much—just left a letter explaining the reason and handed it to the instructor on duty.
With all the paperwork done and time still early, they set out.
It was right around morning class time again.
Mu Qing, having learned her lesson from yesterday, decided to leave through the back gate with Qin Qin.
But just a few steps out, they bumped into none other than Liu Feng.
His face looked like he’d just seen a ghost when he saw the two of them, but they couldn’t be bothered. They walked right past him, not even sparing him a glance.
They were busy. No time to waste on useless people. Mu Qing and Qin Qin exchanged a glance, finding perfect understanding in each other’s eyes, and smiled before continuing on their way.
Unfortunately, they weren’t the ones picking a fight—but that didn’t stop Liu Feng from bothering them.
Seeing that they were really about to leave, he rushed up and blocked their path. “The two of you are heading out this early in the morning? Not going to class? What are you even thinking?”
As always, Mu Qing stepped in front of Qin Qin and looked at Liu Feng coldly. “This has nothing to do with you. Move aside. You’re in our way.”
Ever since they had that open confrontation, Mu Qing and Liu Feng had stopped pretending. Not even a façade of politeness remained.
Strangely enough, the more hostile she was, the more Liu Feng stuck around, constantly “bumping into her” as if trying to establish some kind of “bickering lovers” dynamic.
Of course, that was all in Liu Feng’s imagination.
Because the only one who might’ve felt any “joy” in this forced proximity was him. For Mu Qing, it was nothing but trouble.
He clearly wasn’t taking her increasingly frosty attitude well, but he wouldn’t back off either. Always finding ways to insert himself into her life—just to feel seen.
Mu Qing had long grown tired of it. She just responded with the briefest sentences and the coldest tone to reject him over and over.
Lately, she’d been more focused on the political drama unfolding in the palace.
But that didn’t mean she’d stopped paying attention to Liu Feng altogether.
He was still the male lead, after all—and just when you thought he was out of the picture, he always popped up again with some unexpected surprise.
After the new year, the provincial exams would be even closer.
And now that something had happened to Elder Qin, things were only more worrying. Mu Qing, though distracted by other affairs, had noticed that some students had started talking about transferring to other academies.
After all, Baihe Academy was only as good as Elder Qin made it.
Without him, what was the academy even worth?
But even so, many students still hoped for his return. It had only been a few days—they could still hold on for now.
But give it a little more time, and who knew?
Mu Qing knew time was everything. She’d been thinking a lot about how to rescue Elder Qin—her younger brother was still here, after all.
Elder Qin was the teacher he admired most, and Xiao Wu was his closest friend.
With both of them gone, even her emotionally reserved brother had started showing how much he cared.
“Big Sister, do you think Elder Qin and Brother Wu… will they come back?”
That was what he’d asked her the other day when they ran into each other.
Mu Qing had smiled and patted his head. “Of course they will.”
They had to.
And right now, it looked like the key to everything lay in the battle for the throne. Her husband had told her before they parted ways that they’d have answers very soon.
It had sounded almost too confident—but somehow, when he said it, Mu Qing found herself believing it.
After being shut down by Mu Qing again, Liu Feng just stood there like a stone. She couldn’t be bothered to deal with him anymore and pulled Qin Qin along out the academy’s back gate.
They hadn’t even made it to the gate when Liu Feng called out behind them, “You’re just leaving like that? Aren’t you afraid you won’t be allowed back in?”
Technically, getting permission to leave wasn’t hard. The hard part was whether the academy would let them back in afterward.
So yes, Liu Feng really was as disgusting as a parasitic worm.
But honestly, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing in the long run.
At least Mu Qing felt that she’d learned something useful from the experience.
Besides, her main focus should be back on her husband now.
In a few months, their contract would expire. After that, she could go back to Jiangnan and resume her luxurious, laid-back, salted-fish life.
Her younger brother would probably have passed the exams by then. Nothing left to worry about.
She had it all planned out—until she walked through the inn’s door and immediately realized something was wrong.
The four people who had been there last night—including Xiao Wu, who’d been too injured to move—were all gone.
What on earth had happened?
