In the private room on the second floor of the inn, the candlelight crackled inside the copper lamp. Su Qingxue had just lowered the seven-stringed zither in her hands, her gilded fingernail guards scraping lightly across the strings as the lingering notes faded. Lin Zhaoyue leaned against the window with her sword in her arms, the moonlight filtering through her plain white sleeves to cast the shadow of her sword tassel onto the blue brick floor.
Chǔ Hóngzhuāng sat cross-legged on a carved wooden stool, teasing a vibrant green Gu Insect with her fingertips. Seeing Ye Fan and Qín Wǎnshuāng push the door open, the Gu Insect buzzed, its wings vibrating as it struck the silver bell at her wrist, producing a faint, delicate chime.
"You're finally back." As Su Qingxue stood up, the jade pendant at her waist clinked softly against her clothes, her voice honey-sweet and cloying. "I thought Young Master Ye had been seduced by some young lady from—" Before she could finish, her gaze swept over the reddish tips of Ye Fan's eyes, and her tone suddenly softened. "What happened?"
Chapter 78