Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1040 The Deepest

He bent down to pick up a piece of osmanthus cake, his fingertips accidentally brushing against Lingxi's dropped brocade pouch. The osmanthus embroidery on it came alive in the moonlight. Lingxi opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She stared at the scholar's fair fingers, at the ink bamboo swaying in the wind on his sleeves, and suddenly remembered the record in ancient Qingqiu books: most scholars in the world have good intentions. The night breeze swept the crumbs of osmanthus cake from the ground, carrying its sweet fragrance far away. Deep in the alley, the barking of dogs gradually subsided, leaving only the subtle crackling of burning lanterns and the slightly rapid breathing of the two men. The brocade pouch in her arms suddenly slipped, and the osmanthus cake rolled to the ground. The snow-white cake was covered with dust, like a plum blossom covered in frost. "Young lady, walking alone late at night, aren't you afraid of encountering bad guys?" The scholar's voice was as clear as jade, with a hint of concern. Moonlight streamed over his shoulders, casting his shadow on the wall, sometimes long and sometimes short, like a moving painting. After an unknown amount of time, Shen Yanzhi blew out the candle, and his footsteps were as light as cat paws landing. Lingxi quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep, but she could feel him standing by the couch, looking at her for a while, and then gently pulling the corner of the quilt, his movements so gentle as if he was afraid of disturbing her dreams. The next morning, Lingxi was awakened by the sound of sweeping the floor in the yard. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking out through the window, only to see Shen Yanzhi sweeping the fallen leaves with a broom. The morning light shone through the gaps in the locust leaves and fell on him, like a layer of gold, and even the few strands of hair at his temples were stained with warmth. He swept the floor very lightly, as if he was afraid of disturbing the orchid in the corner of the yard. The fallen leaves were gathered into a small pile and neatly piled at the roots of the tree. Lingxi quietly slipped out of bed and ran to the door barefoot. The bluestone slabs were wet with dew, and they felt cool against the soles of her feet, like stepping on the morning dew of Qingqiu. She saw a branch at the base of the wall, so she picked it up and waved it like Shen Yanzhi, but she was clumsy. Not only did she not sweep up the fallen leaves, but she also swept a few leaves onto his cloth shoes. "Clumsy." Shen Yanzhi turned around and saw that she was barefoot. His brows frowned slightly, but he was not really angry. Instead, he smiled and took the branch from her hand. "The ground is cold, why don't you wear shoes?" He bent down and took out a pair of half-worn cloth shoes from behind the door and handed them to her. "These are my sister's old shoes. You can wear them for now." Lingxi took the shoes and her fingertips touched the embroidery on the upper. It was a simple daisy, and the stitching was much finer than the osmanthus flowers she embroidered. She lowered her head to put on her shoes, her toes curled up, always feeling that these human shoes were too tight and far less comfortable than bare feet. "Why don't you help me grind the ink?" Shen Yanzhi's voice echoed overhead, tinged with a smile. "Look at you, sweeping the floor like this is like turning the yard upside down." Lingxi followed him into the study, watching him clean the inkstone and fill it with clean water. She imitated the human movements she remembered, picking up the inkstone and slowly grinding it in the inkstone. The inkstone was pine soot ink, with a faint scent of pine resin. As she ground it, the clean water gradually transformed into a thick black liquid, exuding a rich, mellow aroma. As she ground the ink, Lingxi's long hair fell across the pages of the book, its tips brushing against the writing, leaving a faint shadow. Shen Yanzhi turned around, observing this, and instinctively reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. His fingertips were only inches from her hair, carrying a warm breath, but Lingxi jerked back like a frightened animal, bumping into the bookshelf behind her, causing several books to fall. She crouched down, covering her ears, feeling the tips of her ears burning intensely, as if burned by charcoal. In that moment, she nearly lost control and her tail nearly popped out. Shen Yanzhi was stunned for a moment, staring at the red tip of her ear. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he didn't ask any more questions. He simply bent down to pick up the dropped book. "Did you get scared?" His voice softened. "Sorry." Lingxi shook her head, not daring to look up at him, and simply tucked the corner of her clothes with her fingers. Shen Yanzhi picked up an open book and pointed at the words on it, asking, "Do you recognize this character?" Lingxi followed his fingertip and her heart suddenly began to beat wildly, as if something was gripping her tightly. It was the character for "fox," with its curving strokes resembling a curled fox tail. She shook her head hurriedly, her fingertips curling into her sleeve, her nails unconsciously growing longer, almost piercing the cuff. But her eyes couldn't help but gravitate to the illustration on the page. It was a nine-tailed fox, its tail as fluffy as a cloud, its eyes gleaming with gold, almost identical to how she had looked in Qingqiu. A few lines of small inscription were written beside it: "A strange species from Qingqiu, skilled in seduction, able to transform into human form, cunning, so beware." Lingxi felt a chill run up from her feet, her fingertips numb. Was this how humans viewed them? Seductive, cunning? She thought of the osmanthus cake she had secretly hidden, and of Shen Yanzhi's gentle smile. Suddenly, her throat felt dry and astringent, as if she had swallowed ice from a cold pond. Shen Yanzhi noticed her pale face and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Lingxi stood up suddenly, bumping into the inkstone behind her. The ink spilled out, splattering on the hem of her skirt, leaving a few black marks. "I... I'll go check on the orchids in the yard." She almost ran out of the study, her heart pounding in her chest, as if it would burst out at any moment. The sun was shining brightly in the yard, and dewdrops rolled on the orchid leaves, but Lingxi felt a chill all over her body. She squatted beside the orchid, looking at her reflection on the leaves, her light golden eyes filled with panic and confusion. For the first time, she began to doubt whether it was right or wrong for her to sneak into the human world. Shen Yanzhi stood at the door of the study, looking at Lingxi's curled up back, his brows slightly furrowed. He picked up the book that fell on the ground, his eyes fell on the four words "Qingqiu alien species", a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, and then was covered by tenderness. He sighed softly, turned back to the desk, and put the book in the deepest part of the bookshelf. Especially when she was next to Shen Yanzhi, she would always unconsciously show her tail or fangs. Sometimes when Shen Yanzhi was moved by the poem, her tail would wag happily under her skirt; sometimes when Shen Yanzhi frowned because he couldn't solve the problem, her ears would droop down, like a puppy who had done something wrong. The spiritual power of Qingqiu collided in her body, as if trying to break free from some kind of restraint, making her both panicked and expectant. "Mid-Autumn Festival will be here in a few days." Just as Lingxi was staring at the mirror in a daze, Shen Yanzhi's voice suddenly came from behind her. She was startled and hurriedly covered the fox ears on her head with her hair. She turned around and saw Shen Yanzhi holding an osmanthus hairpin in his hand, standing at the door looking at her. It was a silver osmanthus hairpin, with several lifelike osmanthus flowers carved on the head, the petals stacked up, and tiny pearls inlaid in the stamens, shining warmly in the candlelight. Shen Yanzhi walked up to Lingxi and handed the osmanthus hairpin to her: "I saw that the girls in the town are wearing this, and I thought you might like it."