Chapter 201 - 88: Catching the "Snake" (Part 2)

Zhang Shutong was at a loss for words.

"How many other people have you lied to?" she asked teasingly. "For instance, what did you tell your mom? That you were coming to the mountain for fun? Fun doing what?"

She continued:

"You must be curious why I haven't asked what your goal is. Well, I'm asking now—what are you trying to do? Will you give me a straight answer?"

"But there's no rush to answer. Let's go." She dropped the teasing smile, her nonchalant expression returning as she spoke in a flat tone. "If you want to be candid, then you need to have the right attitude. Since you've been so eager to get to that place, we can talk when we arrive."

"That would be best." Zhang Shutong wasn't surprised by her directness.

Lu Qinglian's tone became unquestionable as she said:

"I've warned you before not to be curious about certain things, yet here you are. I hate pointless chatter, so I'm not going to say something like, 'I'll give you one last chance to back out.' This is no longer a choice; it's a necessity. It's not up to you. Do you understand?"

With that, she started walking, but not toward the entrance. Instead, she headed in the opposite direction. Zhang Shutong's gaze followed her, and he saw a small convenience store in the distance.

"Don't follow me. Wait here. It's a personal matter," she said casually.

Zhang Shutong stopped and watched as the girl in the green robe entered the small store and emerged a moment later. He couldn't tell if she had bought anything, because her long robe had a pocket sewn on the inside, and she had already hidden it away.

A small store like this wouldn't sell much—just cigarettes, drinks, snacks, chewing gum, and betel nuts. Zhang Shutong recalled she had once mentioned buying snacks from this very store twice before. The first time, it was knock-off brand cookies, and the second time, a plastic-wrapped breakfast sausage. She had said that was all a long time ago.

Zhang Shutong had believed her back then.

But now, more doubts were surfacing.

'If her story was true, she had coincidentally made her third visit today.'

'If her story was false, how much of what she said was ever true? Was even her idle chatter a lie? Or was it all just an elaborate charade?'

He followed in the girl's footsteps and stepped through the entrance.

This was the first time Zhang Shutong had set foot on this mountain in eight years. He knew they were still too low for any anomalies to manifest, but he couldn't help but subconsciously scan his surroundings, even trying to sense any changes within his own body.

"You're walking too slowly," Lu Qinglian said flatly. "Everything around here is boring. There's nothing to be on guard for."

"You're the one walking too fast." It was true. She was wearing what looked like hand-sewn cloth shoes, yet she was moving faster than he was in his hiking boots. 'Maybe it's because she walks this path every day. Practice makes perfect.' It was no exaggeration to say she moved as if she were on level ground.

"I don't think we need to rush. I'm here now, aren't I? We can chat for a bit," Zhang Shutong said, glancing at the time. Only twenty minutes had passed since he'd changed his clothes. 'I need to stall for a little longer.' "I apologize for my earlier attitude."

Up ahead, Lu Qinglian didn't shake her head, nor did she nod.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"The frozen snakes?"

"I have no comment on that. I am the Temple Priestess. There are certain things I cannot tell outsiders."

Her statement was, in fact, a tacit admission.

As Zhang Shutong was considering other questions, the girl spoke up:

"My turn to ask. Why were you at that villa?"

"I stayed there last night." Zhang Shutong had no intention of revealing Song's existence.

"You and your classmate Gu Qiuyan have suddenly gotten quite close."

"Our relationship has suddenly gotten quite close, too," Zhang Shutong retorted casually.

He grew annoyed. He realized Lu Qinglian was right. He'd always thought she spoke in riddles, shrouding everything in mystery with phrases like, "For now, you can think of it that way." 'But aren't I just the same?' He had just spun a more detailed lie, which was hardly any better.

To be honest, Zhang Shutong hated this about himself. One lie had to be covered by countless more, but he had no other choice. The most he could do was tell people he'd had a dream.

So he was prepared for her to ignore the comment. But to his surprise, Lu Qinglian stopped in her tracks.

"Is that so? How close, exactly?" she asked, her voice laden with meaning.

Zhang Shutong was at a loss for words again. "That's a second question."

"Then ask your question."

Zhang Shutong hadn't decided what to ask yet.

Because he had just found a hole in what Lu Qinglian had said.

'She shouldn't have known that was Gu Qiuyan's family villa.'

Logically, Lu Qinglian shouldn't even have known a building was there, let alone whose it was.

The villa wasn't visible from the entrance to Ring Mountain Road. She and Gu Qiuyan didn't normally associate with each other, so she wouldn't know where Gu Qiuyan lived. And his own mother would never have said something like, "I'm taking you to another girl's house now to pick up my son."

He then recalled the photo the upperclassman had sent him of a long-haired woman. Before, he could only guess it had been taken somewhere on the road, with no proof she'd actually been to the villa. Now, he was almost certain she had.

In fact, it was possible she'd been there before.

"Have you trained in martial arts?"

"Martial arts?"

"The time you kicked that poacher into the air."

"I'm just a bit stronger than most."

"The average adult man probably couldn't beat you in a fight."

"Are you asking because you want to try your luck?"

"Definitely not."

'If that's the case,' Zhang Shutong wondered, 'who could possibly have killed her eight years later?'

In the original timeline, Du Kang had been certain that Lu Qinglian was murdered.

'Right,' he recalled. 'She died in the prohibited area, too.'

After a few more steps, Zhang Shutong called out for her to stop.

"I need to rest," he said, deliberately panting.

Lu Qinglian just frowned and stopped walking.