Gu Youyou was about to get up to open the door when Jin Zijin held her back.
His voice lowered, he said, "Don’t move, I’ll go."
"Thud thud thud..." The knocking on the door resumed.
Jin Zijin walked to the courtyard door in a few steps and through the door’s crack, he saw the person outside.
"It’s him!" he muttered under his breath.
He spoke so softly that Gu Youyou wasn’t supposed to hear, but she did and asked with surprise, "Who is it?"
Jin Zijin was taken aback and turned to look at Gu Youyou.
She heard him? He thought only he should have been able to hear what he said.
The continuous thudding at the door did not allow him to ponder any further, instead, he reached out and opened the door.
As the courtyard door swung open, the visitor revealed his true face.
It was a man dressed in dark robes, with no particular features except for his overly pale complexion.
Upon seeing Jin Zijin, the man grinned, displaying his bright red gums in a somewhat sinister manner.
"Brother Jin, Zhuo Qing comes to visit!"
Gu Youyou was startled, letting the firewood in her hands slip away.
That voice... wasn’t it the same person who had put a knife to her neck that night?
Gu Youyou was confident in her ears; she wasn’t mistaken, it was him.
The man Xuanzong sent to capture her was showing up at her doorstep in broad daylight. What was he planning?
Jin Zijin seemed not at all surprised, returning a calm smile, his gaze so steady it was as if he had anticipated this visit.
He stepped aside, greeted with a faint smile, and said, "Please come in!"
Gu Youyou found it hard to believe that Jin Zijin didn’t realize that the man calling himself Zhuo Qing was the same person who had almost stabbed him that night.
Yet he calmly let Zhuo Qing in, and that slight smile on his face brought a phrase to Gu Youyou’s mind: Isn’t it a delight to have friends come from afar!
Gu Youyou stood up, staring straight at them.
She was indeed eager to see what kind of game they were really playing.
Zhuo Qing entered the courtyard, and while he must have seen Gu Youyou, he didn’t look her way but instead beamed with joy as he greeted Jin Zijin with clasped hands, "Brother Jin, Zhuo Qing has always held you in high regard, but never had the chance to pay a visit. Happening to pass by Qingshui Town today, and hearing that you were here, I took the liberty to call. I hope I’m not being too presumptuous?"
"Passing by Qingshui Town," Gu Youyou scoffed at the serendipitous claim.
Abao positioned itself in front of Gu Youyou, its gaze fixed on the man ahead, full of vigilance. It had grown a lot and appeared quite intimidating in this stance.
But the visitor was no ordinary person, and just like he had ignored Gu Youyou, he also overlooked the not-so-ordinary ’dog’.
Jin Zijin burst into hearty laughter, clapping Zhuo Qing on the shoulder as if greeting an old friend, his face expressing rare joy, "How could it be presumptuous? I’m here on my master’s orders looking for something in this town, and it has been several years now. I’ve missed seeing my fellow brothers, truly!"
"Ah!" Zhuo Qing suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "What a coincidence, Zhuo Qing is also here under the command of my master to search for something in Qingshui Town. I wonder if it’s the same item that Brother Jin is seeking?"
"Oh? Has Uncle Master’s task led Brother Zhuo to find what he seeks?"
Zhuo Qing shook his head with a smile, "I’ve just arrived, staying at Yuelai Inn in town, and have not had the chance to start searching. Brother Jin, you’ve been here for several years now, have you found what our Master asked you to look for?"
Jin Zijin’s smile faded, his face clouded with worry, he shook his head and sighed, "That item is not so easily found. As I’m still standing here today, it’s clear I’ve yet to find it."