Finest Servant

Chapter 276 A Faint Trace

From afar, amidst the bustling crowd, there walked a woman dressed in a yellow gown, her face obscured by light veil, her steps light and graceful. Even in the throng of thousands, her figure remained exquisite and her beauty indescribable. Strangely, no one could get near her in the crowd.

The pencil in Lin Wanrong's hand dropped onto the ground, his mind a blank canvas. He had envisioned their reunion countless times, but when it finally arrived – and so quickly at that – he found himself unprepared. He stared blankly at her side profile; although her face was obscured, he couldn't help but recognize the strange yet familiar figure. His heart pounded anxiously: "Qingxuan, is it really you?"

"What's wrong?" the Eldest Miss holding a kite string asked gently.

Lin Wanrong snapped out of his daze. ‘Have I lost my mind? How did I become speechless upon seeing Qingxuan?’ Without a care for the two sisters before him, he sprinted towards the woman, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Qingxuan, Qingxuan, I'm here—"

The Eldest Miss tied the red string onto the kite, sneaking glances at him. Initially delighted, she froze upon hearing him call out another woman's name, as if struck in the acupoint, left speechless.

Having been kidnapped and rescued with Lin Wanrong, she knew who this Qingxuan was, and knew that he came to the capital city for this Miss Qingxuan. Although Lin San never detailed about this lady, Xiao Yuruo could infer from his words that Miss Qingxuan held a significant place in his heart. She was both a lifesaver and a lover, which could easily qualify as his most important person.

They had just arrived in the capital city, hadn't even rested their feet, were about to release the red lantern kite together when he ran into the most important person in his life. Could this be fate? Recalling the scene on Su Qinglian's boat, where the red string was severed by Qin Xian'er, the Eldest Miss's eyes welled up with tears. Was this her fate?

Only when he came to the capital city and suddenly saw this woman did Lin Wanrong realize how important Qingxuan was to him – a significance he himself hadn't noticed before.

He shouted loudly, rushing towards the woman who strongly resembled Qingxuan. However, the distance between them was great, with people and lanterns flowing like tides in between, the constant laughter and cheer swallowing his cries. His voice could hardly be heard from several feet away.

He forcefully parted the crowd, incessantly calling out and pushing forward. The moment he moved a person, another quickly filled the spot. This tide of people, like an ever-strengthening spring wall, separated him and the woman, preventing their reunion. The crowd was too dense; even if an immortal descended from heaven, they'd be helpless.

Xiao Qingxuan, sleeves fluttering, steps light, moved forward without looking back. Without any visible effort, people couldn't get close to her and, in the blink of an eye, she was swallowed by the crowd, her trace no longer visible.

"Darn it!" Lin Wanrong found himself crushed within the crowd, feeling as if a ball of fire was burning within him. He had no idea how many times he had screamed, how many people he had pushed past. Staring at the disappearing silhouette of Qingxuan within the crowd, he mustered all his strength to cry out once more, "Qingxuan—" The sound only resonated in his own ears. After shouting for so long, his voice had already become hoarse.

Standing amidst the bustling crowd, staring at the glowing lanterns and the crowd filled with laughter, he was dumbstruck. He couldn't believe his own eyes. "Was that really Qingxuan I just saw? Was I seeing things? How could I have so easily crossed paths with Qingxuan? And just as easily lose track of her? Damn it!"

The anticipation and the unexpected encounter with Qingxuan, coupled with the bitter loss of losing her again so close at hand, simultaneously washed over him. Even a hardened man of steel wouldn't be able to bear such emotions. Lin Wanrong's hands clenched tightly as he stood in the middle of the crowded street, facing the surging crowd. He let out long cries of despair. His hoarse voice was grating to the ear, yet it carried an indescribable sense of sorrow and desolation.

Amidst the sea of people on the lantern-lit street, some laughed while some lamented. Lin Wanrong stood there in a daze for a long while, his heart growing cold. He was usually not one to be easily disheartened, but this feeling of being so close yet so far, of having and then losing, was utterly heartbreaking, even for a man like him who laughed through his days.

"Lin San, Lin San—" Amid his daze, a soft voice calling out to him fell upon his ears. This voice was very faint amidst the crowd's clamor. Had it not been close enough, he would not have heard it.

"Eldest Miss, Second Miss—" On hearing the voice, Lin Wanrong was startled. Damn it, he had completely forgotten about them while he was preoccupied with Qingxuan.

He quickly lifted his head to look back, only to see that not far from him, Yuruo was tightly holding Yushuang's hand, their faces red with fear as they anxiously looked in his direction. A group of ruffians with sneering faces were slowly approaching them. Yushuang looked terrified while Yuruo appeared resolute. The sisters moved forward hand in hand, still carrying the red string lantern that they had yet to release.

"Bloody hell," Lin Wanrong's anger flared up, and he pushed his way back to the sisters. Within a few steps, he reached their side. On seeing him, Yushuang cried out softly and threw herself into his arms, refusing to let go. Yuruo bit her lip, not uttering a word, her hand tightly gripping the lantern. The branches of the lantern were already scattered and on the verge of falling off due to their hurried running and pushing. Yet, the couple attached to the red string remained tightly together.

"Hey, pretty little ladies, which family's daughters might you be?" The approaching ruffians slowly moved closer with a smirk on their faces. Seeing them, the surrounding crowd quickly dispersed as if they had seen a ghost, leaving a wide-open space.

"Eldest Miss, Second Miss, are you scared?" Lin Wanrong shielded the two women behind him, his face expressionless.

"As long as you don't leave, we're not afraid." Yuruo softly replied.

‘Remember, always together, we won't separate even at the cost of our lives.’ Lin Wanrong suddenly recalled his words to the two ladies when they had alighted from the carriage. Back then, he had spoken lightheartedly, never intending to break his word, yet unexpectedly, it was he who had separated from them first after meeting Qingxuan.

"I'm sorry, it was my mistake this time," Lin Wanrong apologized, feeling a sense of shame for the first time since he had known the ladies.

The Eldest Miss softly responded, her face flushed, "What do we do now? We've just arrived in the capital, it's best to avoid trouble."

Was it him causing trouble or was trouble finding him? Guilt-ridden towards the Eldest Miss, he managed a bitter smile, "I'll do my best."

His mood had been dreadful that day. Glancing around, he picked up two wooden sticks from the ground and smashed them together forcefully, snapping both instantly. He was a battle-hardened man; how could he take these ruffians seriously? His eyes, cold and deadly, were full of a murderous aura.

The approaching hoodlums were taken aback. One who seemed to be the leader hurriedly said, "What are you doing? We belong to the residence of Minister Tie."

Lin Wanrong snorted, his voice seething with killing intent, "Minister Tie of the Ministry of War? Hmm, very impressive. You dogs, if it wasn't for Mr. Xu's command not to stir up trouble, I would have crippled you lot tonight."

"Mr. Xu?" the leader stuttered, "Which Mr. Xu?"

Lin Wanrong threw a broken stick at the man, hitting him, and yelled, "How dare you question me? When Mr. Xu and I were suppressing the White Lotus rebellion, there was no place for you dogs to speak!"

A man's reputation casts a long shadow. Xu Wei was the number one scholar in the world, the Emperor's favored minister, and the one who had personally led the suppression of the White Lotus Rebellion. His prestige was unmatched in the capital. These hoodlums, accustomed to their bullish ways, were actually cowards at heart. Confronted by a servant emanating such killing intent and hearing him mention Mr. Xu, they intuitively felt that angering this man would result in a terrible end.

"Get lost!" Lin Wanrong roared. The hoodlums exchanged glances before turning tail and fleeing. The previously vacated space instantly filled with people again as if nothing had happened.

The Second Miss gazed at him, her eyes brimming with tenderness, "Were you telling the truth earlier? Did you really fight alongside Mr. Xu on the battlefield against the White Lotus?"

Lin Wanrong, grasping her small hand, chuckled, "It was a lie, I fooled them."

"You trickster!" The Second Miss playfully rebuked, clinging to his hand and refusing to let go.

Lin Wanrong turned back to see the Eldest Miss staring blankly at the red thread lantern scattered in her hands. Feeling guilty, he quickly assured her, "Don't worry, Eldest Miss. I will make sure this red-thread lantern flies safely into the sky, trust me."

Xiao Yuruo gave a slight smile, softly caressing the lantern in her hand and asked gently, "Did you really see Miss Qingxuan earlier?"

Lin Wanrong nodded, his expression darkening, "I saw her, but she didn't see me. Such is life, so unpredictable. We meet unexpectedly, only to lose each other just as unexpectedly."

The Eldest Miss comforted him in a soft voice, "Such gloominess is unlike you. Consider it from another perspective: as soon as you arrived in the capital, you were fortunate enough to see Miss Qingxuan. Isn't that a good start? As long as you continue to search, you'll reunite one day."

"That's how I see it too." Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Eldest Miss, if you always speak with such tenderness, I'll consider myself blessed."

"Slick talker," the Eldest Miss blushed and gently scolded.

A series of thunderous roars echoed through the air as fireworks burst into the night sky. Amid the shower of sparkling lights, a giant twin-lotus lantern slowly ascended from the roof of a tavern, dancing gracefully in the air. Two pink lotus blossoms floated mid-air, radiating brilliant colors, a dazzling sight.

A woman dressed in yellow stood atop the tavern roof. Her skin was fairer than snow, and her beautiful eyes were gently focused on the blooming lotus. A few teardrops suddenly fell, making her appear like a fairy banished to the mortal realm, breathtakingly beautiful...

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