Chapter 16: The Suspense Woven by Tattered Cloth

Lu Rou shyly lowered her head, her heart pounding wildly. Li Dong was too much—what did he mean by only acting now? It was all so confusing. During the day, he looked every bit the dignified, heroic young man; but at night, his true colors showed.

Yet, despite herself, a strange sweetness welled up in Lu Rou’s heart. What girl does not dream of love? What youth is not prone to passion? And besides, Li Dong was a young man she admired greatly.

Trying to cover up the confusion in her heart, Lu Rou pouted, “I was in a deep sleep at that time. When I woke up, I was already on this couch. How could I possibly know about those things you mentioned?”

“Think carefully,” Li Dong patiently guided her, “After all that happened, there must be some clues you might have overlooked. Try to recall.” Under the lamplight, Lu Rou’s bashful expression was even more captivating. If it weren’t for the seriousness of the matter, Li Dong would have leaned over to kiss her right then.

Lu Rou was the daughter of the county magistrate, the most influential girl in Zhangqiu City. Who would be so brazen as to abduct her and frame him in the process? It was definitely not the county constable—no matter how bold he was, he wouldn’t dare cross Lu Li’er. That would be a death sentence.

“Um…” Lu Rou pondered for a while, her bright, limpid eyes blinking a few times before she spoke. “In my sleep, I seemed to smell a strong, unpleasant odor of sweat.” All men have that scent to some degree, some more, some less. But you can’t just identify the culprit by that, can you? That would be magical.

“Sweat?” Li Dong echoed, falling into thought. After a moment, he lifted his sleeve to his nose and sniffed. Ugh! Overwhelmingly foul. The little lady was talking about him! After coming to this world, he’d had no chance for regular bathing; even washing once a week was a luxury. With all the blood and sweat of late, he probably smelled stronger than any spicy bean sauce.

Seeing him sniff himself, Lu Rou’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she covered her mouth and giggled quietly.

“Was it strong or faint?” Li Dong, a little embarrassed by her laughter, edged away from her, trying to keep some distance so she wouldn’t mock him again.

“It must have been very strong. I could smell it even in my dreams—how faint could it be?” Lu Rou replied.

Li Dong jumped off the couch and paced the room, frowning. Suddenly, he strode back to the couch, grinning mischievously. “Let me smell your clothes.”

Lu Rou tensed immediately, crossing her arms protectively over her chest and shrinking away in alarm. “Men and women should keep their distance! Don’t go too far.” This man was incorrigible—so sudden, giving her no time to prepare. Couldn’t he be a bit gentler, more subtle, more reserved?

“You misunderstand,” Li Dong explained. “The person who brought you here must have left a lingering scent on your clothes. I’d like to smell it myself, to see if I can tell what it is.”

Lu Rou let out a soft breath, finally relaxing. “Why didn’t you say so sooner? You startled me so much I lost all my sleep.” With that, she decisively took off her outer layer of gauze and tossed it to Li Dong.

Beneath, she still wore a short jacket, but her slender arms were exposed, as pale as lotus roots, dazzling to behold.

Li Dong brought the gauze to his nose and indeed caught a heavy scent of sweat. Examining it under the lamp, he noticed dark, fuzzy black cotton threads caught between the fine mesh—an important clue. Whoever brought her here wouldn’t have acted during the day, when there were too many eyes around. Those black threads had rubbed off from the culprit’s clothing, showing he owned nightwear and was clearly experienced.

It was unlikely to be a thief. A thief might sneak into the magistrate’s residence by chance, but wouldn’t know exactly which room Li Dong stayed in, nor would he abduct Lu Rou right after she was alone with him. This had to be premeditated, someone who knew the lay of the land and could move about unnoticed—a skilled hand indeed.

And to carry off such a beautiful girl without taking advantage of her—clearly, this was no lecher. Perhaps framing Li Dong served a greater purpose, enough to stifle the culprit’s baser urges.

Suddenly, Lu Rou cried out softly, “Oh, these mosquitoes are driving me crazy!” She brushed at her arm, trying to shoo away a mosquito resting on her pale skin.

Li Dong turned to see a tiny mosquito hovering around Lu Rou, not quite willing to leave—a maiden’s blood must be fresh, tempting it to come back for more. He quickly moved in, and with a swift reverse motion, clapped his hands together, catching the mosquito. He opened his palm; the mosquito was crushed, leaving a tiny bloodstain the size of a grain of rice.

“Wow, so strong, so wicked! How did you do that?” Lu Rou was astonished at how quickly Li Dong dispatched the mosquito that had just bitten her.

Li Dong, who had crossed over from another world, remembered a popular joke from the internet and couldn’t resist showing off. He grinned mysteriously, sat down before her, and said, “That mosquito is your son, you know.”

Lu Rou’s face turned bright red in an instant. They weren’t even married yet—how could he joke like that? She retorted without hesitation, “He’s your son, actually!”

Just as he expected—she walked right into his trap. Li Dong chuckled and said, “Think about it. The mosquito drank your blood, so your blood is in its body. When you have a son someday, he’ll have your blood too. Isn’t this mosquito your son then? Even if you refuse to admit it, it’s at least your illegitimate child!”

“Oh, I’m not talking to you anymore!” Lu Rou was left speechless, her face as red as cloth. She turned to face the wall, refusing to look at Li Dong. Round and round he went, just to take advantage of her, and to make matters worse, she’d slipped and called the mosquito his son. Now, did that mean they had a son together? What a rogue! She’d ignore him.

At sixteen, a girl’s body is at the peak of its growth—who wouldn’t have secret thoughts? But with Li Dong facing her, alone in the deep of night, on the same couch, saying such things, it gave the whole scene an air of dangerous temptation. Some things could not be rushed; it was like boiling a frog in warm water. When the time was right, she would fall into his hands without even realizing it.

Lu Rou, gentle as water by nature, was not one for such teasing and couldn’t stand these playful words.

Seeing her in a huff, Li Dong turned and walked toward the darkness.

Lu Rou turned her face and said, “If you leave, what am I supposed to do?”

A moment later, Li Dong returned, holding a rag that Lu Rou had thrown into the corner earlier. “I can be certain this cloth isn’t from my house. Take a good look. Do you recognize it?”

Lu Rou had thought he was angry too, but when she saw it was just the rag she’d stuffed into her mouth, she became annoyed. “There’s no such rag at my house!”

Indeed, as the magistrate’s cherished daughter, how could she be surrounded by tatters? There was only one explanation—the culprit had torn it from his own clothing to use on her. Its color was a faded gray, likely bleached by many washings. Black on the outside, gray within—what sort of person would wear such odd clothing? Li Dong couldn’t figure it out immediately. But it was surely a vital clue.

Li Dong asked, “Try to remember—when you were brought here, was it one person or several?”

“It should have been several. I seem to recall the sound of many footsteps in my dream, but nothing else,” Lu Rou replied gently, no longer angry, as docile as a lamb.

She glanced at the rag in Li Dong’s hand, and suddenly remembered something. “I saw someone wearing clothes of that color during the day—it must have been him who did this to me!”

(Second update! Please bookmark and recommend. Got a shot and some medicine, feeling much better. Thanks for reading—catch the latest, fastest, and hottest serials here!)