[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 93

Upstairs.

Shiliu ran without stopping, only halting when she reached her room.

Every step she had taken felt like a cloud rising into the air—thick and soft, carrying her high into the sky.

She couldn’t explain why, but something felt wrong. Her entire body felt uneasy, as if something were growing inside her heart, sprouting into tiny vines, taking root. The sound of their unfurling was so clear.

Shiliu covered her ears. The heartbeat echoing within her body was too loud now—she didn’t want to hear it.

But the harder she pressed, the more impossible it became to ignore.

Thump, thump, thump.

She couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, but it felt like she had done something wrong. Yet, she had already done far more wrong with that person before, and it hadn’t left her feeling this unsettled then.

Her heart ached, her ears felt strange, and even the tips of her toes that had just stepped on his boots tingled uncomfortably.

Shiliu couldn’t scream, nor did she have an outlet. All she could do was foolishly bounce around the room, jumping fiercely until her legs went numb, masking the peculiar sensations. She collapsed onto the bed, panting uncontrollably, her mind empty of everything but exhaustion.

Downstairs.

Li Xuanci leaned against the wall, his expression as calm as usual. Only when he tilted his head slightly did a faint yet bright smile flicker in his eyes—no longer so cold but like jade warmed by a hand, even the reflected light carried a warmth.

Suddenly, noise erupted from upstairs, loud enough to shake dust from the gaps in the wooden ceiling.

Li Xuanci choked on the dust, coughing unexpectedly a few times. He had always been arrogant and composed, unfazed even by bloodshed, but now he was uncharacteristically disheveled. Covering his mouth and nose as he coughed, the amusement in his eyes only deepened.

So impatient, such a fool, he thought, a smug and pleased smile curling his lips.

After venting her energy, Shiliu lay sprawled on the bed for a long while before remembering that she had excused herself earlier to buy more snacks for the White Child. He was probably still waiting for her. She sat up abruptly.

Bewitched by lust, truly bewitched by lust, she thought with self-disgust, mentally spitting in disdain.

Then she caught herself and spat even more vehemently—what lust? What bewitchment? There was no such thing.

Although Li Xuanci’s looks were quite… passable, she, Shiliu, had always lived by “wine and meat pass through the gut, but the Daoist ancestors remain in the heart.” She would absolutely not be swayed by good looks—no, by passable looks.

She fervently recited a few Daoist mantras in her heart before finally rallying her spirits to go find the White Child.

Shiliu crept downstairs as quietly as possible, cautiously peeking around the corner. Li Xuanci was no longer there. She let out a long sigh of relief and dashed down to buy snacks.

She didn’t even stop to wonder why she felt so guilty.

When she returned, her hands were too full with snacks, so she had to push open the White Child’s door somewhat inelegantly with her hip before turning back triumphantly to announce, “Look what I bought!”

But the room was empty and silent, save for the open window rattling in the wind.

The child was gone.

By the time He Chong arrived, Shiliu was standing in the room as if serving detention, crestfallen.

Earlier, he had been in his room downstairs when he heard Shiliu leaning out the upstairs window, shouting for him to come quickly. He thought he had misheard, but upon arriving, he realized something had actually happened.

Unconsciously slipping into his senior brother tone, he asked, “How could you lose track of a child? What were you doing just now?”

Just as Shiliu opened her mouth to speak, the door opened again, and a black boot stepped inside.

She instantly clammed up as if a cat had stolen her tongue, lowering her head and continuing her silent penance.

He Chong grew impatient and pressed, “Speak! What were you doing earlier?”

The answer came from behind him. “Earlier, she…”

“Earlier, I went to buy food!” The tongue that had been stolen by the cat quickly grew back, and Shiliu urgently cut off Li Xuanci’s helpful reply, offering a half-truth by omitting key details.

She really had gone to buy food—so it wasn’t exactly a lie. Li Xuanci secretly curled the corner of his lips, too lazy to expose her.

Hearing this answer, He Chong believed it but only about thirty percent. If there was anything in this world that could tempt Shiliu the most, it was food.

He wanted to scold her further but held back, considering there were outsiders present. He asked, “When did you leave, and when did you realize he was gone?”

Shiliu’s expression turned troubled. It wasn’t hard to say when she discovered he was missing, but the time she left was somewhat unclear. She had been fooling around with Li Xuanci downstairs, then came upstairs and lost her mind for a long time—how could she explain that?

“The person was taken through the window,” Li Xuanci interrupted He Chong’s questioning. “No one came downstairs earlier.”

He paused suddenly, his peach-blossom eyes slanting over to glance at Shiliu, who was now as docile as a quail, and added, “Aside from someone who rushed downstairs like a thief with their butt sticking out, no one passed by.”

Shiliu instinctively tightened her buttocks, her heart drumming nervously. He had seen her entire rushed descent downstairs! But she had clearly checked that no one was there—could this man have divine sight?

Before she could ponder further, He Chong asked with equal suspicion, “You were guarding downstairs the whole time?”

Li Xuanci continued looking in that direction, saying meaningfully, “My room is diagonally across from the staircase. I left the door slightly ajar, so naturally, I could see.”

Though He Chong found it strange why he would do that, he had no time to ask now and instead carefully examined the room.

Shiliu pointed at the window and said, “Then they must have escaped through the window. When I came in earlier, the window was open.”

Suddenly, she felt something was off and turned to Li Xuanci. “You said earlier that the White Child was taken away?”

A faint smile flickered in Li Xuanci’s eyes, making them appear even more arrogant and unruly.

“Finally catching on?” he asked provocatively, raising an eyebrow.

“He has an injury on his shoulder. If he didn’t take the stairs and tried to climb down the window himself, it would be extremely difficult. So, he must have been taken away.”

“You said no one passed by the stairs earlier, and this window faces the street directly. If someone entered through the window and jumped down with a child in broad daylight, someone would have noticed. There are shops right nearby—I’ll go ask around.”

Since the child was lost on her watch, Shiliu was especially proactive, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

But just as she was about to rush out, passing by Li Xuanci, he grabbed the back of her collar and pulled her back.

“Stay put.”

He had only taken a step closer, yet Shiliu’s pulse instinctively began misbehaving again.

At that moment, Jin Zhan walked in from outside, bowing as he reported, “Master, I’ve questioned the shops and vendors downstairs. No one saw anyone entering or leaving through this window.”

Shiliu was immediately puzzled. Had she guessed wrong?

But that couldn’t be—even if she had guessed wrong, there was no way Li Xuanci’s sharp mind could have made a mistake.

Then she heard his voice beside her.

“Just as I thought.”

A spark of interest lit Li Xuanci’s eyes as he gazed at the open door behind Jin Zhan, a smile playing on his lips.