Chapter 14: You're Actually Unharmed?

Outside the Library Pavilion.

Time ticked by slowly, and Qingluan’s anxious heart could not find peace.

Ever since Cheng Guang stepped into the Library Pavilion, she had been worrying about whether he would be exposed. If he was discovered, what would she do to end the situation? More than once, Qingluan had wanted to rush in and drag Cheng Guang out by force, but given her status and position, how could she possibly accomplish such a thing with all eyes upon her?

There was no way. She could only wait outside patiently.

As she waited, Qingluan cast a glance at Lin Cheng standing nearby. He stood tall and proud, chest out, brimming with confidence and arrogance—he might as well have had "The Young Lord has taken a liking to me" written across his face.

Qingluan gave a cold snort, feeling a growing dislike for Lin Cheng. If it hadn’t been for this guard bringing Cheng Guang here, how would Cheng Guang have found the Library Pavilion? She wouldn’t be so worried now, either. If Cheng Guang’s identity were revealed, Lin Cheng might just burst into tears on the spot.

With this thought, Qingluan stopped looking at Lin Cheng. The two of them waited in silence.

After a while, Cheng Guang emerged from the Library Pavilion. At a glance, he saw Qingluan and Lin Cheng standing not far away. The moment he stepped out, Lin Cheng’s face lit up with joy and he hurried forward.

“Young Lord, you’re out!” he called.

At the same time, Qingluan’s gaze fell on Cheng Guang. Her expression was grave, her lips unsmiling, her eyes serious. In her beautiful eyes flickered astonishment and suspicion.

She could not understand how Cheng Guang could appear unscathed. Had the Elder not discovered his true identity?

She looked him over again: resplendent in fine robes, strikingly handsome, his gaze lofty and noble, his bearing bold and overbearing, youthfully spirited—he exuded a confidence and grace the stand-in had never possessed.

Was this... still the same stand-in?

For a moment, Qingluan hesitated, determined to go up and touch Cheng Guang, to probe the energy within his body.

Her cultivation was not high enough to use spiritual energy to examine him from a distance without arousing suspicion among the guards. She simply needed to make physical contact.

Qingluan strode forward, coming directly to Cheng Guang. She reached out to touch him—only to be intercepted by Lin Cheng.

“What are you doing?” Qingluan turned to Lin Cheng, her voice furious.

Lin Cheng stiffened his neck and looked down his nose at her. “What are you doing? The Young Lord is of such status, and who are you? How dare you lay hands on him?”

Qingluan gritted her teeth. “I am the Young Lord’s maid!”

Lin Cheng, unconcerned, was intent on fulfilling his duty to protect Cheng Guang. “A mere maid—unless the Young Lord permits it, you can’t touch him. Right, Young Lord?”

Lin Cheng bowed to Cheng Guang with a look of utmost respect.

Seeing this, Qingluan nearly shattered her pearly teeth with rage. How could she not see that Lin Cheng was vying for favor? A mere guard, and he dared to compete with her?

It was simply preposterous.

Qingluan’s face turned blue as she looked at Cheng Guang, waiting for his response.

Cheng Guang’s expression was calm, the corners of his lips hinting at a smile. “You are right,” he said.

“Lin Cheng, you’ve done well.”

At these words, Lin Cheng’s smile grew even broader and his bow deepened. Though he was a prodigy of the martial path and ordinarily proud to a fault, in front of Cheng Guang, he displayed a fawning humility few could rival.

Lin Cheng’s behavior unsettled Qingluan, but what unsettled her even more was Cheng Guang himself. With a faint smile in his eyes and a relaxed demeanor, he showed none of his former awkwardness. Every gesture brimmed with an air of nobility.

It was as if Cheng Guang was truly the Young Lord, not the stand-in.

Could it be that Cheng Guang had really come to see himself as the Young Lord? Or had he lost his mind?

Qingluan could not understand. She truly could not.

“Young Lord, you must be tired after all that studying. May I massage your shoulders?” Qingluan offered, forcing a smile onto her beautiful but slightly stiff face.

Cheng Guang regarded her with a meaningful gaze. Before he could reply, Lin Cheng chimed in, volunteering, “Young Lord, I can give you a massage too! How much strength can this little girl have? I’ve trained in martial arts since I was a child—my massages are excellent!”

Qingluan clenched her fist in silent fury, barely restraining herself from punching Lin Cheng on the spot.

“You even want to compete with me for this?” she snapped. “And if the Young Lord needed someone to warm his bed, would you volunteer for that as well?”

Qingluan wasn’t sure if she was more infuriated by Lin Cheng or by Cheng Guang—she blurted out the intimate matter without thinking.

Unexpectedly, Lin Cheng nodded earnestly. “Of course! As long as the Young Lord wishes it, I’ll do anything!”

Qingluan’s beautiful eyes widened. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she looked calmly at Cheng Guang. “Young Lord, let us return.”

Cheng Guang nodded. “Let’s go.”

His agreement brought Qingluan a measure of relief. At least Cheng Guang understood the situation and knew not to linger outside. He was willing to return with her.

Once they got back, Qingluan vowed she would give him a thorough scolding and get to the bottom of everything. She simply refused to believe Cheng Guang had managed to fool the Elder in the Library Pavilion.

Cheng Guang rose and, as he passed Lin Cheng, spoke: “Lin Cheng, from now on you’ll serve by my side. Come to my courtyard as my guard.”

Lin Cheng was momentarily stunned, then his face lit up with wild joy.

“Yes, Young Lord! I am honored to serve you!” he exclaimed, then added, “I’ll just hand over my current duties and come straight away.”

Cheng Guang nodded slightly, then set off along the path they’d come.

Qingluan was left rooted to the spot by Cheng Guang’s unexpected words. She looked at Cheng Guang’s retreating figure, then at Lin Cheng’s radiant expression, her face flushing with anger once more.

In her mind, Cheng Guang was no longer dancing on a knife’s edge—he was courting death.

If only he could behave and heed her advice, continue hiding his identity, then even if the head of the house discovered the truth someday, she could still plead with the Young Lord on his behalf and perhaps spare his life.

But now? If he used his false identity as Young Lord to do anything outrageous, death would be the least of his worries—his fate could be far worse.

Fuming, Qingluan stamped her foot a few times before hurrying after Cheng Guang.

Back at the courtyard, Qingluan immediately launched into a tirade.

“Cheng Guang, what are you thinking? Are you mad today? First you go to the Library Pavilion, then you bring Lin Cheng to serve as your guard. It took me so much effort to remove the guards already by your side—why bring in a new one? Do you want your true identity discovered?”

Cheng Guang walked to the pavilion and sat down unhurriedly, taking a sip of tea before looking at her.

“To whom do you think you’re speaking?”

His voice was calm, but seemed to burn with a barely suppressed fury, as if a volcano were about to erupt.

Qingluan was taken aback. Instinctively, fear flickered across her face and she stepped back a few paces.

In that moment, she felt as if she were facing the real Young Lord.

It was strange, she thought. In just a single night, Cheng Guang had changed completely after leaving the Library Pavilion. Not only did every movement exude an inexpressible nobility, but his entire bearing was now confident and bold, exactly like the true Young Lord.

One’s appearance could be imitated, but that air of innate nobility and the mannerisms of a noble scion could never be perfectly faked.

What was going on?

Qingluan could not make sense of it.

She stared at Cheng Guang, a sliver of fear taking root in her heart, her red lips pressed together, still unwilling to believe he was truly the Young Lord. The Young Lord had said he would not return before the head of the house came back.

She needed to be certain.

Qingluan stepped forward and grabbed Cheng Guang’s arm, sending her energy inside to probe.

In the next instant, her beautiful eyes widened, her face drained of color, and terror swept across her features. She stepped back and fell to her knees.

“Young Lord! Y-you’ve returned?”

The aura she sensed from Cheng Guang was not his own, but something deep and unfathomable. She did not know what the Young Lord’s aura should feel like—she’d never dared to probe it before—but she knew Cheng Guang’s well enough.

This person before her was not Cheng Guang. He was the Young Lord!

So that explained why Cheng Guang had not been exposed by the Elder in the Library Pavilion.

It was the Young Lord who had returned!

Kneeling on the ground, Qingluan’s face was pale with fear, her delicate features drained of color, her red lips blanched. Her tight dress clung to every curve, but she had no mind to think about her appearance; her heart was filled with terror.

“Young Lord, I didn’t know it was you. I thought it was the stable boy...”

As she spoke, Qingluan failed to notice the enigmatic look in Cheng Guang’s eyes, nor the subtle, meaningful smile playing at the corner of his lips.