1868: A Random Excuse

A Random Excuse

Huo Yao contemplated and said, "Consider it your birthday present."2

Huo Yulin's lips twitched. Even though the tokens meant a lot and he ought to be happy…

"My birthday is in October."

It was still May.

Huo Yulin looked at her grudgingly.

Moreover, why would she give him a birthday present during the voting process?

She was clearly making a random excuse!

Huo Yao went quiet for a couple of seconds. She looked at him quietly and spoke in a soft patronizing tone, "Why don't you just treat it as an early present?"

This way, she could save on his birthday present this year.

Huo Yulin went speechless.

Huo Yao looked away and continued, "I'm going upstairs to see Eldest Uncle."

She rubbed the black box in her arm slightly and glanced at Shangguan Tong.

After making eye contact for a couple of seconds, Shangguan Tong stood up. "Your uncle's medicine is probably ready. Let me go fetch it."

Huo Yao nodded and acknowledged softly.

Before long, the two of them went upstairs.

Huo Yulin did not follow them upstairs. As he watched the two of them from behind, a strange notion emerged in his mind.

Why did he have a feeling that Yaoyao and Aunt Tong knew each other from ages ago?

Huo Yulin felt puzzled.

*

Huo Yao went upstairs with Shangguan Tong. They seemed to have a strong mutual understanding. They did not go to Huo Jinfeng's room right away. Instead, they went to the glass room on the balcony.

A very clean casual tea table could be seen inside the glass room. The dark sky and a full moon gradually appeared in the background. As the soft light scattered in, it blended with the warm orange lights inside looking soft and peaceful.

Shangguan Tong placed the glass porcelain cup on the tea table. The strong scent of Chinese herbs could be smelled inside the glass room. She looked at Huo Yao and waited for her to speak.

Huo Yao handed the box to Shangguan Tong.

"What's this?" The moment Shangguan Tong took the black box, she could sense coldness coming from the unusual material it was made of.

Before long, she opened the box. When she saw the black jade inside the box, she hastily raised her head with a look of astonishment on her face. "Where did you find the black jade?"

She had secretly searched for the black jade and even tried Mirage Base but to no avail.

She did not expect the lass to find it so quickly.

Huo Yao looked at Aunt Tong and reached her hand out to close the black box and replied, "I found the jade at the floating underground palace."

Shangguan Tong was stunned. "Floating underground palace?"

"Uh huh." Huo Yao nodded. She paused briefly before taking out her phone and swiping down to the picture she had taken at the underground palace. "Take a look at this picture."

Shangguan Tong took the phone. When she saw the familiar pattern, her eyes constricted and something changed about the expression on her face.

Huo Yao caught Aunt Tong's reaction. After some time, she said quizzically, "This pattern seems to resemble the ones in the clan's restricted area."

Shangguan Tong gathered her thoughts and handed the phone back to Huo Yao. "Have you gone into the restricted area before?"

"I accidentally went inside before," Huo Yao spoke softly.

Shangguan Tong nodded. "You're right. This pattern is the same as the ones in the restricted area. Where is the underground palace located?"

Huo Yao gave her the underground palace's location and said, "It has already sunken."

"Sunken?" Shangguan Tong was astonished by the news.

"Uh huh. After I retrieved the jade, it sank." Huo Yao narrowed her eyes. She suddenly thought about the dark silhouette she had encountered inside the underground palace.

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