Zhu Yu was taken aback as soon as she got off the carriage.
She knew that Lu Qing was adopted by the current Holy Emperor from his clansmen, so when he mentioned paying respects to his clansmen yesterday, she simply assumed he was going to offer condolences at the mausoleum of the Emperor's ancestors.
She never expected to see a chapel before her.
And as far as the eye could see, there were at least thirty different-sized gravestones.
"Let's go, follow me inside." Upon arriving, Lu Qing swept away his usual carefree demeanor, his face solemn, motioning for the Fu Lu and Rune brothers to guard the entrance. He called Zhu Yu once, and himself lifted his robe, stepping over the high threshold and entering first.
Zhu Yu quickly followed.
The chapel was small, densely packed with spirit tablets. On the offering table in front were some rather old tributes, with a thick layer of incense ash in the incense burner, indicating that someone did maintain this place, though not with much care.
The spirit tablet placed prominently in the center bore the inscription "In memory of Mr. Lu, alias Wei Duke", crafted from the finest mahogany, the lettering painted in gold, showcasing the deceased's noble status in life.
Looking further, Zhu Yu was secretly startled; it was not hard to tell from the inscriptions on the spirit tablets that an entire family, from old to young, seemed to be honored here.
So, this Lu Family...
Zhu Yu instinctively glanced at Lu Qing beside her.
Lu Qing seemed oblivious to Zhu Yu's gaze, silently dusting off the plaques, replacing the old tributes with new ones, and taking incense to hand over three sticks to Zhu Yu. The two lit the incense and respectfully placed them in the incense burner.
He did not utter a word throughout, silent as if cloaked by an invisible shadow.
Zhu Yu, never the reckless type, seeing that Lu Qing did not speak, kept silent company alongside him.
After they finished paying respects, two hours had passed as they exited the chapel. When they set off in the morning, the sky was only lightly overcast, but now it began to drizzle persistently.
Zhu Yu hurriedly climbed into the carriage, preparing to return to the Capital.
The chapel's location was rather remote, with only narrow rural roads. It was manageable coming, but now after being poured on by rain, it turned particularly muddy. The carriage couldn't move quickly, and the wheels were at risk of getting stuck in the mud with the slightest misstep.
Zhu Yu, dizzy and nauseous inside the carriage, almost wanted to throw up the refreshments consumed in the morning.
Worse yet, on the return journey, the rain grew heavier, and the sky darker. Realizing it was unwise to press on, the coachman Fu Lu, after consulting Lu Qing, found a nearby place to temporarily shelter from the rain.
Once the carriage stopped, Lu Qing opened an umbrella and got off first, standing by the carriage to extend his hand, helping Zhu Yu down.
Fu Rune and Fu Lu drove the carriage to a Mountain God Temple, far from any village or shop. The temple looked dilapidated, unguarded, surrounded by pitch-black darkness.
With the rain showing no signs of letting up, and the surroundings a misty blur, now dark and dreary, continuing on was inadvisable; this rundown temple in the wilderness was the best option for them to take shelter from the rain.
Fu Rune entered the decrepit temple first. Despite its state, at least the roof didn't leak. He found extinguished torches by the wall and quickly took out flint from his bosom to light them, bringing some brightness to the dim space.
Though the Mountain God Temple was old, it was quite spacious; the front hall lacked cushions but had some straw.
The tattered temple likely could not house too many deities and had only one person-high Mountain God statue seated on the altar.
The Mountain God statue, whose material was unknown, appeared dark, possibly due to aging. It had no glaze, and even its facial features were incomplete, covered with dust and cobwebs.
Under the torchlight, half of the statue's face was illuminated while the other half was shrouded in darkness, and the flickering flames gave its already rough carving an indescribable eeriness.
The Fu Lu and Rune brothers swiftly gathered and padded the straw into soft mats to allow Lu Qing and Zhu Yu to sit comfortably.
Zhu Yu chose a straw pile against a wall to sit on.
She, being of a brave nature, did not believe in ghosts and spirits, so she wasn't afraid of the somewhat eerie statue. Yet, in this unfamiliar place, with the statue looming and surrounded by pitch-blackness, it stirred a slight unease.
What evokes fear is not the supernatural, but the unseeable unknown in darkness.
The four sat in the torchlight, speechless.
Fu Rune, the more perceptive and observant of the two brotherly duo, although puzzled as to why the Prince had the Lady dress as a man to pay respects, knew it was not his place to question the affairs between the master and mistress, so he kept silent.
Fu Lu was straightforward; he hadn't witnessed Zhu Yu coming to the rescue during Lu Qing's wedding night, unlike Fu Rune, hence felt less surprised.
He was different—when he saw Zhu Yu that morning, he was quite shocked, and hadn't had the chance to ask all day.
Sitting idly in the unsheltered small temple with the others made Fu Lu uncomfortable.
Wanting to ask, he feared breaking protocol before the master.
But not asking, his curiosity festered like a centipede crawling over his heart, causing great discontent.
On the verge of succumbing to his curiosity and testing the waters, Zhu Yu suddenly sniffed, frowning slightly.
"What is it?" Lu Qing, feigning closed-eye slumber, opened his eyes in the darkness.
Zhu Yu sniffed again, "I seem to smell blood."