Five Azure Seals

Qingtan had her eyes on a thicket nearby and was just about to quietly slip into it when the beautiful woman turned around and looked at her. “You, what is your name?” she asked.

Qingtan hesitated for a moment. She knew she could not reveal her real name; if by chance her family’s killers heard it, she would surely bring disaster upon herself. So she replied smoothly, “My name is Qingyin.”

The woman nodded. “Qingyin, from today onward, you are my maid. Luokui, keep an eye on her. If you let her escape, I’ll beat you to death.” As she spoke these harsh words, a sinister green glint flashed in her eyes.

The maid called Luokui could not see the glint, but she felt a chill all the same and hurriedly agreed. There was no difference between crossing words with a monster and courting death. Seeing how alert Luokui was, Qingtan had no choice but to suppress her thoughts of escape and yield for the time being.

Luokui looked about twelve or thirteen, with fine brows and thin lips, and a naturally sharp, sour look. She helped the woman into the carriage, then saw Qingtan climb up onto the shaft behind the coachman and promptly drove her off, frowning. “Filthy girl, you stink! Don’t sit near me. Go sit at the back!”

Qingtan slunk to the rear of the carriage. As the carriage started off, the back jolted especially hard, and her slight body was bounced up and down with each bump. The farther they traveled, the more distant her home became, until it was no longer in sight, and those days of the past seemed to fade into oblivion. She slipped her hand inside her collar and touched her left shoulder. Beneath her collarbone was a blue mark—the unique brand every member of the Zhou family received at birth. She had once asked her elders what it was, and they said it was the Zhou family crest. Yet the mark was a strange, convoluted pattern, neither picture nor word, its meaning utterly obscure.

It was, in the end, the only mark her family had left her, the single piece of evidence that she had once possessed everything she had lost. She cherished it, gently caressing the brand, silently bidding farewell to her past.

Because of this mark, she had given herself the new name, Qingyin—“blue mark.” She must hide her true name, Qingtan, to save herself and let the seed of vengeance quietly sprout and grow. When she was older, she would one day reclaim her family’s blood debt.

From now on, Qingtan would vanish without a trace; she was only Qingyin.

The coachman was experienced, having calculated the route and time to arrive in a small town just as night fell. They put up at the town’s largest inn. While Luokui attended to her mistress, she kept ordering Qingyin about with every little task. Qingyin, raised in comfort, had never served anyone and was inevitably clumsy and flustered. Luokui grew impatient and, in her anger, slapped her several times. Afterward, disgusted at dirtying her hand, she hastily wiped her palm on her clothes.

At last, the mistress was settled in for her bath, and the two girls sat waiting outside the door. No sooner had they sat down than Luokui complained that Qingyin was sitting too close, scolded her with a frown, and made her scoot further away. After a long, tiring day, Luokui was weary too. She cast a resentful glance at the grimy girl and muttered under her breath, “What could Madam possibly see in a little beggar like you, that she insists on taking you in?”

Truth be told, not even Qingyin herself knew.

She rested her chin on her knees, full of confusion. All of a sudden, a thought flashed through her mind, so startling it made the hair on her back stand on end, and she cried out in alarm.

Luokui jumped. “What are you yelping for?”

Qingyin quickly covered up. “A bug bit me,” she said, pretending to scratch her bottom.

Luokui spat and feigned a blow but let it go.

Qingyin lowered her head, hiding the fear in her eyes. She had just realized—what if Madam had seen through her and deliberately kept her close, intending to kill her to protect her secret? This “Madam” was clearly a monster—could she be planning to swallow her whole, flesh and bone?

The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. She edged a little closer to Luokui.

Luokui scowled. “Why are you moving closer?”

Qingyin forced a smile and asked in a small voice, “Sister Luokui, where are we going?”

Luokui replied, “We’re headed to Youdu, the capital. A big place, you know? Little beggar.”

Qingyin had been taught since childhood and knew of the capital, even though she’d never been there. But to draw Luokui out, she feigned amazement. “The capital? How grand!”

Her unsophisticated act gave Luokui a sudden sense of superiority. She began boasting. “The lady inside is our Madam. Her maiden home is in Jiaozhou. I’m accompanying her back to her family, and now we’re on the return journey to her husband’s house. Our master is Lin Zifeng—do you know who that is? He’s famous in the capital as a great physician, fabulously wealthy, with servants by the dozen. Our estate is so grand, the gardens alone are half the size of Jiaozhou!”

Qingyin thought silently: Not even the imperial palace is that large… Blow your horn all you want… Yet outwardly, her eyes sparkled with admiration.

Having found such an attentive listener, Luokui was in her element, and her gossipy nature was thoroughly aroused. She beckoned Qingyin over, forgetting for the moment her distaste, and whispered, “Did you know? Madam’s given name is Vermilion, and she was originally a maid in the household too. Fate has been astoundingly kind to her—she’s soared in a single leap…”

Suddenly, the door behind them opened. Luokui jumped, turning to see Madam Zhu standing at the threshold in her underclothes, her long hair dripping wet. Qingyin noticed her white tail was soaked as well, fur hanging in damp strands. Madam Zhu’s face was somewhat sullen, her gaze cold as she looked down at Luokui.

Luokui’s heart leapt—did Madam overhear her gossip? But she had spoken in such a low voice, through a closed door—surely not? She hesitated, wondering if she ought to kneel and beg forgiveness.

But Madam Zhu spoke: “Luokui, send someone to bring the water bucket to your room and let Qingyin have a bath as well. Also, give her a set of your clothes to wear.”

Luokui, realizing she wasn’t being scolded, breathed a sigh of relief and replied at once. Then she remembered she’d have to give up a set of clothes and shot a resentful glare at Qingyin.

Luokui and Qingyin’s room was next door. Qingyin stripped down and soaked in the wooden tub, feeling thoroughly content. Although the water had been changed, it still carried a unique fragrance—the scent Madam Zhu had left behind. How could she smell so sweet?

Luokui sat on the edge of the bed, rummaging through her bundle for her oldest clothes, still bristling with annoyance. Qingyin, knowing how begrudging she was about her clothing, felt a pang of guilt and leaned over the rim of the tub with a winning smile. “Sister Luokui, once I get my monthly wages, I’ll buy you a new set to replace these.”

Luokui was mollified by her docility, but still rolled her eyes. “Remember that.” As she looked over, she saw the freshly washed girl, skin like snow, delicate features, and a pair of limpid black eyes, and for a moment was taken aback. She sighed, “You may be of low birth, but you’re certainly a pretty one.”

Praised, Qingyin smiled shyly. She asked, “When Madam goes to bed tonight, will we have to serve her in her room?”

Luokui replied, “You’re well-mannered, aren’t you? But Madam said she wants to sleep alone tonight, with no one waiting on her.” She frowned. “Since we returned to her family, Madam’s temperament has changed. At home, being of servant stock, she became so arrogant once she rose in the world, she’d work us half to death. But this time, she’s not so haughty—it must be because her old mother spoke to her. Still…” She paused, uncertain, and said, “Sometimes, her eyes are truly frightening. She used to be overbearing, but never this terrifying.”

Qingyin suddenly put her finger to her lips, signaling for silence.

Luokui laughed. “What, afraid she’ll hear us from the next room? Don’t worry, there’s a wall between us—how could she possibly hear?”

But Qingyin could not shake the feeling that Madam could hear everything. After all, she was not human at all.

Half-Immortal Seal 5_ Half-Immortal Seal Full Free Reading_5. Qingyin’s update is complete!