Chapter 8: The Mystery of the Jade Pendant

Su Ruoxi listened for any sounds from the bathroom, guessing that Lin Yu hadn’t started washing up yet.

“Um, Divine Doctor Lin, I left a few pieces of clothing in the bathroom. I’ll go get them!”

Suddenly, Su Ruoxi’s voice came from the doorway as she tried to push open the door, startling Lin Yu so much he nearly slipped.

“Ahem, ahem, ahem…” Lin Yu pretended to cough to ease the awkwardness, hurriedly turned on the shower, and answered loudly, “Ah… I’ve already started washing.”

“Never mind then, you go ahead and wash first!”

Hearing Su Ruoxi quiet down outside the bathroom, Lin Yu let out a long sigh of relief, still shaken. His earlier foolish behavior had almost been discovered; he wouldn’t dare entertain any strange thoughts about those intimate garments again.

After all, as a young man full of vigor, seeing such tempting items made his blood stir, but now he could only use cold water to calm himself.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Lin Yu finished bathing and stepped out dressed, a figure squeezed past him into the bathroom, and Su Ruoxi hurried back to her room with her head down.

All those alluring pieces of clothing in the bathroom were gone!

“Divine Doctor Lin, you should rest early. Something urgent has come up at the company, so I’ll rest after I’m done!”

Much later, Su Ruoxi’s voice came from her room.

It seemed she was embarrassed by what had just happened and dared not face Lin Yu.

Lin Yu didn’t dwell on it. Women, after all, tended to be shy.

He returned to his own room, closed the door, and lay down to rest.

Only after a long time, seemingly certain that Lin Yu was asleep, did Su Ruoxi quietly slip out to take a bath.

Yet none of this escaped Lin Yu’s ears.

...

The night passed peacefully.

Every morning, Lin Yu cultivated his internal techniques to strengthen his body.

Today was no exception. He awoke early, sitting cross-legged on the bed to begin his practice.

He wondered if it was because of the recent acupuncture treatment, but there seemed to be a lingering toxic energy in his body reminiscent of Su Tianteng’s.

“Could the toxic energy from Su Tianteng’s body be absorbed and utilized by me?”

Without another word, Lin Yu calmed himself and began refining the mysterious power within him. The potent toxic energy was absorbed completely by his cultivation technique.

Afterward, Lin Yu clearly felt his cultivation had advanced somewhat.

He took out a jade pendant, its surface engraved with lifelike black dragon patterns. Flipping it over, he saw a totem he couldn’t quite describe.

Lin Yu had remembered this jade pendant following him since childhood. The old man had told him it was a relic left by his parents, possibly the key to uncovering the truth of that year’s events. Unfortunately, Lin Yu had never discovered what was special about it.

But now that he was in Jinling, the secret behind the jade pendant would surely be unearthed.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

Outside, Su Ruoxi’s voice called, “Divine Doctor Lin, are you awake? There’s an emergency at the company—I need to go.”

Lin Yu put away the jade pendant and opened the door. Su Ruoxi was already dressed in a new professional outfit, black stockings accentuating her long legs, reminding Lin Yu of the white lace from last night. Was this the legendary black-and-white pairing?...

Su Ruoxi had no time to care about Lin Yu’s thoughts. The company had called, saying the Wang family had completely broken relations and launched a fierce business offensive against them.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been in such a rush.

Noticing Su Ruoxi’s troubled expression, Lin Yu asked, “Did something happen?”

Su Ruoxi forced a smile. “Business matters. Sorry, I can’t accompany you today.”

Since she didn’t elaborate, Lin Yu didn’t press further. There was surely a reason for her silence, and besides, he was just a guest in her home.

After explaining, Su Ruoxi left.

The Su family.

“My good son-in-law, you’re here. The matter you asked me to investigate yesterday has yielded some clues.” Su Tianteng greeted Lin Yu warmly as he entered.

Yesterday, Lin Yu had noticed Su Tianteng’s many valuable collectibles and guessed he was a collector. He showed him the jade pendant left by his parents, asking for help in finding any leads.

Considering the Su family was one of the prominent clans in Jinling, their connections might be invaluable in uncovering the pendant’s secrets. He hadn’t expected results so quickly.

“Uncle Su, you look well—seems there’s no major issue.”

“All thanks to you, my good son-in-law!” Su Tianteng laughed heartily. “Come with me to the study.”

He kindly took Lin Yu’s arm and led him to his study.

Once inside, Su Tianteng took a file folder from the drawer and placed it before Lin Yu.

“After some investigation, I found that a jade pendant similar to yours, with the same dragon pattern and totem, appeared at an auction in the capital not long ago.”

Looking at the materials, Lin Yu saw that the jade pendant in the photos was identical to his, as if cast from the same mold.

“No information on the owner?” Lin Yu asked, flipping through the documents.

Su Tianteng shook his head. “The auction was for charity, and the owner donated anonymously, but the final buyer was the Xu family.”

“The Xu family?”

Lin Yu was curious. Was it the Xu family he had in mind?

“Perhaps it’s no coincidence. The Xu family is the family of Xu Qingcheng, the young lady you’re engaged to.” Su Tianteng continued.

Coincidence?

Upon hearing that the Xu family had bought the jade pendant, Lin Yu’s brow furrowed.

He didn’t believe such coincidences existed. Xu Qingcheng had recently come to break off the engagement, and the Xu family had acquired a pendant possibly linked to the mystery of his origins—it couldn’t be random.

It seemed the Xu family was central to uncovering his past. He would have to arrange a meeting soon.

“This morning, Miss Su was in a hurry, saying there was an emergency at the company. Is it serious?” Lin Yu asked as he put away the file.

Su Tianteng smiled. “No need to worry, my good son-in-law. It’s just a sudden issue that Ruoxi needs to handle.” Then, giving Lin Yu an inscrutable look, he continued, “Did anything happen between you and Ruoxi last night while sharing a room...?”

“Uncle Su, what are you saying...” Lin Yu replied helplessly.

“Ruoxi is a good child. I can tell she’s interested in you, though she won’t admit it out of pride. I, Su Tianteng, have set my heart on you as my son-in-law—just afraid you’ll dislike Ruoxi.” Su Tianteng smiled.

Lin Yu was left speechless.

Su Tianteng wanted Lin Yu to stay for dinner, but Lin Yu made an excuse about picking up Su Ruoxi and hurriedly escaped the Su family.

...