The Lost Red Crystal

Jinjiang Exclusive First Release 6.

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed—it was the birthday of Lu Qin’s mother.

Yan Yi woke up early. After washing up, she changed into festive clothes and prepared to go out.

The little fox’s demonic power had not yet fully recovered, so Yan Yi had no choice but to leave her in the room and continue treating her using the old witch doctor’s method.

It had rained lightly last night. After the rain, the sky was clear and bright.

Yan Yi carried an exquisitely crafted red-and-gold incense box and slowly pushed the door open to leave.

At the mansion gate, she saw Wen Xiaoran standing with his hands behind his back, giving instructions to several guards of the demon domain.

After the stern-faced guards received their orders and left, Yan Yi slowly walked forward.

“Good morning, Your Excellency!”

Wen Xiaoran turned around and looked at her carefully. “Where are you going?”

Yan Yi shook the incense box in her hand and answered honestly, “It’s Lu Qin’s mother’s birthday. I’m going to celebrate.”

Wen Xiaoran asked, “Do you need me to arrange a carriage to take you there?”

“Your Excellency, there’s no need.” Yan Yi said softly, “Their house is quite close. It won’t take even fifteen minutes on foot. I can take a walk along the way.”

Wen Xiaoran nodded slightly and instructed, “Be careful. Come back early.”

“Thank you for your concern.” She smiled and waved at him. “Your Excellency, I’ll be going now!”

Wen Xiaoran stood there alone, watching her gradually receding figure. The cool breeze brushed his face, and an indescribable loneliness slowly rose in his heart.

When Yan Yi reached Lu Qin’s courtyard, she saw Lu Qin and her mother standing at the entrance, greeting guests.

Yan Yi quickened her pace. After exchanging greetings, she handed over the incense box. She noticed a pair of jade earrings on Lu Qin’s mother—shaped like water droplets.

She generously praised them, saying they were beautiful and suited her very well.

Lu Qin’s mother beamed with joy and said they were specially made by Lu Qin.

Yan Yi was a little surprised.

Today, Lu Qin treated her just as warmly as before, without any resentment from her earlier avoidance.

Yan Yi felt somewhat embarrassed.

A few days ago, she had deliberately avoided Lu Qin, worried that she would ask to borrow the red crystal. Now it seemed she had overthought things.

Perhaps Lu Qin had truly only borrowed the red crystal pendant as a reference to make similar earrings for her mother.

Thinking of this, Yan Yi gradually felt relieved.

There weren’t many guests—just over a dozen people. Yan Yi stayed for lunch, had some tea afterward, and then took her leave.

The afternoon sun felt warm on her body, making her drowsy as she walked along the road.

Suddenly, a burst of noisy chatter came from ahead.

Looking over, she saw a dense forest on one side of the road and a shimmering fish pond on the other.

More than a dozen shirtless boys climbed out of the pond and ran toward her while chasing and shouting.

Yan Yi quickly stepped aside, afraid they might accidentally push her into the water while playing.

The noise grew closer. In an instant, they were right in front of her.

She stood still at the roadside, waiting for them to pass.

One of them suddenly stopped in front of her and spoke rudely, “Sister, haven’t we met somewhere before?”

As soon as he spoke, the others started hooting and cheering like a pack of monkeys.

Yan Yi pressed her lips together, muttering inwardly—she had transmigrated only to run into troublesome brats. What bad luck.

She moved aside and said coldly, “You’ve got the wrong person.”

But as she tried to leave, the leader stepped in front of her again and signaled the others to surround her, blocking her path.

Yan Yi took a deep breath and asked calmly, “What do you want?”

“Make friends.”

Yan Yi was furious inside, cursing them repeatedly, but didn’t dare act rashly.

She was alone in an unfamiliar place—just an ordinary person with no strength to fight back, let alone against a group of more than ten.

“No need,” she said patiently, trying to squeeze past him.

But her action angered him.

“Stop her!” the leader shouted and shoved her shoulder hard.

Yan Yi stumbled, lost her balance, and was pushed straight into the fish pond.

Fortunately, it was a summer afternoon, and the water wasn’t too cold. She choked on a few mouthfuls of water and struggled toward the shore.

The boys gathered at the edge, laughing and jeering.

“So she can swim!”

“Don’t let her off so easily!”

Amid the noisy chaos, Yan Yi finally reached the shore, soaked through.

Just as she tried to climb up, someone blocked her again.

The sun was blazing, her wet clothes clinging uncomfortably to her body. She gripped the stones at the edge, nearly exhausted.

“What exactly do you want?” she asked, trying to keep her tone gentle.

Before they could answer, a female voice rang out, “What are you doing?”

Everyone turned. A tall young woman hurried over.

It was Lu Qin.

Yan Yi let out a sigh of relief.

“Another one!”

The boys started whistling and shouting again.

Before they could act, Lu Qin directly used witchcraft, knocking them all to the ground, convulsing.

The once-arrogant group immediately panicked, crying and scrambling away.

In just moments, they had all disappeared.

Lu Qin pulled Yan Yi up and took off her outer robe to cover her. “Miss Yan, how did you run into them?”

Yan Yi wiped the foul-smelling water from her face. “They were bathing in the pond. I just happened to pass by.”

“Were you frightened?”

Yan Yi nodded, her voice trembling. “Thank you, Lu Qin. If you hadn’t come in time, I don’t know what would have happened.”

“You left in a hurry, so my mother asked me to bring this to you.” Lu Qin handed her a food box. “She made mung bean cakes herself.”

“Thank you, thank you both!” Yan Yi accepted it gratefully.

Lu Qin waved her hand. “I’m not at ease letting you go like this. I’ll walk you back.”

“No need,” Yan Yi said. “Your family is busy. Go stay with your mother. Those boys were scared off—they won’t come back.”

Lu Qin gritted her teeth. “If I see them again, I’ll deal with them directly.”

Then she softened her tone. “Are you really okay?”

Yan Yi adjusted her clothes. “I’m fine now. It’s not far from the mansion. You should go back.”

After hesitating, Lu Qin nodded and left.

After this unexpected incident, Yan Yi hurried back as fast as she could, heart pounding.

Only when she reached the mansion gate did she stop, leaning against the wall and catching her breath.

Before she could recover, hurried footsteps sounded behind her. She stiffened, her heart jumping to her throat.

Yan Yi turned suddenly, almost bursting into tears. “Your Excellency, you scared me!”

Wen Xiaoran quickly stepped forward, holding her shoulders. “What happened?”

“I… accidentally fell into a pond.”

Wen Xiaoran immediately took off his outer robe and draped it over her, guiding her inside. “Go back to your room first.”

Back in the room, Yan Yi gradually calmed down. She held his robe and said, “Your Excellency, I’ll wash this and return it to you.”

Seeing her drenched and disheveled, Wen Xiaoran frowned, his eyes full of concern. “Go bathe first.”

After bathing, while dressing, Yan Yi touched her collarbone—and suddenly froze.

The thin cord that held the red crystal pendant was gone.

The crystal itself was nowhere to be found.

Panic surged through her. Her breathing quickened, and cold sweat broke out.

She hurriedly searched through her clothes, shaking them—but found nothing.

The red crystal was gone.

Throwing on her clothes, she rushed out in a panic. “Your Excellency, have you seen my pendant?”

“No.” Wen Xiaoran immediately stood up. “It’s missing?”

Yan Yi nodded, her voice trembling. “It’s not in the room.”

“When I covered you earlier, I didn’t see it either. Where did you fall? It may have dropped into the water.”

Yan Yi nodded slowly, realizing his reasoning made sense.

She then told him everything that had happened in detail.

Wen Xiaoran gripped the table tightly, his knuckles turning white, his expression darkening.

“Take me there. If it fell into the pond, we might still find it.”

Hope rose in Yan Yi’s heart. She quickly led him back to the pond.

It was dusk, the sky glowing with the evening light.

Yan Yi stood behind him anxiously as he used his magic to search for the crystal.

But contrary to hope, the pond revealed nothing but tangled weeds and murky water.

“There is no flowing water here. It couldn’t have been washed away,” Wen Xiaoran said, turning to her. “Think carefully—could you have lost it somewhere else?”

Yan Yi’s heart sank.

On her way back earlier, she had even touched her chest to confirm it was still there.

Seeing her dejected expression, Wen Xiaoran asked carefully, “Did you meet anyone on the way back?”

Yan Yi suddenly looked up. “Your Excellency… do you think someone took it?”

Wen Xiaoran did not deny it.

On the way back, she had only encountered those rude boys—and Lu Qin, who had saved her.

The boys had kept their distance, except for one who pushed her.

Could it be… Lu Qin?

“Your Excellency, I’ve told you everyone I met. There was no one else.”

Wen Xiaoran sensed her hesitation. “Are you hiding something from me?”

After a long pause, Yan Yi finally said, “Lu Qin once asked to borrow my pendant. I didn’t agree.”

Wen Xiaoran listened patiently, then seemed to understand the situation.

He pulled her gently into his arms and said softly, “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to get your pendant back.”