Fang Yuan said in a panic, "Sister Yaoyao, you have a nosebleed."
Wang Qingyao calmly reached for a handkerchief, but couldn't find one. Bai Junchun seized the opportunity to offer her own, "Second Cousin, use mine."
A relative of the Wang family, Wang Qingyao smiled friendly at Bai Junchun, "Thank you."
Only after taking the handkerchief did she feel something was amiss. It seemed to be wrapped around something. Using her clairvoyance, she saw a large, dark red spider!
Wang Qingyao's palm immediately felt hot, and she instinctively wanted to fling the handkerchief away.
However, even through the cloth, she could feel the spider's touch was soft and firm, and it remained perfectly still. In her fright, she realized it was a fake spider!
In a flash, she noticed Bai Junchun's expression, full of anticipation and smugness...
Ah, it was her prank!
Indeed, birds of a feather flock together. She shouldn't have held any expectations of the Wang family relatives.
Without unfolding the handkerchief, she used it, balled up, to wipe away the blood from her nose.
Bai Junchun's smile froze. Wasn't it uncomfortable against her face?
The handkerchief was stained with blood, so it was naturally unsuitable to return to Bai Junchun. Wang Qingyao reached for the jade whistle hidden beneath her clothes and blew it forcefully a few times. A gray shadow circled, descending lower and lower, finally landing on her shoulder.
When she had left that morning, although she hadn't seen where Lightning was, she had called out to the surroundings, "Lightning, we're going out for a spring outing later, do you want to come? If so, just follow."
Lightning hadn't responded, but as the carriage moved forward, she heard the flapping of wings and assumed it had followed. This test proved it had indeed appeared. Truly a discreet and intelligent sparrowhawk.
"Oh, isn't that Cousin's Lightning?" Fang Yuan exclaimed with surprise and joy. "Why is it letting you pet it? The last time I asked it to stand on my arm, it just rolled its eyes and ignored me."
Fang Yuan mimicked as she spoke, making Wang Qingyao laugh uncontrollably. Lightning, with an arrogant air, turned its backside towards her.
Wang Qingyao smiled, "Young Master Xiao gifted it to me."
Many prominent families in Duanjing kept falcons and hounds, and one could often see eagles hunting prey in the sky during spring and autumn. However, it was uncommon for women to keep eagles. Even the fifth daughter of the Bai family had considered it, but her family had not agreed.
At this moment, seeing Lightning, the fifth daughter of the Bai family's eyes showed envy.
Bai Junchun was sensitive and suspicious. Wang Qingyao's words made her suspect she was deliberately showing off. Just as she was about to retort, she saw Wang Qingyao suddenly unfold the handkerchief and say to Lightning, "Lightning, here's a little toy for you. Take it and play with it."
As if it understood human speech, the moment Wang Qingyao finished speaking, Lightning extended its beak, snatched the jade spider along with the handkerchief, and flew away like an arrow.
The entire process took less than three seconds, so fast that everyone else hadn't even reacted.
Fang Yuan saw a dark mass and asked, "What was that?"
Wang Qingyao replied, "A spider."
"Ah!" Fang Yuan shrieked. Such a large spider, even if she hadn't seen it clearly, the thought of it now made her face pale with fright and lingering dread.
"Why was there a spider in the handkerchief?"
Wang Qingyao turned her gaze to Bai Junchun, "Yes, why would there be a spider in the handkerchief?"
Fang Yuan also looked at Bai Junchun.
Bai San and Bai Si wore expressions of awkward confusion. It was truly strange, how could this Wang Qingyao be like she had a third eye?
Bai Junchun, ignoring her embarrassment, looked at the direction Lightning had disappeared with tears welling up. Her stepmother and father would scold her to death!
She never dreamed of this outcome! She had even considered that the jade spider wouldn't break if it landed on soft grass, but she never anticipated an eagle appearing halfway!
"Second Cousin, Second Cousin," she pleaded, looking at Wang Qingyao, "Please call that eagle back, my jade, my jade..."
She was so anxious she was about to cry, her voice laced with sobs.
Wang Qingyao calmly smiled at her, "What are you talking about? What jade?"
"That spider, it's carved from black jade, it's priceless, and very important to my elder brother!"
Wang Qingyao remained unhurried, "Oh, then why did you wrap it in a handkerchief and hand it to me?"
Bai Junchun finally showed a hint of embarrassment. She glanced nervously at the others. Bai San, Bai Si, Wang Qingzhen, and Wang Qingzhu only wanted to watch the show and not get involved, and seeing her look over, they immediately looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
Bai Junya apologized on her behalf, "I'm sorry, Second Cousin, my eldest sister just wanted to play a joke on you."
"Yes, I... I... I... I just wanted to play a joke on Second Cousin..." Bai Junchun stammered her explanation.
"A joke!" Wang Qingyao frowned slightly, her tone unfazed, "But I didn't know you were joking with me. I thought it was a real spider, and I was frightened."
She spoke of being frightened, but her face showed little sign of it. Bai Junchun was filled with doubt, but none of that mattered now. What mattered was whether her jade spider could be retrieved.
"I... I'm sorry," Bai Junchun apologized, her face red. "Can you call that eagle back? That jade spider is very important to me."
Wang Qingyao said earnestly, "Such a valuable item should not be used for jokes in the future. If it's lost or broken, it will be your own doing."
Bai Junchun's face turned even redder, and she emitted a mosquito-like hum of assent.
Wang Qingyao blew the jade whistle again, and soon, Lightning flew back. Wang Qingyao extended her arm, and it landed steadily on her forearm.
Unfortunately, it no longer held the damn spider in its beak.
Bai Junchun's face turned ashen, and she murmured, "The jade... the jade spider?"
Wang Qingyao showed a look of pity, "Perhaps Lightning thought it was real and dropped it in the mountains."
Bai Junchun looked blankly at the undulating mountain range in the distance. Even if she could find it, it would be shattered into pieces, right?
Her lips trembled, and her eyes lost focus. What to do? What to do? How would she explain this to her father and stepmother?
Recalling that she had no one to protect her after her birth mother's death, waves of fear and regret surged in her heart.
She looked at the Bai family members, then at Wang Qingyao, who looked sympathetic, and her eyes suddenly regained focus.
"Second Cousin," she lunged forward, attempting to grasp her hand. Lightning flapped its wings a few times, and she recoiled, only managing to say, "You are about to marry Prince Ding'an as his consort. Prince Ding'an is the wealthiest man in our Great Sheng Dynasty, and he lacks for nothing. Please compensate me for my jade spider!"
Bai Junchun knew that asking Wang Qingyao for compensation was somewhat unreasonable, so she lowered her posture, hoping that as relatives, she would soften her heart and agree.
Wang Qingyao looked incredulous, "On what grounds? Prince Ding'an's money isn't blown in by the wind. Why should others pay for your carelessness?"
Fang Yuan interjected, "Scaring people with a fake spider, I don't think you had good intentions either."
Bai Junchun's face turned beet red.