Meister der Mehrdeutigkeit

Kapitel 50

"...What are you laughing at?" Lian Zhao frowned slightly and asked.

Xiao Xiao laughed so hard she almost fell over. She sniffed, looked up, and said, trying not to laugh, "Are you... are you an idiot?"

Lian Zhao looked at her, puzzled.

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but laugh again. With tears in her eyes, she looked at him and said breathlessly, "You must... even if you were sold out, you would still count the money for the seller..."

"..." Lian Zhao looked at her smiling, not knowing what to say.

After a while, Xiaoxiao finally caught her breath and calmed down.

Lian Zhao then spoke with slight dissatisfaction, "I wasn't joking..."

"I know," Xiaoxiao nodded. "Every word you said came from the bottom of your heart, and every word was from the heart."

As Lian Zhao looked at her, a warm feeling stirred within him.

Xiao Xiao wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said with a smile, "God must be blind..."

"Huh?" Lian Zhao asked, puzzled.

Xiao Xiao didn't say anything, just smiled at him. Heaven must be blind. Otherwise, how could there be such a wonderful man in this world who told her he would fall in love with her? And so wholeheartedly, willingly…

Xiao Xiao looked up at the blind sky and thought to himself, "It's okay to stay blind!"

Just as she was thinking this, something suddenly fell from the sky and hit her directly on the head.

"Ouch!" Xiao Xiao clutched her head. No way? She's already getting her comeuppance?

Lian Zhao paused, looking at the sky in surprise. He saw a figure flash by and then disappear. He frowned, looked down, and saw a paper package at Xiao Xiao's feet—the very "hidden weapon" that had hit her earlier.

Lian Zhao picked up the paper package. "Xiao Xiao?"

The little girl rubbed her head, tears welling up in her eyes, and looked at the paper package. "What is this...?"

Lian Zhao opened the paper package and found a bronze token inside. "The Heavenly Hero Token?!"

Xiao Xiao froze for a moment, then immediately took the paper package. The Heavenly Hero Token? Didn't she use this to exchange for information with the "Music Workshop"? How did it suddenly fall from the sky?

She took out the Tianying Token, unfolded the paper wrapped around it, and discovered that it was a letter and a map.

"Respectfully submitted by Miss Zuo"

The day before yesterday, I parted ways with Miss Helan, admiring her charm and tracing her background.

Having learned your master's name, Helan, I am truly ashamed and have therefore returned the token, along with a sketch of the underground palace of Jiyu Mountain Villa, as a token of my apology. I hope you will use it with care.

I respectfully submit this for your consideration; please do not trouble yourself with a reply.

Helan Qifeng

After reading the letter, Xiao Xiao glanced cautiously at Lian Zhao. She saw that Lian Zhao hadn't even looked at her and continued chopping wood. She folded the letter, put it in her bosom, and then handed him the map, saying, "I exchanged my token for a map of the underground palace of Jiyu Manor…it might be related to Ling You…so…"

Lian Zhao looked up at the map. He put down his wood-chopping knife and said, "I'll go with you."

Xiao Xiao looked at him, then smiled and nodded.

...

The Cunning Rabbit with Three Burrows [Part 1]

The underground palace of Jiyu Manor was certainly not easy to enter. Xiao Xiao took the map and examined it carefully. The underground palace was intricate and complex, and she couldn't make heads or tails of it no matter how she looked at it.

Xiao Xiao frowned, deep in thought.

Lian Zhao looked at the map, then at her, and said, "Jiyu Manor is well-versed in feng shui principles, and its house layout often follows the methods of Qimen Dunjia."

"Huh?" Xiao Xiao blinked and asked.

Lian Zhao smiled. "The Shen family are renowned craftsmen appointed by the imperial court. My father is an official in the court, so we have some connections." He looked at the blueprint and said, "My father also said that the Shen family are proficient in the art of array formation. Although they are craftsmen, they should not be underestimated."

Xiao Xiao nodded. The Lian family were, after all, military generals, skilled in warfare, and their ability to arrange troops was second nature to them. Xiao Xiao handed over the map and asked, "So, where exactly is the entrance to this underground palace?"

Lian Zhao took the map and examined it carefully. He then asked, "Xiao Xiao, is Jiyu Manor really related to the woman's disappearance?"

"I guess so." Xiao Xiao scratched her head. "Why are you suddenly asking that?"

Lian Zhao thought for a moment and then said, "Although I have dealt with 'walking corpses' before, that doesn't mean we can conclude that Jiyu Manor is the murderer. Besides, the rescued Miss Zhao Yan also said that Jiyu Manor was framed..."

Xiao Xiao chuckled, "It's better to believe it's true than not to believe it's not." She thought for a moment and said, "Oh, I see. The young master of the prestigious Lian family must have never trespassed on private property. Hehe, actually, you don't necessarily have to come with me."

"Why do you talk as if you're good at trespassing?" Lian Zhao laughed.

Xiao Xiao tilted her head and said, "What would you do if I told you I'm really good at it?"

Lian Zhao was stunned, staring blankly at her.

Xiao Xiao chuckled and said, "Hehe, your expression is like you're about to arrest me and hand me over to the authorities."

"Nonsense." Lian Zhao said angrily, "Don't joke about this kind of thing!" He turned his head and continued to look at the map.

Xiao Xiao hugged her knees, head bowed, smiling. It seemed that if she wasn't lying, he really would drag her to the authorities. He truly hated evil, tsk…

Lian Zhao turned to look at her and said, "It seems that the secret passage in the main hall was the entrance to the underground palace."

Xiao Xiao was startled. "Huh?" She finally realized he was talking about the underground palace. "Oh... but the secret passage has been destroyed, so there's no way to get in?"

“No, not exactly.” Lian Zhao said, pointing to the map, “The underground palace is laid out according to the Bagua formation. In addition to the Life Gate in the main hall, there are also the Shock Gate and the Block Gate here that can be used as entrances.”

Xiao Xiao followed his finger and froze. The place the door was pointing to was none other than the boudoir of the eldest daughter of the Shen family…

Ah, how do I get there? Given Lian Zhao's personality, trespassing on a private residence is already the limit, let alone trespassing on a woman's private room? ???

It seems the only option is to close the door...

“I recognize this gate; it’s the back garden! Let’s go in from here!” Xiao Xiao said.

"The path of the Du Gate is more dangerous than that of the Jing Gate. With just you and me, I'm afraid..." Lian Zhao hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Xiao Xiao thought for a moment. At this point, she definitely couldn't ask Yin Xiao for help. So, the only person she could turn to was…

So, that night, Xiao Xiao looked helplessly at Lian Zhao and Wen Su, who were exchanging hostile glances.

"Uh..." Xiao Xiao began cautiously, "Uh, finding the needle is related to the safety of the East Sea disciples, so I asked my martial uncle for permission..."

"Why explain to him?" Wen Su asked coldly.

"Uh..." Xiao Xiao wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "Uncle-Master, Young Master Lian is a chivalrous and righteous man. We will surely succeed if we go together..."

“No need to say anything more to him,” Lian Zhao said, frowning.

Xiao Xiao sighed, "Anyway, more people means more opportunities! The underground palace of Jiyu Manor is fraught with danger, so three people can help each other out..."

Xiao Xiao talked for a long time, but the atmosphere between the two didn't improve at all. She had no choice but to give up. Sigh, she had originally called Yue Huaixi, but someone had to inform Yin Xiao, so she was left to deal with the situation alone. In short, God help her, she hoped those two wouldn't start fighting.

"It's getting late, let's explore the underground palace as soon as possible!"

Xiao Xiao took the map and examined it carefully. She walked to a rock and pushed it. A tunnel appeared before the three of them.

Xiao Xiao nodded in satisfaction, then took out a face mask from her bosom and covered her face. She handed the other two masks to Wen Su and Lian Zhao.

Wen Su glanced at the face mask with disdain, said nothing, and walked into the tunnel.

Lian Zhao frowned and followed.

She sighed helplessly and followed.

The tunnel was extremely dark, and Xiao Xiao could only barely make out the backs of the two people walking in front of her.

She vaguely remembered holding the map and nervously reporting to Wen Su. Wen Su asked her coldly, "Are you really going to have the young master of the Lian family go with you?"

Xiao Xiao nodded honestly.

Wen Su was somewhat displeased. "Haven't I told you many times already? You have absolutely no idea what he's up to. How can you trust him so much?"

Xiao Xiao thought for a moment and answered, "Yes."

Wen Su looked at her and said, "What about him? Would he trust you like that too?"

Xiao Xiao laughed and said, "His belief in me and my belief in him are two different things."

When Wen Su heard this, his eyelashes twitched slightly. He stood up and said, "Aren't you afraid that one day he will kill you because good and evil are irreconcilable?"

Xiao Xiao still smiled, "I'm scared!"

“You…” Wen Su didn’t know what to say.

"Don't worry, Uncle-Master. Now that I've decided to do this, I will bear whatever the future holds and won't cause you any trouble." Xiao Xiao smiled calmly, but her tone was resolute.

After a long silence, Wen Su said, "...Whatever you say."

Whatever the future holds, she will bear it herself. Xiao Xiao walked along, thinking about what she had said. She smiled helplessly; if she couldn't bear it… well, she'd deal with that later!

She smiled and quickened her pace to catch up.

Suddenly, Lian Zhao turned around and pressed the little head down.

Xiao Xiao was pinned down without knowing what was happening, and then several hidden weapons flew over her head and firmly embedded themselves in the stone wall.

"Xiaoxiao, stay close. The Du Gate is dangerous, don't wander off or touch anything." Lian Zhao pulled her up and said with concern.

"Mmm." Little Xiao nodded, still shaken.

Suddenly, several hidden weapons flew towards them. In the nick of time, Lian Zhao pulled Xiao Xiao behind him, drew his waist knife, and knocked the hidden weapons away.

Lian Zhao sheathed his sword and turned to look at Wen Su, who was standing not far ahead.

Wen Su crossed his arms and said coldly, "Xiao Xiao, remember what Young Master Lian said, don't cause trouble for others."

Xiao Xiao was a little puzzled, but immediately nodded in agreement. "Oh."

Lian Zhao said nothing more, and pulled Xiao Xiao up, "Let's go."

...

...This is a scene divider = =+...

Jiyu Manor has been attacked several times at night, and its main hall has been set on fire. Now, security has been strengthened every night, and the guards are patrolling more frequently.

However, such diligence was nothing special for Yin Xiao. Holding the map in his hand, he smiled and said, "That little girl is really capable; she even managed to get her hands on a map like this."

“Yes, and it took less than an incense stick’s time to draw an exact copy,” Yue Huaixi said, following Yin Xiao.

“Not surprising.” Silver Owl folded the map and said, “If you give her master a stick of incense, she can draw ten copies.”