Geschichte über einen Ehemanndiebstahl

Kapitel 49

Chapter Twenty: Names and Surnames • Aftermath

Upon hearing this, Li Lingke, who was diagonally opposite, raised an eyebrow, his rosy lips curving into a smile that was three parts wicked and seven parts nonchalant: "Yiyi, you can't say that. I only borrowed the things, and I returned them all later, didn't I? As for those who died, it wasn't my place to personally deal with them."

Liu Yichen slammed his fist on the table, his eyes bloodshot, and asked in a low voice through gritted teeth, "You admit that you ordered those two to harm Yue Ru?"

Everyone at the table turned to look at Li Lingke, but he calmly picked up his wine cup, brought the rim to his lips, paused slightly, and looked at Duan Chen with a smile in his azure eyes: "Luo'er, what do you say?"

Duan Chen stiffened slightly, his eyes coldly fixed on the man, his voice slightly hoarse: "Who gave you permission to call me that?"

Li Lingke downed his drink in one gulp, his deep blue eyes fixed on Duan Chen. His tongue slowly slid over his inner teeth, and suddenly a smile bloomed on his face: "Don't you like this name? Is it because it's your real name?"

Duan Chen pressed his lips tightly together, his phoenix eyes growing even colder, yet his hand under the table trembled slightly. The people around the table cast inquiring or questioning glances, and Duan Chen felt as if thorns were pricking his back; his chest tightened, causing the wound on his back to ache.

Li Lingke held his wine cup, his smile growing increasingly playful. His voice, tinged with an exotic accent, continued, slightly muffled, "Duan Chen, Duan Chen, severing ties with the past. Did you choose this name yourself, or did Yiyi help you?"

"Ah Ke, don't go too far!" Before Duan Chen could answer, Xiao Yiyi had already spoken up. She glanced at Li Linke with a slightly reproachful look in her beautiful eyes, and at the same time reached out and covered Duan Chen's cold fingers, patting them gently.

Li Lingke gave a sly smile and remained silent, his eyes, which had been fixed on Duan Chen, flashing with a certain light. Xiao Yiyi couldn't help but sigh inwardly; it seemed she would have to remind Luo'er when they got back.

Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting, however, could not hide their complicated expressions. Zhao Ting couldn't help but recall that Duan Chen's emotions had clearly been somewhat abnormal when Xiao Yiyi's identity was mentioned a couple of days ago. Could it be...? His dark eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze towards Duan Chen became more inquisitive.

Zhan Yun felt a surge of frustration. He prided himself on his meticulousness and his calm and steady approach to things, but with Duan Chen, he had made the same mistake several times in a row. He had spent several days with her before, even getting into a physical altercation, yet he hadn't suspected her gender at all. Now, a Western Xia person he'd only known for a few days noticed something odd about her name, as if it were an alias. Yet, despite thinking about this person for almost a year, he hadn't considered this possibility at all.

Zhou Yufei had previously had several vital acupoints sealed by the two men, leaving him standing in the courtyard in the cold wind, unable to move or speak. Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun, preoccupied with their own thoughts, ignored him until half an hour later when Liu Yichen finally came out to unseal the seals. Coupled with the severe punches Zhao Ting had delivered the night before, his entire body ached terribly. Therefore, from the moment he sat down in the chair, Zhou Yufei slumped listlessly on the table, too lazy to utter a single word. Seeing the eerily quiet atmosphere at the table, he weakly pursed his lips and said, "Xingzhi, quickly pour me some saliva. And Duan Chen, quickly give me one of those medicines Mr. Xiao gave you; I have serious internal injuries..."

Zhan Yun picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it towards Zhao Ting. Zhao Ting, annoyed, grabbed the cup and slammed it down in front of Zhou Yufei, the force causing a few drops of water to splash onto the table. Duan Chen's face was already pale; at the sound of Zhao Ting's movement, he looked up coldly, his eyes filled with a deep desolation, yet a faint smile played on his lips, a smile that seemed mocking, yet also subtly tinged with sorrow. Zhao Ting happened to turn his gaze back and, seeing Duan Chen's expression, was slightly taken aback. His brows furrowed, and a strange, heavy feeling welled up inside him.

Upon seeing her expression, Zhan Yun guessed that she was probably thinking too much, and quickly tried to say something: "Chen'er..."

"Just call me Xiao Duan." Duan Chen withdrew her gaze, glanced indifferently at Zhan Yun, then turned to the others at the table, her expression indifferent and her voice cold: "My name is Duan Chen, I have no courtesy name or pseudonym, but my friends in the martial world call me 'Xiao Duan' out of courtesy. I usually dress as a man when I travel around the prefectures. This time, in order to enter Wanliu Manor, I lied and said I was a distant cousin of Young Master Xingzhi. Now that things are almost settled, I only hope that Second Master Liu can keep his promise and give me the painting that Chief Liu painted back then. If we meet again in the future, I hope that none of you will expose my disguise as a woman. Duan Chen thanks you in advance."

"Huh? So you're that 'Little Duan'!" Xiao Changqing's eyes widened in surprise, her round eyes filled with more joy than astonishment. She nudged the person next to her with her elbow repeatedly, "Zuo Xin, Zuo Xin, she's the Little Duan I told you about! The Little Duan who's famous throughout Zhejiang and Jiangsu, who solved countless difficult and strange cases in just three years!"

Zuo Xin raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips: "I am far away in the Jinghu area, but I have long heard of this name. I never expected to meet you here. My apologies!" He then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

Duan Chen, unable to move, simply nodded slightly: "Master Zuo, you're too kind. I'm just trying to make a living; I can't compare to everyone here."

Upon hearing Duan Chen's words, Zhan Yun inwardly cried out in alarm. It was clear that Duan Chen was trying to distance himself from him, explain everything, and then leave!

Zhao Ting and Zhou Yufei's expressions were also somewhat subtle. Just as Zhou Yufei was about to chime in, he felt a hard kick to his shin. His elbow, which was resting on the table, lost its grip, and his chin slammed against the edge of the table with a thud. The young master Zhou rubbed his chin, his face contorted in pain, and glared fiercely at Zhao Ting—was it really necessary?! We've been brothers for so many years, and you're so ruthless!

Zhao Ting glared back coldly without any attempt to hide it—it's all because you meddlesome and wanted to drink tea! Otherwise, why would Duan Chen's expression have changed so drastically, and why would he speak so coldly and ruthlessly, not even calling him "Chen'er" anymore?

Liu Yichen had naturally heard of the name Duan Chen before, and he was quite surprised to hear Duan Chen's words. But he couldn't care less about pleasantries at the moment, and hurriedly turned to ask, "Miss Duan, do you know who killed Yue Ru?"

Duan Chen hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly: "I'm only 70% sure. To be sure, I'll need Second Master Liu's cooperation."

“Of course there’s no problem!” Liu Yichen nodded repeatedly, but a hint of suspicion appeared on his face: “Miss Duan, the person who killed Yue Ru is really not…” As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Li Lingke, who was sitting diagonally opposite him.

Li Lingke remained silent, only winking playfully at Duan Chen, a strange light flashing in his azure eyes. Duan Chen remained expressionless and said softly, "If Second Master Liu wants to enjoy this meal properly, it's best if he doesn't know for now."

Everyone's expression changed upon hearing this, but Li Lingke laughed out loud: "Good! Sharp eyes, meticulous mind, and ruthless words—no wonder I've chosen her!" With that, he stood up and walked out, brandishing the sandalwood hairpin in his hand: "With her here, she will not wrong me by a single point, nor will she fail to reveal the truth in the slightest. Farewell, everyone!"

Li Lingke was only halfway through his sentence when Duan Chen stood up. By the time he caught up with Li Lingke, the two were already standing face to face in the courtyard. The group of people around the table also followed them out. As soon as Xiao Yiyi stepped out the door, she called out, "A-Ke, don't do anything reckless! She's badly injured."

Liu Yichen, Zuo Xin, and Xiao Changqing stood on one side, while Zhan Yun, Zhao Ting, and Zhou Yufei stood on the other, surrounding the two in the center, glaring at Li Lingke. "You can't leave." Duan Chen stood opposite him, the two only a foot apart.

Li Linke reached out and touched Duan Chen's slightly cool cheek, his blue eyes narrowing slightly, and the curve of his lips showing that he was in a very good mood: "Don't worry, you'll see me quite often in the future."

Zhao Tingyi's eyes were practically spitting fire, his sword-like eyebrows furrowed tightly: "Li Lingke, let go!"

Zhan Yun reached out and stopped Zhao Ting from stepping forward, gently shaking his head at him. Then he looked at the man with a calm and composed expression and said, "You can't leave until things are completely clear."

Li Lingke lowered his hand, raised an eyebrow, and smiled wickedly: "What, you don't understand? You guys spent the whole night last night trying to figure it out, didn't you?" As he spoke, he pointed his index finger in Liu Yichen's direction: "His father is my man, but what happened last night was done behind my back. Still don't understand?"

After saying that, she reached out and stroked Duan Chen's cheek, a hint of longing in her eyes. Then, she leaped into the air and jumped over the rooftop in a few steps. At the same time, her slightly hoarse voice rang in everyone's ears: "If there's anything you don't understand, ask my Luo'er. She'll definitely know."

Everyone present knew Li Lingge's skills, and given his sensitive identity, they refrained from pursuing him. If they worked together, capturing or severely injuring him wouldn't be difficult, but he was, after all, a member of the Western Xia royal family. Everyone connected to him, except for the old master of the manor, was dead; no one could prove that the bloodshed at the manor was instigated by him. Therefore, acting rashly and injuring or killing someone would inevitably escalate the conflict between Western Xia and the Song Dynasty. In recent years, Western Xia had been making various small moves, seemingly preparing to break away from the Song's control. If things went wrong, it could easily give Western Xia a pretext to rebel against the Song. Because this matter involved state affairs, and everyone already knew Zhao Ting and Zhou Yufei's identities, they all followed their lead. Since Zhao Ting didn't act, others naturally didn't pursue him further.

Last night, Liu Yichen led his men to the back courtyard, just in time to find Old Master Liu holding the Caiwei Axe, intending to commit suicide. They managed to stop him, but from that moment on, Old Master Liu became delirious, speaking incoherently and unable to recognize people. He kept pulling at Liu Yichen, calling him "Ah Xuan," and then apologizing to his granddaughter. Liu Yichen was confused, but he could discern some clues. He sent men to take care of the old master, then took the Caiwei Axe back to the courtyard to find Li Lingke.

The others were all sitting in their rooms when they heard the commotion outside and came out as well. Li Lingke readily admitted it, sipping his tea and jokingly scolding, "Your father was loyal to my Western Xia. According to the principles of you Central Plains people, you, Liu Yichen, should also be filial to your father. Why don't you kneel down and kowtow to my Li family!"

These words enraged Liu Yichen, who immediately grabbed his axe and swung it at Li Linke. The two exchanged thirty blows in no time, but Li Linke, using only one hand, quickly brought them to the rooftop. Just as they were locked in a fierce fight, a voice boomed angrily from the courtyard, first cursing Li Linke: "You invited me to watch a show, and now you've seriously injured my disciple, almost killing him! And you still have the nerve to fight with people here!"

Then she cursed Liu Yichen, saying, "You surnamed Liu, I won't settle the score from twenty years ago, but the day we met twenty years later, you almost killed my disciple again. If you hit me again, I'll take my people back to the mountain, and you two can fight until dawn without anyone interfering!"

Both men were in their forties, and each held considerable power and status. They hadn't been so harshly criticized in years, especially with so many people in the courtyard. They were both embarrassed and stopped what they were doing. As soon as Li Linke came down, he smiled and asked, "Is that girl awake?" Liu Yichen cautiously approached, her face slightly flushed, but she kept calling out to Yiyi, stammering, "Don't go."

Xiao Yiyi turned around with her hands on her hips, glanced at the people standing beside her, rolled her eyes, and said, "What are you looking at! Haven't you ever seen a beautiful woman before?"

One sentence made Zhan Yunqing cough and Zhao Ting's face darken. So that's how Qingzi learned her words and actions! The two of them immediately thought, Duan Chen has it tough! Xiao Changqing, on the other hand, walked up to her generously, looked Xiao Yiyi up and down, and then clicked his tongue in admiration, "What dye did you use to make her hair? It looks so natural!"

Xiao Yiyi immediately rolled her eyes, while Liu Yichen and Li Lingke beside her both had slightly somber expressions. Xiao Changqing scrutinized the head of silver hair for a while, then pointed at it with a look of sudden realization, "Wow! His hair turned white overnight!"

Xiao Yiyi didn't care. She reached out and smoothed the stray hairs on her cheek, then looked at the people around her with their various expressions: Why are you out here in the cold? Come inside and talk! First, explain to your mother what happened to my disciple falling into the water!

Li Lingge's room was the largest and diagonally opposite Duan Chen's room, so naturally, everyone went into that room. Liu Yichen recounted what had happened in the old master Liu's room, then looked at Xiao Yiyi with red eyes. After a long while, he said in a hoarse voice, "Back then, my elder brother knew about this, and that's why..."

Xiao Yiyi smiled and nodded gently, saying, "Otherwise, do you think he was upset because he did something so trivial and was afraid I wouldn't forgive him?"

Liu Yichen almost burst into tears immediately. Xiao Yiyi patted his shoulder and teased, "Don't be like that. You're such a grown man, why are you still acting like a child? Yixuan and I have never blamed you."

Li Lingke maintained a faint smile. Seeing that neither of them spoke, he raised an eyebrow: "The misunderstanding has been cleared up?"

The people around him sat quietly. As soon as Li Linke said this, they all started asking questions, naturally pointing the finger at him. But he just curled the corner of his mouth and raised his chin towards Liu Yichen: What happened tonight was all his father's doing, it has nothing to do with me.