Of course something's not right—who is Black Tiger? Is his mansion so easy to break into? How could he allow outsiders to explore all the way to the main house as if it were deserted?
Feng Chenxi's face was ashen as she said, word by word, "He did it on purpose! That means..."
Xiao Nuo interrupted her, saying, "In other words, what we just heard was something he deliberately made us hear. Therefore..."
“Therefore, there is no such person as Seventh Brother.” Feng Chenxi interrupted him, “Even if there were, he would never be called Seventh Brother.”
“That’s right.” Xiao Nuo nodded. “So, I said that Seventh Brother could be a woman, it could be you, it could be me… because if we really follow this clue, he could be anyone. Although Black Tiger’s plan is simple, if we are not careful, he will lead us astray and we will not be able to find the right direction.”
Feng Chenxi took a deep breath and said slowly, "It seems we still need to find someone..."
Xiao Nuo sighed and said, "I felt my right eye twitching non-stop when I woke up this morning. It really is a sign of financial loss."
Three gleaming gold ingots were placed on the table, making even the originally greasy and dilapidated wooden table seem to shine.
Noodles' eyes were still half-open, and its mouth was tightly shut.
Xiao Nuo looked at him with a bitter face, wanting to speak but not daring to. After a while, she took out two more gold ingots and placed them side by side with the three ingots.
Zhang the Noodles still didn't open his eyes or speak.
Xiao Nuo finally couldn't hold back any longer and exclaimed, "It's just a timetable and a lip-code, you're being too greedy!"
Lip codes, also known as secret language, jargon, street slang, or code words, are mostly coded words used to conceal meanings or allude to events. They are commonly used by people in the martial arts world. Some are well-known, while others are very different and secretive. In particular, the code words of different schools and sects vary greatly.
When Xiao Nuo and Feng Chenxi first visited the Black Tiger's mansion, they didn't encounter anyone who tried to stop them because he deliberately let them pass. However, their second investigation would likely be much more difficult. If they could obtain the shift schedule and code words for the night patrol guards at the Black Tiger's mansion, they could at least avoid alerting the enemy.
In the entire town of Baili, there is absolutely no one else besides Noodle Zhang who can provide this kind of information.
Hearing Xiao Nuo call out, Zhang the Noodles finally opened his eyes. Without saying a word, he picked up the gold ingots on the table and put them into his sleeve. Then he slowly got up and said slowly, "The shift changes every hour. It's almost 9 PM now. There must be thirty-six people waiting to change shifts at the west corner gate."
As he spoke, he walked towards the stove with the large iron pot on it without turning his head.
Xiao Nuo stood up and called out to his retreating figure, "Where's the lip stylist?"
“Lipsticks?” Zhang the Noodles paused slightly, turned around and smiled, “I already told you when you took out three gold ingots, but you were in a hurry and insisted on taking out two more. I couldn’t refuse your kindness, so of course I had to accept them… As the saying goes, silence is golden, silence is golden, it’s really true.”
"Silence is golden..." Xiao Nuo murmured several times, then suddenly jumped up, "You old fox, give me back my two ingots of gold—"
Black Tiger's Residence, West Corner Gate.
The West Corner Gate was not only the change of shift in the compound, but also very close to the guards' quarters. Most of the guards who had changed shifts were exhausted and just wanted to get back to their rooms to rest as soon as possible. The three or six guards who were taking over the patrol were still half asleep and their spirits were somewhat low. So the change of shifts was inevitably a bit chaotic, and in the chaos, there were bound to be some oversights.
Xiao Nuo and Feng Chenxi hid in the shadows and, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, darted into a side room like arrows, stole two sets of guard clothes, changed into them, and, not daring to linger for a moment, immediately rushed out again.
As soon as they stepped out, they had only taken a few steps when they bumped into several guards who had just finished their shift and were returning to rest. Xiao Nuo and Feng Chenxi did not dodge in any particular way; they simply lowered their heads and brushed past the guards, and surprisingly, no one paid any attention to them.
The Black Tiger Manor was heavily guarded, so it wasn't surprising that there were a few new recruits. Moreover, they never expected that the two people who had already been there would return.
Xiao Nuo and Feng Chenxi exchanged a quiet smile, quickened their pace, caught up with the patrol team that had just begun their patrol, and followed behind the last person.
Their footsteps were as light as cats', and they deliberately suppressed their breathing. The person at the back was completely unaware, and even if someone walked towards them, they wouldn't notice that there were two extra people in the patrol team.
As they walked, Xiao Nuo and Feng Chenxi noticed figures moving about in the corners of the woods, and occasionally flashes of sword light. Clearly, in addition to the patrol teams that worked every hour, there were also guards hidden in the shadows inside Black Tiger's mansion.
With such tight security, how could they have so easily explored the main house and overheard Black Tiger's conversation if Black Tiger hadn't deliberately let them through? And if they had tried to sneak in again during this second exploration, they probably wouldn't have been discovered after taking more than a few steps.
In retrospect, this blatant method of joining the patrol team, though dangerous and audacious, was the best and most effective one.
Most importantly, they were lucky, because the patrol was heading towards the main house.
Upon reaching the front of the house, Xiao Nuo quietly gestured to Feng Chenxi behind her. After turning the west corner of the house, which was a blind spot where no one could see them, they suddenly stopped. After the patrol team in front had gone far away, they turned around and walked out of the blind spot, exposing themselves to the sight of many guards hidden in the shadows.
"Keep going, don't stop," Xiao Nuo whispered to Feng Chenxi as they walked, her head slightly raised.
He knew that although they couldn't see those people, those people must be watching them right now.
It was only a few steps from here to the main house's gate, but for the two of them, it felt like an eternity. Finally reaching the door, a fine layer of sweat had appeared on Feng Chenxi's forehead. Just as she exhaled, two people suddenly emerged from inside, asking in a deep voice, "Password?"
Feng Chenxi clenched her teeth and remained silent. Although she was dressed as a guard, her presence alone would reveal that she was a woman.
Xiao Nuo stepped forward and partially shielded her, saying, "Silence is golden."
The two people inside the door didn't speak again, but they didn't move aside either.
Xiao Nuo and Feng Chenxi, unsure whether they had been seen through, could only stand there awkwardly. It felt like an eternity before the two asked again, "What do you want with the boss so late at night?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Xiao Nuo replied, "Of course, it's an urgent matter."
The two men were still asking questions, so Xiao Nuo boldly raised his face and said loudly, "This matter is of great importance. I can't tell you even if you keep asking. If you don't believe me, just call out the boss!"
Seeing that he was annoyed, the two men quickly smiled and said, "Brother, don't be anxious. You don't know, we just saw off two uninvited guests in this courtyard. The boss instructed us to be careful in everything. Since you have something urgent, brother, you should go in and report to the boss quickly."
Xiao Nuo snorted and turned to Feng Chenxi, saying, "Let's go!"
When no one was looking, he even made a face at her.
The atmosphere was originally extremely tense, but after he made such a bold move, Feng Chenxi felt that nothing was wrong. When she saw him make such a funny face, she almost laughed out loud. She quickly lowered her head and walked into the door.
The gate was still some distance from the main house. Xiao Nuo walked a bit, then casually turned around and saw the two guards whispering to each other. He then suddenly pulled Feng Chenxi and darted to the side of the main house like the wind. When the two men looked up again, they had already disappeared. They assumed that he had gone inside to see the boss and did not notice anything amiss.
Xiao Nuo and Feng Chenxi, hidden in the shadows of the house, let out a long breath. A gust of wind blew by, and both of them felt a cold sweat on their bodies.
After a short while, once their breathing had stabilized, the two of them hid in the shade of the large locust trees beside the house, just as they had done when they first arrived. After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they heard Black Tiger's voice coming from inside the house: "There has been no movement for so long, so those two probably won't be coming back."
Then the accountant's voice came in: "Right now, those two must be racking their brains trying to figure out who Seventh Brother really is."
"You acted very well too. If you hadn't pretended to be terrified of them, they probably wouldn't have believed in Seventh Brother's existence so easily."
"Hahaha, let them go find him then. There are countless people in the entire Baili Town who call themselves Seventh Brother. Boss, this plan of yours is truly brilliant!"
"It's not that I'm good, it's that my brother is more skilled. You and I are just trying to make a living under his command."
"Speaking of this, I really don't understand why my eldest brother insisted that we make up the story of Seventh Brother."
“Think about it, the head maid of the Xiao family died because of the cold medicine. The eldest young master has just taken over the family business. How can he let it go? My elder brother knew early on that the eldest young master would definitely send someone to investigate our strength and weakness. And everyone in Baili Town knows that I, Black Tiger, could never have become so powerful without a powerful backer. My elder brother deliberately had us create a Seventh Brother. Firstly, to mislead the eldest young master, and secondly, to protect his own identity from being exposed.”
"Oh, I see. Big Brother knows that your behind-the-scenes supporter will eventually reveal himself, so he simply created Seventh Brother to cover his tracks..."
“That’s right, that’s exactly it. And if things really come to a last resort, we can just find someone to impersonate Seventh Brother and take the blame.”
"Sigh, I must say, elder brother is being far too cautious. His identity in Baili City has never been questioned, and he has a close relationship with the eldest young master. Why go to all this trouble to put on this show?"
"Big brother is destined for great things. Even in the smallest matters, he is extremely cautious... Alright, that's enough for today. Let's get some rest. We still have a large batch of goods to ship tomorrow."
"yes."
Then the accountant came out and went straight out of the main house. After a while, all the candlelight in the main house went out, so it seemed that Black Tiger had gone to bed.
Feng Chenxi whispered in Xiao Nuo's ear, "Now that we've lost Seventh Brother, we have another Big Brother. Should we go find that accountant who likes to act again and ask him who Big Brother is? Judging from what he just said, he seems to know a little about Big Brother."
After speaking, she waited for a long time, but Xiao Nuo didn't react. She glanced to the side and saw that he looked serious and seemed to be thinking about something. So she tugged at him and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Nuo turned her face, her eyes flashing, and said, "Sister, do you know that there are three accountants in my family?"
Feng Chenxi never expected him to suddenly say such a thing, and asked blankly, "So what?"
Xiao Nuo shook his head, pondered for a long time, and then murmured, "I have never seen my father or mother talk so much with an accountant."
Feng Chenxi said, "That person might not be the real accountant. He could be Black Tiger's advisor or strategist or something."
“But…” Xiao Nuo kept shaking his head, “I don’t think he’s even half as shrewd as Black Tiger. Would a monkey ask a pig to be its strategist?”
His analogy, though laughable, was very apt. Feng Chenxi almost laughed when she first heard it, but after thinking about it carefully, she couldn't help but furrow her brows and say, "So, you mean..."
“I’m thinking,” Xiao Nuo interrupted her, as if answering, yet also as if talking to himself, “Since we can figure out that Black Tiger deliberately let us hear the name Seventh Brother, is it possible that Black Tiger also figured that out? And if he did, or if this is all a scheme within a scheme—he knows we will think that Seventh Brother is a fake, and he knows we will come back, so he waits here and puts on this show with that accountant for us, making us think that the second conversation we heard was real, then what does that mean?”
Feng Chenxi was shocked and blurted out, "This means that the conversation we heard the first time was the real one!"
In other words, Seventh Brother is indeed Black Tiger's behind-the-scenes supporter.
Disguise as bait
People's thinking tends to have a kind of inertia. For example, if there are two doors, and the first door is empty, but the second door reveals a clue, people will not go back to check the first door. This kind of blind spot in thinking is precisely the key to misleading many people into being deceived.
Therefore, the purpose of Black Tiger's scheme was not only to induce Xiao Nuo and me to investigate along the line of "a friend of the Xiao family - the eldest brother", but also to ensure that we would never suspect the so-called "Seventh Brother".
It seems he not only has a deep understanding of human nature, but also a certain level of knowledge about me and Xiao Nuo. He knew we would question the authenticity of our first conversation and then come back to test us again... Terrifying! This Black Tiger is indeed extraordinary.
However, I glanced at Xiao Nuo beside me—wasn't he even smarter, having seen through everything in the shortest time? Fortunately, he and I are not rivals, or rather, if I could, I would rather never be his rivals.
Xiao Nuo and I walked out the way we came, and when we leaped over the high wall, the bright moon was in the sky, and it was almost midnight. Puppet Alley was quiet, and all the doors and windows of every house were closed. There were only the two of us on the street, walking slowly.
"Do you think we could get an answer if we just asked Zhang Qige (Noodle Brother) directly?"
Xiao Nuo laughed: "I bet he doesn't know. If he even knew Seventh Brother's identity, he wouldn't be far from death. And a smart person wouldn't put himself in such a dangerous situation."
I understood what he meant. Zhang the Noodle was undoubtedly a very resourceful person. There was a limit to the amount of information he sold, and within that limit, the betrayed people would turn a blind eye. But once it involved extremely important secrets, he wouldn't feel at ease unless he killed him to silence him.
"How do we find Brother Seven in this vast sea of people?"
Xiao Nuo picked a leaf along the way and played with it in her hand, saying casually, "If a snake is hiding in a very deep hole, and you can't pour water in or burn it, do you have any other methods, sister?"
A sudden inspiration struck me, and I exclaimed, "Catch a frog and put it at the entrance of the hole to lure the snake out!"
Xiao Nuo's eyes lit up: "So, what is a frog to Seventh Brother?"
"High profits," I answered bluntly. "The reason he cultivated Black Tiger to monopolize the Cold-Calming Powder is because the Cold-Calming Powder is highly profitable. If we pretend to be businessmen and do a big deal with him, he probably won't refuse."
Xiao Nuo's eyes brightened, and the smile on her lips deepened. She said leisurely, "So what kind of big deal could possibly tempt him?"
"A larger supply of goods, a simpler method for preparing cold-natured powder, and..."
He continued what I was saying: "Take Black Tiger's place."
Indeed, after the Youli incident, although Xiao Mo didn't pursue the matter further with Hei Hu, he was ultimately exposed, and this pawn is no longer safe. If I were Seventh Brother, I would definitely seek out a better pawn to ensure the secrecy of the plan.
Looking at Xiao Nuo, I couldn't help but admire his intelligence once again. Why would someone so intelligent pretend to be stupid and naive? Could it be that he also has some hidden secret?
Just as I was thinking that, I saw his eyes flicker a few times, and he put his arm around my shoulder like a good buddy, leaned close to my ear and chuckled, "Ah, I wonder if this bait is heavy enough, a handsome and dashing noble young master from Jiangnan has come to Baili Town with his beautiful concubine, asking to meet with Seventh Brother to discuss business?"
My ears burned instantly. How dare you, Xiao Nuo, take advantage of me! So I turned to him, smiled sweetly, and said softly, "Of course it's good. A naive and inexperienced spendthrift young master, indecisive yet obedient, is indeed a very good pawn. However—"
Xiao Nuo raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "But what?"
"However, I'm the one playing the young master and you're the beautiful concubine!" Before I finished speaking, I grabbed his arm and threw him away with an over-the-shoulder throw.
But then I saw him fly straight up several feet before doing a somersault in mid-air, landing lightly on the ground like a swallow. He laughed at me, his eyes and brows full of mischief.
This! This! This… What a lovable yet mischievous child…
The next day, the autumn sky was clear and the sun shone brightly.
I led the donkey down the long street, and wherever we went, people stared in amazement. Their expressions varied greatly; some were dumbfounded, while others burst into laughter. There was even a child who, upon seeing us, dropped his candied hawthorn and started crying, no matter how his mother tried to comfort him.