The man in blue thought it was a good idea and quickly turned around to instruct, "Lu San, you take Young Master Yi and Steward Liu to settle them in. Don't be impolite."
“Yes,” Lu San said with a beaming smile, bowing and gesturing, “This way, young master.”
The young master nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."
.
The thin man named Lu San was very talkative. He led the two men into the city, introducing this and that along the way. His bright eyes gleamed with a cunning look. The young master pursed his lips and followed him, seemingly in good spirits.
Soon, Lu San led the two through a tall gate.
Inside was a large garden, lush with greenery and magnificent pavilions. Many guards stood on the covered walkways, all wearing white belts, and they all bowed respectfully to the young master and his party.
The guest rooms are upstairs, two rooms in one entrance, very spacious and bright, with exquisite furnishings and complete items. Expensive sandalwood incense is already burning in the small stove, clean and warm water is in the basin, and teacups on the table are still steaming, showing that the time of the guests' arrival has been calculated.
The young master went straight over and sat down.
Lu San said, "This is Young Master Yi's room, and next door is Steward Liu's. Someone will bring bath water later. Is there anything else you two would like to instruct us to do?"
Liu Bai quickly clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Brother Lu, please go ahead with your business. We'll make ourselves at home."
Lu San nodded, but stood there for a long time without leaving, glancing at the young master beside him.
Liu Bai found it strange.
Lu San blinked: "Does Young Master Yi have any further instructions?"
The young master finally spoke: "Yes, come here."
Lu San was surprised and paused for a moment before walking up to him.
The young master swiftly grabbed the small hand and pulled her into his arms: "Little girl, you're running around again. Is this the kind of place you're supposed to be? Be careful you don't cause trouble!"
A crisp laugh rang out from my arms.
Liu Bai was dumbfounded.
The young master reached out and ripped off his mask. Instantly, his full beard disappeared, and his beautiful, cunning oval face reappeared before him, his large eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, like a sleepy kitten.
She straightened up: "How did you figure that out?"
The young master remained silent, his face expressionless.
Qiu Lingling became uneasy and gently tugged at him: "Don't be angry, I'll leave after watching the Golden Autumn Festival, nothing will happen."
A hint of a smile played in his eyes as the young master sighed, "The Thousand Hands Sect stole Shui Fengqing's Thousand-Year Warm Jade Cup, and you still dare to sneak in? Follow me carefully and don't run around again."
Liu Bai snapped out of his daze and hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade him: "Young Master, this is probably not a good idea. The number of people coming to Tianshui City is already set. If there is suddenly one more, it will be hard to say what will happen. Miss Lingling's disguise skills are superb. If she follows us, she will be more likely to be discovered. If people find out that she is from the Thousand Hands Sect, wouldn't that implicate her?"
The young master frowned. The reasoning was correct, but the kitten's behavior was really worrying.
Qiu Lingling hurriedly said, "Don't worry, I've been here for several days and no one has noticed. Besides, I know the way out and can escape."
Liu Bai laughed and said, "I've long heard that the Thousand Hands Sect is the most well-informed, but I didn't expect they even know the way into Tianshui City."
Even the Thousand Hands Sect didn't know; it was Jiang Xiaohu who told them. Qiu Lingling rolled her eyes.
The young master released her: "Go ahead, come find me if you need anything."
.
Qiu Lingling put her mask back on and left. The room immediately fell silent. Liu Bai glanced at the door, then looked at the young master, clearly with a hidden meaning, as if asking for instructions.
The young master raised his hand to stop him: "Eavesdropping is too rude. Why don't you come in and talk?"
"I came to greet Young Master Yi with good intentions, but now I'm being wrongly accused of eavesdropping." Amidst the sigh, a woman gracefully entered, her white robes swaying like snowflakes in the wind, appearing delicate and pitiful. No one would have guessed that this serene and elegant woman before them was none other than the alluring and beautiful Lan Xinluo.
The young master frowned slightly, then smiled and said, "So Miss Xinluo also received an invitation."
“Young Master Yi, are you trying to make fun of me?” Lan Xinlu covered her mouth. “How could a mere woman like me have the ability to receive an invitation from the Water City Lord? My father is too busy, so I came in his place.”
The young master said, "Jiang Xiaohu's wife also has the surname Lan."
Lan Xinluo exclaimed "Ah!" and chuckled, "Young Master Yi cares a lot about other people's wives."
The young master wasn't angry; he glanced at her meaningfully and said, "Lan Xinyue, how does she compare to Lan Xinluo?"
Lan Xinlu rolled her eyes: "They just have similar names. There are many people in this world with the same name. Does Young Master Yi think they must be siblings?"
The young master shook his head: "Whether they are sisters or not is not important. I am only worried that you have gone to so much trouble, only to find out in the end that the treasure is nothing but a figment of your imagination. Wouldn't you be disappointed?"
“I’m also very scared, but these things are like doing business, there will always be some risks,” Lan Xinluo sighed, changing the subject. “In comparison, the ‘Daylight Startling Wind Sword Manual’ and the Jiang family’s wealth over the generations are much more substantial. Even if we lose, Young Master Yi can rest assured that you will not lose money.”
The young master smiled but said nothing.
Lan Xinluo glanced outside the door and raised an eyebrow: "I never imagined that Young Master Yi's confidante would be from the Thousand Hands Sect."
The young master said, "Is that strange?"
Lan Xinluo said in a gentle voice, "Perhaps you don't know, but Jin Huanlai is Jiang Xiaohu's friend."
"It really does have its benefits to plant spies among others." His expression showed no surprise.
"If we deal with Jiang Xiaohu, we may become enemies with the Thousand Hands Sect in the future."
The young master glanced at her and said, "She is a member of the Thousand Hands Sect. I have my reasons for approaching her. Miss Xinluo, you can rest assured and do your important business."
Lan Xinlu blinked her beautiful eyes: "Are you explaining this to me?"
The young master picked up his teacup: "Do I need to explain myself to you?"
The two were being intimate, and Liu Bai, watching from the side, felt awkward, unsure whether to stay or leave. He cursed inwardly, "Damn it, are they treating me like I'm invisible? If the young master really marries this scourge, I might as well go back to the countryside and grow radishes. Otherwise, this vixen will kill me sooner or later."
Lan Xinlu stared at him for a while, then suddenly chuckled softly and leaned close to his ear: "Yes, of course, because I want you to explain to me that I like it."
The young master smiled enigmatically: "Is that so?"
Lan Xinlu glared at him and said softly, "You called yourself a shrewd businessman, but you're just a fool. Can't you see that he's jealous of you?"
The young master smiled and said, "This is not good news."
"Of all these men, you're the only one who doesn't care," Lan Xinluo sighed softly, her brows furrowed. "Actually, I can be quite jealous. Look at you, you actually took the initiative to hug another woman."
The young master put down his teacup: "How do you plan to be jealous?"
“Ah, let me think,” Lan Xinluo’s eyes flickered as she lightly touched her forehead with her fingers and glanced sideways. “Tell me, if Shui Fengqing knew that the Thousand Hands Sect had come to Tianshui City, what would he do…”
The young master interrupted her: "He won't know."
"So confident?"
"I still need her, and I don't want anyone to ruin things." There seemed to be a smile in Peach Blossom's eyes, exuding endless charm, but her tone was surprisingly calm, even sounding somewhat cold.
Lan Xinlu stopped laughing and clapped her hands casually: "It's getting late, I should go back to my room."
The young master said, "No need to see me off."
Lan Xinlu glared at him: "Won't you even pretend to let me stay?"
The young master smiled and said, "If Miss Xinluo truly wishes to stay, why would I need to say it?"
Lan Xinluo said no more and turned to leave.
Liu Bai finally breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned: "What if she tells on me?"
The young master remained silent.
.
In Xinqinglou, a serene face reflected in the candlelight, like a person in a dream, the gentle and peaceful zither music gradually turned low, revealing a trace of sadness and helplessness.
Jin Huanlai suddenly said, "There's no need to play anymore."
The music stopped, and Qing Si smiled apologetically: "You spend a lot of money coming here every day, but you just sit there in silence. I wanted to play the zither to help you relieve your stress, but I don't know if I've been having some things on my mind lately, so I can't even play the zither well."
"Now that you are famous throughout Jiangnan, that person may find you soon, so why bother yourself?"
“Young Master Ning is a kindred spirit,” Qing Si said, bowing her head. “But I realized today that I was wrong. What good is finding him? Qing Si is just a courtesan. Perhaps he already has many wives and concubines. If he were truly a decent man, why would he come to a place like this? If he didn’t come, how would he know it was me?”
Jin remained silent for a long while before saying, "I'm leaving now."
Qing Si suddenly stood up: "Young Master Ning, please wait!"
Jin was slightly taken aback.
Qing Si seemed a little nervous, her hands clasped together, her eyes lowered: "Young Master Ning... may you stay tonight?"
Jin frowned: "You..."
Qing Si remained silent for a while, then smiled slightly, her tone a little desolate: "How long can a courtesan stay in a place like this? Starting tomorrow, Qing Si will have to entertain guests." It was already quite embarrassing for such a proud woman to take the initiative to ask guests to stay. She turned her face away: "Since there is no other choice, Qing Si would rather make her own decision."
Jin replied coldly, "Do you know who I am?"
Qing Si said softly, "It doesn't matter who it is. I am just a courtesan. No matter how famous I am, I am still a person of the world and my status is extremely low. I only wish that my first customer is a kindred spirit. If Young Master Ning looks down on me, I will have no complaints."
It was already difficult enough for her to say such a long sentence. Her face was flushed, and she was incredibly shy. The face in her memory began to come clear again, and Jin was a little dazed.
The door was knocked on rhythmically.
Jin came to his senses, opened the door, and stood outside, looking nervous, holding a letter in his hand, and said in a low voice, "Master, this was sent by someone from Tianshui City."
After opening it and glancing at it, Jin frowned: "Spies, who did they arrest?"
Protector Qian looked troubled: "It seems that Miss Lingling has gone to Tianshui City."
Jin Huanlai's expression changed slightly, and he tossed the letter into his hand before leaving.
Qing Si stood quietly for a moment, then lowered her head, clenched her fists so tightly that her sharp nails almost dug into her flesh. She felt cold and desperate. She had thought that she had gained some confidence by keeping him around for so many days, but she had made a big mistake. She was still too impatient.
Seeing that something was wrong, the maidservant stepped forward: "Miss, should we ask Mama to postpone it...?"
"Postponing it? Can that fool this person?" she said calmly. "No need. We'll proceed as usual tomorrow night."
She didn't look at his hands, but her intuition told her that he was the one. Since she had decided to do this, she should have known that she would pay the price sooner or later.
.
On the eve of the Golden Autumn Gathering, Thousand Hands Cult spies infiltrated the city. The news quickly spread throughout Tianshui City. Although martial law was not enforced on the streets, many patrol teams were added. In order to ensure the safety of the distinguished guests, the number of guards in the garden was also increased.
As the young master descended the stairs in the darkness, he saw Lan Xinluo standing beside the artificial hill, fanning herself with her hand, her eyes smiling.
The young master smiled and said, "It's so late, and Miss Xinluo is still outside. What a pleasant experience."
"I was just waiting for you," she said coquettishly, swaying her slender waist as she stood beside him in the blink of an eye. "I know that Young Master Yi must be eager to see me right now."
The young master asked, "Who went to report it?"
She chuckled, "What, feeling sorry for him?" and patted his face with her hand.