Compendio de hombres apuestos en el mundo de las artes marciales

Capítulo 95

Zhao Ting nodded in agreement: "This man is burly and you can tell he has a good foundation in martial arts. If we didn't use some special means to subdue him, he wouldn't be able to just sit there and be slaughtered without any resistance."

Xiao Changqing chuckled twice, and seeing everyone looking at him, he quickly shook his head: "It's nothing, I was just wondering... could it be that these three people, like the others last time, took the Five-Stone Powder and were then seduced..."

Zhou Yufei nodded with a serious expression: "Maybe!"

Zuo Xin looked up at the bright sunshine outside the window. These two have been finding more and more common ground lately!

Zhao Ting glared at Zhou Yufei, then turned to Duan Chen: "Chen'er, do you have any thoughts?"

Duan Chen helped the coroner gather the clothes off the bodies and covered them with a white sheet again, saying softly, "Let's talk outside. I want to look at the files on these three people first."

Everyone returned to the front hall. Cao Minde was busy processing documents in his study when the young registrar handed him a few pages: "These are some of the findings we've gathered in the last two days."

Duan Chen and the others each took a card, huddled together in twos and threes to look at it, and then exchanged cards. Finally, they all looked up at the registrar and asked in unison, "Why isn't there a third person's card?"

The registrar tugged at his sleeve with some difficulty: "The third person... it seems, it seems not..."

Zhao Ting recalled the man's facial features, raised an eyebrow, and replied, "Not a citizen of my Great Song Dynasty?"

The young clerk nodded repeatedly and replied timidly, "That's what Lord Cao said. Everyone searched all day yesterday without any results, so Lord Cao went to the coroner's office to take a look at the deceased and said that his appearance was more like that of someone from the Liao or Western Xia..."

Zhou Yufei shook the Xuan paper in his hand and raised one corner of his mouth: "This is really interesting! A daughter of a prime minister, a poor scholar, and a barbarian with an unknown background. The three have absolutely nothing in common. What is this murderer trying to do?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Duan Chen. Duan Chen pondered for a moment, then said softly, "There must be a connection between these things. We need to determine the identity of the third person first; that might give us some clues."

As everyone was talking, a constable rushed in, holding an envelope in his hand: "Young Master Duan, your letter."

Duan Chen took the envelope and looked at it. There were no words on it, so he asked the constable, "Who sent this?"

The constable quickly replied, "It's quite a coincidence. Just as I stepped out of the yamen gate, a young boy ran over and handed me a letter, asking me to give it to a young master surnamed Duan." After saying this, he bowed to the crowd and withdrew.

Just as Duan Chen was about to open the letter, two hands reached out from either side, stopping her. Zhan Yun smiled faintly: "I'll do it." This letter was strange; what if there was a trap inside?

Zhao Ting took the envelope directly. Seeing that both of them were looking at him, he pursed his thin lips and curved them into an arc: "I'll do it." He naturally couldn't let Duan Chen take the risk. Zhan Yun's body hadn't fully recovered yet, and if he got injured again, Duan Chen would definitely feel sorry for him.

Xiao Changqing clicked his tongue in admiration from the side: "I never thought that the young prince was such a devoted person!" Not only did he protect Duan Chen, but he also protected Duan Chen's beloved. Such a level of devotion is something that most people can't reach!

Zuo Xin quickly nudged Xiao Changqing's arm and winked at him, indicating that there were still outsiders present!

Sure enough, as Zhou Yufei raised his hand to rub his forehead, the young registrar's eyes widened, and he stammered as he pointed at Duan Chen and the other two: "You..."

Zhao Ting glanced at him and exclaimed, "What?!" Zhan Yun looked at Duan Chen's long robe and couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. He really needed to be more careful in the future, otherwise, given his interactions with Duan Chen, it would be easy for people to have any wild thoughts.

The newly appointed registrar, who had been in office for less than a month, quickly covered his mouth and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Nothing, nothing!" He secretly resolved that for the sake of the young prince and Young Master Xingzhi's reputation, he would absolutely not reveal anything! Then, he looked at Duan Chen with some curiosity, blinking his eyes. "Young Master Duan is handsome, extremely intelligent, and shrewd in both mind and means. No wonder the young prince and Young Master Xingzhi are so fond of him..."

Zhao Ting snorted coldly and glanced at the registrar with some impatience: "Knife."

The young clerk was taken aback, but quickly realized that Zhao Ting wanted a paper cutter from him. He hurriedly took it from the table and presented it with both hands with a respectful expression. After opening the envelope, he found an ordinary piece of paper inside. Zhao Ting turned the letter over and over to examine it before handing it to Duan Chen.

Duan Chen thanked him, opened the letter which had been folded in two, and when Chu Yi saw the handwriting, his delicate eyebrows twitched and his lips tightened slightly.

The letter contained only a few words: "Luo'er, at 11:45 noon, let's gather at Qingsha Workshop. We have important matters to discuss; please do not bring any irrelevant people." The last four words, "irrelevant people," were written with such force that they seemed to leap off the page, written in a somewhat flamboyant style.

The others waited on the side, and when they saw Duan Chen put away the letter, they all asked, "What happened?"

Duan Chen lowered his phoenix eyes and softly uttered a single word: "Li".

Because there were other people present, and because Li Linke's identity was special, Duan Chen did not reveal his full name, but everyone present realized who it was.

Not long after the last incident, Li Lingke had acted with utter audacity. First, there was the woman in crimson robes impersonating Jiang Xueluo; second, the antidote that saved Zhan Yun's life at a crucial moment. Not only had he infiltrated Zhao Ting's army from the palace undetected, saving Duan Chen's life right under everyone's noses, but he had also openly sent his men to the Seventh Prince's residence, causing chaos and even implicating Zhou Yufei!

Because of these two incidents, everyone was quite wary of Li Linge, but they tacitly suppressed the matter. Therefore, until now, Lord Cao and the Seventh Prince are still completely unaware of it.

Zhan Yun harbored a lingering worry. Her crescent-shaped eyes met Duan Chen's, and she asked in a low voice, "He asked you to meet him?"

Duan Chen nodded slightly. Zhao Ting raised an eyebrow beside him and said coldly, "No way!"

The other three also disagreed. Xiao Changqing frowned: "Little Duan, he's no ordinary person. The letter said it was a private meeting, right?" Seeing Duan Chen nod, Mr. Xiao shook his head repeatedly, "That won't do, it's too dangerous..."

Duan Chen glanced at everyone and said softly, "Stop talking. I have to go." Because the important matter mentioned in Li Linke's letter might be related to this case.

Author's Note: There will be an update tomorrow at 9 AM!

85

Chapter Two: Promises - Deep Affection, Fleeting Love...

Green Gauze Workshop is a newly opened winery.

As the weather in Bianjing grew hotter day by day, the owner of the winery had a unique idea: he hung light green gauze around the winery. Whenever a breeze blew, the gauze curtains would flutter gently, appearing from afar like a green mist, instantly refreshing the mind and spirit. In addition, the winery mainly consisted of private rooms with shaved ice on the windowsills and fragrant incense burning, so business flourished day by day.

Although Zhan Yun and the others couldn't go in with Duan Chen, they were worried about her going to the appointment alone, so they chose a seat with a good view in the teahouse diagonally opposite Green Gauze Workshop, and observed the movements across the street while drinking tea.

As soon as Duan Chen entered, someone came up to him, looked him up and down, and then quickly said with a smile, "This must be Young Master Duan. My master invites you in."

Duan Chen nodded slightly and followed the man inside.

The incense inside was light and the temperature was just right, creating a tranquil atmosphere—a perfect place for leisurely conversation and drinks. Soon, the two arrived at a door. The man lifted the pale blue beaded curtain and smiled slightly at Duan Chen: "Please, young master—"

Duan Chen entered the room and saw the man, dressed in a dark blue outer robe, sitting at a low table, looking at him with a half-smile. The ice-blue pine and cypress patterned collar was wide open, revealing a large expanse of his tanned, muscular chest. His slightly chestnut-colored long hair was casually draped behind him, with only a small lock tied back. The hairpin in his hair, made of an unknown material, faintly emitted a ghostly blue light, echoing his deep blue eyes and making his striking features appear even more eerie.

Duan Chen walked to the opposite side, lifted his robe and sat down on the ground. His cold phoenix eyes were devoid of any emotion as he looked at the man who had been scrutinizing him with great interest.

Slowly curving his rosy lips, Li Linke looked at Duan Chen and instructed, "Bring Young Master Duan a jar of pear blossom liquor."