Guía sobre viento y humo

Capítulo 32

Jun Yuqing walked over, and even the noisy crowd seemed to feel the cold, approaching pressure, quieting down to look at him—Jun Yuqing showed no abnormality, his perfectly sculpted face displaying his usual smile. Seeing that nothing was amiss, the others resumed their usual lively chatter.

Jun Yuqing walked to the table and said to Xiao Wuqing across the table, "Would you mind making a bet with the bookmaker?"

“Since the betting has begun, it is certainly permissible.”

"But I think a mere amount of silver is probably not enough to catch Young Master Cangming's eye. How about we bet something else?"

These words caused a stir in the crowd—Young Master Cangming!? Was this a joke? How could that notoriously unruly Demon Lord be running a gambling den in this brothel?! But the person who said this was Jun Yuqing, so how could Jun Yuqing mistake Young Master Cangming?!

Amidst the crowd's astonishment and doubt, Xiao Wuqing calmly gave a wicked smile that made everyone's breath catch and their hearts skip a beat. "Lord Jun, you've probably mistaken me for someone else. I'm just a nobody in Qin Lou."

Upon hearing this, some were relieved while others remained skeptical—indeed, no one would believe that the Cangming Prince was operating here. The man before them was quite contradictory; he wouldn't admit it verbally, yet his words, actions, and attire made no attempt to conceal his identity—his white robes fluttered gracefully, as pure as a lotus; who else in the world, besides the Cangming Prince, could possess such elegance?

Regardless of the speculations and doubts of others, the two clearly had no interest and continued their conversation:

"What does the Master of the Pavilion wish to wager?"

I want to be alone.

Who is it?

"The musician who played the zither here yesterday."

Although many people performed here yesterday, they all played different instruments, and only one person played the piano.

Laughing without emotion, he said leisurely, "Lord Jun is putting me in a difficult position. Those actors have all signed contracts with Qin Lou. Such matters should naturally be discussed with Lord Tongyi. How can I make the decision?" He deftly brushed it off, gently shaking the wine pot to let the aroma of the wine waft out.

How could this person not be Xiao Wuqing? Besides Xiao Wuqing, who else could face Jun Yuqing with such ease and composure?

"If that's the case, then what about you?"

Xiao Wuqing chuckled softly, "What, is Master Jun interested in me? Too bad, I'm now a member of Qin Lou. If Master Yi has no objections, then..."

"But where is the owner of the clothing store?"

"The owner is naturally very busy—as for where he is or what he is busy with, how could I possibly ask such questions?"

Although he knew that Xiao Wuqing's words were just to appease him, he never expected that the proud and arrogant Xiao Wuqing would be willing to humble himself like this. What was the reason for this? If it was just to protect that woman Queyue, with Xiao Wuqing around, he might not be able to succeed. Why go through all this trouble? Jun Yuqing was unaware of Xiao Wuqing's internal injuries and could not understand his purpose in doing so.

Everything here, seemingly confusing and incomprehensible, is merely a ploy to mislead him.

"But... how long can we keep dragging this out?"

"This..." Xinyue scratched her head with a wry smile. Their opponent was Jun Yuqing; their little tricks probably wouldn't last long. But they had already lured Jun Yuqing here. Once he discovered that Xiao Wuqing was now practically useless, they'd all be finished...

"Let's stall for time as long as we can," Yi Moran finished speaking for her, giving her a faint smile. Although he didn't know where this little girl got so many outlandish and dangerous ideas, since he had agreed to them, he also bore some responsibility. "If we really get caught..."

"If we're really discovered, then let's fight!" Liu Zhi was full of enthusiasm. Que Yue smiled and patted his head, still feeling a little guilty. It was one thing for Xin Yue to be her sister of many years, but Xiao Wuqing, though unpredictable, was actually very protective of his own. Even though she was no longer a member of the Water Pavilion after the execution, he was still willing to help her. But Liu Zhi was just a big kid, and there was also Yi Moran... All those years of hard work and secrecy, were going to be ruined for her sake.

She felt that her fate was unfortunate, but in fact, she was also lucky... at least, she had met these people.

Episodes 55-56

"Since the owner of the clothing store is busy, please convey this message—Jun Yuqing is willing to act as that woman's guarantor."

As soon as Jun Yuqing finished speaking, Xiao Wuqing raised an eyebrow slightly and shrugged with a half-smile—what was Xinyue planning to do this time? Jun Yuqing was going to act as guarantor, and according to the rules, the actors had to formally bow to their guarantors.

"Okay, I will pass on the message."

Xiao Wuqing's smile deepened slightly; he was eager to see Xinyue's expression after hearing the news.

Yi Moran finally appeared this time, and the banquet and ceremony were set for today, without any excuses or prevarications. Jun Yuqing, not wanting him to repeat his tricks, requested a private meeting without outsiders. Yi Moran smiled faintly, revealing a hint of difficulty, "Lord Jun, this is probably not in accordance with the rules. Although the banquet can be held privately, there still needs to be guests present."

"Fine," Jun Yuqing agreed with a cold laugh. They had truly forgotten what backbone was, choosing to hide completely. Unfortunately for them, Jun Yuqing had already made up his mind; he wouldn't care about one or two guests. Whether he wanted to kill them to silence them or deceive them, it wouldn't be difficult. They had seriously underestimated Jun Yuqing!

He tossed down a thousand taels of silver, and soon a young servant led him upstairs. Upstairs, it was less noisy than the main hall, with light gauze curtains and beaded curtains swaying gently. Behind the beaded curtains, someone was already quietly waiting, and upon his arrival, rose and gave a graceful bow.

Jun Yuqing scanned the room and saw only the host, Yi Moran, and the servant, Liu Zhi. The other two guests were the constable Long, whom he had met the previous night, and a plump local gentry. Wu Xiao and Wu Qing were not present.

Jun Yuqing didn't take the country gentry seriously. As for Yi Moran and Liu Zhi, he had already dealt with them and knew their capabilities. Only that Constable Long was a bit more troublesome. He nodded casually in greeting and then took his seat.

"Master Jun has excellent judgment. I have specially trained several people for the Flower Festival, among whom brocade weaving is the most outstanding. They will surely win the Flower Festival and will not disappoint Master Jun, who is my guarantor."

Jun Yuqing was not interested in Yi Moran's words. The flower festival had nothing to do with him, nor with brocade weaving.

A dead person has nothing to do with the flower festival.

The sparse beaded curtain shimmered with light, unable to conceal the slender figure behind it, making her appear like a dream. A delicate hand gently plucked the strings of a zither, and a few notes flowed forth. A strange feeling swept through Jun Yuqing's heart, as if something was amiss, yet he couldn't quite grasp it. From her figure and voice, Jun Yuqing confirmed the woman's identity, then suddenly grabbed a pair of wooden chopsticks from the table, channeled his inner energy into them, and hurled them straight at the throat of the person behind the curtain—

His attack was too swift and sudden, leaving no time for those around him to stop him. The wooden chopstick was already in front of the beaded curtain. Queyue no longer had the martial arts skills to break through this sudden attack. He did not follow up with a second strike but instead turned and attacked Longyan to the side.

However, a movement behind the curtain caused the woman to suddenly lift the zither on the table to block the impact, and with a leap, she avoided the wooden chopsticks that pierced through the zither case.

In that instant, Jun Yuqing's hand was already on Long Yan's pressure point, preventing anyone in the room from making any rash moves. Only the gentry sitting next to Long Yan was trembling with fear.

"Master Jun, what are you doing?"

Long Yan had no idea why Jun Yuqing had suddenly started this attack, and he was slightly annoyed. Yi Moran spoke up from the side, "Lord Jun, if you have any complaints, you can speak to me. Please release Constable Long first."

“I have nothing to say to you. Let her talk to me.” Jun Yuqing looked at the woman who came out from behind the curtain, his gaze fixed intently on her veiled face—“You’re not Zhijin, are you?”

Queyue currently has no martial arts skills, yet this woman's movements are so swift and agile.

The woman stopped and pulled down her veil. "Of course I'm not. If I were, I'd be waiting to have you pierce my heart with a chopstick!" Her clear, melodious voice was completely different from Queyue's. It was so clear that even Jun Yuqing couldn't tell who it was but Xinyue.

A cold killing intent suddenly flashed in Jun Yuqing's eyes—New Moon! Fine, you have guts—you actually dare to appear before him!

Sensing his murderous intent, Yi Moran subtly moved closer to Xinyue, giving her a wink to stop provoking Jun Yuqing. Although he didn't know what grudge they had, it was clear that Jun Yuqing's icy anger flared up the moment he saw Xinyue—which put Long Yan, who was under his control, in a very bad position.

However, Crescent Moon seemed completely oblivious to what she was getting at. Even if she had, what did Long Yan's life or death have to do with her?

Long Yan stared at her in surprise, "You're not Zhi Jin!?"

Clearly, no one cared about his surprise. Xinyue glared back at Jun Yuqing, deliberately provoking him by saying, "Censor." Her voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for Jun Yuqing to hear. Jun Yuqing's expression changed instantly. The man who had been completely unfazed suddenly became furious. Xinyue unconsciously took a step back, a little sweat on her forehead, but still wouldn't give up, saying, "What are you looking at? I'm talking about you, you sonless bastard! You deserve to be bullied because you're an old man without a son!" Before she finished speaking, Jun Yuqing suddenly attacked Xinyue, determined to kill her!

But the instant he released Long Yan, the trembling, plump country gentleman beside him suddenly sprang up, a hand knife hidden in his sleeve, and stabbed at Jun Yuqing—the speed was swift and without any unnecessary movements. Jun Yuqing could have easily neutralized such a sneak attack, but he was blinded by anger, his attention was entirely on Xinyue, and he did not notice this inconspicuous person at all.

By the time I realized it, it was already beside me—the sound of a blade piercing flesh.

Although he managed to avoid a fatal blow, the blade still pierced his abdomen. The pain instantly cleared his mind; he raised his hand and swung it, the powerful gust of wind sending the gentry's plump, unsteady body flying—

I messed up!

Jun Yuqing failed to kill "Zhijin" immediately, and they also failed to kill Jun Yuqing in one blow.

The gentry crashed into the wall, slid down, grabbed his own hair and ripped it off, revealing a blood-red demon's face beneath. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, removed his flimsy, round disguise to make things easier, and attacked Jun Yuqing again.

From the moment they failed, Xinyue knew they had lost their chance to kill Jun Yuqing. That chance had been slim from the start, and they only had one. Although Jun Yuqing was injured, his injuries were not serious, and they were no match for him.

Blood Demon and Liu Zhi entangled Jun Yuqing, while Yi Moran pulled Xinyue away—everyone could see that Jun Yuqing's first target was Xinyue.

She was the person Jun Yuqing hated most in the world—perhaps it was more than just hatred. How could Jun Yuqing let it go without killing her? But how long could Liu Zhi and Xue Xiuluo hold out? As soon as Jun Yuqing got serious, Liu Zhi was already left behind in just a few moves. Xinyue immediately ran away with Yi Moran; she didn't want to risk her life.

Jun Yuqing struck away Xue Xiuluo with a palm and was about to give chase when Xinyue, in a panic, simply pulled Yi Moran along as they ran. Her lightness skill was probably even better than Yi Moran's, but she still refused to let go—if Jun Yuqing caught up, he would be the only one left to shield her, but if she was alone—she wasn't confident she could withstand a few of Jun Yuqing's attacks.

She barely made it out of the building when she suddenly shouted towards the rooftop, "Crescent Moon!!"

When Jun Yuqing heard this sound, he knew there was an ambush, but it was too late. A large net descended from the sky. He tried to shake it off with his internal force, but he couldn't break it completely. It was only slightly damaged.

Xinyue was shocked to see this. In no time, Jun Yuqing would be able to break free. She had underestimated Jun Yuqing's strength. After all, this guy was the opponent of Xiao Wuqing, who was so strong that he was abnormal!

There's no chance anymore, so I have to give up!

She looked up again and called out, "Crescent Moon, let's go!"

She gave a secret signal to Liu Zhi and Xue Xiuluo inside the building, then grabbed Yi Moran and ran again. On the top floor, Queyue already understood that they couldn't hold off Jun Yuqing any longer and had to retreat. Before she could react, a white figure gracefully landed before her, and Xiao Wuqing was already standing in front of her. He looked at her, pondered for a moment—his gaze wasn't like looking at a person, but rather like he was assessing her weight and his own current capacity as if he were looking at a piece of merchandise. Before Queyue could react, he swept her up in his arms and used his lightness skill to leave.

Jun Yuqing broke free in no time, but the place was already deserted, completely empty. Only bewildered guests remained, disturbed by the sounds of fighting.

Jun Yuqing suddenly thought of something—or rather, he had already thought of it, but he simply had to come.

He quickly treated the injuries, arranged for a carriage, and headed straight for Qingzun Tower.

After examining Liu Zhi and Xue Xiuluo's injuries, Crescent Moon and New Moon decided that New Moon needed to take care of them, so Yi Moran had to go to Qingzun Tower to inform Leng Yu and A Di. Once Jun Yuqing returned to Qingzun Tower, A Di would be alright, but Leng Yu's situation would definitely be dangerous.

He had to hurry... He had to make up for the time lost because of Liu Zhi and Xue Xiuluo's injuries.

——Qingzunlou.

Setting down the file, Jun Xiaoling gently pinched the corner of his eye. The door opened and closed, and Leng Yu walked in from outside. Upon seeing him, she paused in surprise. "Why are you still reading? There's so much stuff, you could never finish reading it even if you read until you die. You should rest for a while."

"This won't do. I must understand the operation of Qingzunlou as soon as possible. Time is of the essence, and we don't know how long Qinlou can hold out..."

"This is really troublesome... This kind of thing can't be resolved simply by winning over a few powerful figures and getting Jun Yuqing's former subordinates to defect, can it?"

Adi smiled slightly, "Generally speaking, yes. However, the affairs of Qingzun Tower are all managed by Jun Yuqing alone. Everyone below him has their own work, and there is no one else in charge." Because of this, when Jun Yuqing left, only the steward temporarily took charge. There was no manager at all, so he could easily take over the management.

Cultivating trusted confidants certainly takes time, but he can quickly select those who can be temporarily used, whether through incentives or power, to gain their assistance. These individuals will be assigned to various channels within the building to manage different affairs, thus dispersing authority and ultimately concentrating it in his own hands. In this way, even if Jun Yuqing returns, he won't be able to immediately reclaim everything.

Chapter 56

He was indeed quite tired... but thinking of Queyue still in Qinlou, he couldn't rest.

Although she had others with her, Qin Lou was much more dangerous than this place, as she would have to face Jun Yuqing directly.

He had just closed his eyes when he suddenly heard a faint sound outside and abruptly stood up. Leng Yu had also noticed the commotion and opened the window to look out—but no one was there. Just as he was about to close the window, a gust of wind suddenly swept in. He instinctively tried to block it, but the gust only forced the window open as it was about to close, without any force of attack.

Through the reopened window, both of them saw a figure in the tree outside, dressed in black—it was Yi Mo Ran.

The two ushered Yi Moran in, but such a detached person, as aloof as a wisp of wind and drifting clouds, seemed truly unsuitable for his night attire. —This wasn't his own face, so it was understandable that it didn't suit him.

This was not the time to pay attention to such things. When Adi and Lengyu saw him arrive, they both felt a little uneasy.

"Master Yi, what happened?!"

Just by looking at Adi's expression, one could tell what he was thinking. Yi Moran said, "Don't worry, they're all fine. The problem is on this side—Jun Yuqing could be back at any moment. Leng Yu, you come with me immediately." He had rushed here desperately, and had been worried about falling behind Jun Yuqing. Fortunately, Jun Yuqing was injured, which slowed him down a bit, allowing him to finally arrive.

He didn't ask Adi how well he had grasped the affairs of Qingzun Tower. If he hadn't, all their hard work would have been in vain, and saying anything now would be pointless. The important thing now was to get Leng Yu away first. Jun Yuqing wouldn't do anything to Adi, but he had incurred a great deal of anger at Qinlou and ultimately let these people escape. If he saw Leng Yu, how could he not kill him to vent his anger?

Leng Yu immediately packed up and set off with Yi Moran. They hadn't gone far when, as expected, pursuers came searching for them, but Yi Moran gradually became exhausted. Leng Yu remembered the rumors about Yi Moran's chronic illness and quickly said, "Master Yi, let's split up. I'll distract them."

"Wait! You can't show yourself!"

"Let's take it one step at a time. We can't all get caught here and taken back together." He patted Yi Moran on the shoulder, ignoring his advice, and ran off to a conspicuous spot.

Jun Yuqing casually flipped through the files on the table, glanced at a few pages, and suddenly a smile appeared on his face.

"Xiao Ling, it seems your abilities have improved considerably. You have indeed lived up to your adoptive father's expectations." He seemed completely unconcerned that Adi had taken away all his rights in Qingzun Tower. "Now I can withdraw my involvement with peace of mind."

Adi did not respond. After a moment of silence, she looked at Jun Yuqing and decided to confront him.

"Brother, I hope to hold the transfer ceremony ahead of schedule."