Aquí hay amor por trescientos taeles

Capítulo 7

The visitor seemed impatient, grunted in response, and hurriedly asked, "What does the old man want you to do?"

"The Langhuan Jade Disc has been stolen."

"What?" The man looked up abruptly. Moonlight streamed into the room through the window, making Qin Luo's handsome face appear even paler. He paused, then a sinister smile appeared on his face. "Wouldn't that be more painful for him than having his heart ripped out?"

Ling Shang looked at him and said, "The old Marquis is, after all, your biological father. Are you so smug to see him in pain?"

Qin Luo sneered, "When has he ever treated me like a son?" He paused, then suddenly asked, "Did he ask about the assassination attempt on me tonight?"

Ling Shang slowly shook his head and said, "The old Marquis is furious about the theft of the Langhuan Jade Disc, and has no time to attend to anything else."

A hint of hatred flashed across Qin Luo's pale face as she snorted heavily, "What else could he possibly care about besides those treasures! He certainly wouldn't care whether I live or die."

Ling Shang lowered his eyelids slightly and asked calmly, "What about the assassins tonight? Could it be a feint by the treasure thieves?"

Anger flashed in Qin Luo's eyes as she whispered, "No, that assassin was ruthless, every move aimed at taking my life. He was definitely after me. Also, the girl from Lanxiang Pavilion died under suspicious circumstances. It's clear someone plotted to harm me, but the old man insists that I killed her and won't let me explain."

Ling Shang pondered for a moment and said, "The Marquis ordered me to set off tomorrow to investigate the whereabouts of the Langhuan Jade Disc. This is a good opportunity to secretly investigate the truth of the matter. During this time, you'd better follow the rules and not make any mistakes that might anger the old Marquis."

Qin Luo chuckled softly, "Don't worry, I still want to keep my position as heir apparent. In front of the old man, I will naturally continue to play the role of my dutiful son. You'd better find out who is behind this as soon as possible, don't keep me waiting too long."

He stood up, gently pushed open the door, and slipped out of the room like a ghost.

Ling Shang watched his figure disappear into the shadows, her eyes flickering, a mocking smile slowly creeping onto her lips.

He slowly sat down at the table, took out two pieces of black iron from his pocket, placed them on the table, and pieced them together.

Ling Shang stared thoughtfully at the assembled caltrops on the table.

He had already questioned the guards present and learned that it was this caltrop that had been thrown from the shadows to shield Qin Luo from a fatal sword strike.

What's strange is that this item wasn't thrown by any of the guards in the mansion.

※※※※

Seeing Yun Ran leap away, Qi Mo intended to follow, but suddenly remembered the considerable commotion caused at the Marquis of Chang Le's residence. Returning to Lanxiang Pavilion with the Langhuan Jade Disc would be extremely risky. After a moment's thought, he immediately turned and headed towards the south gate.

It was past four in the morning. In the pitch-black night, he quietly used his lightness skill to leap over the city wall and fly straight south.

At dawn, having reached Qingping territory, Qi Mo entered the town, bought breakfast at a street vendor, slowed his pace, and ate as he walked. Just as he was about to find an inn to rest, he suddenly heard a cold voice behind him say, "Chief Qi, you really have a good mood, traveling all night to get here just to buy some sweet cakes."

Qi Mo turned around and saw Yun Ran standing not far behind him with a cold expression. He was slightly taken aback and asked, "Why is Miss Yun here as well?"

Yun Ran lowered her eyes and slowly said, "Wherever Chief Qi takes the Langhuan Jade Disc, Yun Ran must follow."

Seeing her expression, Qi Mo couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "Miss Yun, you don't misunderstand that I want to keep the reward for myself, do you? I was just about to send a letter to Consort Wang, inviting you to meet here..."

Yun Ran's eyes revealed a hint of sarcasm as she said indifferently, "Chief Qi will naturally send a message to Consort Wang. However, Yun Ran is often schemed against, so to be on the safe side, I can only use this clumsy method. Only by staying by Chief Qi's side and guarding this jade disc can I feel at ease."

Seeing her like this, Qi Mo knew that there was no point in saying anything more. He coughed, handed her the sweet cake in his hand, and said with a smile, "This sweet cake tastes quite good. Would Miss Yun like to try some?"

The two found an inn to stay at. Qi Mo saw that Yun Ran was wary and stayed close to him, so he could only shake his head helplessly.

As evening fell, Lady Wang received a message from Qi Mo and rushed over. After verifying that the Langhuan Jade Disc was genuine, she took out a silver note from her bosom and presented it to him, saying with a smile, "You two have worked hard."

Seeing that his expression was normal and he didn't mention the assassination attempt on Qin Luo, Yun Ran didn't say anything more.

Qi Mo suddenly said, "Young Master Qin of the Marquis of Chang Le's mansion was nearly assassinated last night, which may bring trouble to Lanxiang Pavilion. It would be best for you to leave the capital for a while."

Wang Meiren's eyes flickered slightly as she smiled at him and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Sect Leader Qi. I received the news this morning and was also planning to leave the capital. Now that we are parting ways, when we meet again, it may not be in Lanxiang Pavilion in the capital."

He bowed to the two men, turned and left the inn, drifting away gracefully.

Qi Mo gazed at Wang Meiren's figure and said with a faint smile, "I never expected that he would be willing to give up the foundation he built in the capital for Tian'er."

Yun Ran glanced at him, knowing that he had already guessed that the assassination of Qin Luo was at the behest of Consort Wang, and said coldly, "Not everyone is as self-serving and emotionless as Sect Leader Qi."

Qi Mo looked at her with a sly smile: "Of course you won't take a single penny from him for this job. How do you know he didn't accept the mission and then use Tian'er's matter to get you to kill for him for free?"

Yun Ran was taken aback. Seeing Qi Mo chuckling softly beside her, she knew he had been joking. She turned away with a cold face and refused to look at him again.

When Xie Feng and the others arrived, the two were dividing the money.

Yun Ran watched intently as Qi Mo counted out the 100,000 gold and silver notes one by one, handed them to her, and then lowered his eyes to put the notes into his pocket. Only then did his expression soften slightly, and he said calmly, "Chief Qi must have other important matters to discuss with you all, so I won't disturb you any longer." With that, he nodded slightly to the group and turned to leave the room.

Xie Feng looked surprised and whispered, "Isn't this that little girl surnamed Yun, Yun... what was her name again?"

Qi Mo smiled and replied, "Yun Ran."

Shen Ye asked, "Did the chief ask Miss Yun for help again this time?"

Qi Mo smiled faintly and said, "It's a collaboration."

A Luo's eyes flashed with disdain as she coldly said, "Her?"

Qi Mo laughed and said, "Don't underestimate her, A Luo. Do you know who has been secretly stealing so much of our business in the past two months?"

Xie Feng exclaimed in surprise, "She's the 'Crimson Blood One-Point Killer'?"

He turned to look at Shen Ye and A Luo, and saw that Shen Ye also looked surprised. A Luo was shocked, her face flushed slightly, but her eyes showed anger.

Xie Feng couldn't help but laugh as he thought about it, "No wonder 'Rouge Blood One-Point Kill' targets our Absolute Kill Sect in everything. It turns out this little girl is secretly taking revenge for what happened back then." He glanced at Qi Mo and asked in a low voice with a smile, "Since the leader has discovered that she was the one causing trouble behind the scenes, he must have already punished her and avenged our A Luo?"

Qi Mo touched his lips, a slightly ambiguous smile appearing on his lips, and said calmly with his eyes lowered, "Well, she shouldn't cause us any more trouble in the future."

He put the silver notes into his pocket, his fingers touched a hard object, and he remembered that it was the box containing the Nightshade Powder. He took it out and handed it to A Luo, smiling, "This powder has a rather special scent."

A hint of surprise flashed in A Luo's eyes. She silently reached out and took the powder box, but her face flushed even more.

Xie Feng smiled slightly, took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it to Qi Mo, saying, "Boss, the list of wanted posters has been updated again. The person ranked first is quite wealthy, but also rather troublesome. Do you think we should go and join in the fun?"

At the same moment, Yun Ran leaned against the headboard, her eyelashes lowered as she stared at a piece of paper in her hand, her gaze somber.

The Wanhe Mountain Villa's renowned reputation in the martial arts world largely stemmed from its excellent communication and rapid information dissemination. Not long after she checked into the inn, someone had already quietly delivered this wanted poster to her.

Eight thousand gold coins. In the world of martial arts, this is already considered a very high price.

This also indicates that this person is difficult to deal with.

Yun Ran frowned slightly, tapped the person's name a few times with her finger, and then suddenly raised her eyebrows, as if she had already made up her mind.

She immediately got up from the bed, tidied herself up briefly, extinguished the oil lamp with a wave of her hand, and slipped out of the room.

☆、A deadly trap lies everywhere

The autumn wind was bleak, and the setting sun was like blood. On the ancient road, a group of people were riding forward, weary from their journey, facing the direction of the setting sun.

Suddenly, several sharp whooshing sounds rang out, and several streaks of black light flew out from the roadside bushes, heading straight for the group of riders. The hidden weapons were launched without warning, and their trajectory was treacherous; the riders were caught off guard, and in an instant, several were wounded and fell from their horses. The rest, caught off guard, were startled but not panicked. They immediately reined in their horses, drew their weapons, and tightened their formation into a circle, focusing all their attention on defense.

The sound of hidden weapons whistling through the air rang out again, this time densely packed, dozens of dark streaks flying with even greater force, all heading towards a white-clad man in the crowd. His guards parried with their blades, but several hidden weapons still pierced through the crowd, striking the white-clad man's vital areas in the chest and abdomen.

The man in white frowned slightly, then swung his palm repeatedly, catching all the incoming darts in his hand. He glanced at them and saw that the dart heads were black, indicating they were poisoned. His expression turned cold.

Seeing that their hidden weapons had failed to injure the man, the ambushing men shouted and emerged from the bushes, surrounding him. Before they could get close, several flashes of black light appeared; the man in white had fired the hidden weapons back. Several screams rang out, and several men collapsed to the ground.

A man in blue, seemingly the leader of the attackers, shouted in a low voice, "That's him! Everyone, surround him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a white shadow flashed, and the man had already closed in, pressing his palm down towards his chest.

The man in blue was overjoyed that an opportunity had presented itself to him. He swung his steel knife straight at the man's wrist. But the man in white seemed oblivious. His right palm continued its trajectory, and just as the blade was about to reach his arm, his left palm shot out like lightning, grabbing the blade and snapping it in two with a slight effort.

The man in blue was startled when the other man placed his palm on his chest, but the force was not released; he simply stared at him coldly.

The man in blue knew what he meant and hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, stop!" His men were already panicked when they saw their leader being restrained in one move. Upon hearing his words, they immediately stopped and withdrew.

The man in white glanced at the group that had attacked him, noticing that they all wore blue cloths wrapped around their heads and were dressed strangely. A look of surprise flashed across his face. He turned to the man in blue and asked in a deep voice, "Are you all from the Azure Phoenix Gang?"

The man in blue lowered his gaze and noticed that the man in white was wearing a pair of black and gold gloves. He couldn't help but feel resentful: How could I have forgotten about the Sima family's black silk gloves!

This pair of black silk gloves is impervious to swords and blades, and is protected from water and fire. It is one of the three family heirlooms of the Sima family in Sichuan. Now that the white-clad man is wearing it, he is naturally not afraid of the sharpness of hidden weapons and steel knives.

The man in white noticed the slight bulge at his temples, his fierce demeanor, yet his expression was somewhat resentful. He nodded and said, "You must be Chief Sang. My Sima family has no prior grudge against your gang. Why are you ambushing us here? Have you mistaken us for your enemy?"

The man in blue had a gloomy expression but did not answer.

The man in white smiled slightly, withdrew his palm, and took two steps back, saying, "I have long heard that Chief Sang is highly skilled in martial arts and a man of great integrity. I have gained a slight advantage with my Black Silk Hand technique, but it is an unfair victory. Since we have no enmity, I would like to ask Chief Sang to bestow upon me the antidote for the hidden weapon, so that we may cease fighting."

The man in blue was none other than Sang Feihe, the leader of the Qingluan Gang. He was frustrated and dejected after being subdued in one move, but when he saw the man in white withdraw his palm and yield, and even his words showed great consideration for his own face, he was surprised and grateful. He silently took out the antidote and handed it over.

The man in white waved his hand, ordering his attendant to fetch medicine to detoxify his companion. He then cupped his hands to Sang Feihe and said, "Since it's all a misunderstanding, I hope Chief Sang won't take it to heart. I have other important matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer. Farewell."

Sang Feihe never expected that he would let him go so easily. Seeing that the white-clad man and his party were about to mount their horses and leave, his expression changed several times. Suddenly, he said in a deep voice, "Young Master Sima, I did not mistake you for someone else. Your name was put on the Jianghu bounty list yesterday, and someone has offered a large reward for your life. Your journey to Sichuan will surely be fraught with danger. I hope that you will be careful on your way!"

Sima Liuyun's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your warning, Chief Sang."

Sang Feihe cupped his hands and said, "Young Master Sima is highly skilled in martial arts and is humble and virtuous. I am completely convinced of my defeat. We must have been blind to even think of assassinating you. From now on, my Qingluan Gang will never dare to set foot in Sichuan." After saying this, he bowed again and led his gang members away.

Sima Liuyun stood there in thought for a moment, a hint of worry in his eyes. A follower beside him whispered, "Young master, if what this man says is true, the road ahead may be quite unsettling. Should we take a detour?"

Sima Liuyun said slowly, "It will take another six or seven days to return to Sichuan. If we take a detour, we will most likely not be able to see Father one last time. The itinerary remains the same, but everyone should be extra careful along the way."

Seeing that Sima Liuyun had already mounted his horse, the attendant hurriedly followed suit and jumped onto his own mount. He thought to himself: This bounty notice is neither too early nor too late, but it appears precisely when the master is critically ill. It seems as if it is deliberately trying to prevent the young master from returning to inherit the position of head of the Sima family.

After a whirlwind journey, Sima Liuyun and his companions arrived at the town ahead at dusk. Exhausted from traveling day and night, they found the largest inn in town, Anping Inn, to stay the night and continue their journey early the next morning.

As the group stepped into the inn's lobby, they found that four of the six square tables were already occupied. The waiter pushed the remaining two empty tables together in the center of the lobby to welcome Sima Liuyun and his companions to their seats. He then busied himself serving tea and food, running around and providing very attentive service.

But then a man sitting next to them shouted impatiently, "Waiter! I've been waiting for ages, and you're taking forever to serve me a bowl of noodles. Why is it that when this group of people just arrived, all the food was served in no time? Are you taking advantage of me because I'm not as well-dressed as that pretty boy?!"

When the followers heard the man speak rudely to Sima Liuyun, they all turned to glare at him. The man was a burly man in his thirties, wearing a coarse cloth shirt with several patches, with a broadsword placed beside him on the table. He had a very rough and unruly demeanor.

Seeing that Sima Liuyun's group was numerous and powerful, the burly man seemed somewhat intimidated. He lowered his voice and muttered, "What are you looking at? When I get hungry, I'll smash up this shady inn. Then none of us will be able to eat."

Seeing this, the attendant sitting next to Sima Liuyun smiled and turned to whisper, "Young master, he's a fool." He knew that his young master was always modest and would not bother with that person. He was about to bury his head and continue eating when he heard Sima Liuyun say softly, "Be careful."

The attendants were taken aback when they saw Sima Liuyun lower his eyelids and slowly put a steamed bun into his mouth, his expression extremely solemn.

The followers felt a chill run down their spines, immediately becoming alert. They secretly glanced around and saw the burly man sitting alone at the next table, while to his right, several江湖豪客 (jianghu heroes) sat around another table, drinking and eating meat, chatting animatedly. At two tables in the corner, a young man dressed as a scholar sat with his back to the others, eating silently. At the other table, an elderly couple with sallow complexions sat facing each other, both looking distressed, honest, and timid, seemingly villagers from a nearby town.

The followers saw that although the big man was shouting and yelling at the shopkeeper, his left hand was always on the side of the hilt of the broadsword on the table. The martial arts heroes at the next table were also glancing over from time to time. They all understood that these people were coming for them and would surely start a fight soon. So they secretly took precautions.

A short while later, the waiter finally brought out a bowl of noodles and placed it on the burly man's table. The man took a couple of bites, then his face darkened with anger. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Waiter!"

The waiter returned from the back room and asked helplessly, "Sir, what's wrong now?"

The burly man roared, "How could there be a cockroach in the noodle soup! Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?" With that, he raised his hand and threw the bowl of noodles at the waiter's front, but his aim was slightly off, and it landed right on the table of the group of江湖豪客 (jianghu haoke, a group of chivalrous martial arts figures).

Several of the wealthy patrons immediately jumped up and shouted, "Do you want to die?!"

The burly man sneered, "I don't want to die, I just want to kill!"

Enraged by this, the group of wealthy men drew their weapons.