Agent secret Wind Boy

Chapitre 20

Upon hearing this, both men in the room turned to look at me, with Liu Wufeng looking particularly agitated—I was so startled that I dropped my shoes to the ground.

Did I say something wrong?

This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Website. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume 1: Encounter Chapter 19 - Past Events Like a Dream]

Liu Wufeng stared at me for a long time before sighing softly, "Back then, my sworn brother said the exact same thing. What a pity!" He paused for a moment before continuing, "If he had met you, he would have considered you a close friend."

I smiled faintly, but inwardly I was unconvinced—to consider someone a close friend over a pair of shoes seemed utterly absurd to me.

"Uncle Zhou, you don't even recognize something made by the Divine Needle Yun Mengyan herself, do you?" Liu Wufeng asked with a hint of melancholy. "Half a year ago, you asked Senior Divine Needle Yun to make a batch of women's clothing, and then you suddenly disappeared with it. What use would a widower like you have for so many young women's clothes? Uncle Zhou, you're not going to tell me that you're indulging in women in your old age, are you?"

"Ahem, Second Master, you jest." Zhou Tianyao looked embarrassed and sighed. "I did take a batch of clothes half a year ago, but that was purely because my niece got married. You know I only have this one niece, so it's understandable that I value her a bit. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"As far as I know, your niece is clearly far away in Shouzhou, so why did your uncle go to Jiangling Prefecture, which is thousands of miles away?" Liu Wufeng began to press aggressively.

“Cui’er’s marriage reminds me of the missing young master. So it’s inevitable that I’m saddened. Since we’ve already left the manor, I might as well search around. In the past six years, I’ve left the manor to look for the young master more than once or twice. Didn’t the second master do the same thing himself?” Uncle Zhou’s face was displeased and he was quite unhappy.

“But if things are really as you say, then how do you explain the appearance of these shoes in Jiangling?” Liu Wufeng raised the dark green shoes again.

"How would I know? Although Mengyan is arrogant, she has made quite a few shoes over the years. Maybe they belong to someone else?" Uncle Zhou was clearly very unhappy.

"Not at all! Look at the embroidery on these shoes; the thread is very new, clearly they were only recently made. And, most importantly," Liu Wufeng handed the shoes back to Zhou Bo, "this is no ordinary shoe."

"What's different? I really can't see it." I looked closely, but still couldn't figure out what he meant by being different.

“Brother Ye is a man, so it’s understandable that he might not notice such a small thing.” Yang Wanqing smiled gently. “Look, these shoes are much bigger than usual.” After saying that, she lifted the hem of her skirt slightly, revealing her bound feet to prove that what she said was true. You know, in the Song Dynasty, women considered small feet to be beautiful, and girls generally had their feet bound from a young age. Even a woman like Yang Wanqing, who was from the Jianghu, was not exempt from this custom. Very few girls had natural feet like me.

I suddenly realized what was going on, wisely kept quiet, and subconsciously hid my feet under the table. Privately, I couldn't help but feel apologetic to Uncle Zhou—for my size 38 feet.

Seeing that none of us responded, Liu Wufeng continued, "I have already sent a message by carrier pigeon and asked Banhe. She has confirmed that the shoes Senior Yun made half a year ago were indeed this extra-large size—and it was also the only time she made shoes of this size."

Zhou Tianyao remained expressionless and motionless, seemingly lost in thought.

“Uncle Zhou, I know you’ve always valued your sworn brother more than your own life. If you hadn’t received some definite information, why would you be so secretive?” At this point, Liu Wufeng’s expression became agitated. “You didn’t even return to the manor for Grandpa’s birthday—something that would be almost impossible for you.”

"I have already explained this matter to the master. If the second master still has any questions, he should go back to the manor and ask the master himself. I have nothing to say." Zhou Tianyao remained expressionless.

"Uncle Zhou, if you really have news of Brother Jiang, please tell me! Have you been blind to all the efforts my senior brother has made for Brother Jiang over the years?" Yang Wanqing's expression was sorrowful and pitiful.

“Yes, Uncle Zhou, if you really know something, I think you should say it. We’re all family, after all. Would Brother Liu really harm his own elder brother?” I couldn’t stand it anymore and couldn’t help but speak up—sigh, I’ve fallen into the habit of meddling again.

Zhou Tianyao's eyes flickered as he looked at me, hesitating to speak. Finally, he sighed, "Second Master, if you don't believe what this old servant says, I have nothing more to say."

"According to my investigation, six months ago, Senior Yun suddenly closed his doors to all visitors and worked tirelessly to produce a batch of clothing. As you said, those clothes were taken to Miss Cui as part of her dowry. Is that right?" Liu Wufeng's tone became sharp.

"You already mentioned that. There's no need to repeat it." I was starting to get impatient with him—what was going on? He invited me to dinner, but all he showed me was a table full of food that I couldn't eat?

"However, the news from Shouzhou is that you only sent her two sets of divine needle embroidery as dowry, and neither of them were made to the exact size of this one." Liu Wufeng ignored me and stared intently at Zhou Tianyao. "Originally, your plan this time was flawless, but unfortunately you forgot one thing—Miss Cui is petite and could not possibly be the owner of the clothes you took away this time."

At this point, Liu Wufeng suddenly turned around, pointed at me and said, "As far as I know, those clothes would fit Brother Ye perfectly."

"Young Master Liu, you're joking. How could you possibly look down on me, a man of honor?" I was startled and quickly put on an angry expression.

"Brother Ye, please don't misunderstand. My senior brother was just in a moment of panic and made a comparison with your figure." Yang Wanqing quickly gave Liu Wufeng a wink, signaling him to apologize to me.

Unexpectedly, Liu Wufeng ignored him completely and stared intently at Zhou Bo. "What is the secret behind this colossal lie you're trying to conceal?" At this point, his expression turned cold and stern. "Or do you also believe the rumors that my elder brother disappeared because of my interference in my love affair, in order to let me and Ru Mei be together?"

"After all this talk, who is your sworn brother?" I was getting more and more confused. "Besides, what does this have to do with these shoes? Even if Old Zhou lied to you, it only means that the whereabouts of a batch of clothes he took are unknown, and at most, an unidentified woman appeared. How long has your sworn brother been missing? How could he be involved with her? Could it be that you fell in love with your sister-in-law? And your sworn brother was so ashamed that he disappeared? But even so, these things don't seem to connect at all!"

"My senior brother's sworn brother is Jiang Mohui, the master of the number one manor in the world," Yang Wanqing explained gently, blushing. "My senior brother and Brother Jiang are like brothers, so how could he do something to betray him like this? This is just a fabricated charge, Brother Ye, please don't believe the rumors!"

"Jiang Mohui?" I murmured, a sudden thought striking me, as if a string of scattered pearls had suddenly found its way through—Jiang Mohui's disappearance; Ji Huaiyuan's seclusion in the mountains; Lu Rumei's 'elopement'; Liu Wufeng's trip to Wushan; my departure with Huaiyuan; Huaiyuan's butler, Uncle Zhou; the clothes Uncle Zhou couldn't explain where he went; the shoes Liu Wufeng was holding… All of this seemed unrelated on the surface, but now it was all connected by an invisible thread—Jiang Mohui! To say it was all a coincidence would be too far-fetched, wouldn't it? I looked up at Zhou Tianyao, but he awkwardly avoided my gaze.

All the mysteries seemed to vanish in that instant—why Huaiyuan refused to call me sister, how he possessed such unpredictable martial arts skills, his seemingly innate dignity, his meticulous mind that was incongruous with his age, his intelligence, erudition, composure, and aloofness... all of these converged into a huge stone pressing on my chest, and the answer—was already obvious.

It felt as if all the strength had been suddenly drained from my body. I slumped into a chair, utterly defeated. A torrent of thoughts raced through my mind—Ye Qing, Ye Qing! You call yourself a top student from a prestigious university! How could you be repeatedly deceived by a barbarian whose culture is a thousand years behind yours? It's utterly ridiculous! You treated him with such sincerity, but how did he treat you? So far, besides deception, exploitation, and manipulation, what have you gained? Well, no, you have gained something—at least, you gained a false name!

The more I think about it, the more absurd it seems—it turns out that the past six months have been nothing but a dream! It was all just a carefully orchestrated deception—who could have imagined? Jiang Mohui, whom everyone had been searching for, would suddenly transform into the son of a lowly accountant? And he was even hiding in his own fiancée's house—no doubt, his purpose was to personally verify whether Liu and Lu were indeed having an affair, as rumored! And I, from beginning to end, was nothing more than a pawn in Jiang's hands, thoroughly used!

"Give me time, let me grow up?!" How could he even utter such a disgusting line—it's truly remarkable considering his cold personality. Jiang Mohui has really gone to great lengths for Lu Rumei! I bet when he said those words to me, he was thinking of the beautiful Lu Rumei, wasn't he? And how childish and ridiculous I, Ye Qing, seem? Jiang, you're something else! You've given me a lesson I'll never forget in the most unique way! What else can I say?! Finally, I couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Brother Ye! What's wrong with you?" Liu Wufeng looked at me in astonishment.

"No, don't you guys find this hilarious? It's absolutely hilarious!" I wiped away the tears of laughter. "A bunch of grown men holding a pair of women's embroidered shoes and discussing in public whether they're related to the life or death of the head of the number one manor in the world? Don't you find that utterly absurd?"

“I’m sorry, although I know nothing about Jiang Mohui, I can assure you that you’re mistaken. These shoes are shoes, and Jiang Mohui is Jiang Mohui. There’s absolutely no connection between the two. Also, I’m an outsider to you all, and it would be inconvenient for me to stay here.” I smiled faintly at Liu Wufeng. “Brother Liu, would you mind lending me some silver first? I left in a hurry and didn’t bring any with me.”

Liu Wufeng clearly hadn't expected me to suddenly ask him for money. Caught off guard, he instinctively pulled out a few silver notes and handed them to me blankly. "Brother Ye, you..." -- It seems he's no ordinary rich man after all. He doesn't even know how to refuse someone borrowing money?!

"I've been in Jiangling for a while now, but haven't had a chance to see this magnificent place yet. Why don't you all take your time discussing it? I'll go explore first. Farewell, everyone!" — Farewell? No way! It'll be a never-ending farewell! I thought to myself: Sorry, Liu Wufeng, but you're Jiang Mohui's brother, after all. He owes me a favor, so I guess I'll have to settle some of it with you for now.

Having said that, without giving them a chance to speak, I pushed back my chair, stood up, and walked straight out of the restaurant, thus leaving Ji Huaiyuan's life forever—and this time, I will never look back...

This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Website. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume Two: Farewell Chapter One: A Light Boat Crossing the River at Night]

Jiangling, also known as Jingzhou, is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, in the western part of the Jianghan Plain. It borders the Yangtze River to the south, the Han River to the north, controls Sichuan and Chongqing to the west, and connects to Hunan and Guangdong to the south, historically known as a "gateway to seven provinces." It was a strategically vital location fought over by military strategists throughout history. It was a prosperous place throughout the ages, attracting merchants from all over the world; as the saying goes, "Northern merchants followed southern traders, and Wu ships sailed alongside Shu boats." Every day, countless people entered and left the city by land and water!

I rode my newly bought pony, drifting further and further away with the flow of people entering and leaving the city gates, slowly leaving this historic city behind. Although I hadn't had time to consider where I would go next, leaving was already a foregone conclusion. It was early summer, but the midday sun was already dazzling. I hadn't eaten since I left home in the morning—thanks to Jiang.

There was a teahouse by the roadside, simply offering tea and snacks for passersby. It was already packed, with many burly men carrying swords and knives drinking and chatting. I frowned, not wanting to join the commotion, but my stomach wouldn't listen, so I reluctantly stepped forward. I just hoped they wouldn't give me any trouble.

"Stop! What are you doing?" Sure enough, one of the middle-aged men with a fierce face immediately stopped me.