Счастье совсем рядом, за следующим поворотом

Глава 25

"Don't talk nonsense! My relationship with Miss Leng is completely innocent, there's no secret affair between us!" Brother Xiao Jiu was somewhat embarrassed and angry, and dared not look me in the eye, his ears burning with irritation.

The denial was too quick; there must be something going on.

I tried my best to suppress my surging heart and teased him, "Did I say you liked Leng Baichun? Couldn't it be Chang Huan? Your eagerness to deny it makes you look like you're hiding something, like you're trying to cover it up..."

Enraged, he slammed his hand on the table, making the soup bowl rattle and my heart pound.

"Don't talk nonsense! I just want to rescue the person as soon as possible to prove that this matter has nothing to do with Bicheng." He stood up with a dark face. "If you don't rescue the person today, I'll take my leave first."

He actually got angry and turned to leave. I hurriedly wiped my mouth, grabbed him, and took his arm, smiling ingratiatingly, "Don't be angry. I was actually just using eating as a cover to find out what was going on."

"Gather information?" He didn't believe me. "What else do you need to gather information about?"

I'm not lying about this. I ate my way from one end of the city wall to the other and learned from various vendors that the richest and most luxurious mansion in Licheng was that of the Hu merchant Fulu, which was not much different from the Licheng Palace. The second richest was the mansion of another Hu merchant, Jin Bihui.

Fu Lu was a large, fat man with a bloated belly and an oily face. Jin Bihui was a famous Orchid merchant and a beautiful woman.

"So?" Brother Xiao Jiu asked, his judgment quite poor. "What are you trying to say?"

I was very disappointed in him. "So we're going to Jin Bihui's mansion to find the High Priest."

He still couldn't understand. I saw that it was completely dark, and with the moon shining brightly and the wind howling, it was the perfect time to set off, so I told him to lead the way first.

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Hu Ji Jin Bi Hui's mansion was indeed very luxurious. Although it was not as large as the Licheng Palace, its red walls and glazed tiles gave it the feel of a deep palace.

Brother Xiao Jiu led me over the red wall and into the courtyard. He persistently asked me, "You still haven't told me why we came here?"

I pulled him down to squat, and lowered my voice, saying, "Our priest has two very distinctive personality traits. One is his flamboyant and unrestrained style, and the other is his low-key obsession with cleanliness. Haven't you noticed that he always wears white? Only great heroes like to wear white. Don't you find it strange that a demonic priest likes to wear white?"

Brother Xiao Jiu nodded and added, "Actually, most people in the martial arts world don't like to wear white."

"Why?" I asked, puzzled. Don't all heroes love white robes and long swords, their clothes fluttering in the wind?

Xiao Jiu calmly explained, "It gets dirty easily, which is inconvenient for fighting."

I clenched my fist and tapped it against my palm. "That makes sense! So this has all been a misconception all along..."

After the night patrol guards left, I sneaked out, but Brother Xiao Jiu grabbed my collar and said helplessly, "You still didn't tell me."

I suddenly realized and explained, "A man as flamboyant and fastidious as the High Priest would never stoop to mingling among the common people. He would definitely go wherever he feels comfortable, and the most dangerous place is also the safest. The Queen would never find the mansion of the richest man in Licheng. Our High Priest has a very clever mind; how could he not think of this?"

"Then why come to Jin Bihui's residence?" Xiao Jiu was still puzzled. "Shouldn't we be going to Fu Lu's place?"

I sighed and said, "Because Fu Lu is a fat man with a bloated belly and an oily face, our priest is a germaphobe, how could he stand him? Of course he came to the beautiful Hu woman."

Seeing Xiao Jiu's bulging veins and his face filled with suppressed emotion, I comforted him, saying, "People from the Demonic Sect are always unpredictable; you can't judge them by normal standards."

He seemed to feel that his intelligence had been insulted, and ignored me, grabbing me by the collar and leaping through the air to the eaves of the main hall.

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It was quite high, and my feet slipped. I clung tightly to his arm, trembling with fear.

He asked me, "Where should we begin our search?"

I peeked down and saw a young girl who looked like a maid carrying an incense burner carrying incense walking back down the corridor. I hugged my brother Xiao Jiu tightly and said, "Go down and intercept that girl."

He responded, then grabbed me and flew down, abruptly blocking the little girl's path.

The poor little girl was so frightened that her delicate body trembled and she was about to scream when Xiao Jiu quickly covered her mouth and grabbed her neck with one hand.

I quickly caught the incense burner that she was about to drop, and pulled out a box of spices, which smelled wonderfully sweet.

Xiao Jiu nimbly dragged her into the lush flowers and trees beside him, and threatened in a low voice, "If you dare to make a sound, I'll kill you!"

He's definitely a veteran! Full of style!

I looked at the little girl, whose face was as white as a ghost and who seemed to have lost her soul, and said fiercely, "We just want to ask about something. Little beauty, you'd better behave and listen to us, or your brother here won't show you any mercy!"

Seeing the cold sweat beading on her forehead, I continued, "When I ask, nod if it's yes, shake your head if it's no, understand?"

She nodded, still shaken.

I asked with satisfaction, "Has a man dressed in white, with a sly smile and an extremely flamboyant air, visited your residence in the last few days? He is exceptionally handsome."

The little maid blinked at me and nodded.

I asked again, "Is it still in the manor now?"

She obediently nodded again.

I looked at the incense in my hand and tentatively asked, "Was this incense burner a gift for him?"

She stared at me in fear for a long time, and only after I gave her a look to signal Brother Xiao Jiu to apply more force did she hurriedly nod.

Holding the incense burner, I smiled with narrowed eyes and said, "Where is he? I'll deliver this incense burner to him on behalf of the little beauty."

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Twenty-nine

Brother Xiao Jiu quickly knocked the little maid unconscious. I dragged her into the lush flowers and trees, stripped her of her clothes, and changed myself. Su Xie was really short... The clothes were wide and big, but fortunately, they were tight in the front.

Carrying the incense burner, I sneaked into the inner courtyard with Brother Xiao Jiu and found the Red Corridor Fragrant Jade Pavilion that the little maid had mentioned. I was immediately blinded by the bright white jade pillars and glass lamps.

It's so extravagant! The light gauze curtains and soft curtains, the tinkling pearls and jade—it's practically a white jade palace!

I told Brother Xiao Jiu to hide in the corner and said, "I'll go in and talk to him first. If I can't hold out, then you can rush in and save me."

He was very worried. "Communication? Let's just storm in and take him down first!"

"Don't be impulsive." I quickly pulled him back from his eagerness, saying, "Firstly, we're not sure if that person is the two priests, and secondly, if they are, and he's handling something extremely important... it wouldn't be good to disturb them..."

Xiao Jiu's face was extremely gloomy, and his eyes glared at me like knives.

I was shy and flustered, so I had no choice but to honestly say, "Okay, actually, it's rumored that the High Priest is highly skilled in martial arts..."

His face darkened further, and the dagger in his hand rang out with a clear, sharp sound. He asked me in a deep voice, "Do you think I will lose to him?"

"That's absolutely not what I meant!" I hurriedly denied. "Brother Jiu's martial arts are unparalleled and invincible, how could he possibly lose! It's just..."

I scratched my head. How should I put it... I've never actually seen Yan Shu make a move, but rumors in the sect and the martial arts world say that his martial arts are incredibly powerful, and that he's incredibly ruthless. He's been in the martial arts world for many years without ever having a match, and even the old sect leader couldn't subdue him. I really can't be sure if that's an exaggeration. If he really is that powerful... we'd definitely be at a disadvantage if we fought him. It wouldn't be good to alert him.

I smiled ingratiatingly at his hand holding the knife and said in the most tactful way possible, "But Yan Shu is treacherous and cunning, and he's bound to play tricks. So I'm going to investigate first, and you can make your move when it's time for Brother Jiu to take action."

He finally sheathed his sword and nodded. "You can handle this by yourself?"

I gave him a wicked smile, shook the incense burner, and said, "Don't worry, I have my own way. You listen here, and if I scream for help, rush in immediately! Don't hesitate! Don't be careless!"

He nodded again and instructed me, "I will eliminate those guards, so be careful."

I patted him on the shoulder, got up, straightened my shirt, and went down to the red corridor.

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The Xiangyu Pavilion was dimly lit, unlike candlelight, which made the beaded curtains hanging at the door shimmer. As soon as I reached the door, I heard a woman's sweet voice say from inside, "My dear husband, please give yourself to me~"

I shuddered and knocked on the half-open door. The woman's voice inside asked impatiently, "Who is it?"

I said in a high-pitched voice, "It's me, bringing the incense burner."

She said, "Come in," and I lowered my head and carried the incense burner into the room. I was immediately stunned by the room full of luminous pearls that glowed softly.

The white jade candlesticks were inlaid with fist-sized luminous pearls. The air was fragrant and the tents were warm. Fox furs were spread on the floor, and my heart trembled when I stepped on them.

That's way too extravagant!

I peeked inside and saw that behind the beaded curtain, on the soft couch, one person was half-lying on the couch and the other was half-kneeling on the ground, leaning over to offer a watery longan.

Only when I got closer could I make out that the person kneeling was a woman. I couldn't see her features clearly through the beaded curtain, but I could vaguely make out that the woman's clothes were almost off, her fragrant shoulders and white breasts were almost exposed, and her nails with nail polish were gently kneading the half-open chest of the person on the couch. It was such a beautiful and intoxicating scene that I felt embarrassed.

The two of them continued flirting without any shame, ignoring me completely. I placed the incense burner outside the beaded curtain, lighting it while listening to their cloying flirting inside.

"Is it good? Is it really good?" the woman's voice gasped softly.

The man on the couch finally spoke, and his captivating chuckle confirmed that it was indeed the High Priest. "Mr. Jin, please don't make things difficult for me. Do you know my name? And who I am?"

Is this woman Jin Bihui? Does she have such poor taste...?

Jin Bihui persisted, speaking softly, "None of that matters. What matters is that I like you... You've seen it yourself, I've had all sorts of beauties, but none as persistent as you! I don't want mountains of gold and silver, so what do you really want?"

This beauty has unusual tastes; she wants the position of leader of a demonic sect... You can't satisfy her.

The incense smoke curled gently, and I held my breath, stealing a glance inside. Through the shimmering pearls, I saw Yan Shu open his mouth and take the longan from Jin Bihui's hand into his mouth, his tongue gently curling it as he whispered, "What I want, you can't give me..."

His voice trailed off in a hoarse tone, sending shivers of pleasure through my body, making my scalp tingle. Then I heard Jin Bihui let out a soft moan, half her body pressed against his, chest against chest, as she gasped, "You little devil, what am I going to do with you..."

I couldn't bear it any longer and crushed the tinder in my hand. It fell to the ground with a thud, and the sparks gradually went out.

I looked up and saw Yan Shu looking over through the beaded curtain. Our eyes met, and he spat out the longan he was eating, which rolled to my feet with a splatter.

He smiled seductively, his eyes sparkling, and said, "Little Su Xie, you're still alive?"

You bastard! I'd almost forgotten about you! You heartless scoundrel!

"I thought you'd be a little later, but I didn't expect you to get away so quickly..." He put one arm around Jin Bihui and looked at me with a smirk.

Amidst the rising smoke of incense, I chuckled, resting my forehead on my hand, "I'm truly sorry to disturb the High Priest's tender moment; I had no choice."

"Who is she?" Jin Bihui glared at me with hostility. "Where's Yun'er? How did you get in?" He got up to call for help.

I said first, "Your guard maid is probably fast asleep by now, so you won't be able to call for her."

She flung aside the beaded curtain and angrily demanded, "Who are you to dare trespass on my property!"

Oh my, up close, Mr. Kim's blond hair and blue eyes give him a rather exotic look, though he looks a bit weathered, the signs of age are hard to hide.

Yan Shu is so despicable! He'd do anything to avoid trouble! He even toyed with women's feelings!

I glared at Yan Shu and said kindly, "I'm just here to see him, this lady doesn't need to..."

"Sister?!" Jin Bihui's eyes widened, and she pointed at me aggressively. "Who are you calling sister! Where did this little thief come from!"

Did I say something wrong again?

I felt wronged, and she continued pointing at me, shouting at Yan Shu, "Who is she! What's your relationship with her!"

His jealousy was truly astounding. I was about to explain when Yan Shu rose from the couch, a glimpse of his blouse peeking out from under his clothes. He looked at me and said to Jin Bihui, "Actually, I already have a family..."

Good heavens! Saying that will cause a misunderstanding!

As expected, Jin Bihui's expression changed, and he slapped her across the face.

Luckily, I dodged quickly, but Jin Bihui suddenly turned around, drew the sword hanging on the bed, and attacked me without any politeness.

I dodged, but that vile woman Yan Shu leaned against the beaded curtain, her breasts half-exposed, watching the spectacle with a smile, all the while saying recklessly, "Don't let anyone die..."