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Глава 27

Shen Wan smiled sadly: "I was originally stupid... but my father loved riddles when he was alive. Every year during the Lantern Festival, the Shen family would hold a large-scale tiger-shooting competition... I learned some things from him by observing him."

Yuan Ruxuan also sighed: "My friendship with Brother Shen... was originally formed through riddles... but unfortunately... oh, right, I need to arrest Chunshun immediately... and interrogate him about Pei'er's whereabouts..."

Ye Xiao's eyelids twitched, and her heart lit up. She looked at Shen Wan and said, "So your father also likes tiger shooting?"

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps sounded at the door, and Butler Tu rushed in. "Master...it's terrible! It's terrible! Young Master Huang from the Martial Alliance has brought a large group of people and is trying to force their way into the manor! They say they're here to capture the murderer who killed the two young masters..."

Yuan Ruxuan's expression changed: "Although the Martial Alliance wields immense power in the martial world, this is, after all, Langjing Manor... Chunshun is from our manor, so how should we deal with him...? It seems like it's not his place to interfere..."

Butler Tu glanced at his master, then at Luo Qingcheng and the others, and whispered, "They're referring to... Young Master Luo and the others..."

Yuan Ruxuan glanced at Luo Qingcheng, about to say something, when Luo Qingcheng said calmly, "That's right... I was wondering why the Martial Alliance would let go of such a great opportunity to get rid of me..."

Biluo Pavilion had always been the place where Yuan Ruxuan received distinguished guests. When he arrived at the magnificent Biluo Pavilion, Huang Tingfeng was already visibly impatient.

Guo Qiwu, Fang Qin... several heavyweight masters from the Martial Arts Alliance were present, all with cold expressions. Autumn had finally arrived, and the temperature in Biluo Pavilion seemed to have dropped considerably all at once.

Yuan Ruxuan calmly greeted the group. Huang Tingfeng, being young and impetuous, immediately got straight to the point: "The Martial Alliance has always taken the world as its responsibility, upholding justice in the martial world and eliminating evil. Since the assassinations of Young Master An from Shu, Young Master Zhang from Loucheng, and Young Master Xie from Huizhou, we have notified their families as soon as possible, while also monitoring the situation and actively searching for clues and the murderer. Today, we have made some progress. After extensive investigation, we have confirmed that Luo Qingcheng is the murderer of these young masters... We heard that he is currently here, so we have come specifically to arrest him and give the families of the deceased justice..."

Yuan Ruxuan smiled faintly, "As for who the murderer is, I believe the long arm of the law will eventually catch up with him. But there's no doubt that this matter is closely related to Luo Qingcheng, so I've been keeping an eye on him for a long time... Young Master Huang, you know, at this critical juncture, my daughter has gone missing. This is probably not a coincidence; it might be related to Luo Qingcheng in some way... So I can't give this person to you. I must keep him to find my daughter's whereabouts..."

Huang Tingfeng's expression changed: "So, according to you, you're unwilling to hand the person over to me? Master Yuan insists on protecting the murderer?" With a slight wave of his hand, Fang Qin, Guo Qiwu, and the others behind him suddenly sprang up, their eyes gleaming with fierce power as they stared at Yuan Ruxuan.

Yuan Ruxuan smiled bitterly: "The Martial Alliance is currently unrivaled in the martial world. I would never have gotten involved in this mess, never wanted to cause you any trouble. But my daughter is my only hope, and now her life is uncertain... Before Pei'er is safe, Luo Qingcheng cannot afford any mistakes... You uphold justice, I feel the pain deeply... You should weigh the pros and cons yourself, Young Master Huang. As for the murderer... Since the person died at my Langjing Manor, I have an obligation to give everyone an explanation. I will mobilize all the resources of Langjing Manor to bring the murderer to justice..." He shook his head, which had turned gray in the past few days, and slowly picked up his teacup. Butler Tu called out from behind him, "Show the guest out!"

Dozens of skilled guards suddenly appeared at the door, calling out in a drawn-out voice, with a very respectful yet undeniably arrogant tone, "Show off—guests—"

Huang Tingfeng frowned, feeling Guo Qiwu gently press his arm from behind. He understood the gesture meant for him to be patient. He slowly stood up and said, "Since Master Yuan is willing to find the murderer himself, we will not interfere for the time being. We hope Master Yuan can give everyone an explanation in a timely manner. The families of the three young masters will arrive at Langjing Manor soon..."

Yuan Ruxuan nodded slightly: "Definitely..."

Upstairs in a hidden compartment, Ye Xiao, Luo Qingcheng, and Xiao Xun quietly watched this scene through a small, dark window.

“The situation is extremely troublesome.” Xiao Xun glanced at Luo Qingcheng, somewhat gloating. “Second brother, you shouldn’t have come to snatch the beauty from him. Now, not only is the beauty’s whereabouts unknown, but you might not even be able to save your life. Even if you manage to escape from here, the entire martial arts world will attack you, and you won’t even have a place to hide.”

Ye Xiao sighed, "With the second brother's martial arts skills, who can stop him if he wants to leave? He can just change his face and identity after he gets out... and live to be a hundred years old. But the two of us... we might not be able to save our lives this time."

Luo Qingcheng snorted coldly and remained silent.

The clapper sounded, signaling the third watch. Luo Qingcheng opened his eyes alertly, reached out and grabbed a soft body. "Xiaoxiao..." he murmured, a sudden warmth spreading through his heart as he tucked the body into his blanket.

"Your martial arts are so advanced, could you take me somewhere tonight?" Ye Xiao whispered in his ear.

Luo Qingcheng nodded slightly and quickly picked her up.

The guards patrolling Dongting Garden were chatting and struggling with drowsiness when suddenly they all felt a blur before their eyes, as if a large, dark shadow had flashed by. When they opened their eyes again, all was silent; neither the shadow nor the shadow had appeared. Some, however suspicious, went to listen at the door of each house. There was nothing unusual; some were even snoring loudly. Reassured, they continued their chatter and patrol.

Perhaps something had happened, for Langjing Manor was unusually quiet. Strangely, the gate to the herbalist's courtyard was still open, swaying slightly in the autumn breeze.

Upon entering, the dim light filtering through the window lacked its usual eeriness and instead possessed a touch of warmth amidst the somewhat bleak autumn wind. However, a large "恳" (kěn, meaning earnest or sincere) character on the door seemed to mock their intelligence, which particularly displeased Luo Qingcheng.

Luo Qingcheng felt something was off, but silently followed Ye Xiao into the room. The doctor and the servant were both at the desk, propping their heads up as if they were asleep.

Ye Xiao called out softly, "Sir." The herbalist slowly opened his eyes, looked at Luo Qingcheng, and his gaze suddenly became somewhat sinister. He then made a few hand gestures.

The boy had woken up at some point: "Young master... are you going to buy medicine again in the middle of the night? □?"

With a loud bang, Luo Qingcheng felt a surge of heat quickly turn him red, turning him into a steaming hot braised pork hock. He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to explain, but finally gave the pharmacist a resentful look and remained silent.

Ye Xiao clearly didn't understand the purpose of the □, and continued to smile, his smile showing a rare kind of naivety: "We came here sincerely to ask for your help, sir..."

The herbalist raised his eyebrows slightly and made a few disdainful gestures: "I only treat illnesses, I never offer unsolicited help."

Undeterred by the rejection, Ye Xiao continued to plead, "I know that you are actually a master of the Mind Control Sect. We have indeed encountered some difficulties and would like to ask for your help."

Luo Qingcheng's eyes flashed with slight surprise. The Mind-Seizing Sect? This person is from the Mind-Seizing Sect? However, he did not show any surprise on his face.

The herbalist scoffed, seemingly with a cold laugh, then quickly made a few more hand gestures, his expression already quite impatient: "What 'Mind-Controlling Sect' or 'Liver-Controlling Sect'? Money is my heart and liver, you'd be more like 'Money-Controlling Sect'..."

Ye Xiao chuckled softly: "Sir, you previously set up the Illusionary Flower Mind-Controlling Array at our residence, repeatedly thwarting the evildoers' malicious intentions. Unfortunately, I was blind to your greatness and broke your array, allowing the evildoers to succeed and burn down the entire street. Luckily, none of us were there, saving our lives... However... Sir, you may not know this, but we are now embroiled in a murderer's affair, and our lives may be in danger... Since you are proficient in mind-controlling techniques, I would like to ask you for your help..."

The herbalist coldly raised his eyes, but instead of looking at Ye Xiao, he stared intently at Luo Qingcheng, making the latter shudder. Finally, he gestured: "Both of you have dark circles under your eyes and look ominous, especially this young master, who is unlikely to escape this calamity. For you, young lady, avoiding this calamity is simple: just leave this unlucky person immediately and don't get involved..."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingcheng's eyes dimmed, but he couldn't utter a single word. Ye Xiao sighed, "Are you advising me to protect myself? He's my brother; brothers should share hardships together."

The herbalist rolled his eyes: "It depends on whether you can handle it! This person is very troublesome. It's obvious that he has offended the most powerful martial arts alliance in the world. Becoming a pariah is just around the corner. I still advise you, young lady, not to meddle in this..."

Ye Xiao paused, turning to look at Luo Qingcheng. His perpetually wooden face showed no change, only his once vibrant eyes were now dull and lifeless. A sudden pang of heartache struck her. "I was the one who begged him to be my second son. Now that I've encountered some hardship, I can't just abandon him..."

The herbalist sighed, then suddenly fixed his gaze on Luo Qingcheng's eyes again: "This young master caused this mess himself, and now he's expecting a young lady to clean up his mess? He's really shameless..."

Luo Qingcheng's face beneath the mask turned deathly pale, and he suddenly became furious. He grabbed Ye Xiao and said, "Xiaoxiao, let's go! We won't beg him!"

The doctor's eyes flashed, and he suddenly reached out and grabbed Ye Xiao's arm. With his other hand, he ruthlessly struck Luo Qingcheng's vitals. Luo Qingcheng casually blocked, and with a loud bang, both of them took a step back.

Poor Ye Xiao, who was almost torn in two by the two of them, and couldn't help but scream.

The two men were startled and almost simultaneously released Ye Xiao, freeing their hands to focus on dealing with each other. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged dozens of moves.

Ye Xiao had heard from Luo Qingcheng that this person possessed profound martial arts skills, and seeing them exchange blows, she finally believed it was true. Considering the dire situation, she couldn't help but call out, "Qingcheng... don't argue with the master..."

Luo Qingcheng's hands and feet slowed down, and his eyes drifted towards Ye Xiao. Unexpectedly, the pharmacist kicked him squarely in a vital spot, and he screamed in pain, bent over, and could not straighten up again.

Ye Xiao rushed over and helped him up: "Why did you fight like that! You're so arrogant even when you're asking for help... Did it hurt? Where did you kick me? Let me rub it for you..."

The herbalist behind him snorted coldly. Luo Qingcheng raised his head angrily, his voice hoarse with pain: "You scoundrel!"

The herbalist snorted again, extending a little finger and looking at Luo Qingcheng with utter disdain. The child beside him, however, spoke in a clear and melodious voice: "You're spineless! Since you're spineless, you might as well just die out..."

Ye Xiao reached out and touched Luo Qingcheng's neck. His hand was wet with cold sweat, and he felt a surge of anger: "If you're not going to help, then fine... We can find a way ourselves, why resort to such violence against him?"

The herbalist sighed almost imperceptibly, made a gesture, and the young boy beside him said, "Who said we wouldn't help? But this help can't be given for nothing... Do you remember the word 'respectfully'?"

Ye Xiao understood immediately and turned around with great joy: "Ye Xiao dares not trouble you, sir... How much? It's up to you..."

A flash of sharpness appeared in the doctor's eyes, and he held up four fingers.

Ye Xiao instinctively felt something was wrong and asked dumbly, "Four hundred?"

The servant's voice ruthlessly shattered Ye Xiao's dream: "Four thousand taels of silver! Not a penny less!"

Luo Qingcheng watched helplessly as Ye Xiao's humble, ingratiating smile suddenly froze on her face, and a pang of pain shot through his heart. Four thousand. This doctor must have deliberately quoted a high price to scare away poor Xiao Xiao... The expenses at Langjing Manor were higher than he had anticipated, and with the series of unexpected events, they now had only a few hundred taels of silver left between them...

“Xiaoxiao… let’s go back…” Luo Qingcheng gently came over and tugged at Ye Xiao’s clothes, unable to bear seeing the disappointment in her eyes.

Ye Xiao remained motionless for a long time, her heart filled with tender emotions, until Luo Qingcheng gently pulled her out by the waist before she finally spoke: "Deal! I hope you will keep your word."

Luo Qingcheng was stunned for a moment: "Xiaoxiao! Are you crazy! We don't have that much money..."

Ye Xiao lowered his head, took out a small knife, gently pried open the sole of the shoe, pulled out a few sheets of paper from a hidden compartment, and handed them to the doctor: "Exactly four thousand taels of silver. I would like to ask you for help, sir..."

The doctor took the silver note and gestured: "I'm just a doctor! Helping others is a doctor's instinct... I'm not a member of the Mind Control Sect, but money makes the world go round. I'll find a master from the Mind Control Sect. Tomorrow, an exceptionally handsome man will come to your door. You can tell him whatever you want..."

"A handsome man like him, a rare find..." Ye Xiao asked, stunned and dizzy.

The doctor didn't speak again, sighed, sat down, and slumped over his desk again, quickly becoming drowsy. He only woke up promptly after Ye and Luo left, looked at the young boy beside him, and clearly said, "This trouble is getting bigger and bigger. How are we going to clean this up?"

On the quiet path, early-blooming osmanthus blossoms hid among the leaves, quietly releasing their fragrance. Luo Qingcheng coldly observed Ye Xiao's absent-minded expression, a sudden pang of sadness gripping his heart: "Thinking about that Mind Control Sect master?"

Ye Xiao smiled happily: "What does a truly exceptionally handsome man look like?"

Luo Qingcheng felt even more bitter: "Like me."

Ye Xiao ignored his teasing and was lost in her own fantasy when she suddenly heard Luo Qingcheng's voice say, "You still have so much money hidden away? Those days we were struggling to make ends meet by performing, and poor Lao San was performing breaking stones on his chest, while you were hiding so much silver?"

Ye Xiao then came to her senses and began to feel sorry for the money she had spent: "This is my ransom..."

Luo Qingcheng was taken aback, feeling uneasy no matter how he thought about it: "Redeemed? Who did you sell yourself to? I don't remember paying this much when you sold yourself to me?"

Ye Xiao sighed, "I owe someone a debt. Only when I earn enough money to pay it off will I be able to gain my freedom..."

Luo Qingcheng frowned even more: "How much?"

Ye Xiao smiled wryly: "Four thousand taels...that's the price this year. After this year, it'll be eight thousand taels. It doubles every year..."

"One year at a time! This loan sharking is outrageous!"

"If I haven't earned enough money by the time I turn twenty, I'll be at his beck and call for the rest of my life, imprisoned by him for eternity..."

"..." Luo Qingcheng's eyes suddenly turned as cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month.

"I started wandering the world when I was ten, and I still haven't been able to pay back the money..."

“It’s impossible for a young girl to earn so much money. He’s just after Xiaoxiao…” For some reason that Ye Xiao was unaware of, Luo Qingcheng’s voice had completely changed.

Ye Xiao raised an eyebrow, unconvinced: "No way! I earn enough money every year, but every time I earn money, something happens that makes me spend all the money I've earned... Like this time... Don't you think... isn't that unlucky?"

Luo Qingcheng gave an "oh," his eyes sparkling, a sudden sharpness appearing, but his heart ached with bitterness. He lowered his head and remained silent the rest of the way.

They reached the doorway in the blink of an eye. Luo Qingcheng hesitated for a moment, then finally looked up at Ye Xiao: "Xiao Xiao... the situation isn't looking good this time. I wanted to... ask you for a favor..."

"What?" Ye Xiao looked at him with a smile.

A slight tremor ran through Luo Qingcheng's heart, quickly replaced by a sudden surge of bitterness. "If... if anything were to happen to me, please take good care of Xiaowan and Shan'er for me... I owe them so much..."

Ye Xiao was stunned: "What are you going to do? Don't do anything reckless!"

Luo Qingcheng didn't say anything, but pushed the door open and went in.

Ye Xiao sneakily squeezed his head into the room and asked gossipily, "Uh, can I ask you something? What exactly did you do to them? Why do you owe them so much?"

A gust of wind swept through the darkness, and Ye Xiao, unable to dodge in time, was struck on the bridge of his nose by something. The force wasn't too light or too heavy; it wasn't painful, but it was unbearably so. What was most infuriating was that Ye Xiao judged from the strong smell that it was something shaped like a smelly shoe.

Ye Xiao jumped up with a howl, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She pounded her sore nose with both hands, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

"You're biting the hand that feeds you! I curse you to step in a pile of dog poop tomorrow!" Ye Xiao yelled for a while, then slunk back to his room.

In the darkness, Luo Qingcheng pulled the blanket over his head and smiled at what Xiao Xiao had just said. Could it be that they were already engaged? Suddenly, he felt utterly disheartened.

Ye Xiao got up early in the morning and even picked some beautiful Biluo flowers from Biluo Lake, placing them on the table. She looked around the yard several times but didn't see the handsome guy.

"Why isn't the handsome guy here yet?" she couldn't help but mutter. Just then, she heard Xiao Xun's voice behind her: "Boss, what do you want?" She immediately turned around and gave him a double eye roll.

Then she remembered something else and rushed to Luo Qingcheng's room to see if he had stepped in dog poop. Luo Qingcheng was still fast asleep with his head covered, and Ye Xiao felt even more disappointed.

As Ye Xiao was leaving, she noticed a pile of animal excrement in the corner. Her eyes lit up, and a wicked plan formed in her mind. She carefully found a rake and moved the precious excrement to Luo Qingcheng's doorway, imagining his embarrassing moment of stepping into a trap as he went out. She couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Just as she was busy, she suddenly heard Butler Tu's voice: "Miss Ye! There's someone outside claiming to be from the Mind-Controlling Sect who wants to see you!"

"Handsome guy!" Ye Xiaofei quickly threw away the rake and ran out the door.

Sure enough, there was someone there; Ye Xiao had seen this person several times before.

It was that kind-faced old night watchman who had once helped me out of my confusion.

"You...you...a peerless handsome man can't come in person?" Ye Xiao was so disappointed that he couldn't even speak properly.

"He is an exceptionally handsome man."