Половины жизни, посвященной музыке и макияжу

Глава 66

A letter was embedded in the throwing knife that struck Xia Luzhen. The letter stated that Jin Xiaobai and Zhao Lin's actions had violated the rules of the Seven Sheng Sect. It thanked everyone for cleaning up the sect, but Xia Luzhen had betrayed the sect leader and colluded with outsiders to harm fellow disciples. According to the sect rules, he should be executed. The letter was signed "Bai on behalf of the Seventh Young Master".

The mystery of Bitter Water Town has been solved, the Seven Sheng Sect branch has been wiped out, and the two masterminds, Jin Xiaobai and Zhao Lin, have been killed and captured, respectively. Logically, everyone should be cheering. However, looking at the blood-stained letter and the three exquisite jade flutes in their hands, and thinking about the elusive man surnamed Bai and the "Seventh Young Master" mentioned in the letter, they felt increasingly suffocated during the five days they waited for someone from Bianjing to pick them up.

It was dusk. Duan Chen and the others were having dinner on the first floor of the inn when they heard the rapid sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar, followed by a long neigh. They looked up and saw a man in the afterglow of the setting sun dismount, dressed in black, with a tall and handsome figure, striding into the inn.

Author's Note: Next update will be this Wednesday at 9 AM.

Has the Seven Life Sect come to an end? No, it hasn't come to an end yet? Is it over or not?

You all probably guessed who walked in, right? Oh, and there will be more familiar faces appearing in the next chapter!

Speaking of this chapter, Zhanzhan's clothes are half-open; that angle and the degree of exposure were clearly designed by Wa over a long period of time.

Everyone who reads this chapter has to take responsibility! You've all seen such an important part of Zhanzhan, you absolutely must take responsibility!

If you don't chime in and take responsibility, you won't be allowed to watch next time! Not even Tingting and Ranran! ╭(╯^╰)╮

63

Chapter Ten: One Wave Subsides, Another Rises...

The next morning.

Just as Duan Chen reached the top of the stairs, he heard a slightly mocking voice coming from downstairs: "Xingzhi, you've really got something this time, monopolizing the beauty for almost a month! Look at our little prince's face, it's turned so dark!"

"That's why it's so convenient to be close by! What's the point of our young prince leaving so early? There are so many roads from Bianjing to Suzhou, he might even take the wrong one! Alright, alright, stop glaring at me. I know I'm not well-liked by you two. I'll go, I'll go out to eat, okay?" A young man dressed in a royal blue robe turned around gracefully, feigning surprise as he looked at Duan Chen, who was walking down the stairs. He smiled warmly and brightly: "Oh my, everyone's up so early! Duan Chen, it's been a long time!"

Duan Chen descended the last step and bowed to Zhou Yufei, saying, "Good morning, Lord Zhou."

Zhou Yufei was taken aback by his words. He glanced down at his clothes, raised an eyebrow, and smiled dismissively. "You flatter me. I wore this official uniform for the sake of getting things done, not because of your 'Sir' address, Duan Chen." He then gestured with his chin towards Zhao Ting, who was sitting to the side with a sullen face. "Besides, our young prince is right here. How dare a nobody like me call him 'Sir'?"

The person whose name was called remained expressionless, but his deep voice carried a hint of gentleness: "Did you sleep well last night?"

Duan Chen lowered his eyes slightly and said, "Very good. Thank you." With that, he turned and walked out.

Zhou Yufei winked at Zhao Ting and quickly followed, saying, "Duan Chen, are you going out to eat too? Perfect, take me with you!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the person who had recently been promoted from handsome young master to handsome "lord" was pushed aside by someone. The group of people waiting for instructions outside the inn all twitched at the corner of their eyes, but regained their composure under the cold gazes of Lord Zhou and the young prince, and continued to stand straight outside the inn in the morning breeze.

Zhou Yufei touched his nose, about to move to the other side, but was beaten to it by a figure in sky blue. Zhan Yun twirled a folding fan in one hand and smiled faintly at him. Zhou Yufei forced his leg, which was already pointing to the side, to turn straight forward, resignedly walking on the far outside.

Zhao Ting glanced at the person beside him and said in a deep voice, "I didn't have time to tell you last night. I went to Mulian Mountain to look for you, but your master said you had just left the day before, and they said they didn't know where you went either. So I went to Hangzhou Prefecture, but you weren't there either."

Zhou Yufei nodded sadly from the side: "So our young prince searched all over the country, crossing mountains and valleys, until he contacted me not long ago. When he learned that you and Xingzhi were here, he traveled day and night without stopping. Even though it was a longer journey than mine, he arrived a day earlier than me!"

Zhao Ting glanced sideways, while Zhan Yun shook his head and chuckled. He still had the nerve to say that! Only Duan Chen stared straight ahead, silent, as if he hadn't heard a thing. Seeing this, Zhan Yun asked softly, "Chen'er, are you still thinking about the Seven Sheng Sect?"

Duan Chen paused, her eyes fixed straight ahead. The other three followed her gaze. Zhao Ting and Zhou Yufei were puzzled, but Zhan Yun frowned slightly, also somewhat surprised: "Why isn't it open today?"

Zhou Yufei took two more steps forward and saw the storefront: "Hey, it's just a porridge shop! If this one's closed, we'll just have to go somewhere else."

Duan Chen shook his head slightly, his phoenix eyes still fixed on the tightly closed door. Zhan Yun, standing beside him, explained while fanning himself, "When the Seven Sheng Sect was causing the most trouble, only their house in town was open for business every day. Now that things have been resolved, many shops have reopened, and more people are coming out for breakfast. Why would they suddenly stop operating?"

Zhou Yufei still felt it was no big deal: "Maybe the boss is out, or not feeling well, so he can just take a day off."

Duan Chen glanced at him sideways, his voice still cold and clear: "For thirty years, not a single day has passed without interruption, until today."

Zhao Ting frowned: "You think something serious might have happened, which is why this porridge shop is closed?"

Duan Chen pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. Zhou Yufei, standing beside him, stepped forward and knocked on the door: "Is anyone home?"

The three of them walked over. They knocked several times, but no one answered. Just as they were about to leave, they heard someone call out from behind, "Young Master Duan, Young Master Zhan, come and have some porridge?"

Turning around, he saw Awen waving at the group. As he approached and saw Zhou Yufei in his official uniform, he hurriedly tried to kneel down, saying, "This humble one... I... I've met... Your Excellency..."

Zhou Yufei waved his hand: "No need, no need, get up quickly."

Awen stood up straight, but still kept his head down, and stammered as he explained, "I... I heard from Da Liu that people from the capital are coming to take all those bad guys to the capital and lock them up. I thought that Young Master Duan, Young Master Zhan, and Mr. Xiao would definitely be leaving today, so I thought I'd go to the inn to see them off."

As she spoke, she wiped her hands on her clothes, pulled out a small package from her pocket, and handed it to Duan Chen with her head down: "These are pine mushrooms I picked last autumn when I went up the mountain, and they're all dried. I remember you came to my house for dinner before, and you seemed to really like them, so... We're from a small town, so we don't have much to give away. Please don't mind, Mr. Duan..."

As Awen explained, her face flushed slightly. Zhao Ting, watching from across the table, raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "She's only been here a few days, and she's already offended someone again!" Duan Chen took the things with both hands, and as Awen timidly looked up, he smiled slightly: "Thank you."

Originally, Awen was very nervous because it was the first time he had met a high-ranking official from the capital. Coupled with his tendency to stutter when nervous, he felt ashamed of bringing shame to Kushui Town as he spoke, and his face gradually turned red. He looked up in a daze and saw Duan Chen's smile, and was immediately stunned. He hadn't realized that Young Master Duan's smile was so beautiful!

Seeing this expression, Zhao Ting felt even more annoyed. He glared coldly at Awen with his dark eyes, thinking to himself, "What's so interesting about this?" Awen wasn't oblivious. He quickly sensed the icy stare from the side and trembled in fear. He stammered as he prepared to take his leave.

Zhan Yun, watching from the side, found it amusing and quickly stopped Awen, asking gently, "Do you know what's going on with this place? Why aren't you doing business today?"

Awen seemed quite at ease around Zhan Yun, nodding and replying, "Grandma comes out to wash rice every day after noon. Yesterday afternoon, I passed by but didn't see her, only Grandpa sitting outside alone. When I asked him, he said Grandma caught a chill the night before and wasn't feeling well. She'd been lying down since she finished setting up her stall in the morning. Grandma's getting old, and they don't have any children, so Grandpa probably can't manage on his own and that's why he doesn't open the stall."

Zhou Yufei waved his hand, indicating that Awen could leave, while raising his eyebrows to look at the three of them—aren't you overthinking it? Duan Chen is just too sensitive because he's handled too many cases, and you two are just getting carried away with making a fuss!

The four found another place to have breakfast and then strolled back slowly. Zhao Ting glanced at the expression of the person beside him and said softly, "The matter in Bitterwater Town is resolved. Where do you plan to go next?"

Duan Chen lowered his phoenix eyes, pursed his lips slightly, and remained silent for a moment before answering, "Bianjing."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting smiled and said, "My mother mentioned you during the New Year. She said the prescription you gave me was quite effective, and she felt much lighter on her legs than before. She also said that the medicinal pillow worked very well. Since you're going to Bianjing, why don't you stay at the Prince's Mansion? My mother will be very happy to see you."

Duan Chen spoke in a calm voice, but his expression was somewhat indifferent: "If the Princess finds it useful, that's good. I'm used to living a leisurely life on my own. If I stay in the Prince's mansion, I'm afraid I might accidentally offend someone important, which would cause trouble for the mansion."

Zhao Tingjian frowned, about to offer further advice, when he heard Zhan Yun say gently, "Over the years, every time I've gone to Bianjing, I've stayed at Zhao Ting's place. The Prince's mansion is spacious, with plenty of quiet rooms in the back courtyard, and there are also side gates, making it very convenient to come and go. Staying there, at least we can look out for each other, and if any cases arise, it'll be more convenient since we're close by..."

"Hey, that hits the nail on the head!" Zhou Yufei clapped his hands, took two quick steps and stood in front of the three of them, blinking his charming eyes: "This matter just happened not long ago, and with the higher-ups keeping it tightly under wraps, they're not allowing it to spread. Xingzhi and Zhao Ting, you two definitely don't know yet! In just half a month, several officials, big and small, have died in the capital, and their ranks, tsk tsk, each one higher than the last!"

As she spoke, she winked at Duan Chen, "The Ministry of Justice has been investigating for almost ten days, and there hasn't been a single step forward. This time, the money is plentiful. How about I give them a heads-up, and we can investigate together!"

All three men stared intently at Duan Chen, waiting for the beauty to nod in approval. Zhao Ting unconsciously held his breath, gazing at Duan Chen's profile, his heart pounding anxiously. On the other side, Zhan Yun smiled faintly, guessing that Duan Chen would probably agree this time.