Кровавое убийство - Глава 19
Oh my god! I'm going crazy! Why can't this person be reasoned with?!
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[Volume 1: Encounter Chapter 18 - A Turbulent Event Occurs Out of Nowhere]
"No!" I frowned, glancing at the small, neatly folded piece of black cloth placed on my bedside table. "Are you sure it's wearable?" I pointed my finger and picked up a corner of the cloth, fiddling with it.
"I don't want to see you bleeding and lying in front of me again," Huaiyuan said casually, but his clenched fists betrayed his true feelings—it seemed that my injury had frightened him.
"I'm sorry," I sincerely apologized to him. "I promise this will never happen again."
"I can't be by your side every second. Listen to me, put it on, okay?" This guy flashed a refined and handsome smile again to bewitch my mind.
"Fine," knowing I couldn't go against his stubbornness, I had no choice but to resign myself to taking the piece of cloth to the inner room to change into—could such a small piece of cloth really have the effect of a bulletproof vest? Fortunately, it was soft to the touch, not as rough as I had imagined.
"Brother Ye, are you there?" I think I heard Yang Wanqing's voice.
"Miss Yang, is something the matter?" I came out to look, and it really was her. Huaiyuan had already hidden behind the curtain; although I could only vaguely see his profile through the gap, the powerful presence he exuded was undeniable—I couldn't help but wonder again about his background. What kind of environment could have shaped his extraordinary temperament?!
"I'm sorry, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been blamed by Miss Lu." Yang Wanqing looked flustered, her face flushed, and she lowered her head to fidget with her sash. Her demeanor was that of a well-bred young lady, not a chivalrous woman wandering the world.
"It's that guy surnamed Lu who's being unreasonable, what does it have to do with you?" I smiled slightly, winked at her, and turned around. "See, I'm fine now, aren't I? By the way, where's Brother Liu?"
"My senior brother said he wanted to apologize to Brother Ye and asked me to invite him to Tianxiang Restaurant for a chat."
"A restaurant?" Huaiyuan frowned—he must have had some reservations about the word "restaurant".
"This is... uh, who is he?" She glanced at Huaiyuan's aloof and indifferent back, looking embarrassed and at a loss.
"Your son? Your son?" I smiled, unable to resist teasing her—seeing her bewildered expression, I clapped my hands in laughter—it's true, everyone in the manor knows I have a son, frail from childhood and afflicted with a strange poison, but all that remained was the day I arrived at the manor. For the past month or so, Huaiyuan has kept a low profile, and his height has increased rapidly; only occasionally has he been glimpsed from the side by those serving him at the Benlei Pavilion. So, no one really knows how old my son is—to be honest, even I, as his "father," still don't know his age!
Receiving Huaiyuan's cold, warning look, I stuck out my tongue and decided to clear his name. "Ahem, actually, everyone has misunderstood. This young man, Ji, is the son of one of my uncles. Because of a family misfortune, I'm temporarily taking care of him."
"Is that so? Then why don't you invite Brother Ye and this young Brother Ji to go together?" Yang Wanqing's relieved expression made me laugh out loud again.
"I'm not feeling well, so I appreciate Young Master Liu and Miss Yang's kindness." Huaiyuan coldly kept them at arm's length. "Your injury has just healed, so please don't drink alcohol. Remember to come back early. Don't cause trouble, understand?" Pshaw, do they think I'm a three-year-old? Trying to control everything!
I rolled my eyes, too lazy to say anything more to him, and then left with Miss Yang.
"By the way, Brother Ye, who was the thug who kidnapped you that day? Judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards you. Was he your friend, Brother Ye?" Yang Wanqing asked with a curious look—so this was the real reason she invited me out?
I glanced at her, still wearing my harmless smile. "Oh dear, I'm so useless. I just fainted that day and don't remember anything. Hmm, didn't Young Master Liu catch up with us that day? How come he didn't see me? Oh right, I haven't asked you how I got back to Benlei Pavilion yet?" — When it comes to playing dumb, who's afraid of who?
"That person's lightness skill is unparalleled in my life. Don't laugh at me, Brother Ye, but my senior brother didn't even see a shadow of him." Yang Wanqing's gaze now boldly met mine directly, her earlier shyness completely gone. "Brother Ye, you really don't recognize him?"
I not only know this person, but you just saw him too. I chuckled inwardly, feigning annoyance, "I'm truly ashamed. I'm just a scholar, and I was injured by Miss Lu's Love-Locking Whip, so I really didn't see anything that day. However, I believe that with Brother Liu's skills and experience in the martial world, even if you didn't see him in person, you should be able to glean some clues from the slightest hints." The implication was—aren't you supposed to be unparalleled masters? If you're so capable, go investigate yourselves, why bother me?
Yang Wanqing seemed quite clever, understanding my unspoken meaning. Her face flushed, and she stopped dwelling on the matter, changing the subject. "That day, my senior brother and Sister Lu gave chase, but that person got there first and escaped. My senior brother was afraid that his friend would be anxious, so he sent someone to inform him. But unexpectedly, they found Brother Ye in the garden outside Benlei Pavilion."
With a quick glance and a charming smile, she said, "Brother Ye, you are truly blessed to have the help of such a reclusive master."
"Yes, luckily that person saved me by accident, otherwise I would have died under the Jade Whip!" I said impatiently, and couldn't help but make sarcastic remarks.
"Sister Lu was just blinded by anger that day, that's why she attacked you. Actually, she didn't really want to kill you." Yang Wanqing blushed as she defended Lu Rumei. "Ah, we've arrived at Tianxiang Restaurant. Senior Brother must be getting impatient. Let's go up quickly."
"Hmph, she's quick-witted," I snorted coldly, refusing to reply, and strode into the restaurant. It was midday, and the restaurant was bustling with people dining. Guided by the waiter, we went up to the second floor and headed for a private room.
"...I'm just an old man on his deathbed. The grudges and disputes of the martial world are none of my business. I just want to take advantage of my last breath to see more and travel more. What else is there?" Hmm, why does that voice sound a bit familiar?
"Uncle Zhou, do you not even trust me?" This helpless voice belonged to Liu Wufeng.
With a heavy heart, I pushed open the half-closed door and stepped inside. A round table in the room was laden with delicacies. An elderly man in blue robes sat by the window, his face weathered and travel-worn; he looked vaguely familiar. Liu Wufeng, holding a wine cup, stood leaning against the window, his expression bitter, all traces of his usual calm and warmth gone.
"Uncle Zhou." It seemed Yang Wanqing also knew this old man, and her words showed him considerable respect—given Liu Wufeng's status in the martial arts world, there were very few people who could make him lower himself. I couldn't help but become curious about him and began to examine him closely.
Zhou Bo nodded slightly, and for the instant he saw me, I was certain there was a fleeting look of surprise in his eyes—could we really have met before? But I know so few people. As I nodded back, I racked my brains trying to remember where I'd seen him before. "And this is…?" Why was I wasting so many brain cells? There were two perfectly normal people here who could answer my question!
"Brother Ye, let me introduce you to someone. This is an uncle of mine, someone who watched me grow up. Zhou Tianyao, Senior Zhou." Liu Wufeng introduced me respectfully.
Surname Zhou? Ah, my eyes lit up, I finally remembered—wasn't he the steward Zhou from Huaiyuan's family who brought me clothes up the mountain that day? What's he doing here? And it seems he has a deep connection with the man surnamed Liu? Huaiyuan has been avoiding Liu Wufeng, I wonder if these two are enemies or friends?
I decided to wait and see. So, I chose a seat facing Uncle Zhou and sat down. Yang Wanqing, however, did not dare to sit down and stood next to Liu Wufeng.
"Uncle Zhou, I know you must have found a clue to have traveled all this way to Jiangling. I just want to ask you one thing—have you heard news of him?" Liu Wufeng stared at Uncle Zhou excitedly, while I was completely confused. Him? Or her? Who?!
Zhou Tianyao sighed deeply, "Second Master, I've already said that I gained absolutely nothing from this trip. If I had, you and the young master are like brothers, how could I dare to hide anything from you?"
"Could I have been wrong?" Liu Wufeng muttered to himself, his dejected appearance almost unbearable to witness. "But how do you explain this?" He reluctantly pulled something from his robes and held it out to Zhou Bo's eyes—no way? It was actually an embroidered shoe?
Uncle Zhou looked at the shoes, his expression changed slightly, and then he shook his head. "Second Master, what do you mean by giving me a shoe?"
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Brother Liu, you're quite the romantic, carrying around a woman's embroidered shoes? Do you suspect that Uncle Zhou has abducted your sweetheart?"
Yang Wanqing also looked at Liu Wufeng with a puzzled expression, clearly not knowing what the young master Liu was up to.
“These are no ordinary shoes, Uncle Zhou, don’t tell me you don’t recognize them?” Liu Wufeng said with a mocking tone.
"What's different?" I stood up, moved closer to him, and picked up the shoe, trying to figure out what was so special about it—aside from the exquisite embroidery, there was nothing remarkable about it.
"Huh!" Wait a minute, why do these shoes look so familiar? — Good heavens, isn't this one of the shoes I exchanged with the shopkeeper at that clothing store? How did it end up in Liu Wufeng's hands?
"What? Brother Ye, you've met him before?" Liu Wufeng looked at me in surprise.
"No, how could I have seen it before?" I suppressed my doubts and gently shook my head. "It's just that the embroidery on this shoe is exquisite, truly breathtaking. Brother Liu, is there anything strange about this shoe? Could someone have worn it to do something shady?" I hoped it wouldn't be like that, otherwise, if they investigated, I'd be in deep trouble.
"Of course, these are handmade by the 'Jade Goddess Needle.' Countless nobles and dignitaries have offered their daughters fortunes for a pair of shoes, yet none have been able to obtain her permission." Liu Wufeng spoke casually, but I was terrified—no way! What nonsense! I clearly have several pairs of shoes like these!
"It's just a pair of shoes, why make such a fuss?" I really couldn't agree—I never imagined that people in the Song Dynasty were already talking about brand names!