Поездка ранней весной

Глава 13

"Then Liu Zhi..."

Yi Moran smiled slightly, "He's my disciple. I'm the one who brought him to the dance troupe; I didn't think we'd need him..."

Did he arrange this? But how long has Liu Zhi been here? Has he been taking precautions since so early on?

Leaving aside Liu Zhi's considerable martial arts skills, Que Yue had already sensed when taking his pulse earlier that he was not ill at all. However, his weakness and discomfort were not feigned. They were the aftereffects of old internal injuries, caused by damage to his lungs and internal organs that was difficult to heal.

This person is not just a music hall owner.

Queyue didn't want to delve into his identity, his past, or his past. Just now, he had let her take his pulse so readily; she wondered if that could be considered sincerity.

On the other side, Long Yan suffered a crushing defeat. Facing that cunning old fox who was so meticulous in his actions and managed to absolve himself of all responsibility, he gained nothing. Indeed, even if the two masked men were from the dance troupe, there was no evidence that they were the ones who killed the person, and even if they were, it didn't prove that Master Rong had ordered it.

Long Yan returned dejectedly with his constables, having gained nothing. No matter how he looked at it, Old Man Rong seemed quite capable, yet he also appeared utterly innocent. He could only return to Que Yue and Liu Zhi for further questioning. However, Liu Zhi feigned ignorance, her face expressionless and indifferent, a stark contrast to her previous demeanor. This didn't seem like a deliberate act, leading Que Yue to wonder if this was a case of "dual personality." But she understood why Liu Zhi kept her mouth shut, so she also remained reserved in response to Long Yan's questions.

Dragging Yi Moran down at this time is not a good thing.

Long Yan was about to uncover the truth, but there was always an unbreakable barrier between them, which frustrated him so much that he wanted to roar to the sky.

"You want to know the truth?" Suddenly, Adi's voice rang out from somewhere. Long Yan turned around and saw Adi silently tumble down from the roof outside.

You know?

"Yes, come with me."

He glanced at Queyue as he turned, a gentle smile on his face to reassure her. Seeing Adi safe and sound, Queyue, though she already knew there was no need to worry, finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, Longyan was quite uncooperative, saying, "Tell me clearly where you're going, or I won't go!"

Adi ignored him, directly struck his pressure points, grabbed him by the collar, and flew away with the grown man as light as a swallow.

According to Adi's later account, he only carried Long Yan to the roof of Master Rong's house to remind him not to forget to hold his breath, and then left. Several hours later, it got dark, and Long Yan's acupoints were released. However, in order not to be discovered, he could only wait until the blood vessels in his hands and feet were completely unblocked before he returned alone.

Queyue only saw Longyan with a dark face kick open the door without any politeness, seemingly forgetting that this was currently a woman's room, and then staring angrily but helplessly at Adi in Queyue's room.

Adi smiled faintly, her smile still warm and friendly. "Well, Officer Long, has the matter been clarified?"

"Unorthodox methods!"

"But it is the most effective."

"Still no evidence!"

"The rest is your business, it has nothing to do with us innocent people. By the way, Officer Long, now that you know this case has nothing to do with us, can't we, the good people, leave now? We've been here for a long time, and we've done what we could. It wouldn't be right to keep us here any longer."

Long Yan's face grew even darker, but he had no way to refute it. "But you've all left, who will be the witness?"

Ah Di feigned surprise, "Even if we were here, we couldn't testify. Do you want me to go to court and say that I overheard those things while squatting on someone's roof? I never squatted there, Officer Long, don't wrong me."

He insisted he hadn't gone—how could he know to drag Long Yan there to eavesdrop if he hadn't been there? The one eavesdropping was Long Yan, not him, Adi. The upright Chief Constable Long couldn't very well admit that he had also eavesdropped.

He glared angrily at Adi, who then added, "We've already discussed it with Master Yi. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning, and we won't say goodbye to Constable Long. Please remember to remove the guards from the gate, Constable Long."

How come Queyue never knew Adi could be so wicked and had such a talent for making people want to vomit blood? It seems they really need to understand each other better.

Seeing the faint smile on Queyue's lips, Adi was somewhat surprised and unsure. Was she Duan Jin or Zhi Jin at this moment? Was that faint smile an expression on her mask, or an emotion on her face?

After sending Long Yan out, A Di kindly reminded him before closing the door: "If you really can't find any fault with him, just set a trap for him and 'frame' him too."

"How could I do that—" Before he could finish his protest, Queyue said calmly, "Perhaps, there is someone who can testify."

"Who!?" Long Yan's eyes immediately lit up.

After a moment's thought, Queyue replied, "Xiaotao."

"Her?" Adi thought for a moment. "Would she agree?"

Long Yan frowned and thought for a moment. He remembered everyone he had asked. Xiao Tao was the girl in the pink dress with the smiling eyes, wasn't she? "She knows the inside story?"

“She came to warn me and advised me to leave quickly. Maybe… if I persuade her properly, she will be willing to testify.”

"Alright! Since she would risk her life to warn us, she must be a kind-hearted person. Let's go!"

--us?

The two women exchanged a glance, seeing Long Yan's eagerness to go with everyone. Fine… they'd go with him anyway. Without Duan Jin around, she probably wouldn't have said anything.

They walked towards Xiao Tao's room, but the light was off. Long Yan muttered, "Sleeping so early? Or did she go out?" He knocked on the door, but there was no response. He knocked harder, but found that the door was ajar and creaked open with a little force.

Long Yan paused for a moment, looking at the only woman present, Que Yue. She walked in and called out, "Xiao Tao?"

As she entered the room, the light dimmed instantly. She tripped and looked down to see a blurry figure lying on the ground in the darkness, with a sticky liquid seeping into the soles of her shoes.

Episodes 27-28

"Adi!"

Adi and Longyan rushed into the house immediately. Queyue had already groped to light a lamp and saw Xiaotao's body lying on the ground. There were no external wounds on her body, but a large amount of blood was flowing from her seven orifices, which had gradually become viscous. Even though she had seen countless dead people and her hands were already stained with blood, she still couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Xiao Tao, who was all smiles yesterday and had only recently been anxiously trying to warn them...

Long Yan bent down to examine him and said, "He died of poisoning."

“Captain Long,” Adi suddenly spoke, picking up a letter from the table.

A suicide note!?

Long Yan immediately took it and read it, then angrily threw the suicide note on the table.

"how?"

"This is Xiao Tao's confession. She killed those two people and tried to frame you, but she couldn't bear the pangs of conscience and committed suicide by poison!" Long Yan said through gritted teeth. They all knew that the mastermind behind this was Old Man Rong, who had probably already decided on Xiao Tao's death the moment Zi Teng discovered that Xiao Tao was coming to inform him. In this way, Old Man Rong could completely absolve himself of any responsibility and settle the matter with Xiao Tao's life.

"Captain Long, you know perfectly well that's not how it is..."

"That's right, but what's the use if only I know? If Xiaotao's handwriting in this suicide note is confirmed to be hers, then it's irrefutable evidence. What can anyone say then?"

Queyue's face turned slightly cold. "So you're not going to investigate anymore? What was the reason for the murder? Xiaotao had nothing to do with those two, so why kill them?"

“Weaving brocade.” Adi gently pulled her hand, glanced at the speechless look on Constable Long’s face, and advised, “Forget it, the government’s affairs are for the government to handle, we can’t get involved. Let’s go back to our room.”

Long Yan wanted to say something, but A Di shook his head and pulled Que Yue out of Xiao Tao's room. Once they were far away, he asked, "Are you really determined to go to Qin Lou with Master Yi?"

"The poison on Master Yi's body... I'm afraid others don't know how to cure it. There aren't many people who understand the poison of the Demonic Purple."

Even though she and Xinyue had lived together for so many years, she probably wouldn't have bothered to learn more about them if it weren't for the flowers and plants always encroaching on her doorstep.

"What if... there's no poison?" he asked with a smile, trying to read her thoughts from Queyue's face. If Master Yi hadn't been poisoned, would she have wanted to go to Qinlou with him?

Queyue paused slightly, unsure how to answer... What did she want to do? Even she herself was unsure...

Adi's smile deepened, and he patted her arm. "It's okay, you don't have to answer. At least you're hesitating, not denying it, which means you do want to go. You don't have to suppress your emotions. You can find more things you want to do and places you want to go—I'll go with you."

He understood the disorientation of having years of shackles suddenly removed. Even with wings still intact, one doesn't know how to fly, or where to fly. He met Zhijin and found his direction, but Zhijin remained in the same place, not taking a single step. He genuinely hoped Zhijin could find her own path, and until then, he would stay by her side, supporting her. Because the dying woman he had taken in that day was his direction.

"Alright, then go and call the owner of the clothing store. We're getting ready to hit the road."

"Now?"

"Yes. If Chief Constable Long still can't come up with a solution by tomorrow, he won't let us leave."

Queyue casually asked, "What about the others in Qinlou?"

"Once Master Yi leaves, would Chief Constable Long really make things difficult for those disciples who know nothing?"

Queyue nodded; Adi was indeed more thorough than her.

Queyue went to explain to Yi Moran, who immediately nodded and set off with only Liu Zhi. The Dance and Music Hall and Qinlou were both located in Shuiyue City, and they arrived the next morning after traveling through the night.

Queyue didn't consider how furious Longyan would be if he discovered their absence. She looked at Qinlou before her; it was a famous place in Cangzhou, yet she had never been there before. The buildings were exquisite, the environment elegant, completely devoid of the atmosphere of a brothel. Because half of Qinlou's people were still at the dance and music hall, the place was very quiet. Liu Zhi arranged rooms for them, and after traveling all night, they rested briefly.

Not long after entering the room, Liu Zhi knocked on the door again, entered the room and said, "Miss, this is what the master asked me to deliver."

She glanced at the women's clothing Liu Zhi had placed on the table, and was slightly taken aback. "This...who chose this?"

"It was chosen by the curator, why doesn't the young lady like it?"

"No, please thank the curator for me."

Liu Zhi gave her a big smile and left the room. She looked at the smoky blue women's clothing; the coincidence was truly astounding. The shop owner's taste in women's clothing was so similar to Adi's—the same color!

She changed into that smoky blue dress and left the room without resting for long, never forgetting the poison on the owner of the clothing store.

As always, every time I approached Yi Moran's room, the door opened before she could even knock, revealing Yi Moran's distant smile.

"Why didn't the brocade weaver rest properly? She must be exhausted after traveling all night."

"I'm fine, let's check the poison from Master Yi first."

He still smiled faintly, "No rush. Although this poison takes effect very quickly, it will not worsen. I can wait for two days without any problem."

“No, it’s not that it won’t worsen, it’s just extremely slow. Since there’s poison in the body, the longer it’s left untreated, the worse it will be for the body. It’s best to treat it as soon as possible.” Queyue looked at him calmly, quite insistent. The shopkeeper no longer refused, “Alright, whatever you need, I’ll have Liu Zhi prepare it.”

Queyue checked his pulse again and made a list. The shopkeeper carefully reviewed it and said, "Ordinary medicinal herbs are indeed not difficult to buy, but there are a few..."

"The problem is that the materials are hard to come by, and I only have a slight understanding of how to detoxify, and I am not proficient in medicine. I'm afraid I will need Adi's help with the treatment."

"This will naturally be arranged by the brocade weaving girl."

Liu Zhi walked through the courtyard with the two boys. From a distance, he saw the two people inside Yi Moran's room through the window and quickly pulled the two boys to hide behind a pillar to peek. At this moment, he was once again looking like a mischievous boy.

"Ah Liu, why are we hiding? What are you looking at?"

"Wow, who's that? She's so pretty! We're not open for business right now, are you? Is she the new musician?"

"No, she is the owner's guest."

"I saw them this afternoon, but weren't there two men? How did they turn into women?"

"Ah Liu, why are we hiding? Could it be that woman... and the owner of the museum..."

"No way? The guild master has finally decided to find a companion? But who is that man who came with him? Could this woman be with him? Ah Liu, say something!"

Liu Zhi gave a strange smile. "What do you think?"

"It seems like this woman and the man who came with her are a better match..."

"No way! Our master is the best. How many men in the world can compare to him?"

Liu Zhi shook her head and sighed affectedly, secretly watching with great interest. "That brocade-weaving girl is wise and calm, Young Master Adi is kind and gentle, and the owner is gentle and steady—but none of the three are the proactive type. It's difficult..."

This is certainly not good news.

Although these young men were not old, they had grown up in this place of pleasure and had become quite shrewd.