Орден Красного Лотоса

Глава 37

Li You suddenly smiled, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Could it be that Miss Yang is going to do it for me?"

Yang Nianqing immediately rolled her eyes: "Dream on!"

However, after a moment, she rolled her eyes and changed her mind: "But..."

Li You wasn't surprised: "Oh?"

“I have conditions,” Yang Nianqing coughed twice and moved closer to him, “How about you give me all the money…”

Li You didn't even hesitate: "No way."

Why not?

"It won't work for you."

Yang Nianqing was completely cornered. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and muttered resentfully, "What's wrong with me? I'm your friend too. Why are you always so stingy?"

“That’s right,” Li You said seriously. “You’re just my friend, not my wife. I don’t need to be stingy with money when it comes to friends.”

"..."

Yang Nianqing suddenly realized that she really shouldn't have instilled the modern concept of "three obediences and four virtues" into ancient men, especially intelligent men, and particularly her friends.

Morning came quickly.

A gentle mountain breeze rustled, and the birds sang in silence; everything was unusually still. Walking the same stone path I'd trod yesterday, today felt completely different.

We entered the forest again.

For some reason, the closer Yang Nianqing got to the village, the more awkward she felt.

In winter, the sunlight gently caressed the vermilion gate, casting a soft, gentle golden halo that was exceptionally beautiful. Yet, within that hazy radiance, there was also a strange undercurrent of sorrow.

There was not a single servant at the door.

There was no wind, yet Yang Nianqing couldn't help but shiver, a chill inexplicably rising in her heart.

The one who opened the door was the same old servant from yesterday.

The old face that should have been beaming with smiles was now filled with anxiety and grief, and seemed to still have tear stains. Upon seeing the crowd, he became even angrier.

"You've come again!"

Nangong Xue was taken aback, but still smiled humbly: "Uncle, please don't take offense. It was Master Chu who asked us to come again today. Please go in and tell him. Thank you!"

“My master has been retired from the martial world for a long time and has never been in trouble. But yesterday you came to find him, and…” He choked up again and could not continue.

Everyone was somewhat puzzled.

He Bi said in a deep voice, "I don't know..."

Before he could finish speaking, a woman's crying came from inside the door, growing closer and closer.

The old servant hurriedly turned around and rushed into the room, saying, "Second Madam, Third Madam, the master saw them yesterday, and they've come again!"

The door opened.

Two beautiful women in their thirties emerged, supported by their maids, their eyes red and faces streaked with tears: "What are you doing here again? Haven't you hurt him enough already..."

Before she could finish speaking, they were already crying.

Madam Leng suddenly asked sternly, "What exactly happened?"

The two women were stunned when they saw her.

After a while.

One of them suddenly cried out, "Madam!"

The old servant and the maids beside him were immediately stunned.

The two women rushed forward to greet her, then grabbed Madam Leng and wept, "Sister, ever since Master went into the study last night..."

Before they could finish speaking, Madam Leng had already darted inside. He Bi and the other two exchanged glances and quickly followed her in.

The other day a classmate seemed to ask about the background music—it's by S.E.N.S., "Kyara".

Volume Two: Forgetting Each Other in the Jianghu, the Jade Flute Plays Its Cold Melody in the Small Pavilion

From afar, one could see Madam Leng standing at the door of the study. She didn't go in; instead, she rested her hands on the door, gazing silently inside, seemingly lost in thought.

Yang Nianqing's sense of foreboding grew stronger, but she didn't have time to think about it deeply and quickly followed the others.

The door was wide open.

Opposite, on the white wall, several striking words were boldly displayed: "Mind your own business!"

The characters are dark red, written with some unknown material, with a hint of green within the red, as if they were somewhat viscous, and in some places they have completely solidified and turned black.

Yang Nianqing felt a chill run through her body.

Is this a warning?

She opened her mouth with difficulty, about to speak, when suddenly, a "plop" sound came, and countless white things seemed to rise up in front of her eyes. Against the backdrop of the words on the wall, the atmosphere became even more eerie and chilling.

silence.

Everyone seemed to have stopped breathing.

Li You suddenly reached out and picked up a piece of paper from the air. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a palm-sized letter.

The paper was of excellent quality, snow-white, and finely cut. Yang Nianqing immediately looked towards the window and found that most of the paper, which had been neatly stacked on the desk and bookshelf, had been blown away by the wind.

Madam Leng stared quietly at the few words on the wall, her face as white as the small, snow-white notes.

for a long time.

She gradually regained her usual indifference, walked slowly to the desk, and bent down to pick up a calligraphy brush from the ground.

The ink on the brush had not yet solidified.

It seems that Chu Shenghan was writing something with this pen when the accident happened. Yang Nianqing looked closely at the papers that had fallen to the ground, but found that they were all blank and none of them had been written on.

Did he not write it, or was there simply not enough time?

He Bi suddenly said, "Today is the second day of the month."

At the beginning of the month!

No one went missing last month, so everyone lowered their guard, assuming the killer was too wary to act rashly. Little did they know he would still strike!

Sitting on a chair in the inn, Madam Leng's expression remained unchanged. However, she stared at the bamboo flute in her hand, her gaze fixed and silent, as if deep in thought or lost in a daze.

A chill ran through everyone.

Half a day.

Nangong Xue looked up at Li You: "I'm afraid it's not Madam Ye."

Li You frowned.

Yang Nianqing said, "Not necessarily. We no longer know Madam Ye's background."

As she spoke, she paused and looked at Madam Leng, hesitating, "Could it be... to silence her?"

Although Madam Leng remained calm, she still spoke the words "silence" very softly.

Finally, Li You shook his head and said, "Senior Chu doesn't know much about this case. If it really is Madam Ye, wouldn't her doing this be tantamount to admitting that she is the murderer?"

They came here to investigate Madam Ye's background, and Chu Shenghan just happened to disappear at this exact moment. Even a fool would suspect her. A clever murderer wouldn't be so stupid.

Yang Nianqing thought it made sense: "Isn't it Mrs. Ye...?"

He Bi said coldly, "But don't forget, sometimes murderers will deliberately create a false impression."

Nangong Xue nodded: "Madam Ye is indeed suspicious and cannot be ruled out."

Li You remained silent.

"Mind your own business..." Thinking of those shocking words on the wall, Yang Nianqing's voice trembled: "It seems the murderer is warning us this time not to investigate further, otherwise..."

Otherwise, he would kill even more people, and whoever they choose will suffer misfortune.

for a long time.

Li You looked at Madam Leng with a face full of remorse and murmured, "We really shouldn't have come..."

Nangong Xue glanced at Madam Leng, her voice tinged with sadness: "There are still about ten days until the fifteenth. Although Hero Chu may not be in any danger, we are already too late to get to Tang Family Fortress, aren't we..."

Madam Leng suddenly interrupted him coldly: "Let's go back to the Nangong Villa first."

After saying that, she stood up and walked out the door without looking back.

She disappeared at the beginning of the month... On the fifteenth night, will Chu Shenghan appear in the tree at Nangong Villa, just like Zhang Mingchu and the others before her? Looking in the direction she went, Yang Nianqing felt both sad and confused—had she really forgotten?

Turning to look at Li You, she saw him slowly shaking his head at her.

As expected, the group headed towards the Nangong Villa. Everyone knew in their hearts that Chu Shenghan's disappearance this time was likely to be a terrible one, but no one said it out loud.

Yang Nianqing was very worried about Madam Leng and paid extra attention to her. To her surprise, Madam Leng behaved no differently throughout the journey, remaining as taciturn and indifferent as ever, without showing the slightest excitement.

Has she really forgotten?

“There aren’t many people in this world who can be easily forgotten.” Yang Nianqing began to doubt Li You’s words again.

The group traveled day and night, and by the time they returned to the Nangong Villa, it was already the fourteenth day of the month.

Tomorrow is the fifteenth.

Is she really as indifferent to her husband's life or death as she appears? If Chu Shenghan's body appears on the tree in Nangong Villa on time, will she be heartbroken?

Madam Leng stood motionless by the window.

Looking at that snow-white figure, Yang Nianqing hesitated for a moment, then knocked on the door: "Madam Leng?"

Madam Leng seemed to be lost in thought.

Yang Nianqing had no choice but to raise her voice and call out twice more.

Madam Leng finally came to her senses, turned her head and saw it was her, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, then frowned and asked, "Is something the matter?"

Yang Nianqing was a little nervous: "I just... came to see you."

Madam Leng did not ask any questions, but her calm gaze held a hint of doubt.

Yang Nianqing finally whispered, "Master Chu, are you really not afraid now...?"