Chapter 9 You have to cast a long line to catch a big fish

Three days later, the two finally arrived at the territory of Hidden Sword Manor.

Hidden Sword Manor is located on a low hill. Hengbo even felt that it could not be called a mountain. Compared with Biyun Mountain, its altitude was at most a small hill. There were many lakes and rivers around it, as well as some villages by the water.

Looking at the young master who seemed inexplicably hesitant, Hengbo was puzzled. How long had it been since he had been home? Why was he so reluctant to return home?

The young master remained frowning the entire way. Normally, Hengbo would at least ask him what was wrong, but at this moment, Hengbo was only thinking about finding out the cause of Ruan Wangshu's death as soon as possible. Although she was puzzled, she did not take it to heart.

When the young master could see the boundary marker with the four gilded characters "Hidden Sword Manor" in the distance, he suddenly stopped.

He turned to look at Hengbo, then glanced inexplicably at the long sword she carried on her back. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Let's go down the mountain first."

Hengbo was still pondering the connection between Ruan Wangshu and Cangjian Manor. After all, Ruan Wangshu had been on Biyun Mountain for several years before she went there, and rarely came down afterward. Therefore, Hengbo knew nothing about Ruan Wangshu's experiences in the mortal world, only overhearing her accidentally mention that she had a younger brother who was about the same age as her, and who was as cute and fair as a New Year's picture doll.

Ruan Wangshu seemed unwilling to mention his own affairs, not even in his letter to her.

Upon hearing that the young master did not want to go up the mountain, Hengbo immediately frowned.

Seeing her reaction, the young master mistakenly thought that his words had made her think he didn't want to pay her, so he quickly explained, "Before I left home, some things happened at home, so I wanted to find out about the situation in the manor. Not far from here is the home of one of my personal servants, and I plan to go there to make some arrangements."

Hengbo stared at him with suspicion. The young master couldn't stand her gaze any longer and finally blurted out the truth: "Before I went down the mountain, my father was assassinated, and I suspect that the people who assassinated my father and the people who chased me before were the same group."

As if thinking of something, a strange complexity and entanglement appeared in his eyes as he looked at Hengbo: "My journey is fraught with danger, and you no longer need to follow me. No matter what the outcome, I will keep my promise to you."

But he was unwilling to talk about anything else.

Hengbo really wanted to ask him if he knew Ruan Wangshu, but even though she and the young master were now in the same boat, who knew what role the young master had played in Ruan Wangshu's death? So Hengbo decided to observe for the time being to avoid alerting him.

She shook her head and told the young master that she had made up her mind to go with him.

After all, if she didn't bring this young master along, she probably wouldn't even be able to get into the manor, let alone find out any information.

Seeing this, the young master stopped trying to persuade them and continued on their journey for nearly an hour until it was getting dark. Finally, the two arrived at the village where the servant's family lived, as he had mentioned.

The young master knocked on the gate of one of the courtyards, which was more spacious and grand than the others, and introduced him to Hengbo: "My servant is named Acai. His father, Uncle Zhang, used to be a servant in my family. He watched Acai and me grow up. Later, when he got older and had some old injuries, he left the manor and built a house to live outside. Even if my father wanted to kill me one day, they wouldn't."

Hengbo couldn't quite understand the complicated relationship between the young master and his father. Firstly, when the young master mentioned his father's death, he didn't seem too sad. Secondly, judging from what he just said, he didn't even trust his father.

They didn't have to wait long before a strong female voice rang out from the doorway: "Who is it? Is it Ah Cai coming back so late at night?"

The young master quickly raised his voice and replied, "Aunt Jiao, it's me, it's Qing Chen."

Hearing a familiar voice outside the door, the woman named Aunt Jiao quickly opened the door. She was surprised to see the two of them looking travel-worn. "Young Master Qingchen, why didn't you let Ah Cai come back and tell us before you came? The house hasn't been cleaned at all. If you don't mind, please come in and rest for a while."

Once inside, Aunt Jiao warmly served them tea and water, and brought out some pastries and snacks.

The young master didn't stand on ceremony with her: "Aunt Jiao, if you don't mind the trouble, please make me and this young lady a couple of bowls of noodles. I haven't had your noodles in so long, I'm really craving them."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Jiao's wrinkles at the corners of her eyes blossomed into a smile. "It's no trouble at all. It's my good fortune that you like my noodles. Young Master, please wait here, I'll make them right away."

Hengbo observed their interaction without showing it on her face, but she was somewhat surprised. After spending many days with this young master, she felt that he was somewhat arrogant, but seeing him interact with Aunt Jiao today, he seemed to have suddenly become more down-to-earth.

While Aunt Jiao was busy in the kitchen, the young master signaled Hengbo to wait in the main room, while he stayed in the kitchen under the guise of helping out and inquired about what had happened this month.

After a short while, the young master returned looking disheveled and frowning. He said, "I don't know what happened in the village again. They even kept the assassination of my father a secret. Ah Cai hasn't been home for almost two months."

Yokobo didn't know how to comfort her.

Fortunately, after a while, he managed to cheer himself up again: "However, Uncle Zhang went to town today to sell some animal furs and will be back tomorrow. I told Aunt Jiao that we'll stay here for a few days and see if we can pass on a message to Ah Cai when Uncle Zhang returns."

Hengbo always preferred to resolve things with force rather than using her brain. Since the young master had already made arrangements, she naturally agreed and went to rest after dinner. Perhaps it was the fatigue from the past few days of travel, or perhaps it was Aunt Jiao's simple and warm hospitality that reminded her of Madam Liu and the days on Biyun Mountain, but she slept very soundly.

Meanwhile, in the next room, the young master, who had finally made it back to his home after a long and arduous journey, didn't sleep well that night. The next morning, he appeared with huge dark circles under his eyes. Aunt Jiao was startled, thinking that she hadn't been a good host and had caused the young master to not get enough rest.

Fortunately, after lunch, a tall and strong middle-aged man drove an oxcart into the yard.

"Uncle Zhang," the young master went over before the man could tie up the ox. Only then did the man notice the two extra people in his house. He smiled and said, "Young master, what brings you here so suddenly? Did that brat Ah Cai do something wrong?"

Although he asked the question verbally, there was no fear on his face, indicating that he was just joking, and his tone was full of affection.

The young master was also familiar with his personality, and explained his purpose: "Uncle Zhang, Ah Cai did not do anything wrong. I have something to ask you for help."

As they spoke, the two entered the inner room. The young master did not invite Hengbo in, but he also did not deliberately lower his voice. With the keen hearing and eyesight of a martial artist, Hengbo, who was sunbathing on a recliner in the courtyard, could hear their conversation clearly without even trying.

The young master did not tell Uncle Zhang about his experiences during this period. He only said that he had gone to travel in other places and had just returned today. However, he heard that something seemed to have happened in the village, so he wanted to ask Uncle Zhang to inquire with Ah Cai and hopefully bring Ah Cai home.

He emphasized, "Uncle Zhang, if you see Ah Cai, you must not tell him that I have returned. The village must be in turmoil lately. It would be best if he could come home."

Seeing his serious expression, Uncle Zhang couldn't help but worry about his son who hadn't returned home for nearly two months. He composed himself and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, young master, I will definitely handle this matter well."

As expected, Uncle Zhang was very reliable. After a quick lunch, he went straight to Hidden Sword Manor without even taking a break. Since he had already learned from the young master that things had been going on in the manor recently, he didn't show any unusual expression when he saw the obviously desolate scene in front of the manor. However, he was still a little more uneasy inside.

The gatekeeper was about the same age as him, and they were in the same batch of people who entered the manor. In addition, his son, A-Cai, was a favorite of the young master. Whenever he saw him, he would always greet him with a big smile.

But now, only when Uncle Zhang had already walked up to him did he lift his eyelids and give a nonchalant snort: "What are you here for?"

Uncle Zhang wasn't a naive young man who hadn't experienced the harsh realities of life. He quickly took out a piece of silver from his pocket and handed it over: "Brother, I'm here to see A-Cai. One of his distant cousins ​​has come. His mother and I are thinking that A-Cai is getting on in years and we need to start thinking about finding him a wife. We'd like to have his family go and meet some potential matchmakers."

The gatekeeper, with droopy eyelids, remained silent, only hefting the silver in his hand.

Seeing this, Uncle Zhang immediately understood what he meant, and took out another string of coins from his sleeve, handing it over with both hands.

The doorman was slightly disappointed to see that there was no money left, but he knew he shouldn't go too far. He put the money in his sleeve and glanced at him. "Alright, then you can wait here. I'll pass on a message for you."

After saying this, he called two young gatekeepers to stand guard for him, and then turned and went into the manor.

However, Zhang Bo, who was anxiously waiting outside the door, did not know that this person did not go directly to Ah Cai as instructed. Instead, he ran to the steward's office, completely changing his previous arrogance. He bowed and scraped, saying in the most obsequious manner, "As you expected, Ah Cai's father did indeed come to inquire about his whereabouts. Should we report this to our superiors?" As he spoke, he gestured the number "three" with his finger.

The steward's hair and beard were half-white, but his skin was very firm, making him look like a young man—this was the benefit of practicing martial arts. He glanced at the gatekeeper and said disdainfully, "Do I need you to teach me how to do things? You wait here, I'll go ask the master what he thinks." After speaking, he ignored the gatekeeper and walked away.

After the steward walked away, the doorman's obsequious expression gradually disappeared. He kicked a wooden chair in the room and said angrily, "It's just that the master has gained power, and even a dog dares to bite people."

Before an incense stick had burned out, the steward returned with Ah Cai, who was bewildered at being told that his father was going to find him a wife. He ordered the gatekeeper to take the man away, but before they left, he gave Ah Cai a meaningful look that made Ah Cai feel uneasy.

The steward pondered to himself, realizing that he had never understood why the adults were keeping this kid so well-fed and cared for. Now it seemed that only by playing the long game could they catch the big fish.

A note from the author:

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Mini-theater:

Young Master: You don't need to see me off from here on out.

Yokobo frowned and drew the sword from his back.

Young Master: Terrified, JPG Presents 30,000 taels of silver. GIF

Hengbo sheathed his sword and took the money in one swift motion.