Chapter 2343 Ma Lu is here again

The carriage was moving very slowly. Although Wei Qin's wounds had healed considerably, the bumpy ride would still aggravate her injuries.

The guards at the city gate seemed no different from when they came in last time, except... there were a few more people with exceptionally sharp eyes.

They stopped the carriage, glanced inside, and let it pass if they saw nothing amiss.

However, when Meng Yunzheng looked back, he saw that the carriage behind him, which was also trying to leave the city, was checked twice by the guards before being allowed to pass.

They were indeed still looking for Wei Qin, but knowing roughly their own identities, they didn't make it too obvious.

After the carriage left the city, Shu Yu helped Wei Qin out and let her lean against the soft pillows to stretch her arms and legs.

Heichang County wasn't very far away, and even though they walked slowly, they entered the city in the afternoon.

They stayed at the same inn as before, still booking four rooms, but this time they arranged for Wei Qin to stay in Ying Xi's room, as it wasn't convenient for Zhao Xi.

After resting, Shu Yu and Meng Yunzheng left Ying Xi and the others at the inn, while the two of them strolled along the alley where the abbot of Dongqing Temple lived.

As expected, the yard was still locked, and there was no sign of anyone coming.

The two exchanged a glance and knocked on the gate of the neighboring courtyard.

It was the same woman. They had met her several times, but they hadn't seen anyone else in the courtyard, as if she were the only one living there.

The woman smiled as soon as she saw them, "You're back? Did you find your master?"

Shu Yu shook her head, and the woman sighed, "Your master hasn't come back these past few days either, but don't worry, he's probably just been delayed by something."

"But this delay is too long. We've been in the Southwest for almost half a month."

The woman waved her hand and said, “Oh, you don’t know, there are often strange and unusual things happening around here. A Taoist priest like your master, who looks very powerful, is often invited to the host’s house to help spread his Taoist magic and enlighten others. He must be very busy. You should wait a little longer.”

"That's all we can do." Shu Yu sighed, thanked the woman, and then slowly strolled back to the inn with Meng Yunzheng.

Only then did the two have the opportunity to discuss He Fang and Kang Shuxian in hushed tones.

“Originally, there were five or six sisters, and we didn’t know who the suspect was. Now that these two have emerged, we can narrow down the possibilities. But both of them have invited me to their homes. What do you think their intentions are in inviting me over?”

"Most likely, it's to find out Qi Lie's whereabouts and test our movements in Qingxuan County."

"Of the two, He Fang's intention to invite us to her home was stronger, but it was Kang Shuxian who stopped our carriage first. This coincidence is also suspicious. So it's really hard to say which of the two is from the black market."

"Don't worry, after I met with Qi Lie that day, he should have sent someone to keep an eye on them. Their stopping our carriage exposed their presence, and the people watching them should have noticed it too."

"Um."

The two talked as they returned to the inn, and then didn't go out again.

Because Wei Qin needed to recuperate, the group tried to stay in the inn as much as possible. In any case, they didn't have anything else to do and were just waiting for the abbot of Dongqing Temple to return.

To their surprise, after only one day of rest at the inn, Ma Lu arrived the following afternoon.

(End of this chapter)