Chapter 11 Breaking the Game with a Move

"What, you're not welcoming me?"

Lin Chengye looked at the woman opposite him with a forced smile, who seemed to want to throw him off the carriage, and nonchalantly picked some dried fruit and nuts from the fruit plate in front of her.

Upon hearing this, the woman in the pale yellow cloak raised her delicate eyebrows, her almond-shaped eyes almost overflowing with displeasure, and she glared fiercely at Lin Chengye without any politeness. Her voice was soft, yet sharp.

"Who exactly are you? Why do you insist on coming to Yicheng with me?!"

The woman was Huang Qindong, one of the elders of Jiang Jinmeng.

Look closely, and you can see short fine lines at the corners of her eyes. But she is still wearing a floor-length gown in pale yellow and white, a style favored by fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls. The hem of the gown is embroidered with birds and fish, and her jet-black hair is styled into an elegant updo with two bright yellow ribbons hanging down.

If Lin Chengye hadn't learned from Bian Yi that Huang Qindong was already thirty-two years old, she would have thought that this person was an unmarried young lady from a prominent family in the capital.

This woman is much more particular about food and clothing than she is. Lin Chengye really wanted to ask her where she bought this dried fruit; it was sweet but not cloying, and it made his mouth water.

"Bian... Alliance Leader already told you, I just feel really bored in Jiangjin Alliance and want to go out for a walk. It just so happens that you are going to Yicheng on a business trip, so what's wrong with me going out for a break?"

After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Chengye leaned back lazily with his hand warmer in his arms, not even glancing at Huang Qindong, truly resembling a spoiled young lady from a noble family.

“I will naturally obey the leader’s orders. But I am going to Yicheng to check the accounts, so you will stay with the caravan and not get in my way.”

After Huang Qindong finished speaking, he closed his eyes, seemingly determined to ignore this burden that the alliance leader had forcibly stuffed into his life.

But Lin Chengye didn't want her to be idle. He would occasionally lift the curtain to look outside, as if it were a novel experience.

"Hey Huang Qindong, is Yicheng fun?"

"...How rude! You have to call me 'sister' too much!"

Huang Qindong clenched his fists tightly on his knees.

"So, Sister Dong, is Yicheng fun?"

"It's not fun."

"But I've heard that Yicheng is teeming with beautiful women and handsome men, and that brothels are particularly prevalent..."

Lin Chengye's lips curved slightly, revealing an expression of longing.

"Enough!"

Huang Qindong suddenly opened his eyes, his voice sharp, and there was a hint of anger in his eyes.

"Don't let me hear that again! How could a pampered young lady like you understand such things..."

Suddenly, she realized she was losing control and quickly shut up. But her eyes were still red.

"Why are you suddenly so agitated? I didn't say anything wrong."

Lin Chengye shrugged, looking completely unconcerned.

"Alright, seriously, how many days are we going to be gone? The Alliance Leader said I'm too weak to stay away for too long."

"It takes more than ten days to travel back and forth, and this time it should be about the same."

Huang Qindong's tone softened a bit, but he still didn't have a friendly expression.

"Then why did you bring so many guards when you went to check the accounts? Look, besides the carriage we were in, you brought at least... more than a dozen guards."

Lin Chengye curiously lifted the curtain, his gaze sweeping over the guards who were following him on horseback. They were all dressed in uniform black night clothes, with the character "Jiang" tattooed on their left chests.

But these people have probably been replaced by the assassins who trained in Yunling that day. However, these people probably can't shake a martial arts sect like Hua Rong Lou, which has some foundation. Huang Qindong's backup plan has probably already been planted in Yicheng.

Lin Chengye's eyes flickered slightly, and he flicked out two dried fruit shells with his fingers.

Amidst the sound of wheels rolling over stones and horses' hooves, Lin Chengye heard a soft whistle. She remained composed and withdrew her hand.

"Am I afraid of dying? I always bring this many guards with me."

Huang Qindong sneered.

Lin Chengye kept asking questions intermittently along the way, and Huang Qindong, out of consideration for Bian Yi, could only suppress her anger and answer one by one. Hearing the little brat cough every now and then, she had to anxiously put a cotton-padded coat on him, afraid that the precious treasure that the Alliance Leader held in his hands would be damaged.

She had no idea what the relationship between the two was. If this continued, she would start to think that the Alliance Leader had produced an illegitimate daughter. Huang Qindong was startled by her own thoughts, and couldn't help but take a few more glances at Lin Chengye to confirm that she and the Alliance Leader did not resemble each other in the slightest.

She really wanted to ask the leader if he had rescued a cicada, since he was so talkative.

...

Yicheng was a long way off, and although Huang Qindong and she were both staying in the best rooms at the inn, Lin Chengye still couldn't help but show some signs of fatigue.

Huang Qindong was probably really afraid that something might happen to her alone, so he stayed with her almost all the time. Lin Chengye had to pretend to be willful and capricious every day, talking until his throat was dry, and he always had to drink three big bowls of water before going to bed to calm down.

Finally, on the fifth day, as the sun began to set, they saw the city gate of Yicheng.

"As expected of Yicheng, it's really lively."

Lin Chengye was originally leaning listlessly on the soft couch, but there were so many soft and sweet voices outside the carriage. The young men and women on the street were using alluring and sensual words. Some even dared to step forward when they saw that their carriage was not from an ordinary family. With a flick of their jade fingers, they threw in an embroidered fan and a personal sachet.

Lin Chengye placed them all on his lap, and then, taking advantage of the chaos, discreetly slipped one of the white cloth bags into his sleeve.

The intoxicating fragrance of flowers and wine mingled, making Yicheng seem to come alive only after nightfall. Lin Chengye frowned almost imperceptibly, suppressing his discomfort, and pretended to be interested as he tried to lift the curtain to investigate.

"Don't move!"

Huang Qindong suddenly shouted to stop her, his expression clearly showing abnormal tension.

"The current atmosphere in Yicheng is inextricably linked to Hua Rong Lou. I advise you not to touch anyone here, or I won't save you if you offend any of those sects."

"That was terrifying."

Lin Chengye finally listened to him this time, readily withdrawing his hand, and said again.

"But I've heard... that although Hua Rong Lou isn't considered righteous by the sects, it doesn't do anything immoral. It's just that it's a bit open about these kinds of things. But that's not a big deal, is it? There are all sorts of sects in the martial arts world. Why are you so nervous?"

"Who knows?"

Huang Qindong chuckled, but her eyes were unfathomable. With a flick of her fingers, painted with bright red nail polish, she threw out all the sachets and flower branches that had been carelessly thrown in through her window.

She disgustedly took out a handkerchief and wiped her fingertips, scrubbing so hard it seemed she was going to break the skin. Suddenly, she sighed deeply and muttered to herself.

"Maybe it's just bad luck."

...

After traveling for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the carriage stopped in front of an inn. Huang Qindong was clearly very familiar with the innkeeper, and the waiter immediately led away the horses. The innkeeper's eyes lit up with joy, and he shouted loudly, "Go, go quickly, prepare the best room for Boss Huang!"

Lin Chengye followed behind Huang Qindong, carrying the scattered items he had collected. Her scent was stronger than perfume, yet she still had a rather arrogant expression, which attracted frequent glances from the people eating in the inn's lobby. They wondered where this young lady from a noble family had come from to enjoy her good fortune in Yicheng.

Just as she was about to follow Huang Qindong inside, the man suddenly raised his hand and blocked her from entering.

"Go, that's your room."

Huang Qindong stretched out his long, slender fingers and pointed to the room on the right.

"Hmm? You've finally decided to book two superior rooms today?"

Lin Chengye rolled his eyes and said leisurely.

"I was worried you'd cause trouble before, but these past few days you've been a bit noisy, though."

Huang Qindong snorted, then suddenly grabbed Lin Chengye by the collar and whispered in her ear.

"Don't go out after sunset, and don't even think about going to brothels to cause trouble."

"...You're overthinking it. My body isn't capable of doing those things, is it?"

Lin Chengye was speechless, stunned by Huang Qindong's words. She hadn't expected that this man was actually afraid of her doing something reckless.

Huang Qindong waved his hand impatiently and closed the door. Lin Chengye, carrying a pile of things, walked into another main room under everyone's watchful eyes.

Just as the wooden door slammed shut, Lin Chengye's expression suddenly turned cold in the empty room.

Tonight, it happened much earlier than expected, leaving no time to prepare.

Lin Chengye casually tossed the pile of things in his hands on the ground and took out the simple white cloth bag from his pocket, opening it.

Inside was a pill and a small scroll of paper with rather messy handwriting. Lin Chengye looked at it for a long time before he could barely make out the words.

"The antidote. I'm here. Be careful."

These words reassured Lin Chengye a bit. She stretched, opened the window, and snapped her fingers in the air.

"I am here."

A dark figure silently emerged from the shadows of the room. Although she recognized Chai Hu Nan's voice, the feeling of being caught off guard and approached still sent chills down Lin Cheng Ye's spine. She seemed to hear the hiss of a snake in the darkness.

"Is the Snake Shadow Movement Technique that useful? When did you get in?"

"The instant you turned your back to close the door."

Chai Hu Nan nodded, pointed to the window, and took another step closer, wanting to peek at the note in Lin Cheng Ye's hand.

"What is this? Who gave it to you?"

"We can't have just you as our only helper; now that I think about it, that was the right thing to do."

Lin Chengye crumpled the paper into a ball, deliberately preventing Chai Hu Nan from seeing it.

"Have you found everything I asked you to check?"

"Time was too tight. I was afraid Dongzi would attack you on the way, so I followed him all the way. Therefore, the investigation time was only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn from when you entered the city gate to when you arrived here."

Chai Hu Nan didn't ask any more questions, and simply took out paper and pen from his pocket and sat down on the ground.

"This inn is located on Gu Mo Road, and two houses to the east is Jiang Jin Medical Clinic. So this inn is practically backed by the residence of Xie Xiyuan, the owner of Hua Rong Lou."

"The Xie residence? Does that mean this is different from what we knew before? This isn't the Hua Rong Lou... sect headquarters?"

"Yes, the sect's headquarters are not here, but in another place called 'Qinghonglou'. Dongzi's target is probably not those disciples, but Xie Xiyuan's family."

"...It's much more troublesome than I imagined."

Lin Chengye paused for a moment, then sighed. Ignoring all formalities, he squatted down and began tapping his fingers on the drawing Chai Hu Nan had made.

"If that's the case, Huang Qindong will definitely make a move on both places tonight. With so many assassins with her, the scale of her operation can't be small."

Although the disciples of Hua Rong Lou are not skilled in martial arts, they are still part of the martial arts world and would certainly come to their rescue if they discovered that their leader was under attack.

Therefore, if it were me, I would definitely keep 'Qinghonglou' occupied, and even the constables of Yicheng yamen, preventing them from paying attention to what's happening here. Huang Qindong is a meticulous and thorough person; she's planned for years, and whatever I can think of, she certainly can too.

Time was running out. The air between the two gradually thickened. Although things had become clearer after Lin Chengye's analysis, Chai Hu Nan still felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

"Well, on the bright side, since this situation created an unexpected loophole because of me and you, it's not entirely hopeless. Let me think..."

But this plan couldn't possibly succeed; it involved a gamble. Lin Chengye patted Chai Hu Nan on the shoulder, as a gesture of comfort.

"I have a very rough plan, but there's no time to inform my other assistant, so I can only gamble that she'll understand."

"Come, let me ask you, what is the best method to control so many followers and government officials, so as to create a powerful presence while employing very few people?"

The sound was like a boulder falling off a cliff, smashing open the calm, still water.

"fire!"

"The Red Chamber of Love Burns Down!"

A note from the author: