Chapter 170: Xuan Hou Hereditary, Burglary
Upon hearing this, Lin Aoshan stared at Li Xian, thinking to herself that this Wu Weilang was meticulous, cautious, clever, and thorough in his work; he was indeed formidable.
She couldn't have imagined that part just now.
"If he hadn't reminded me, I might have already exposed my identity. In that case... the Flower Cage Sect could have used their own scheme to capture me, and wouldn't I have lost without even knowing why?"
I broke out in a cold sweat, as if I had been doused with ice water.
It was noon, still quite early. Li Xian found a restaurant, ordered two servings of tea and snacks, a plate of melon seeds, and a dish of pastries. He sat quietly to while away the time.
Lin Aoshan picked up a piece of pastry with two fingers and put it in her mouth. It was crisp, fragrant, and sweet, but it didn't suit her taste. She only took one bite and then stopped, instead cracking open some melon seeds.
Bored, he curiously observed Li Xian, his gaze moving from top to bottom and then from bottom to top.
After staring for a while, her pretty face flushed red with embarrassment. She simply lay down on the table, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. Li Xian cleared her mind, drinking tea, eating cakes, cracking melons, and listening to music. The storyteller in the teahouse recounted tales of the martial world with dramatic intonation.
They sat there leisurely until nightfall.
The full moon hangs high in the sky.
Seeing that the time was right, Li Xian covered his face with a veil, woke Lin Aoshan, and the two climbed over the wall to avoid being seen. They then disguised themselves as thieves and infiltrated the Wang family's residence.
The Wang family was wealthy and owned a vast estate, which was heavily patrolled at night. Li Xian sneaked into the backyard and smelled the scent of rouge and face powder, guessing that it must be a woman's residence, so he followed the scent.
He passed several side rooms. Candles were burning inside, and the reflection of a woman combing her hair could be seen. Just as Li Xian was about to leave, a sudden idea struck him, and he turned around and broke down the door.
The woman inside, dressed lightly with long, loose hair, was about to cry out in surprise. Li Xian stepped forward, locked her neck, and choked her. Lin Aoshan was startled, thinking, "You're not really here to steal, are you?" But she remained silent and closed the door.
Li Xian asked, "Who are you from the Prince's Palace?"
The woman cried out, "I am... I am Master Wang's concubine." She was only twenty years old, with a beautiful and refined appearance. When she dressed in front of the mirror, her looks were quite stunning.
Li Xian said, "Oh? You're quite the beauty. How about you come with me from now on?"
Lin Aoshan was greatly puzzled and somewhat annoyed, but remained silent. The woman was terrified: "Sir... please... please..."
"You dare refuse me?!" Li Xian shouted sternly, "Do you know who we are?"
"I...I don't know." The woman shook her head and said, "Two heroes, you are both wearing masks, I...I really don't know."
"Fine!" Li Xian sneered, "We are a pair of lewd thieves, specializing in capturing and marrying beautiful young girls like you."
"A pair of adulterers?" Lin Aoshan's face darkened.
“You’re lucky today, that we saw you,” Li Xian said. “From now on, you’re mine.”
The woman felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave upon hearing this, realizing that all hope was lost. Tears streamed down her face. At this moment, Li Xian said, "Unless...unless..."
“Unless what?” the woman asked.
“Unless you tell me which woman in your mansion is more beautiful, I will arrest them and naturally not arrest you,” Li Xian said sternly.
"Speak, speak, my lord, I'll tell you." The woman, as if given a new lease on life, recounted the lives of all the women in the royal palace—married women, unmarried girls, young women—all the beautiful women, describing their appearance, character, talents, and where they lived.
Lin Aoshan suddenly realized, but couldn't help but mutter, "The term 'male and female lewd thieves' sounds too awful. Wouldn't it be better if they were a pair of chivalrous lovers? The world is vast and there are many lewd thieves, but this is the first time I've ever heard of 'male and female lewd thieves'."
"Alright, you know what's good for you!" Li Xian wrote it all down.
"Great...Great hero, is it...possible to release me?" The concubine could barely stand.
Seeing many exquisite jewelry ornaments on the dressing table, Li Xian casually picked some up and stuffed them into his pocket, playing his part perfectly. Fearing his concubine would spread the word, he looked around and noticed a wooden box under the bed. Opening it, he found it contained items for the couple's leisure and enjoyment.
Among them was a bundle of red incense cords. Li Xian said to Lin Aoshan, "You come here?" implying that it was not offensive for Lin Aoshan, as a woman, to tie up the concubine.
Lin Aoshan cursed inwardly, "This scoundrel, does he really want to be a lewd thief? Does he...do he want to tie me up?" Embarrassed, her mind went blank, and she took several steps back, shaking her head repeatedly.
Li Xian had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, binding the concubine tightly with her wrists and ankles, throwing her onto the bed, covering her with blankets, gagging her, and blindfolding her. He said, "Someone will find you tomorrow. Go to sleep quietly. If you dare to reveal my whereabouts, I will come looking for you again."
He then left through the door.
Lin Aoshan blushed, her mind constantly replaying the image of that concubine. She walked about a mile before snapping out of her reverie, cursing, "You lecherous scoundrel!"
Li Xian said, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." Lin Aoshan spat and fanned herself lightly with her hand, the wind brushing against her cheek.
Knowing the location of the women in the Prince's mansion, the two split up to investigate. They met up at midnight in an abandoned pavilion within the mansion.
Li Xian asked, "Have you found any missing women?"
Lin Aoshan shook her head and said, "No." She glared at Li Xian, the scene lingering in her mind. During this investigation, she had also witnessed many intimate acts, their sounds of passion making her feel extremely embarrassed and agitated.
“But I’ve discovered something,” Li Xian said. “The third wife of the Wang family patriarch has disappeared. It seems… the Flower Cage Gate has indeed arrived.”
The pavilion here had been abandoned for a long time. Moss grew on the stone benches. Lin Aoshan casually shook it, and the moss dispersed. Sitting down, she asked, "What else?"
Li Xian said, "After I learned about the situation, I went to ask the head of the Wang family. I learned that his third wife had disappeared ten days ago."
"The reason why the Wang family made no statement was because they considered it a scandal, and... if their adversary could abduct the women of the household without a sound, they must be quite powerful, and could also kill them without a sound. Therefore, they kept quiet and swallowed their grievances."
"Ten days ago?" Lin Aoshan calculated the time. When she first encountered the Flower Cage Sect at the Flying Cloud Plank Road, she deliberately stayed for several days to avoid meeting them again halfway.
After that, she headed straight for Qingning. However, she encountered many things along the way that delayed her journey. Moreover, she needed time to stay at inns, bathe, and rest along the way, and she didn't suffer any hardship. If Hualongmen had traveled through the night with little rest and sleep, it would indeed have been enough to make the journey ten days longer.
Even more than that.
"What's the next step?" Lin Aoshan asked.
“Ten days has passed, and the investigation is already troublesome, and it’s easy to alert the suspects,” Li Xian said hesitantly. “There are still three families in Qingning County: Zhao, Luo, and Lin. Let’s investigate them one by one and get more clues first.”
Lin Aoshan stood up and said, "Okay! Let's act together."
The two investigated through the night, infiltrating the Luo family compound and repeating their previous tactics. Although they found clues, their gains were minimal. By then, dawn was breaking, and Li Xian had no choice but to stop and return to the Martial Guard Hall to rest.
We'll take action after dark.
Luo Xia asked, "Li Xian, you haven't returned to the manor all day. Aren't you afraid that Madam will blame you?" Li Xian shook his head and told Luo Xia that Madam was in seclusion and that he could focus on dealing with the current matters.
The following night, Li Xian and Lin Aoshan sneaked into the Lin family mansion. After searching for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they discovered a mourning hall deep within the mansion, suggesting that someone had recently passed away.
After some investigation, it was learned that Lin Qingwan, the daughter of the Lin family, had suddenly fallen ill last night and passed away. The funeral arrangements were to be kept simple and held only at the mansion.
Li Xian pondered: "Last time, Lin Qingwan almost became my concubine. I observed that she had a rosy complexion and red lips, and was quite young, so she didn't seem to have any strange illness. Did she really die of illness? Or... was she kidnapped by the Flower Cage Gate, and the Lin family resorted to this scheme to cover up the scandal, since Lin Qingwan was already engaged?"
He felt he was getting close to the truth. He also learned that Lin Qingwan had passed away last night and her funeral was being held today. If this was true, all within the last two days, then the Flower Cage Gate's trail was now within his sight.
They waited quietly for half an incense stick to burn. After the servants finished their mourning, one person was left to guard the hall. Li Xian sneaked into the mourning hall and knocked the servant unconscious.
Silently pray: "If I truly pass away from illness, I hope you will not blame me for disturbing you."
Li Xian tried to lift the coffin, but found the coffin lid nailed shut. The Lin family's haste must be to cover up a scandal. He became even more certain that something fishy was going on, and used his "Cloud-Soaring Hand" to remove the nails.
"Impressive skills!" Lin Aoshan exclaimed. Although the quality of her martial arts was low, this demonstration showed an extremely high level. Not to be outdone, she also used her martial arts and took out coffin nails.
As she reached out and touched her hand, the coffin nails adhered to her palm. This was the Lin family's "Star Devouring Technique," which, when used against an enemy, could draw in and absorb the opponent's internal energy. This caused the opponent's internal energy to be consumed out of thin air, their energy circulation to become chaotic, and ultimately, they would be defeated.
Running at full power, it was incredibly imposing. At this moment, Lin Aoshan's skillful use of the technique had already reached a high level, but it seemed like she was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, deliberately showing off her skills.
All the coffin nails were removed, and the space beneath the coffin was completely empty. There was no trace of Lin Qingwan.
"Just as I thought!" Li Xian exclaimed with delight. Lin Aoshan looked at Li Xian and subconsciously asked about the next steps.
Li Xian closed the coffin and nailed it shut. After a moment of silence, he said, "Be careful. The people from the Flower Cage Sect must still be in the Lin family. Observe the Lin family's reaction. We only need to pay attention to the servants coming and going, and we can find traces of the Flower Cage Sect."
"Sister Lin, go to the east gate and observe secretly. If you find any suspicious people, then try to notify me."
"I'll wander around and see if there are any more clues."
Lin Aoshan agreed, hiding beside the east gate, holding her breath and observing quietly. Li Xian then went deeper into the courtyard and arrived at Lin Qingwan's bedroom.
The boudoir remains unchanged.
The decor wasn't bad, but unfortunately, the people were like pawns. After searching for a while, Li Xian suddenly heard a noise outside the door:
"That Lin family patriarch is truly heartless and ungrateful. His daughter went missing, and he didn't even bother to look for her, just pretending she died of illness."
"It all comes down to Brother Gu's brilliant strategy. Look at the four major families here, after suffering in silence, who dares to utter a single word?"
"Alright, we've placed the threatening letter. I'm sure the Lin family is too scared to pursue it. Even if they do... hehe, we'll be moving on by now."
"I thought Qingning County would be quite chaotic. But it turns out to be quite orderly, and Brother Gu has found a good place to go. It's just that we're in a bit of a rush. We haven't had a proper rest and now we have to travel a long way."
...
The two passed by, their voices fading into the distance. Li Xian quietly followed and saw two servants, one tall and one short, leave. Having succeeded in their schemes, they had relaxed their guard and become quite careless.
Seeing that his opportunity had come, Li Xian used his "Gentle Breeze Leg" technique, landing silently, with a gentle breeze following him from afar.
From a distance of about ten feet, they saw two people emerge from a side gate and head out of the city.
Lin Aoshan, who was lying in ambush by the door, felt a pang of anxiety and set off to give chase. Li Xian pressed her shoulder and whispered, "Keep your distance." Lin Aoshan nodded. The night was dark, and a distance of several dozen feet was enough to conceal her figure.
Li Xian used his eyesight to pinpoint the two people, one tall and one short. He saw them crawl out of the city gate through a dog hole and head straight for the mountains and fields.
Lin Aoshan, eager for credit, also tried to slip out. Li Xian grabbed her and pointed to the city gate: "Now, we can use the main gate."
Lin Aoshan gave an awkward smile, then glared at him and said reproachfully, "As if you're so smart."
"Speaking of Lord Xuanhou of the Sky Patrol Division..." Li Xian joked, "Is your position of Xuanhou hereditary?"
Lin Aoshan blushed; she had been right.
(End of this chapter)
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