Chapter 177: Not a Spring Breeze
The passing singers all kept their heads down. Even though they were in a hurry and might trip at any moment, they refused to raise their heads, focusing only on their toes as they walked past Wuqing one by one. They must have been instructed not to talk or laugh, and even their breathing was carefully concealed. Although they still had to play their instruments and sing their songs, they behaved themselves like quails in the corridor.
Of these, only one did not flinch upon seeing Wuqing, but instead stepped forward. She was exceptionally beautiful and slender. She first gave Wuqing the courtesy greeting of a musician greeting a guest, and then said to him, "This must be Young Master Sheng, right? I was sent by Miss Xie to invite you up. Please come with me."
Wuqing followed her up two more floors.
The fragrance grew stronger all around, the warm scent seemingly seeping into his clothes, seeping through the stitches and clinging to him relentlessly. For this reason, the higher he went, the more Wuqing felt he was being immersed in the incense burner. Yet it wasn't an unpleasant smell, but rather a scent too intimate, akin to the lingering aftertaste of crushed flowers, the aftertaste of wiping the juice from one's hands. It was clean, yet persistent, and thus a strange feeling arose within him.
From this, it can be seen that the occasion for today's meeting was not arranged without reason. He originally planned to book a teahouse, but Xie Huailing vetoed it. She then booked this karaoke bar herself, which was not part of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion, which seemed perfectly normal. Afterwards, she sent him an invitation.
After walking a little further, a gentle breeze wafted by, carrying the fragrance of tea further. The fresher aroma of tea drifted to the doorway, as if blowing away fallen petals to reveal the rain-soaked flagstones. Without the musicians needing to say anything, Wuqing understood that this was Xie Huailing's room. He politely knocked three times before pushing the door open and entering.
She must have arrived very early, sitting at the table with her eyes closed. The room was filled with the faint fragrance of tea, seemingly traveling a thousand miles yet only a few meters away. He had not yet been enveloped by the warm fragrance, much like a lake, and it was as if he had finally immersed himself in the water. The flower nectar that his handkerchief could not wipe clean could only be washed away by the lake water.
"Miss Xie," he called out to her, unsure if she was awake.
Xie Huailing opened her eyes. She first stared at the teacup on the table, the tea in the cup, and her own reflection in the water. Then she looked into her own eyes, tracing her own outline. After a series of movements, she finally raised her eyes and said, "Chief Constable, please sit down."
Having met several times, he was quite familiar with the place. He sat down opposite her and asked, "Miss Xie seems to be in poor spirits. Are you feeling unwell?"
Xie Huailing couldn't really say that; he was just a little lost in thought, but didn't want to explain further, so he said, "It's nothing, just a little nap, something that happens almost every day. But Chief Constable, you seem to be in much better spirits than me. My first game really didn't stump you."
“Miss Xie has gone to great lengths to provide so many witnesses. If I still can’t solve the case, I will have failed to live up to Miss Xie’s good intentions,” Wuqing said.
He knew all too well that Xie Huailing had been leading him through the entire game. She had calculated his intelligence perfectly, offering subtle yet tactful advice, and even adding a thoughtful comment.
There was no other way. Xie Huailing had prepared in the first place to leave no trace. It was because there was no time to deal with the matter between Wang Yunmeng and Chai Yuguan that she simply brought up the old stories. After hearing Wuqing's words, she remained indifferent and expressionless: "I thought the chief constable would have something else to say to me."
Ruthless shook his head; none of that was necessary.
There have been many things kept secret. The Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion's acquisition of Wuzheng Manor, using the resources of Six and a Half Hall as a stepping stone, is essentially just a power struggle between martial arts factions. What Su Mengzhen initially agreed to with Wuqing when discussing Wuzheng Manor was indeed true. In any case, justice has been served for the girls whose lives were ruined by Yuan Suiyun, and the descendants of the Yuan family, the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion, have been treated well. This is the best outcome. Strictly speaking, it can't be said that the Divine Marquis's Mansion was deceived. Moreover, it's impossible that Wuqing didn't think much when handling this matter last year.
So now that the hidden truth has been revealed, it's not worth making a big deal out of it. Xie Huailing did deceive him, but this deception isn't serious enough to warrant escalating the matter. The truth about Wuzheng Manor is still too subtle.
As for the matter between Xie Huailing and Di Feijing, it is still a conflict between martial arts forces. The Divine Marquis's Mansion has the responsibility to protect the security of Bianjing, but it will not interfere in everything. That would be meddling too much.
Seeing Wuqing's expression, Xie Huailing knew what she meant. She seemed to find it interesting, but she wasn't in a hurry. Wuqing sensed something and looked at her. She said, "It's okay if it's not there now. It will be later. The Chief Constable should have a lot to say to me."
Without further explanation, she refilled her teacup and said, "I won't ask the chief constable about the specific details. Has the chief constable decided on the reward for the first game?"
Before arriving, Wuqing had been thinking all the way. Rather than exploring the details of the Wuzheng Manor case, his focus was still on the death of Fu Zongshu. There were still too many doubts in this case, and it was the key to the key.
Without hesitation, he said ruthlessly, "My question is—why did Fu Zongshu leave Bianjing in secret and go to that city?"
Xie Huailing was not surprised. She poured a cup of tea for Wuqing as well. The tea reflected her face and then Wuqing's face. She handed it to Wuqing. The rising steam disturbed a few of the view, but it could not disturb the deep meaning in people's hearts.
"There are many answers to this question."
She can talk about everything as if it doesn't matter, as if she doesn't care, as if there's nothing she can't gloss over, as if everything is only worth mentioning lightly. No matter how many secrets she tells, it's like telling a story in a book. The story in the book has no weight; the only weight is in her.
Xie Huailing said, "First of all, when he went to that city, he only said that the ostensible purpose of his trip was to see Chai Yuguan. The answer to this is a longer story. Originally, Chai Yuguan was staying in another country outside the pass for the next two years and had no intention of returning. The reason he entered the pass ahead of schedule was because he was invited back by Cai Jing with promises of power. Cai Jing wanted him to kill someone."
"However, as I said, that's the surface purpose. The real purpose is to bring up another person."
Ruthless held his breath and focused: "Who?"
Her gaze settled, and in that persuasive manner, Wuqing, before even uttering the question, immediately understood who it was, answering himself: "'Fairy of Yunmeng'."
“That’s right, it’s her.” Xie Huailing nodded in praise. “Cai Jing sent people to search for Chai Yuguan outside the Great Wall. They finally found her, but he had another purpose. Or rather, killing her was a later idea he came up with after his original intention was thwarted. He initially sent people to find Chai Yuguan for only one thing and one person: Wang Yunmeng.”
"Cai Jing did not believe that Wang Yunmeng was dead. His search for Chai Yuguan was also to find out Wang Yunmeng's whereabouts. However, Chai Yuguan did not know that Wang Yunmeng was still alive. He only thought that Wang Yunmeng had died in the Hengshan disaster because of his carefully planned betrayal. Therefore, Cai Jing turned to Chai Yuguan and invited him to the pass. But he did not give up and did not completely believe Chai Yuguan's words. Fu Zongshu went to see Chai Yuguan because Cai Jing had not given up on finding Wang Yunmeng."
"Besides that, we also need to talk about why Fu Zongshu was chosen, why Fu Zongshu had to go in person, and why we need to explain this properly—well, that's not true, it involves Wang Yunmeng's story, that's a separate issue."
Wuqing was listening intently, but she abruptly stopped, piquing his interest only to quickly drop the conversation. Wuqing frowned slightly, but couldn't say anything.
From her aesthetic point of view alone, Wuqing is indeed very suitable for such an expression. The young master, who seems to be made of snow, is always surrounded by an air of desolation and loneliness. It is as if even when he smiles, there is a microcosm of wind and snow falling on his shoulder. Such appearance and the slightest frown are naturally the perfect match.
Xie Huailing waited for his brow to relax before continuing, "If the Chief Constable has no objections, then it will be the second game. I will give the Chief Constable an address, and the Chief Constable can go to find someone who will tell the Chief Constable what the second game is about."
Wuqing naturally had no objections, and the initiative wasn't actually in his hands; it was merely Xie Huailing being polite. However, he didn't agree immediately, but instead said, "Wait a moment, Miss Xie. Before the second game, I have something to say. I wonder if Miss Xie still remembers the first case you gave me?"
It wasn't the ebony box, nor the faked deaths of Chai Yuguan and Wang Yunmeng, nor Wuzheng Manor. Wuqing never failed to live up to his name. On the day the game hadn't even started, her seemingly casual remark, as she had hoped, did not escape his keen perception. Wuqing said, "It's about the Beggars' Sect case, about the disfigured Qiu Lingsu, and about Brother Guan Zhao."
Xie Huailing was finally satisfied. He clasped his hands together, genuinely enjoying the game, and looked at Wuqing with admiration: "The Chief Constable is truly a man of exceptional reputation, one of the few in the world. You were able to name Qiu Lingsu, so you've probably already uncovered half of the Beggars' Sect's secrets. However, this matter is far from over, so it's my turn to speak. I'll hand over the remaining half to the Chief Constable."
“No,” Wuqing said, “Rather than the remaining half of the truth, I would like to use this opportunity to learn more to ask Miss Xie another question.”
He stared at Xie Huailing, realizing that this was by no means a suitable request. It was not something she had agreed upon with him, nor was it something she had prepared for him. This exchange was not a sure thing.
However, after he spoke, there was no confrontation as he had expected. Xie Huailing slightly widened her eyes, a hint of surprise in them, which quickly subsided without leaving any trace or warning. He suddenly felt, for no apparent reason, that she would agree, just as a breeze blowing across a lake would naturally cause gentle ripples on its surface.
In the game, she was incredibly tolerant of him. That must have been her doing; he knew it sooner or later, it was all part of her plan, but he couldn't help but see it that way.
He had a premonition, and she confirmed it. Xie Huailing stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and murmured, "This is a bit troublesome. You can't not know about the other half. Hmm, let's leave it at that."
The finger that had touched her chin was raised, and Xie Huailing gave in. Regardless of her purpose, she had conceded: "I'll tell you the other half of the truth, and after the second game, I'll give you one more question, how about that?"
Ruthless did not answer. At this moment, there was too much goodwill in the chaos, and he should have thought about it.
Thinking didn't go so smoothly either. Xie Huailing noticed the gaze, a gaze that rarely wavered. To explain it as a constable staring intently at a suspect, it was also lingering for too long. During that time, he still didn't speak, so she asked, "Is this some kind of difficult question to answer?"
Then, in order to get him to react and answer more quickly, she called him by his full name: "Or... do you really like looking at my face, Sheng Yayu?"
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