Chapter 107: Old Friends Return
Persuading Zhu Qiqi was an extremely simple matter.
Upon hearing Xie Huailing's words, Shen Lang was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, his feelings a jumbled mess. Some things he hadn't intended to say could no longer be kept secret, and he went to tell Zhu Qiqi everything in detail. Zhu Qiqi, having received Shen Lang's kind words and gained a clearer understanding of his feelings, felt an unprecedented sense of joy. She instantly forgot the anger and sorrow she had once harbored for him, and at this moment, she was willing to go through fire and water for Shen Lang.
So when Xie Huailing told her what had happened and asked her to come along, she agreed almost immediately, and also agreed to the clause that Xie Huailing said, "Don't act on your own, you are free to do as she pleases."
However, the matter of inviting Zhu Qiqi ended easily, but there were still some other troublesome matters that Xie Huailing needed to take care of before she set off. She first said goodbye to Ren Ci and Qiu Lingsu, then met with Guan Zhaodi, who had not yet set off and was still packing other things, and set a time with her to go to Bianjing. Finally, she had to write two more letters.
One letter was given to Su Mengzhen, explaining the whole story and clarifying that he couldn't return to his former life for the time being; another was given to Zhao Mengyun. According to the pre-arranged plan, this girl had already used Xie Huailing's advice to implicate several of the Southern King's confidants through her own failures, so Xie Huailing naturally needed to provide her with further support and advice. Rather than personally intervening, Xie Huailing was more interested in seeing how far hatred could take Zhao Mengyun with sufficient assistance.
Regardless of anything else, she is intelligent enough, and her ruthlessness once she makes up her mind is something her father and brothers could never match.
Only after finishing all that could she direct Shaman to pack her luggage, and only then could she rest. She stayed up until midnight again, something she hadn't done in a long time, but there was nothing she could do about it.
"I should go to sleep first," Xie Huailing told herself. She feared that for some time to come, she wouldn't have many peaceful nights to sleep in.
A bright moon floats on the water, the sun is far away and dreams sway, no further words are needed.
.
Journeying further out of Jinan, the distance stretches for countless miles, with mountains and rivers continuing in succession, each scene offering its own unique charm and interest. Along this route, a fleeting glance reveals countless mountains and rivers, bathed in the rosy glow of spring, their beauty captured in the morning mist, like a painting unfolding before one's eyes. Sadly, like a painting framed on a scroll, it is but a fleeting glimpse, the bustling streets and carriages already eagerly awaiting the next scene.
It was a city teeming with people, a vibrant tapestry of smoke and greenery. The bustling laughter and merriment of the three streets and five markets blended together with the songs of passing young girls as they raised their sleeves. Few cities in the world resemble Bianjing, a living melting pot of extravagance and luxury. Nor should any city be like Bianjing, which should possess its own unique beauty, with its thousands of households displaying their diverse lives, their every emotion contained within the bricks and tiles.
Zhu Qiqi's mouth never stopped the whole way, especially when they arrived at a place she had never been before. She wanted to ask about everything and try everything. Fortunately, she remembered Xie Huailing's words. After saying something, she would ask Xie Huailing for his approval. Xie Huailing rejected her every question without giving her any room for negotiation. He told her to stay put and only agreed to let the steward take her around for a short while before Shen Lang came to meet her.
Zhu Qiqi's smile immediately vanished. She was never one to sit still; her smile was always on her lips. She just kept rolling her eyes, trying to find something clever to say. Xie Huailing spoke up at the right moment, asking her, "Tell me more about you and Shen Lang. There's still something I don't understand."
She immediately put her boredom behind her. It's rare to find a girl whose romance is progressing and who doesn't want to share her love with her friends, let alone a passionate woman like Zhu Qiqi. She took Xie Huailing's hand, and together they got off the carriage. A few blushes appeared on her cheeks as she walked, saying, "Where else do you want to hear? Or should I tell you the whole story from the beginning..."
Then came tender affection, as if they couldn't wait to express their feelings.
Xie Huailing devoted some of her attention to listening, and the rest to checking where they could land. She often trusted herself more than Shaman in many ways, and this time was no exception.
The place they settled in was the territory of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion. This was an advantage of having a large and powerful organization; wherever they went, it seemed there were forces affiliated with the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion, so they didn't have to put in much effort and were much safer. However, the forces within the pavilion were a mixed bag, and it was inevitable that they would need to be carefully examined.
The inspection was almost complete, and Zhu Qiqi had finished speaking. Taking advantage of the novelty, Xie Huailing had Zhu Qiqi settle her luggage, then used Shen Lang as a pretext to lure Zhu Qiqi to look at the gatekeeper's letter. She herself took the opportunity to go to her room and write to Su Mengzhen. She knew that later, when the situation became urgent, she might not have time, so she would write as much as she could now.
Xie Huailing didn't need to calculate the time herself, because Zhu Qiqi would knock on the door if she couldn't wait any longer. Just as she finished writing, Zhu Qiqi poked her head out from the half-open door, unable to contain her restless hands and feet any longer, and said, "Huailing, aren't you going out? What are you doing? Can I leave now?"
Then she would tiptoe in, bringing a gentle breeze that would blow behind Xie Huailing. She would put her hand on Xie Huailing's shoulder and say coquettishly, "Why don't you come out with me and take a look? We're investigating something, so it's definitely better to go out. There's no reason to stay here all the time."
Xie Huailing saw Zhu Qiqi's face in the mirror. She continued writing her letter, not worried that Zhu Qiqi would understand it, and replied, "I'm not going. I have other things to do. Can't you wait?"
"No, not at all." Zhu Qiqi wouldn't admit it. She turned around and stood in front of Xie Huailing again, saying, "I just asked around, and there's a restaurant nearby. If you're not going, I'll go check it out with some people, join in the fun... and hear some news, wouldn't that be nice?"
She blurted out her thoughts, and then had to add more words to make up for it: "Since you're not going, I won't waste your time. Time is of the essence! It's strange, everyone else wants to join in the fun, but you're the only one who can sit still."
Xie Huailing then told her to remember to take the steward with her, and to call him back if anything happened. Shaman also entered the room at this moment. She first gave instructions to the people here, and then came to tell Xie Huailing about the recent events in the city.
Zhu Qiqi stayed on the left, while Shaman said on the right, "I asked around carefully. Nothing major has happened in the city in the past year or two. Only half a month ago, something suddenly happened. A big pit was dug outside the city, and many people died. Then, some rumors spread that it was haunted, which attracted several knights to go and explore, but none of them came back alive."
It's not surprising; there are countless things happening in the martial arts world every day, just like the meals people eat. But this particular time, half a month ago, is still too much of a coincidence.
"How many heroes went?" Xie Huailing asked.
Shaman replied, "I heard it's five or six. But there are always some who go just because they heard the rumors, so the actual number of people who went is probably more than that."
Zhu Qiqi's head popped up again at that moment. She pulled up a stool and leaned against Xie Huailing. She loved novel things like this and always wanted to find out more. Without even coming out of the door, she interrupted and asked, "What's so special about this haunted pit? Are there really ghosts in there?"
Shaman glanced at Xie Huailing. Since her boss didn't mind Zhu Qiqi's question, she continued, "This all started with the origin of this pit. It was originally a coal mine. About half a month ago, a group of farmhands were digging when they unearthed a stone tablet. On it, seventy arrows spelled out eight large characters: 'Entering the stone again will bring misfortune.'"
"At that time, the long-term workers who mined coal dared not dig any further. But the mine was a very profitable business, and the bigwigs who made money from coal disagreed and raised the price several times over. Money can make the devil turn the millstone, so the long-term workers pretended not to notice and continued to dig. This time, they dug out another stone door, and on the stone door were eight characters: 'Take one step inside, and you will die without mercy.'"
Zhu Qiqi blinked, already captivated, and smiled as she asked, "Were those words also spelled out with arrows?"
“No,” Shaman said again, “it was written in cinnabar. After the farmhands discovered the stone door, the masters paid them more and told them to just keep chiseling. So a group of people chiseled open the stone door, and then they never came out again.”
She took a breath, seemingly finding it somewhat cruel: "Later, someone couldn't bear it any longer and went to check, only to find that the entire group of farmhands had died in the hall behind the stone gate. But the matter didn't end there. The men hired another group of people to carry their bodies out, but by the third day, the group that carried the bodies had also died."
It was a chilling story, but Zhu Qiqi opened her eyes wide without showing the slightest fear. Among the wealthy young ladies, she was the most courageous, and she laughed, "It would be great if we could go and see for ourselves; it's probably someone playing tricks!"
After saying that, she looked at Xie Huailing, but Xie Huailing showed no sign of backing down. She was still a little uncomfortable, so she snorted softly but didn't say anything.
Then she remembered the important matter, and, feigning seriousness, asked again, "Do you think this matter has anything to do with that 'King of Pleasure'?"
Xie Huailing looked at her in surprise: "You're asking this?"
Feeling slighted, Zhu Qiqi really wanted to kick her, and said reproachfully, "Why didn't I ask? Just tell me if it's related or not."
Xie Huailing simply said, "Am I some kind of 'know-it-all' who can hear all secrets just by listening?"
After the two joked around for a while, Zhu Qiqi realized that Xie Huailing really didn't have time to play with her when she saw that Shaman still had something to say. She wasn't exactly unreasonable, and she didn't want to make a fool of herself, since Xie Huailing couldn't persuade her otherwise. So she took her steward and went out for a stroll.
Xie Huailing stayed in the room discussing matters with Shaman, not too worried. She thought that a trip around would only take a quarter of an hour, nothing would happen, and when she didn't provoke Zhu Qiqi, Zhu Qiqi was generally obedient. But unexpectedly, only a quarter of an hour later, someone ran back from outside to grab her.
Zhu Qiqi ran into trouble within fifteen minutes. Her face was anxious and somewhat unsightly, yet she also appeared righteous and awe-inspiring. She said urgently, "Huailing, I didn't bring any money with me when I went out. Please lend me some!"
This was a once-in-a-millennium moment for her, but thankfully it wasn't too difficult to say it to Xie Huailing. Seeing her expression, Xie Huailing followed her out and asked, "Borrowing is fine, but what do you want to film?"
"It's not a thing, it's a person!" Zhu Qiqi said indignantly. "Someone actually sold a girl at the street corner. Luckily, the steward helped me by writing an IOU and buying her. Otherwise, such a good girl would have been sold to who knows who! Give me the money quickly, and I'll have my maid redeem the IOU."
Xie Huailing wasn't surprised that she would do this. Zhu Qiqi had never been a bad person; it would be strange if she didn't help those in need. She didn't ask Zhu Qiqi how much she wanted; there was plenty available. She simply told Shaman to get it. However, she was puzzled as to why a girl would suddenly appear at such a crucial moment, and why Zhu Qiqi would happen to run into her.
She couldn't help but think things through carefully, considering many factors. Firstly, the girl's origins were unclear, and secondly, the timing was inappropriate. With so many questions weighing on her mind, she decided to observe the situation thoroughly before making a decision.
But all those plans vanished when she saw people.
Zhu Qiqi, having learned her lesson, didn't bring the person back but left her in the small room at the street corner. She led Xie Huailing to see her, looking her over again and again between Xie Huailing and the girl who was still trembling with her head down, saying, "This is that girl, she seems to have been abducted by human traffickers, so weak and helpless, so pitiful." Then she introduced Xie Huailing to her, saying, "This is also your savior." Then, somewhat surprised, she noticed that Xie Huailing, while listening, took off her veil and smiled.
A smile as light as a cloud emerging from a mountain peak, as fresh as a lotus blossom in spring, overshadows all other colors, and the hint of scheming diminishes considerably. It's almost as if she's a completely different person, as if she were pure and innocent, born without a trace of dust. One could even describe this smile as gentle and approachable, as if it were learned from nowhere, rising like the morning glow, and from the glow ripples a warm wave that veils the moon.
It was undeniably captivating, no, extremely captivating; anyone who saw it would inevitably be moved. However, Xie Huailing was no ordinary person; having been given this smiling man, he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of appreciation.
Bai Feifei, described as "pitiful," "weak," "helpless," and "abducted": "..."
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Bai Feifei: This must be a provocation.
Ms. Xie: It was indeed a provocation.
Ms. Xie: It takes a genius to be able to hold back a laugh like that.
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