Chapter 123: Each with Their Own Hidden agendas
Situ Bian didn't travel fast, perhaps because he was disguised as the old woman in green. In some ways, his dedication to completing the act is admirable. What's particularly admirable is that he gave Xie Huailing and Wang Lianhua ample time.
The dilapidated temple occupied an area comparable to a house. One had to pass through a wooden door overgrown with weeds, then through clumps of new green shoots, carefully lifting one's skirt to avoid insects in the grass and dust on the ground, before finally reaching the temple's main entrance. Though called the main entrance, half of it was gone; the remaining half had long been rotten and decayed by neglect, more than just teetering on the brink of collapse. With just a breath of fresh air, a single rain shower would send it crashing down.
Therefore, looking further in through the "main gate," one can directly see the Guanyin statue with its eyes closed, covered in cobwebs, in a state of disrepair, left behind by wicked people, a sign of the decline of Buddhism, and it's unclear whether Guanyin harbors any resentment. She simply keeps her eyes closed, perhaps because, for she has no other choice.
Wang Lianhua chuckled when he saw Xie Huailing's actions. He laughed at her pretentious ways, but Xie Huailing just ignored him. So what? It was just him being nosy.
But the thought of that worry hanging over her head made her feel even worse. She figured she had to find a way sooner or later, even if it meant sending him to his death. He probably thought the same thing.
But that wasn't the right time, and my mood became even more subdued.
The two stepped through the "main gate" together. Situ Bian must have been living here for some time, because the noise of them entering didn't cause any dust to fall from the top of the gate. The dilapidated temple remained silent and still. Xie Huailing looked around, but she didn't want to get her hands dirty, so she just kept ordering Wang Lianhua around. Wang Lianhua knew that Situ Bian would be back soon, and they were pressed for time, so he used this to put on airs in front of Xie Huailing, insisting that she do the work.
After a few exchanges, Xie Huailing wasn't going to let him get away with it. First, they engaged in a war of words, but then she kicked him. Only then did Wang Lianhua move and start looking around. Xie Huailing was speechless with frustration. If this happened a couple more times, her murderous intent would start to rise.
Most of the time, Xie Huailing was very good-tempered and could even chat with Shi Guanyin for a while. But with Wang Lianhua, her past encounters with him were simply a case of mutual loathing. What made it even worse was that this man shared the same thoughts as her. It wasn't just mutual loathing; they were mutually disgusted, even their sarcastic remarks were perfectly in sync. Being in sync with someone she least wanted to talk to was truly a test of her stomach.
Xie Huailing had nothing to say, so he went to look at the back room of the dilapidated temple.
The dust here was less than in the front hall of the dilapidated temple, especially in the corners. While not spotless, it wasn't filthy either, far from being filthy everywhere. Near the corners, Xie Huailing also found several pieces of rope, all used straw rope. Some of the ropes had cut marks at the ends, with the tips of the straw sticking out. From this, she deduced that this was where Situ Bian had temporarily imprisoned the girls after abducting them.
She noticed something else, picked up a piece of rope wrapped in a handkerchief, examined it closely, and then frowned slightly. The hand she had kicked tapped on the wall, and seeing that she hadn't looked at it yet, came in and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you standing there lost in thought? Did you find something?"
Looking at this person, Wang Lianhua had never heard of her coming from beyond the Great Wall, so he assumed that she had always been raised in Bianjing City. He wondered how Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou had managed to raise her. What an unusual personality she had. He also understood that she disliked him and was just trying to get in his way: "You're staring intently at the rope. Huai Ling, why don't you tell us about it?"
Xie Huailing handed him the rope, but he insisted on scraping her fingers through the handkerchief, so she scratched them with her nails without hesitation: "Look for yourself. This rope only has marks from being cut with a knife; there's no wear anywhere else. But judging from the length of the broken rope, it must have been cut directly by Situ Bian with a knife when the girl was tied up. If that's the case, why is there no wear?"
“Judging from the environment of this room, it couldn’t have been left like this for more than a few days. Considering the number of missing girls, unless Situ Bian simply left each of them unconscious here for a few days, or he had some other method, it’s impossible for them not to struggle once they wake up.”
“That’s right.” Wang Lianhua also noticed it. After a moment of contemplation, the two of them exchanged ideas in a different way when they talked about the matter. “Moreover, the rope broke here without any wear and tear. If Situ Bian wanted to move them away, would he not need the rope? Or does he have a way to control the girls without the rope?”
After all, he was Wang Yunmeng's son. His eyes lit up as he realized something: "That's it, Shan Zuo Situ... of course he has a way to subdue him. There is a kind of medicine in the Situ family that can make a person lose all their strength. No matter how deep their internal strength is, they can't use it at all. Situ Bian must have given this medicine to the girls he kidnapped."
Having a clue is good, even if it's unrelated to the main matter, it's still progress. The two looked at each other, then tacitly turned their heads away and began searching elsewhere.
Xie Huailing went into the backyard and saw several broken pots placed next to a few planks leaning against a wall, with miscellaneous items piled behind the planks. This wasn't anything unusual, but being naturally suspicious, she still wanted to take a look. She bent down and went to the side room of the dilapidated temple, but Wang Lianhua suddenly turned back.
His expression was serious, not like he was lying to her. He took her hand and said, "Situ has changed back."
This was pretty much as expected. Xie Huailing remained calm, and with a quick calculation, she knew that Wang Lianhua wasn't lying to her. She also had a contingency plan in mind for this situation. She asked him to take her out: "Send me out, and you go to the temple and find a place to hide. See if you can get any information."
“That’s all easy to do.” Wang Lianhua pushed her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “But I won’t see you off. He’s just a few steps away. There’s a gap over there. Huailing, hurry up and go out through there.”
Where else could the gap be? It was undoubtedly the one behind the wooden planks, a hole that had appeared due to the natural collapse of the wall over the years, and the planks were there to cover it. Xie Huailing glanced at him but said nothing, watching the man disappear in the blink of an eye. Then she walked to the wooden frame and remained speechless.
She didn't say anything, but thanks to her slender figure, she found a gap and squeezed through. Unfortunately, there was a plank behind the gap in the wooden frame, hiding a pot inside. Luckily, she had good eyesight and didn't knock the pot over. Instead, she found another gap and this time she got out safely.
Outside the dilapidated temple was a grove of trees. Xie Huailing clutched the "Heavenly Cloud Five-Colored Cotton" bracelet on her wrist and crouched down along the wall. She cautiously checked the contents of the pot; something hidden so carefully must be useful. Lifting the lid, she was surprised to find it filled with a pot of simmering sugar. Only Situ Bian would know how to make sugar here, and the purpose of the sugar…
Xie Huailing thought of the "wonderful young man" Zhu Qiqi had mentioned, who was the previous "beauty envoy" before Situ Bian, and had fallen into Shen Lang's hands. This man had relied on his good looks to deceive girls at the border.
A thought struck her. She took out a small hidden weapon from the "Tianyun Five-Flower Cotton," dipped the tip in the pot to make sure the sugar threads were coated, then put it back into the "Tianyun Five-Flower Cotton" and put the lid back on.
Xie Huailing couldn't hear a thing inside the dilapidated temple. Since the pot was there, she decided to get up and find another spot, hiding behind a tree. She crouched down again, counting her heartbeats to keep track of time, while also keeping an eye on her surroundings, and thinking about how she would bring Bai Feifei next time, dragging her along no matter how unwilling she was. Thinking about all this, multitasking, time passed quickly.
A few leaves drifted by, and she poked one out of boredom, only to have it poke her own head in the process. Without even looking up, Wang Lianhua's face would appear before her, straighten up, bend down, and look down at her with an air of nonchalance.
He said, "Situ has disappeared."
"So fast?" Xie Huailing looked up, gesturing for him to help her up. "Tell me what you heard."
“I didn’t hear much. Someone came to him and said, ‘Please welcome our distinguished guest,’ and then they talked about the distinguished guest for a bit. But I could tell that this distinguished guest and Chai Yuguan were not the same person. That’s interesting. Who is Chai Yuguan’s confidant meeting behind his back?” Wang Lianhua raised an eyebrow. “Everyone involved in this matter has ulterior motives.”
He hesitated to reach out, so Xie Huailing grabbed his clothes and pulled him down. When she stood up, two gray marks were left on Wang Lianhua's clothes. It was Xie Huailing who held a grudge and wiped all the dust she had gotten on him.
It's hard to say whether it was one person or both who were immature, but in any case, they looked at each other and both started to think the other was dirty.
"We'll find another opportunity next time. Young Master Wang can pretend to be tied up and follow Situ Bian. He'll surely discover something." Xie Huailing brushed the remaining dust off his hands.
Wang Lianhua gave a forced smile, never before had those two words been expressed so vividly. He also patted the hem of his clothes and said, "Huailing, why don't you do it? Or is it that Miss Xie, being of noble birth and the eldest daughter of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion, cannot humble herself to do this?"
Xie Huailing nodded frankly and replied, "You're right, I can't do it. After all, I'm the junior whom Madam Wang said she favors the most. This kind of risky and painful thing is better left to someone like me. I'm sure Madam Wang would be willing to do it."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lianhua's forced smile vanished. His entire face turned ashen, his expression cold and menacing, a stark contrast to his usual dashing demeanor.
Seeing this, Xie Huailing feigned surprise: "What's wrong? Didn't you just say today that my good relationship with Madam Wang is a blessing for you?"
Wang Lianhua, however, was not as angry as she wished. Before getting angry, she raised the corner of her mouth and said quietly, "Yes, it is my blessing. Miss Xie has said so much, but we will still be together in the future. We have a long future ahead of us."
After that, both of them fell silent, both disgusted by Wang Lianhua's last words. It was unclear whether their murderous intent had intensified or their reason had prevailed. After a breath or two, Wang Lianhua laughed again. The marriage agreement and cooperation had taken precedence. The two seemed to have forgotten their earlier argument and continued their business on the way back.
However, the two did not discuss further who would act as bait. Xie Huailing secretly plotted to find someone capable of swindling someone.
Meanwhile, Wang Lianhua on the other side simply suppressed his anger, and that was all.
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