Chapter 84: Only the East Wind is Lacking
"Mother, please have some fresh tea."
The white tea leaves, as fine as silver needles, lay in a small pinch at the bottom of the cup, gently swirling with the pale tea liquid. The aroma of the tea slowly rose and wafted into Ye Shuzhen's nose. Nangong Ling presented the tea to her with both hands, smiling as she introduced, "This is a gift from a friend of mine."
Without even tasting it, Ye Shuzhen knew from just one sniff that it was the finest Longtuan Shengxue tea. People at the time exclaimed that it was far superior to all other teas. The production cost of each pound was 40,000, which was astonishing.
She also knew that the process of making this tea was complicated. It required picking the finest white tea leaves, then removing all the ripe buds, leaving only the heart of the leaf. The leaves were then stored in a container and steeped in clear spring water. The resulting tea was as clear as snow and as bright as a silver mirror. Finally, it was made into a tea cake with a small dragon winding on top. She was moved and thought, "Your friend is very thoughtful. But why doesn't he come over? As an elder, I should give him a gift when we meet."
Nangong Ling's lips remained curved, seemingly displaying the humility of a filial son. However, his eyes were fixed on Ye Shuzhen, which was not very respectful and made people feel strange: "He said he was only staying for a few days and would not disturb him too much. Besides, he usually prefers quiet and feels that entertaining people is just mundane business."
Ye Shuzhen thought there was some truth to that. Having one's own interests was not a bad thing for people in the martial arts world. She was also past the age of liking to make things difficult for others, so she didn't insist: "Then you should make good arrangements for him and not neglect him. How many days will your friend stay?"
"It will be around the seventh or eighth day," Nangong Ling said.
Counting the days, Ye Shuzhen thought to herself that this was unfortunate. Her tone became more serious, her words carrying weight, deliberately emphasizing their significance, as she said, "Since he is your friend, it is naturally inappropriate for me to pry too much, but Ling'er, you must remember, this is not an ordinary time. The seventh young master of the Hua family and his friends are still staying here, so don't be disrespectful to the guests, and also to Miss Xie, and most importantly, Miss Xie. You know, the matter with the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion must not be allowed to go wrong."
Nangong Ling was not puzzled by Ye Shuzhen's sudden change in attitude. For some reason, this foster mother had always been a staunch supporter of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion, and was also the closest person to the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion in the Beggar Clan. He had gotten used to it two years ago, and repeatedly said, "I remember everything, Mother. You can rest assured that I will never let Miss Xie get into trouble."
He meant what he said. Nangong Ling often remembered Xie Huailing, and always thought of her. It's not surprising that young people are often attracted to beautiful women, and it's not unusual for him to yearn for a woman of exceptional beauty and talent. However, given her status, and the rumors that her marriage would be personally overseen by her cousin Su Mengzhen, he knew he wasn't qualified to have a relationship with her.
In addition… Nangong Ling recalled Ye Gucheng’s words. After the assassination attempt at Liufenbantang, Ye Gucheng had sent word from that nobleman of the royal palace that there was still much to be done and he hoped that he could avoid Xie Huailing and have as little contact with her as possible.
It's always good to be cautious, as his brother also said, but Nangong Ling wanted to sigh as soon as he heard it, but he had no other choice but to sigh.
After exchanging a few more words, Nangong Ling stood up and bid farewell to Ye Shuzhen. He had achieved his goal and would not linger any longer.
The "friend" he was talking about was actually waiting for him not far outside the house.
What a handsome young man, so refined and elegant. Standing in the courtyard, he seemed to be gazing up at a towering mountain. Even just his back view was enough to inspire admiration and pique curiosity about his appearance. However, when he turned around, the curiosity turned to disappointment. He didn't have a particularly outstanding appearance; his plain features were a bit of a pity, making one feel that he should have been more handsome.
Nangong Ling originally wanted to call him, but the way she addressed him was not quite right, so she walked to his side and said, "It's all settled."
The man nodded. There was no one around at the moment, and the two walked side by side. "Okay, take me there first. I'm here now, so feel free to come find me if you need anything."
Nangong Ling put on a more genuine smile, as if his arrival would make him feel much more relaxed, and said, "I've been looking forward to your arrival for a long time. There are so many things I need you to make decisions about..."
He was about to say something more when he suddenly fell silent. Footsteps approached from the end of the path, quickly covering the distance. Then, the man watched as the person beside him changed expression, becoming inexplicably uneasy instead of being cautious.
"Miss Xie, Miss Shaman!" Nangong Ling greeted them loudly the moment the figure entered.
The two titles revealed her identity, which the man had certainly heard of. After all, she was the most powerful woman in the martial arts world, capable of turning the world upside down with a flick of her wrist. His plan before coming here was to be extra cautious, especially since he had already met with Ye Gucheng.
After lowering his head to compose himself, the man glanced up again without making a sound, intending to examine Xie Huailing, but unexpectedly met her gaze.
The person he was most worried about had eyes that conveyed no emotion. He hated such indifference, such sharpness, and couldn't tell if he had been seen through, let alone what his intentions were. The man quickly looked away, pretending that he had glanced at her unintentionally, without any deliberate intent.
Xie Huailing remained silent, as if she had only glanced at it casually.
Since the superior was unwilling to engage with anyone, it was Shaman who responded. She politely replied, "Good morning, Young Master. What a coincidence, did you just finish paying your respects to Madam Ren?"
As Nangong Ling replied, her eyes kept glancing at Xie Huailing. Seeing that Xie Huailing was looking down and not looking at her, she felt quite disappointed: "That's right. I also sent some things to my mother with my friends. It seems that I am destined to meet you two."
Shaman gave a brief reply, her gaze falling on the man. She had never seen him before and was filled with doubt. Xie Huailing nudged her lower back, and she understood immediately, asking, "May I ask who this gentleman is?"
"My surname is Wu." The man introduced himself before Nangong Ling could introduce him, and smiled politely, "Just call me by my surname."
"So it's Young Master Wu." Shaman could tell that this man was very discreet and probably wasn't telling the truth, so she didn't want to waste time talking to them. "Miss and I have other matters to attend to, so we'll leave now. We'll talk to the young master another day."
After saying that, he turned around and followed Xie Huailing away. Nangong Ling stared blankly until the shadows of the trees obscured their whereabouts, and he could not see them no matter what he did.
The man exhaled a long breath and quickened his pace. Nangong Ling withdrew her gaze and barely followed. After crossing a small path, his voice was very low, like a snake slithering into Nangong Ling's ear, half sharp and half somber: "You really live up to your reputation. No wonder you're so wary—I know what you're thinking, but you'd better keep it under control. If she finds out, I'm afraid you'll either fail at the last minute or collapse halfway through."
Nangong Ling finally snapped out of her daze and replied to the man's words as if in a daze: "Yes, but Miss Xie probably hasn't noticed anything yet. If we can keep it a secret, perhaps we can wait until Miss Xie leaves. She can't stay for too long. The Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion is definitely still waiting for her to return, so she won't stay for long. By the way, brother, you've met with City Lord Ye, right? What are their plans now?"
Intend?
Just now, the man began to ponder deeply. He stared at Nangong Ling and felt that his younger brother was rather naive and laughable.
What other plans could he have? The man's mind raced, recalling the princess's commands, but in the end, he put on a kind smile and said to Nangong Ling, "I'm not quite sure either."
.
On the other side, Xie Huailing tugged at Shaman's sleeve. The person walking briskly suddenly stopped and brought her ear close to Xie Huailing's lips.
"No flowers," Xie Huailing said bluntly.
Shaman wasn't surprised; who else could Nangong Ling bring back at this time? She frowned, lowered her voice to make sure no one else could hear, and asked Xie Huailing, "This doesn't seem like they're not planning to do anything right now. Should we make some preparations?"
"Prepare? What kind of preparation?" Xie Huailing replied.
Her words were light and airy, yet carried a weight: "We have everything ready."
With everything in place, it also means that only the final push is needed.
What Xie Huailing needs to do is to find this favorable wind.
Shaman didn't quite understand. Xie Huailing didn't like explaining his thoughts to her, and she often had to guess at what Xie Huailing was saying, especially after yesterday. She wondered what Xie Huailing had learned or what plans he had made. Fortunately, she dared to ask, "What do you mean?"
Xie Huailing didn't answer, but instead brought up another question. She raised an eyebrow, her tone a mix of teasing and casualness: "In your opinion, given the current situation, is the Southern Prince's Mansion more urgent for us, or is Shi Guanyin more urgent?"
Shaman hesitated: "The Southern Prince's Mansion? Putting aside the power of the mansion, we have obtained a lot of information about Shi Guanyin, but the Southern Prince's Mansion is still in the shadows and we don't know much about it."
Xie Huailing clasped his hands together and nodded approvingly, still in the tone of praising a child: "You're really smart, so this is the problem we should solve now."
Gong Jiu's investigation into the Southern Prince's Mansion will yield its final results in the next two days. However, Xie Huailing does not blindly trust Gong Jiu, nor does he intend to rely entirely on him in this matter.
They chatted and laughed for a few steps before emerging from the side gate. Shaman spotted a low-key carriage. The two boarded the carriage, its simple curtains a deep blue, half-open, allowing some sunlight to filter through. Xie Huailing leaned against the shadows and spoke the name of the restaurant where they had been assassinated last time.
Shaman neatly lowered the curtains on both sides of the carriage completely, asking as he did so, "Tell me what I should do."
Xie Huailing corrected, "Just watch. This time, it's my job to do something."
Upon hearing this, Shaman knew that Xie Huailing was planning to take another risk. But she didn't seem to feel any apprehension. Looking at Xie Huailing's expression, she tilted her head, as Shaman pressed for an answer.
Xie Huailing stopped hiding it and said, "We're just stirring up trouble."
In the dim light of spring, she was outlined in the dark of the carriage, her smile ambiguous, as if she were seen through thick clouds, not only indistinct but also chilling.
"Neither she nor Ye Gucheng can hide themselves," Xie Huailing said gently. "I disagree."
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