060
The sedan chair bearers then whistled in a certain direction, and soon another sedan chair carried by two men appeared in that direction.
Xie Jingze lifted the sedan curtain for Qin Sang, who thanked him and then sat down with poise and elegance.
Xie Sui'an: "...So what about me?"
Xie Jingze was now fully awake, or perhaps he was trying to stay awake, and said, "You're young and strong, go with the sedan chair."
After saying that, he got into the sedan chair.
Xie Sui'an: "..."
He put his hands behind his back and asked angrily, "Which way?"
The sedan bearers turned the sedan chair around and said, "Young master, please follow me."
The sedan chair wound its way through the woods, sunlight filtering through the gaps and casting beams of light, the scenery remaining breathtakingly beautiful.
Xie Suian looked on and suddenly had an idea. He started chatting with the sedan chair carriers: "Your master is not only rich and powerful, but also has a very good sense of aesthetics."
The sedan chair carriers didn't respond.
Xie Sui'an continued, "Ah, I admire your master very much. Such a large island as Worry-Free Island is managed by him in an orderly and well-organized manner... He must be a very elegant and handsome man. I wonder how I can have the opportunity to meet your island master?"
This time, his gaze fell directly on the sedan chair bearer closest to him.
The sedan chair carrier could only say, "Our master does not receive guests, and I have never seen his face either."
Another sedan chair carrier chimed in, "Even if you do see him, it'll just be a masked face."
The sedan bearer in front coughed lightly, stopping the sedan bearers behind from continuing to speak.
Xie Sui'an, being extremely astute, immediately began to ponder—a masked face? Could that be the one he had just seen? Was that the island lord?
However, judging from her slender figure and the few insignificant thugs around her, she seemed to lack a certain presence.
That being said, in Kyoto, it is most taboo to judge people by their appearance; those who seem weak and harmless may be the most venomous.
For example, the girl sitting in the sedan chair now is Qin Sang, who is as beautiful as an angel, seems innocent, and is delicate and weak when she acts coquettishly.
He glanced at the sedan chair, just as Qin Sang lifted the curtain a crack, and their eyes met.
Xie Sui'an quickly gleaned information from the woman's eyes—the masked man was not the island lord.
oh?
That makes sense. How could such a small matter alarm the island lord? Such a large and magnificent island must have many henchmen. How could my arrival alone have prompted the island lord to take action?
He didn't think he had that much influence.
If it wasn't the sedan chair carrier deliberately misleading him, then it must be that the island lord of Worry-Free Island himself was wearing a mask, and his subordinates followed suit, all to confuse the public.
But none of that matters right now; getting out of there as soon as possible is the priority.
But they just caused such a ruckus. I wonder if the order to track them has been relayed to the whole island. Xie Jingze is so calm. Can he really lead them away from the island safely?
At this moment, Qin Sang sat in the sedan chair, pondering a more serious problem. Everyone who had ever been to Worry-Free Island left behind a portrait and their name. After their rampage, it would be difficult for them to return to the island.
If we go to the island this time and don't bring out any news, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
She tapped her knees lightly with her fingers, thinking about their chance encounter with Xie Jingze in that luxurious villa... and then she stopped the sedan chair.
The sedan chair carriers were there to serve the guests, so upon hearing this, they naturally stopped and awaited orders.
Xie Jingze was taking a nap with his eyes closed, pondering the cost of getting these two out safely, and how to get his younger siblings to keep it a secret after they got out, when he heard Qin Sang softly call out, "Stop."
His sedan chair was behind Qin Sang's, so he lifted the front curtain and asked, "What's wrong?"
Qin Sang said, "Let's go back."
Xie Jingze: "?"
Xie Sui'an: "?"
Qin Sang lifted the sedan curtain and said softly to Xie Sui'an, "I just remembered that I left something behind. I need to go back and get it myself."
Xie Sui'an's eyes widened, and he kept giving her meaningful glances with a "what are you going to do?" expression on his face.
Qin Sang gave him a faint look.
Xie Sui'an: "...??"
Qin Sang then said to Xie Jingze behind her, "Brother, I've left something behind. May I go back for a bit?"
Xie Jingze was silent for a moment. The two of them had appeared here in such a disheveled state today, so they were definitely not here to have fun. This Qin Sang sister obviously had other purposes.
He lowered the sedan curtain and instructed the sedan bearers, "Then please take us back to get our things."
The sedan chair bearers turned around at the sound, with Xie Jingze's sedan chair leading the way, and returned to the residential complex they had just been in.
However, they had only gone halfway when the smell of smoke and charcoal filled the air. Xie Sui'an, who was outside the sedan chair, naturally smelled it first. He subconsciously looked at the place where they had lit a fire earlier and saw that it was indeed billowing with thick smoke, with flames faintly visible.
Is it... on fire?
That tiny thatched hut was able to set the surrounding lush green trees ablaze.
He glanced at the tightly closed sedan curtain and said to the sedan bearers, "Hey, what's going on over there? It looks like there's a fire?"
The sedan bearers had obviously smelled it too, and they all looked up, but only for a moment before quickly looking away and continuing to carry the sedan chair forward without making a sound.
One of them comforted them, saying, "Young master and young lady, don't panic. We have fire masters on our island. They should be on their way by now, and the fire will be extinguished soon."
Seeing the sedan chair bearers speak with such certainty, Xie Suian was barely relieved. If the fire really did spread throughout the entire island, things would get out of hand, and he still had a portrait in someone's hands.
Upon hearing this, Qin Sang lifted the curtain. Xie Sui'an immediately leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Let's go, the fire over there has already started, if we don't leave now we won't be able to get out."
Qin Sang could also smell the thick smoke and dust. She looked in the direction the smoke was rising and calculated the distance to turn back. She instructed the sedan chair bearers, "Please hurry up. Don't wait until the fire comes over. If my valuable things are destroyed in the fire, none of you can afford to compensate me!"
Her last words were somewhat urgent, and the sedan bearers naturally quickened their pace upon hearing them.
When Qin Sang returned to the door of the house where Xie Jingze had been, she got out of the sedan chair. She had originally planned to have the sedan chair bearers disappear, but the fire was urgent, and if she sent them away, it would only arouse suspicion.
Just as they were hesitating and trying to figure out a way to sneak into another courtyard, a large group of guards in black uniforms emerged from the house called "Nanke." One of them exclaimed with delight, "He's here!"
Xie Sui'an rolled his eyes speechlessly, thinking to himself that they had really walked right into a trap.
Then the masked man emerged from the house with an air of composure, his skirt fluttering as he walked, exuding elegance.
"Tsk, I was going to let you off the hook for the sake of the young master, but I didn't expect you to come back." His voice was lazy, with a hint of amusement. "This is giving me a headache."
He then looked at Xie Jingze and said with a smile, "Young Master, do you know that your younger brother left your name on the island?"
Xie Sui'an glanced at his elder brother, Xie Jingze, and saw that Xie Jingze's thin lips were tightly pursed, and he looked slightly displeased.
He felt somewhat ashamed at that moment. He had done this kind of thing many times since he was a child, but Xie Jingze had indulged him time and time again because of his good nature.
However, Xie Jingze spoke gently to the masked man, saying, "It was my ignorance that caused trouble for your island. I am willing to compensate for all the damages and expenses. I hope you will be lenient, sir."
Hearing Xie Jingze address the masked man as "sir" instead of "island lord," Xie Sui'an could confirm that the masked man in front of him was indeed just a lackey.
He immediately became more rational and assertive: "That's right, I'm just here to find someone, and you're attacking me like this. Humph, it's just a worthless, run-down island that's no different from a brothel, yet you make it all so mysterious. Anyone who didn't know better would think the master behind this island is the emperor..."
"Watch your words!" Xie Jingze interrupted Xie Sui'an.
Xie Sui'an realized he had spoken out of turn, crossed his arms disdainfully, shut his mouth, and looked to the side.
Although Qin Sang didn't speak, she carefully observed the masked man, from his height and build to his exposed ears and neck, and even his head shape and hair.
For some reason, the masked man seemed vaguely familiar to her. Although his features were not obvious, a name inexplicably popped into her mind.
But is that possible?
Perhaps sensing Qin Sang's persistent gaze, the masked man turned away and sighed, "Fine, since the young master has spoken, I'll put this debt on his tab. You should leave now, as I need to go and oversee the firefighting efforts. Send someone to deliver any losses to your residence later!"
"..." Xie Sui'an was a little confused. They were just being let go like that? What about their frantic escape and trespassing into the forbidden area?
Just as she was thinking this, two black-clad guards walked up to Xie Sui'an and Qin Sang respectively. With just a wave of their hands, a strange fragrance wafted into their noses from who-knows-where. Qin Sang glanced at the guards and felt her vision blur and her balance falter.
She thought helplessly: Here we go again! And the scent is different every time. Just how many sleeping pills are planted on this island?! Haven't any of the people who come here for pleasure been drugged and then secretly killed?
However, just as she thought of this, she completely lost consciousness.
Xie Sui'an was in a similar situation to her, and soon collapsed onto the black-clad man, looking weak and powerless.
Seeing this, Xie Jingze sighed and said softly, "Why bother?"
It seemed as if he was speaking to Xie Sui'an, or perhaps to someone else entirely.
****
When Qin Sang opened her eyes and woke up, she had already returned to the Prime Minister's residence.
She turned her head, and Ying'er hurriedly stepped forward to gesture: "How could you get so drunk, Miss? You've been sleeping all night. Granny Liu is furious and has already reported to the mistress. She said that you're being disobedient by sneaking out to drink and only returning after spilling your drink. You'll definitely be punished."
Qin Sang sat up, feeling a splitting headache, as if she had been drinking heavily all night.
"Where is Xie Sui'an?" she asked.
Ying'er thought for a moment, shook her head, and gestured with her hands: "The Second Young Master has never been here."
Qin Sang: "Then how did I get back?"
Ying'er: "It was brought back by a carriage."
"Am I alone?" Suddenly remembering Lingding, who hadn't been seen since they went together, she asked again, "Where's Lingding?"
Ying'er continued gesturing to her: "Lingding came back with you, but she woke up earlier..."
Just as she finished gesturing, Lingding brought in a basin of hot water. Seeing that Qin Sang was awake, her eyes lit up: "Miss is finally awake?"
Qin Sang stared at her, and seeing that her expression and actions were normal, she asked, "Where did they take you yesterday?"
Lingding wrung out the handkerchief and said while recalling, "After parting with the young lady yesterday, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself in a teahouse, sleeping on a table."
Qin Sang: "A teahouse?"
Lingding handed over the hot towel and nodded: "The teahouse is very lively. There are acrobats, storytellers, and singers. But the customers inside are strange. They all look like maids and servants like me. When I asked around, I found out that they are all servants of wealthy families in the capital."
Qin Sang: "Anything else? Have you found out which families they belong to?"
Lingding shook his head: "I knew the young lady would ask, and I tried to find out, but I only managed to find out the names of one or two. The rest of them are tight-lipped and refuse to reveal their masters' names. However, I think some of the servants know each other. They even made plans to watch a play together, and their relationship is quite harmonious."
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