Chapter 49 But I Don't Like Qingyang
Zhong Lique didn't talk much with Chu Jin about the Nangong family. After finishing her massage lesson for the day, she bid farewell to Chu Jin and left.
Zhong Lique breathed a sigh of relief after returning to the carriage.
Su Feng asked her, "What's wrong?"
Zhong Lique shook her head. She was just feeling emotional because she remembered the flower viewing banquet that year, but she could only suppress it at the clinic.
"Second Brother, what's your impression of Sister Chu? Am I overthinking things?" Zhong Li Que looked at Su Feng, her brows furrowed in distress.
"I can't find any fault with it, but the invitations are a bit of a concern for me." Su Feng pondered. "Observe for a few more days, postpone the banquet as much as possible, and don't send out invitations until the last day."
Zhong Lique nodded.
The two rode away in a carriage together. Chu Jin, who was standing by the window watching this scene, gently lowered her hand that was holding the curtain.
Without changing her expression, she took out the Wind Listening Ruler and sent a message that was difficult to decipher. After successfully sending it, she shattered the Wind Listening Ruler in her hand.
Yu Sui, who was still in the dining hall, was waiting to see if there would be any unusual activity at the medical clinic after Zhong Lique left. Unexpectedly, she actually encountered something today.
It wasn't the Chu Jin Listening Ruler she was monitoring, but the message came from the medical clinic and required deciphering a Nine-Style Secret Text; she didn't know which clinic it came from.
Yu Sui told Elder Yan the location where the message would be received.
Over the years, Elder Yan has done a lot of work with Yu Sui.
He relied on the intelligence provided by Yu Sui to deal with the gray areas of the capital, and was involved in both the legal and illegal sides.
Yu Sui didn't care how Yan Lao operated; he was only responsible for passing on the information he needed.
The only time she proactively sought help from Elder Yan was two years ago when she intercepted news of Prince Qingyang's attempt to capture the leader of the Lan Poison organization. She made contact with the Sixth Prince, the prince's rival, causing Prince Qingyang to fail in his attempt and let the leader escape. Then, she asked Elder Yan to help the Sixth Prince capture the leader.
That day was a palace banquet. When Emperor Qingyang learned that the Crown Prince's capture attempt had failed and that the leader of the Lan Poison Sect, whom he had long loathed, had escaped, he was furious and extremely disappointed in the Crown Prince. After the Crown Prince returned to the capital, he refused to see him and made the Crown Prince kneel in the heavy rain for an entire day.
Yu Sui stood at a distance, holding an umbrella, gazing at the Crown Prince kneeling in the rain, before leisurely walking away.
Afterwards, the Sixth Prince of Qingyang returned with the head of the leader of the Lan Du organization, which pleased Emperor Qingyang and made the Sixth Prince even more prominent, gradually earning him the Emperor's favor.
Besides relying on the Wind Listening Ruler to obtain information and location, Yu Sui also uses her Five Elements Light Core to help track and monitor. Although she cannot intervene in the world of the ninth-rate sorcerers, it is not too difficult for her to occasionally participate in power struggles in the capital.
Moreover, the situation in the capital of Qingyang is inherently prone to chaos, with many princes of Qingyang, several of whom are highly capable and covetous of the position of crown prince. Each family is vying for power, court officials are replaced rapidly every year, and the surrounding vassal states are frequently at war.
Every year, there are outstanding individuals, and everyone aspires to the highest point in the capital, wanting to gain more or simply to remain stable.
When Yu Sui takes any action, Elder Yan will help her assess the situation and tell her which people she shouldn't mess with and which people she can't afford to mess with.
Although he is usually taciturn, when he speaks, his words are incisive and sharp.
Yu Sui learned a lot from Elder Yan. She felt that Elder Yan must have been a master of political maneuvering in the Yan Kingdom before. He was either a strategist for some family or a powerful minister in the Yan Kingdom.
If Old Man Yan doesn't tell her, she won't know which one it is.
The sun was shining brightly in the capital city of Qingyang, and it was already the end of spring. The flowers and trees along the road were no longer a sea of pink, white and bright red, but had been covered with lush greenery again.
The alleyways were deserted and very quiet.
Because of the lush green trees that grow in the courtyards on both sides of the stone walls, the path is completely covered in shade, making it incredibly cool when the sun is shining brightly.
Upon closer inspection, one can see a slender black shadow moving along the wall on the road surface, which is covered by shadows.
The dark figure detached from the ground, climbed the stone wall, and entered a house.
Kang Heng, who was inside the house, had just put away the wind-listening ruler and was preparing to act according to the orders he had received.
He had just stepped out of the house when he looked up alertly. At the same time, he noticed the danger and saw a flash of light. Kang Heng's pupils contracted, and his eyes, filled with fear, reflected the black and gold staff-like knife. It was majestic and sinister, but the most dangerous thing was the black-clad boy who held the knife in both hands.
The boy looked to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, with fair skin and delicate features. His handsome eyebrows were slightly raised, and his smile was bright and sunny, like a mischievous little brother next door.
"Yo!"
The boy in black even greeted him playfully, then slashed through Kang Heng's Five Elements Protection with a single stroke, severely injuring him and throwing him back into the house. The shockwave from the collision of the two Five Elements energies shattered the door, sending wood fragments flying into the ground and into the house.
Kang Heng clutched his chest, a mouthful of blood rising to his throat. He tried to hold it in, but couldn't help spitting it out.
who? !
Kang Heng was on edge, with no time to think about why he had been exposed or who the enemy was.
He reacted extremely quickly, gathering his five elements again before the black-clad youth could attack again, not to fight again, but to escape with all his might.
Yin Yang School's Heavenly Secret Technique: Shadow Swallowing.
The shadows had barely risen from the ground when the black-clad youth's staff-like knife was already at Kang Heng's feet, leaving him in shock.
Wow, that's fast!
They didn't even give him time to use his lowly techniques!
The sharp longsword severed Kang Heng's right hand, which was secretly forming a hand seal. As a scream rang out, the boy did not stop. He stabbed Kang Heng's abdomen with his backhand, embedding the sword into the flesh. Then, he turned the sword horizontally, restricting Kang Heng from using any of the nine-level techniques, freezing him in place and unable to move.
The black-clad youth acted without hesitation, his moves swift and ruthless, as if he had done it many times before, and his speed gave Kang Heng no chance to react.
Kang Heng's face was visibly pale, and he was covered in sweat. His gaze toward the boy in black was a mixture of shock and resentment.
The boy in black bent down to pick up his Wind-Listening Ruler, but as soon as his fingertips touched it, he sensed something was wrong. In an instant, he retreated, and Kang Heng's Five Elements Light Core exploded, destroying both his own body and the Wind-Listening Ruler.
Blood splattered everywhere in the room. The black-clad youth swung his sword, deflecting all the flying blood. Standing in front of the door, backlit by the light, he looked at the mangled Kang Heng and clicked his tongue in exasperation.
We didn't get the Wind-Listening Ruler, and we didn't catch anyone alive. We need to bring something back to report.
He didn't intend to kill anyone; he was just ordered to retrieve a wind-listening ruler and ask some questions. Little did he know that the man would be so frightened that he would destroy himself.
The boy in black looked around, searched the house for a moment to make sure he hadn't missed anything, then closed the door and disappeared back into the shadows, waiting to see if there were any accomplices.
Chu Jin sat at the consultation desk on the first floor of the clinic. The dim light streaming in from the window shone on the table, and the open medical book had many red circles on it. Chu Jin flipped through the book casually.
As darkness fell, a female healer came over, leaned close to her ear, and whispered something.
Chu Jin closed the medical book, and the female doctor bowed and withdrew.
She pointed to her chin with one finger and looked out at the dim sky. The streets that were bustling during the day were now deserted.
Who is disrupting her plans? Is it the second young master of the royal palace who just arrived today, or the Zhongli family who have already noticed something?
If it's the former, that's easy to handle, but if it's the Zhongli family... that general is no pushover.
But this seems to confirm her suspicion that the Wind Listening Ruler is indeed problematic.
Chu Jin rose gracefully from her seat and said calmly to the female physician waiting beside her, "Use the Farmer's Voice Transmission to tell everyone else not to use the Wind Listening Ruler recently. All messages should be sent and received through the Voice Transmission Beast."
"Let Xuan Kui's people find a way to get their hands on Zhong Li Que's Wind-Listening Ruler."
The capital city is more lively at night than during the day. Many streets that are closed during the day are brightly lit and bustling with people after nightfall.
The shadowy figure climbed the wall shrouded in darkness all the way to the deepest part of the bustling street. Two Taoist amulets hung in front of the door, blocking out all the noise from the front of the street.
Upon entering, you'll see two lush jujube trees. Turn left into the shadowy area and follow the water corridor to the inner courtyard.
Stone lanterns flanked the archway formed by the white walls, illuminating the dark night. Inside, an old man sat in a rain pavilion, brewing tea. A blind young man sitting opposite the old man said gently, "Ye Xi is back."
Some of the names were difficult to pronounce, but the blind young man pronounced them clearly and precisely.
Zou Yexi emerged from the darkness, his smiling face instantly turning pitiful when Yan Lao looked over: "I squatted here all night, and no one came. I guess the little insects in the farmhouses could tell something was wrong from a distance, so they didn't come over."
"That man was so scared that he destroyed himself rather than let me take his Wind-Listening Ruler," Zou Yexi said quickly. "But he used the Yin-Yang School's Nine-Style Technique. His Shadow-Swallowing Technique was shattered by me as soon as it was activated. I searched his room again and found some records of messages targeting the Zhongli family. They've been keeping an eye on that young lady from the Zhongli family lately."
“There are quite a few farmers in the capital.” Old Yan’s voice was low and hoarse, and his still withered face showed no emotion.
Zou Yexi wiped his face with his sleeve, walked into the rain pavilion, sat down casually and drank tea: "Why don't you ask Brother Shanrong to figure out what he's up to? Or I can just go to the clinic and bring that guy over for you to interrogate?"
Shan Rong laughed upon hearing this; her delicate face, now blinded, was left with only two dark, sinister holes.
The boy cupped his face in his hands, turning his eyes to look at the elderly disabled man with a missing arm on his left, then at the young blind disabled man on his right, and sighed, "I still don't know why I have to protect that young lady from the Zhongli family. Old man, I've been working for you for several years now, you should tell me who your boss is, right?"
Old Yan didn't say.
Zou Yexi slammed his fist on the table: "Look at you, you still don't believe me! I came all the way from Yan to seek refuge with you! If you don't tell me today, I'm quitting!"
After he finished speaking, he got up and left, glancing at Elder Yan with one eye open and the other closed. Seeing that Elder Yan did not move and seemed indifferent to whether he stayed or left, Zou Yexi could not hold out for long. He pretended that nothing had happened and walked back to the table, sitting down next to Shan Rong.
"We've alerted them," Old Yan said calmly. "You continue to keep an eye on the clinic."
Zou Yexi nodded obediently: "Oh."
Elder Yan added, "Shanrong, locate the disciples of the farming family who frequent the medical clinic or the Zhongli family."
"Okay," Shan Rong nodded gently.
Old Yan held the wind-listening ruler in one hand and sent a message back to Yu Sui, telling her the news of the day.
Although it cannot be confirmed whether the encrypted message was sent by Chu Jinfa, it was sent from the clinic, so it is very likely that it was sent by her.
The encrypted message, when deciphered, means: Zhongli Que's Wind-Listening Ruler.
Yu Sui was at the Ghost Path Sanctuary at this moment. She was standing under the apricot tree, staring blankly at the ripe apricots, when she heard the wind chimes buzzing.
After reading Elder Yan's reply, Yu Sui fell into deep thought.
Old Master Yan said, "If the other party is smart, they will know that the problem lies in today's message. They will then stop using the Wind Listening Ruler to transmit messages and may even test you by sending out irrelevant messages to lure you out."
While obtaining information using the Wind-Listening Ruler is convenient, it is also dangerous.
The information about the Listening Wind Ruler has been intercepted. It has only appeared in the capital of Qingyang in recent years. If someone notices this, and takes the time to search carefully, it is only a matter of time before they find the mastermind behind it.
Chu Jin first noticed Zhong Li Que's Wind Listening Ruler.
While teaching massage, she had seen Zhong Lique's Wind-Listening Ruler receive and send messages several times, but when she got her hands on it, she couldn't find any messages.
“I’ll tell her to be careful,” Yu Sui replied.
Old Yan added, "There's no need to worry."
Upon seeing these four words, Yu Sui couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly.
To some extent, although Yu Sui and Yan Lao cooperated with each other, they did not interfere with each other.
Yu Sui was unaware of Yan Lao's channels and methods, and Yan Lao's subordinates were also unaware of Yu Sui.
She was only responsible for providing the information, and Old Man Yan would use that information to do certain things and then return to her much more money than that single grain of gold.
Although Old Yan was a man of few words, he always kept his word.
At this moment, Elder Yan said to Yu Sui, "You should focus on your cultivation in Taiyi. I will help you resolve the troubles in the capital."
The child who yearned for power grew up and was finally able to enter the world of spiritual practice.
Although Old Man Yan could not see Yu Sui, he could imagine how excited and happy she was.
However, the world of the ninth-class arts is no easier than the world of ordinary arts.
He recalled a spring night two years ago in the rain. Yu Sui, who was only sixteen years old, still had a touch of childishness on her face, but her eyebrows and eyes were lively and charming. She was wearing a peach-colored long dress and a white thin velvet coat, sitting behind the table in the rain pavilion, holding cup after cup of the tea he had brewed.
That evening, Yu Sui and her second brother Su Feng went out with a group of friends. While everyone was having dinner and fun at the Qiantou Restaurant, she managed to sneak away.
Yu Sui chatted idly with Old Man Yan, holding a cup of hot tea. Looking up through the rising steam, her clear eyes reflected Old Man Yan's expressionless, withered face, but she smiled and said, "You seem to have come back to life."
The girl exclaimed in a clear voice, "It's not as lifeless as it used to be."
The spring night drizzle tapped on the rain pavilion, and the raindrops falling from the corner of the pavilion connected in a line.
Old Yan did not answer, but poured himself a cup of hot tea.
The girl didn't feel embarrassed at all. She propped her chin up with one hand and looked at him curiously: "Will you go back to Yan?"
Old Yan said, "No."
"Has that place completely disappointed you?" the girl asked again.
Old Yan did not answer.
The girl parted her lips and gently blew on the hot tea: "I heard that my father was one of the main forces that stirred up the Yan Kingdom. He killed many people in the Yan Kingdom and made the Yan Kingdom no longer the Yan Kingdom of its people. As a Yan citizen, you should hate him and wish he were dead."
"Then why don't you hate me?" the girl asked with her bright, watery eyes and a soft smile. "I am Nangong Ming's daughter, the heir to the royal family appointed by him."
Old Yan looked at her, his gaze calm and indifferent: "You don't seem like his daughter."
"It's a pity that I am," the girl sighed regretfully. "If I weren't his daughter, I might not be alive now."
“I will treat you and Nangong Ming separately,” Elder Yan said. “Although you want to break free from your father’s control, you can’t rush it.”
The girl's gaze faltered slightly.
Old Yan continued, "Your father is a more powerful and terrifying person than you can imagine."
“I know that too.” The girl held the cup with both hands and drank the tea obediently. “That’s why I didn’t provoke him when I could have been crushed by him with a single finger.”
This time it was Old Yan's turn to ask her, "What do you want to save money for?"
“With money, you can do a lot of things; without money, you can’t do anything.” The girl said with a bright smile, “When I’m free in the future, I can buy property in other countries, start a small business, and live a leisurely life where all I have to do is count the money coming in.”
It sounds like a wonderful fantasy.
Old Man Yan said, “Your father will not be satisfied with just one Yan state. No place will be safe until his ambitions are realized. Apart from Qingyang, anyone could be the next Yan state.”
The girl gazed at the steaming tea and said softly, "But I don't like Qingyang."
Old Yan simply looked at her without saying a word. (Li Ge)
Nangong Ming probably never imagined that his enemy would one day serve his daughter.
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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