Chapter 58 Meeting Old Friends: They were almost free.
The door was wide open, and Wei Zhan and Ning Lu stood guard at the door.
The long sword hovered in the air, and the soft whip was taut.
Xie Qinghe staggered down from the carriage, and after a few steps he caught sight of Ning Lu's embarrassed face, giving a wry smile to the silent Wei Zhan.
Three or two hidden weapons landed at the feet of the two men, and the dry grass beside them was tilted and crooked.
"Miss Ning, isn't this your home? You planted the hidden weapons yourself, don't you remember at all?"
Wei Zhan used his sword to brush aside the cold blades on the ground, his voice cold and helpless.
"I'm sorry," Ning Lu shrugged innocently, "I really don't remember anything at all."
Xie Qinghe, who was a few steps away, breathed a silent sigh of relief, slowed his pace, and waved his hand lightly to indicate that Wei Chun did not need to help him. He then stood up straight on his own.
Even though Wei Zhan was extremely displeased with Ning Lu, he still had to protect her for the sake of his master.
Calmly and resolutely, she turned the sword and stepped into the room before Ning Lu.
Ning Lu looked around, wrapped the long whip around her wrist a few times, and quickly followed.
Fortunately, the road ahead was smooth and no further complications arose.
As Yu Lanzhou said, the place is small, with only two rooms.
The interior was simply furnished, and did not look like anyone lived there.
Ning Lu ran her fingertips over the furniture, then turned to Wei Zhan and described the general appearance of what she was looking for before they split up.
Opening the wardrobe, one finds only plain linen clothes inside.
With such clothes and her current face, even Yu Lanzhou probably wouldn't recognize her immediately if she were thrown into a crowd.
Ning Lu circled the room but couldn't find the box she was looking for, so she turned to searching for any place where the jade pendant might be hidden.
Nothing was gained.
She even noticed that the room was sparsely furnished.
There was no mirror, no comb, no rouge or face powder, not a single valuable item, let alone a jade pendant.
There were only various hidden weapons concealed in the interlayer.
If what Yu Lanzhou said is true, that Liu Yunying is a calm and cautious person who comes and goes without a trace and does not like to socialize, then this minimalist layout and decoration makes sense.
Perhaps this is the style that introverted and aloof people prefer.
Take Xie Qinghe for example. Although he has high standards, he has very low material desires. His living space is enough with just a bed and a desk.
Xie Qinghe...
Ning Lu suddenly remembered something, turned around to look for him, and saw that the person was already standing at the door.
Their eyes met, and he nodded slightly to her.
Seeing that he was otherwise alright except for his slightly pale face, she breathed a sigh of relief and then resumed her search.
The fact that this guy came with her gave her the illusion of being watched, and she felt more guilty the moment she couldn't find what he wanted.
"I've got it."
Wei Zhan swept his sword sheath under the bed, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and raised his hand in a gesture of apology.
Ning Lu followed the sound and squatted down beside him, immediately noticing the square box.
The metal buckle was clearly engraved with a groove that matched the key in her pocket perfectly.
That's it!
There can be no mistake.
She was about to bend down to check when she was choked by the dust scattered under the bed and could only cough.
Ning Lu quickly took a few steps back and turned around to stop Xie Qinghe from entering.
"You stay right there. There's too much dust in here. I'll call you if there's any progress."
"Isn't this progress?"
Xie Qinghe raised his chin, looking calmly at what Wei Zhan was holding.
A guard outside brought in a damp cloth to wipe away the dust, and only then did Wei Zhan carry the box to Xie Qinghe's side.
Ning Lu cursed him inwardly as a lackey, and before he could draw his sword to break the lock, she took out the key and pushed him aside.
It fits smoothly, and when twisted back and forth, a click is heard as the latch pops open.
The contents of the box were then revealed to everyone.
It wasn't the glittering gold she had imagined, nor the warm, smooth jade pendant she had expected.
It was just a few thin letters.
The first envelope contained, in black and white ink, a one-thousand-tael silver note printed by the government.
Ning Lu unfolded the paper, looked up in surprise, and presented it to Xie Qinghe.
This was the first time she had ever seen such a large bill, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that her eyes lit up.
The man smiled and nodded, signaling her to continue.
Next to the banknote was a land deed.
Ning Lu checked the address above; it was indeed this place.
If you have a house, you will naturally have a land title deed; this is not surprising.
Without thinking much of it, she flipped the page again, her eyes slightly widening, and saw that the signature at the end was not the original owner's name.
Yu Lanzhou?
Seeing the doubt on her face, Xie Qinghe raised his hand and took it from her.
Just as he had guessed.
The house was registered under Yu Lanzhou's name.
"The handwriting is Liu Yunying's."
Knowing what she cared about, Xie Qinghe pointed out the key point and looked at the letter at the bottom of the box.
Ning Lu assumed it was some kind of document like before, so she casually pulled it out. Then her gaze sharpened and her expression tensed.
Upon seeing this, the person sitting opposite him frowned slightly, raised his finger, and with a slight flick, Wei Chun and Wei Zhan withdrew in silence.
Only the two of them remained in the room. Ning Lu glanced at Xie Qinghe, who sat down on the round stool beside him and spread out the papers one by one.
Two letters that have not yet been sent.
The first letter was marked with a large cross in black ink, and Ning Lu turned it over to identify the contents from the back.
[Lanzhou, I have received a deposit of one thousand taels from Prince Jing, and I have a total of one thousand six hundred and eighty-seven taels in silver notes. If this is successful, there will be no need to sell the property. After I redeem you, we can roam freely to the ends of the earth.]
On the next sheet, the handwriting was messy, and one could tell from the glance that the person holding the pen had lost their composure.
[My dear sister Lanzhou, this journey is fraught with danger. Fight with all your might. If you succeed, we can live freely, wherever we are, to the ends of the earth. If you fail, this 1687 taels of silver, plus a house, can be sold to redeem you. Save my life, and I will repay you with a lifetime.]
The date on the cover is May 5th.
This refers to the days before Liu Yunying went to Beijing.
Behind the two folded letters were several yellowed sheets of paper.
In a certain month of a certain year, I stole a painting for an official and received fifty taels of silver; in a certain month of a certain year, I killed someone for an official in Cangzhou and received three hundred taels of silver; I punished a faithless man for an orphan girl in her embroidery room and received twenty coins…
It was the original owner's intermittent bookkeeping.
Large silver notes or small pieces of silver were scattered at the bottom of the box.
Ning Lu read the two unsent letters again, as if she could see Liu Yunying sitting alone in the empty room, writing at her desk, promising Yu Lanzhou a return date. As she put down her pen, she thought of the dangers of this journey, the long and arduous road ahead, and the greater chance of her survival. So she folded the letters she had written, put them in a box, and locked it.
Finally understanding its meaning, her eyes welled up with tears, and her vision blurred instantly.
Judging from the letters, Yu Lanzhou was older than the original owner of this body and seemed to have saved her life. Over the years, the original owner had saved up the proceeds from assassinations and thefts to redeem her from her servitude.
If she wasn't mistaken, the original owner agreed to work for Prince Jing with a do-or-die determination.
If this trip succeeds, she and Yu Lanzhou will be able to live freely together.
Liu Yunying protected herself very well. Although she was a renowned assassin, few people had seen her face and could reconcile it with her identity. Her beautiful expectations for Yu Lanzhou originally had a very high probability of success.
Ning Lu recalled the memory of Liu Yunying falling off the cliff and looked at Xie Qinghe.
That night, Xie Qinghe was seriously injured. The valley was cold and gloomy, surrounded by wolves, and he also had a pre-existing heart condition.
Liu Yunying's knife pierced very deeply. If it weren't for her unfortunate turn of events and Prince Jing's decision to discard her after she was no longer useful, the original owner might have actually succeeded.
In other words, they were almost free.
With a shifting gaze, Xie Qinghe sat sideways at the table, lowered his eyes and closed them, his fingertips resting on his temples, massaging in circles.
At this moment, he was calm and composed, showing none of the usual sternness and coldness he displayed when investigating cases and discussing matters. He seemed like a guest in someone else's living room, relaxed and at ease.
It was as if he wasn't there to investigate any list of traitors; he was simply there to... keep her company.
Thankfully, he's alive.
Ning Lu's hand holding the letter trembled slightly. She pursed her lips, feeling guilty for the inexplicable sense of relief that welled up in her heart.
She has always considered herself an ordinary person and is wary of any traps set by those who empathize with those in positions of power.
At this moment, she was simply relieved that Xie Qinghe had survived.
Startled by the series of thoughts that popped into her head, Ning Lu took a step back, the papers in her hand scattered, but she quickly gathered them back into her arms one by one.
Unsurprisingly, this startled the man. He straightened up, his eyelashes fluttering as they landed on the tangled papers in her arms.
"Finished watching?"
She nodded, then looked down, hesitating whether to show it to him.
Xie Qinghe seemed completely unconcerned about what was written in the letter, his gaze sweeping over the empty box: "In that case, let's go back."
"The jade pendant hasn't been found yet. Should we keep looking?"
"Wasn't this house already searched?"
He looked puzzled, and when he looked up, he saw that she was embarrassed. He felt that her naivety was so endearing.
Xie Qinghe patiently explained, "This house is meant to be left to that courtesan; she wouldn't hide anything here."
How did he find out?
Ning Lu straightened the letter in her hand, widened her eyes, and questioned silently.
"I was just guessing."
Seeing that Ning Lu still didn't believe him, Xie Qinghe smiled wryly and stood up, leaning on the table for support.
The thick black mist before his eyes made him unsteady, but he managed to conceal it perfectly in an instant.
"I don't believe it. Why are you always able to guess right?"
Ning Lu was busy stuffing the letter in her hand into the box, and she didn't forget to check if there were any scattered coins on the table or the floor. Naturally, she didn't notice his strange behavior.
He deftly locked the lock, tucked the things into his arms, and jogged after them, asking the same question again.
She stood very close to him, a completely subconscious action, unlike her previous behavior of avoiding people like the plague.
Xie Qinghe glanced at the distance between them, then looked up at her, her head tilted back, eager to learn.
A helpless smile appeared on his pale face. He raised his hand and finally hooked his bent knuckles around her flat nose.
"Because if you guess wrong even once, you'll die."
His tone was light and cheerful, but his voice was weak and ethereal.
Outside, the midday sun shines on the bluestone slabs.
The snow on both sides reflected a crystal-clear light. Xie Qinghe walked slowly on the snow, his back as lonely and upright as an ancient pine, yet seemingly desolate and thin.
Although it was said in a teasing tone, the words stung her and made her nose tingle.
They're playing the victim to manipulate her again!
Ning Lu gritted her teeth and stomped her foot, quickly catching up, carefully grabbing the hem of his clothes, and following beside him.
The sleeves sagged as the man turned his head to look at her, then took small steps and walked slowly alongside her.
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