Chapter 131 Capture
It was just the sound of a flute, yet it vividly portrayed the emotions of a couple from meeting, falling in love, being separated, and longing for each other.
When the music ended, everyone was still immersed in the sorrowful lingering notes of the flute, unable to let go for a long time.
People on more than a dozen boats all looked toward the direction of the flute sound, wanting to see who was playing the flute so beautifully.
The small wooden boat swayed gently as it sailed downstream...
Two young men sat on either side of the stern, gently rowing the boat, while a man in a dark robe stood at the bow, one hand behind his back and the other holding a flute.
He was of above-average appearance with a calm expression. Despite his dignified and proper appearance, he had a pair of captivating eyes that added a touch of romantic charm to his demeanor.
The flute music he had just played added to his charm, and many young girls looked up and then lowered their heads shyly.
The man looked around, and when his gaze fell on Meng Lingge, his peach blossom eyes trembled slightly, as if a thin mist had risen.
Meng Lingge had seen that kind of gaze many times before.
But these past few days, she's been putting on some unsightly stuff on her face every day, and she hasn't seen that amazing and ambiguous look in anyone's eyes since. Occasionally, when she walks down the street with her two maids, the men passing by will look at the two maids and won't even bother to glance at her.
Did the piper see through her poor disguise?
Meng Lingge was only curious about the sound of the flute. Now that she had met the flutist, apart from feeling that his eyes seemed familiar, she felt nothing and had no intention of befriending him.
Meng Lingge turned around and continued to admire the flowers in the lotus pond, letting the small boat sway gently in the breeze.
Perhaps realizing his rudeness, the piper withdrew his gaze dejectedly and sat down at the bow of the boat. The small boat glided past Meng Lingge and her companions' boat and continued on its way.
The man put the flute back to his lips, squinted his eyes, and became completely absorbed in the music, as the beautiful flute music gradually faded into the distance.
This time, the flute music was very cheerful and melodious, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun and flowers were blooming for miles.
It's like lovers who have been searching for each other for a long time finally reuniting, misunderstandings disappearing, love returning, and from then on, they live happily ever after.
The shy young girls blushed even more, pretending to look down at the scenery, but their eyes followed the flute player's back out of the corner of their eyes.
The beautiful scenery of the lotus pond made them quickly forget the little incident. Knowing that they would be leaving the next day, Meng Lingge and the others played in the lotus pond until it was getting dark before returning to the inn.
For dinner, we had local specialties: lotus leaf chicken, lotus flower pancakes, lotus leaf steamed pork, and lotus seed and lily bulb soup...
The table was laden with dishes made with lotus flowers, lotus leaves, and lotus seeds. The innkeeper also gave us two extra boxes of lotus flower pastries.
The food was delicious and visually appealing, and the group devoured most of the table full of dishes. After playing for most of the day and having a satisfying meal, everyone felt a bit tired.
Chen Luo and Chen Ling returned to the next room, where they would take turns guarding the security for the night.
It was Chen Luo's turn to keep watch for the first half of the night, so Chen Ling went to bed early. Chen Luo sat quietly, listening intently to the sounds.
Qiu Lan and Dong Qing helped Meng Lingge wash up, changing the water twice before finally washing away the blemishes and dullness on her face, revealing her original rosy cheeks and almond-shaped face.
Dongqing said worriedly, "Miss, we've been walking for several days now and are far away from those perverts. Don't apply this stuff tomorrow. I don't know if applying too much of this stuff will damage your skin."
Meng Lingge said, "I asked Su Leran, and she said that it won't harm the skin much if it's not used year-round. It's still better to be careful when you're out and about. Once we get to Grandma's house, we won't need to apply it anymore."
She didn't want to encounter danger again, nor did she believe she was lucky enough to always escape unscathed.
We can only be cautious and try our best to avoid danger.
Dongqing nodded helplessly, carrying the basin of water outside, but suddenly her legs gave way and she fell to the ground, spilling all the water in the basin. Qiuqing went forward to help her up in confusion, but when she got close, she also fell down.
Immediately following, a loud thud came from the next room, like a heavy object falling to the ground.
Meng Lingge realized something was wrong and was about to get up when she felt dizzy and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She forced herself to stay conscious and saw two figures climb in through the window and walk towards her step by step.
...
A dilapidated temple in the mountains.
Meng Lingge was awakened by a basin of cold water. She opened her eyes with difficulty and saw two torches stuck in the wall of the dilapidated wooden house. Two men in black with long knives stood on either side of her expressionlessly.
Directly in front of her stood a man holding an empty basin in one hand and a long sword in the other. Seeing her awake, he used the back of the sword to lift her chin, and gave a sinister smile: "Miss Meng, long time no see..."
The man had his back to the torch, and the room was dimly lit, so Meng Lingge couldn't see his face clearly at first. Hearing that familiar voice, she was slightly startled.
"Are you Xiao Songyan?"
"It's kind of Miss Meng to remember me. I've been looking for you for ages..." Xiao Songyan paused, then sneered, "If you hadn't meddled and had helped Meng Xiyao and me get together, I would have called you elder sister. But now, you've not only ruined my marriage, but also caused me to lose several thousand taels of silver. These two debts will be settled properly today."
"I caused you to lose several thousand taels of silver?" Meng Lingge said, "Our Meng family neither accepted your betrothal gifts nor had we even had a cup of tea at your Xiao family. Where did this several thousand taels of silver come from?"
Xiao Songyan showed a hint of shame and annoyance. He felt ashamed just thinking about being extorted by those six thugs. But now that Meng Lingge was in his hands, he didn't want to tell her how much hard work he had put in. If it weren't for capturing Meng Lingge, he wouldn't have been extorted by a few thugs.
"Stop pretending! You released the poisonous snake and ran away, and it ended up biting someone. I had to pay you several thousand taels of silver in compensation. If I hadn't stopped the shopkeeper, you would have been chased by the authorities long ago. I've done so much for you, and you just slipped away so quickly. I've been looking for you everywhere!"
He hadn't expected that Meng Lingge, for safety, would disguise herself as an ugly woman, and that her carriage, maids, and guards would all change their attire, causing him to waste a lot of time searching for her. If it weren't for his still-good memory, which allowed him to remember many key pieces of information, he might have actually chased her all the way to Jiangnan without finding her.
Meng Lingge understood immediately upon hearing this.
"So it was you who plotted to kill me at Jiangzhou Inn. Those six thugs were hired by you, weren't they? Birds of a feather flock together. To be able to find thugs to work with, Young Master Xiao really has no sense of decency at all."
"I did stay at Jiangzhou Inn that day, but I felt unsafe, so I left first. I don't know anything about the Poisonous Snake Government. Could it be that Young Master Xiao and those six thugs did something improper, and they fought over the spoils, and Young Master Xiao lost and couldn't beat the thugs, so he blamed me for it and came to me to vent his anger?"
Her sarcastic tone and fearless composure infuriated Xiao Songyan.
"You dare to be so arrogant when you're my prisoner? Wait until I strip you naked, and see if you can still be so sharp-tongued!"
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