Chapter 84: Mermaid on the Shore 6: Stealing People
084 Mermaid on the Shore 6
Wei Nanlou was originally looking at him quietly, waiting for him.
At this moment, his body froze.
He stood up suddenly and turned to look in the direction of the gate.
*
On the other side, Lu Jiu returned to the center of the town with a relatively relaxed mood.
He decided not to think about anything tonight and just to have a good night.
The bonfire was burning brightly, and the firelight illuminated everyone's smiling face.
Young boys and girls stood in two rows on the street, one row for boys and one row for girls. They wore masks that they made themselves or bought on the street, and danced in unison.
The performers were playing and hitting unfamiliar instruments, while women and men were clapping and singing together, creating a very cheerful atmosphere.
Lu Jiu walked over slowly and stopped in front of a small stall selling masks. The stall owner was a girl who was sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Seeing a customer coming, she immediately stood up from the ground and asked enthusiastically: "Do you want a mask? We have all kinds of styles and the price is very cheap!"
There were more than a dozen masks on the ground, all of them were handmade and very delicate, but perhaps because of the girl's own hobby, they were all in the style of small animals.
Some can only cover the eyes, with two rabbit ears extending upwards from the eyebrows.
Some cover the entire face, with seductive colored lines outlining the shape of the eyes and long kitten whiskers painted on both sides of the mouth.
Lu Jiu squatted down and chose with great interest for a long time, and finally chose the kitten model.
He exchanged a pearl for the mask.
The mask is made of a thin piece of wood, and I don't know what process was used to bend it into a curved shape that fits the face.
The two elastic cords can be pulled straight to the back of the head and tied into a knot there.
After putting on the mask, Lu Jiu enthusiastically participated in the "square dance".
He looked around for a long time, trying to see when there would be a vacancy on the men's team, but he didn't know if it was because there were too many single young men in the town and their desire to make friends was too strong, but every time there was a vacancy, as soon as he blinked, a figure would fly in, grab the girls' hands and jump happily.
...Lu Jiu can't match the speed of these people at all!
He stroked his chin mysteriously.
It seems that there are most likely to be empty spaces at the two ends of the line. Why don’t we go there and wait and see?
Suddenly, a big sister next to him pushed him, pointed to an empty seat in the women's team and said with a smile: "Hurry, go there!"
Lu Jiu: “……???”
"Oh, it's okay. There are girls on both sides of you. Use your charm and you can still meet girls! Go quickly, or there will be no more seats!"
…………So Lu Jiu was pushed into the group of girls with a confused look on her face.
His intrusion drew good-natured laughter from everyone. The girls didn't seem to mind a boy joining their group. Instead, they looked at Lu Jiu with curious eyes.
Lu Jiu was a little embarrassed, but since he had already come in, in order not to disrupt the harmony of the team, he had no choice but to jump up.
…As he danced, his body relaxed, his dance steps became lighter, and the corners of his lips rose.
——Well, he likes men anyway, so there’s nothing wrong with dancing with men!
The rhythm of the song kept changing, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and everyone's dance steps also changed with the rhythm, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.
Lu Jiu imitated the girls' steps, jumped forward, took the boy's arm, turned around, and then separated.
Then he and they went to the left, and they went to the right, and the dancing partners were shifted by one person, and new people joined the teams on both sides...
The evening breeze was also dancing here, the dry firewood was crackling, and everyone was in high spirits.
…
A carriage arrived here at some point.
Under normal circumstances, this kind of transportation used only by nobles and wealthy businessmen would definitely attract everyone's attention.
If they looked more closely and found that the design of the carriage revealed luxury in its low-keyness, they would definitely realize that the person sitting inside must be an important person, and thus guess the other person's identity.
But today is different.
Today is the annual Harvest Festival. Everyone is immersed in the atmosphere of celebration and no one cares about anything else.
A coachman was sitting in the front of the carriage, and next to him was his companion. They both stood up and craned their necks to look at the crowd.
The two men were well-dressed and well-groomed, not like ordinary grooms. Someone nearby finally noticed them and looked them up and down curiously, thinking that the temperament of these two people was more like that of aristocratic guards.
In fact, these were two guards.
The two guards were anxiously searching the crowd. They glanced at those who were sitting or standing on both sides of the street watching the dance, and at the young people dancing with masks on, talking in low voices.
Suddenly, someone seemed to say something in the carriage. They immediately turned around, lifted the curtain and listened respectfully.
After listening, they turned around and their eyes quickly fixed on a figure in the crowd.
They drove the carriage over quickly.
The carriage bypassed the crowded crowd, moved forward along the edge, and soon stopped again.
This time, it stopped at the entrance of a dark alley.
One of the guards quickly jumped off the carriage and ran forward.
…
Lu Jiu broke out in a sweat.
He felt as if all his worries were expelled from his body along with the sweat, and his mind relaxed.
The more he danced, the more freely and happily he felt. He finally understood why the old ladies and old men loved square dancing. If he had the chance to go back to that ordinary real world in the future, he might just join the square dancing army.
Lu Jiu thought about it and laughed.
He let go of the boy's hand opposite him, tiptoed on the ground, and stepped back.
Suddenly, someone behind him whispered, "Sir!"
The voice was very soft, and Lu Jiu thought it was calling someone else, so he ignored it until the voice called again.
"Mr. Lu Jiu!"
"?"
Lu Jiu's steps slowed down. He turned his head to look behind him, and was stunned when he saw someone three or four meters away.
Isn't this the guard who escorted the new judge to the court that day? ...Is he the man of the Duke of Weinanlou?
The Duke hasn't left Mermaid Town yet?
...But how did the other party know his name?
He continued to dance, pointed to his nose and confirmed, "Looking for me?"
"Yes," the guard nodded quickly, his attitude respectful, "Sir, may I have a word with you? Our Duke wants to see you."
Lu Jiu became even more confused.
Duke Wei Nanlou wants to see him? ?
Why? Does he have any connection with this big shot?
...Ah, is it about the auction house?
But wasn’t the auction house case already over? The Duke had no interest in coming to the auction that day, so why was he looking for him now?
The few seconds of Lu Jiu's silent thinking seemed to the guards to be a sign of hesitation and unwillingness.
The guard turned his head to look at the carriage, and when he turned back, he explained nervously: "Sir, the Duke has been looking for you. He really wants to see you. There are too many people over there, so it's not convenient to talk. Come to the carriage?"
After hearing this, Lu Jiu became even more confused.
Duke Wei Nanlou has been looking for him? Why would this big shot want to -
In an instant, something flashed through his mind, pierced his brain, and caused his dance to stop.
Lu Jiu suddenly held his breath, and quickly raised his eyes, with a startling light flashing in his eyes, as he looked at the carriage.
...It was the one that just stopped outside the Wen family’s door.
…
Lu Jiu had already become hot all over and breathless from dancing, but at this moment, it seemed as if an even more intense layer of hot sweat was pouring out of his body.
His heartbeat and breathing were irregular, and his brain was in a mess. All kinds of thoughts and voices were singing a symphony in it.
He stepped forward with his left foot, but took a wrong step and almost collided with the girl coming from the left.
Fortunately, he came to his senses in time and avoided the girl. Lu Jiu said "sorry" in a hoarse voice, and then stared at the carriage again.
Wei Nan Tower, Wei Nan Tower... ?
The mysterious duke who settled in the east of town...
……ha!
I see……
So that's how it is!
Lu Jiu suddenly understood everything!
My chest suddenly felt swollen and sore, and I felt a little speechless, a little happy, and a little bitter.
For a moment, Lu Jiu almost stopped and walked over viciously.
But he changed his mind and continued to jump up, sneering: "Duke Wei Nanlou? I don't even know him, what does the Duke want to see me for?"
The guard was stunned. He didn't expect Lu Jiu's attitude to suddenly change like this. He was at a loss for a moment and quickly said, "You have been looking for someone."
Lu Jiu turned around and said lazily, "Yes."
"You haven't found him yet."
"yes."
"You don't want to see him?"
"I'm looking for the fisherman Wen Ling," Lu Jiu sneered again, "Haven't I found him yet?"
After saying that, he jumped to the side with the female team without looking back.
Guard: “…………”
At the back, the curtain of the carriage window was lifted by a finger.
*
Lu Jiu's dance steps suddenly became more vigorous.
He sneered and jumped, making the man opposite him tremble.
——No wonder that man fell off that huge white ship that day!!
If you think about it carefully, the regulations of that ship are not something that ordinary people can get on. Even if the owner of the ship wants to recruit sailors, he may not recruit them from a remote and unknown place like Mermaid Town! !
No wonder the man was so wary of him... With that kind of identity, how could he possibly tell his real name to a mermaid he met for the first time? !
One "no wonder" after another popped up in my mind.
Lu Jiu felt that he was also stupid, he should have thought of it earlier!
If I had known earlier that the man was the owner of the ship, then who else in Mermaid Town could own such a ship, except for the mysterious Duke? !
The two rows of teams were once again staggered to the left and right.
Lu Jiu's brain was buzzing, working at high speed, all of which were "I have been looking for you for so long and thought you had left, but you have always been here and have been circling around me", "You are actually 'him', how could you be 'him', I should have known you were 'him'"...
Suddenly, his hand was held warmly, and his thoughts were interrupted!
"I finally waited for you!"
A passionate voice came from above my head.
Lu Jiu looked up in confusion and found that the person standing in front of him was a man wearing a gorgeous mask.
The man was dressed exquisitely, and did not look like an ordinary resident of the small town. Instead, he looked more like a nobleman who had come from somewhere else to attend the celebration.
The other party actually expressed his feelings so passionately.
"I've noticed you since you joined the team, my little kitty friend! Although I can't see your face clearly, I guess you must be very beautiful! Your dancing is so cute, and my eyes have been attracted to you all the time!"
"I joined the dance team just for you, and I've been waiting for you to dance in front of me! You're finally here, my goddess!"
Lu Jiu's mouth twitched, and he pulled his hand out, kindly reminding: "Um, I'm a man?"
His chest is flat and honest, right?
"Oh, I was wrong, my idol!" The noble young man didn't seem to care about these small details.
The dance reached the point where the man and woman held hands again. This time, the noble young man politely held Lu Jiu's arm while continuing to sing.
"I know you are a man, but I don't mind the difference between men and women, I only care about the feeling! Kitty friend, can you tell me your name? Ah, I have to introduce myself first, but you may have heard of me. I am Viscount Sunan!"
Sorry, I haven't heard of it.
Lu Jiu was absent-minded. Although his face was facing Viscount Sunan, his heart was behind him.
“I don’t have the habit of introducing myself to strangers casually,” he said.
"Ah, that's okay. We are strangers now, but we will be friends tomorrow. Can I buy you a drink after the celebration is over?"
"I can't drink right now."
"Ah, that's okay!! Can I buy you a barbecue?"
"I feel like vomiting when I smell meat now."
"Ah, that's okay!!! Can I buy you some fruit?"
“I hate fruit.”
The Viscount seemed to be about to break, but he still smiled firmly.
"That's fine too!!!...May I ask what you like?"
Looking at the other person's appearance, Lu Jiu finally couldn't help laughing.
"I like..." he said softly, "I like 'Sailor Smells the Feather'."
The Viscount's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Sailor! I used to be a sailor! It was a special experience. My father had a friend who was a captain and was going out to sea. I had never been out to sea to fish, so my father asked that friend to take me out once. That time..."
Amid the Viscount's endless chatter, Lu Jiu's world seemed to suddenly become quiet.
The air is flowing.
Dry wood is burning.
He was listening quietly, listening to the noise coming from behind him.
But he couldn't hear anything. Perhaps there was no movement behind him at all, or perhaps the carriage had left without him noticing.
It is also possible that it is still there and the person inside has moved, but the sound was too slight for him to catch it.
Lu Jiu pricked up his ears, and his heartbeat remained very fast.
He no longer consciously imitated the girls' pace, but moved instinctively with the team. Every step he took and every wave of his hand was an unconscious movement.
"...Oh, and you said you like 'Sailor Wen Ling'? What is Wen Ling? Is it a person's name? Uh, actually I have a nickname called Lingling..."
Lu Jiu's thoughts were suddenly pulled back to reality.
He felt a little amused.
What the hell?
Suddenly, he was yanked over.
The Viscount's eyes sparkled as he looked at him from behind his mask. His voice was very low, but still revealed his excitement.
"…Are you a mermaid?"
Lu Jiu was shocked.
The next second, the wrist was snatched away.
A force pulled him away from Viscount Sunan and made him fall into his arms.
A familiar breath instantly enveloped him, and Lu Jiu's pupils constricted. The feeling of being embedded in this embrace was like being engraved into his bones - he knew who this was without even looking up.
Viscount Sunan was suddenly robbed of his dance partner, and asked in shock and anxiety: "Who are you and why did you suddenly rob someone?"
A low and calm voice sounded above Lu Jiu's head.
"Is it considered robbery to get back your wife?"
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