Chapter 4 He couldn't just give me ten thousand for no reason...
In an instant, the backyard fell silent.
Fang Tingzhi, who was leaning against the treetop, slowly straightened up and looked at her friend with a surprised expression.
The dappled sunlight bathed the two figures in the courtyard. One looked calm and composed, while the other's eyelashes trembled slightly. Biezhi quietly observed Jiran until a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes, then he lowered his gaze and smiled.
She raised the bamboo comb in her hand and said to him, "I'll take it."
Fang Tingzhi, who had come over, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She looked Fang up and down for a moment and said, "He can't hear you, so he'll be a burden to you."
Biezhi frowned slightly, disagreeing with her viewpoint. "He's not a burden at all."
Fang Tingzhi was speechless, looking at her friend with a hesitant expression.
A killer who operates in the shadows, accompanied by a deaf person, is surely a burden.
After a brief silence, she smiled and changed the subject: "My senior brothers and sisters have prepared a feast for us because they knew you were coming back today. They're just waiting for us to come over."
“Great! I haven’t seen my senior brothers and sisters in a long time either.” Bie Zhi smiled brightly. Before leaving the capital, she was in seclusion refining a sleeping potion. She received a mission from her master less than a quarter of an hour after she came out of seclusion. She hadn’t seen her fellow disciples for many days. She caught a glimpse of the man with his head down, straightening his clothes. Her eyes flickered and she said, “He’s coming with me.”
Fang Tingya paused, her eyes scanning Ji Ran from head to toe, but she couldn't figure it out for a long time. She wondered what kind of spell this deaf man had cast on her to make her so captivated. Could it be just his looks?
Biezhi went to speak to Wang Chuan, the owner of Wuweipu, in a cheerful mood. Wang Chuan was stunned for a while until she reminded him. Then he turned around and looked at the figure pruning the grass and trees in the backyard. He replied with a surprised expression.
However, he also had a request: Ji Ran could only leave after the Five Flavors Shop closed in the evening. Bie Zhi naturally had no objection to this, understanding that the shop needed manpower and that their banquet would not begin until the evening.
Fang Tingzhi had important matters to attend to, so she left after sitting for only a short while.
Biezhi waited alone in the shop. She found a corner, rested her elbows on the table, and idly counted the customers coming and going.
As I counted, a deep weariness washed over me.
Biezhi, who hadn't had a proper rest for several days, yawned. She looked around but couldn't find him. Without thinking much about it, she found a comfortable position and lay down on the table.
A cool breeze swept through the trees, making her eyelids droop uncontrollably.
The man carrying the trimmed flowerpots entered with his eyelids slightly open. Rays of sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the girl's fair and translucent face, like the mountain camellia quietly blooming in the spring mountains. Her bright and clear eyes were now covered, losing some of their charm and gaining more tranquility.
He slowed his pace slightly, his eyes sweeping over the noisy shop.
In an instant, only the voices of a few people remained in the Wuwei Shop, which had about thirty people. As a result, their voices sounded unusually loud.
Wang Chuan, who was standing behind the counter, and two or three waiters stepped forward at the opportune moment and whispered to the men.
The men, who had been talking loudly, looked at each other with great confusion and got up. They followed the waiter out of the Five Flavors Shop. The moment they stepped through the door, the entire shop fell silent. The remaining people all stood up and stood by the tables, where they could clearly hear each other's breathing.
After seeing the guests off, Wang Chuan turned around and his gaze fell on the man standing alone by the stairs on the second floor. The man's angular face was expressionless, and his cold, sharp black eyes were fixed on the girl in the corner without blinking.
Wang Chuan and Qing Shan had followed their master for many years, one in the shadows and the other in the open. They didn't know why their master had disguised himself and waited here two years ago, nor did they understand why their master, who disliked others getting close, would allow Biezhi to come and chatter on and on about all sorts of strange things. Sometimes, taking advantage of the fact that their master was 'deaf,' they would express their dissatisfaction with him nine and a half days out of ten.
The guards in the Five Flavors Shop listened occasionally, their eyelids twitching uncontrollably. They seemed to be doing their own things, but in reality, they were observing the two of them with trepidation.
They had discussed privately whether they should go up and shut Biezhi up, telling her to stop talking, but Jiang Yue and the others who were close by didn't stop her, so they gave up on the idea.
Jiang Yue rushed over after receiving the message to clear the area. The guards outside the Five Flavors Shop whispered something to him, and he nodded with a slight frown. He then walked in with light steps.
The crowd, who had been waiting with their eyes downcast for instructions, noticed his approach and stepped back a few paces to make way for him.
When their eyes met, Jiang Yue nodded to Wang Chuan, quickly walked to his master's side, cupped his hands, and whispered, "Master, news has come from the manor. Miss Qin requests to meet you at Wanghe Tower at 3:45 PM."
Before Fu Huaiqing could speak, Wang Chuan, who had followed him up, shook his head slightly.
Jiang Yue's expression changed slightly. He followed Wang Chuan's gaze and saw the girl bathed in light and shadow. He immediately understood. "I will go and refuse Miss Qin right away."
"We'll discuss this again tomorrow at 3:45 PM," Fu Huaiqing said calmly, his sharp, cold voice like a blood-stained blade, devoid of any other emotion.
Jiang Yue nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of Bie Zhi's fingertips trembling. In an instant, her whole body trembled. He immediately straightened up, cupped his hands, and left the Five Flavors Shop. The guards inside the shop also returned to their pre-sleep appearance, only slightly lowering their voices.
Startled awake from her dream, Biezhi sat up abruptly, looking around blankly. The familiar surroundings gradually calmed her down. She picked up the teapot beside her, poured herself a cup of water, and drank a few sips to soothe her nerves.
A sudden dark shadow blocked the light from the window. She lifted her eyelids to look at the person who had entered and clearly saw a hint of worry deep in his pupils. He slowly gestured.
It took Biezhi a while to understand. She waved her hand to indicate that she was fine, and muttered, "I probably haven't slept well for too long. I finally fell asleep but had a nightmare. In the dream, I actually heard the voice of that Yama Rakshasa. It was so cold and scary."
Her voice wasn't loud, and ordinary people wouldn't be able to hear it unless they listened carefully. But those present were all highly skilled bodyguards who had been trained since childhood, and they all gasped in surprise.
Wang Chuan's brow twitched violently. Having eavesdropped for two years, they naturally knew who the Yama Rakshasa she was talking about was, and this Rakshasa was now standing right in front of her.
"Can't he really agree to give me ten thousand taels of silver for no reason?" Biezhi sighed. She dreamed that he coldly rejected her and assigned the task of giving her ten thousand taels of silver to someone else.
In this way, the days of living in seclusion with a huge sum of money were one step further away from her.
Biezhi never had any grand ambitions in her life.
She didn't want to be the world's number one assassin; she just wanted to make enough money, find a place where no one knew her, and live happily with her silver notes in her pocket.
If possible, I'd also like to find a handsome young man to accompany me.
He doesn't need to be a great earner or a skilled fighter; all he needs is a tall, slender figure and a handsome, refined appearance.
At that time, the two of them will live a carefree life together, wandering the world, doing whatever they want, eating whatever they want, and living like immortals.
In an instant, Biezhi remembered the dream before she dreamed of Rakshasa. She suddenly stood up, her smile deepening. "Before I dreamed that Rakshasa sent me to the past, I was buying braised pork knuckle on Ning'an Street. It's been a long time since I've had braised pork knuckle from Ning'an Street. Let's go buy a big braised pork knuckle before the banquet tonight!"
The girl's eyes were like crystal-clear amber, her lively expression carrying a hint of playfulness. It was clear at a glance that her mood had changed from gloomy to sunny, and it was a bright and dazzling sunny day, making people unable to help but stop and enjoy the refreshing breeze that swept in from the sunny sky.
Fu Huaiqing gazed at her silently, the indifference in his eyes undiminished.
Biezhi knew that Jiran couldn't hear her, and she wasn't asking for his permission; she was just saying whatever came to mind.
As dusk fell, the blood-red sunset dyed the entire earth crimson.
Biezhi, who was waiting outside, saw Jiran's palm sweep across his sleeve, and then looked at the waiters who were already tidying up the chairs and stools in the shop. She stood up excitedly and ran over, her gaze passing over Jiran to Wang Chuan, who was walking up behind him: "Can he leave now?"
Wang Chuan nodded and said, "I plan to arrange for Ji Ran to go out tomorrow. I hope you can bring him back as soon as possible." He paused and then added, "Ji Ran is deaf, so please be careful when you take him out."
“That’s natural.” Biezhi raised her hand, her fingertips circling Jiran’s wrist and gently gripping it, and said, “We won’t go anywhere else. After we finish shopping on Ning’an Street, we’ll go to the banquet.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Chuan subconsciously glanced at his master, thinking to himself that Ling Feng had indeed raised a good disciple. Not only was he sharp-eared and quick-witted, but his swordsmanship and poison-making skills were also among the best of his generation.
The two places she mentioned after waking up were both related to what they had just said: one was that she heard her master's voice, and the other was that she dreamed of Ning'an Street, the most prosperous place on Ning'an Street being Wanghe Tower.
Unaware of Wang Chuan's thoughts, Bie Zhi agreed and headed towards Ning'an Street with Ji Ran.
Even before stepping onto Ning'an Street, the aromas are irresistible: the fragrance of tender, succulent meat, sweet pastries, and refreshing braised dishes, making one's mouth water.
When they arrived at Wanghe Tower, it was already full of people.
The servant guarding the door stepped forward, his eyes involuntarily glancing at the hideous scars on the face of the man behind the pretty young girl. His tone became much more polite: "Miss, if you wish to dine, you will need to wait about half an hour."
"I've just come to buy a pork knuckle." Biezhi took out some money and handed it over. "I'll take it with me when it's ready."
"Alright." The servant smiled and took the silver, gesturing for them to wait aside. "Please wait a moment, young lady. I will bring it to you once it's ready in the kitchen."
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly lit up. He hurriedly bypassed Biezhi and the others, ignoring the other guests behind her, and strode towards the street.
Biezhi stood back with a sigh and caught a glimpse of the carriage parked outside.
After the carriage came to a stop, the maid jumped down, lifted the carriage curtain, and a light blue gauze dress swayed with the steps of the woman in the carriage. The woman twirled lightly, revealing a delicate and bright face, and her bright eyes were like autumn water. The bright candlelight of Wanghe Tower fell on her, adding a touch of tenderness.
The waiter stepped forward to greet the woman as she entered the building, saying, "Jingxi Pavilion has been prepared for you, young lady."
The woman nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the waiting guests, before casually stepping across the threshold.
At this moment, Bie Zhiyang and Ji Ran were talking about how many delicious foods Wanghelou had, and that she would bring him here to have a meal next time she had time. It wasn't until the sound of breathing rose and fell all around that she looked at the crowd with amazement in their eyes.
"Who is that woman? Why doesn't she need to wait?"
"You don't know the Qin family's daughter? Her father is the Minister of Personnel, and her elder brother is the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Not only is she of noble birth, but she is also a renowned talented woman."
"Such a distinguished family background?"
"What's the big deal? If you knew who her future husband was, you'd find it's all insignificant."
"Future husband?"
"Her future husband is His Highness Prince Su."
"The story of the Qin family's daughter and our prince is a beautiful one in the capital, a match made in heaven."
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