Chapter 30: Disguise and lock yourself in the cold palace
Chapter 30: Disguise
Qing Guiyu went downstairs, but before he took a few steps, he heard the sound of rings and pendants and saw the figure of the young girl flash by.
Li Chengjin stood in front of her, pointing a small ebony carved fan at her, his bright eyes staring at her warily.
"Where are you going, sister?" She tilted her head, smiled, and swayed the pendant on her body. "You're leaving without even saying hello to the host?"
"Get out of the way," Qing Guiyu said, feeling anxious and somewhat harsh. "Cheng Jin, I don't want to fight with a child."
Li Chengjin blinked and smiled, "I don't know martial arts, and I don't want to fight my sister. But I'm loyal to the person who entrusted me with this. That's how I run the business at Baxialou. If I let my sister go, who knows how many people will suffer."
The girl in gorgeous clothes pointed her ebony fan at Qing Guiyu, narrowed her eyes, and raised her chin.
"As the leader of Baxialou, Li Chengjin must consider the lives of his subordinates."
"As long as you leave the Baxialou area, where you want to go is none of my business," her tone gradually became fierce, pointing a finger, almost questioning her aggressively.
"Sister, you should have some self-awareness. Everyone's life is a life. How can it be more precious than others?"
Although Qing Guiyu did not talk about doing good deeds, she had saved many lives inside and outside Yaowang Valley in her life.
This was the first time in her life that she had been lectured in such a way. And it came from the mouth of a girl from the Tianji Pavilion, a place known for its secret service. She was taken aback by what she said; it was truly bizarre.
Li Chengjin continued, "Ba Xialou keeps his word. Since we've accepted Gongzi Cao's six trade routes, I promise to arrange for you to sneak into Yaowang Valley. But I beg you not to interfere."
The girl waved her small folding fan, her brows furrowed beneath her jeweled hair. "For example, going to look for some old brothers and sisters."
Qing Guiyu suddenly understood. After Young Master Jin Sheng instigated internal strife within the Cao Gang at the birthday banquet, the Tianji Pavilion had likely taken advantage of the situation and seized considerable power within the Cao Gang. It turned out that all of this power had been handed over to this young woman by Chen Juansheng.
Although she accused him like this, the question pointed to the core of what Qing Guiyu wanted to touch upon.
With this block, she could no longer catch up with the figure just now, so she held the bamboo flute horizontally and said to Li Chengjin with a smile,
"So, how is the Baxia leader going to get me into Medicine King Valley?" She imitated Li Chengjin's bamboo flute playing. "When do we start? Otherwise, I don't know who to turn to."
The girl raised an eyebrow at her.
For two days after that, Li Chengjin closed his door and refused to see anyone, and Qing Guiyu didn't see Chen Juansheng. It wasn't until noon on the third day that Li Chengjin sent someone to call her over.
Qing Guiyu wasn't in a hurry either, because the separation from Shen Juansheng a few days ago was rather awkward. Not being able to see him these days was actually quite a relief.
"Sister is here," Li Chengjin clapped his hands, "Okay, dress up for her today."
The young man named Pulao stood behind her with his arms folded.
"I don't quite understand," Qing Guiyu said, strumming the bamboo flute. "Aren't the Nine-Link Tower of Tianji Pavilion, Baxia, and Pulao all known as the leaders of the Nine Dragons in your sect?"
She pointed at the young man named Pulao and asked in confusion, "We're not even on equal terms? Why is he so reserved?"
Li Chengjin laughed coldly.
"Since the previous leader of Pulao rebelled, the original Pulao Tower members were of course completely wiped out by the young master. This kid took office alone and without any support. He is not afraid of me."
She continued, "In a few years, it's hard to say. But right now, he's clumsy and stupid." She rolled her eyes, a bit defensive, and smiled coquettishly, "The only thing he's good at is dressing up."
When Li Chengjin mentioned dressing up, he meant disguising himself.
She had long been acquainted with the Tianji Pavilion's disguise techniques, and this young man, newly appointed to the Pulao position, was clearly a master among them.
After only two incense sticks of time, Qing Guiyu's face changed.
But everyone in Yaowang Valley was her elder and fellow disciple, so she was a little doubtful whether she could keep it a secret. She held the mirror in her arms and remained silent.
"Okay," Li Chengjin suddenly leaned over, his drooping necklace brushing the back of Qing Guiyu's hand. As if understanding her concerns, he yawned exaggeratedly and waved to Pulao.
"Sister, why don't you go to the study privately to check on that concubine in the cold palace? If this disguise can fool our Pavilion Master for half a cup of tea, I can guarantee that no one in the world can see through it."
"It would be best," she continued, her eyes brightening. "Sister could also feel something, so she can cherish other people's lives more in the future."
That made sense. Anyway, Shen Juansheng still hadn't recovered from the cold poison, so he didn't dare kill her.
Li Chengjin is a cunning person, and Chen Juansheng has indeed stayed indoors recently, but this little girl's words are also quite vicious.
Qing Guiyu thought about it, carried the medicine box, acted as a maid, pushed the door open, and saw Chen Juansheng alone.
Her face darkened instantly.
This place is so cold.
I had just emerged from Li Chengjin's lavishly furnished water pavilion. The nanmu silk screens were elegant and graceful, and the Persian carpeted floor felt soft and warm. Even the window frames and beams were painted in gold, a single piece of wood seemingly carved with ninety-nine patterns.
But Shen Jiansheng's residence is simple to the point of being harsh.
This so-called "study" is nothing like the residence of the Tianji Pavilion Master. It is more like an elaborately crafted cage.
The walls were completely white, like freshly fallen snow, without a trace of decoration, not even a single painting. The room was completely empty, with no sign of an occupant, and the silence was eerie.
There wasn't even a bookshelf in the room; only a few scattered volumes on the desk were enough to roughly qualify as a "study room." It wasn't so much shabby as it was deserted.
Even the meditation room of a high monk in an ancient temple deep in the mountains would be brighter and more lively than this room.
Young Master Jin Sheng was leaning against an ebony desk. If it weren't for his black robe, he would almost blend into the cold white wall behind him.
The afternoon sun shone into the house, filling it with light and making it seem even more empty. The only bright color was the golden light entwined under the black robe.
He is like a freehand illusion sketched in ink and wash, the only decoration in this empty study.
Qing Guiyu looked around. It was so empty. No shelter, no barriers, no barriers, nothing at all, not even a shadow could hide. It was completely incompatible with Young Master Jin Sheng's flamboyant and dazzling style.
She never expected the study to be like this. She turned the medicine box in her hand, feeling nervous and a little scared.
Therefore, he didn't dare to go in rashly, nor could he leave, so he had to wait outside the door.
Time passed, and after several hours, the low sunlight filtered through the window lattice, immersing half of his face in shadow, which flickered in the backlight. Only a single cinnabar needle mark was visible, a startling red.
The young man in black clothes was still sitting alone. Not only did he not say a word for a long time, but even his breathing was very light, as if he was dormant.
"Put it down." He finally spoke, but he never raised his eyes. His slender fingers pointed to the side.
Qing Guiyu breathed a sigh of relief, walked in, put down the medicine cup, turned around and left.
Suddenly, murderous intent arose behind him, and the sound of strings broke through the air.
The silk blade passed by her ear, and the side of her neck was scratched by a bone-chilling cold. The silk thread was as sharp as a dagger, just grazed her earlobe, and with a ding sound, it made her earrings embedded with tiny pearls tremble.
This was a fatal move that could kill her in an instant.
She knew that Shen Juansheng might not be very polite, but she expected him to at least give her some leeway. However, she didn't expect that he would even resort to using his blood-clotting and cold marrow power to attack such a little maid.
Qing Guiyu turned around in fear and looked at him.
Young Master Jin Sheng had already stood up, his brows fixed on her ominously. His slender fingers, which had just been holding a pen, were now fiddling with a half-broken string. Drops of blood oozed from his fingertips, slowly sliding along the icy silk in his hand.
The young man in black had flowing black hair streaked with golden threads. Despite his dangerous and cruel appearance, he was frighteningly calm and peaceful.
Qing Guiyu glanced at the half pearl rolling on the ground, and suddenly realized that the string was meant to pierce his throat.
Young Master Jinsheng approached her. She didn't dare to move. When he leaned over, his scattered hair brushed against her frail face. The golden threads flickered in her black hair, like the thoughts peeking out from the darkness.
She was forced to look up and meet his eyes.
"Li Chengjin," his blood-stained fingertips suddenly touched her ear. He spoke softly, a chill that made her tremble all over. The cinnabar mark swayed before her eyes with a smile. "You're being too willful."
The study, which was originally as dull and isolated as a snow cave, suddenly became gorgeous, as if the sunlight in the room was suddenly blocked.
"Miss Qing."
He spoke in a low voice again, a cool fragrance like melting ice and snow wafting from his clothes. He bent down towards her, leaning his head sideways, and licked some of the ointment on her cheek with the tip of his tongue.
Qing Guiyu was frightened by him, took a few steps back, covered his neck with his right hand, and pushed him away with his left hand.
Then he brushed his hand towards his waist and remembered that he was not wearing his bamboo flute.
But Chen Juan had clearly recognized her before, and she felt uneasy, thinking that Pulao's disguise still had some flaws.
But she really didn't realize how her whereabouts were revealed.
Even if someone pretends to be a maid in Tianji Pavilion, we can't necessarily determine that it is her, right?
Chen Juansheng was not angry about this. He wiped a little of the ointment on his tongue with his fingertips and put it on his lips.
The color of his lips changed immediately. His skin, which was already pale due to long-term illness, actually looked a little darker.
He lowered his eyes and asked in a voice as soft as a whisper,
"Miss Qing, are you ready to go to Medicine King Valley? Dressed like this, are we going to become thieves together?"
Qing Guiyu was speechless for a moment and just stared at him.
Young Master Jin Sheng raised his head, looked at Qing Guiyu again, and smiled slightly, "Well. Miss Qing wants to ask,"
"How do you know it's yours?"
He lowered his head, still smiling lightly, his slender fingers crossed among the golden threads.
She looked a little sad, but in the next moment she seemed extremely happy. Her eyes seemed to be clear and flowing like spring water.
"The universe is ever-changing. There is no one in the world who is not anxious to save his life."
"Only Miss Qing would look at my arm first, wondering if it would bleed."
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