Breaking the exquisite (2)
"Mm." Yun Yanqiu nodded slightly in response.
Good heavens, no wonder she said she was going to Yuancheng without telling me beforehand. She thought Yun Yanqiu was deliberately going there to spite her.
Wait a minute… Ye Yingying realized something: “You know that the fire in Zhi County is with me?”
Yun Yanqiu remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. Ye Yingying hissed, feeling that her disguise had been completely exposed in front of Yun Yanqiu from beginning to end. If she had known this would happen, why would she have gone to all that trouble to hide the fact that she could use true fire from him?
Ye Yingying felt a little deflated. The thought that her painstaking efforts to hide the truth from him were as easy as paper made her face flush.
She had no choice but to change the subject to ease her embarrassment: "What does the real fire have to do with the Qi family's young master's marriage?"
"It was just a coincidence." Yun Yanqiu glanced at her indifferently and explained, "Zhao Yuxiao and that groom are childhood friends."
So he was just using Zhao Yuxiao's connections to get some favors. Ye Yingying thought to herself, "Yun Yanqiu says he won't help me, but he's arranged everything perfectly. Oh well, I'm destined to continue walking with this person."
The carriage fell silent again. Bored, Ye Yingying asked Yun Yanqiu about gossip: "Senior Yun, who is the bride at this wedding?"
Yun Yanqiu pondered for a moment and said, "I don't quite remember her name, but I know she's quite capable."
"What skills do you have?"
"They defeated Zhao Yuxiao at the gathering of heroes and won first place."
Several days later, in Jinzhou Yuancheng.
Zhao Yuxiao had been sneezing a lot lately, and he didn't know if it was because of the pleasantly cool climate of Jinzhou or because people were gossiping about him behind his back. But at the moment, he had no time to think about such things; he only hoped that Yunyanqiu would arrive soon.
Not long ago, after finishing his business in Zhixian County, he rushed to Yuancheng to see his good brother Qi Shuojun, who was about to get married. The two, reunited after a long separation, drank and chatted happily. In the midst of their lively conversation, his good brother suddenly made a request to Zhao Yuxiao that completely surprised him. Zhao Yuxiao hesitated at first, but since it concerned his brother's lifelong happiness, he thought long and hard and decided to help him out, recognizing the gravity of the matter.
This request was truly perplexing. Zhao Yuxiao racked his brains, realizing he wasn't even suitable to handle it himself, and could only seek outside help. But who should he ask? Zhao Yuxiao pondered and pondered, practically pulling out several strands of hair, but he couldn't think of any familiar woman who could fulfill this task. Just then, he suddenly remembered her—hey, wasn't Miss Ying'er with Senior Yun? He'd ask her!
So, late at night, Zhao Yuxiao took out the last communication talisman that Yun Yanqiu had left him. The talisman lit up, and Zhao Yuxiao excitedly greeted, "Good evening, Senior Yun! How are you all doing!"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the talisman before a voice came through: "What is it?"
Zhao Yuxiao chuckled twice, vaguely sensing some displeasure on the other end. He tentatively asked, "Is Miss Ying'er with you?"
Just then, Yun Yanqiu returned to the house after arguing with Ye Yingying, and happened to hear Zhao Yuxiao's telepathic message. Unfortunately, Zhao Yuxiao brought up the very thing that was most bothering Yun Yanqiu, making her suddenly annoyed. She asked, "What do you want with her?"
"Oh, no," Zhao Yuxiao quickly denied, then continued, "It's just that I have an urgent matter to ask Miss Ying'er for help. Is her eye better yet?"
"Didn't you go to watch someone's wedding? What urgent matter could it be?"
"Oh dear, it's hard to explain in a short time. Seniors, are you done on your end? If you are, please come over as soon as you're done. It's an emergency, please help me!"
Yun Yanqiu frowned, and after a moment of silence, asked, "Are you in Yuancheng?"
"Yes, yes, it's right here at the Lingyun Inn."
"That's perfect, we'll be there in a couple of days."
Zhao Yuxiao's eyes lit up as if he saw a glimmer of hope, and he smiled and said, "I'll prepare two guest rooms for you!"
"Three rooms, please."
"Three rooms? Who else?"
"The one in the Valley of the Witches."
"What!" Zhao Yuxiao's eyes widened suddenly, and a sense of panic washed over him. "What is she doing here?!"
Before any more sound could be heard from the other end, the talisman in Zhao Yuxiao's hand turned to ashes. He rubbed the ashes on his hands blankly, thinking to himself that while the talisman made by Senior Yun was convenient, it was also unsustainable. He hadn't even finished speaking, and it had already given out so quickly.
No, he doesn't have time to care about these things. The charlatan from Witch Valley is coming, and that guy is incredibly difficult to deal with. Isn't this clearly just making trouble for him? Senior Yun, what a cruel heart you have.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yuxiao felt like crying. He stood by the window on the second floor of the inn, constantly praying that the charlatan wouldn't arrive first.
At this moment, a richly dressed man entered through the door. He appeared to be about the same age as Zhao Yuxiao, wearing a jade crown and golden robes. He walked with a confident stride, and his eyes and brows revealed an innate air of nobility. The man held a folding fan, which he gently swayed. The fan ribs were made of precious wood, carved with intricate and complex patterns, and even the fan surface was decorated with freehand paintings by renowned artists, making it exceptionally magnificent.
The man waved his folding fan and greeted Zhao Yuxiao with a smile, "Brother Xiao, how's it going? When will those two helpers you mentioned arrive?"
Zhao Yuxiao turned around and saw that the person who came was none other than his good childhood friend, Qi Shuojun. With the wedding date approaching, there was still no progress on the matter that Qi Shuojun had asked him to do, so naturally he was in a hurry to come and ask about it.
Zhao Yuxiao sighed and replied helplessly, "Don't worry, I reckon we should be there by now. I was just looking for it."
Perhaps heaven heard his sincere prayers, for Zhao Yuxiao glanced again at the crowd outside the window and spotted two familiar figures. Those all-too-familiar white robes—it was none other than Senior Yun!
Zhao Yuxiao excitedly rushed downstairs to greet him. Seeing Yun Yanqiu was like seeing a lifeline. He cheerfully shouted, "Senior Yun, you've finally arrived!"
Hearing the sound, Yun Yanqiu, who was standing at the door, turned to look at him. Suddenly, a figure darted out from behind him. She had delicate eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and a smiling, red mouth. Her bright eyes were full of curiosity as she gazed at Zhao Yuxiao, with a hint of cunning in them. Zhao Yuxiao stopped abruptly, recognizing the woman behind Yun Yanqiu, and exclaimed with delight, "Miss Ying'er!"
"Young Master Zhao?" Ye Yingying feigned surprise. "So this is what you look like."
Zhao Yuxiao was not much different from what Ye Yingying had imagined. He was well-proportioned, walked with light steps, and wore a white outfit with narrow sleeves and a cross-collar. He carried a long sword on his back, and the finely carved Lingyun Alliance cloud pattern could be faintly seen on the hilt, highlighting his status as the young master.
"Miss Ying'er, you can see now?" Zhao Yuxiao smiled brightly, showing great welcome to the two of them. He noticed Ye Yingying's change and immediately praised, "You are even more beautiful now that your eyes are bright, like a free-range kitten in our alliance."
Zhao Yuxiao lived up to his reputation; he could praise a girl effortlessly and without any hesitation. Unlike Han Chengjin, who would stammer for ages in this situation.
Ye Yingying accepted the praise with a smile, but Yun Yanqiu said coldly, "Stop with the sweet talk and get to the point."
"Oh, right, right!" Zhao Yuxiao slapped his forehead, coming back to his senses. "Perfect timing! Qi Shuojun is upstairs. Let him explain!"
After saying that, Zhao Yuxiao led the two upstairs. As soon as the three entered, they saw Qi Shuojun flick his wrist to put away his expensive folding fan. Then he bowed to Yun Yanqiu and Ye Yingying and said, "I am Qi Shuojun, a member of the Qi family of Jinzhou. It is an honor to meet you."
"Alright, enough with the beating around the bush. This is Senior Yun Yanqiu, a guest elder of our alliance, and this is..."
Before Zhao Yuxiao could introduce her, Ye Yingying spoke first: "Ye Yingying."
"Eh? Miss Ying'er, you've remembered your name!" Zhao Yuxiao exclaimed.
"Zhao Yuxiao, you should tone it down. Calling her 'Miss Ying'er' so affectionately is the reason you attract so many unwanted suitors." Qi Shuojun tapped Zhao Yuxiao's arm with his fan, half teasing and half reminding him. Putting everything else aside, just looking at the intriguing expression on Yun Keqing's face, he knew that Zhao Yuxiao was truly foolish.
Qi Shuojun, having grown up in a merchant family, possessed an ability to read people far superior to Zhao Yuxiao's.
“Miss Ye, my brother is a rough and unrefined man. He doesn’t speak tactfully, so please forgive him.”
"It's alright. I have some acquaintance with Young Master Zhao, and I trust his character." Ye Yingying didn't care much about the form of address and turned to ask Qi Shuojun, "I heard that Young Master Qi is getting married soon, so I'd like to congratulate you in advance."
"I just came from the Secret Sea with Senior Yun. This is a congratulatory gift that the Han family of the Secret Sea asked me to bring to you."
As she spoke, Ye Yingying handed the box that Han Chengyu had given her to Qi Shuojun with both hands.
Qi Shuojun took the box but didn't open it. He just smiled and said, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I thank you both in advance."
Then, Qi Shuojun said seriously, "I wonder if Brother Xiao has mentioned me to you two?"
Ye Yingying nodded: "I heard from Senior Yun that you two are childhood friends who are as close as brothers?"
Zhao Yuxiao smiled sheepishly upon hearing this, put his hands on his hips and scratched his head, saying, "Hey, there's no need to be so formal, we're just good brothers."
“Yes, we’ve known each other for many years and get along quite well,” Qi Shuojun replied. “Has he mentioned the matter I asked him to do?”
"Hmm? What is it?"
Zhao Yuxiao coughed awkwardly twice: "I was going to say it, but the transmission talisman's duration was too short, I didn't have time..."
After speaking, he glanced at Yun Yanqiu, who remained calm and composed, seemingly unconcerned. Yun Yanqiu knew perfectly well that he had come to him with trouble, and he had a feeling that this trouble was no ordinary matter.
"Then let me speak." Qi Shuojun was not surprised at all. He cleared his throat and stated his request concisely, "I hope you two can help me investigate my wife."
"Who?" Ye Yingying thought she had misheard, her brows furrowed slightly, and she blinked uncertainly as she asked.
Qi Shuojun's gaze was firm as he said, enunciating each word clearly, "My wife, Qin Zhiqing."
"Qin Zhiqing? The one who defeated Zhao Yuxiao at the Gathering of Heroes?"
"yes."
"The one you're about to marry?"
"yes."
Ye Yingying's mind went blank. What was going on? They were getting married soon, why did they have to investigate now, when they were so close to marrying her?
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