Chapter 654 Little Arrogant Spoiler! (Two Updates)
It was the height of the night market, and the streets were so crowded with cars and pedestrians that Nangong Li's carriage was not moving very fast, which made it easier for Gu Jiao to follow him.
Nangong Li lost an arm and was seriously injured. It was said that he was going to die, but he looked perfectly fine. So how did the rumors of his impending death spread, and what was their purpose?
Gu Jiao speculated that Nangong Li's mission to assassinate Xiao Heng had failed, and he was pretending to be seriously injured and dying in order to lessen his punishment.
Who gave him this task? Was it the head of the Nangong family or someone else?
In any case, Nangong Li is not innocent.
Nangong Li's carriage traveled along the main street for a while before turning right into a small alley.
After passing through the alley, you'll find another relatively quiet street.
This street mainly sells antiques and calligraphy, and is not as lively as the long street with brothels and lanterns.
But it was precisely because there were fewer people that Gu Jiao had more opportunities to be exposed, so she had to walk even more quietly.
Nangong Li's carriage stopped in front of an antique shop.
The coachman put down the footstool and helped Nangong Li down.
Gu Jiao was hiding behind a pillar diagonally opposite.
Just now, from the distance on the second floor, it was hard to see clearly, but now that they were closer and the lantern light was shining directly on Nangong Li's face, Gu Jiao realized that Nangong Li's injuries were indeed not optimistic.
His face was very pale, and his steps were not as steady as when he was seen in Zhao Kingdom.
It seems that Chang Jing's sword not only severed his arm but also damaged his foundation, making it virtually impossible for him to recover completely.
After Nangong Li entered the shop, Gu Jiao also arrived near the shop. She hesitated whether to go in directly or secretly climb onto the roof.
She had met Nangong Li before, both in person and in portrait, but she was unsure whether Nangong Li had met her or whether he had investigated her while investigating Xiao Liulang.
If not, then it's perfectly fine to go in openly and legitimately.
But what if—
Gu Jiao looked down at her clothes. She had rushed out and hadn't changed. She was wearing the uniform of Tianqiong Academy.
"Fine, I'll climb the wall."
Gu Jiao walked into the alley and climbed onto the roof by stepping on the wall.
The darkness perfectly concealed her figure. Following Nangong Li's voice, she gently lifted a tile.
Nangong Li sat in the main seat, and opposite him stood a man dressed as a merchant in his fifties, who looked like the shopkeeper.
Gu Jiao is now fluent in Yan language, so there's no way she wouldn't understand their conversation.
She heard Nangong Li ask, "How's the situation over there?"
The shopkeeper sighed: "His Highness is very angry. He said, 'Why can't you even handle such a small matter?'"
Nangong Li said, "This is no small matter! This general has lost an arm!"
The shopkeeper hurriedly said, "General, you have worked hard and made great contributions. His Highness also said that you should take good care of your injuries."
"Hmph, I'm afraid if I weren't so badly injured, Your Highness would have punished me, wouldn't you?"
"Your Highness is just angry. Do you think Your Highness doesn't understand the General's loyalty to you?"
Gu Jiao roughly understood what was going on. The "small matter" that Nangong Li mentioned should be the assassination of Xiao Heng, but it seemed that this was not only the idea of the Nangong family, but also had a prince behind it.
Only members of the Great Yan royal family can be addressed as "Your Highness".
Why did the royal family of Great Yan want Xiao Heng dead?
Could it be that Xiao Heng has some connection with the royal family of the Great Yan?
Nangong Li said impatiently, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. How's the investigation I asked you to do?"
It appears that this shopkeeper has three identities: first, he is the shopkeeper; second, he is the prince's informant; and third, he is Nangong Li's confidant.
The shopkeeper said, "The young master of the Dark Night Sect ran away from home a few years ago after arguing with the old master, and has been missing ever since. Those Dark Night Sect elders who went to Zhao Kingdom were probably looking for the young master, but they didn't find him. Instead, they happened to rescue the general."
Nangong Li frowned and said, "I was unconscious at the time and couldn't tell them that the one who hurt me was the young master of the Dark Night Sect. By the time I woke up at the Nangong family home, they had already left."
Wait, wasn't it Chang Jing who hurt you?
How did he become the young master of the Dark Night Sect again?
What exactly is Dark Night Gate?
Gu Jiao was completely confused.
The shopkeeper hesitated and asked, "Then... should the general inform the Dark Night Sect of the young master's whereabouts?"
Nangong Li snorted coldly: "What good would it do to tell them? Do they think they can kill their young sect leader to avenge me? The young sect leader injured me, but their protector saved me as well. Given the old sect leader's protective nature, he will definitely say that the merits and demerits cancel each other out, and he will not sacrifice his own family for the greater good."
The shopkeeper sighed, "The old sect leader had a son late in life and cherishes him dearly, so he can't bear to punish him."
Nangong Li said coldly, "But this general cannot swallow this insult!"
The shopkeeper's expression changed slightly: "General, are you planning to—"
Nangong Li stopped talking and said, "I have my own arrangements for this matter. Please keep an eye on things for Your Highness. Although I am injured, I still have military power and am still useful to Your Highness."
The shopkeeper laughed and said, "The Nangong family is now the most powerful military family. His Highness values the general so much that he can't wait to kill that brat after the general recovers."
"I understand." Nangong Li stood up calmly, accidentally aggravating the wound on his severed arm. He gasped in pain and instinctively raised his left hand to steady himself, but accidentally knocked over a painting or calligraphy on a display cabinet.
The calligraphy and painting were spread out on the ground with a thud.
Gu Jiao looked closely.
It is a portrait of Xiao Heng.
To be precise, it is a portrait of the most beautiful woman in Canglan Academy.
The woman in the portrait is dressed in simple silk robes and wears a semi-transparent veil; she is breathtakingly beautiful.
Nangong Li had once kidnapped Xiao Heng and recognized Xiao Heng's face.
Gu Jiao frowned slightly and gripped the silver needle in her hand tightly.
The shopkeeper bowed, picked up the portrait, rolled it up, and said awkwardly, "It's a portrait from the list of beauties of the Six Kingdoms, a new beauty from Canglan Academy."
Nangong Li wasn't interested and left without looking back.
Gu Jiao withdrew the silver needles.
Through the conversation just now, Gu Jiao confirmed two things: first, someone from the Great Yan royal family wanted Xiao Heng dead; second, Chang Jing was the young master of the Dark Night Sect.
Did Marquis Xuanping know that the person he had abducted was the beloved son of the Dark Night Sect Master?
If the leader of the Dark Night Sect finds out, he'll probably come and kill him.
After Nangong Li left, Gu Jiao slowly put the tile back and jumped down.
Nangong Li originally only had a coachman who knew martial arts with him, so Gu Jiao didn't have too much trouble following him. But just after leaving the shop, a group of people suddenly arrived, all there to pick up Nangong Li.
Gu Jiao hesitated for a moment, then decided to call it a day.
Now that we know this pawnshop is Nangong Li's stronghold, as long as we keep an eye on it, we'll eventually run into Nangong Li again.
However, things didn't go according to plan, and Xiao Heng unexpectedly appeared nearby with Xiao Jingkong.
Xiao Jingkong had grown quite a bit, and his old clothes were too short, so Xiao Heng brought him here to have new clothes made.
As luck would have it, that embroidered pavilion was right across from the pawnshop.
Nangong Li and Xiao Heng's carriages were parked on the side of the road.
Little Jingkong stuck his head out of the window and looked around curiously.
When Gu Jiao saw him, she was pretty sure that Xiao Heng was also in the carriage.
At this moment, Nangong Li also came to the street. As soon as Xiao Heng got off the carriage, Nangong Li could see him.
The carriage curtain was lifted.
A slender, jade-like hand emerged from inside the carriage.
As if drawn by some unseen force, Nangong Li subconsciously looked towards the carriage opposite him.
Little Jingkong jumped down first.
He'd gotten so tanned he was practically a little black egg, blending into the night, which actually made his features less noticeable.
But Xiao Heng was too eye-catching.
Just as Xiao Heng bowed and stepped out of the carriage, Gu Jiao suddenly picked up a small stone from the ground and hurled it at Nangong Li!
With a thud, a large bump appeared on Nangong Li's forehead!
The guards surrounded Nangong Li and his carriage.
"Protect the general!"
"A guard said."
In that brief interruption, Xiao Heng successfully entered the embroidery tower.
Nangong Li glanced at the carriage but saw nothing. His attention was no longer on the carriage that had made him uneasy.
His whereabouts have been exposed!
He clutched the large bump on his forehead and shouted, "Chase after them!"
"yes!"
Eight guards rushed forward and chased after the direction from which the stones had been thrown.
Gu Jiao was still wearing the clothes of the Sky Dome Academy, so it was definitely not a good time to fight.
She quickly evacuated.
The enemy pursued relentlessly, splitting into three groups to surround her.
Just as she was passing through a small alley, a hand with distinct knuckles suddenly reached out, covered her mouth, and pulled her over.
Because of the force, she crashed into the other person's arms. With a flick of her arm, a silver needle fell into her hand.
"It's me."
A familiar voice rang in her ears just in time.
Gu Jiao withdrew her hand and turned to look at him.
Mu Qingchen looked around to make sure Gu Jiao recognized him, then used his lightness skill to get Gu Jiao into a carriage at the other end of the alley.
Nangong Li's eight guards surrounded the carriage from different directions and finally locked onto it.
The driver is not here.
The guards exchanged wary glances, and one of them asked, "Who's in the carriage? Come out!"
Mu Qingchen glanced at Gu Jiao beside her and gestured for her to pull open the hidden compartment under the car seat.
Gu Jiao did as instructed and found a brand new set of women's clothing inside, which looked like Su Xue's style.
"If you don't come out, we'll take action!" the guard said coldly.
Gu Jiao put Su Xue's clothes on top of her clothes.
To be honest, it's a bit small, but it can still barely cover up the bulky uniform of the Sky Dome Academy.
Mu Qingchen's original intention was for Gu Jiao to change directly. He did not know that the person next to him was a woman, so he naturally did not think there was anything inconvenient about changing clothes. However, seeing that Gu Jiao was insisting on it, he did not suspect anything and just thought that Gu Jiao had misunderstood his meaning.
He slightly lifted the curtain, just enough to cover Gu Jiao, leaving only himself exposed.
Not everyone had seen Young Master Qingchen before, but his extraordinary attire and aristocratic aura caused the guards to pause in surprise.
Mu Qingchen revealed her identity: "I am Mu Qingchen. Who are you people?"
"So it's Young Master Qingchen." The guard who had been shouting earlier bowed and said, "My apologies for my rudeness."
Young Master Qingchen is famous throughout the capital. There may be people who haven't seen him, but there is no one who hasn't heard of him.
Mu Qingchen took the initiative: "Answer me, who are you people?"
“I…we…”
The guard hesitated. Since Nangong Li was traveling in secret, none of the guards were wearing Nangong family clothes, so he naturally dared not take the liberty of revealing Nangong Li's identity.
"They are my people."
Nangong Li's voice suddenly appeared at the other end of the alley.
His carriage slowly approached, and the guards quickly made way for him.
The carriage stopped ten paces away, and the driver opened the curtain for Nangong Li.
Nangong Li sat in the carriage, looking at Mu Qingchen with an air of authority.
If you ignore the big bump on his head.
"Young Master Mu, it's been a long time."
Mu Qingchen greeted him politely but with a touch of distance: "So it's General Nangong. I heard that General Nangong was seriously injured, but it seems that you are recovering well."
It would be a lie to say he recovered well; his face was deathly pale, showing that he was enduring immense pain every moment.
Nangong Li didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I'm currently tracking down an assassin, but I've lost sight of him here. I wonder if Young Master Qingchen has seen him?"
"No," Mu Qingchen said without changing her expression.
Nangong Li gave Mu Qingchen a deep look: "It seems there's another person in Young Master Mu's carriage?"
Nangong Li was, after all, an expert, and it was not difficult for him to detect another breathing sound in the carriage.
Mu Qingchen said, "It's my third younger sister. She caught a cold but still came to the inn to see me. I was just about to take her back home."
"Oh?" Nangong Li was skeptical.
Mu Qingchen lifted the curtain slightly, revealing Gu Jiao as well.
Gu Jiao let her hair down, picked up one finger and gently tied it behind her head with a hairband. She also put on a veil to cover the birthmark on her face, revealing only a pair of calm and composed eyes.
Mu Qingchen said to Gu Jiao, "It is General Nangong."
The implication was that Gu Jiao should bow to Nangong Li.
How could Gu Jiao possibly bow to someone like that?
Gu Jiao looked at Nangong Li and asked in her female voice, "General Nangong, is there something you need?"
His tone was a bit arrogant.
Mu Qingchen nearly choked!
Nangong Li had been observing Gu Jiao the whole time, but he didn't notice Mu Qingchen's surprise.
The Su family held a higher status than the Nangong family. Although Nangong Li was unhappy that Su Xue disregarded him, he did not suspect anything.
He ultimately failed to detect any flaws and left with his guards.
After the person had gone some distance, Mu Qingchen looked at Gu Jiao as if she had seen a ghost and said, "You, you just now..."
"Oh." Gu Jiao switched back to her boyish voice and said without the slightest hint of guilt, "I love listening to opera and have studied a little bit of it."
Hearing the familiar young voice, Mu Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief.
For a moment, he almost thought his classmate was a girl!
Looking into her bright eyes, Mu Qingchen belatedly realized that his heart was beating a little fast. He composed himself and said, "You, you shouldn't dress like that anymore... it will cause misunderstandings. And don't use that kind of voice anymore."
Gu Jiao: "You're the one who made me change into it."
Mu Qingchen choked.
Gu Jiao wore a veil and had her long hair loose. Her clear, beautiful eyes were magnified in his eyes.
Mu Qingchen didn't dare to look at him for long. He quickly changed the subject and asked, "Why did General Nangong say you were an assassin? Did you really go to assassinate him?"
Gu Jiao said, "No, I just threw a stone at him."
Mu Qingchen asked in confusion, "Why?"
Gu Jiao said fiercely, "Who told his son to bully me? I'm angry!"
Mu Qingchen: "..."
I had insomnia all night and just took my temperature, which is 39.6 degrees Celsius. I've never had such a high fever in my life.
I was planning to save up some drafts these past two days, but I don't know if I'll still be able to.
Hopefully, there won't be any hiatus in updates.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com