Chapter 79 Dark Alley
Qiu Heng's suggestion surprised Tao Da and the other three.
"Brother Que, what do you mean by working for you?" Chen San was the first to ask.
"As you four know, Yuan is not the only traitor who has harmed countless people and shaken the foundation of the Great Xia. What I want to do is to eradicate evil and eliminate traitors, so that the people of Xia will not suffer the tragic fate of national ruin and family destruction."
Qiu Heng knew that if she said this to others, they would only find it funny, think she was overestimating herself, or that she was worrying unnecessarily.
But Tao Da and his companions are different. They have experienced suffering firsthand and risked their lives to fight against it, so they wouldn't think she was just spouting nonsense. If companions are needed on this difficult journey, they are the most suitable people.
“But doing these things could put your life in danger at any time. You can consider it for two days and then give me your answer.” After saying this, Qiu Heng was about to leave.
Chen San stopped her: "Brother Que, don't think about it, I'll work for you."
"This is not an impulsive act."
"I wasn't impulsive." Chen San patted his chest. "I'm an impatient person, but I always keep my word. From now on, I'll listen to Brother Que."
The second to speak was Nie Sanniang: "Like Chen San, I will follow Brother Que from now on."
"Has Third Sister made up her mind?"
Nie Sanniang nodded: "Everyone has to die eventually. Rather than being trampled to death like an ant by a traitor like Yuan, it's better to die for the sake of eliminating traitors!"
At this moment, although Nie San Niang was still grieving the loss of her sister, she had regained her spirits.
To die a worthy death—this was a sudden realization that came to her.
The younger sister and Lu Shuang were deeply in love, and for the younger sister, dying for love was the fulfillment of her wish. As for her, dying to eliminate someone like Yuan the traitor was something she was happy to do.
"Brother Tao, Brother Liu, what do you think?" Chen San asked anxiously.
Even if his two older brothers were unwilling, he still wanted to follow the Magpie Brothers; he was just a little reluctant to be separated from his brothers.
Tao Da laughed heartily: "Is that even a question? Of course, we'll follow Brother Que."
Liu Er nodded.
Tao Da looked at Qiu Heng and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Brother Que, from now on we will listen to you. We will do whatever you ask!"
The other three also clasped their hands in greeting: "We will obey any orders we may receive!"
Qiu Heng returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Thank you for your trust, all four of you."
She lowered her head and raised her hand to remove the black cloth covering her face.
Chen San tensed up instinctively when he saw Qiu Heng's movements, and when he saw her face clearly, he exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Que, you, you look like a woman!"
Realizing his words were inappropriate, he slapped his lip and quickly tried to cover it up: "Ahem, what I meant was, you're even more handsome than a woman... a real heartthrob!"
Qiu Heng twitched her lips and resumed her original voice: "Perhaps I was originally a woman."
Chen San was dumbfounded, his tongue tied in knots: "You, you, you're actually a little girl!"
Tao Da and Liu Er were no better off, staring blankly at Qiu Heng.
Nie Sanniang quickly approached, asking in shock, "Sixth Miss Qiu! Are you Sixth Miss Qiu?"
Although I only met Miss Qiu once, the meeting at the Yuan residence left a particularly deep impression on me.
She was initially hesitant to recognize him, but upon hearing the voice, she knew it was him.
Qiu Heng smiled at Nie San Niang: "I am Qiu Heng. San Niang, we meet again."
Nie Sanniang covered her mouth, still unable to believe it: "Brother Que is Miss Qiu Liu, and Miss Qiu Liu is Brother Que... You are actually the same person!"
"Yes, I am Qiuheng, and also a magpie."
The magpie, startled by the moon over the mountain, rises again from its roost; the firefly, avoiding the breeze by the stream, falls and then flies away.
When she wept because she missed her family, her husband said she was a magpie who had wandered into another world, and that one day she would return to her original place. He hoped she would move mountains and shake the moon, turning the tide.
"Sixth Miss Qiu, how did you take that scoundrel's life?" Nie Sanniang asked, voicing the question that had been lingering in her heart for a long time.
Tao Da and the other two immediately perked up their ears to listen.
At this point, Qiu Heng no longer concealed anything: "It's those incense sticks."
"It really does smell good!" Nie San Niang was puzzled. "If it's the smell that's the problem, why are my sister and I both unharmed?"
Qiu Heng smiled and said, "Because the three kinds of incense pills are all beneficial when used separately, but when combined, they become poison. If a person inhales all three kinds of incense for a long time, the poison will accumulate in the body to a certain extent. Drinking alcohol, riding and shooting, or being too emotionally agitated will trigger the poison..."
Upon hearing Qiu Heng's explanation, Nie San Niang's expression changed drastically: "This is bad!"
"What's wrong?" Before Qiu Heng could speak, Chen San, who was listening intently, quickly asked.
"That day, the officials from the Imperial City Guard came to the Yuan residence and took away some items, including the incense pills. What if they mix the incense pills from the three places together for inspection? Could that expose Miss Qiu Liu—"
"Don't worry, Third Sister, it won't happen." Qiu Heng raised the corners of her lips, thinking of Xue Han's wasted efforts. "Didn't you change the incense pills here later?"
Nie San Niang suddenly realized: "No wonder they used the fragrant pills from the pink purse at the beginning."
Hearing that everything had turned out alright and that no one would suspect Qiu Heng, Tao Da and the other two breathed a sigh of relief.
Qiu Heng said goodbye: "There are no plans for the time being. You should find a job that you like to do so that it will be convenient for you to live in the capital."
She didn't intend to let Tao Da and his group have any involvement with the Yongqing Marquis's mansion; keeping them in the shadows would allow them to exert their greatest influence.
"I'll continue running my tea stall; I can hear a lot of news there."
Hearing Tao Da say this, Chen San also said, "Then I'll become a peddler again, it'll be convenient to spread messages by going from street to street."
Liu Er and Nie San Niang hadn't decided yet, and there was no rush.
After Qiu Heng left, Chen San jumped up: "Brother Que is a girl!"
Tao Da sighed helplessly, "You're still too excited."
"I'm truly astonished! Such a young girl, with such amazing skills and such intelligence—"
Nie San Niang was displeased with what she was saying: "What are you saying? Can't women have good skills?"
"Hey, you're just arguing for the sake of arguing."
"You're the one who's just arguing for the sake of arguing."
...
Watching the two bickering, Tao Da and Liu Er exchanged glances, a smile appearing in their eyes.
It seems that Third Sister has really cheered up.
Perhaps due to the growing rumors of ghosts, there were far fewer people on the streets on this night at the end of July.
This undoubtedly made things easier for Qiuheng.
It was early autumn, the night breeze was not cool, and Qiu Heng walked close to the wall, feeling the wind beneath her feet.
Ahead stood a brightly lit two-story tavern.
Qiu Heng was walking through the alley behind the restaurant when suddenly someone jumped down from a high place and landed in the alley.
Qiu Heng turned and ran.
Xue Han had secretly infiltrated the tavern to investigate an official, and after finishing, he quietly jumped off the second floor to leave. Unexpectedly, there was a masked man in the alley.
Nighttime, dark alleys, masked faces—anyone could instantly tell this person was suspicious. The difference was that ordinary people who didn't want trouble were scared away, while Xue Han took off after them.
The alley was narrow, and the two were standing close together when other people appeared at the alley entrance ahead.
The boy chasing behind him spoke in a voice as cold as ice: "Stop!"
His investigation was originally a secret, but seeing that the masked man was about to rush out of the alley and alert the passersby, he immediately threw his throwing knife without hesitation.
The sound of a hidden weapon whistling through the air came from behind, and Qiu Heng had no choice but to dodge to the side.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xue Han caught up and reached out to grab the black cloth from her face.
I went to get my wisdom tooth extracted. It was growing horizontally, right next to a nerve, and it even damaged the root of a healthy tooth. It took a long time to get it out, and I'll need three days of injections. You really should get your wisdom teeth removed as soon as possible! I hope the pain won't be too bad once the anesthesia wears off and it affects my typing...
(End of this chapter)
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