Chapter 288 The Show Is Good! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The night rain was continuous.
Huan'er drove the carriage into Tingyuxuan.
It is located near the Intermediate People's Court.
Cui Qingwu snapped out of her reverie and heard some sounds around her.
"...I have said before that as long as I work hard, my swordsmanship will definitely improve."
"What happened before was merely... lying low."
"That's right, that's the word. I... Chunying, your eyes are not right. How dare you laugh at this young master?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare."
"I doubt you would... Hmm? Niu Shan, what are you laughing at?"
"Young master, I didn't..."
"You didn't laugh? I clearly saw your mouth was wide open..."
Listening to Chen Yunfan's loud and boisterous voice inside, Cui Qingwu could imagine what he looked like.
Wearing a thin long robe, his long hair tied back in a slightly messy manner, his handsome face was beaming with joy as he laughed and cursed while tapping the tall and burly Niu Shan with the hilt of his sword.
As he thought about it, Cui Qingwu couldn't help but smile.
As a result, her unease and anxiety after meeting the general dissipated considerably.
She patted the carriage, told Huan'er to stop, and got off the carriage.
Seeing the smile on her face, Huan'er felt a little relieved and drove the carriage to the stable.
As before, Cui Qingwu walked through the porch alone, holding an oil-paper umbrella.
Chen Yunfan heard her voice, gave Chunying and the others a look, straightened his clothes, and went to greet her.
"Qingwu, why are you going to a restaurant in this heavy rain?"
He could roughly guess that Cui Qingwu was busy with the White Tiger Guard's affairs, but he didn't want to get too involved, so he pretended not to know anything about it.
But Cui Qingwu shook his head, "I, I'm going to the White Tiger Guard."
Chen Yunfan gave a slightly surprised "Oh," and said, "White Tiger Guard?"
He didn't expect Cui Qingwu to openly admit his identity as a White Tiger Guard at this moment.
Even when he previously revealed his martial arts cultivation level, Cui Qingwu did not choose to say it.
Why now?
Cui Qingwu raised her head slightly and said in a somewhat arrogant tone, "I didn't tell Brother Yunfan that I am now a Silver Flag Officer of the White Tiger Guard."
"Name - Luanfeng".
"Silver Flag Officer? Phoenix? What a fine name."
As Chen Yunfan spoke, he carefully examined Cui Qingwu, and a few doubts arose in his heart.
She seemed somewhat different from usual.
"But why would you, the perfectly good eldest daughter of the Cui family, join the White Tiger Guard?"
"It's a long story..."
Cui Qingwu did not reveal the real reason, only saying that it was an arrangement by her elders to let her train in the White Tiger Guard.
"...I was originally scheduled to go to Kyoto Prefecture, but it just so happened that Brother Yunfan came to Shu Prefecture, so I came along."
Chen Yunfan hummed in agreement, but only believed half of it.
"So the White Tiger Guards want you to come over tonight... is there something planned?"
Cui Qingwu nodded, then shook his head: "There are arrangements, but I don't want to follow them."
Chen Yunfan chuckled, "That's just like your personality."
"Personality? Brother Yunfan thinks I'm willful?"
"Yes, a little."
If Chen Yi were here, he would probably cover his face and pretend he didn't recognize him.
Any man who understands women even slightly would not be so direct.
But it was Chen Yunfan who didn't like to hide things.
Upon seeing him admit it directly, Cui Qingwu showed a hint of reproach on her face, "So I am so unworthy in Brother Yunfan's eyes."
"No, not really..."
Let's exchange a few jokes.
Chen Yunfan did not press further about the White Tiger Guard's arrangements.
Just as he told Chen Yi—he didn't have a bad impression of Cui Qingwu, but he disliked the marriage between the Chen and Cui families.
For no reason at all.
He did not believe that such a marriage would benefit either family.
Cui Qingwu didn't say anything, but the weight that had been on his heart for hiding his identity as a White Tiger Guard from Chen Yunfan was lifted.
His expression also relaxed considerably.
After the interaction subsided, she smiled and returned to her residence.
Raindrops fell like a curtain, pattering on the oil-paper umbrella.
Under the light of a few lanterns, water droplets scattered like flower petals along the path leading to the back house.
As Chen Yunfan watched her figure disappear into the porch, the smile on his face gradually faded.
After thinking for a moment, he summoned Chunying.
"Has anything happened in the prefectural city lately?"
Chunying felt a chill run down her spine, thinking that he had discovered her secret outing a few days ago.
"Situation? Same as before."
"News of King Landu of Vaishsa Kingdom and the barbarians launching large-scale invasions of the borders are constant... However, this afternoon someone in the East Market said that Lü Jiunan is not dead."
"Lü Jiunan isn't dead?"
Chen Yunfan's mind flashed with Chen Yi's image, and he wondered to himself if the White Tiger Guard's arrangement for Cui Qingwu was related to Chen Yi... "Liu Wu"?
A moment of silence.
Amid Chunying's slight unease, Chen Yunfan instructed, "Investigate those monsters and demons in the city and see if there's anything unusual."
“And Ning Yu…you should let him continue to follow her.”
Chunying saw that he was pointing towards the back courtyard and knew he was referring to Cui Qingwu. She breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying:
"I'll arrange it right away."
"etc."
Chen Yunfan stopped her and thought for a moment, then said, "I want to send another envelope to my father."
Chunying hesitated for a moment, but seeing his serious expression, she nodded again.
"I'll ask about it later."
"good……"
...
at the same time.
Chen Yi had just left the house on Chuanxi Street with Pei Guanli.
To be precise, it should be that he carried the barbarian boy Asutai, and the three of them walked in the dim, rainy weather.
He was dressed in a black cloak, wearing a bamboo hat and a black iron mask.
Asutai, like before, fell into a coma, and when he was carried on his shoulders, his hands and feet were almost touching the ground.
This gives you an idea of how long he was.
Pei Guanli, also dressed in night clothes, followed closely beside Chen Yi, her eyes darting around.
He looked excited.
"Sister...Master, where are we going now?"
"You...you said you'd take me to see a play, what kind of play?"
"Are you going to send this brat away? Why don't you kill him?"
"And what about the person left inside the house? Is there going to be a good show to watch too?"
Pei Guanli chattered on and on.
Fortunately, she knew how to cover it up and deliberately lowered her voice.
Otherwise, on this rainy night, it might disturb even more people.
At least with Chen Yi's hearing, he could hear some of the sounds from the nearby martial arts practitioners.
He raised his hand and grabbed Pei Guanli by the back of the neck, lowering his voice to say, "If you say another word, I'll dump you here."
Pei Guanli stuck out her tongue, knowing he was just trying to scare her.
"I promise, I promise to keep my mouth shut."
Chen Yi shook his head helplessly, grabbed her by the back of the neck, and leaped into the air.
I don't believe it.
Pei Guanli immediately disregarded whether he believed her or not.
She felt her feet suddenly give way and she immediately hugged Chen Yi. Although she was a little scared, she was mostly excited.
It would occasionally glance downwards.
"Wow, it flew so high this time!"
"Sister...sir, could you please bring me out like this again next time?"
"Shut up."
With a leap of true energy, Chen Yi carried Pei Guanli directly to the south street of the town.
With his current cultivation level, he can only briefly fly through the air and cannot travel all the way from Iron Wall Town to the prefectural city like Xiao Jinghong.
Even so, within this small prefecture, he could still reach the Liu residence within three breaths.
"here……"
After Pei Guanli realized where she was, she was about to speak when she remembered Chen Yi's instructions and quickly covered her mouth.
After glancing at her, Chen Yi led her and Asutai straight into the Liu family's residence without pausing.
Speed is of the essence in war.
Therefore, he directly unleashed the Meteor Butterfly Step, a technique at its peak, transforming into a stream of light to clear away the inner guards in circles.
He would strike each person with a palm strike, knocking them unconscious.
It continued until Liu Hong was in the inner quarters.
Chen Yi looked around and his gaze fell on a certain room, where he could vaguely hear some noises coming from inside.
Clearly, Liu Hong and the others had noticed something amiss outside.
Inside the house, Zhao Liu'an hissed in a low voice, "Who dares to trespass on the residence of Lord Liu, the Provincial Governor?!"
"Are you out of your mind?!"
A hint of a smile flashed in Chen Yi's eyes, but he didn't respond and simply placed Asutai on the ground.
He also threw out a silver needle and pierced Asutai's Yintang acupoint.
Pei Guanli watched his actions, covering her mouth while glancing at the other room with a hint of disdain in her eyes.
She even waved her little fists a few times, as if she were a fox borrowing the tiger's power.
If my brother-in-law hadn't stopped me from speaking, he would have cursed you to death.
A moment later.
Asutai woke up, got up, saw the situation around him, and realized what was happening. He said in a stiff tone:
"Has it started?"
Chen Yi nodded slightly and pointed to where Liu Hong and the others were, "Be careful, don't die."
"die?"
Before Asutai could react, Chen Yi grabbed Pei Guanli and leaped into the air.
With another flash, he landed on the rooftop not far from the back of the Liu family's residence.
Pei Guanli, seeing his actions, knew that the show was about to begin, so she covered her mouth and stared intently at Asutai.
She still doesn't understand what her brother-in-law meant by "good show".
But she knew that since her brother-in-law had said that, it was bound to be a good show.
soon.
The door to Liu Hong's study opened, and Zhao Liu'an carefully walked out carrying a long sword, immediately spotting Asutai outside.
After looking him over, his expression suddenly changed.
"Asutai?!"
In contrast, Asutai was much calmer. Although there was a hint of hatred on his square, dark face, he still remembered Chen Yi's instructions.
He simply stood silently in the rain.
Upon hearing Zhao Liuan's voice, Liu Hong and Liu Taoyao also came out of the study.
He frowned as he looked at Asutai, a thoughtful expression on his face, before glancing at Zhao Liuan.
"Are you sure it's him?"
Zhao Liuan stared at Asutai and nodded, "I met him once before with Zeng Zhifeng, and it is indeed him."
Liu Taoyao, standing nearby, couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Then how did he end up here?"
"It was when Father went to Mingyue Tower at noon..."
He dared not say any more.
Clearly, Asutai was neither sent by the evil spirits of Mingyue Tower, nor could he have come to them on his own.
Liu Hong was also aware of this. After looking around, he turned his attention back to Asutai.
"Tell me, why are you here?"
Asutai looked at Liu Hong, and even though he didn't recognize him, he knew his identity—the Provincial Governor of Shu Prefecture mentioned by that person.
He suppressed the hatred in his heart and said stiffly, "I don't know, I was here when I woke up."
"Awake? So you were unconscious the whole time?"
"yes."
Liu Hong thought for a moment and asked, "Do you remember what happened that day?"
"I don't know."
Who kidnapped you?
"I don't know."
Seeing that he knew nothing about the matter, Liu Hong's face flashed with a hint of annoyance, and he asked in a deep voice, "Then do you know who I am?"
Asutai shook his head again, then nodded, "That man, tell me, can you send me back to the barbarian tribe?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Hong frowned, his gaze shifting unpredictably as he stared at him.
Liu Taoyao, standing to the side, was unable to remain calm, her face showing a mixture of joy and worry.
After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth and said, "Father, the deadline given by that jackal is only a few days away."
"Since he wants this barbarian prince, why not just notify him to come and take him away?"
Zhao Liuan immediately shook his head, "No."
"Asutai's appearance here is too suspicious, I'm afraid, I'm afraid..."
He didn't dare say what he was afraid of.
But Liu Hong, who was able to sit in the position of Provincial Governor of Shu Prefecture, was certainly not a fool.
What Zhao Liuan could think of, he could naturally think of as well.
Furthermore, he deduced the intentions of the person behind the scenes—waiting to see how he would deal with Asutai, this hot potato.
To kill or not to kill?
Killing Asutai would certainly prevent the schemes behind the scenes from targeting him and temporarily clear him of suspicion of having ties with the barbarians.
However, if he does this, Du Cang, that jackal, will inevitably spread his story far and wide for the sake of the Peacock King Banner and the Tea Horse Road.
By then, even if he doesn't die, he'll be close to it.
But if Asutai isn't killed...
Liu Hong was truly unwilling to let the scheme of the person behind the scenes succeed!
I thought it over and over again.
A resolute look appeared on Liu Hong's face, and he directly ordered Liu Taoyao to take Asutai away and keep him under guard.
"I never expected that the barbarian prince would actually be kidnapped by those bandits and brought to Shu Prefecture. I will immediately submit this to the court and ask His Majesty for a decision."
Liu Taoyao was stunned for a moment, "Father..."
"Enough with the nonsense, keep a close eye on him. If he escapes, even I can't save you!"
Time was short.
The best solution Liu Hong could think of was to protect himself while handing this hot potato over to Du Cang to solve.
Liu Taoyao understood, so she stepped forward and whispered to Asutai, "Come with me."
Asutai did not disobey him and followed him away.
Just before leaving, he turned and glanced at Liu Hong, as if trying to memorize Liu Hong's appearance.
"I, Borle Gu Asutai, await the day you are executed!"
Although Liu Hong did not know his thoughts, he understood his gaze and his mind became even more profound.
Zhao Liuan, who was standing to the side, thought for a moment and said, "Sir, who do you think it could be?"
Previously, both he and Liu Hong had suspected that Zeng Zhifeng was behind it.
Given the current situation, the person who sent Asutai to the Liu family was definitely not Zeng Zhifeng.
It should be noted that the Liu family is now protected by assassins both inside and outside the household.
Even if most of those assassins were not highly skilled, they were certainly not the kind of martial artists like Zeng Zhifeng, who were at the middle third rank, who could have entered silently.
Upon hearing this, Liu Hong lowered his head slightly, letting the raindrops fall on him.
It was as if only in this way could he calm down.
"The fact that Asutai was able to come here suggests that the person behind the scenes must have also managed to get Zeng Zhifeng to talk when they kidnapped him."
"Zeng Zhifeng?"
"If he knew the master's identity, why did he send Asutai back?"
There are only two.
"Either they want to find out if I have any dealings with the South, or they want to befriend me."
Liu Hong raised his head and looked around carefully, as if trying to find the person behind the scenes.
Which one are you referring to?
Zhao Liuan already had the answer in his heart, and gritted his teeth, saying, "He has such ruthless methods!"
Liu Hongshen agreed, and seeing that he had found nothing, he turned around and went back to his study.
"Whatever his purpose may be, I... will not allow him to have his way."
See here.
A smile flashed in Chen Yi's eyes, and he and Pei Guanli disappeared in a flash.
Today's "show" was just an appetizer, but it also allowed him to see Liu Hong for who he really was.
— He was neither a tyrant nor a villain, but a cunning and ruthless one.
If he were a true hero, Liu Hong would have killed Asutai once and for all.
If he were a villain, Liu Hong would have gone all the way and sent Asutai to the yamen to be imprisoned, at least to gain the trust of the court.
"A cunning and ruthless hero" is the highest praise Chen Yineng could give.
If Liu Hong hadn't dared to raise a private army and hadn't been associated with the Kingdom of Vaishsa and the barbarian tribes, he would have been at most a treacherous minister.
Adding the word "male" to his name is already giving him too much credit.
Pei Guanli was unaware of all this. The excitement that had been in her eyes had vanished, and she pouted, muttering to herself:
"A good show? It's not fun at all."
Chen Yi chuckled, about to speak, when a golden light flashed before his eyes—
[Daily Intelligence - Yellow-Rank Mid-Grade: At 3:45 AM, outside the East Market, Yuan Liuer sells herself to bury her father. A small amount of opportunity may be obtained.]
(End of this chapter)
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