Chapter 5: The eldest son of the Cen family, do you really owe him money?
"Master Wen, you looked familiar to me the moment I saw you, but you left so quickly I didn't have time to catch up." The man in green took two steps forward and stood in front of Wen Xuechi. "What a coincidence!"
Wen Xuechi also laughed: "Ha, I didn't recognize you at first, you've changed a lot!"
Looking at the two of them, Lou Wanqiao was a little dumbfounded.
"You... know each other?"
Wen Xuechi scratched his head, his tone a little embarrassed, "I wasn't paying attention earlier... I've met this brother a few times before, so we can be considered friends."
"You really are... a person of temperament." She was at a loss for words and uttered a few dry words. She did not dare to take it lightly and always paid attention to keeping a distance from the man.
This guy...
Lou Wanqiao had never wanted to deal with him too much.
How should I put it... It's a very clear feeling that they have never been the same kind of people.
Cen Luye, the eldest son of the Cen family, was once a distinguished general with illustrious military achievements. However, due to the chaos in the court, the Cen family was suspected of forming a clique for personal gain and even colluding with foreign forces, and they were not spared. Fortunately, they had a golden medal of immunity from death passed down from the previous dynasty, and although their journey was bumpy, they were able to save their lives. However, Cen Luye was not so lucky. As the head of the Cen family at the time and a general with great military power, even though he could save his family from the death penalty, he himself could not avoid becoming a thorn in the side of those in power.
At first, his official position was demoted again and again, and then there was chaos until Li Lianhan came to power, the Cen family was exiled, and Cen Luye was killed as a warning to others, disappearing without a trace overnight.
In Lou Wanqiao's own words, he was too "righteous." He had no ulterior motives, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing at times, but in a world like this, it was definitely not a good thing either.
She didn't think about the rest of the things because the two of them were already walking forward while chatting. Wen Xuechi even turned around and waved to her to follow.
Cen Luye glanced at her, his face expressionless. "What's your name, brother?"
Lou Wanqiao lowered his voice: "Liu Wan. The night."
"Zeng Ye, he's also capable." He also introduced it this way.
Lou Wanqiao's eyelids twitched.
That's right, his name once had a considerable influence, but now he's hiding his identity to avoid any trouble. Unexpectedly, they both ended up in the same place.
"You two are both quite... easy to remember." Wen Xuechi hesitated for a few seconds and squeezed out a few words, "Brother Zeng, how are you doing lately? What's the follow-up to that incident?"
"Speaking of which, I do have something I would like to ask of you."
"Hmm? Looking for me? Not bad, let's go back to the inn first. This Brother Liu is very skilled in martial arts and has been traveling with me recently. I think he can help me if there's anything I need...right, Brother Liu?"
"Ah? Right... Haha, that's right." Lou Wanqiao laughed dryly. "Brother Wen's business is my business. If you can use me in any way, I'll do it for you."
"Hero Wen is still the same as before..." Cen Luye said with emotion, "Thank you, Brother Liu."
The three of them returned to the inn and sat around a square table in a room with the doors and windows closed and the candlelight dimming the room.
The light of the fire flickered on their faces.
"So..." Wen Xuechi seemed to be lost in thought. "Yan Ge City has been a bit unstable lately? It's so close to the Imperial City, and they're already ready to make a move?"
Cen Luye nodded: "I don't know what kind of force they are at the moment, and Yan Ge hasn't shown any unusual signs, but I just feel that something is fishy, so I've tracked it all the way here."
While they were talking, Lou Wanqiao was also thinking without saying a word, but the content of his thoughts was completely different.
After the Cen family fell into poverty and was exiled, Cen Luye disappeared overnight. He had never imagined that their next meeting would be under such circumstances. The man before him seemed very different from before, but he couldn't put his finger on what was different.
Ultimately, she and Cen Luye hadn't known each other much before, and they had always handled matters impartially, adhering to the principle of keeping to themselves. Seeing him like this, it seemed Cen Luye was no ordinary man, and had his own ways of protecting himself. Perhaps, like her, he had other solutions...
"Brother Liu?"
The voice beside her brought her back to her senses. Lou Wanqiao looked at the man beside her. Wen Xuechi intentionally moved closer to her. "What do you think?"
She was stunned for a moment and looked at Cen Luye. Although there was no expression on his face, there was a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
Turning his head to look at Wen Xuechi who was approaching, his expression was obvious, his eyebrows were slightly raised, the corners of his lips were turned up, and his beautiful peach blossom eyes were full of affirmation.
"Uh...I...have no problem with that."
"Great! I knew Brother Liu was a man of honor! Then let's sneak into the prefect's mansion tomorrow and take a look."
"……ah?"
"The last time I saw the mark I left was on a servant in the prefectural governor's mansion. When I went to look for him again, he was gone." Cen Luye said in a serious tone, "From Xuanle Gate to Yange City, it can be basically confirmed that these people were responsible. I originally thought it was just a feud between the martial arts world, but I didn't expect it to involve officials."
Lou Wanqiao listened to him for a while and figured out the whole story.
A while ago, dead bodies appeared inexplicably on Baiqin Island. When he discovered them, five or six people had already been killed in strange ways.
So, he is investigating a case?
Although she didn't quite understand the specific situation, she nodded readily.
Regardless of whether this matter is related to the Youzhou case, it would be a good idea to learn more about it. Moreover, by joining forces with Wen Xuechi and taking this opportunity to thoroughly investigate Cen Luye's case, we might even be able to provide some additional assistance.
Although we were once not on the same page, who can predict what will happen in the future? Wherever there is oppression, there will always be resistance.
After the matter was settled, Cen Luye stood up and said, "I'll go ahead. I'll leave the rest to you two. Thank you, Hero Wen and... Brother Liu."
Wen Xuechi waved his hand: "For me, this is also something I cannot just sit back and watch. No need to thank me."
Lou Wanqiao nodded: "Me too."
The door closed, and she exchanged glances with Wen Xuechi beside her. She was the first to speak, inquiring with curiosity: "Brother Wen, I'm a little curious, how did you meet this brother?"
Wen Xuechi rubbed his chin. "Back then, I was searching for a temple in the mountains when I happened to see him being harassed by bandits, so I came to his rescue. Later, I learned he was also after the □□ Order, so we spent two days together. Brother Cen is a generous man, and we get along well, so we became friends. Oh, right, I forgot about this earlier. Speaking of which... Brother Liu, do you really owe him money?"
Why are we back to this?
It was just a casual remark, but I didn't expect it to come back like a surprise.
Lou Wanqiao coughed dryly twice: "I didn't look carefully before, maybe I made a mistake."
Wen Xuechi was skeptical, but didn't delve into it. He simply asked with a hint of concern, "Is your injury better? How are you feeling now?"
"Much better, thank you for the medicine, it works amazingly!"
He nodded and held out his hand. "That's good. That medicine is what I carry with me year-round. It's perfect for treating sword wounds. Let me change the dressing for you."
"Thank you very much...wait!" Lou Wanqiao reacted and subconsciously stepped back, his back hitting the table and he hissed in pain.
Wen Xuechi quickly grasped her arm and used his other hand to steady the shaky candlestick on the table: "Brother Wen, be careful! Are you... okay?"
Lou Wanqiao stared at the person approaching him, paused, and smiled. "...It's okay, I'm just used to applying the medicine myself, so I don't need to bother you, Brother Wen. You've been driving hard today, so you should rest early. I'll go back to my room first."
"……good."
Back in the room, Lou Wanqiao breathed a sigh of relief, quickly changed the medicine, and fell on the bed, thinking about the events of the past few days.
Li Lianhan is eager to eliminate dissidents, and Li Jin becomes his most reliable ally. Prince Duan has formed his own faction, and the power behind him remains immense. The Lord Yu she killed was the former Third Prince, now a member of the Emperor's faction. If the Emperor knew the truth, it would be understandable for him to kill her...
But there is still one important person who has not shown up. I wanted to investigate carefully later, but I didn’t expect that plans cannot keep up with changes.
The former Marquis of Pingyuan. He had once fought on the battlefield, but he disappeared for a long time. Rumors circulated that he was living in seclusion in his fiefdom, staying out of trouble and protecting himself.
Now she can only investigate as she goes along, and the chess pieces she once placed should also show up when necessary.
However, Wen Xuechi is a variable. Although he claims to be a man of the world, some of his actions are too strange.
So far, there has been no negative impact on her...
Feeling sleepy, Lou Wanqiao yawned, turned over and fell asleep.
A light snow fell in the middle of the night, and by dawn, a thin layer of white covered the windowsill and the road. Lou Wanqiao, feeling much more refreshed after a night's sleep, opened the window and felt a cool breeze waft across her face, carrying small snowflakes onto her palms.
When he opened the door, he happened to meet Wen Xuechi walking out of the room. He raised his arms and stretched comfortably. When he saw Lou Wanqiao, he lowered his hand and greeted him halfway: "Brother Liu, good morning."
"Good morning. What are your other plans for today?"
"I heard the wontons here are delicious, let's go try them!"
"Okay."
Yan Ge City is always bustling, and the morning market is bustling with activity. The streets are bustling with people, and the sounds of hawking and buying and selling are endless. Some people sit at small stalls and eat breakfast, the aroma of which drifts on the wind and melts into the snow.
Lou Wanqiao and Wen Xuechi sat across from each other at a small table, where steaming soup dumplings and two bowls of steaming wontons floated, milky white. The noodles in the soup were glistening, drizzled with chopped green onions, and their aroma permeated their nostrils.
I scooped up a small wonton with a spoon, surrounded by warm broth. Then I put the whole spoonful into my mouth, and the delicious wonton and broth slid into my mouth together. The umami spread across my tongue, and a warm feeling slid down my throat, through my esophagus, and even into my stomach.
Lou Wanqiao narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, not chewing thoroughly as she sipped a few more mouthfuls of the hot soup. Heat permeated her limbs, her fingers tingling with warmth. She took another bite of the soup dumpling, sipping the broth into her mouth. The hot, fresh flavor numbed her tongue. She then swallowed the skin and filling together, the juices exploding between her lips and teeth, salty but not greasy.
"Hmm!" Wen Xuechi was obviously very satisfied with the taste. He ate two baskets of soup dumplings in a row and finished all the wontons.
Lou Wanqiao put down his chopsticks after eating and was wiping his mouth when he heard the sound of horse hooves.
At the end of the road, a figure on a white horse sped across the street. The girl on horseback had a bright face, her black hair neatly tied high, flowing in the air as the horse galloped. He wore a long whip tied at his waist, and he glanced sideways, his gaze meeting hers.
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