Lu Ying cupped his hands and replied, "You flatter , Master. It is the younger generation paying respect to the elder. How could it be considered a grand arrival?"
The Taoist Master Jiang Xin chuckled in response, his wrist never ceasing motion. Before long, three bowls of tea were served, the liquid dark green with a gentle froth—a truly excellent brew.
Yin Weiyin accepted the bowl, gazing toward the observation window facing the opera stage. He remarked, "It seems we arrived a step too late and missed a performance."
Jiang Xin stroked his beard, his expression tinged with reminiscing regret. He sighed deeply, "Indeed so. Just now, the lady singer perford 'Si Fan'… her singing truly pierced the soul, tearing out this old one's heart. It made yearn to elope with her! n dread nightly escapades, won dread 'Si Fan'; and she… her singing was exquisite beyond asure!"
Jiang Xin sighed deeply and repeatedly, lanting on behalf of the three guests. Knowing the next play would be "Thousand Loyal Slaughter," a narrative of loyalty to the emperor, national enmity, and familial vengeance, he assud it might not suit the visitors' taste and sighed all the more.
At last, Jiang Xin suddenly arose and said, "Let have the housekeeper summon the perforr to sing a private piece for you."
A splendid performance etched deeply into one's bones; it's regrettable if others could not enjoy it.
Jiang Xin's sincere proposal was naturally not rejected by Yin Weiyin and Lu Ying. Chen Yi, however, remained indifferent, as he didn't understand the lyrics anyway.
Who could have predicted that when Jiang Xin summoned the housekeeper, the man would appear visibly troubled and, risking offense to a familiar patron, refuse repeatedly.
The Taoist Master's ire was genuine this ti, slamming the table he exclaid, "What does Housekeeper Li an by this? I have braved sixty years of storms and co to Yuanfeng Building unrelentingly. A performance of 'Si Fan,' followed by a private audience, is entirely reasonable! Is it that I, the master of Chongyang Temple, lack enough status to invite them? Or is it that for sixty years I have fallen short in treating you well, Housekeeper Li?"
The housekeeper stamred hurriedly, "I-I… I'm caught in a tight spot here. I do wish to summon the perforr for you, Master, but… but just monts ago, an official demanded the lady perforr. Judging by his deanor, it seems he wants to toy with her… there's nothing I can do. He's too formidable to defy!"
Chen Yi, noticing sweat trickling down the housekeeper's brow and sensing an underlying story, promptly asked, "Which official?"
Jiang Xin's voice also turned cold, "Speak clearly; we won't make things hard for you."
The housekeeper turned his head, seeing Jiang Xin pressing relentlessly, lowered his tone, and reluctantly divulged:
"West Factory's Thousand Households, Chen Yi!"
The three present couldn't help but freeze montarily.
.........
The tiline rewinds to a few nights prior to Chen Yi's group's departure.
Shantong City lies in the northwest region, its internal terrain complex and treacherous, alleys crisscrossing in every direction. Outside a courtyard cloaked in shadows by towering buildings, vague silhouettes danced upon the rooftops.
BAM!
A deafening crash echoed as Luo Shuo, the deputy leader of Xique Pavilion, broke open the main gate with stunned force.
"Search!"
Luo Shuo's shout had just registered, but he halted almost instantly.
Within the courtyard, only the chill autumn breeze swept through—it was utterly empty, not even a trace of a person.
...…
After hearing Luo Shuo's report, Wei Wuque remarked:
"No one was inside, as expected."
"This subordinate was incompetent and still arrived a step too late."
Lowering his gaze, Luo Shuo's tone was heavy with sha.
They had gathered Zhao Yan's corpse, used 'Soul Search', and scoured all the records within Qingfeng Pavilion, finally pinpointing the Western Jin spies' location. Yet, against expectations, the place was abandoned.
Unlike Luo Shuo's guilt, Wei Wuque appeared unperturbed.
"If it were that easy, their enemies seeking the Lonely Smoke Sword would have found them long ago. I imagine they've kept Qingfeng Pavilion under surveillance for ages. Upon Zhao Yan's death, they shifted base imdiately."
Xique Pavilion had lingered in Shantong City for so ti, investigating tirelessly. Yet the traces of Western Jin spies and the Lonely Smoke Sword eluded them entirely.
Fortune telling? Attempted, but disrupted—there was a Taoist among the Western Jin ensuring interference. Diversion tactics? Attempted as well—yet the Western Jin spies, cunning and cautious, scarcely showed themselves. All that remained was repetitive investigations.
The unexpected death of County Magistrate Jiang Shangli had further complicated the search, worsening an already difficult situation.
"To leave Shantong City, one must either head east through the main city gate or traverse the Jinn mountain path," Wei Wuque noted, his fingers tracing the map provided by the county office, marking the courtyard with an X. He continued, "Both locations are heavily guarded, showing no signs of activity. They must still be hidden sowhere in the city."
Luo Shuo studied the X-marked map and responded, "They consist of over twenty people. A hiding place must be large enough and well-concealed, but we've searched everywhere that fits both criteria."
"That ans they're in a place that ets only one criteria, but not the other," Wei Wuque replied.
He circled several spots on the map without hesitation:
"Gao Hai Martial Arts Hall, Yuanfeng Building, Chongyang Temple, Miaoshang Monastery…"
"They're certainly among these."
Luo Shuo had only just finished speaking when suddenly, a female spy rushed toward them in haste.
"Miss Donggong… she has disappeared!"
Luo Shuo's eyes widened, his complexion shifting abruptly as he demanded:
"Where did she go? Hurry and find her imdiately!"
"Understood!"
The female spy complied and quickly retreated.
Luo Shuo's breath ca in ragged gasps. The identity of Dong Gong Ruo Shu was far from ordinary. For certain individuals in the palace, she was a person who required stringent oversight.
Her assignnt in Shantong City was to cooperate with Xique Pavilion in the search for the Lonely Smoke Sword. If they lost her, recovering the sword would be like grabbing sesa seeds while throwing away a waterlon.
Wei Wuque broke the silence: "No need for alarm."
Luo Shuo glanced at him, perplexed.
"This was arranged privately between her and . We're using the Chen family daughter as bait to lure out the Western Jin spies."
Montarily befuddled, Luo Shuo asked instinctively:
"Then… search for her?"
"Search. Thoroughly. But make sure not to intentionally leak the situation."
Wei Wuque spoke with deliberate composure:
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