Chapter 288: A Great Show! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 288: Good Show! (Please Vote for the Moon)

A gentle rain fell.

Huan Er drove the carriage into the Listening Rain Pavilion.

Approaching the central courtyard.

Cui Qingwu blinked back to awareness from his thoughts, catching snippets of voices nearby.

"……I’ve always said that if I work hard enough, my swordplay will improve."

"Before, it was just……a period of concealment."

"Exactly, that’s the word—I……Springer, your eyes seem a bit off. Dare you laugh at me?"

"Not daring, not daring."

"Are you not……hmm? Niushan, what are you laughing at?"

"Young master, I’m not……"

"Not laughing? I clearly saw your mouth open wide……"

The sound of Chen Yunfan’s loud, boisterous voice reached Cui Qingwu’s ears, and he could easily imagine his appearance.

—He was dressed in a thin robe, his long hair loosely tied behind, his handsome face animated with excitement, one hand holding a sword as he berated and laughed at the towering Niushan.

Thinking this over, Cui Qingwu couldn’t help but smile faintly.

The unease and restlessness he’d felt after seeing the stars had long since dissipated.

He patted the carriage, instructed Huan Er to stop, and stepped down.

Huan Er saw his smiling face and relaxed a little, then drove the carriage toward the stables.

Like before, Cui Qingwu stood alone, holding an oil-paper umbrella as he walked through the corridor.

Chen Yunfan, having heard his voice, gave Springer a glance before straightening his clothes and approaching.

"Qingwu, still coming out in this heavy rain to the tavern?"

He must have guessed Cui Qingwu was going on business for the White Tiger Guard, but since he couldn’t get involved, he pretended ignorance.

To his surprise, Cui Qingwu shook his head. "No, I’m going to the White Tiger Guard."

Chen Yunfan blinked, "The White Tiger Guard?"

He hadn’t expected Cui Qingwu to openly admit his identity as a member of the White Tiger Guard at this moment.

Not to mention the time he’d previously revealed his martial arts skills, which Cui Qingwu hadn’t even chosen to disclose.

Why now?

Cui Qingwu slightly lifted his head, his voice carrying a proud, slightly haughty tone: "I haven’t told Cloudfan that I’m now a Silver Flag Officer of the White Tiger Guard."

"Rank—Luan Fu."

"Silver Flag Officer? Luan Fu? A good title."

Chen Yunfan said this, scrutinizing Cui Qingwu carefully, and found himself muttering under his breath.

She seemed different from before.

"Yet you’re such a proper young lady of the Cui family. Why did you join the White Tiger Guard?"

"To tell the truth……"

Cui Qingwu didn’t reveal the real reason, only saying it was his elders’ arrangement for her to train in the White Tiger Guard.

"……Originally, I was assigned to the Kyoto Prefecture, but Cloudfan came to Shuozhou, so I followed him."

Chen Yunfan nodded, though he only believed half of it.

"So, tonight, you’re going to the White Tiger Guard—what’s the arrangement?"

Cui Qingwu nodded, then shook her head: "There is an arrangement, but I don’t intend to follow it."

Chen Yunfan fell silent, then chuckled, "That’s just like you."

"My personality? Cloudfan thinks I’m being willful?"

"Mmm, a bit."

If Chen Yi were here, he’d probably cover his face and pretend he didn’t recognize him.

Any man who understood women wouldn’t have been so direct.

But Chen Yunfan, ever straightforward, didn’t like to hide things.

And when he directly acknowledged it, Cui Qingwu’s face flushed with a hint of annoyance: "So I’m unbearable in Cloudfan’s heart."

"Not at all……"

After a few light-hearted remarks, Chen Yunfan didn’t press further about the White Tiger Guard’s arrangements.

Just as he’d told Chen Yi—he didn’t dislike Cui Qingwu’s appearance, only resented the Cui-Chen alliance marriage.

Without cause.

He didn’t think such a marriage would benefit either family.

Cui Qingwu also didn’t say it, but the heavy burden of hiding her White Tiger Guard identity had finally settled.

Her expression eased further.

After their interaction settled, she smiled and returned to the inner chambers.

Raindrops pattered against her oil-paper umbrella like a curtain.

Under the glow of several lanterns, the path leading to the inner chambers was scattered with droplets like petals.

Chen Yunfan watched her silhouette disappear beyond the corridor, his smile gradually fading.

After a moment’s thought, he called for Springer.

"Have there been any changes in the city lately?"

Springer’s heart skipped a beat, fearing he’d been discovered from his secret outings.

"Changes? The same as before."

"Reports of the King of the Wet and Sweaty Country, Ruan Duowang, and the barbarians making incursions into the borderlands……Though this afternoon, someone said in the East Market that Lü Jiunan hasn’t died."

"Lü Jiunan hasn’t died?"

A vision of Chen Yi’s face flashed in Chen Yunfan’s mind, and he muttered to himself, "Could the White Tiger Guard’s arrangements for Cui Qingwu be connected to Chen Yi……'Liu Wu'?"

Silence fell for a moment.

In the slight tremble of Springer’s voice, Chen Yunfan then commanded, "Check around the city for any anomalies among those scoundrels and demons."

"And Ning Yu……Tell him to keep following her."

Springer saw his hand gesture toward the inner chambers, understood it referred to Cui Qingwu, and nodded, releasing his tension: "I’ll arrange that right away."

"Wait."

Chen Yunfan stopped her, pondering: "I want to send another letter to my father."

Chunying hesitated slightly, but seeing his earnest expression, she nodded again.

"I'll ask around later."

"Okay..."

Meanwhile,

Chen Yifan had just led Pei Wanlu away from the courtyard on Changxi Street.

Precisely speaking, he carried the barbarian youth Asuo Tuo together, the three of them walking through the pitch-dark rain.

He wore a dark cloak, a conical hat, and a black iron mask.

Asuo Tuo, like before, was in a trance, his body pressed flat against Chen Yifan's shoulder, hands and feet nearly touching the ground.

One could easily imagine how long his frame was.

Beside him, Pei Wanlu was dressed in nightclothes, trailing closely behind Chen Yifan, eyes darting around wildly.

His expression was excited.

"Sister--mistress, where are we going now?"

"You... You say you want to take me to see a show, what kind of show?"

"Is this barbarian boy going to be sent away? Why don't you just kill him?"

"And what about the person left inside the house—do they have something interesting to watch too?"

Pei Wanlu chattered endlessly.

Fortunately, she knew how to keep a low profile, deliberately lowering her voice.

Otherwise, in this rainy night, they might have disturbed more people.

At least, with Chen Yifan's keen hearing, he had already caught some sounds from the nearby martial artists.

He lifted his hand, gripping Pei Wanlu's nape, lowering his voice: "If you keep babbling, I'll just drop you here."

Pei Wanlu stuck out her tongue, understanding he was trying to scare her.

"I promise, I promise to keep quiet."

Chen Yifan shook his head helplessly, lifting her by the nape, leaping into the air.

"I don't believe it."

Before Pei Wanlu could respond to his disbelief, he pulled her into a somersault, landing on a rooftop near the Liu family's rear courtyard.

She watched his move, knowing the show was about to begin, and kept her mouth covered, staring unblinking at Asuo Tuo.

She still didn't understand what her brother-in-law meant by "good show."

But she knew that if he said it, it must be a good show.

Soon,

the door to Liu Hong's study room opened, and Zhao Liu'an, holding a long sword, stepped out cautiously.

He spotted Asuo Tuo outside and instantly his face darkened.

"Asuo Tuo?!"

Looking back, Asuo Tuo remained composed.

His dark face bore a trace of hatred, yet he remembered Chen Yifan's instructions clearly, standing silent in the rain.

When Zhao Liu'an's voice reached them, Liu Hong and Liu Tao'er emerged from the study.

Liu Hong furrowed his brows, studying Asuo Tuo, his expression tinged with thought as he looked at Zhao Liu'an.

"Are you sure it's him?"

Zhao Liuan stared at Asou Tai, who nodded slightly. "I have indeed seen him before, the subordinate of Ceng Zhi Feng. It was him."

Beside him, Liu Tao-Yao could not help but question again, his brow furrowed with doubt: "But how could he have appeared here?"

"The father went to Ming Yue Tower for lunch..."

He dared not go on further.

It was clear that Asou Tai was no mere outsider or demon of Ming Yue Tower, nor could he have come of his own accord.

Liu Hong, too, understood this fully. After scanning the area, his eyes settled back on Asou Tai.

"Tell me, why have you come here?"

Asou Tai looked at Liu Hong, and though he did not recognize him, he knew in his heart who he was—the governor of Shu Zhou in the land of Shu.

He suppressed his hatred with effort, his voice harsh as he spoke: "I do not know. I simply woke up here."

"Awake? So you had been in a state of unconsciousness all this time?"

"Yes."

Liu Hong pondered for a moment and asked: "Do you remember what happened that day?"

"I do not."

"Who took you away?"

"I do not know."

Seeing that he could not answer three simple questions, Liu Hong’s brow darkened slightly, and he asked in a low voice: "Do you know who I am?"

Asou Tai shook his head again, then nodded once: "That person... he told me, you can, to send me back to the Barbarian tribes."

Liu Hong’s eyes narrowed, his gaze flickering over Asou Tai’s face with uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Liu Tao-Yao could no longer keep his composure, his expression a mix of concern and curiosity.

After a moment of thought, he bit his lip and said: "Father, the deadline given by that beast has almost passed."

"Since he desires the heir of the Barbarian tribes, why not simply send word for him to come and take him away?"

Zhao Liuan immediately shook his head. "Not advisable."

"Asou Tai’s appearance here is too suspicious. It may be... it may be..."

He dared not finish the sentence.

Yet Liu Hong, having risen to the governorship of Shu Zhou, was no fool.

Zhao Liuan could think of it, so too could he.

Moreover, he had deduced the intentions of the one pulling the strings—waiting to see how he would handle this thorn in his side.

Kill him, or spare him?

If he were to kill Asou Tai, it would indeed prevent the schemes of the hidden hand, at least temporarily clearing him of any ties to the Barbarian tribes.

But in that case, Du Cang, that wolf-like figure, would surely spread the tale of this matter far and wide.

By then, he would be dead, or close to it.

Yet not killing Asou Tai...

Liu Hong could not bear to let the hidden hand’s plans succeed!

He turned this way and that in thought.

In the end, his expression hardened with resolve, and he ordered Liu Tao-Yao: "Take him and keep him under watch."

"How could this be? The heir of the Barbarian tribes has truly been abducted by those bandits! I shall petition the court and ask the Son of Heaven to decide the succession."

Liu Tao-Yao blinked in surprise. "Father..."

"Enough chatter. Keep him safe. If he escapes, I cannot save you either!"

Time was short.

The best course Liu Hong could think of was to preserve himself while handing this thorn in the flesh over to Du Cang for resolution.

Liu Tao-Yao understood, and stepped forward to whisper to Asou Tai: "Come with me."

Asou Tai did not resist, following him as they departed.

Only as they were about to leave, he glanced back at Liu Hong, as if to memorize his face.

"I, Bolu·Gu·Asou Tai, await the day you are executed!"

Though Liu Hong did not know his thoughts, he understood his gaze. His mind grew deeper still.

Meanwhile, Zhao Liuan thought for a moment and asked: "My lord, who do you think it is?"

Earlier, both he and Liu Hong had guessed it was Ceng Zhi Feng.

But given the current situation, the one who brought Asou Tai to Liu’s household was no longer Ceng Zhi Feng.

After all, all within Liu’s household were guarded by deadly disciples.

Even if their cultivation was not high, they were no match for someone of Ceng Zhi Feng’s mid-third rank.

Liu Hong nodded slightly, letting the rainwater drip from his hair.

It seemed only this way could he calm himself.

"Asou Tai’s arrival here must mean that the hidden hand, in abducting him, also pried open Ceng Zhi Feng’s mouth."

"Ceng Zhi Feng?"

"Why, since he knew the lord’s identity, why did he return Asou Tai?"

"There are two possibilities."

"Either to gain leverage over the lord’s dealings with the south, or to make peace with the lord."

Liu Hong raised his head, studying the surroundings as if searching for the hidden hand.

"What do you think?"

Zhao Liuan already had an answer in his heart, his teeth clenched as he said: "He has a cruel heart!"

Liu Hong nodded solemnly.

After finding nothing, he turned back toward the study.

"No matter his purpose, the lord... could not let him have his way!"

At this point, Chen Yi’s eyes flickered with a hint of a smile, and he, along with Pei Wang-Lu, slipped away.

This "good game" was merely an appetizer, yet it had shown him clearly who Liu Hong truly was.

Not a heroic leader, nor a mere villain, but a duke of treachery.

If he were a heroic leader, Liu Hong would have simply killed Asou Tai to end the matter.

If he were a mere villain, he would have played the game to its fullest, at least sending Asou Tai to the magistrate’s office to gain favor with the court.

A duke of treachery was the highest praise Chen Yi could offer.

Without daring to cultivate private armies or consort with the wicked and the Barbarian tribes, Liu Hong would have been nothing more than a treacherous minister.

Adding a "male" element to it would still be a slight overture to him.

Pei Wanlu, unaware of these things, had already lost the earlier spark of excitement in her eyes, and muttered through her teeth:

"Good show? Not a bit fun."

Chen Yi let out a dry, helpless laugh, just as about to speak, when a flash of golden light flickered before his eyes—

[Daily Intel: Yellow Grade, Medium Quality. At three o'clock in the afternoon, outside the East Market, Yuan Liu'er sells her body to bury her father. Can obtain a slight amount of destiny.]

(End of chapter)