Yangzhou Snitch (3)
Yangzhou Snitch (3)
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru entered the shop and asked for two premium rooms and a table full of top-class dishes. Li Xiaoyao followed Lin Yueru's habits. He was an easy-going person. Whether it was hardship or wealth, to him, freedom was the most important thing.
As they ate, they listened to the wealthy merchants at the neighboring table discussing,""Recently, that female cat burglar has been too arrogant. I heard that the things she stole were all priceless. She even didn't want the inferior ones! Sigh, many people's family heirlooms have disappeared overnight. I'm really worried…"
Another person said angrily,"The Governor of Yangzhou is incompetent and stupid. No wonder he can't accumulate power!" No one was afraid of the thieves, so why wasn't public security deteriorating day by day?”
"It's fine if the prefect is incompetent, but his subordinates are all flatterers. There's not a single person who can be used.”
"See, I was right, wasn't I?" Lin Yueru said.”
Li Xiaoyao smiled and said,"Yes, that's right."”
The merchants continued," The new prefect is obviously from a small family. He has never seen money in his life. He wants any small amount of money. He punishes here and there all day long. Tsk! What a joke!"
Another person said," Don't just look at how greedy he is for small profits. It's a big deal if he adds them up all day long. I say that in these few years, he will be able to make a living!"”
Someone said," There's a rumor in the capital that an ordinary county magistrate can be bought for 2,000 taels of silver. An advisor can be bought for 600 taels of silver, and a patrol position can be bought for 200 taels of silver. Such capital can be recovered in a day as a county magistrate. In the future, it will all be a net profit. There's actually such a good deal in the world!”
"After we leave the city tomorrow, I'll buy a seat as a county magistrate to play with."”
"Sigh, why didn't you catch the thief properly and set so many prohibitions! Was this Magistrate going to deal with the commoners or the thieves?”
During the entire meal, Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru discussed the horrors of the cat burglar and the evil deeds of the government. It was obvious that these were the two greatest hatred of the residents of Yangzhou City. The harm to the people was perhaps no less than that of the demons.
After dinner, Lin Yueru still wanted to go out to play. Li Xiaoyao was not interested. He was alone in the room recalling his kung fu while he carefully pondered over the moves that the Liquor Sword Immortal had taught him. In the past few battles, he had only used the moves that he was used to. Sometimes, he wanted to use other moves that were not commonly used, but he was not familiar enough and did not dare to use them rashly. Now that he had a chance, he should concentrate on studying.
In his room, Li Xiaoyao would occasionally recall the sword technique, and sometimes he would stand up and make gestures. He would casually thrust his sword out, and with a swoosh, a sharp sword Qi would burst out of the window. Immediately, people outside would exclaim in shock.
Li Xiaoyao was afraid of hurting someone, so he quickly pushed the door open and went out. Outside the room was one of the wealthy businessmen who had been eating at the next table. He had been guarding a green bag tightly. At this moment, he was hugging it tightly in his arms. He was so scared that his face turned pale and he could not move. The flowerbed guardrail in front of him had been cut by the sword qi, and the flat cut was shocking. If the rich businessman had taken a step faster, his leg would have been pierced through.
"Boss, are you alright?" Li Xiaoyao asked.”
"Ah, ah!" The merchant came back to his senses and forced a smile."It's fine, it's fine. Hero, you…you practice martial arts?”
Li Xiaoyao scratched his head in embarrassment and said,""I'm sorry to have accidentally disturbed you.”
"No, no, I'm fine, I'm fine.”The merchant wanted to leave, but he stopped and said with a fake smile,"Sigh…Little brother…"
"What is it?"
"You…are still very young. What are you doing in Yangzhou City? A batch of goods? Looking for a girl?"
"No, it's none of them. Um…I'm just passing by…" Li Xiaoyao said.
"I was just passing by." No one knew what the merchant was thinking, but he said,""Then the girl who came with you, she…?”
"She went out for a walk."
After a while, the merchant said,""The room you are staying in is the best in Yangzhou City. Even I can't bear to stay in it. It's really generous. Where do you work? I still need you to promote me!"
Li Xiaoyao secretly laughed in his heart and thought, My aunt runs a small inn in Yuhang. She wants to promote you. At most, she can teach you how to cook two dishes!”
He didn't like people who took advantage of every opportunity and tried to get close to him. He only smiled and said,""It's good that you're not injured. I accidentally alarmed you. I'm sorry. Goodnight.”
After saying that, Li Xiaoyao closed the door and sat down, continuing to study the sword art.
Time passed, but Lin Yueru still hadn't returned. Li Xiaoyao was a little anxious from waiting. He walked out of the room and wanted to walk around."There's a curfew in this city. I forgot about it. This is bad. If Sister Yueru doesn't come back soon, she'll be violating the curfew.”
He walked to the restaurant of the inn and wanted to ask the waiter if there was any place in the city that Lin Yueru might go. As soon as he stepped into the restaurant, he saw three rascals surrounding a woman sitting at a table in the empty shop.
The woman's skin was extremely fair, and her clothes were extremely smooth. She seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally revealed a small part of her fragrant shoulders. Her soft hair was slanted, and her eyes were charming. Anyone who saw her would feel their heart palpitate.
However, the three scoundrels surrounding her clearly made her impatient. The three of them were all unattractive and dressed sloppily. They smiled and said,"Little miss, you smell so good! Let me hug you!"
"Looking at your tender skin, I really want to pinch you.”
"Are you free tonight? Have fun with us!"
The woman looked impatient. Li Xiaoyao was wondering if he should save her, but she had already raised her wine cup with her small hands painted with bright red. She took a sip and then filled it up again."Do you guys want to drink?"
The three rascals were overjoyed and said,"Ha!" Ha!"
"This cup has been touched by my wife's fragrant lips. I'll drink it even if it's urine!”
"Me first, me first!"
Even though the woman was cold and indifferent, she still exuded an indescribable charm. She said,"Don't worry, one cup for each person.”
The three of them were overjoyed, and their words became more and more obscene. Li Xiaoyao thought,"So you're willing to fight. Fortunately, I didn't meddle in your business.”
Just as Li Xiaoyao was about to leave, the woman stood up and looked at him.
Li Xiaoyao was stunned, not knowing what she was going to do.
The woman only stared at him for a moment before turning around and walking towards the guest room.
Following that, they heard a series of bangs. The three rascals had already fallen to the ground one after another.
Li Xiaoyao was shocked, but the woman didn't seem surprised and went to the guest room. Li Xiaoyao's curiosity was piqued, and he chased after her to find out more about her. He saw the woman enter a small room on the east side. Li Xiaoyao was extremely curious and looked outside. He was too embarrassed to ask her what method she used to defeat the three scoundrels, but he didn't want to leave just like that.
The woman's figure was reflected in the window, as if she was dressing up in front of the mirror. Her movements were still so gentle and charming, and she really was seductive.
At this moment, a nasal voice came from inside the room. It sounded like it was angry and silly as it said,"Those three idiots were only poisoned by Tihu Incense. They will wake up after sleeping for two hours. Little brother, what else do you want to know?”
"No…No, it's nothing. Sorry for disturbing you…" Li Xiaoyao's face turned red.
Li Xiao Yao quickly returned to his room, passing by the rich merchant's room and entering his own room, thinking,""That woman is really powerful. She actually knew that I was outside. It can be seen that there are experts everywhere. Even that charming woman hid her strength.”
Li Xiaoyao waited for Lin Yueru and fell asleep on the table.
Not long after Li Xiaoyao fell asleep, he heard the sound of the door being pushed open. Judging from the footsteps, it should be Lin Yueru.
Li Xiaoyao thought about it and thought,""Something's not right. Why did Sister Yueru enter my room? What strange idea does she have?"
He didn't make a sound or move, waiting to see what Lin Yueru was going to do.
With a rustling sound, Li Xiaoyao felt a warmth on his back. It was Lin Yueru who had taken a thin blanket and draped it over him.
Li Xiaoyao's heart warmed as he thought, Sister Yue Ru is actually very gentle.”
Lin Yueru let out a long sigh. This long sigh was filled with infinite gentleness and sorrow. Li Xiaoyao's heart skipped a beat. He felt that this sigh was very similar to Zhao Ling 'er's.
"Sigh!" Lin Yueru said softly. Big Brother Li…what am I to you?”
Li Xiaoyao's chest trembled. Although he already knew what Lin Yueru was thinking, Lin Yueru's complaint made Li Xiaoyao even more emotional. He didn't know what to do.
It was extremely quiet outside, with only a few insect cries. Lin Yueru sat beside Li Xiaoyao, not moving. Li Xiaoyao continued to lie down and pretend to be asleep. What was Yue Ru's expression like at this moment? Was she worried, or was she looking at him?
There was a commotion outside the door as someone shouted,"Thieves! Catch the thief!"
"Thief?" Lin Yueru jumped up, pushed open the door, and ran out to find out what was going on. Li Xiaoyao raised his head and followed her out in confusion. Just as he ran out, he heard the clanging of swords and sabers. Li Xiaoyao asked curiously,"What's wrong?"
He hurried over to where the commotion was. There was no one in the corridor of the inn. There were only two slender figures fighting fiercely. It was Lin Yueru and a woman in black.
The shopkeeper and some unknown people were hiding in the dark or under the table. They held their heads and did not dare to come out.
In the corridor in front of them, a slender woman waved her hand. Lin Yueru swung her sword to block it. Ding! Ding! The sound of hidden weapons being sent flying by Lin Yueru was heard. The masked woman in black waved her hand and slapped Lin Yueru's chest. Lin Yueru's sword slashed down, but she couldn't succeed. She quickly jumped out of the corridor. Lin Yueru shouted,"Don't leave!"
She chased after him with her sword in hand. The woman in black turned around and threw out a hidden weapon. Lin Yueru hurriedly blocked it with her sword and stabbed with her wrist, almost breaking the female thief's wrist. The female thief retracted her hand and cried out in surprise. She turned around and fled, but Lin Yueru was still chasing after her.
The female thief was extremely fast, and with a bag on her shoulder, she fled with all her might as if she was flying.
Although Li Xiaoyao did not learn Qinggong, his inner energy was outstanding, so he did not fall behind. Seeing Lin Yueru chasing them, the three of them ran east along the city wall. After running for four or five miles, the female thief suddenly turned north.
Seeing that Lin Yueru was about to catch up, the female thief suddenly turned around. Lin Yueru couldn't react in time, and the silver dart in her hand was about to cut Lin Yueru's forehead!
Lin Yueru dodged to the side, but the female thief turned around and ran again. Lin Yueru secretly hated this female thief for not only being ruthless but also cunning. With such a surprise, the distance between them increased by more than ten steps. The female thief raised her breath and shouted, then used the Gecko Wall Climbing Technique to jump onto the roof of a rich family. Lin Yueru also knew how to jump on roofs and walls, so she raised her breath and chased after her. She took a small detour and jumped onto the roof, blocking in front of the female thief. She shouted,"Where to?"
The female thief had no choice but to use her palm to meet the attack. However, Lin Yueru had a weapon in her hand, and she did not. She could only dodge to the east and to the west. Two black shadows shuttled back and forth in the sword light, and they fought for no less than ten rounds.
Li Xiaoyao rushed over and stabbed the female thief's back with his sword. Unexpectedly, the female thief rose into the air and flew a few feet away. She smiled charmingly and said,"Hey! You're a pretty boy who peeped at other people's dressing up. You're quite skilled. Unfortunately, I don't have time to play with you!”
She turned around and was about to run when Li Xiaoyao stabbed her with his sword and shouted,"Don't run!"
The female thief threw out an item and smiled." This is our token of love. Don't give it to anyone else!" Ha…"
Li Xiaoyao hurriedly dodged the object. With a loud bang, the object fell on the tiles. It turned out to be the bag she was carrying.
In this moment of absent-mindedness, the female thief had already disappeared.
"Stop her!" Lin Yueru said.
"If you can't catch up, don't chase anymore."”
"How can you just let it go like this?" Lin Yueru stomped her feet.……Hmph, eh, weren't you dead asleep just now? Why did you rush over so quickly?"
"Someone covered me with a blanket and said some strange things in my ear. How could I not know?" Li Xiaoyao laughed.”
Lin Yueru's pretty face flushed red as she widened her eyes and glared at Li Xiaoyao.""So…you…you eavesdropped…you bad guy!”
Li Xiaoyao didn't continue and said,"You're too stubborn!" That black-clothed thief is very skilled. It's too risky for you to deal with her.”
"Who's afraid of her if we join forces?" Lin Yueru said unwillingly. Why did you let her go?"
Li Xiaoyao picked up his bag and said," It's fine as long as we get the things back. We won't be able to get her even if we chase after her."”
"Who says we can't?" Lin Yueru asked. I saw her running towards that mansion!”
Li Xiaoyao said," If she's just passing by, it's useless for you to chase after her. If that's where she's hiding, it's not a big deal."”
Lin Yueru's eyes turned and her expression suddenly changed.""Let me ask you! What did she mean when she said…'a pretty boy who peeked at other people's makeup'?”
"That's…that's what I meant." Li Xiaoyao was embarrassed.”
"You…you peeked at her dressing up?"
"No, no, it's a long story…"
"Then what does 'this is our token of love'?”
"Erm…I really don't know. Yueru, can you not remember such trivial matters? The most important thing now was to return the treasure to its rightful owner.”
"Could it be that the Miao woman was talking about you when she said she loved every man she saw?" Lin Yueru said with a face full of hatred. Ha! Even a passerby can tell that you're a frivolous thief, but I can't tell. I'm really blind!”
Li Xiaoyao said anxiously," Hey, you're really soft-hearted. How am I that kind of person?"”
"If she isn't, are you willing to arrest her?”
"Why wouldn't I?" Li Xiaoyao asked. I don't want to waste time. I have to rush to Miaojiang!”
"Humph! I think you just can't bear to!"
"Forget it, forget it, let's go back first!" Li Xiaoyao said helplessly.”
Li Xiaoyao steeled his heart and ignored Lin Yueru's unreasonable behavior. He carried the package and ran back. Lin Yueru followed behind him with a sad face and an unhappy expression.
The two of them rushed into the inn. The sky was already bright. They saw that the rich merchant was crying bitterly in the newly opened shop. The shopkeeper and some tourists were surrounding him to comfort him.
The rich merchant sobbed,"My luggage was stolen. All my property is in there!" My gold ingots…antiques…wuu…"
"You must have priceless antiques and treasures, otherwise that female thief wouldn't even bother to steal them!" You're so rich, you can only accept it if you lose it. At least you're still alive.”
"You don't know!" cried the merchant. I'm going back to Chang 'an, and I'm passing through Yangzhou to do some business. What I have with me…is all my wealth. Who knew…I couldn't get out after entering the city. Isn't the governor of Yangzhou just waiting for the female cat burglar to steal it by trapping us here? Wuuu…I have nothing left!"
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru walked into the shop. As soon as they entered, everyone fell silent.
Li Xiao Yao placed the cloth bag on the table and said,""Whose is it? We took it back."
The merchant quickly took a step forward and untied the bag. Underneath the black bag was indeed a green cloth bag. The merchant was overjoyed and said,"It's mine, it's mine!"
Ignoring everyone's gaze, he unfolded the green cloth bag on the spot, revealing a large amount of gold and silver ingots inside. Everyone's eyes were dazzled by the sight.
He rummaged for a while, and his expression changed drastically." Eh?... Missing something? Where is my Purple Gold Gourd?"
"What Purple Gold Gourd?" Lin Yueru asked.”
The rich merchant's face turned red and his neck thickened. He said,"Did you guys hide it? That gourd is a priceless treasure. I'm willing to exchange everything for it. It doesn't matter if you take all of them. Just return them to me.”
Lin Yueru finally understood what he meant and said,""You... you mean we're with the Snitch?”
The merchant said," It's good that it is, but it's also good that it isn't. That Purple Gold Gourd is my life. If you take it away, you're asking me to die!"”
Lin Yueru was so angry that she couldn't speak. She said,""We risked our lives to snatch your things back. Not only are you not grateful, but you're also accusing us?”
"Minister, if we really took your gourd, why would we return this bag to you?" Li Xiao Yao said angrily.？”
"I've seen too many tricks like this in my many years in Jianghu," the merchant said. I spent half of my life savings to get that Purple Gold Gourd! I…I want to report this to the authorities! Report to the officials!"
The rich merchant hurriedly packed up all his belongings and ran out in big strides.
Lin Yueru was even more furious. She shouted from behind,""Kindness doesn't get rewarded. It's fine if you don't know how to repay gratitude, but you even bite back. This kind of person is heartless and unrighteous.”
Li Xiaoyao looked around at the people in the shop. Everyone had an expression of not daring to meddle in other people's business, and even more people had suspicious looks. Li Xiaoyao thought it through. He and Lin Yueru were a young man and a woman. They were very generous and did not look like they were here to do business. Moreover, they knew martial arts. It was easy to arouse suspicion. Perhaps everyone present thought that the merchant was right.
"Sister Ru, forget it." Li Xiaoyao said. I think…we've fallen into that female cat burglar's trap!”
"A trap?"
"That squire's treasure must be in the hands of that female cat burglar." What we snatched back were only other unimportant things.”
"Wouldn't we have worked for nothing?" Lin Yueru said angrily.
Li Xiaoyao said," Don't be anxious. We'll be good people to the end. We just need to think of a way to help him find his lost property. That's all."”
"Hmph!" Lin Yueru said angrily. Who would want to help a heartless person find his lost property?”
"It's not for him, it's for our innocence."”
Lin Yueru was still not convinced. Li Xiaoyao held her hand and said,""Let's go. It'll be too late if the officials come!”
Lin Yueru was initially unwilling, but Li Xiaoyao held her hand tightly. She couldn't help but get up and walk out with him.
The two of them followed the path they had taken last night and turned north to the east of the city. They jumped over the high wall and saw a large courtyard in the south. It was very quiet. From afar, there seemed to be many white lanterns swaying, like a mourning house.
"I saw that thief running there last night," Lin Yueru said curiously."How could she be a funeral?"”
"Perhaps that female thief is extremely cunning and has found a place to hide that no one would suspect."”
"Hmm, that makes sense. Let's ask around.”
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru used their lightness skills to rush to the mansion. They strolled towards the market. The more there was a market, the more news they received.
Lin Yueru saw a place that specialized in needlework and embroidery, so she walked in. "Sigh, you know embroidery too?" Li Xiaoyao said.”
"Don't you know that this place has the most rumors?" Lin Yueru asked.”
"Is that so?"
"Humph, I don't like needlework. It's just that every time I do it, the maids and old women will gather together and gossip about others. I hate it when I see it, and I wish I could cover my ears and run far away. When a woman did embroidery, there was no one who did not gossip!”
Li Xiaoyao thought about it. Even the cute Ding Xianglan sisters seemed to be doing needlework while talking about other people's affairs. It seemed that this was a common problem for women.
Lin Yueru and Li Xiaoyao walked in and pretended to be picking out some embroidery. Immediately, a woman holding an embroidery frame said,""Wife, you're so beautiful.”
"Hehe…Young couple, I'm so envious!”
As expected, they immediately started gossiping. Lin Yueru smiled and said,""We just moved here and don't know anything. Big sisters, you have to tell me who's easy to get along with here and who's not so easy to get along with so that I don't offend anyone.”
These women could at least be Yueru's mothers. Even Li Xiaoyao couldn't help but admire Lin Yueru's hypocrisy when she called her " big sister ".
However, this mushy hypocrisy was the most useful. One had to know that the older a woman was, the more afraid she was of others talking about her. Therefore, he deliberately said that she was young. Even if it was not true, she would still be very happy and even treat you as her confidant.
When the women heard this, they all laughed. Some said,"Little wife, you're so sweet. It hurts!”
"Your husband is so lucky. What a perfect couple!”
" I saw someone holding a funeral nearby," Lin Yueru said." I was very scared. Big Sis, do you know what happened to that family?"”
One of the women immediately revealed a mysterious expression and said,"Let me tell you, sister, the mansion next door has just moved in.”
"You just moved here? This was really strange. There was a funeral as soon as they moved in?”
Lin Yueru continued, and the topic became heated.""No, no, it's even stranger. The moment she moved in, she hung lanterns. Someone should have died here long ago, but the moment the person died, the mistress moved. Isn't this quite strange?”
"The strangest thing is not that. People rarely come out of this house during the day, but in the middle of the night, they often hear the sound of many people coming in and out.”
" I heard that Master is a widow," another person said." How can a widow make a fortune?" Even the maids in the house were wearing gold and silver.”
"Those maids are all like demons and spirits! He couldn't get anything out of her, so he didn't know what was going on.”
"I've been inside before," said another person.
As soon as she said this, everyone fixed their eyes on her. She said," The family next door once bought a bunch of needles and needles and asked me to send them in. I got lost the moment I went in and almost couldn't get out, but…"
"What was the result?" Everyone asked.
The woman said," I accidentally fell and knocked open a secret door or something. When I looked up, Amitabha. I've never seen a house full of gold, silver, and jewelry in my life. I was dumbfounded!”
"What is it? What happened after that?"
The woman was also a little puzzled and said,"" After that, I suddenly blacked out and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was on the floor of my house…"
Everyone laughed and said,"Wang Ma, you're daydreaming!”
These words proved that there was something wrong with the family.
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru confirmed this point. Lin Yueru bought some needles and thread and went out with Li Xiaoyao. The two of them went to the mansion without saying anything.
From the outside, although they could only see the white lanterns fluttering in the wind, they could still roughly feel the luxurious towers and gardens outside. Such a large residence definitely had a lot of people, but it was so quiet and did not interact with others. The inside story was not simple.
"We're going in at night?" Lin Yueru asked.”
"It's too late. Have you forgotten about the official?" Li Xiaoyao said. If we don't get back the items before the government, we'll probably have to spend half a day in the government.”
"Then…what do you plan to do?"
"Let's get straight to the point. If we can't succeed, we'll barge in!" Li Xiaoyao said.”
"Alright, that's it." Lin Yueru nodded.”
The two of them knocked hard on the door together, attracting the attention of many people.
After a long while, the door creaked open, and a young girl dressed in light yellow silk clothes opened the door. She wore a jade bracelet on her wrist, and her pair of watery eyes looked at the two of them. She said gently,"Is there anything the two of you need?"
"We want to see your master for an extremely urgent matter."”
The yellow-robed maidservant said," I'm sorry. Our master is not here right now. If there's anything, you can leave a message or come back later."”
"I have to see her now!" Li Xiaoyao said.”
"She's not here. I'm sorry." The yellow-clothed maidservant smiled.”
As she was about to close the door, Lin Yueru strode forward and blocked the door.""Let's go in and wait!"
The yellow-robed maidservant moved her wrist as if she was about to make a move. However, she heard a tinkling sound and a soft bell sound rushed over. It was a woman dressed in fiery red silk clothes. She wore exquisite golden bells on her hands and feet. As she ran, the rhythm was like beautiful music.
The red-robed maidservant caught up and smiled. Furen said to invite the honored guests in."
Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru were stunned. The maid in red turned around and said,""Please follow me."
They didn't know what the owner of the house was up to, but she opened the door to welcome the enemy, which made Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru feel that she was very shrewd and definitely not a simple person.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。