Chapter 317 - 222: You Can Share the Moon from a Li Away, Too
Chapter 317: Chapter 222: You Can Share the Moon from a Li Away, Too
She and Chen Yunfan had just dispelled the suspicions of Xiao Wan’er’s group and were about to change the subject.
"Miss Liu, you’re asking the wrong person. With Mr. Qingzhou’s current renown, his whereabouts are naturally not for people like us to know."
"Isn’t that right, Sister Wan’er?"
Xiao Wan’er went along with her, adding, "As for my brother-in-law’s affairs, the Xiao Family will not pry too deeply either."
Liu Zhaoxue glanced at the two of them, then smiled and nodded. "In that case, I will have to wait for another opportunity to ask."
Just as she was about to bow and take her leave, the TINKLE TINKLE of a Bell suddenly reached her ears, followed by a cheerful, teasing voice:
"Sister Wan’er, Imperial Top Scholar Chen, and Xiao Wuge, you haven’t gone back to your estate yet?"
It was none other than Pei Guanli, clad in a long red dress with a Bell on, her feet completely bare.
Xiao Wan’er breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her. But when she glanced to Pei Guanli’s side and still saw no sign of Chen Yi, she asked:
"Where’s your brother-in-law?"
Pei Guanli stopped in her tracks and looked at her in confusion. "My brother-in-law already went back to the estate."
"He went back?"
"He went back?!"
Many were surprised. The first exclamation came from Xiao Wan’er, Xiaodie, and the others, who hadn’t expected Chen Yi to leave the Poetry gathering so quietly.
The second one came from Chen Yunfan.
If he hadn’t already decided to cover for Chen Yi, he would have exposed the Mountain Race’s Tiger Girl right then and there.
’Brother Yi just had a brutal fight with a whole group from the Evil Demonic Dao. How the hell is he already back?’
Xiao Wan’er asked hesitantly, "When did he leave? Why didn’t he wait for us? He didn’t even say anything beforehand."
Hearing this, Pei Guanli scratched her head. "Well, my brother-in-law did ask me to come tell you. It’s just... it’s just that I forgot."
"You forgot?"
"Kangning Street was just so, so lively, so I... I got distracted watching for a bit."
Xiao Wan’er chided her gently. "You. Don’t let it happen again."
"I won’t, I won’t."
Xiao Wuge looked up and asked, "Sister Guanli, why did you and brother-in-law leave tonight? You missed all the fun."
’Why did we leave?’
Pei Guanli stuck out her tongue and explained just as Chen Yi had instructed. "It’s, uh, all my fault."
"Tonight, I heard some Jianghu People speaking disrespectfully to my brother-in-law, and then we..."
"In the end, my brother-in-law composed a poem that won them over, so I didn’t have to fight them."
"But on the way back, I accidentally made him fall into the water. His clothes were soaked, so he had no choice but to head back to the estate first."
This half-true, half-false explanation made Xiao Wan’er unable to resist poking her on the forehead. "You can’t be so reckless next time."
"It’s a good thing your brother-in-law is okay. Otherwise, Second Sister would never let you hear the end of it."
Pei Guanli readily agreed, then stepped forward, took her hand, and giggled.
"Sister Wan’er, it’s getting so late. We should hurry back too."
Xiao Wan’er nodded slightly, then turned to Chen Yunfan and the others. She gave a slight bow. "We’ve imposed on you all tonight. I hope we have the chance to meet again."
Cui Qingwu smiled and returned the bow. "When I have a free moment in a few days, I will come to visit. I hope you won’t mind, Sister."
"Of course not..."
Chen Yunfan shot Pei Guanli a strange look.
’Now I get it.’
’This Tiger Girl ran back by herself just to create a cover story for Chen Yi.’
’It makes sense, now that I think about it.’
’Brother Yi’s fight with those people from the Five Poison Sect was brutal. His clothes were in tatters, so it’s true he couldn’t show his face at the academy.’
’It’s just...’
’Why do I still feel the urge to complain about it?’
A short while later, after exchanging a few more pleasantries and bidding farewell to Mr. Yue Ming and the others, they boarded their respective carriages and departed.
Only Liu Zhaoxue and the guards behind her remained, standing perfectly still as they watched the carriages disappear into the distance.
The moment Liu Zhaoxue saw Pei Guanli return unharmed, she knew something had happened to Yan Fusha and the others from the Five Poison Sect.
She didn’t know the exact circumstances, nor did she know how much Chen Yi and Pei Guanli knew about what had transpired.
But there was no way she was going to believe a word of Pei Guanli’s story.
’If those so-called "Jianghu People" were actually Yan Fusha and the Five Poison Sect, how could things have ended so peacefully?’
’Competing over Poetry and comparing Fist and Foot skills... it was all utter nonsense.’
「After a moment of thought.」
Liu Zhaoxue waved her hand, signaling her men to board the carriage. "Let’s go take a look outside the city," she ordered.
’She wouldn’t be able to rest easy until she saw it for herself.’
Because it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Prefecture City’s gates remained open all night, allowing their carriage to leave without issue.
Liu Zhaoxue instructed the driver to head downstream along the Chishui River.
After stopping and starting for about an hour, they finally found some traces on a riverbank several dozen li away.
"Miss, please look."
Liu Zhaoxue looked in the direction her subordinate was pointing, and a look of astonishment appeared on her beautiful face.
The area, which should have been a dense forest, now looked as if it had been plowed over by an ox.
Splintered wood and shattered rock were strewn everywhere.
Deep gouges were carved into the earth, along with traces of corrosion from some unknown substance.
Clearly, a vicious battle had just taken place here.
Liu Zhaoxue scanned the area, her brow furrowed slightly. "Keep searching," she commanded. "See if you can find any scraps of clothing or anything else left behind."
Her subordinates obeyed, fanning out from the epicenter to search the surroundings.
But even after turning the entire area upside down, they found nothing of use.
"Miss, all that remains are faint fluctuations from the Heaven and Earth’s Spiritual Mechanism. It seems a Spearman, a Swordman, and an expert in poisons fought here."
Liu Zhaoxue grunted in acknowledgment, her expression growing even more severe.
’So...’
’Chen Yi and Pei Guanli left alive, Yan Fusha and the others from the Five Poison Sect are nowhere to be found, and this forest shows signs of a fierce battle...’
’All the signs confirmed her earlier suspicions—something had happened!’
’Something major!’
"A master skilled with a Long Spear and an expert who uses a long Blade..."