On the way back, the three of them rode slowly. Chat occasionally.
On this day, the three of them became thirsty after walking, so they found a tea stall to rest.
While drinking tea, Qin Chuan said curiously: "Brother Yang, Mrs. Li's daughter and son-in-law are not weak in martial arts, and they also have many martial arts masters under their command. Why don't you let your daughter and son-in-law bring people to pick up the treasures? Instead, hire an escort to deliver them." , isn’t this a bit abnormal?”
Bodyguard Yang scratched his head and said, "I can't figure this out either. Our head bodyguard also asked the old lady at that time. The old lady said that her daughter was pregnant and it was inconvenient for her to travel far... Her son-in-law had quite a lot of grudges with many sects in the world. Deep, I dare not leave the Eagle Cult easily, I am worried that my enemies will take the opportunity to seek revenge and endanger my wife and children..."
"I see..." Qin Chuan laughed and then changed the subject to talk about what he saw on the road.
The three of them drank tea and continued on their way. In just one day, they each returned to their residences.
At the same time, good news also came from Cangzhou. An escort from the Cangzhou Branch Escort Bureau found the place where the Beiyi caravan settled.
Su Qiqi, Qin Chuan, Qingdai, and Luo Xiaoshi set off again to Cangzhou. The four of them traveled day and night, and finally caught up with those people before they left.
According to the one-eyed man, they were ordered by the Wolf Lord of Beiyi to come to the Central Plains to assassinate court officials and prestigious martial arts figures in the world.
The master of Lingyue Cave was one of their assassination targets. Originally, they wanted to borrow a knife to kill someone through the Ye You Alliance, but their plan was disrupted by Su Qiqi and others.
After that, they carried out multiple assassination operations until their whereabouts were discovered by people from Weiyuan Escort Bureau. They originally planned to hide again and wait for opportunistic actions, but unexpectedly something went wrong and their whereabouts were discovered by Su Qiqi and others.
Everyone was very angry after hearing the confession of the Beiyi spy. Yan Ruoyu also woke up. After learning the truth, she wanted to kill her enemy with her own hands. In the end, she suppressed her anger and handed over the Beiyi spies to King Jingbei with Su Qiqi and others.
The king of Jingbei went to the palace to meet the emperor overnight and reported the spies from Beiyi. The emperor appointed him as the imperial envoy to investigate the case, and he worked with the Ministry of Punishment to investigate the murder case of the Beiyi spy.
The turmoil caused by the Beiyi spies finally settled. Yan Ruoyu has matured a lot after this separation of life and death.
She stayed in the escort agency for a while and then said goodbye to Su Qiqi. I hope to take Master's ashes back to Lingyue Cave in Ziyun Mountain for burial.
Su Qiqi was worried about her safety and personally escorted her back to Ziyun Mountain.
The two sisters were walking and shopping together, which was a bit more leisurely.
On this day, the two of them arrived at Qingfeng Town near Ziyun Mountain. It coincides with the annual temple fair held in the town.
Yan Ruoyu proposed to go to the temple fair together. Seeing that she was rarely so happy, Su Qiqi readily agreed.
The two of them changed into bright clothes, hummed a little tune, and came to the temple fair in high spirits.
Along the way, you can see stalls selling candied haws, noodles, and sugar figures everywhere, as well as troupes performing and acrobats, which is very lively. I heard there is a lantern festival at night. Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu were as excited as children.
The two of them forgot their worries for a while, looking here and there. After a while, the two of them were eating from the street to the end of the street. I also watched a performance by the Caotai Opera Troupe.
When the temple fair ended, the two of them were still discussing the interesting things they had learned today.
Return to the inn where you stayed. The two of them were about to go upstairs to their rooms to rest, but they were stopped by the waiter. He handed Su Qiqi a note.
Su Qiqi took the note with a puzzled look and dragged Yan Ruoyu back to the guest room quickly.
After locking the door, Su Qiqi opened the note and read it, her expression changed slightly.
Yan Ruoyu hurriedly came over, quickly read the words on the note, and said in surprise: "What's going on? We don't know the leader of the Yulouchun Opera Troupe, why did he invite us to the banquet?"
"I don't know... maybe he knows my father or Uncle Qin, or maybe he has some connection with my master..." Su Qiqi was also confused.
"Then shall we go to the banquet?" Yan Ruoyu asked.
"Let's go take a look first. We'll act according to the situation..." Su Qiqi pondered for a while and said.
Yan Ruoyu nodded and said, "It is essential to be on guard against others. We must be more cautious."
After that, the two of them put the note on the oil lamp and burned it, then turned off the lamp and went to sleep.
In the evening of the next day, the two of them arrived at the Dou Family Ancestral Hall in Qingfeng Town, where the Yulouchun Opera Troupe lived, according to the time agreed on the note.
This is the only unused dilapidated courtyard in the town. The courtyard walls are covered with moss, and the structure of the courtyard gate is simple and crude. It can be seen that the house is old.
Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu stopped to observe their surroundings. Then he stepped forward and knocked on the door.
The door opened and a hunchbacked janitor came out. He looked at Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu, raised his hands towards them, and said, "You two girls, please come inside... Leader Dou is waiting in the hall..."
Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu smiled and clasped their fists in return, then followed the hunchbacked gatekeeper into the yard.
Su Qiqi secretly looked at the layout of the courtyard with the corner of her eye. I saw a row of rooms on the left and right sides of the courtyard. Some doors were closed, others were ajar. Occasionally, one or two troupe members can be seen practicing body rhyme or singing.
Yan Ruoyu was also silently observing the movements around her. Occasionally, he would tug on Su Qiqi's sleeve to show her the unusual objects he found.
After a while, the two of them arrived at the entrance of the hall. The hunchbacked gatekeeper went in to report, and soon came out to greet the two of them in.
Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu entered the hall with some anxiety. I saw Leader Dou standing in front of a figure painting with his back to the two of them.
Yan Ruoyu took a few steps forward curiously, poking her head around to see the content of the painting. Su Qiqi secretly pulled her, and then she stood up properly.
When Leader Dou heard the commotion, he looked back at Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu, stroked his beard with a smile, and said: "The two girls are here, please sit down! Old camel, serve tea!"
Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu sat down on the chairs next to them, looked at Team Leader Dou and asked, "I wonder what Team Leader Dou has to say by inviting us here?"
Leader Dou laughed when he heard this: "I have always heard of the reputation of Weiyuan Escort Agency, and I have also met Mr. Nangong... Yesterday, an old man from Liyuan came to my place and said that he saw Mr. Nangong, Mr. Nangong's bodyguard, at the temple fair. , I learned that you are staying at the Chunlai Inn... Let me take care of you... So I specially invited the young master escort to come to the banquet to show your friendship as a landlord... "
Hearing this, Su Qiqi thought to herself: She and Ruo Yu had been keeping a low profile all the time...how could they still be recognized and ask Team Leader Dou to cleanse themselves...Who is this person? Could it be Yu Louchun, a famous opera singer who has been living in seclusion for many years?
Just as Su Qiqi was thinking about it, Team Leader Dou spoke again: "Boss Nangong and Miss Yan, please move to the back hall... the banquet will start soon..."
Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu exchanged glances, nodded with a smile, and followed Team Leader Dou towards the main hall.
The two walked through the long corridor and came to a room with carved beams and luxurious decorations.
This is where the theater troupe eats. There are four or five Eight Immortals tables in the hall. Every table was set with dishes and chopsticks. Several men and women were sitting at the table chatting. There were also some maid-looking women standing aside.
"So grand!" Yan Ruoyu muttered quietly as she looked at the layout of the restaurant.
Su Qiqi smiled slightly and walked into the hall with Yan Ruoyu.
Saw Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu coming in. Several men and women sitting at the table stood up and greeted Team Leader Dou, Su Qiqi, and Yan Ruoyu.
Everyone chatted for a while and then took their seats.
The maids on the side filed out, and soon came in with plates of delicious food and wine.
The maids shuttled between the banquet tables nimbly, serving dishes and pouring wine with familiarity. Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu looked a little dazed for a moment.
It wasn't until Leader Dou came over to toast that Su Qiqi and Yan Ruoyu came to their senses, stood up quickly, and toasted with Leader Dou and other troupe actors.
After having their fill of wine and food, the others left the table one after another. Leader Dou walked up to Su Qiqi and whispered: "Master Nangong, Mr. Nangong, would you like to come with me to meet that senior Liyuan guy?"
Su Qiqi nodded without thinking, and then said to Yan Ruoyu, "Wait for me here."
Yan Ruoyu smiled and nodded, then sat back in her seat. An actress from a theater troupe came over and struck up a conversation with her.
Su Qiqi glanced at Yan Ruoyu and the woman, then followed Team Leader Dou out of the restaurant and walked to a room deep in the courtyard.
