The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#382 - Sedan chair and painted boat

The woman playing the zither saw that Lu Jing had only revealed his surname, and knew that he didn't completely trust them.

However, this was normal. After all, it was the first time the two sides had met, and Lu Jing had just experienced a chase not long ago. People in this situation would always become more vigilant and suspicious.

Therefore, the woman playing the zither was not in a hurry to ask questions. Instead, she said to Lu Jing, "Presumably, Young Master Lu must have many doubts in his heart right now. You might as well tell me, and I will try my best to answer them for you."

She paused and then said, "However, I need to know what relationship you have with that Mr. Nanzhai first, because some things are deeply involved. Although they happened decades ago, they involve many important figures, and still have a far-reaching impact to this day. Knowing too much may not necessarily be a good thing for you."

The woman playing the zither looked sincere, but then Lu Jing spread his hands and said, "But, it seems that I'm already involved."

The woman playing the zither couldn't refute.

Indeed, from the moment Lu Jing walked into Taiping Qianzhuang and took out that jade pendant, he had already fallen into trouble, and it was quite serious trouble.

But the woman playing the zither still said, "Later, after we finish talking, I will find a way to send you out of the capital quietly. You better go straight back to your hometown without stopping. Hmm, or don't go back to your hometown. If you are willing, I will find a boat to send you out to sea."

"Does Taiping Qianzhuang have such great power?" Lu Jing asked in surprise.

"It's not Taiping Qianzhuang," the woman playing the zither shook her head, "They are just being used by others."

"What kind of person?"

The woman playing the zither raised her head and looked at Lu Jing again, "You haven't answered my previous question. What exactly is your relationship with that Mr. Nanzhai?"

"Friends, just friends I met not long ago. That guy couldn't conveniently go out himself, so he asked me to help him deal with the affairs of Taiping Qianzhuang."

Lu Jing could feel that when he said this answer, the woman playing the zither seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but then her expression became complicated again, "In that case, he is indeed still alive."

"Are you looking for him?"

"No, there are others looking for him. I just happen to know about this and want to prevent a tragedy from happening," the woman playing the zither sighed.

"Tragedy? What tragedy? Are those people who instructed Taiping Qianzhuang to set a trap Mr. Nanzhai's enemies?" Lu Jing asked.

"This…" The woman playing the zither seemed a little embarrassed to say, and after a moment she said, "Let's just assume that's the case."

"Then what is the purpose of them chasing me? Is it to find out the whereabouts of Mr. Nanzhai through me, and then kill him?"

Lu Jing was confused, "What? Are you very familiar with the person who wants to deal with Mr. Nanzhai?"

Before the woman playing the zither could say anything, Qinglan, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly said, "Something's not right."

"What's wrong?" The woman playing the zither was stunned.

While she was talking to Lu Jing, Qinglan didn't slack off. Instead, she stood by the window and watched the movements on the street. She noticed that the number of pedestrians on the street had decreased a lot recently, but the number of sedan chairs on the street had increased a lot, blocking the road in front of the building.

So, after Qinglan finished speaking, she pushed open another window facing the river and found that several painted boats were also parked on the river.

This place was a famous red-light district, and there was more than one brothel, so painted boats were not uncommon. However, those painted boats were also very close to them, obviously preventing them from escaping by water.

Especially when Qinglan saw the woman holding a child standing on the painted boat, her expression suddenly changed drastically. She quickly closed the window again, but unfortunately her actions were too late.

The woman obviously saw her too and waved to her.

"We have to leave here!" Qinglan said to the woman who played the zither before, "We must not let them discover your identity, otherwise it will be terrible!"

The woman playing the zither heard the anxiety and urgency in Qinglan's voice, even with a hint of despair, but even at this time, she remained calm in the face of danger.

She asked Qinglan in a deep voice, "Can we get away?"

"I don't know," Qinglan shook her head, "They have a lot of manpower, and there are many experts among them, but even if I die today, I will definitely take you out."

However, after she finished speaking, she saw the woman playing the zither still sitting there, motionless.

Qinglan was really anxious this time, "Hurry up, we can only escape now. Once they complete the encirclement, we will be completely unable to escape."

As a result, before she could finish speaking, she saw the woman playing the zither ask again, "What about Young Master Lu if we leave?"

Qinglan glanced at Lu Jing beside her, "There's no way. I can only protect you alone. I really can't do two people. If I insist on taking one more person, everyone will only die together in the end."

The woman playing the zither pondered for a while, then said, "Then you take Young Master Lu away."

"Are you crazy?" Qinglan widened her eyes, "If they know who you are and tell that person that you appeared here, what do you think will be waiting for you?!"

"I have my reasons for staying," the woman playing the zither said, "Don't forget what this place is."

"What is this place? Isn't it just the place where that Jieyu girl tricks men out of their money?" Qinglan didn't understand.

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a faint sigh outside the door, "I noticed the abnormality on the river and came to help, but I just heard you saying bad things about me when I arrived at the door."

"Jieyu is outside the door, come in quickly," the woman playing the zither said.

Since she had already spoken, Qinglan had no choice but to open the door, and then she saw Jieyu holding a dressing case.

Qinglan was stunned at first, and then she reacted, turning her head to look at the woman playing the zither behind her, "Are you planning to dress up as... as those women in the building?"

"That's right," the woman playing the zither nodded.

"But, but..." Qinglan said "but" for a long time, but couldn't come up with a result. She knew that this might be a solution, but she felt that it was already outrageous for the woman playing the zither to come here with her identity. If she dressed up like this, it would be absolutely impossible.