Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
Liang Yijie only came out from the Provincial Military Governor’s Office at noon.
Yan Liqiang and Liang Yijie’s friends were all waiting in the teahouse across the street from the Provincial Military Governor’s Office. As soon as they saw Liang Yijie come out, everyone rushed up to him.
“How did it go, Brother Liang?” Zhang Rui was the first to speak.
“What else could they do? They only asked me if I was the one who hired the archer and if I knew him, along with a bunch of other boring questions…” Liang Yijie replied while shaking his head, looking grave and stern. “A constable took a few law enforcers to the inn to investigate. The owner and servants were taken in for questioning at the Provincial Military Governor’s Office. In the end, they couldn’t make any conclusions because they didn’t have any conclusive evidence. Naturally, they had no choice but to release me!”
“Damn, this must be part of Xu Lang’s plan! If Xu Lang could suppress you on the Arena of Life and Death, then that person wouldn’t have made the shot. If you suppressed Xu Lang, not only would that arrow save his life, but it would also get you into trouble and tarnish your reputation by putting you in a plight that you cannot defend against. How ruthless!” Yuan Beihong spat.
“Why would I fear the schemes of these clowns if I have a clear conscience?” Liang Yijie responded unyieldingly.
Yin Yajie shook his head and said gloomily, “You may be right, but public opinion is powerful enough to melt metal. Defamation can destroy a man. The Imperial Capital is a small place — how will Brother Liang possibly establish yourself here if these people tarnish your reputation? That lowlife, Xu Lang, did not only escape with his life from the Arena of Life and Death. He also managed to incriminate you! How wretched!”
Liang Yijie observed the situation on the street, especially the few law enforcers who were looking in their direction at the entrance of the Provincial Military Governor’s Office. “This is not the place for discussions, let us go to the Bright Moon Restaurant!”
“Alright!” Everyone nodded in agreement.
……
They made reservations at the Bright Moon Restaurant for a private room as early as yesterday since they were all ready to celebrate with Liang Yijie after his duel. Little did anyone expect that today’s duel would turn out to be so complicated.
Yan Liqiang didn’t really speak much along the way. He just followed Liang Yijie and the others to the private room they had reserved at the Bright Moon Restaurant. While everyone was talking about the incident just now, Miao Yusen snapped the folding fan in his hand closed as though he suddenly recalled something. He then turned to Yan Liqiang with sparkling eyes. “How did you discover the culprit who was hiding in the room on the third floor of the inn? The arrow was shot too suddenly. At the time, all I could determine was the direction it came from, but I wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly where it was shot from. Please don’t get me wrong, Brother Liqiang. I am not suspecting you. I am merely curious!”
Everyone else in the room turned their gazes toward Yan Liqiang’s face. “It’s nothing. I often analyze changes in the trajectories of arrows in the air when I practice archery, so I am very perceptive of arrows. When I sensed that incoming arrow, I had this very strong intuition that told me that it came from the inn over there…” Yan Liqiang replied calmly.
At a time like this, there was no way Yan Liqiang would admit that he could sense the strange atmosphere on the scene with his keen senses. Instead, he tried to give a plausible explanation using the theory of bullet motion that he had read about in his previous life. It would be fine as long as it sounded logical.
“Intuition?” Miao Yusen frowned slightly, looking as though he was trying to digest Yan Liqiang’s words.
“Oh Brother Liqiang, I frequently practice archery myself too. How come I don’t have this ‘intuition’ of yours, and why can’t I sense the changes in the trajectory of arrows after they are released?” Zhang Yunduan, who wanted to compete with Yan Liqiang in archery before, was also staring at him.
“When an arrow leaves the bowstring, it might look like it is following a straight path over a short distance. But if you observe it over a long distance, it actually follows a curved trajectory. Airflow, temperature, humidity, and even terrain can slightly influence the path of a flying arrow. As long as you pay more attention to these things, you will slowly gain this perception!” Yan Liqiang continued with a serious tone. Everyone around the table seemed to be thinking as soon as they heard the explanation.
“Do not doubt Liqiang’s words, everyone. His power of observation has always been exceptional…” Liang Yijie spoke up. “When I first met Liqiang, Lord Sun asked him a question to test his observation skills…” When Liang Yijie briefly recounted how Sun Bingchen tested Yan Liqiang with his screen back then, everyone exclaimed in amazement as they no longer doubted Yan Liqiang’s explanation.
“However, today’s incident has gotten you into trouble, Yijie. Among the crowds gathered around the Arena of Life and Death, I noticed that quite a number of people deliberately created disturbances to personally attack you. It was so obvious that everything was planned. The culprit who shot the arrow escaped without leaving any clues behind too. I suspect that person might have worn a mask or put on a disguise. The officers at the Provincial Military Governor’s Office couldn’t count on the owner or the servants of the inn at all. Ever since you returned with Lord Sun, I’ve been sensing some surging undercurrents in the Imperial Capital. Why don’t you retreat from the Imperial Capital for now, Yijie? Find a place and seclude yourself for a period of time. By the time your strength moves on to another level, this incident should die down and you can return again. The way to fight is knowing when to advance and when to retreat…” Yin Yajie suggested to Liang Yijie gravely.
“That’s right. Brother Yin has a point. Yijie, you should give it some consideration. As the saying goes: While the green hills last, there will be wood to burn!” Zhang Rui nodded in agreement at the side.
“Well…” Liang Yijie started muttering to himself irresolutely.
“It was obvious that Xu Lang wanted to get rid of you when he challenged you to a duel. I worry that even if they failed this time, they will find other ways to kill you instead of giving up. I also caught wind that things are getting pretty heated between Lord Sun and them in the imperial court recently. He directly indicted the other party with eleven serious crimes and at the same time, countless people are also trying to impeach Lord Sun. Yijie, you serve Lord Sun. Tarnishing your reputation means that they are also tarnishing Lord Sun’s. Getting rid of you will be the equivalent to getting rid of Lord Sun’s capable arm. While they deal with Lord Sun in a political manner in the imperial court, they wouldn’t bother so much when it comes to you…” Yin Yajie pointed out apprehensively.
“Thank you for the reminder, Brother Yin. I will give it careful consideration!”
“I heard that the scenery at Jinling has been beautiful these few days. I was just thinking of visiting that place for a few days. Would you be interested in joining me to travel to Jinling, Brother Liang?” Feng Ting spoke up. Her cheeks were flushed, but she was gazing at Liang Yijie with her sparkling eyes.
Yan Liqiang was taken aback. He looked at Feng Ting, then took a good look at the expression on Liang Yijie’s face and saw how the rest tried to hide their grins. Realization immediately dawned upon him…
“Of course Brother Liang would be interested in joining you!” Yan Liqiang smiled before Liang Yijie could even reply. “When I was traveling with Brother Liang back to the Imperial Capital, he sang praises about Sister Feng Ting to me. He told me how spirited, beautiful, and intelligent you are and that you are a lady who possesses rare qualities and is also his precious confidante. When Brother Liang was at Gan Province, he brought me with him to buy a bejeweled flower hairpin from the western region as a gift for Sister Feng Ting. It is very gorgeous and rare in the Imperial Capital. Unfortunately, that hairpin was lost when we encountered the Blackwind Bandits on our way here. Brother Liang was upset about it for quite a long time. Isn’t that right, Brother Liang?”
Liang Yijie stared at Yan Liqiang with a dumbfounded expression. He didn’t expect Yan Liqiang to make up these kinds of stories and tell them like it was the truth. The eyes of the lady by the name of Feng Ting glowed with excitement. She happily threw Liang Yijie a shy glance while biting her lip. The blush on her face immediately extended down to her neck, making her look extremely charming…
