“Oh?” The youth raised his eyebrow and looked interested, “Where is it?”
“On the second-class street in the eastern town, there is the Linli Building, which sells the highest grade osmanthus wine. It only opens for two days but is overcrowded!” The butler boasted about it for fear that the youth was not satisfied, “However, I haven’t found its patron for the time being. I only know a person called ‘Mr. Li’ who chose servants from the broker house the other day. Now those servants have become waiters of the Linli Building.”
The youth was more interested in it and said, “It can earn seven thousand taels after starting business in two days. It’s a bit interesting. I have never heard who ‘Mr. Li’ is. He is secretive and maybe doesn’t have any great ability. Go to draw your reward and meet with the Linli Building’s administrator tomorrow. If they don’t agree, do you know what to do?”
The butler was very happy and immediately knelt and kowtowed to him, “Thank you, Master! I know. I know!”
…
The next day, Su Li dressed in casual wear came to the Qinghe Girls’ School. Today the Girls’ School opened. It was very lively.
“Lecturer Su is coming, haha…”
“Lecturer Su!”
“…”
Other lecturers passing Su Li all greeted her obligingly. They knew that Su Li had become not only a special-class lecturer of the Qinghe Girls’ School but also the workshop owner of embroidery workshop in the Qinghe Town.
She inherited perfectly the two identities of Gong Xiangjun and obtained a high-ranking position which was only lower than Satrap Yan in the Qinghe Town at a stroke, as it was. Su Li made such a high achievement at this age, and her aureole almost made others be blind by shining.
When they went back to the courtyard in school, Mammy Li didn’t have many things to clear away. During this period, Xiaowu and Datian both lived here and cleaned the house every day. The floor in the room was so clean that it could almost reflect figures.
Mammy Li went to cook quickly. She watched Su Li build a winery which was more profitable than the Baiwei Building. She felt at ease in heart.
Su Li looked at the back of Mammy Li, and a sense of concern flashed through her eyes.
She would like to ask Mammy Li the reason why she was so familiar with the Qinghe Girls’ School. However, if she asked her directly, Mammy Li might not answer it. Although the relationship between them had been tight enough, it did not mean that they would tell each other unmentionable secrets in the past.
“It seems that I have to think of a way to sound her out.”
Su Li slightly squinted her eyes. She would never keep hidden dangers around.
That night, after everyone slept, Su Li put on the clothes of “Mr. Li”. She stretched her body and passed through the high walls between College of Literature and College of Martial Arts like a light smoke to the martial arts field.
Looking at the empty martial arts field, she picked up the bow and arrows on the table. Under the dusky moonlight, she drew back the bowstring fully and slightly squinted her right eye.
She loosened her fingertips —
Clank!!
An arrow like lightning across the night sky directly penetrated a bull’s-eye and was firmly nailed on the ground, except that its nock was trembling.
Su Li changed a stronger bow and took a deep breath. For the next plan, her archery and swordsmanship should be practiced again.
When Su Yu was practicing archery, Fang Yuan and other three persons gathered together in the underground adytum and frowned.
“Have you inquired about him clearly? What is the origin of the butler who called himself the Jin Family’s butler and came today?”
Fang Yuan looked at Qu Qingning. The latter looked embarrassed, “I went to the Tianya House to inquire about him. He is from the Jin Family of the Qinghe Town, which is an aristocratic family. The Jin Family has at least five persons who are officials in the imperial court. Recently their first master is looking for acquiring restaurants everywhere. I heard that it is the task assigned by his father. If he makes it, he will be set directly as the next successor of the Jin Family. We become the target!”
When they heard the background of the Jin Family, Yin Xuetong and Fang Mu both slightly changed their looks. Even Fang Yuan unconsciously frowned and said, “The Jin Family has powerful backing. We should contact Su Li. We can’t decide it.”
Then Fang Yuan immediately got up to walk away and disappeared outside the door soon.
Yin Xuetong was curious and asked, “Isn’t Su Li in the restaurant? Where can she go besides this place?”
Qu Qingning scratched his head and said, “She can go to the Qinghe Girls’ School.”
“Go to school?”
A bit of envy flashed through Yin Xuetong’s eyes. She also wanted to go further in her studies, but she was no longer qualified unfortunately.
At this time, Qu Qingning laughed and said, “It is impossible for her to go to school. She goes to school for teaching. Don’t believe her appearance of a profiteer. She is a special-class lecturer of the Qinghe Girls’ School actually. Besides, she is also the workshop owner of the embroidery workshop. Her status is only lower than the satrap. Tut-tut…”
Yin Xuetong was so shocked that her mouth opened slightly, and her beautiful eyes were shining. There was a sense of worship gradually occurring. Su Li was amazing… Did she have such a high status actually?
Then with a furtive expression, Qu Qingning whispered, “I am telling you secretly. Don’t tell anyone about it. The relationship between Su Li and the winery hasn’t been exposed. If Su Li knows that I tell you about it, I must be beaten up by her.”
Hearing what he said, Yin Xuetong nodded again and again. She looked a little scared and was worried that Qu Qingning would be beaten up by Su Li.
Fang Mu heard it and was speechless. Brother Qu’s temper had never changed. He was too audacious. He spoke ill of his boss. Aren’t he afraid of being driven out of the Linli Building?
Tonight was destined to be a white night.
The sky was becoming lighter. Su Li put down the bow and arrows and quickly destroyed the trace of her coming. When she went back to the courtyard, she looked serious suddenly because she perceived that there was a person in the room. However, she became relaxed soon.
The breath was obviously from Fang Yuan.
Opening the door, Su Li sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.
Fang Yuan flashed out from behind the bed, and there was a rare anger in his eyes.
“Where have you been? I have waited for you all night long!”
It seemed that Su Li was startled by him. She suddenly turned back and saw Fang Yuan. She looked angry and said, “Fang Yuan, what are you doing here instead of being in the winery?!”
Fang Yuan felt sorry in his heart, but he became angry soon, “I am asking you. Where have you been?”
Did you know that I was worried about you?
Fang Yuan asked the question in his heart.
Su Li looked at Yuan Fang and suddenly smiled and said, “Do not forget. There is only the rule that the owner can restrict servants’ liberty. You are my servant now. Do you want to restrict my actions?”
A sense of gloom flashed through Fang Yuan’s eyes. He calmed down thoroughly and whispered, “Of course not.”
“That’s good.” Su Li poured a cup of tea to him without any explanation about her trace and said, “Tell me. Why are you here?”
Fang Yuan took the tea and had a forced smile vaguely.
Now he understood what an unrequited love was.
Then, Fang Yuan told her the matter of the Jin Family. Su Li was surprised. She had been waiting for an accident of the embroidery workshop, but she did not expect that the winery would have an accident first.
The Jin Family…
Su Li reminded of many scenes, and her eyes were dimmer. She took a piece of special paper of the winery and quickly wrote a letter. She handed it to Fang Yuan.
“Send the letter to the Satrap’s Mansion.”
Fang Yuan took the letter and the image of Yan Ziye occurred in his mind.
Were they going to ask him for help?
However, they didn’t form friendship with Yan Ziye. Why would he help them?
Fang Yuan didn’t know Su Li’s intention but still left holding the letter. He had absolute confidence in Su Li’s scheme. The words in the letter shouldn’t be about asking for help.
Next day, the butler of the Jin Family came again as expected. Yin Xuetong refused him and said they needed to ask for instructions from the master. However, she was very upset. She always felt that the butler would hit out at them soon.
Although they only had intuitions, Fang Yuan and Qu Qingning still stayed in two sides separately and arranged Heidan and others to stay around the Linli Building.
The night was dark and windy. The servants of the Linli Building went to sleep soon.
Fang Yuan was in the dark and held a sword in his hand. He leaned against the wall and dozed. After a short while, a low sound of airflow rang. He immediately opened his eyes and jumped like a cat to dead angle on the second floor.
Under the dim night light, Fang Yuan clearly saw that a dozen of black shadows quietly cut the door of the Linli Building and then rushed in.
“Sure enough, they come.”
Fang Yuan smiled coldly and lightly waved his right hand. Qu Qingning immediately noticed it and let people hiding in the corners of the building ignite the smoke. The smoke spread very fast. In a few moments, it was heard that a dozen of weights fell to the ground in the building.
Heidan and others had already eaten the antidotes and showed wretched smiles. They extinguished the smoke immediately, dragged a dozen of men in black into the underground adytum and tied up them.
After they opened windows, the smoke dissipated. Qu Qingning shook his head and said, “Su Li’s smoke is good stuff as expected. The Jin Family is an established family anyhow. How can they do this kind of dastardly deeds?”
Fang Yuan was expressionless and said coldly, “Rich and powerful families usually have more dastardly deeds. Haven’t we met a lot of dastardly deeds?”
Qu Qingning was tongue-tied instantly and exasperated in his heart. Fang Yuan was just like eating gunpowder in the past two days and contradicted others frequently. No one knew what made him be angry.
“Well, I’m a married man. I don’t fuss about it.
Remembering that Yin Xuetong was waiting for him in the room, Qu Qingning smiled and left in a hurry. He didn’t care about interrogating those men in black.
Fang Yuan went to the underground adytum alone. He opened masks of those men in black in turn. Sure enough, they were all servants of the Jin Family.
The intelligence system of the Tianya House was unbelievable. It even knew the methods used by the Jin Family to deal with those three restaurants. Because they got the news in advance, they could be prepared.
“Hierarch of the Yinmo Cult. Young Master…”
Fang Yuan muttered to himself, and his eyes were gloomier. He looked at a dozen of those people who were tied up in the room. He looked very sinister.
In one day and one night, there were dreary screams mixed with despair. However, on the ground, there were full of guests, and it was very lively.
The butler of the Jin Family was waiting in the room with a gloomy face and felt uneasy.
Among the people who were sent out by him yesterday, no one came back unexpectedly. It seemed that meat buns hit a dog. It was weird!
“Is the Linli Building backed by certain force?”
The butler looked seriously at the portrait sent by a special person. There were only the faces of Fang Yuan and Qu Qingning who were disguised and a man in bamboo hat with the face unseen.
The butler looked at it for a long time and became angrier so that he almost tore it.
Damn it! The two faces were not recorded in the Tianya House. They were likely to be the faces after the disguise. How could he find out them?
“If I can’t make it, I can only let the master make a decision.”
Although the butler was extremely angry, he didn’t fluster. In his eyes, the master had never been stumped. After all, the master was a genius and ranked the first of the martial arts competition in the Qinghe Province. Even Satrap Yan said that the master would become the mainstay of the Dahan Country definitely.
How could such a master be stumped by a secretive “Mr. Li”?
It’s a joke!
…
Meanwhile, Yin Xu forced himself to be calmed and went to the Satrap’s Mansion holding the letter. Yin Xu looked at the august and towering lintel, and his feelings were complicated. For a moment, he looked slightly dull.
As an exotic prisoner of war, he could even enter the Satrap’s Mansion one day.
“Stop. What do you do?”
The guards of the Satrap’s Mansion saw Yin Xu sneaking and immediately asked him.
Yin Xu looked serious, which didn’t lose face for the Linli Building finally, and said calmly, “I am from the Linli Building. My master has a letter and wants the Third Childe Yan to look over it.”
The Linli Building?
The guards’ looks changed slightly. As a new force which suddenly rose in the Qinghe Town, the name of the big winery had been well known. Therefore, they all heard about it.
Moreover, they heard that their Third Childe happened to have met the boss of the Linli Building once.
Thinking of it, the guards were relaxed. One of them said, “Wait a moment. I will go in and report for you.”
Hearing it, Yin Xu was at ease finally.
