“Since Yan Luo Hall knows who they are, then we’ll start from there, and investigate who exactly are these people?” Du Yun Han said.
“No use.” Han Ming Yi negated this idea and said, “I once interacted with that Yan Luo Hall’s master before. They have the secrecy of their client’s information maintained very well, and won’t easily leak it out. Moreover, they are unmoved by force or persuasion. If we go to them to ask for their client’s information, they definitely won’t say. This is also why many people feel reassured in hiring them.”
The favors and grudges of the pugilistic world were even more complicated than that of the imperial court. Things like people hiring assassins to kill were more than many. The recruits that Yan Luo Hall wanted were precisely assassins, and the jobs they accepted the most were precisely assassinations. However, aside from killing, Yan Luo Hall also attended to some other things, for instance, selling information.
“Oh right, earlier, I also heard them saying, kidnapping me was for the sake of distracting you all, borrowing this to ruin the competition between the countries.” Du Xiao Li recalled the words she previously heard.
“You’ve also been frightened today. When we return, properly rest up. As for investigating the culprit, just leave it to us.” Du Yun Han said.
Du Xiao Li nodded. Soon after, she chatted with them about some other things.
When the horse carriage reached the city, the city gates were already closed. Leng Yi took Han Ming Yi’s plaque to go let the soldiers guarding the gates open the gates. After having Du Xiao Li and them sent back to the Du Manor, Han Ming Yi just left.
Du Xiao Li got down from the horse carriage, but before entering she saw a horse carriage parked not far from the entrance. Borrowing the moonlight, she recognized that it was the Fu Manor’s horse carriage. Before she could open her mouth to inquire, she saw two figures come out from inside. It was precisely Fu Ya Lan and her servant girl.
“Xiao Li, you’ve finally come back! Are you hurt? Quickly let me see!” Fu Ya Lan came before Du Xiao Li and looked to her with a face full of worries.
“I’m fine. It’s already this late, how come you still haven’t gone back? Today’s the day of your coming-of-age ceremony, at night there should also still be celebrations, right?” Du Xiao Li asked.
She remembered that at night, when Fu Ya Lan’s brothers return, they were going to also celebrate her birthday too.
“After learning that you disappeared, how could I still sit at home. After explaining to my mother, I just came out. Thankfully, you’ve safely returned, else I would feel guilty to death.” Fu Ya Lan said as she was about to cry.
Today, when Leng Er went to find her to ask about Du Xiao Li’s situation, she just knew Du Xiao Li went missing. She impatiently waited for a while at home, but when the people she sent out didn’t return with any news, she just directly went to the Du Manor to wait.
“Don’t worry, aren’t I perfectly fine right now? With it being this late, I don’t even know whether to invite you in for a sit, or let someone send you back.” Du Xiao Li patted Fu Ya Lan’s hand and said.
“No need to trouble you. I can just go back on my own. You also need to rest.” Fu Ya Lan said.
“En, with it being this late, if you still don’t go back, you mother will need to worry about you again.” Du Xiao Li said, “I’ll go look for you all tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
“I’ll let someone send you back, else I’ll also be worried.”
Du Xiao Li called for some guards to send Fu Ya Lan back, and afterwards, she and Du Yun Han entered the gates. Not long after entering, Du Yun Han was urgently called away by Zhong Mei Qing’s servant girl.
Before Du Xiao Li was able to tell Du Yun Han about Du Ke Xin’s matter, he was already taken away. Seeing Du Yun Han’s departing figure, Du Xiao Li decided to first let them mess around for a while. Since ordinary doctors are unable to take care of it, they’ll eventually come looking for her.
“Younger sister.” Du Xiu Heng came into the courtyard and walked to her side, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Big brother, what are you doing here?” Du Xiao Li looked to Du Xiu Heng and smiled.
“I went to your courtyard and saw that you weren’t here. On the way over, I saw Miss Fu Ya Lan. She told me you went missing. Although I know you have martial arts, I was still very worried, thus waited here.” Du Xiu Heng said.
“Big brother encountered big sister Ya Lan?” Du Xiao Li asked.
“Yes, I let her come into the courtyard to wait for you, but she wasn’t willing, saying that at the entrance, she’ll be able to see when you return.” Du Xiu Heng recounted, seemingly also having a bit of heartache in his eyes.
Du Xiao Li suddenly recalled, Du Xiu Heng once asked her about Fu Ya Lan’s situation before. It was that time after they’d gathered before mid-autumn. Because he’d also asked about the others, she didn’t take it to heart. Thinking back to it now, that time, he’d asked the most about Fu Ya Lan. Thinking about it now, this was him being interested in Fu Ya Lan?!
“Big brother, what do you think of big sister Ya Lan?”
Suddenly hearing Du Xiao Li ask this, Du Xiu Heng instantly became unnatural and coughed twice, “She’s very good, gentle and virtuous, talented and outstanding, and also very good to others. Today, she was very worried about you.”
“Pfft—–” Seeing Du Xiu Heng’s appearance, Du Xiao Li instantly burst out laughing.
This was him being shy!
“Younger sister, what are you laughing for?” Du Xiu Heng shot a glare at Du Xiao Li.
“Keke, I’m not laughing!” Du Xiao Li knew her older brother was somewhat awkward, thus she quickly denied, “Since big brother feels big sister Ya Lan is this good, then why don’t you marry her back to be my sister-in-law!”
“Marry, marry back?” Du Xiu Heng blankly stared at Du Xiao Li.
“That’s right! Since you feel big sister Ya Lan is this good, then bring her back to be your wife, and my sister-in-law.” Du Xiao Li nodded, “Right now, big sister Ya Lan has already reached marriageable age, so she can also marry! If you like big sister Ya Lan, and she’s also interested in you, then can let father go propose marriage for you.”
“But I feel she isn’t interested in me.” Du Xiu Heng unconfidently said.
“If you don’t ask, how would you know?” Du Xiao Li said, “I feel she also has some special thoughts about you. Previously, when we went to the estate, she even asked why you didn’t go!”
“Really? She really asked about me?”
“Yes, they even let me talk about things from our childhood, and hearing those embarrassing matters of yours, big sister Ya Lan laughed the happiest.” Du Xiao Li recalled the past, discovering that she really was a bit slow in realization. Although Du Xiu Heng and Fu Ya Lan didn’t behave very obviously, but compared to others, it was still considered special. To think she actually didn’t notice earlier! “How about this, tomorrow, I’ll go look for big sister Ya Lan to sound out her opinion, see whether or not she’s interested in you. If she’s interested, hehe, then just let father go propose marriage, how about it?”
