Qi Qingyao did not refute him at all. Instead, she brazenly admitted, “I’m a wimp. I’m afraid to die because I have three children with me! I still have to raise my children! I’m not a single dog like you! You haven’t even held a girl’s hand till now! You have nothing to worry about so it doesn’t matter if you die or not.”
“You…” Her words were really overboard. So what if he was single? Why did she have to call him a dog!
Qi Qingyao’s expression calmed. “You really aren’t going to consider returning to town with me?”
“Even if I wanted to, I’d still have to wait till past the fifteenth of the Lantern Festival. Don’t tell me you don’t wish to take a look at the largest Lantern Festival in Qingzhou City?”
These were all excuses. In fact, it was a gathering of the shopkeepers of the Senluo Chamber of Commerce in Qingzhou City. There was an annual meeting to be held, and he had a lot of account books to go through recently, which made him very busy. “The size of Qingzhou City is bigger than Southern Ming’s capital, Junlin City, Eastern Ling’s Daliang City, Western Zhou’s Metropolis, and Northern Liang’s Chengdu City! The Lantern Festival on the 15th will also be the largest in the entire Eastern Hua Continent. Come to think of it, this is your first time visiting Qingzhou City and you only bought a roll of cloth. You don’t even know how many fun things there are in this city,” said Lu Yan.
Qi Qingyao’s lips twitched. “You speak as if you’ve experienced them before.”
Lu Yan, “…”
Qi Qingyao, “You’re just a damned homebody.”
Lu Yan, “??”
Homebody?
A person who stays at home?
He could accept this description, but why did she have to call him a damned one?
…
In a restaurant somewhere in Qingzhou City.
There was a man in red seated on the fourth floor as usual. He was grabbing a few women having his fun with them. There were pink pearls in the white jade porcelain bowl at his feet. He picked up the white porcelain bowl then stuffed a handful of pink pearls into a woman’s arms as she let out a titter.
Suddenly, someone opened the window to the fourth floor and one of the women screamed in shock.
A few women in black leaped out from the dark with long swords in their hands. They looked at the visitor with sharp gazes, their swords very quickly aiming at the intruder’s neck.
Tan Xiangdie was also shocked, but after seeing the person’s mask and silhouette clearly, Tan Xiangdie knew that if he did not stop this soon, a conflict would arise between people on the same side.
However, before he could even say anything…
His hidden guards were batted away one by one.
Jiang Yeqian finally dropped his mask. His gaze was cold and emotionless as he glanced across at the group of people in the room.
Tan Xiangdie first signaled for the woman in his arms to get down. At the same time, a few of his hidden guards noted who the visitor was. They quickly wiped away the blood that was trickling from the corners of their mouths and left quietly.
Suddenly, only two people were left in the room on the fourth floor.
Tan Xiangdie found this man to be a constant source of headaches. He said, “You dare show up despite not paying a single penny for the wine you finished at my place last time?”
His expression unreadable, Jiang Yeqian sat down. He whisked up a wine jar and poured the contents into his mouth.
Tan Xiangdie noticed this behavior of his and was quickly becoming speechless. “Why did you come back in broad daylight? Weren’t you with that Qi Qingyao?”
“You knew about that?” Jiang Yeqian turned to look at him.
Tan Xiangdie’s lips twitched. “At any rate, I am also the head of the Wangyue Administration. The Wangyue Administration is responsible for infiltration and undercover work. Even if we didn’t plant an agent on you, it doesn’t mean that I don’t know about this matter. Besides, you’ve been meeting Bai Mei recently… My people have noticed.”
Jiang Yeqian, “…” He continued drinking the wine.
“There has been a lot of information about that woman spreading like wildfire recently. All the forces in Qingzhou are interested in her.” Tan Xiangdie sat beside his good brother and asked somewhat curiously, “Have you not gotten any exact details about her?”
Jiang Yeqian said, “I went undercover personally for this exact reason.”
Tan Xiangdie urged, “And?”
Jiang Yeqian replied, “I was discovered.”
“Huh?” Tan Xiangdie had also grabbed a wine jar but now he nearly dropped it to the ground. After calling his emotions, he cradled his forehead and said, “You’re the dignified head of the Zhaixing Administration, the man in charge of collecting intelligence and disseminating information. You were actually discovered when you went undercover? Are you pulling my leg?”
“Do I look like I’m joking right now?” Jiang Yeqian raised his brow coldly as he swept a glance at the man in red.
Tan Xiangdie said, “Indeed, you don’t.”
Jiang Yeqian returned his gaze, bringing up the wine jar as he began to chug it desperately, as if doing that would ease his emotions.
That was because he was feeling particularly dejected now.
Tan Xiangdie realized that the man was about to drown his sorrows in drinking again and asked quickly, “Why do you want to drink again?”
Jiang Yeqian replied, “I’m in a bad mood.”
Tan Xiangdie repeated, “Why?”
Jiang Yeqian was silent.
He continued to drink.
Tan Xiangdie’s question was a question he also wanted to ask.
Why was his mood so bad?
He had not been close to the woman and it made no sense for him to be in a bad mood. Could it be that it was simply because he was found out? That did not seem to be the case.
Tan Xiangdie said with a laugh, “How did the woman find out about your identity? She found out that you’re the head of the Zhaixing Administration?”
Jiang Yeqian, “She didn’t.”
“But wasn’t that what you said?” asked Tan Xiangdie.
Jiang Yeqian replied, “She found out that I’m the Head Grand Secretariat.”
Tan Xiangdie asked, “Wasn’t this girl just some country bumpkin? How did she find out your identity?”
Jiang Yeqian, “…”
He wanted to know that too!
That woman was not a country bumpkin, however, she… was reincarnated into another’s corpse. As for whose corpse she borrowed, nobody knew.
Hold on a minute. Was it possible that the Master Architect Li Qinglian died and had reincarnated into her corpse?
Or could it be that it was Su Hexiao who was dead???
That was not right either.
Su Hexiao was a divine physician and Li Qinglian was a master of architectural design! They were not under the same occupational classification at all.
Jiang Yeqian’s expression turned extremely gloomy to the point that it looked like tears were almost dripping down his face.
“Wait wait, she has some connection to Master Architect Li Qinglian, and also the divine physician Su Hexiao. And now, in just a few days, she also secretly found out details about you just because you did not reveal your face or voice when you were out. She… is a really smart woman,” Tan Xiangdie concluded.
Jiang Yeqian, ” …” She was so smart that he sorely wanted to smack her just once!
“Jiang Yeqian.” Tan Xiangdie looked at Jiang Yeqian’s rather downcast expression and suddenly let out a loud laugh. “You are seriously so useless.”
Jiang Yeqian, “…”
“What’s the woman’s background, and how is she so intelligent?” After Tan Xiangdie had his moment of fun, he went back to discussing things seriously. However, the person next to him was only occupied with drinking and had no intention of telling the truth at all. Tan Xiangdie urged the fellow and said, “Don’t just drink, say something.”
Jiang Yeqian spat, “What’s there to say?”
“Tell me what you think about that woman.” What else was there to say?
Jiang Yeqian pondered for a long time before answering, “You shouldn’t try to seduce her.”
“???” What the heck was that?
Jiang Yeqian’s expression turned darker. His tone faint, he murmured, “She’s a heartless woman with a calm mind. She will praise you on the surface, but her words mean nothing. She has other plans in mind.”
Tan Xiangdie instantly raised his brows. “What I hear you saying is that you tried to seduce her, and completely failed.”
Jiang Yeqian glared at him ruthlessly and said heavily, “I didn’t seduce her. It’s just that this is the first time I’ve had someone say that I was good-looking and beautiful when they saw my face, but in reality, they were only lying! I had thought of taking her word for it and beating her at her own game, but I never expected that she only said those words on a whim.”
Taking a step back, the more he thought about it, the more pissed he was!
Tan Xiangdie flattened his lips as he tried to hold back his smile. “Seduction… also depends on the situation. You’re good-looking, but maybe you are not her cup of tea.”
Jiang Yeqian, “…”
His expression was sullen, disheartened, pained…
Not… not her cup of tea. Was this the reason?
Tan Xiangdie realized that this man might have become helpless and loosened up a little after being dealt such a heavy blow. As a result, Jiang Yeqian no longer thought of hiding his emotions at all today. His expression rendered Tan Xiangdie dumbfounded, who asked him a question.
“Jiang Yeqian, do you like her?”
“I don’t!!” Startled, Jiang Yeqian quickly denied it.
Tan Xiangdie could not help but press on with the attack. “Alright, let’s say you don’t. As for her information, don’t worry about it. I, the head of the Wangyue Administration, will personally infiltrate and go undercover myself. Maybe I can pry the information from her mouth.”
“No.” Jiang Yeqian stopped Tan Xiangdie firmly.
“This matter is related to Masters Li Qinglian and Su Hexiao, you’re not allowed to do anything.
“My words are final.”
“Jiang Yeqian, you obviously like her, yet you still won’t admit to it.”
“I really don’t…”
“It’s not shameful to like someone.”
“…”
Did he like her?
These words reverberated in his chest like a bell, constantly knocking on his heart.
It was confusing him a little.
“But, but that’s not right…” He was not joking this time, he was just seriously struggling with the thought.
“What’s not right?” asked Tan Xiangdie.
Jiang Yeqian replied, “She has children, and if she were to find the children’s father in the future, the two would definitely want to be together.”
Tan Xiangdie asked, “Are you still unable to find out who the father is with your reconnaissance ability as the head of the Zhaixing Administration?”
Jiang Yeqian, “…” He had not looked into it yet!
