Chapter 27: Yang Qinghe

The Xiao family's parlor was massive—large enough to fit twelve chairs. Today, however, there were only two guests. Yet Xiao Yuanting didn't feel the space was wasted, because his guest's surname was Yang.

Yang Qinghe was young, just in his early twenties. He wore a moon-white long robe. His complexion was fair, and his facial features were extremely delicate. His every movement lacked masculine vigor; instead, there was a faint, almost feminine charm about him.

Behind him stood a burly old man with greying hair. From the moment he entered, the old man hadn't spoken a single word, nor had he even bothered to raise his eyes. Yet Xiao Yuanting did not dare to slight him, because he knew that this old servant, named Yang Fu, was an incredibly formidable master of external skills. Underneath those iron palms, an untold number of the Yang family's enemies had perished.

Such a person, even with the status of a servant, demanded high respect. Naturally, the Yang family—which could command the loyalty of someone like Yang Fu—had to be treated with even greater caution.

Xiao Yuanting personally poured wine for Yang Qinghe. His face was full of smiles as he kept up a stream of polite pleasantries, keeping the atmosphere quite lively.

After a few rounds of drinks, Yang Qinghe set down his wine cup, dabbed the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, and looked up.

"Mr. Xiao, I came to visit today because I would like to ask for your help."

The hand Xiao Yuanting used to hold his wine cup paused for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. He smiled. "Qinghe, what are you talking about? There's no need to speak of asking for help. As long as you ask, I am bound by duty to do whatever is within my power."

Seeing how beautifully he spoke, Yang Qinghe mentally cursed him as an old fox, but a smile bloomed on his face. He didn't beat around the bush, as that would only drag things out.

"I want to extract a piece of information from Old Shen," Yang Qinghe said solemnly. "But that old man is incredibly stubborn. Even with his only son in my hands, he still refuses to cave. After all, this isn't Yuzhou. I have to give you face, Mr. Xiao. If I take things too far, I'm afraid it might make things unpleasant for everyone."

His tone remained polite, but his underlying meaning was crystal clear: he was determined to get what he wanted from the Shen family at any cost.

The smile on Xiao Yuanting's face slowly faded, and the parlor fell silent. He pondered for a moment before suddenly sighing.

"Qinghe, there is something you don't know." Looking somewhat troubled, Xiao Yuanting continued, "Although Shen Yizhu and I are not exactly best friends, we've lived in Qingzhou City for decades, seeing each other constantly. We have some history. There are things I can pretend not to see, but as for the rest... it really wouldn't be appropriate for me to intervene. How about... you think of another way?"

Naturally, he wasn't going to rashly interfere in the Shen family's affairs just because of a few empty words. Even a wrecked ship still has a few good nails left; Meihua Mountain Villa's influence was nothing to scoff at.

Yang Qinghe didn't speak up again so easily. After waiting for a moment and seeing that Xiao Yuanting had no intention of continuing, a smile slowly spread across his face.

"I understand your difficulties, Mr. Xiao. This year, the higher-ups allocated two quotas for the Divine Capture Bureau to the Yang family.

"I can take it upon myself to offer one of them as a token of gratitude for your help."

Xiao Yuanting's pupils shrank violently.

The Divine Capture Bureau.

In the entire Daqian Dynasty, these words were synonymous with power. Reporting directly to the imperial court, it was exempt from the jurisdiction of the local government office and specialized in dealing with lawless Jianghu martial artists. Every chief constable in the Divine Capture Bureau was a master recruited from all over the world.

There was a saying in the Jianghu: Better to offend a prince than a chief constable of the Divine Capture Bureau. Because a prince would only kill you, but the Divine Capture Bureau could make you beg for death.

For a martial arts family like the Xiao family, the Divine Capture Bureau held an even more special significance. A family was not a sect. Sects had clouds of experts; they could dominate a region and didn't have to care about the imperial court's mood.

But a family was different. Their foundation was rooted in the local area—in estates, in shops, and in all the things that required the protection of a government office to survive. For a family to endure and pass down its legacy, it had to have someone in the imperial court. And a quota for the Divine Capture Bureau was an excellent path.

The Xiao family was only allocated one quota from the imperial court every three years. How many three-year periods were there in a single generation? Furthermore, it wasn't even guaranteed that their candidate would pass the assessment and be selected. For Yang Qinghe to offer him a quota was absolutely not an ordinary token of gratitude.

Xiao Yuanting calmed his racing thoughts. If Yang Qinghe was willing to offer such a massive bargaining chip, then the information he wanted from Old Shen must be even more valuable. But now, he no longer cared to know what it was.

Xiao Yuanting looked up, his face once again wreathed in smiles.

"Qinghe, what are you talking about? There's no need to speak of gifts, that's too distant." He picked up the wine jug, poured Yang Qinghe a full cup, and then topped off his own.

"I felt like old friends with you from the first moment we met. If you need any help, I am naturally bound by duty to oblige.

"Shen Yizhu is just an old stubborn fool, truly detestable. How about this: whatever you need, tell Xiao Wu later. He can help you solve the vast majority of problems you might encounter in Qingzhou City."

With that, Xiao Yuanting raised his wine cup and offered a toast. Yang Qinghe also raised his cup.

The two wine cups clinked gently above the table, producing a crisp CLINK.

***

Night had fallen.

In the woods outside the city, Mei had already woken up. She sat leaning against a tree trunk, still draped in that coarse cloth garment. The disguise had been washed from her face, revealing her true appearance.

Lin Yan sat by the campfire, adding firewood to the flames.

"Mr. Lin." Her voice was still a bit weak.

Lin Yan looked up. "If your injuries haven't healed, speak less. Otherwise, Doctor Zhou will have to go through the trouble of treating you again."

Mei met his gaze, staring back stubbornly.

"No, there are some things I must say right now. Hiding my appearance earlier was not my true intention. I have deceived you much along this journey, and for that, I am sorry. My actual surname is Mei. My name is Mei Ruoying."

Lin Yan's heart stirred as a certain matter Xie Yun had mentioned earlier came to mind.

"A good name."

The words were complimentary, but his tone was too flat, making it impossible to tell if he was being sincere or just paying lip service.

Seeing this, Zhou Wanqing couldn't help but advise softly, "Mei, get some good rest first. We can talk about everything else once your injuries are healed."

Mei Ruoying, however, shook her head.

"Zhou, let me finish." She looked at Lin Yan. "I am the second miss of Meihua Mountain Villa who fled from her marriage. The reason I am wandering outside and refuse to return is because... I refuse to marry a disgusting bastard."

At this point, a wave of undisguised disgust suddenly surged in Mei Ruoying's originally cold, Taohua eyes.

Lin Yan listened in silence without offering his own opinion, and the atmosphere grew somewhat heavy.

Zhou Wanqing, seeing that neither of them was speaking, darted her eyes playfully and suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

"Ruoying told me about this," she said. "That man prefers the company of men. And... he's even the one on the bottom!"

"Hmm?!"

Lin Yan's head snapped up, goosebumps rising all over his skin.

"Wait a minute, what's with the excited look on this woman's face?!" he thought.