Chapter 77: A Man and a Woman Go Out Alone Late at Night…
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
When Ye Jingtang brushed past the people of the Jun Mountain Terrace, there were three gazes sizing up the crowd from a teahouse window on the street.
The Blood Bodhi was pretending to be an old merchant with white hair. He was holding a cup of hot tea in his hand and frowning.
Chen Ming and Lu Ruan had followed the Blood Bodhi’s arrangements and come to assassinate the Prince of Jing’s personal expert. At this moment, they were sitting on both sides of the table with solemn expressions.
“Yesterday, Chen Ming used the rain as cover and went to the ship to find out the details. Before he could get close, there was something strange in the cabin. This child is so young. Isn’t he too experienced in Jianghu…”
“I suspect that there are still experts on the ship. After observing for a few days, the young man who often changes shifts with Ye Jingtang seems to be quite skilled, but he’s at most second-rate. Could the experts be hiding in the dark?”
The Blood Bodhi was also puzzled about this matter. Ye Jingtang and the Prince of Jing had an ambiguous relationship. He guessed that the Prince of Jing might have arranged guards for this trip, so after leaving the capital, he didn’t act rashly for a long time, wanting to figure out the identity of the guards first.
But there were only nine people on the merchant ship. Ye Jingtang, six servants, and two women. In terms of martial arts, they all seemed to know a little. But other than Ye Jingtang, no one else seemed like a Grandmaster.
According to his experience in Jianghu, if he couldn’t figure out the details of the opponent, it meant that the opponent’s skills were superior. Taking action rashly was courting death, and he should leave decisively.
But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the Blood Bodhi was using his employer’s manpower to do private work. If he missed it, he might never have such an opportunity again.
The Blood Bodhi deliberated for a long time before saying, “In our line of work, we can’t be anxious. We’ve already arrived at West King Town. Ye Jingtang will definitely walk around and socialize. As long as we continue to follow him, we will always find an opportunity.”
Chen Ming and Lu Ruan were both ruthless people who walked on the edge of a knife in Jianghu. The two of them felt that something was wrong with this mission.
But in terms of experience in Jianghu, the two of them combined were inferior to the Blood Bodhi. They obeyed the command and disguised themselves as the Blood Bodhi’s followers as they pulled a cart of groceries and joined the crowd.
The Blood Bodhi was experienced in assassination, so Ye Jingtang and Third Lady didn’t notice him.
After Ye Jingtang and his group entered West King Town, they first checked into an inn. Then they went to the town’s trading venue and visited merchants from all over to discuss various trivial matters.
Although Ye Jingtang didn’t have any guards with him, there were too many people in West King Town. Among them, there were many crouching tigers and hidden dragons, and there was no lack of experts. If they attacked on the streets, it would cause too much of a commotion, and it would be easy to attract the trouble of brave and chivalrous people.
The Blood Bodhi and the other two secretly followed for a long time, but they didn’t find an opportunity. Time passed from morning to dusk, and Ye Jingtang returned to his inn.
There were many people from Jianghu staying in the inn. They didn’t know the situation inside the inn, so it wasn’t appropriate for them to act rashly. They had already given up for today and planned to continue looking for opportunities tomorrow.
But to everyone’s surprise, Ye Jingtang, who had been so cautious along the way, suddenly presented an opportunity in front of them.
The sky gradually darkened, and the rain did not stop. The streets of West King Town lit up with lanterns.
The Blood Bodhi and his two helpers took turns watching the inn on the opposite side of the street. As they watched, they discovered two figures quietly walking out of the alley on the side of the inn.
The Blood Bodhi narrowed his eyes and sized up the two figures. He could confirm that the tall man wearing a bamboo hat was his target, Ye Jingtang.
The well-rounded woman beside him was the female boss of the Pei family, Third Lady Pei.
The two of them went out together without anyone by their side. It was dark, windy, and rainy. In the eyes of the killers, they were basically two dead people.
The three of them quickly went downstairs. Lu Ruan took out a thin spear from under the carriage and asked in a low voice, “Why are they going out so late at night?”
It was late at night, and it was raining. There were very few people on the streets. Ye Jingtang walked down an alley, and they could attack him at any time.
But the Blood Bodhi didn’t act rashly. He held his iron cane and followed from afar in the darkness. “I’m not sure. This child has a lot of experience in Jianghu. Be careful that it’s not a trick to lure enemies out. Find out his intentions first before attacking.”
Chen Ming and Lu Ruan also felt that this opportunity had come too suddenly. They really didn’t dare to attack directly. They followed the Blood Bodhi silently, trying to figure out their intentions.
And the intention of this man and a woman alone seemed very obvious…
Ye Jingtang and the female boss walked side by side, holding an umbrella together. The female boss’s shoulder was pressed against Ye Jingtang’s body, making her look like a charming, mature, and beautiful wife. No one would not believe that the two of them were a couple strolling in the middle of the night.
The places the two of them went to became more and more remote. Finally, they left the town, arrived at a riverside street, and entered an inconspicuous old inn by the street.
H 11
The Blood Bodhi had been in Jianghu his entire life. No matter how he looked at it, he felt that this behavior was ‘fornication’, and a strange look appeared on his old face.
The two people behind him clearly understood this too, but Chen Ming was more cautious and said doubtfully, “If the two of them want to sleep together, they can just stay in the inn. Why do they have to go to the river and find another inn?”
The Blood Bodhi pondered for a moment. “This child has an ambiguous relationship with the Prince of Jing. I’m afraid he doesn’t dare to let the Prince of Jing know that he’s having an affair with a woman.”
Lu Ruan chimed in, “According to my investigation, that woman’s name is Third Lady Pei, and Ye Jingtang is a foster son of the Pei family. He has to call that woman ‘aunt’. They’re an aunt and nephew having an affair, so they naturally have to hide it from their family.”
Pftrf/Chen Ming spat in disdain. “He looks talented, but he does such an inhumane thing behind people’s backs. To think 1 thought he was a troublesome person.”
“In rich families, there are many people who have affairs with concubines. This kind of thing is not unusual.”
The Blood Bodhi raised his hand to stop the two from chatting. He paid attention in the dark for a long time and didn’t find anything unusual about the old inn. Only then did he silently sneak toward the back alley of the small street…
Pitter-patter…
The raindrops fell on an umbrella, and the umbrella bones trembled, splashing some water.
Ye Jingtang was afraid that Third Lady’s shoulder would get wet, so he leaned over closer with the umbrella in his hand. He almost hugged Pei Xiangjun with one arm, but his arm wasn’t behind her back.
Pei Xiangjun walked slowly along the riverbank with the demeanor of a wealthy lady. “This street is called Koi Street. It’s privately owned by the Ze Province Hail. There are a lot of tourists during the day… The hall masters are meeting soon. In order to prevent the news from leaking, all the people on the street have been changed with our people, and foreign people aren’t allowed in.”
If Third Lady hadn’t said anything, Ye Jingtang really wouldn’t have been able to tell that the idlers, boatmen, and shop assistants on the street were their people. He sized them up slightly. “How many people are in the building?” “There are more than three hundred people, and most of them are from the Ze Province Hall. The twelve halls of the Red Flower Pavilion are in the twelve provinces of Great Wei. They are of various sizes, and the people who came this time are all core members. There are only a dozen or so from each hall, and they’re all waiting in the large round building in front… When you see Hall Master Song and Hail Master Chen later, you’d better be polite. The two of them are genuine Grandmasters and much more powerful than me. If you act unreasonably, they will really beat you up…”
“Of course I know that…”
As they chatted, Pei Xiangjun brought Ye Jingtang through the riverside street, and they arrived at the entrance of an inn.
The inn looked rather old. It was probably a hundred years old, and the door had already turned black from the erosion of the wind and rain. There was an oil lamp in the lobby. The old shopkeeper was checking the account behind the counter, and the waiter was leaning lazily against the door.
The waiter didn’t look surprised when the two of them came over. He only raised his hand. “Guests, please come in.”
Then he led the two of them to the back of the inn…
