Free Web NovelChapter 825: Chapter 614: Three Yin Days
"What a mess, who on earth are you?!" Xiang Fengchen realized right away that something was amiss in their confrontation—the man wasn’t someone from the Feng Shui trade at all, just a common fellow, and he didn’t seem quite right in the head either.
"Who sent you?" Nalan Shuo asked in a low voice.
This man was disabled, and whenever he spoke, he twisted his mouth and eyes, drooled from the corner of his mouth, and couldn’t speak clearly. After questioning by Nalan Shuo, they finally got a rough idea of the situation.
It turned out that this man had been instructed by a storyteller to blacken his face and taught the way to pace his steps, with an agreement that they would meet people seeking him in the following days. For each person, whether it be one or many, he was to be given five copper coins as a reward.
Furthermore, the hunched-back fellow disclosed another piece of information: the storyteller had asked him to step outside the tavern doors from time to time for a breath of fresh air, not for too long, just to stand outside for a bit before returning.
"They have accomplices outside the tavern," Nalan Shuo quickly realized, looking towards Xiang Fengchen and urging, "I’ll keep questioning him, you go outside and see if you can find that accomplice. It’s best if you do, but if not, then at least take control of that storyteller old fellow."
Xiang Fengchen didn’t waste words and left immediately, heading straight for the tavern doors.
Sitting in the audience, Yang Xiao closely watched the storyteller, a man quite out of the ordinary. The tales he spun of the so-called "Loyal Twelve Generals" alluded to a real massacre that had happened at the Earl Mansion. In ancient language, "Marquis" is synonymous with "He," which refers to the Hou Family, specifically to the Old Marquis of Marquis Zhongyi.
He was even more eager for the next part of the tale—having a feeling that it held the truth he sought, where the sobbing "Mrs. He" was merely an introduction.
With nothing to show for his outing, Xiang Fengchen guessed that if there were accomplices, they must have already fled, but fortunately, the storyteller was still there.
Unable to wait for the second half to begin, Xiang Fengchen called over a waiter and, pulling out a large chunk of silver pieces from his pocket, whispered something into his ears. The smiling waiter could not close his mouth and nodded repeatedly, assuring he would handle the task properly.
After the waiter left, Xiang Fengchen sat down next to Yang Xiao, briefly explaining the situation. He had given silver to the waiter to ask the storyteller to step aside for a chat, at least that’s what he told the waiter; now that they were exposed, even more aggressive measures wouldn’t hurt. freewebnøvel.com
The waiter who had received the silver approached the stage, whispered something to the storyteller and stuffed a bunch of copper coins into his hand. Yang Xiao and Xiang Fengchen watched for any slight change in expression on the storyteller’s face; indeed, it seemed he was prepared, not surprised at all. After a slight nod, he was helped down by the waiter.
Completely disregarding the boos from the audience below, the waiter assisted the storyteller off the stage, up the stairs, with Yang Xiao and Xiang Fengchen quickly following behind.
As the accomplice outside had fled, Yang Xiao and Xiang Fengchen were determined not to lose sight of the storyteller again. They followed him to a secluded private room on the second floor. As soon as the storyteller entered, Yang Xiao and Xiang Fengchen blocked the doorway.
Xiang Fengchen signaled the waiter with a look, who then conveniently stepped outside. Xiang Fengchen stopped him at the door, taking out another small piece of silver and instructed, "Don’t allow anyone upstairs, the tea charges for those customers downstairs are on me."
"Alright, sir, your wish is my command!" The waiter, having never seen such a generous guest, almost knelt in excitement and immediately reassured, "Rest assured, sir, even if our manager comes, I won’t let him up!"
With the silver in hand, the waiter left immediately, leaving only Yang Xiao, Xiang Fengchen, and the pretentious storyteller who sat comfortably in the main seat inside the room.
"Mr. Ji, I apologize for suddenly asking you upstairs for a chat," Xiang Fengchen, regardless of whether the man was blind, maintained excellent manners, politely asking, "May I know how to address you, sir?"
"No need to be formal, my last name is Ji, with a single name Ru," the storyteller tapped the table lightly with an air of importance.
"Mr. Ji, this exceptional new performance of yours is really splendid. May I ask where it originated?" Xiang Fengchen asked amiably.
"That... I can’t quite remember," the old man spread his hands on the table, gently shaking them.
"Take your time, think carefully," Xiang Fengchen, perfectly understanding, stepped forward and placed a piece of silver in the old man’s hand. frёeωebɳovel.com
"I remember now," the next second, the elder’s thin fingers clutched the silver, trembling as he stuffed it into his chest, "It was one man who told it to me; of course, his story was much rougher. The reason why this ’Loyal Twelve Generals’ managed to win unanimous approval was all thanks to my incessant revisions and enhancements."
"What kind of man was he?" Yang Xiao probed.
"A foreigner," the old man casually replied.
"What kind of foreigner? Can you describe any distinctive features?" Yang Xiao mentally sketched the man’s identity information, "Accent, or habits, whatever you can remember, please tell us."
"Let me think," after saying that, the old man sat quietly, not uttering a word.
After a full two minutes, Yang Xiao couldn’t hold back any longer, "Mr. Ji, have you thought of anything? It’s very important to us."
Upon hearing this, the storyteller suddenly laughed, placing one hand casually on the table, stretching out, "Sorry, old age brings poor memory, alas, I accidentally fell asleep for a moment. I hope I haven’t caused any trouble for the gentlemen?"
