The blind storyteller!

After three days on the road, Ning Que arrived in Qingzhou City from Lotus Town.

Lotus Town was merely a small town on the boundary between Qingzhou City and Lizhou City.

It did not actually fall within Qingzhou's territory.

Over those three days, they had encountered no bandits or highwaymen.

Besides the public security, another reason was that Ning Que had far too many people behind him.

There were over a million of them, and every last one was an expert.

Who would dare rob them?

Qingzhou City's gate towered above them, easy to defend and hard to assault, with flags planted along its top.

Each flag bore a large character for "Qing."

It was quite imposing.

But because of the execution-ground rescue, security in Qingzhou had also tightened considerably.

Wanted portraits of him and Yin Jiuyou were everywhere.

Everyone entering Qingzhou City had to undergo a strict inspection.

In the past, merchants with dubious backgrounds could still get inside by offering silver ingots as bribes.

Now, however, that no longer worked.

Ning Que alone saw several people arrested, all shouting, "Sir, I've been wronged!"

So Ning Que glanced back at Qi Shanhe and the others, asking with his eyes whether they had a solution.

The next moment, they all turned toward the beautiful matron, Mu Yuwei.

Mu Yuwei smiled charmingly. "Rest assured, Little Juzi. Leave this little matter to me!"

To his surprise, Mu Yuwei was not only an expert with poisons, but also a master of disguise.

Before long, she had changed everyone's appearance.

She applied a special clay to their faces, then quickly molded each one into an entirely different visage.

Looking at his rather ordinary new face, Ning Que frowned. "Can you give me a different face? You've made me ugly..."

It reminded Ning Que of creating faces in online games in his previous life. He would stop and spend a good while crafting a face he was satisfied with.

Yet Yin Jiuyou had simply molded an utterly ordinary face for him, leaving Ning Que thoroughly displeased.

Mu Yuwei refused, however. "You'll have to put up with it, Little Juzi. A more handsome disguise would draw attention too easily."

Yin Jiuyou said, "In three days, we only need to enter through the eastern gate, cross all of Qingzhou City, and reach the western side to reunite with the main force."

Qingzhou City was enormous. Crossing from east to west would take at least a day.

"All right, then..."

Ning Que could only agree.

Mu Yuwei giggled. "It isn't ugly, just a little ordinary. What matters most is your bearing!"

"With the right bearing, you can still draw people in. Your bearing is excellent, Little Juzi. Anyone can tell you're destined for great things!"

"A tiger father never sires a dog of a son. If the former leader could see you now, Little Juzi, he would surely be gratified!"

"..."

Everyone chimed in with compliments.

Hmm...

Now, doesn't that make me feel much better?

After disguising themselves, they entered Qingzhou City easily.

Qingzhou City was far more prosperous than a small town like Lotus Town.

It was also much more crowded.

"There are too many people and prying eyes. Let's stay separately."

Ning Que and Yin Jiuyou stayed at an inn near the city center.

Qi Shanhe, Mu Yuwei, and the others stayed somewhere ten meters farther along.

Only a street separated them.

As Qi Shanhe put it, they had nothing to do in Qingzhou City for the next three days. They only needed to wait until the main force arrived outside the city to receive them.

So Qi Shanhe knocked on Ning Que's door and suggested going out for a stroll.

Ning Que did not refuse. It was a good chance to see Qingzhou City's local customs.

He could also ask around for news from the outside world.

He even dragged Yin Jiuyou out with them.

They picked a teahouse at random and sat down.

The place was packed with customers because a blind storyteller performed there.

His stories were said to be particularly captivating, and many people came to this teahouse specifically to support him.

"Today, I'll tell you about a rumor from the imperial capital, Lizhou. As everyone knows, friction between the Mara Dynasty and our Great Li has grown so severe that war nearly broke out. So why did they stop short of fighting? Word has it that a marriage alliance was arranged..."

The blind storyteller's voice rose and fell, instantly capturing countless listeners' interest.

More and more people gathered around him.

Even Ning Que, Yin Jiuyou, and the others, who had been drinking tea, were drawn over.

The blind storyteller continued, "The bride in this marriage alliance was neither a princess of the reigning dynasty nor the daughter of some prince or duke, but a commoner girl!"

"Whoa..."

Hearing that the bride was a commoner, the crowd immediately erupted in an uproar.

Ning Que stared at the blind storyteller, a trace of astonishment slowly rising in his eyes.

"And then? Hurry up and tell us!"

Someone urged impatiently and tipped him a copper coin.

Others followed suit, offering copper coins of their own.

Only then did the storyteller continue, his tone leisurely. "They say that commoner girl possessed beauty unrivaled beneath heaven. Even without powder or rouge, dressed in plain cloth, she outshone certain noble young ladies! They say a certain noble young lady grew jealous of her beauty and therefore introduced her to others."

"After passing through several hands, word reached the ears of the Mara Dynasty's holy son. He was traveling through Great Li at the time and became intrigued. Who would have thought he would fall for her at first sight!"

"..."

Ning Que's expression shifted between light and shadow. He only knew that the woman who should have been his wife had been forcibly sent away for a marriage alliance, not how it had happened.

For instance, how had she caught the Mara Dynasty's attention?

Which families and factions had been involved?

He had to investigate all of it.

He had never expected to hear about it from this storyteller.

Still, Ning Que could not determine whether the man's tale was true or false. He could only keep listening.

But the storyteller stopped.

"To learn what happened next, come back for the next installment!"

Clack!

He lightly struck the wooden clapper against the table, then left with a flourish.

At once, all the listeners protested, clamoring that this was no fun and demanding their money back.

But the blind storyteller had already vanished.

As though drawn by something, Ning Que hurried downstairs and disappeared into the sea of people on the street.

After several twists and turns, he finally found the man in a secluded alley.

He sat on the ground like a beggar, with a broken bowl before him.

Ning Que's expression changed completely.

The man was plainly a beggar, yet he gave Ning Que an unfathomable feeling.

He immediately took out a silver ingot and placed it in the bowl.

"May I ask, sir, where you heard this news?"

The blind storyteller raised his head, his clouded eyes fixed on Ning Que, and smiled. "There is no wall beneath heaven that does not let the wind through, nor any news that cannot spread. People repeat what others say. Believe it, and it exists; disbelieve it, and it does not."

Ning Que's expression shifted even more dramatically as he asked the question he most wanted answered.

"Then that woman... is she all right now? Is she still alive?"

The blind storyteller continued smiling at Ning Que. "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed."

"Meeting is hard, and parting is hard as well. If fate binds you, you will meet again. Only, when you do, there may be many unforeseen changes..."

As the blind storyteller spoke, he rose unsteadily and left.