Hearing movement begin outside, Shi Chun immediately got up. He was about to stroll over to Bian Weikang's room when, passing beneath the covered walkway of the little courtyard, he suddenly heard someone making a "psst, psst" sound inside a room. He turned and saw a familiar face behind a half-open window. It was none other than Cen Futong.
Shi Chun quickly glanced around, then pretended to be taking a stroll as he casually approached the window. "Why are you staying here?" he murmured.
"I moved in last night. Everything's ready on my end."
"Just follow the original plan."
"Sure. I was afraid you might be uncertain, so I came specially to give you a firm answer."
"You really are dependable, Brother Cen. A man destined for great things." Shi Chun praised him aloud while inwardly cursing, Idiot. Making yourself such a conspicuous target.
He then left, winding his way straight to Bian Weikang's room and knocking on the door.
The occupants were already up. The door opened as soon as he knocked, and they agreed on a departure time.
After that, everyone made their own preparations. Shi Chun and his companion even squeezed in a chance to try the breakfast here.
They were too pressed for time, and there were still many things they had not experienced. The important business had to come first; everything else would have to wait.
Four of them left the Carefree Inn together. Aside from Xiang Lan'er, who wore a cloak that concealed her face, the others looked much the same as before.
The couple did not want to encounter any more people, so Shi Chun and his companion could only respect their wishes. Rather than passing through the bustling streets below the mountain, they went straight to the cliffs above the Carefree Inn, then slipped into the vast, primeval mountain forest.
Once they began racing through the forest, the differences in their cultivation became obvious. Bian Weikang was the only one of the four at the advanced martial level; the other three did not even qualify. Fortunately, he looked down on neither the men nor the woman and slowed his pace to travel alongside them...
At Wangbo Tower, Che Si hurried to the entrance of Miao Yilan's office and called for permission to enter. "Miss Miao."
"Come in," Miao Yilan's voice answered.
Che Si immediately entered and approached her desk. Glancing at the beautiful feather that had been set out again, he reported, "Miss Miao, Shi Chun and his companion have left with Bian Weikang and Xiang Lan'er. It looks as though they've left Skyward City. I couldn't keep following them."
"They left?" Miao Yilan, who had just picked up and opened a ledger, froze before turning toward him. "Didn't he say he would repay the debt within three days? How is he going to repay it if he leaves?"
She found it hard to believe Shi Chun would dare break his word to her like this. Did he really think that once he left the Land of Exile, the sky was wide enough for any bird to fly, and she could no longer do anything to them?
The money itself was no great matter to her. She simply did not want to be deceived like a fool.
"I don't know what's going on," Che Si said. "But judging by Old Dong and Big Stone's furtive behavior with them yesterday, those two should know the inside story."
Miao Yilan considered this, set aside her work, and rose. "Bring those two here."
"Yes." Che Si acknowledged the order and left.
Old Dong and Big Stone, who had taken leave yesterday, were already back at their regular posts. Both handled goods coming into and leaving the storeroom-in truth, they were just two porters.
Whether they wanted to come or not was beside the point. Once Che Si invoked Miao Yilan's name before the person overseeing the storeroom, he easily took the two away.
They kept asking what this was about along the way, but Che Si did not answer, leading them straight to Miao Yilan's office.
Miao Yilan stood at the balcony railing, bathing in the morning sunlight, her entire figure enveloped in a layer of radiance. She was waiting for them, too. When the two arrived, they bowed and greeted her.
Turning around, Miao Yilan wasted no words with them and asked directly, "Did you know Shi Chun and his companion were leaving Skyward City today?"
"No."
"Yes."
The two spoke at the same time but gave different answers. Old Dong said no; Big Stone said yes.
Old Dong's face turned green on the spot. He no longer knew where to look, but he certainly did not dare meet Miao Yilan's eyes. He had the urge to strangle Big Stone.
Big Stone was embarrassed as well. He could roughly guess why Old Dong had said no: he did not want to reveal their secret. But Big Stone had not said yes to reveal it, either. He felt that Shi Chun's departure from Skyward City could hardly be concealed, or they would not have been summoned to answer questions about it.
Miao Yilan, whose words and manner always carried a natural gentleness, could not help raising her brows at their utterly contradictory answers. She truly had not expected these two fellows to dare deceive her so blatantly.
Che Si gave a cold snort, his gaze turning frosty as he looked at Old Dong. The one who said no was obviously lying.
He was just about to threaten Old Dong's livelihood when Old Dong suddenly slapped his forehead. "Now I remember. Big Stone reminded me. I drank too much yesterday and nearly got muddled. Yes, yes, yes, I think Shi Chun did mention over the meal that they were leaving today."
The corners of Miao Yilan's pretty mouth curved slightly. "So he's just running off like this? Is he not going to repay the money he borrowed from me?"
"He will," Old Dong immediately replied. "He said that barring any mishaps, he would have someone deliver the money today."
Miao Yilan was puzzled. "Can Bian Weikang repay him that quickly?"
Big Stone lowered his head slightly, unsure what to say.
Yet Old Dong answered crisply, "Where would Bian Weikang get the money to repay him? Shi Chun has made arrangements with Lü Taizhen's side. Once he sells Xiang Lan'er to Lü Taizhen, he'll have the money."
Big Stone abruptly turned to look at him, then quickly lowered his head again to conceal his astonishment.
Miao Yilan and Che Si both stared blankly, unable to make sense of his words. They had taken the woman Lü Taizhen wanted, only to sell her to him again? Had they heard that correctly? What was the point of going in such a great circle?
Old Dong, however, wore an utterly sincere expression, as though he had not spoken a single false word.
Che Si could not resist interjecting, "How is he selling her?"
"I don't know exactly how," Old Dong said. "He probably worked out the terms of the transaction in secret with Cao Puqing's nephew, Cen Futong. He didn't tell us."
"In secret?" Che Si said. "What is there to discuss in secret? Besides, what sense does it make to take the woman Lü Taizhen wanted to buy, then sell her to him again? Do they have nothing better to do, or do they think Lü Taizhen has nothing better to do?"
"That's different," Old Dong replied. "Buying her from Liyun Tower would cost Lü Taizhen five hundred thousand gold. Buying her from Shi Chun only costs two hundred thousand."
"..."
What in the world? Miao Yilan and Che Si could not quite wrap their heads around it at first, but they had realized where the trick lay.
After a little more thought, they gradually untangled the scheme, and both were left speechless.
Only after a long while did Miao Yilan seem to awaken from a dream. She stared at Old Dong and Big Stone. "Where are they making the exchange?"
Anyone could see that this woman seemed intent on stopping the transaction.
Old Dong shook his head. "We really don't know the details of the exchange. He wouldn't tell the two of us, either. When he first borrowed the money, we didn't know he intended to do this. He only told us after she'd been redeemed. He said we belonged to Wangbo Tower now, so he wouldn't let us take part. He only asked us to help pass the money on to you when it arrived."
He had to stress these points, distancing himself from the matter and making it clear that he had not gone out to take part in private work.
Miao Yilan's expression was complicated. She sighed. "But she's a living, breathing person. How can they just sell her back and forth like this?"
Old Dong and Big Stone were taken aback, both looking at her in surprise. If even this was forbidden, then there was nothing left for them to discuss. They would have starved to death in the Land of Exile long ago.
Then Big Stone ventured to remind her, "Miss Miao, she was a brothel woman to begin with. She was already being sold."
Old Dong nodded in agreement. "Whether Liyun Tower sells her to Lü Taizhen or Shi Chun sells her to Lü Taizhen, it's still a sale. There's no difference. Shi Chun is just pocketing the difference in price."
Miao Yilan was utterly speechless. The woman had put up four hundred and fifty thousand herself, while he had contributed only fifty thousand. What right did he have to sell her? Most importantly, he was breaking up a perfect couple whose love was mutual, and she found that hard to accept.
To think she had actually swallowed that nonsense earlier, even been moved by Shi Chun's claim that "mutual love outweighs untold riches." After all that, his words had to be taken in reverse. That fellow's refinement really was an act. What a scoundrel!
Old Dong and Big Stone were one thing, but Che Si's reaction was another matter. At first, he had been as shocked as she was, yet now his eyes actually held amazement and admiration. Was he praising Shi Chun for a job well done?
With that, she no longer wanted to say anything and waved them all away.
At the corner of the corridor, just as Che Si and the other two were about to head downstairs, they suddenly hurried aside and bowed in unison. "Madam."
Someone was coming up from below. It was none other than Lan Qiaoyan, the woman in charge of Wangbo Tower in the Land of Exile.
She had come to see her daughter. She did not have to remain cooped up in the Land of Exile all the time; when she entered and when she left depended entirely on her wishes. In fact, she spent most of her time in the outside world.
She nodded slightly in acknowledgment. She knew Che Si well, but when her gaze passed over the other two faces, she suddenly stopped in surprise. "Why are you two here?"
Never mind having seen Old Dong and Big Stone in the Land of Exile-she had personally recommended them for positions at Wangbo Tower recently. How could she not recognize them?
Old Dong answered for them. "The manager saw that you had recommended us and asked whether we knew Miss Miao. We said we did. He said acquaintances would find it easier to communicate, so he transferred us here."
"..." Lan Qiaoyan was at a loss for words. Never mind; it was nothing serious. She waved them off to attend to their work, then turned and left.
Upon entering her daughter's office, she found her leaning over the balcony railing in a daze. Her daughter did not even notice her approach, so she immediately patted her out of her reverie and asked what was wrong.
What else could it be? Miao Yilan told her about Shi Chun borrowing money to sell Liyun Tower's star courtesan.