Chapter 84: Stop 23: Evasion

Chapter 84: Stop 23: Evasion

The red note was quickly passed around among them.

Taking the opportunity, Shi Wen Guang asked uneasily,

"Where's Diao Qingchang?"

Yi Hongda scanned through the pages rapidly, not pausing in his speech:

"As a matchmaker, he's needed for many aspects of both weddings, so he was called early in the morning to accompany Madam Old Bai. Yu Kui and I will find an opportunity later to connect with him and synchronize information."

He looked at it some more and clicked his tongue in amazement. "Hmm, there are indeed many rules here. Where did you fellows find them? It's quite comprehensive."

Scholar Shi Wangguang secretly glanced at Yan Qiling, making sure that he didn't show any displeasure before divulging honestly, "Last night, we found three rules in the accounting room... Then, this morning, Mr. Yan brought the rest of the rules – mainly due to Mr. Yan's efforts."

Yan Qiling paid no heed to the person's cautious demeanor and instead unfolded the information he had gathered with a calm demeanor:

"In the accounting office, we discovered a severe financial deficit within the Bai family's coffers. The Bais once possessed thousands of acres of fertile land and hundreds of prosperous shops. However, starting five years ago, these assets were frenziedly sold off, mortgaged under various pretexts. Now, the entire Bai family is but an empty shell."

"The root cause of these issues lies in the eldest son of the Bai family, who is deeply addicted to gambling."

"Not only him, but his mother, Old Madam Bai, has also succumbed to the same vice."

Yan Qiling stood amidst the blue-green walls, his porcelain-white skin reflecting the damp moss on the tiles like a clear, cool pool beneath a verdant sky.

His tone was unruffled, as if nothing could perturb him:

"To plug the financial gaps in their household, the Bai family has borrowed tens of thousands from various moneylenders. Thus, they must bring back both their daughters to facilitate the marriage with the Wen family."

"Only then can they swiftly repay their debts and prevent further depletion of their wealth. Not only will this settle their obligations, but it will also provide more capital for them to continue gambling."

"The Wen family is well aware of this situation. However, they wish to know the extent of the Bai family's financial troubles. That's why Shih Wen Guang and I were brought into the Bai residence under the guise of accountants."

Lin Yongjian raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Well then, we could exploit this situation to attempt to sabotage the marriage between the Wen and Bai families. If the wedding is called off, the bride won't have to go through with it. That would break the first rule."

"Certainly an approach worth considering."

Yan Qiling didn't deliberately avoid him but expressed his agreement as he would with anyone else:

"Moreover, there are some unusual income streams in the Bai family's records."

"The Bai family isn't consistently losing money; they win and lose alternately."

The man's heterochromatic eyes, like twin glass beads, were as still as stagnant water:

"The Bai family has a substantial expenditure on temple offerings."

"The intriguing part is that, regardless of how much they spend on offerings, within three days of making the payment, the Bai family inevitably receives an unexplained windfall, which is two to three times the amount they spent on the offerings."

"However, the Bai family's offerings now exceed their capacity to sustain such expenses. Even if they continue to receive windfalls, it won't be enough to balance their books."

"The family's current existence relies entirely on loans and unexpected wealth, while their legitimate business has been neglected for years, resembling loose sand."

"The Wen family's dowry was like heavenly rain to the Bai family. Madam Old Bai dedicated all these gifts to the divine shrine."

"However, according to the accounts, it's already the fifth day, and the unexpected wealth hasn't appeared yet. This is truly fatal for Madam Old Bai."

Yi Hongda chuckled, "Could it be that the deity has been busy lately and doesn't have time to attend to Madam Old Bai?"

Mai Zeyu showed concern, waving his large, flower-patterned sleeves in a low voice, "The Bai family's obsession with wealth has become frenzied. They're willing to marry both their daughters into the Wen family, demonstrating how determined they are..."

Ming Yiyang, who had been listening quietly, took a cigarette from his pocket and put it between his lips, unlit. His expression was stern as he said, "There's no need to think of the Lord of the Abyss as humane. Whatever They do is for the sake of craving flesh and souls. The Bai family might be one part of the Lord of the Abyss, while the Wen family could be another."

"For the Bai family, there seems to be no immediate way out. Therefore, we should at least find an excuse to visit the Wen family tonight and see if the exit is there. Being able to escape is the ultimate goal."

Yi Hongda nodded in agreement. "Diao Qingchang happens to be a matchmaker. We can use his identity as a reason to pay a visit to the Wen family."

Yu Kui pursed his lips and tugged on Yi Hongda's clothes. "You... you forgot... about the servant announcing to all the courtyards this morning..."

The smile on Yi Hongda's face faded as he recalled, "Oh right, did you know that this morning, the servants were ordered to inform every courtyard to light up their lanterns and not extinguish them, regardless of whether anyone was inside? Anyone found putting out their lanterns would face family punishment, no exceptions."

Lin Yongjian and Mai Zeyu exchanged glances. As sedan chair bearers, they hadn't received such an order.

Lin Yongjian quickly sensed something amiss. "This rule... doesn't it contradict the established regulations?"

They once again unfolded the red note.

After the first three neat rows of rules, the rest was handwritten:

Never let any bride marry into the Wen family.

Keep away from men who wear red shoes.

Remember to extinguish the light when you leave, never forget.

When wishing a woman "early conception of an esteemed child," she will aid you.

Leave the room promptly when you hear a cat meowing, even at night.

After the third watch, scatter money as you pass graveyards.

All eyes were fixated on the phrase "Remember to extinguish the light when you leave."

Mai Zeyu scratched his head with his tattooed arm and asked:

"Why is there such a rule? Can we discuss it with the person in charge?"

Yi Hongda scratched his head, while Yu Kui clearly explained the reason:

"It should be... because of that Wen Family's son, right?"

Bearing the pressure of the surrounding gazes, Yu Kui steeled himself and said,

"I overheard it when I was doing odd jobs. They said that the Wen Family's son is too frail for normal activities, so the family decided to have two weddings, both for double happiness and to bring good fortune to the son."

"Then last night, the Wen Family's son suddenly collapsed. I heard he's on his deathbed. The Wen Family said that the master requested both families to keep the main lanterns in their houses lit without extinguishing them."

Yi Hongda happily put his arm around Yu Kui's neck and said cheerfully,

"Well done, boy! Your ears are even more perceptive than mine!"

Mai Zeyu tightly knitted his thick eyebrows together.

"There's no room for negotiation if it's like this. Madam White values these two weddings so much; there's no way she'd abandon this rule... Did they mention any time limit?"

Yu Kui shook his head.

"There doesn't seem to be any specific time limit for the mage's restrictions. Unless Wen Family's son experiences a sudden improvement in health, we'll have to abide by these rules indefinitely."

Yan Qiling smiled faintly, unconcerned.

"Such rules are inherently contradictory anyway."

He tapped the rule that read "Leave the room promptly when you hear a cat's cry, even at night" with his pale index finger and whispered, "For instance, if we light a lamp tonight and hear a cat's cry, regardless of whether you want to go out or not, the rule will force you to do so. There truly is no safe place here."

Yi Hongda's expression turned grave.

"What should we do then?"

Mai Zeyu stroked his chin and suddenly asked, "Hey, do these rules apply only to the Bai Family's residence or to the Wen Family as well? If we cross the burial ground and enter the Wen Family's territory, would we be free from these restrictions?"

Yi Hongda believed it was indeed a possibility, but Lin Yongjian queried,

"Though I'm unaware of how you came to this conclusion, even if what you say is true, what if we escape the Bai family's rules only to fall into the Wen family's rules?

"And besides, all of us are servants of the Bai family. What legitimate reason do we have to openly visit the Wen family? If we're caught and subjected to the family's punishment, wouldn't that just fulfill the Wujian Lord's plan?"

Yi Hongda was willing to give it a shot:

"Diao Qingchang should have a way. He's a matchmaker, after all. He could have a valid reason to bring people over."

Yu Kui timidly suggested,

"Actually... there's another method to avoid this situation altogether – not entering the house..."

"That's not possible," Yi Hongda promptly interrupted.

"As servants, both of us will inevitably have to enter. The same goes for those girls."

"The sedan bearers might not need to enter the house, but the matchmaker and accountant have to attend to their duties indoors. We don't have a valid reason not to enter… This won't work."

Shi Wenguang was also trying to find a way around this issue:

"What if we go in but don't light any lamps?"

Mai Zeyu rolled his eyes:

"You just forgot that Old Madam Bai would mete out punishment for not lighting lamps in the house? You said it yourself."

Shi Wenguang then refocused on Diao Qingchang:

"It should be acceptable for the matchmaker to send a few sedan bearers and servants, and even the accountant makes sense. However, the personal maid and young miss… It might not be possible to bring them along."

Anyway, he wanted to leave.

After the bizarre incident last night, Shi Wenguang had no desire to stay near the peculiar Yan Qiling. Secondly, he disliked the atmosphere in the Bai household.

Thirdly, he trusted Diao Qingchang, who had taken his job, more than any stranger. Yi Hongda made a swift decision:

"Time waits for no one. If we're going to make arrangements, it's best to decide now! Staying at the Bai family clearly doesn't guarantee safety based on the current situation. In any case, I'm going to give the Wen family a try."

Mai Zeyu pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, then I'll join you both at the Wen family's."

Lin Yongjian was still lost in thought, his gaze constantly following the figure standing amidst the crowd.

In the end, as if he had made up his mind, he disregarded Ming Yiyang's obstruction and walked straight up to Yan Qiling:

"Mr... Yan, I'll stick with you, shall I?"

Yan Qiling's indifferent eyes looked down at him:

"Why? I can't protect you."

"I don't need your protection, Teacher Yan. I can protect you. Isn't it better for you to have one more person by your side for safety?"

Ming Yiyang's scoff echoed.

Behind his shimmering silver bangs, the young man's deep eyes slightly lowered, tinged with unconscious arrogance:

"Protect him? You're not worthy."

The statement ignited a fire of anger in Lin Yongjian's heart. He could no longer hold back and turned to confront him:

"Ming Yiyang, we're strangers. I haven't wronged you, have I? Why do you always speak to me so disrespectfully?!"

Faced with the challenge, Ming Yiyang nonchalantly bit down on the sponge filter in his mouth:

"I'm just being honest. If you feel uncomfortable, that's none of my business."

Lin Yongjian furrowed his brows, clenched his fists, and swung them towards the young man's face!

He trained in boxing every weekend and had even studied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. There was no reason he should lose to this arrogant punk!

His wrist was suddenly gripped tightly, and before he knew what was happening, his entire arm was pulled under the other person's armpit, pinned down by their tense muscles. Then, he received two hard punches to his stomach, leaving him almost unable to stand.

The moment his arm was released, he lost his balance and fell to his knees with a thud, utterly humiliated.

The young man who had attacked him didn't even have a strand of hair out of place. He took two steps back, still chewing on his cigarette, and asked indifferently,

"How can you protect him if you can't even beat me? You'd better follow that Taoist Diao; at least he'll care about your well-being. I won't."

Yi Hongda hadn't expected the two to come to blows so quickly, and the fight was over in a matter of seconds. After witnessing Ming Yiyang's speed in combat, he dared not comment further. Instead, he hurriedly helped Lin Yongjian up with Mai Zeyu, jesting,

"Brother Lin, why don't you come with us? Let's head to the Wen family's place; perhaps we'll find something new... As for Brother Ming and the others, um, they're quite capable. They'll be fine, don't worry, don't worry."

As Lin Yongjian tried to rush forward to continue the fight, Mai Zeyu held him back firmly. Yi Hongda quickly intervened,

"Hey, hey, calm down! We'll go look for Diao Qingchang first, Brother Ming. We'll leave the message from the Brocade Tower to you two to convey. If there are any arrangements, just find us; we should still be around before nightfall."

Worried that the two might clash again, their group hastily left the scene.

In Shiweng Guang's heart, thoughts of Diao Qingchang prevailed, and he promptly followed suit, leaving the scene. Yu Kui, always cautious, sensing the unfavorable situation, also hastily made his escape.

In this secluded corner, only the two of them were left, facing each other.