Chapter 21: He should sell his smile, and…

Chapter 21 He should try selling his charm...

Xue Li shared her plan with her subordinates.

She showed them the wine and sedative she had bought the previous night in Huanchuan Town.

The subordinates exchanged glances.

The candlelight illuminated the girl wearing a bamboo hat, casting a hazy glow.

Xue Li's soft and distant voice echoed gently in the cramped and crowded room: "You cannot participate in my journey plan, or it will arouse suspicion from the young master and his people afterward. I will mix the sedative into this jar of wine, and you will take it to invite his two guards to drink together."

Xue Li continued with her own affairs: "I will ask the young master to go out with me, then leave him behind and go to Guangzhou alone. He won't be able to find me, but given his playful nature, he won't return to the inn either. He will either look for me or watch the village festivities. By the time he returns to the inn, everything will be settled."

One person raised their hand and said, "I have a question: Master, wouldn't we also fall unconscious in that case?"

Xue Li found it exhausting to answer such a simple question.

Fortunately, another person slapped the former's head and scolded, "Idiot! Master Dong Jun intends for us to fall unconscious alongside them so that when we wake up later, we can claim it was just drunkenness. If the dosage of the sedative is right, it should fool them. We'll bring ten jars of wine when the time comes."

The group whispered among themselves, discussing whether the plan was feasible.

Someone asked, "What if enemies come to the inn while we're all unconscious..."

Xue Li replied, "I will return from Guangzhou as soon as possible. Besides, you've already patrolled this inn for several days. It's secluded, and no one comes here at this time of year. The townsfolk are all ordinary people. The captured assassins are also securely imprisoned and unlikely to escape. Even if enemies do come, it won't matter—the sedative has a limited duration."

The group felt uneasy, fearing that this might cause trouble.

But Dong Jun's desire to go to Guangzhou was a common desire among everyone present—they all wanted to bid farewell to Master Yulong. If they couldn't do it themselves, Dong Jun going on their behalf was still a hope.

Xue Li then quickly outlined how they should lure the two guards into drinking.

The assassins nodded intermittently, embarrassed: "Master Dong Jun, please kowtow to the Master on our behalf and tell him we regret not being able to see him off in person."

The tall men's eyes welled up with tears, and their voices choked.

Xue Li nodded.

She would deliver the message. She was just saying goodbye and wouldn't be coming back.

Everyone stood up and cupped their hands: "Master Dong Jun, take care."

Xue Li was momentarily taken aback and replied, "Take care."

No one had ever said such words to her before. She understood the meaning behind them but found it uninteresting, unable to savor any emotion. Xue Li pushed the feeling aside.

After the discussion, everyone followed Xue Li out of the room in turn.

As they prepared to carry out the plan, someone asked one last question: "If we're going to drug them, why is Master Dong Jun still taking the young master out to watch the festivities? Why not render him unconscious as well?"

One person answered, "I know. It's because the young master is frail and abstains from alcohol entirely. Haven't you noticed?"

Xue Li was momentarily taken aback—she hadn't noticed either. But then again, she never paid him any mind, so it was normal not to notice.

Xue Li's true reason was pragmatic: "I'm afraid he might die."

The group went quiet.

Indeed, the young master had been so ill these past few days that he was hardly able to leave his bed.

--

Lin Ye, who the assassins thought was too weak to even get out of bed, was now dressed in fine robes with narrow sleeves, a jade crown, and silk belts.

He was digging through a chest for weapons and travel-ready martial robes. Used to living the pampered life of a nobleman, his martial robes were buried at the bottom of the chest, and the dust he kicked up during his search clouded half the room, making him cough.

Ah Zeng stood against the wall, arms crossed, never questioning Lin Ye's plans, just following them to the letter.

Liang Chen, on the other hand, was a young ball of energy. Originally just a bundle of energy, always jumping around, this trip with Lin Ye had somehow turned him into a worrywart—

"Are you sure this plan of yours is solid? Sending me and Ah Zeng to serve drugged tea to those assassins while you go out with Dong Jun, then bail on her to let Kong Laoliu and his crew out, release them, and personally escort Kong Laoliu away. What if the assassins start asking questions later?"

Lin Ye: "They dropped the ball on their job... Hmm, you're right, there's some wiggle room here."

Watching Lin Ye seriously considering even crazier ideas, Liang Chen: "I get that you're trying to win over Kong Laoliu and his guys, but when have you ever heard of inviting a bunch of assassins for tea?"

Lin Ye tilted his head upward: "If they know it's from me, they'll drink it no question."

Liang Chen: ... How full of yourself are you? What's the big deal about your tea? Is it laced with gold or something? Gold water can kill, you know.

Lin Ye boasted shamelessly: "Top-shelf Mingqian Longjing tea. Can regular folks even afford that?"

Ah Zeng was momentarily envious.

Liang Chen, who had never worried about money, naturally retorted sarcastically: "You're just too generous."

Lin Ye proudly replied: "Of course. My family's got nothing going for it except being loaded. Generations of cash, all in my pocket. I can't even spend it all... What a tragedy. Where else are you gonna find a guy as generous as me?"

Liang Chen conceded: "Your generosity comes with poison, meant to drug others."

Lin Ye shrugged: "I haven't killed anyone. When I do, then you can make a fuss."

But even if he did kill someone, Liang Chen wouldn't make a fuss. Liang Chen knew who he was... Liang Chen snorted: "What do I care? I'm going to make a name for myself."

Ah Zeng, who had been listening to their banter, finally interjected coolly: "Dong Jun's martial arts are so high, how will you shake her off?"

Lin Ye winked mysteriously: "I plan to meet her at a certain place. I'll tell her it's the small forest to the east, but I'll actually take the western path. I'll also stagger the meeting time by half an hour."

Liang Chen: "Then the question arises—we're staying in the same inn, how will you manage to arrange a meeting elsewhere without a martial arts expert like her noticing? How will you convince her?"

Lin Ye's gaze drifted.

He squeezed out two words: "Romance."

The two guards: "..."

Liang Chen said: "You'll definitely be good at deceiving young ladies in the future. The poor Northern Zhou princess will be completely under your spell."

Ah Zeng remained silent. He remembered that night when everyone was chatting by the fire downstairs, Dong Jun spoke sarcastically, and Lin Ye looked at her back with a certain expression.

Being older than the two youths, he knew what that look meant.

Ah Zeng stared at Lin Ye, noticing that after laughing and joking with Liang Chen, Lin Ye's expression turned calm and slightly worried when alone.

Ah Zeng: What is Little Peacock worried about?

Lin Ye was just thinking about whether to tell the two guards about his suspicions regarding Dong Jun's identity. After much deliberation, he was still afraid they might act rashly—Afraid they might alert the enemy, and afraid they might harm Dong Jun.

He decided to handle it himself.

--

So, when Lin Ye went to find Xue Li, he happened to run into her as she was coming to see him.

Before Lin Ye could even mention the idea of meeting up, Xue Li proactively brought it up. Lin Ye gaped at her in surprise, feeling that the coincidence of her suggesting to watch the community bonfire festival was too aligned with his own thoughts.

Xue Li: "You don't want to?"

Lin Ye: "Why?"

Xue Li: "For the joy of it."

Lin Ye burst out laughing.

He thought of her innocent and natural manner, immediately relaxed, unable to believe she harbored the same dark intentions as he did. He even felt a pang of guilt for his petty suspicions and a twinge of reluctance.

Lin Ye feigned reluctance: "I'm not someone who just agrees to meet up with any girl."

Xue Li: "Do I need to ask three times, like visiting a recluse? Then I'll come back and ask you again later."

With that, she turned and walked away without a second thought. Lin Ye, panicking, reached out to grab her: "Wait."

She dodged his touch, and he only managed to brush her sleeve. But he couldn't stop laughing, his heart light with joy.

The young man's eyes sparkled, illuminating the entire room, and Xue Li couldn't take her eyes off him.

Her master never laughed, so naturally, Lin Ye outshone her master in laughter.

Song Wanfeng's smiles were faint, so naturally, Lin Ye outshone Song Wanfeng in cheerfulness and liveliness.

He had the most captivating smile.

He should market his smiles; she might even purchase one.

Xue Li's imagination soared, while Lin Ye lowered his eyes in thought before gently raising his gaze, like a bubbling brook, gently flowing toward her: "I have stipulations."

Xue Li: "Hmm."

Lin Ye then laid out his usual demands: "I seek a perfect woman—beautiful, kind, intelligent, amiable, never drooling, never sneezing, always fragrant..."

Xue Li said: "If you don't survive to wed the Northern Zhou princess, I'll bind a perfect woman for you and arrange a spirit marriage."

Lin Ye's smile froze.

But Xue Li didn't laugh.

She wasn't joking.

She thought to herself: If she was still alive by then, if they met again after this separation, if he still had this demand... she would give it to him.

--

The following night, the assassins of 'Qin Yueye' brought ten jars of wine to share with the two guards, while Ah Zeng and Liang Chen brought fine tea to share with the assassins.

Xue Li, in her room, changed into black night clothes, a black hat, armed herself with weapons and "Xue Li's Journal," and jumped out the window.

She didn't go to the eastern grove where she had agreed to meet Lin Ye. She headed west, toward Guangzhou.

Lin Ye, in his room, changed out of his nobleman's attire into black night clothes and a black gauze hat. Usually jovial and carefree, now with his sleeves tied tightly, the candlelight illuminated his tall and straight figure, like a sword unsheathed.

Before Liang Chen and Ah Zeng left with the tea, Liang Chen said: "I'm still worried about you. Didn't you say you couldn't fight? Maybe rescuing Kong Laoliu should be left to me."

Lin Ye, lazily rolling up his sleeves, said: "Inconvenient to fight doesn't mean I can't fight. In desperate times, I can. I know my limits; I won't overdo it."

Liang Chen: "What, you think I can't do it?"

Lin Ye, with a wicked grin: "You can't."

Liang Chen: "..."

The indignant Liang Chen was pulled away by Ah Zeng. Lin Ye let out a soft laugh, dropping his laid-back act, and walked to the window, opening it.

He waited for everyone downstairs to collapse before personally escorting Kong Laoliu to flee to the western town. He had calculated the timing; with the girl's martial prowess, she shouldn't be able to make it back in time.

As the commotion downstairs died down, Lin Ye vaulted out the window and disappeared into the night.