Chapter 41
Feng Chilie’s scent was cold and domineering, overpowering the lingering smell of urine. Tan Chuyan greedily inhaled the fragrance that belonged exclusively to Feng Chilie.
Unfortunately, the piece of clothing was small, and the scent dissipated quickly. Tan Chuyan frowned unhappily.
“What’s wrong?” Feng Chilie extended his fingers and pressed his knitted brows. “You could almost crush someone with that frown.”
“It’s okay.” Tan Chuyan laid lazily on the table, taking out a new handful of lancets and traced a small figure on the table, urging Feng Chilie, “Hurry up and go to your interrogation. If he doesn’t say anything later, I’ll have to take action.”
“I know.”
Feng Chilie glanced at Tan Chuyan’s hands, which had well-proportioned knuckles, fair skin, and neatly trimmed nails.
However, it was these beautiful hands that could exert amazing force, which intrigued people.
If there weren’t more important matters at hand, Feng Chilie wouldn’t be willing to look away.
Feng Chilie regarded the shopkeeper with great disgust. He resembled a pig but lacked the courage even as small as a sesame seed. He even wet his pants with just one stab.
“Tell me,” Feng Chilie’s hand toyed with the red tassel hanging on the spear. “Who is your master?”
“Yes, yes, I will tell you.” The shopkeeper’s teeth trembled. “The person instigating me behind the scenes is the prefect. Before the cold disaster broke out, the prefect-built inns in all the small towns necessary to enter the thirty-six cities of Pingchuan. He instructed us to only accept outsiders, not locals, and demanded exorbitant prices. In the end, it was, best, best—”
“What’s best?” Feng Chilie poked the head of the gun between the shopkeeper’s legs. “Tell me quickly, do you want to be a woman?”
The shopkeeper’s eyes were closed, as if firecrackers were tied around his mouth, and he spilled it all out in one breath.
“The prefect said it’s best to scare away all foreigners like you and not venture deep into the thirty-six cities of Pingchuan.”
“Oh?” Tan Chuyan finished drawing on the table and tilted his head meaningfully. “What secrets does the thirty-six cities of Pingchuan hide, which made him so shameless?”
“I don’t know!” The shopkeeper was frightened by Tan Chuyan. He pulled his neck and shouted, “I really don’t know. I am a servant in the prefect’s mansion! But I have seen Xibo people in the prefect’s mansion in the past few years!”
Xibo people?!
Feng Chilie and Tan Chuyan exchanged looks, and the same realization flashed in each other’s eyes.
——The governor of the thirty-six cities of Pingchuan secretly communicated with Xibo!
Feng Chilie tightened his grip on the spear in his hand, poking a hole in the floor. He asked, “When will you send the money to the prefect?”
The shopkeeper wouldn’t dare to keep the money and would definitely return it to the prefect. “Tonight! I will go to the prefect’s mansion to deliver the money,” the shopkeeper replied.
.
The sunset dyed the clouds red. Feng Chilie arranged everything, pretending to be a guard and enter the prefect’s mansion. While Tan Chuyan visited at night later on.
This plan left one person to watch over the shopkeeper, preventing exposure. Even if exposed, the nighttime visitor had a chance to escape unscathed.
After nearly two hours of riding, Feng Chilie arrived at the brightly lit prefect’s mansion.
The starry night was like ink, but the mansion was lit, raising suspicions. Feng Chilie walked behind the shopkeeper, holding a box of silver notes to meet the prefect.
Before entering the main courtyard, they were stopped. The boy guarding said, “Shopkeeper Xu, stay here. Those who delivering money today will leave and return tomorrow.”
Shopkeeper Xu, feeling a dagger at his back, asked, “Is the prefect meeting any distinguished guests today?”
The boy replied, “Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. Please go back.”
Feng Chilie signaled for Shopkeeper Xu to leave.
Passing by the lotus pond, a dozen dancing girls wearing only flowing sleeves and single clothes approached.
The boy leading the way held up a lantern and shouted, “Everyone on the bridge, please stand on both sides. Don’t get in the way.”
Feng Chilie lowered his head and stood beside Shopkeeper Xu, looking at the people with bells tied to them, their ankles exposed in the cold night. He felt pitiful for these girls.
Suddenly, a girl was shaken by the cold wind and sneezed again. With this, the bell tied to the girl’s ankle trembled, making a tinkling sound in the noisy night.
As soon as the boy leading the way heard the voice, he immediately walked up to the girl and looked at her with a frown, “Are you okay? Can you still dance? If not, go back!”
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” the girl looked pitifully. “I can dance.”
The boy who led the way looked at her. Although the figure was not very good and the chest was as flat as a man’s, the appearance under the veil was the most outstanding among the girls. It was very likely this one would be fancied by the prefect.
But this person was the main dancer, the most important one in the group. If he really sent her back, he would be the one who suffers tonight.
The boy glared at her and said, “Hurry up and don’t make any mistakes again.”
“Yes.”
The girl quickly agreed and followed the boy’s footsteps.
.
After the person walked away, Feng Chilie stared at the girl’s back and rubbed the roots of his itchy teeth.
That was not a girl, the person who was talking just now, obviously was Tan Chuyan!
It was clearly agreed that Tan Chuyan would visit the prefect’s house at night, but now he was dressed as a dancing girl.
When he thought about Tan Chuyan wearing a dance clothes and dancing in front of other men, Feng Chilie’s heart felt so tight, he felt like a fire was about to blown out.
Following Shopkeeper Xu out of the prefect’s mansion, Feng Chilie tied up the person without saying a word and threw him into a corner where no one cared.
After dealing with Shopkeeper Xu, Feng Chilie raised his head and glanced at the courtyard wall of the Prefect’s Mansion, and the man sneaked in like a ghost.
Stopping on the roof of the living room, noisy singing and dancing came to the play. Feng Chilie opened a tile and looked inside, clasping his fingers tightly.
Tan Chuyan!!!
In the hall, Tan Chuyan was dressed in red flowing-sleeved clothes and moved with the music.
The dance clothes outlined his waist vividly, and the bells on his ankles swayed rhythmically with his movements. His body seemed to be boneless, bending back at an incredible arc, and the dance clothes slid up, revealing a small section of his glowing white waist.
Feng Chilie’s throat tightened at the sight, but before he could see clearly, Tan Chuyan stood up straight.
Moreover, fortunately, only he could see this small part of the waist because Tan Chuyan was in the middle, blocked by the surrounding dancers, and the spectators could only see the fluttering sleeves.
The music stopped, and the dancing ceased. Tan Chuyan was breathing slightly, and even through a layer of red gauze, Feng Chilie could imagine his lips opening and closing.
Feng Chilie watched Tan Chuyan adjust his breathing. He thought he would retreat obediently, but to his surprise, he actually raised his eyes and looked at someone at the table.
Who could withstand Tan Chuyan’s naturally affectionate eyes?
That person gazed at Tan Chuyan as if he had lost his soul and asked him up to serve him wine.