The main street was bustling with people. Qin Qinian walked in the middle, with Qin Yanzhou on his left and Shi Rongyue on his right.
The young man found everything interesting and novel. It was clearly the most ordinary scene, but touring the market with Qin Yanzhou and his little cousin, who rarely visited Yuyang, felt different.
"Rongrong, just tell me whatever catches your eye. It is rare for you to visit Yuyang, so I must do my duty as a host," Qin Qinian remained as generous as ever.
Shi Rongyue glanced at him.
She and Qin Qinian were of the same age. Although their homes were not in the same commandery, it was definitely not accurate to say they were strangers.
When the Qin family faced a crisis back then, Qin Hongying, who had already married into the Shi family, returned to Yuyang with her daughter, who still needed constant care. During her short stay in Yuyang, Shi Rongyue was raised alongside Qin Qinian.
After that storm subsided, in the following years, Qin Hongying would bring her daughter back for a short stay every year. This was both to maintain affection with her second brother and to suppress certain restless members of the collateral branches, letting them know that the main branch was not devoid of people.
The Shi family had no objections to this and was even extremely willing.
After all, it was visibly apparent that the Qin clan was on the rise, and having a deep relationship with the Qin family's heir brought a hundred benefits and no harm.
Thus, Shi Rongyue followed her mother back to Yuyang every year, and these cousins met annually. When they were young, Qin Qinian even took Shi Rongyue climbing trees.
"I have silver. Little cousin, you better keep a tight grip on your own coin pouch. Lest next time you go out playing with those cousins of yours from the Wei family, you get coaxed into blowing all your money on drinks with just a few words, and then have to go borrow from Eldest Cousin again."
Shi Rongyue's voice was soft and sweet, but her words almost made Qin Qinian jump.
"That was an accident! Mainly because the shopkeeper said that after buying the wine, one could admire the elegance of what was supposedly the personal sword of the former dynasty's famous general, Guan Xin. I was moved. But who knew that so-called treasured sword was just a gimmick, completely fake, just used to pose as a lover of culture."
After explaining to Shi Rongyue, Qin Qinian looked at Qin Yanzhou for validation. "Qin Yanzhou, you also like weapons, you can definitely understand how I felt at that time."
"I cannot," the young man coldly tossed out two words.
Qin Qinian was shocked. "That makes no sense. Last time I said I had a good saber and asked if you wanted to see it, you even said yes."
"Places like eateries and taverns focus on food and drink. Even if they obtained a top-tier weapon, they wouldn't be able to keep it hidden. How could they be compared to private collectors?" Qin Yanzhou said.
Shi Rongyue nodded repeatedly. "Second Uncle is the only Marquis in the Northern lands, and he has always loved collecting treasures. How could a petty merchant have a treasure that even he doesn't possess? Little cousin, you must not let Second Uncle know about this, or you will have to copy books until you break two wolf-hair brushes again."
Qin Qinian: "..."
Thanks for the reminder, but it was too late; the books had already been copied.
An invisible dark cloud floated over, shrouding Qin Qinian's head, and it began to pour rain.
Seeing him feeling down, Shi Rongyue happened to spot a familiar noodle stall. The stall owner was still the familiar old man. She was both pleasantly surprised and comforting as she said, "That noodle stall is actually still here! Old Man He's craftsmanship is better than the others. How about we go there to eat noodles? Little cousin..."
At this point, Shi Rongyue quickened her pace slightly, bypassed Qin Qinian in the middle, and looked at the white-robed young man on the other side. "Young Master Qin, how about I treat you both to noodle soup?"
"No need."
In the end, they still went to that noodle stall.
The stall was not large, consisting merely of a handcart and a few unfolded wooden tables. Compared to those multi-storied, spacious eateries, its scale was completely inadequate.
But the stall's wooden tables and chairs were wiped very clean. A few chairs had a smooth, lustrous sheen on their surfaces from frequent wiping.
It was early in the afternoon, not a typical mealtime, but half the tables and chairs at the stall had welcomed diners.
"Young Lady," the maidservant following Shi Rongyue called out softly, clearly disagreeing with her eating at such a roadside stall.
"What are you worrying about? When I came to Yuyang in the past, I also ate here. Besides, very few noble ladies in Yuyang recognize me, so even if I lose face, it won't fall on Third Miss Shi." Shi Rongyue muttered.
The commoners at the bottom were not as particular as the nobles. Nobles ate their meals separately, but down here, everyone sat at the same table.
The three of them shared a table. After ordering, Shi Rongyue only had to look up to see the faces of the two people opposite her. Her little cousin was talking to Young Master Qin. The latter tilted his head slightly, listening, occasionally replying with a word or two. The lines from his forehead to his jaw were extremely clear and smooth, like a master's most attentive brushstroke.
Looking closer, she was startled to realize that his eyelashes were very long, dark, and thick, looking exactly like Lady Dai's.
Shi Rongyue couldn't help but take a few more glances, silently reciting to herself many times that she was already engaged and couldn't let her imagination run wild, before finally gathering her thoughts.
The noodle soup was quickly brought over.
Folk noodle soup was still in the form of flatbread, with large pieces of bread soaked in bone broth. Although the noodle stall was small, this bone broth was brewed with considerable care, and they were generous with the seasonings. It was indeed much richer and more fragrant than other places.
Among the three, Qin Qinian had his back to the main street the most, while Qin Yanzhou and Shi Rongyue had less.
When they were less than halfway through their noodle soup, an unintentional upward glance caused Qin Yanzhou to completely freeze.
Shi Rongyue noticed his odd behavior and followed his gaze. Not far away stood a delicate young girl wearing a water-blue dress and a twisted gold wire jade hairpin shaped like a butterfly with a pearl in its mouth.
The young lady had fair skin, dressed opulently, and had a petite stature, not looking like a northerner.
Shi Rongyue's eyes met the other party's. At that moment, she inexplicably shuddered, as if being stared at by a snake flicking its scarlet tongue.
Shi Rongyue was certain that she saw hatred in the young girl's eyes.
But hatred towards her?
Why hate her? They were not related and had never met before.
Qin Yanzhou narrowed his eyes.
Although there was some distance and people were coming and going on the street, he was certain he hadn't recognized the wrong person. Whether it was her facial features or her dressing habits, that was Eighth Miss Fan.
Fan of Yanzhou was defeated in battle, and the male members of the Fan family were all eradicated by the Marquis of Wu'an. Logically speaking, this Eighth Miss Fan should have followed her mother, Lady Ji, back to the Ji family, rather than appearing thousands of miles away in Yuyang of Youzhou.
The Ji family would not bring her here, and it was absolutely impossible for a young girl like her to come to Youzhou alone. Someone must have helped her.
The Green Lotus Cult!
The white-robed young man suddenly put down his bowl and chopsticks, pulled out a handful of silver coins from his sleeve pocket, placed them on the table, and quickly stood up.
"Hey, Qin Yanzhou, where are you going?" Qin Qinian was quite startled.
Qin Yanzhou merely said, "I spotted a target."
Having wandered around the city with him for the past few days, Qin Qinian immediately understood. He instantly dropped his chopsticks as well. "Where? For you to say that, this person must be quite significant. Let's go catch them together!"
While catching up to Qin Yanzhou in two steps, Qin Qinian remembered his little cousin was still there and was about to tell her to go back first.
But when he turned his head, he found that Shi Rongyue had arrived beside him at some unknown point, her round little face full of excitement. "Hurry up and catch them!"
Qin Qinian: "..."
How could he have forgotten that his little cousin had never been a quiet one since childhood? When he climbed trees to pick fruit as a child, she was the one standing below hitting the fruit with a bamboo pole.
Qin Yanzhou frowned, but seeing that Fan Muqi had disappeared in the distance, clearly having turned into an alley, he no longer had the time to persuade the other two to stay put and hurried to give chase.
As Qin Qinian walked, he turned to a servant and said, Go back and find Hu Bao. Have him bring men.
Neither he nor Qin Yanzhou were high-profile by nature, and since their investigation needed to be conducted in secret, they usually did not bring guards when they went out. Today, leaving the estate with Shi Rongyue, they had brought one servant out of consideration for the young lady, but only that one.
Counting the maid accompanying Shi Rongyue, the group only had two servants in total.
The servant hurriedly asked, Third Young Master, where should I look for you then?
Qin Qinian hesitated. In just that brief moment, he saw that Qin Yanzhou and Shi Rongyue had already pulled a short distance away from him. He immediately waved his hand. Search north from here, and tell Hu Bao to act according to the situation.
Sensing something amiss, the servant tried to advise against it.
Qin Qinian left him behind, saying, Rest assured, every patrol guard in Yuyang recognizes my face. Besides, with Qin Yanzhou's and my martial arts skills, if we really run into trouble, the two of us will join forces. Who could possibly stand against us?
Leaving those words behind, Qin Qinian ran off.
Despite Shi Rongyue being a young lady with a slightly chubby face, she had probably been running around with Qin Qinian since childhood, so her stamina was not lacking in the slightest.
At the very least, as they ran, her maid slowly fell behind, while she was still able to keep up with Qin Qinian.
The group ran past three streets and cut through two alleys.
After mistakenly catching three young women who wore the exact same clothes as Fan Muqi and had a similar build, Qin Yanzhou finally confirmed that the woman stepping off the donkey cart ahead was indeed Fan Muqi.
Fan Muqi was currently standing in front of a small house. She was not in a hurry to enter, nor did she show any panic about being caught.
As she watched the white-robed young man sprinting toward her, a myriad of emotions flickered across her face for a fleeting moment, but they were ultimately replaced by pure hatred.
She hesitated no longer and turned to enter the small house.
A moment later, Qin Yanzhou arrived at the house.
The stall where they had been eating noodle soup earlier was on the edge of the bustling market. Now, after running for a while, they had arrived in a different area, on the outskirts of a residential district where the lower-class commoners gathered.
The small house in front of Qin Yanzhou did not take up much space; it looked like nothing more than a two-courtyard compound.
The wooden door, riddled with a few wormholes, was half open. Through it, the situation inside the small courtyard could be seen. The courtyard was dead silent; let alone a person, there was not even a single bird.
Qin Yanzhou reached out and pushed the door open.
The wooden hinges turned, emitting a harsh, creaking sound as if bearing a heavy burden. As the half-door swung open, more of the courtyard's scenery was revealed.
Including Fan Muqi, who stood in the small hall ahead.
Qin Yanzhou strode inside, his gaze quickly sweeping the surroundings. Seeing that there was no one else in the courtyard or the front hall besides Fan Muqi, he asked, Who from the Green Lotus Cult has come to Yuyang, and where are they now?
His voice was like a frozen lake in winter, calm and without a single ripple.
Quanjie! Fan Muqi gritted her teeth so hard out of hatred that they made a grinding sound. Do you have nothing else to say to me?
Qin Yanzhou stepped forward, step by step, and continued to ask, Where are the others from the Green Lotus Cult?
As he advanced, Fan Muqi retreated inward, her eyes bloodshot. Seven years! My Fan family raised you for seven years! Yet you, not only did you show no gratitude, but you conspired with outsiders to murder my Fan family, causing my father's defeat in battle and the slaughter of all the brothers in my clan! Quanjie, committing such ungrateful and treacherous acts, when you wake up in the dead of night, do you not hear the wailing of wronged souls in your ears, making it impossible for you to sleep or eat in peace?
Qin Qinian and Shi Rongyue, who arrived right behind him, heard this exact speech the moment they entered the small house.
Both of them were taken aback.
Fan Muqi's eyes widened so much they seemed about to tear. My Fan family nurtured you for seven years, sent people to teach you martial arts, and devotedly cultivated you. Could all of that still not compare to the petty favors the Marquis of Wu'an bestowed upon you? What made you so desperate to be driven by him, to act as a pawn in his hand, that even after having your legs broken and being thrown at the gates of my Fan estate, you still chose to serve him like a loyal dog?
Qin Yanzhou's brow twitched slightly. I was never a hidden agent for the Marquis of Wu'an. When I entered the Fan estate as a mole back then, it was under the orders of the Six Paths of the Green Lotus Cult.