Chapter 55

  He was so resentful because his assassination attempt had failed that he secretly went to investigate the servant girl who had ruined his good fortune.

  Then it can be concluded that Bao Gong is indeed a fake with the name of Qingtian, and he is actually on the same road as Pang Taishi.

  It's actually quite normal and logical to come to such a conclusion. The daughter of Tai Shi bravely saving Bao Zheng is not ordinary, and there must be some connection behind the extraordinary, isn't there?

  That's so bloody reasonable!

  Little Phoenix Maiden unknowingly caused her idol and the eunuch to become accomplices due to her relationship with the eunuch who was determined to oppose her idol for life.

  The direction of things is slightly distorted...

  Zhang Long and Zhao Hu were sent to Suzhou to investigate the case of Diao Liu, as it was rumored that Diao Liu had completely lost his trail and news in Suzhou.

  Actually, Little Phoenix was very clear that Xie Liu was destroyed by Shan Zheng. Who told him to lay hands on Shan Zheng's precious younger brother Shan Ping?

  If you don't do it, you won't die!

  He was actually killed by himself!

  "Lu Niangniang—"

  Lu Xiaofeng heard the sound and looked over to find that Zhan Zhao had somehow already stood very close to himself, indeed a royal cat, walking silently.

  "Anything wrong?"

  Zhan Zhao smiled slightly, "Miss, what are you thinking? I've called out to you several times and you haven't responded?"

  "Nothing, just spaced out."

  She didn't want to say much more, and Zhan Zhao didn't force her either.

  "Take a seat and have a cup of tea." She invited him to sit down while personally pouring him a cup of tea.

  Zhan Zhao stretched out his hand and accepted it, "Thank you, miss."

  "Has Zhang Long and Zhao Hu not returned with news yet?"

  "Not yet."

  "Then we won't wait for them?"

  "The Xianping County Magistrate was killed again, indicating that the bandits had gone from Huainan Road to Jingqi Road."

  Lu Xiaofeng didn't say anything else, but in her heart she was thinking: Bao Daren wants to head back, and she can't possibly follow him back to Bianliang again, right? Is the only reason she came out just to prove that the earth is round and people always end up back where they started?

  What the heck!

  "Are you girls going to part ways with us just like this?"

  "Ah……" Lu Xiao Feng saw Zhan Zhao seemed to have some disagreement, "Zhan Zhao, I was originally just following you guys out of the capital. Now that you want to head back, I naturally can't continue following you. Besides, I also know the location of Trap Island, I can find my way there myself."

  "But that fierce fellow—"

  "Zhan Zhao," Lu Xiao Feng's expression turned serious. "I know you're worried about my safety, but I'm actually just a nobody, his target isn't me."

  "But the girl ruined his plans on that day."

  "You mean he might come after me because I messed up his plans?"

  "It's not impossible."

  "It doesn't matter."

  "Why?"

  "He has gone to Gyeonggi-do, but I have to go to Hwanghae-do. We are heading in two opposite directions."

  Zhan Zhao did not speak.

  Lu Xiaofeng slightly shook his head, poured himself another cup of tea, and turned the teacup in his hand: "Zhan Zhao, since all gatherings must eventually disperse, let's just take care of ourselves. You have your own sky to protect, I have my own world to roam; that we met in our prime is already a kind of fate."

  "Take care." Zhan Zhao drained his cup of tea in one gulp, then suddenly stood up and strode away without looking back.

  Lu Xiaofeng raised his cup and took a light sip of tea, feeling it was slightly bitter.

  "Miss, miss..."

  "Huh?"

  Lu Xiaofeng came back to his senses and saw Xiao He, who had brought over a few pastries to go with her flower tea. She seemed to have noticed that he was distracted and called out to him.

  "Miss, were you thinking about something just now?" Xiao He asked very carefully, afraid of touching the miss's taboo.

  "No, I was just distracted." Lu Xiaofeng calmly covered it up.

  Is it?

  Xiaohe expressed her doubts, just now she met Mr. Zhan on the way, his face didn't look good. Looking at the direction he was walking in, it was clear that he had left from Miss's place. And when she came over, she saw her own miss with a lost expression - she wouldn't believe that nothing had happened even if you killed her.

  "Let's gather our things and get going."

  "Where are you going?"

  Lu Xiaofeng poked Xiaohe with one finger and laughed scoldingly, "Where did you say you were going?"

  "Oh, are we going to Trap Island ourselves?" Xiao He wasn't a silly girl and thought of it quickly.

  "Uh-huh."

  "Is it okay like this?"

  "What's the big deal?"

  "Is it so dangerous outside now?"

  "That assassin was going to kill an official appointed by the imperial court, what does it have to do with us?"

  "Really?" Xiao He asked in surprise.

  Lu Xiaofeng subconsciously covered his lips with his hand, then raised an eyebrow.

  Xiaohe immediately pulled a zipper across his mouth, indicating: I won't say anything.

  "Lu Niang——"

  Lu Xiaofeng was startled, when did that little cat come back? Is this the rhythm to scare people to death?

  Zhan Zhao walked in from outside and said, "I think we still have some things to talk about."

  Lu Xiaofeng was at a loss for words to describe his emotions at this moment.

  Xiaohe took back the tray and retreated.

  Zhan Zhao returned to his seat and sat face to face with Lu Xiaofeng.

  "What do you want to say?"

  Zhan Zhao stared at her, "Miss, how did you determine that the murderer was Shan Zheng and not Xian Liu?"

  "Zhan Zhao, Diao Liu uses a knife, Shan Zheng also uses a knife. Why didn't you think that Shan Zheng might be Diao Liu's apprentice?"

  "Zhan Mou had thought about it, but Xie Liu was a man who always came and went alone, with a ruthless heart and cruel hands ——"

  "What does that have to do with anything?" Lu Xiaofeng cut him off, "This doesn't mean that Xiang Liu won't take on an apprentice, and didn't you receive news that in recent years, there's always been a young person by his side whenever he commits a crime?"

  "Lu's daughter."

  Lu Xiaofeng felt helpless and could only say, "Why did he want to kill the imperial officials? Is there some underlying connection between these successive killings of imperial officials? If we can find the thread that links them together, then we will have found the key to cracking this case."

  And this, I believe Bao Daren and Gong Sun Jun must have thought of it too, only temporarily unsure which line is the one."

  "Yes."

  "I've already found out the reason."

  "Mr. Gong Sun!" How can one cat be sent away and then another bamboo stick comes?

  Little Phoenix Maiden had a slight headache.

  Gongsun Ce walked into the cool pavilion from outside, "I have just reviewed the relevant files and found that all these murdered court officials had dealings with one person or had a past."

  "Who?"

  "Xin Hongyuan, former magistrate of Linbian County."

  Lu Xiaofeng stretched out his hand and unconsciously scratched the outer edge of the teacup, smiling slightly: "Mr. Gong Sun didn't hurry to explain this situation to Bao Daren, but instead stopped in his tracks to tell me these things, what's the point?"

  "I just heard the girl and Zhan Huwei's conversation coming in to dispel the doubts in Zhan Huwei's mind."

  I think you're here on purpose to make fun of me.

  However, Little Phoenix naturally wouldn't say this out loud, "Mr. Gong Sun is being considerate."

  "Where is Xin Hongyuan now?" Zhan Zhao was somewhat anxious, if the ultimate goal of that single truth was Xin Hongyuan, then it meant he was the most dangerous one at this moment.

  Gongsun Ce shook his head, "I can only guess that he probably ended up in Xianping County, but exactly where is unknown."

  Lu Xiaofeng interjected: "Didn't Shan Zheng already kill the county magistrate of Xianping, doesn't that mean he has already found out about Xin Hongyuan's whereabouts from the county magistrate?"

  "This could be huge."

  "Investigating household registration is probably unnecessary for me to mention, Mr. Gong Sun is an expert in this field."

  Gongsun Ce was laughed at by her and said, "Miss doesn't have to be too modest, I believe Miss won't be worse than me."

  Lu Xiaofeng: "......" Was she being teased?

  "I'll go and explain the situation to the adults first, let's go together with Hiko as well."

  Zhan Zhao glanced at Lu Xiaofeng and nodded, "I'll go with Mr. Zhan."

  Lu Xiaofeng secretly let out a sigh of relief, this smelly cat!

  Upon seeing Xian Zhuang and Gong Sun Zhi leave, Xiao He stepped forward, "Miss, should I go collect our things now?"

  Lu Xiaofeng's eyes widened, "Of course, I want it, hurry up and go."

  "Oh." Miss, this is misplaced anger, wasn't it Lord Zhang who actually provoked you?

  Because of some anger in her heart, Lu Xiaofeng set off before his idol and others did.

  "Miss, you've been cooped up for half a day now."

  Lu Xiaofeng lay on the trunk that served as a table in the train car, muttering: "I'm annoyed, don't bother me."

  Xiaohe couldn't help but smile secretly, "Miss, it's not that I'm saying you're wrong, since leaving makes you so unhappy, why do you still have to go?"

  "It's even more infuriating to stay behind." Since she knew the cat's intentions, she always felt that her situation was very passive and often inexplicably fell into a disadvantage, it's simply unreasonable!

  Xiaohe looked at the young lady, who was indeed in a very annoyed state, and didn't say anything else. If she really provoked the young lady, it would be her own bad luck.

  They walked for several days with four people, but were forced to a deserted mountain temple in the wilderness by an unexpected heavy rain.

  "Miss, what are you looking at?"

  "Look, there's a stove over in that corner," said Lu Xiaofeng. "There must be someone living here."

  "Maybe someone lived here before."

  "No, this stove ash is fresh, so he must still be living here now."

  Xiaohe looked around and frowned, "How can it still be so dirty and messy here?"

  "The place where one resides doesn't necessarily have to be clean and tidy; sometimes being a bit desolate is safer."

  Xiaohe thought for a moment and felt that the young lady was right.

  "Aunt Li, let's borrow the master's stove and boil some water for a drink."

  Feng Si's family responded with a sound and went to find water to clean up the pot.

  Feng Si also went to help.

  Xiaohe then went to one side and cleaned up a clean place for the young lady to sit down and rest.

  They had just boiled water and were about to drink when a slovenly dressed young man rushed in from outside.

  "Hey, you people, don't you know how to behave as guests in someone else's home? How can you just move other people's things around?"

  "Xiaohe, give him some loose change, consider it our compensation."

  The young man couldn't help but laugh and said, "You're still quite polite."

  Lu Xiaofeng smiled slightly, "Indeed, we were rude first, so Miss can just take these few taels of silver."

  "How did you know I'm a girl?"

  "You're obviously a girl." Lu Xiaofeng thought she had asked a very strange question.

  That slovenly girl also didn't further investigate why the other party was certain she was a girl, and said: "My name is Xiao Xi, what's yours?"

  "My name is Luk Siu Fung."

  "I think you're a very interesting person, quite different from the young ladies of most wealthy families."

  "Really?"

  "Of course, I'm also a veteran in this line of work."

  Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but laugh.

  Just when they were in a good mood, another person walked in and the atmosphere changed instantly.

  Xiao Xi frowned at the man, "Hey, what are you doing here again?"

  Lu Xiaofeng was secretly shocked in his heart, actually it's Shan Zheng? He wasn't heading to Jingyuan Road, how could he appear here?