kvmb Chapter 109: Having fun alone is not as good as having fun with everyone
Chapter 109: Having fun alone is not as good as having fun with everyone
The sisters were dazzled by the choices in Duan Chenke's private collection.
"My God, I've only ever seen these things in museums!" Gu Yan exclaimed softly.
"And you can only see it by paying to go in." Zhou Yuran hesitated, afraid that she might accidentally break it again, and she couldn't afford to pay for it.
“Who says otherwise?” Hua Yin couldn’t help but swallow hard as she looked at a white porcelain Guanyin statue. “I’ve seen white porcelain exhibitions before, and you could feel its delicacy even through a layer of glass. Now that I see the real thing, it feels unreal.”
"Have you decided what to bring?" After listening to Xuan Yi's constant nagging, Shen Mujin sent Xuan Yi to the door to keep watch with Jiang Si.
"No, there are too many things, I don't know what to choose." Gu Yan shook his head.
"I thought the private vault was just a small storeroom at most. I didn't expect it to be such a big room." Even the most composed Hua Yin couldn't help but be very surprised.
“You tell me,” Zhou Yuran said in a low voice, pointing at the items, “these weren’t obtained by the King of Chu through embezzlement and bribery, were they? If we take them, wouldn’t we be accomplices?”
“In the past, according to our country’s laws and regulations, there would be no criminal sentence, but the money would be confiscated. But now, it’s hard to say,” Hua Yin said, raising an eyebrow.
"How about we just grab one randomly, preferably a small one, so we won't feel too guilty?" Shen Mujin suggested.
“I know what to take!” Gu Yan immediately raised his hand after hearing Shen Mujin’s suggestion. “I just saw a tea set with five small cups, just enough for the five of us to each have one.”
"Ayan, the four of us can only take four at most, how can we take five?" Zhou Yuran asked in a low voice. Could it be that she secretly smuggled one out?
Gu Yan winked mysteriously and said with some pride, "A Si and the others made a bet that the winner could choose one more person. It just so happened that A Si won, so I can take two people with me."
Everyone nodded in understanding and followed Gu Yan to the tea set she had mentioned.
Gu Yan: "How is it? Isn't it beautiful!"
The teacup appeared to be made of jade, crystal clear. It was small and exquisitely crafted.
"This is it! I'll drink tea every day from now on."
After Zhou Yuran distributed the teacups to the others, the four of them each carried a small teacup and walked outside.
When Xuan Yi saw Shen Mujin come out, he was about to ask something when he noticed the teacup in her hand and asked with some confusion, "You... all chose teacups?"
"Yes, isn't it beautiful?"
"It looks beautiful." Xuan Yi looked at Shen Mujin's happy smile, and after thinking for a moment, he could only say, "It's getting late, you should get some rest."
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The next day, in the morning.
Just as Gu Yan was debating whether or not to go to the Lin residence to bring Xiao Douding and the others back, he received a report from the guard at the gate.
Lin Bihua brought the little ones, Xiao Douding, Xiao Hu, and Xiao Hong back.
After asking the guards to inform the other young ladies that Lin Bihua had arrived at the mansion, Gu Yan hurriedly lifted her skirt and rushed towards the gate.
As soon as I approached the koi pond, I saw two little kids running towards me.
"Second sister, we're back!"
Gu Yan squatted down and hugged the two little ones tightly.
"Are you finally willing to come back?"
Bai Hongsheng hugged Gu Yan's neck tightly and whispered in her ear, "Second sister, has Brother Chu Wang returned? Brother Xiao Hu insisted on coming back, and I couldn't stop him."
Gu Yan nodded imperceptibly, patted him on the back, stood up, and smiled at Su Xinian who was standing to the side, saying, "His Highness asked about you when he came back yesterday. Now that you're back, go and tell His Highness."
Upon hearing this, Su Xinian smiled politely at Gu Yan, then pulled Xiao Hong and ran towards Duan Chenke's courtyard.
After watching Su Xinian leave, Gu Yan finally had time to greet Lin Bihua.
"Sister Lin, you've really gone to so much trouble, even personally bringing them back."
"No trouble at all, don't be so formal with me. Besides, I've come here today because I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Hmm? What's going on?" Gu Yan looked at Bai Hongsheng and Lin Mu'an, who were slightly excited, and seemed to have guessed something.
Lin Bihua said, "Grandfather likes Shengsheng and An'an very much, and they are both very talented in martial arts. So Grandfather wants to take them as his last disciples. I wonder if you agree?"
"Of course I agree to such a good thing. However, my agreement alone may not be enough; I also need to ask Shengsheng and An'an's thoughts." Gu Yan patted Bai Hongsheng's little head and explained to Lin Bihua.
As soon as Gu Yan finished speaking, Lin Bihua burst out laughing.
“It’s obvious that you and Shengsheng are siblings. You even speak in exactly the same way. Grandfather asked Shengsheng and An’an for their thoughts last night. Although they were very happy, they also said they wanted to get your consent.”
Gu Yan nodded knowingly and instructed the two little ones beside him, "Since you have such a good opportunity, you must study hard. In the future, your older brother and second sister will rely on you two to protect them!"
After receiving the two little ones' firm assurances, Gu Yan stopped restraining them and let them go play.
Just as he was about to lead Lin Bihua toward the courtyard, he saw Zhou Yuran coming towards them.
"Ayan, what are you whispering to Sister Lin about again?"
"Since it's a secret, of course I can't tell you~" Gu Yan took Lin Bihua's arm and grinned at Zhou Yuran.
"Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone. Sister Lin, we've heard something important about you. You must tell us about it later."
The three of them had just sat down in the courtyard and hadn't even had time to pour tea when they heard an announcement from the doorway.
"Miss Fang, His Highness has invited you, several other young ladies, and Miss Lin to the main hall, saying that he has important matters to discuss."
The stool hadn't even been warmed up before they had to move to another place. Zhou Yuran looked at the guards at the door with some confusion, "Who else is in the main hall besides His Highness?"
The guard was quite honest and whispered to the side, "His Highness Prince Ning has just arrived, along with the Crown Prince, Young Hero Xuan, and Young Hero Jiang."
Gu Yan was very surprised after hearing this. "Prince Ning is here too? When did he arrive? We didn't see him at the door just now."
"Don't worry, everything will be clear when we get there," Lin Bihua said with a smile.
Hua Yin raised an eyebrow, looking at Lin Bihua's unhurried expression, as if she had known all along that Prince Ning would appear.
Filled with questions, Zhou Yuran and her companions were led into the main hall by the guards. After bowing to Prince Ning, they sat down in an empty seat to the side.
"Why do I feel like the atmosphere is a bit strange?" Zhou Yuran whispered in Gu Yan's ear.
"Who says otherwise? They always give me the feeling that we're about to have a meeting." Gu Yan looked at the Prince of Chu and the Prince of Ning, who were sitting in the main seats. The more he looked at them, the more they resembled leaders who would speak at meetings.
"Brother, everyone's here," Duan Chenke said to Duan Chaoxu.
"The reason I've gathered everyone here is to tell you what exactly happened in the cave behind Shaolin Temple."
Duan Chaoxu looked around and finally his gaze fell on Lin Bihua. The two smiled at each other, and Duan Chaoxu continued, "That night I went with the imperial physician to Shaolin Temple to treat Prince Yu, but I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I found myself locked in an empty room."
"When I woke up, I was already tied to the great formation in the cave. Later, they sneaked into the cave to try to rescue me, but the two of us were no match for the old woman and a young man, and we were knocked unconscious on the spot. When I woke up again, I saw the stone formation emitting a white light. The old woman seemed to be injured and was sitting to the side to meditate. The young man was also gone. So the two of us seized the opportunity and slipped out of the cave."
"Ah, you're done? So who exactly activated the grand formation?" Gu Yan couldn't help but ask directly.
Duan Chaoxu shook his head, his expression somewhat serious. "It should be Grandma and Grandpa, but we don't know exactly how it was activated."
Gu Yan repeated the name "Grandma Weng" and asked with some doubt, "Is this Grandma Weng an old woman with gray hair but high martial arts skills?"
Lin Bihua nodded. "Yes, how did you guess?"
“Actually, I’m not guessing.” Gu Yan hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Before the great formation on Phoenix Mountain in Wuzhou was unsealed, my elder brother also encountered such an old woman, and then the great formation was activated. So I think the person my elder brother and you encountered should be the same person, the old woman you’re talking about.”
Upon hearing Gu Yan's answer, Duan Chaoxu's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had discovered something. He then spoke with a slightly heavy tone:
"So, this old woman knows how to activate the great formation. And the mysterious person has already unsealed two great formations and obtained two Seven Star Stones."
After all, this news was very unfavorable for them.
"Sister Lin, is the great formation still there after the seal was lifted?" Shen Mujin suddenly asked.
"They're gone." Lin Bihua answered seriously, though she was somewhat puzzled.
Shen Mujin: "Sure enough, the great formation on Qixia Mountain disappeared after it was unsealed."
"The men in black inside the Shaolin Temple retreated very quickly; we still have too little information."
"Sister Lin, how did you sneak into the cave?" Zhou Yuran approached Lin Bihua, her face full of curiosity.
A damsel in distress saves a hero—what a brilliant scene!
"Actually, I was also led here by a masked man in black." Lin Bihua recalled that after entering the Shaolin Temple, she was like a headless fly wandering around, but fortunately the man in black showed her the way.
"It's masked men in black again." Hua Yin was puzzled. Could there be "friendly forces" among the enemies?
"This man in black has provided us with information multiple times, but we don't know what his intentions are," Duan Chenke speculated, stroking his chin.
Xuan Yi: "Whether they are friend or foe, let's catch them first when we meet again."
"good idea."
After they finished discussing these matters, it was lunchtime. However, Duan Chaoxu and Lin Bihua did not stay for lunch; instead, they took their leave first.
Watching his older brother's departing figure, Duan Chenke still felt that something was off.
After leaving the mansion, Duan Chaoxu followed Lin Bihua directly into the Lin family's carriage without hesitation.
"Will Your Highness escort my daughter home again today?" Lin Bihua asked with a light smile.
"I wonder if Tiaotiao would be willing to give me this opportunity?"
The carriage swayed and moved forward. Lin Bihua looked at Duan Chaoxu's still furrowed brows and comforted him, "Ah Xu, it's better for everyone if we don't say some things."
In fact, Duan Chaoxu's statement today is not the whole truth.
He was indeed knocked unconscious, but when he first regained consciousness, he was in an empty room. Upon waking, he immediately got up and searched the room, perhaps making too much noise, which attracted attention outside.
A moment later, a thin tube was inserted through the window and began releasing a sleeping drug through it. Duan Chaoxu sensed something was wrong, immediately took out an antidote pill from his pocket and swallowed it, then pretended to have been drugged and collapsed to the ground.
Less than half a cup of tea's time after the drug was administered, the door was pushed open. Immediately afterwards, two men in black appeared, dragged Duan Chaoxu up from the ground, and carried him outside.
On the way, Duan Chaoxu dared not open his eyes, afraid of exposing his disguise. He could only feel the man in black leading him up the mountain, and the mountain path was rugged and uneven.
After walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the two men supporting him finally stopped. He was then thrown into a damp, dark dungeon, where the only other sound he could hear was the heavy breathing of everyone else.
Duan Chaoxu leaned against the wall, his eyes closed, but his ears became increasingly sensitive, and he could even faintly hear the sounds coming from outside.
The dungeon door opens every hour, and each time it opens, someone is taken away, but they never return.
The breathing in the dungeon gradually subsided. Just as Duan Chaoxu was wondering when it would be his turn, the dungeon door was opened again.
Duan Chaoxu slowed his breathing, listening to the footsteps approaching him. He wanted to take the opportunity to resist and escape, but suddenly someone covered his mouth and nose with a cotton cloth. Although he had taken an antidote pill before, this time his mouth and nose were in direct contact with the drug. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and he slowly lost consciousness.
When Duan Chaoxu woke up again, he didn't open his eyes immediately. Instead, he continued to pretend to be unconscious. Duan Chaoxu realized that he had been taken to a new place. The smell of blood was pungent and strong. He also realized that he seemed to be tied up somewhere, and he could hear the sound of water dripping from time to time.
He slowly opened his eyes a crack, but the bright firelight made him quickly close them again. When he opened his eyes slightly again, he found that he, like the people around him, was bound to the ground, and beneath him was a huge stone array.
The people around him all had deep, bone-revealing wounds cut into their limbs, and blood was gushing out from the wounds, flowing onto the ground and into the great formation.
Duan Chaoxu silently surveyed his surroundings, as if he were in a cave. He also noticed two blurry figures, one tall and one short, moving in the lamplight not far away. One of them had a voice that sounded like an elderly woman, somewhat hoarse.
"It's really not easy to capture a member of the royal family. I wonder if his blood will actually work."
"Grandma, when did you become so insecure? Try it and you'll see." The taller man, whose voice was cold and clear, waved to the man in black beside him after speaking.
The men in black, wielding sharp blades, walked smoothly to Duan Chaoxu's side. One of them laid Duan Chaoxu's limbs flat, while the other raised his short knife and chopped down at Duan Chaoxu's limbs.
Duan Chaoxu was startled and, disregarding the possibility of being exposed, quickly retracted his limbs, causing the "executioner" to cut through empty air.