Chapter 63

  "Could it be... someone already knows we're here?" Xiang Qian Tong asked with some concern, would her father be in danger!?

  Everyone fell into silence at once.

  Wang Shaokuo puffed on her pipe, thinking back to everything she had seen since entering Xiangxi. It was as if there was a recorder in her mind, rewinding and replaying every detail to see if there were any suspicious places. Unfortunately, she didn't find anything out of the ordinary. The matter of checking into the hotel was also just a habitual investigation of the surroundings, but there was nothing suspicious either.

  There were just some things... Wang Shaokuo couldn't understand, his gaze turned to Yan Bing, breaking the silent deadlock.

  "The inn only has us staying here, I've checked inside and out, there's no problem. But there are some doubts that I just can't figure out. Since you understand the Gu, I'd like to ask... this inn is built by the Tuo River, September and October are both rainy seasons, all the buildings are made of wood, logically speaking it should be very humid. But... I walked from the front yard to the back yard, checked every room one by one, not only was there no damp air, but there's a faint scent of fragrance, why is that?"

  At this time, Wang Shaokuo was wearing a pair of glasses with frames, but her eyes were very spirited. With the appearance of calm thinking, it seemed that everyone who knew her had re-recognized her once again.

  Moreover, I remember the guy who brought the wine had greeted the boss's wife, right? Wang Shaokuo narrowed his eyes and looked at Yan Bing, wanting to get from her something he didn't understand.

  Yan Bing followed Wang Shaokuo's words, raised her eyes to look around the room, and said coldly: "What you said is right, there are no bugs here. I found it as soon as I came in."

  Wang Shaokuo nodded slightly, and everyone else quietly waited for Yan Bing's next words.

  "Yèzi said... Miao women are skilled in using gu, but later it became a taboo, after all, gu can both save and harm people. So the descendants of the Miao people only use some gu insects to prevent moisture and drive away insects. The boss here is still young and doesn't seem like someone who would use gu, maybe he was raised by his family elders. As for... whether the person who put gu in the wine is the same group of people, I don't know."

  Yan Bing now looked like a teacher, sitting upright across from them, explaining things they had never touched upon.

  "Have you just touched these things?" Irina asked with concern.

  Yan Bing raised her eyes and met Irin's gaze, shaking her head: "No harm done, these are of no use to me. Although I don't know if the people at the inn and that person who set off the fireworks are in cahoots or not, since they just set off fireworks here, those people will probably take action tomorrow."

  "How long will it take for the poison to take effect if I eat this gu?" Wang Shaokui asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

  Yan Bing thought for a moment before saying, "Due to differences in physical constitution, generally after an hour, one will vaguely feel stomach pain. Three to five hours later, they will constantly run to the bathroom. If... it progresses to complete paralysis of the body, it will probably take around five to eight hours."

  Wang Shaokuo glanced at his watch, it had been forty minutes since the fireworks were just set off, that is to say... according to their plan, around 5 or 6 in the morning, they would get the effect. The corner of his mouth curled up and he smiled: "Since we know these things, it's equivalent to us turning from light to dark. I'd like to see who is so blind and wants to attract our attention."

  Si Luo Chen seemed to have seen something from her confident expression: "Are you saying, lure the gentleman into the pot?"

  "If their goal is Qian Tong, then it proves that Qian Tong's father is still safe. Who knows... we might even save a lot of effort and find the experiment directly." Wang Shaokuo curled up the corner of his mouth, gestured with both hands, and exuded an air of confidence, as if dissipating half of the tension that had just arisen.

  In Irina's eyes, this was its charm.

  Qian Tong heard Wang Shaokuo's words and put down his heart, then said: "Shaokuo, what should we do next?"

  "Hmm... I'm hungry! How about we change places and have a bowl of longevity noodles instead?" Wang Shaokuo licked the corner of his mouth, staring at the table full of delicious food shaking his head, his gaze turned to Yan Bing: "Can't eat these anymore?"

  Yan Bing nodded: "Yes."

  "What a pity about the grain, and Irene's hard work has also gone to waste." Si Luo Chen said.

  Yilin immediately shook her head and said: "It's a pity to waste it, but I'm not very tired, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. But... since everyone here may not be safe, where can we go to eat noodles?"

  Everyone's eyes turned back to Wang Shaokuo, and they saw her confidently smiling.

  In Wang Shaokui's room, an old kettle on the table was humming 'huh huh huh', this should be its first time being so noticed. Because everyone, especially Wang Shaokui, was eager for it to hurry up and shut off.

  Then... charge into the fray!

  "You... actually brought so many barrels of noodles!?" Si Luo Chen looked at Wang Shao Ke in incredulity.

  Wang Shaokuo poured the hot water into the bucket, then said: "Don't underestimate these, they're all good for me as a detective. If I'm lucky, I'll get something in one or two days, but if I'm unlucky, I'll be stuck in one place for over a week, and without these things, I'd starve to death." One pot of water was only enough for two buckets of noodles, Wang Shaokuo first handed the noodles to Shou Xing and Xiang Qian Tong, then smiled at Yilin, "Yi Xiaomei, wait a bit, the next pot is yours."

  Yilin smiled and shook her head, indicating that she wasn't in a hurry. From the tone of voice just now, she reminded him: "It's better to eat less of this."

  "How much can you eat? Just eat occasionally! I'm not always watching people, looking at others, I have no interest." As he spoke, his gaze fell on the expressionless Yan Bing and Luo, who were standing aside. There were only four people in this room, but these two were too boring.

  Wang Shaokuo took out braised beef, sour cabbage fish and mushroom chicken noodles from his suitcase and asked: "Which one of these three flavors do you want to eat?"

  Yan Bing didn't seem familiar with these, just shook her head and gestured to choose randomly. Luo also chose randomly. Irene looked at the menu and said: "Braised beef... no, no, no, sour cabbage fish instead."

  Wang Shaokuo nodded to show that he understood, opened a package of braised beef and a package of pickled fish. At this time, the second pot of water was also ready, and he soaked two packages for Yan Bing and Yilin.

  Smiling at Luo, she seemed very familiar, after all, it was him who had been accompanying her for nearly a month or two. She said: "Let's not pick and choose, you have the braised pork belly, I'll have the mushrooms. It's good for men to eat more meat."

  Luó Jiǎo's face turned red as she nodded slightly.

  Before long, Wang Shaokuo's room was filled with all sorts of instant noodle flavors, steaming hot. After finishing eating, Wang Shaokuo skillfully covered the lid and said, "Next, let's just pretend nothing happened and do what we need to do!"

  "What's on your mind?" Si Luo Chen asked, placing his fork on the edge of the bucket.

  "Let me think about it, I'll tell you what to do tomorrow. Next, I need to confirm some things, so... you can go back to your rooms and rest." As he spoke, his gaze turned to Yan Bing and Luo Dao: "Our safety tonight is in your hands."

  Yan Bing nodded slightly to indicate understanding, her eyes simultaneously looking towards Luo. The two exchanged a glance, and after Luo lightly nodded his head, he left.

  In Wang Shaokuo's eyes, they seemed to have reached a tacit understanding that transcended the need for words. So, what exactly was their relationship with Shen Lue? Curiosity got the better of him and he asked outright: "What is your relationship with Shen Lue?"

  Not just the three people present were surprised by this question, even Wang Shaokui was taken aback. Perhaps the question had been lingering in his mind for too long, and he really wanted to know everything about that person.

  Everyone thinks Yan Bing chose silence.

  She didn't expect her eyes to sink, saying: "The three of us have all received some favor from Lue, especially Yezi, and then me. As for Siye, I'm not clear, when I met Lue, he was already by Lue's side."

  Upon hearing this, Wang Shaokuo suddenly felt as if he had never truly known Shen Lue at all. It was clear that Wang Shaokuo had already thought about these issues after coming into contact with Luo, but seeing one person after another like this by her side made it unbearable.

  How powerful is she after all?

  And why... is it so different for her!!?

  Si Luo Chen knew Wang Shao Ke's worries and concerns, and also knew that she still wanted to ask Yan Bing many questions. He stood up straight and said: "Shao Ke, I'll be waiting for your news tomorrow."

  After hearing the sound, Wang Shaokuo raised his head and forced a smile at the corner of his mouth, nodding and saying: "Luochen, goodnight. Happy birthday."

  "Thank you, good night."

  Qian Tong nodded in agreement and stood up with Si Luo Chen to leave. Yilin saw this and didn't stay much longer, standing up to leave together as well.

  After sending Irin back to her room, Si Luo Chen walked with Xiang Qian Tong in the courtyard, taking a deep breath of the cool air, looking up at the starry sky, and said: "I didn't expect my birthday would end like this..."

  Turning to Qian Tong, he took her hand: "Then, when we get back, I'll make it up to you with a good one, okay?"

  "Not good!" Si Luo Chen shook his head, suppressing a smile as he replied.

  Qian Tong looked at this woman with a temper that changed suddenly, uncomprehendingly.

  "It's just a birthday. To me, it's just a number that records how long I've been alive in this world." He stretched out his arms to hug Senka, resting his chin on her shoulder and murmuring, "As long as you're by my side from now on...that's enough. But...you have to make another cake for me."

  "Huh? How did you know I made the cake?" Xiang Qian Tong deepened her hug, she liked Si Luo Chen's simple and straightforward words.

  "Although the font isn't handwritten, the strokes are still visible. The way you write the mouth radical at the bottom of characters always looks like a 2." Si Luo Chen straightened up, his beautiful smile curving upwards, also revealing an expression that seemed to say "don't think you're the only one who likes paying attention to details".

  Qian Tong's mouth corners were curled up with a hint of a smile, and she nodded slightly in response.

  Xie Luo Chen opened his arms and held the other person's hand, tilting his head and saying: "Then... let's go back to our room."

  Xiang Qian Tong nodded towards Si Luo Chen, held his hand and walked shoulder to shoulder in the direction of the room. She casually asked: "Luo Chen, are you tired?" As soon as she asked the question, Xiang Qian Tong felt that something was off, since he had just woken up.

  "Are you tired?" Si Luo Chen asked back.

  Qian Tong shook his head: "Not sleepy, I slept a lot in the afternoon. Plus what just happened, I'm still a bit scared... Didn't expect to encounter these things here. Now, I'm not sleepy at all."

  "With Shaokui's experience in this area and Shenlue's skills, plus Liu Yan and the others, I'm not worried about us being in danger at all. What I'm worried about is... the more Shaokui knows about Shenlue, the more painful it will be for her, I hope it won't affect her." As he spoke, Si Luochen pulled out two cans of beer from his pockets and said: "Just now Shaokui didn't let me drink, but today's my birthday, I'm the boss, I want you to keep me company. Yan Bing said it's fine, I just washed them again in Shaokui's bathroom sink, very safe."

  Qian Tong never thought that Si Luo Chen, who usually doesn't drink, would take out two cans of beer. Wen Rou reminded him gently: "Luo Chen... your alcohol tolerance is not good, and your body isn't suitable for drinking either. So many things have happened... why don't we just skip it?" After all, someone who can get drunk with one sip should probably avoid it.

  "You're not coming with me?" Si Luo Chen stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow to ask. Seeing that Xiang Qian Tong didn't respond for a while, he turned around and headed in another direction, saying as he walked: "Fine, I'll go find those people who are possessed by evil spirits and have a drink with them, see if they'll keep me company, maybe...I might even get lucky and pick up some chicks."

  "Hey!" Xiang Qiong hastily pulled back this woman who had started rambling on before she even took a sip, not believing that she would drink with strangers.

  Si Lu Chen turned around seriously and raised an eyebrow, looking at Qian Tong and asking again: "Accompany or not?"

  Qian Tong let out a sigh and reluctantly said, "But just a little bit is allowed."

  "Alright, alright, I just want to make this birthday more meaningful. I don't want my birthday to be just eating a bowl of instant noodles! So... let's hurry back." Yu Chen quickly turned around and pulled Xiang Qian Tong as they walked back.

  "Walk slowly, Lu Chen, be careful of this step. It's dark here, watch your step... don't fall..."

  Qian Tong's concerned reminder was met with a helpless stare at the woman who had just celebrated her birthday, wondering how she suddenly looked like a little kid.

  Si Lu Chen turned his back on her and smiled: "Of course I'm in a hurry, I want to receive gifts!"

  Thinking of Qian Tong's puzzled expression, what gift should I give?

  His expression suddenly froze, and in an instant, he understood what Si Luo Chen was expressing. His face flushed, and he almost tripped and fell, but was caught by Si Luo Chen who turned around to support him.

  "Tell me to be careful, you should also be careful, don't rush."

  Qian Tong's face grew even hotter.

  The author has something to say: Have a great weekend! Today I went to a small ancient town in Zhejiang, so beautiful, so beautiful.

  After organizing photos, I will post Weibo. Guess where this is... For children born in the north, for ancient towns... I have a different feeling. (covering face)

  Still that sentence, with typos and all, I'll find time to correct it. Because corrections need a few more words - hmm... doesn't affect reading.

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