Chapter 341 - 213: Passing Fake for Real, the Waters of Wu River (Part 2)

Chapter 341: Chapter 213: Passing Fake for Real, the Waters of Wu River (Part 2)

’But from the sound of it, this Mr. Qian is in charge of guarding the "cargo," and his position is so high that Meng Hesheng can’t even get in touch with him?’

As Xie Yuan processed this key information, his mind racing, Meng Hesheng’s expression slowly grew suspicious. He sized up Xie Yuan for a moment, then cleared his throat and said:

"Lord Yao, when the cargo is ready to be moved, I’ll certainly report it to you and Mr. Qian. If you wanted to know something, you could have just sent someone to ask. Why come to my humble place in person? There are too many prying eyes, and the fishy smell is so strong. It’s rather unbecoming of your status."

Xie Yuan glanced back at him and snorted coldly.

"What, are you telling me how to do my job?"

Meng Hesheng’s expression changed, and he quickly said,

"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare, Lord Yao. I just don’t understand why you’ve suddenly come to see me..."

"I’m just so flustered I’m not thinking straight! You have no idea how deep this goes, and you’re still here asking this and that! If this gets out, we’re all finished!"

Xie Yuan flicked his sleeve and strode toward the exit.

Hearing this, Meng Hesheng immediately broke out in a sweat. The burly, bearded man scurried forward a few steps, bowing and scraping as he said,

"Lord Yao, forgive me for speaking out of turn. Could you give me a hint? Whose family did we capture this time?"

Xie Yuan glanced at him and was suddenly struck by a mischievous impulse. He coughed once and said in a low voice,

"Did you know that the King of Pingxi had a daughter..."

"What?! We captured the King of Pingxi’s daughter?"

Meng Hesheng’s face drained of color. His burly frame trembled, and he roared without thinking, his voice booming.

"Keep your voice down!"

Xie Yuan felt a small hand reach out and pinch the soft flesh of his waist—and it wasn’t a gentle pinch, either. He grimaced in pain and said,

"The likes of you... the likes of us, capture *her*? Is that even possible? She’s practically a celestial fairy!"

Feeling the pressure on his waist ease up a bit, Xie Yuan grinned and continued,

"But even the emperor has poor relatives. Princess Pingxi has a few friends among the common folk—escort masters, swordsmen, wandering heroes, that sort of thing. One of the people we captured this time happens to be an old acquaintance of hers. I hear that now this ’fairy’ has noticed her friend is missing and is already making inquiries and investigating!"

Beads of sweat poured down Meng Hesheng’s forehead. He said with a grimace,

"Lord Yao, what are we going to do? If she really finds her way here, you might get away with it, but I’m afraid even a hundred of my lives wouldn’t be enough to pay the price!"

’In fact, she’s already here...’

Xie Yuan said calmly,

"Don’t worry. I’ve already learned of this through my own channels. I’m on my way to see Mr. Qian right now."

Meng Hesheng nodded again and again, unable to stop himself from urging,

"Lord Yao, you must hurry!"

"I know."

After being respectfully escorted out by Meng Hesheng, Xie Yuan and Situ Qin quickly slipped into the crowd and vanished.

"Well, well, Master Xie. I get the feeling you’re always looking for an excuse to take advantage of me."

In a secluded alley, Situ Qin gave Xie Yuan a light punch on the arm, pouting playfully.

Xie Yuan just chuckled, offering no rebuttal. He saw that Situ Qin’s fair, pretty face was slightly flushed, but she didn’t seem annoyed. In fact, it only added to her charm, and his heart couldn’t help but flutter.

Their eyes met, and they both felt the romantic tension in the air. But it was neither the time nor the place, so they both looked away.

Xie Yuan cleared his throat and said,

"Even though I exaggerated at the end and used the Princess’s reputation to give Meng Hesheng a scare, and he didn’t seem suspicious anymore, given his secret cooperation with Yao Zhizhang, our ruse will surely be exposed before long."

Situ Qin nodded, her brow furrowed. "And there’s that mysterious Mr. Qian. His position seems to be even higher than theirs—he might be the real person in charge. It’s a shame Meng Hesheng’s rank is too low. It doesn’t seem like he has direct contact with Mr. Qian, or we could have followed the trail straight to the source."

"Meng Hesheng is quite powerful, yet he’s just a low-level enforcer. It seems this conspiracy is even more widespread than we thought."

Xie Yuan nodded gravely.

Wu River was a major county on the border between Yunzhou and Yanzhou. As the local kingpin and leader of the area’s most powerful faction, Meng Hesheng had naturally achieved the Qi and Blood First Transformation, and he wasn’t weak. In Xie Yuan’s estimation, he very likely had a corresponding level of Inner Power as well, making him significantly stronger than the former head of the escort agency.

As the leader of a well-connected river-faring gang who also worked for the County Magistrate and the powerful figures behind him, this wasn’t surprising.

Situ Qin nodded in agreement, a cold glint in her eyes. Her voice turned chilly.

"The County Magistrate colluding with a local tyrant... who knows how long the people here have suffered. If my father were still alive and learned of this..."

The King of Pingxi had risen from Yunzhou and had always considered it his ancestral home. From a young age, he was a man of chivalry who despised evil. His deeds of punishing the wicked and rewarding the virtuous were too numerous to count. After coming to power, he returned to Yunzhou several times, and if anyone dared to stop his procession to voice a grievance, he would invariably launch a thorough investigation. In those days, Yunzhou, despite being on the frontier, became one of the most honest and uncorrupt places in the entire Great Li empire.

Her fine brows knitted together as she looked at Xie Yuan.

"Master Xie, what’s your plan now?"

Situ Qin had been very impressed by how quick-witted and adaptable Xie Yuan had been inside. She blinked her large eyes, waiting to see what other ideas he had.

Xie Yuan smiled. His form flickered for a moment, and suddenly, a thick, full beard appeared on his face.

"Now? Naturally, we’ll use the same trick again before they have time to react."

Situ Qin’s eyes lit up. Xie Yuan’s idea was the exact same as hers.

She clapped her hands and said with a grin,

"Exactly! If Meng Hesheng can’t reach Mr. Qian, then we’ll just have to find someone who can!"

The two of them hurried along and soon arrived outside the county government office once more.

A guard at the government office saw a burly man approaching and was about to shout a challenge, but then the man lifted his head, revealing the signature full beard of the river gang’s leader, Meng Hesheng.

"Meng Hesheng" clasped his fists in greeting.