Chapter 345 - 213: The Masquerade Becomes Real, Waters of Wu River

Chapter 345: Chapter 213: The Masquerade Becomes Real, Waters of Wu River

"Younger Brother Shi, you’re young and perhaps a bit hot-blooded, but this isn’t the place for it. Unless you believe you’re stronger than that top disciple of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect, and that your backing is greater than theirs, don’t bring disaster upon yourself. Even a Grandmaster can’t meddle in this... You absolutely must remember that."

The Shopkeeper looked rather dejected. He patted Xie Yuan’s shoulder, repeated his earnest advice, then turned and went back behind the counter, where he began clacking away on his abacus.

The sound, however, was chaotic.

Xie Yuan and Situ Qin exchanged a glance, in no mood for idle chatter. They quickly polished off the rest of the meal, though they didn’t touch the grilled Wu River fish again.

The two returned to their room.

"It seems the people of Wu River have been suffering from this for a long time."

Xie Yuan shook his head and sighed softly. He was clearly reminded of Yu Chunsheng and the Vajra Sect in Yunzhou, and his lips slowly tightened into a line.

But even the case with Yu Chunsheng and the Vajra Sect seemed nowhere near as brazen as the culprits here in Wu River.

"The Yunzhou Prefecture knows, but they can’t do anything about it. If the Shopkeeper wasn’t exaggerating, then the ’deep waters’ here aren’t the Wu River, but the Great River. And it connects all the way to Jiangnan..."

Situ Qin’s brow furrowed slightly. Unlike most young women, she had no fondness for Jiangnan. The place held things she utterly detested.

Xie Yuan snorted softly.

"If the authorities can’t handle it, then I will! I refuse to believe that this bunch of colluding officials and crooks, these despicable scoundrels, can’t be dealt with."

A light danced in Situ Qin’s beautiful eyes as she smiled.

"And how does Master Xie plan to handle it?"

A murderous glint flashed in Xie Yuan’s eyes.

"If nothing else works, I’ll use force! I’m a wanted man, after all. It’s not my first time, so I’m used to it."

Hearing this, Situ Qin couldn’t help but crack a smile, despite the gravity of the situation.

"A master at rooting out corruption and evil, a champion of justice for the people! I think the emperor ought to give you an Imperial Sword and reward you handsomely."

"Why not write a letter to your uncle and ask for some ’sponsorship’? Hmm? If you asked him to send an imperial envoy to investigate, wouldn’t this whole affair be solved in an instant?"

Xie Yuan said, half-joking.

Situ Qin shook her head.

"Perhaps. But I don’t want any more contact with the Xue family. I’m on my own now. Besides, if this matter truly connects all the way to Jiangnan, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be easily resolved even if he sent someone..."

They both grew solemn. If one of the great noble houses was involved, and the mastermind was a power of that magnitude, then they would have to be extremely careful.

"That Shopkeeper is a kind man. He said many things he shouldn’t have. I didn’t think much of it at first, but now I realize we need to be on our guard. If things go sideways, we’ll leave immediately. We have backup, after all."

Xie Yuan said seriously.

’Li Xingtuo told him he could go back and ask for help anytime. It would be foolish not to use the support he had.’

’If a regular Grandmaster isn’t enough, what about a Flying Dragon List Master?’

After discussing for a while, they both raised their guard regarding the Wu River trafficking case, no longer treating it as a simple training exercise.

They talked for a while longer as evening fell. Gazing at the silver moon hanging high in the sky outside the window, Xie Yuan hesitated.

Seeing his expression, Situ Qin, who was sitting on the bed, instantly grew wary. She immediately pulled the blanket tighter around herself, her voice rising in pitch.

"Hey, Master Xie, we booked two rooms. Heaven-grade rooms. They’re very big... Um, my room is very small."

Xie Yuan said uncertainly,

"Yes, but..."

"No buts! A bed can only sleep one person!"

Situ Qin’s face turned a little red.

"The Shopkeeper already told us. Don’t think I’m completely clueless! Hmph. Men."

Xie Yuan chuckled and shook his head.

"I wasn’t thinking about that. I was just thinking that someone might come looking for us tonight, and it would be best if we were in the same room."

"Someone will come for us tonight?"

Situ Qin’s elegant brows furrowed.

"I thought someone might come to question us tomorrow."

"If the conspiracy here is as extensive as it seems, then we can’t underestimate their methods. When you’re on the road, you have to be prepared. An extra precaution costs nothing."

Xie Yuan explained.

He hadn’t been an escort master for nothing. His months on the road, while not a long time, had exposed him to all sorts of dirty tricks.

Escorts travel openly while carrying valuables, so they see ten times the trouble of an ordinary Martial Artist. Xie Yuan’s experience in the martial world was not only greater than the novice Situ Qin’s, but it was also on par with many seasoned veterans.

Situ Qin was extremely intelligent and readily accepted good advice. She nodded at once.

"You’re right. We should be cautious. We just talked about this."

Seeing that she agreed, Xie Yuan got up and went next door to pack his things and make some arrangements. When he returned to Situ Qin’s room, he saw that she had already taken out her Guqin and set it up.

This Guqin seemed a little smaller than the thousand-year-old one she played at home. It looked much more portable, easy to rest on her lap. She usually kept it in a case, carried on her back or placed on her horse, so it didn’t take up much space.

Seeing that Situ Qin was, as he’d suggested, fully prepared, Xie Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

They exchanged a glance and nodded in unison. Then, Xie Yuan blew out the candle.

In the silence, Xie Yuan sat by the table while Situ Qin sat cross-legged on the bed.

By the faint moonlight filtering through the window, Xie Yuan could make out the beautiful, hazy silhouette of Situ Qin. Indistinct and half-shrouded, it added an air of mystery and allure.

The room was dark and silent, save for the sound of their soft breathing, each audible to the other.

Suddenly, Situ Qin spoke in the darkness:

"Master Xie, are you sure you weren’t just looking for an excuse to share a room with me?"

"This room is quite large... No, of course you know my true intentions."

Xie Yuan said in a low voice.

"Oh..."

Situ Qin drew out the "oh" for a long moment, and the room fell silent again.

Suddenly, Situ Qin asked again:

"So you didn’t want to share a room with me? No wonder you immediately asked for an Earth-grade room when they said they were out of rooms."

’Uh...’

’Hearing Situ Qin’s flighty and ambiguous tone, Xie Yuan suddenly felt a massive headache coming on.’

’How was he supposed to answer this? ’I do want to be close to you?’ Could he really say that to a royal princess? Wouldn’t he just earn a reputation for being a flirt?’

’But if he said he didn’t want to, besides being dishonest, it sounded like Situ Qin would be displeased, too.’

’He was suddenly reminded of the Saint’s words: "Only women and petty men are difficult to handle. If you are close to them, they lose their reserve; if you are distant, they are resentful."’

’Cultivating is so much simpler...’

Just as his mind was racing, trying to figure out how to respond, Xie Yuan’s ears suddenly twitched.

He and Situ Qin both moved their heads at the same time, exchanging a look in the dark room and nodding to each other.

’They’re here.’

’A lot of them. And there are experts.’