PCA Chapter 70

“Xiao Hong…” Qu Ling’er frowned, but before he could continue, a water sleeve flashed before his eyes. His waist bent backward instinctively as he dodged in a panic, shouting angrily, “What are you doing?!”

 

Qingchen’s almond-shaped eyes glared at him. “How many times have I told you not to call me Xiao Hong!”

 

“If I don’t call you Xiao Hong, what should I call you?” Qu Ling’er protested, looking aggrieved. “Should I address you as ‘Miss Qingchen’ like everyone else?”

 

“Call me anything, just not Xiao Hong!”

 

“But Xiao Hong sounds so nice,” Qu Ling’er muttered softly, dragging a chair over to sit down. “Why did you come to Yangzhou?”

 

Qingchen flung her sleeve dramatically and sat down with a casual air. “After you left, the Secret Door had a lot of trouble. The situation in the north has become tense, and many people have retreated. You wouldn’t know this since you haven’t been around, but recently, the operatives embedded in the Turkic army were exposed. The Death Gate nearly suffered total annihilation, and several hidden posts in Chang’an were destroyed too. Things are chaotic in the north, so Master sent me here to relocate.”

 

Qu Ling’er lowered his head, rubbing his nose awkwardly. He didn’t dare admit that he’d been involved in the incident. Instead, he asked, “Are you all okay? You, Han Shu, and Master?”

 

“You still care about us?” Qingchen gave him a pointed glare. “When you left without a word, we all thought you were dead. Look at my eyes—they’re almost blind from crying over you. Han Shu spent months sitting by that cliffside drinking himself into a stupor. If Master hadn’t sent him away on a mission, he’d probably still be drowning in wine. And you! Alive all this time and not even a word to let us know. You let us grieve for nothing.”

 

Qu Ling’er bit his lip. He, Han Shu, and Qingchen had all been raised by their master and shared a deep bond. He wouldn’t have abandoned them unless it was absolutely necessary.

 

“Master misses you too. He doesn’t say it, but I’ve seen him pacing outside late at night, sighing nonstop.”

 

“Master…” Qu Ling’er lowered his head. Master had likely been the first to realize he was still alive. Back in Chang’an, he had sent messages to him through the black-clad man. However, Qingchen and Han Shu didn’t know the truth, and Master hadn’t revealed it to anyone else.

 

What was Master sighing about? Was he lamenting the terrible mess Qu Ling’er had caused? Or mourning the uncertain futures of everyone involved?

 

“Hey,” Qingchen tossed a candied fruit at him, “How did you survive back then? So many people saw you jump off that cliff. It was a thousand-foot drop—anyone else would’ve been smashed to pieces. Can you fly or something?”

 

Qu Ling’er raised an eyebrow and smiled. “The Secret Door was hunting me. No matter where I ran, they would’ve found me. The only way to escape was to make them think I was dead. I’d already driven two long stakes into the cliff wall beforehand. After everyone left, I climbed back up from the cliffside.”

 

Master must have seen those stakes and realized he’d survived.

 

Qingchen frowned. “Why were they chasing you in the first place?”

 

Qu Ling’er rolled his eyes. “Do you want to be hunted too?”

 

Qingchen shut her mouth, looking sheepish.

 

After a moment, she nudged Su Cen with her foot and asked, “And him? How did you end up mixed up with him?”

 

Qu Ling’er glanced at the unconscious Su Cen and said softly, “He saved me.”

 

Qingchen brushed aside a strand of Su Cen’s hair to study his face carefully. “He’s good-looking, I’ll give him that. But there’s not a single honest word that comes out of his mouth. He was even trying to pry information out of me.”

 

Afraid that Su Cen might end up tied up and thrown into a river, Qu Ling’er quickly explained, “He really is from the north, and his family really does run a business.”

 

Qingchen lightly traced a finger across Su Cen’s face. “No wonder his skin is so soft and delicate. I shouldn’t have used a sleeping drug—I should’ve used an aphrodisiac.”

 

“Don’t,” Qu Ling’er twitched the corner of his mouth and pointed at Su Cen. “He… he’s impotent.”

 

Qingchen raised her head. “How do you know that?”

 

The two of them spent quite some effort carrying Su Cen to the adjacent room before returning to continue catching up. They talked well into the night.

 

Just before dawn, Qu Ling’er yawned and went next door to wake Su Cen so they could disembark. However, when he opened the door and looked at the bed, his mind exploded with panic.

 

Su Cen was gone!

 

Qingchen was skilled with poisons, and her concoction was supposed to keep someone asleep until dawn. There was no reason Su Cen should have woken up early. If he wasn’t in the room, someone must have tampered with him.

 

The window in the room was open, facing the pitch-black water outside. What if someone had taken advantage of Su Cen’s unconscious state and thrown him overboard…

 

He had promised to protect him, and now something had happened right under his nose!

 

Qu Ling’er forced himself to calm down. He hadn’t heard the sound of anything falling into the water, and the boat hadn’t docked. Su Cen must still be on board. Leaping out of the window, Qu Ling’er scaled the mast in a single bound. From the highest point, he could spot anyone still on the boat.

 

As soon as he reached the top, Qu Ling’er froze. Standing at the bow of the ship, a figure in white faced the wind. Who else could it be but Su Cen?

 

Qu Ling’er climbed down from the mast and, upon seeing Su Cen clearly, let out a sigh of relief. He patted Su Cen’s shoulder. “Brother Su.”

 

“Hmm?” Su Cen turned his head slightly and smiled at Qu Ling’er. “Finished chatting?”

 

Qu Ling’er was startled. “How did you know… you weren’t asleep?!”

 

The night wind blew gently as Su Cen brushed a few strands of hair from his face, squinting at Qu Ling’er. “Didn’t you warn me not to touch anything on the boat?”

 

“But I clearly saw you drink the tea!”

 

Su Cen replied casually, “I spat it out.”

 

Qu Ling’er stammered, “Then… then, you… you heard everything we said?”

 

Su Cen nodded. “Including the part about me being impotent.”

 

Qu Ling’er: “…”

 

“Wait, Brother Su, let me explain!” Qu Ling’er gestured frantically, both hands and feet moving as he spoke. “I didn’t mean it! I was just trying to protect you. You don’t know what Xiao Hong is like—Brother Su, I was wrong. Please don’t abandon me!”

 

Su Cen chuckled, clearly amused. “Why would I abandon you?”

 

Qu Ling’er frowned. “Because I’ve been in contact with people from the Secret Door.”

 

Su Cen smiled. “You’re originally from the Secret Door. It’s not strange to greet an old acquaintance. If you had seen her and pretended not to know her, I would’ve started questioning your intentions for approaching me.”

 

Qu Ling’er scratched his head, embarrassed. “Did you already know Xiao Hong was from the Secret Door?”

 

“Not at first,” Su Cen shook his head. “I only realized after boarding the ship. The three rounds of tests she set up seemed casual but were actually quite deliberate. The first round, passing the drum, allowed her to eliminate some people using the excuse of timing. The second round tested martial skills. The third round was the real test of knowledge. If I’m not mistaken, she kept me until the end because I was the only unfamiliar face in the group. She wanted to probe my background.”

 

“Xiao Hong is indeed the Secret Door’s agent in Yangzhou, gathering information about the city,” Qu Ling’er remarked, then seemed to remember something. “Wait, didn’t you say you were interested in someone before boarding? Don’t tell me it wasn’t Xiao Hong?”

 

“It wasn’t,” Su Cen replied, lightly tapping the railing. “I was interested in that ‘Second Young Master.’ Though he wore luxurious clothing, his manners were coarse and uncouth—not like someone from an official’s family. In Yangzhou, the only families whose sons could be called ‘Young Masters’ are the Wang and Jia salt merchant families, the Su tea merchant family, and the Yue textile merchant family. I know everyone in the Su family, and the Yue family is related to mine by marriage—they don’t have such a Second Young Master. The Wang family has no male heirs, so that leaves only the Jia family. I wanted to see if this Jia family’s young master was truly as useless as the rumors say.”

 

“And?” Qu Ling’er asked.

 

Su Cen shook his head. Unless that Second Young Master was hiding his true nature very well, he was indeed a good-for-nothing.

 

The Wang family had no male heirs, leaving all their business in the hands of He Xiao, a convenient son-in-law. The Jia family’s eldest son had died young, and their aging patriarch was left with only a profligate second son who spent his days in brothels. In reality, Yangzhou’s salt trade was entirely controlled by He Xiao.

 

As Su Cen fell into thought, Qu Ling’er tugged at his sleeve, looking troubled. “Brother Su… can you not make things difficult for Xiao Hong and the others? She’s only passing messages for the Secret Door; she’s never done anything like killing or arson.”

 

Su Cen turned back, squinting slightly before smiling. “It’s not impossible, but there’s one condition you’ll have to meet for me.”

 

Qu Ling’er tilted his head. “What is it?”

 

 

—

 

As dawn broke, the pleasure boat docked outside the East Water Gate. The young masters and lords, having indulged all night, disembarked, instantly resuming their dignified appearances.

 

From afar, Qu Ling’er felt an oppressive presence on the shore. As the boat drew closer, he saw a tall figure standing amidst the morning mist, his expression icy and a long sword in his hand, seemingly ready to be drawn.

 

Qu Ling’er swallowed nervously. “Brother Su… can we change the plan?”

 

Su Cen squinted and smiled. “What else can we do? I can’t let Li Shi know I visited a pleasure boat while investigating a case. If you won’t cover for me, I’ll have to tell Qi Lin I was here to investigate the Secret Door. If he digs deeper and finds something, I won’t have any control over the situation.”

 

Qu Ling’er: “…”

 

He had actually thought this man was considerate last night. Considerate, my foot! If he’d known, he would’ve thrown him into the river to feed the fish.

 

Once ashore, Qu Ling’er trailed behind Su Cen, not daring to speak, while Su Cen greeted Qi Lin with an air of nonchalance.

 

Qi Lin stood with his sword in hand, staring coldly at them without moving. He had returned from delivering a message at the Weiyuan Escort Agency the day before, only to find both of them missing from the inn. He had searched frantically all night, nearly revealing his identity to have Xue Zhi search the entire city, only to find the two of them leisurely enjoying themselves on a pleasure boat.

 

Su Cen nudged Qu Ling’er, who reluctantly poked his head out from behind him. “Brother Qi… it’s me…”

 

Qi Lin cast him a cold glance. “We’ll talk when we get back.”

 

 

—

 

According to Su Cen’s recollection, upon returning, Qu Ling’er was dragged into a room and didn’t come out for an entire day. His cries of protest gradually dwindled into silence. When he emerged the next day, his peach blossom eyes were swollen, his voice hoarse, and his legs trembling so much he couldn’t walk properly for days.

 

Yet, in the middle of the night, Su Cen caught him sneaking to Qi Lin’s room. When the door opened, Qu Ling’er flung himself at Qi Lin, wrapping his arms around his neck and refusing to let go.

 

Clicking his tongue twice, Su Cen sighed, “Ah, youth knows no sorrow,” before pulling up his pants and heading back to his room.

 

 

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