Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 305 Misunderstanding
An Tong looked the woman up and down with surprise and doubt, and couldn't help but ask, "You are..."

He quickly remembered that there were other people around, so he immediately shut his mouth and swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

Seeing his hesitant manner, Adan became even more suspicious of his relationship with Yan Ciwan. She rushed forward to see what Yan Ciwan was holding.
However, Yan Ciwan put the token away first.

She first glanced at the other customers in the shop, and then asked, "Manager An, may I have a word with you in private?"

An Tong nodded, then bowed to Boss Zhao and the other guests, and said with a smile, "I'm sorry, everyone, I have some urgent business at home tonight and it's inconvenient for me to entertain you. Please come again tomorrow and I will give you a discount."

The guests assumed he was dealing with a conflict between his wife and mistress, and they all generously said it was fine.

Soon all the customers had left the store.

An Tong closed the shop door and turned around to get a big slap in the face.

The crisp sound of a slap echoed throughout the shop.

An Tong was knocked off balance and his back hit the door. Two slap marks were left on his cheeks, red, swollen, and burning with pain.

He cried out in pain, "Wife, please stop hitting me! It's not what you think!"

Adan was now burning with jealousy. She grabbed Antong's collar with one hand and pulled his hair with the other, gritting her teeth as she questioned, "You still dare to say you don't know her? Not only did she come to our door, but she also brought out the token of love you gave me!"

An Tong felt more wronged than Dou E. He struggled desperately and cried out, "That's not a token of love, it's Steward Ge's token!"

Adan paused, then asked suspiciously, "Really?"

An Tong turned his head with difficulty and called out to Yan Ciwan.

"Show her the token."

Yan Ciwan didn't move. She said calmly, "Answer me a question first."

"You...you ask."

"Fu Hui, the son of the Left Valiant Guard General, is dead. He took datura before he died. Did that datura originate from your area?"

Upon hearing this, both An Tong and A Dan's facial expressions changed.

Just as Adan was about to deny it, Yan Ciwan raised her hand to interrupt her.

“Don’t rush to deny it. I have been to the underground black market in Yizhou, where datura is sold. The black market is an industry run by the Five Gods Sect. Manager Ge told me that you are also a member of the Five Gods Sect, and that you come from the Western Regions. It is perfectly reasonable for you to use the guise of transporting spices to secretly smuggle datura, which is unique to the Western Regions, to Chang’an.”

When it came to a case involving a life, Adan immediately became anxious.

She released An Tong and said to Yan Ci, "These are all just your wishful thinking. You can't make things up without evidence!"

Yan Ciwan smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Whether you sell Datura stramonium or not is none of my business. I'm not a government official."

An Tong touched his swollen cheek and gasped in pain.

He leaned against the wall and asked, "What exactly do you want?"

Yan Ciwan's smile faded, and she stared into his eyes, asking in a deep voice, "Where is Nie Xiayun?"

Adan had never heard of the name Nie Xiayun before. She looked at her husband and saw that his expression was strange. The anger she had just suppressed immediately surged up again.

She grabbed the feather duster from the vase and lashed it at An Tong, angrily demanding, "Who is Nie Xiayun? How many women have you been having affairs with behind my back?" An Tong covered his head with his hands, desperately trying to dodge, "Nie Xiayun is a woman in her fifties, married and with children. How could I possibly have anything to do with her?!"

Upon hearing this, Adan became even angrier and lashed out even harder.

"You bastard An Tong, you actually went after an old woman of such advanced age! You're inhuman!"

An Tong was cornered with nowhere to hide. He looked at the feather duster about to fall and knew that if he didn't explain things clearly, he would definitely be beaten to death by this tigress.

To protect himself, he had no choice but to tell the truth: "Nie Xiayun is that woman's grandmother. She was hidden by the shaman. The reason this woman came to our door is to find Nie Xiayun. I really have nothing to do with them!"

He deliberately spoke in a Western Region dialect to prevent outsiders from understanding him.

Adan paused, and the feather duster stopped moving.

She asked, still somewhat skeptical, "Really?"

An Tong continued in the Western Regions language, "This matter involves shamans, how could I dare to lie?"

Adan knew her husband quite well. Although he often used sweet words, he was always extremely cautious when it came to anything related to witchcraft.

She put down the feather duster and scolded, "Why didn't you say so sooner? You made me waste all my effort."

An Tong looked indignant and resentful: "There were so many people around just now, how could I dare to tell the truth?! Besides, you kept hitting me, you didn't give me a chance to explain properly at all."

Adan felt no remorse. She smoothed the feather duster, put it back in the vase, and then spoke in the same Western Regions language.

"Since she wants to see Nie Xiayun, you should take her to see the sorcerer. Get rid of this hot potato quickly to avoid causing us trouble."

An Tong glanced at Yan Ciwan and saw that she was looking at him calmly, so he assumed that she had not understood anything and continued to communicate with his wife in the Western Regions language.

"You make it sound so easy. A shaman is not someone you can just meet anytime."

Adan frowned: "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"I think we should use the old method. First, knock her unconscious and lock her up. Then, notify the Five Gods Sect and have them send someone to take this woman away. After that, they can do whatever they want. It has nothing to do with us anyway."

Adan recalled the scene just now and looked troubled. She whispered, "This might not work. This woman is not an ordinary weak woman. She is very strong and may also know martial arts. We are no match for her."

"Then let's drug her first. We still have some Datura stramonium left, which will come in handy."

Adan thought the plan was feasible, so he nodded in agreement: "Okay."

The couple agreed on a plan, with An Tong negotiating with Yan Ciwan.

He deliberately switched to fluent Chang'an Mandarin.

“I have already explained things to my wife. She knows she misunderstood us and feels very guilty. She insists on apologizing to you.”

Adan cooperated very well, curtsied to Yan Ciwan, and had an awkward smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, I was too impulsive just now. It's my fault for being so stupid and always overthinking things, which is why I misunderstood you."

Yan Ciwan nodded slightly, accepting the apology, and then asked, "Now can you tell me where Nie Xiayun is?"

“She has been hidden by the sorcerer. If you want to know her whereabouts, you have to ask the sorcerer.” An Tong paused here, showing just the right amount of trouble on his face. “The sorcerer is not in the city, but the city gates are closed now, and we can’t go out. You can only stay here with us for the night, and I will accompany you out of the city to find the sorcerer tomorrow morning.”