Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 463 The Secret of the Scabbard

Thinking of the upcoming arrival of the Liang envoy at court today, Lin Zhiqing felt somewhat uneasy. She spoke:

"The people from Daliang will be arriving soon, so everyone be careful and don't give them any leverage."

"If anything happens, please let us know immediately so we can discuss it in detail."

"Okay." Lin Shi'an and Lin Yangyang nodded in unison.

Yan Yu stared intently at the fake Yan Hang's corpse, radiating an aura of anger and sorrow.

“Yan Yu,” Lin Yangyang spoke up, “You know how insightful Qing is at reading faces.”

"Since she deduced that Xiao Hang is still alive, then he must be alive."

“Tell us about his information, and we can help you look for him.”

Lin Zhiqing and Lin Shi'an also looked at Yan Yu, their eyes full of concern and support.

Yan Yu slowly raised his eyes: "I'm going to Daliang!"

He clearly suspected that Yan Hang was in Daliang.

Lin Zhiqing thought about the flute player and felt that the flute player might be related to Yan Yu.

Because the fake Yan Hang had been trying his best to keep Yan Yu away from the flute player these past few days, while the fake Yan Hang himself wanted to investigate the flute player.

Previously, Lin Zhiqing had Xiao Yan tell Yan Yu that guarding the flute player while he bathed was just a pretense.

As expected, Yan Hang found a way to stop Yan Yu.

This further confirmed Lin Zhiqing's idea, but she also knew that Di Ren had no birthmark. If she rashly told Yan Yu, what if he was disappointed?

Thinking of all this, she opened her mouth softly:

"Yan Yu, if you are leaving, please visit the Flute Master's courtyard before you go. I have something to discuss with you."

Yan Yu glanced at Lin Zhiqing and slowly nodded.

Lin Zhiqing took a deep breath.

After the group finished disposing of the fake Yan Hang's body, Lin Zhiqing returned to Shuqing Pavilion.

Her mind was in turmoil.

Why did this fake Yan Hang end up at the Lin family's house?

He seemed to care a lot about the flute player, and his previous framing of the servant seemed to be a deliberate attempt to gain the sympathy of most people.

Moreover, Yan Yu had just told Lin Zhiqing about the strange behavior of the fake Yan Hang these past few days.

Yan Hang doesn't seem to want to leave the Lin family.

The current situation is too complicated. Based on just a few words, Lin Zhiqing cannot tell whether the fake Yan Hang is after Yan Yu or the Lin family.

In short, this fake Yan Hang is inextricably linked to Da Sheng.

Going back three generations from Lin Zhiqing, every member of the Changning Marquis's family had a history of conflict with the Liang Dynasty.

Lin Qingshan and Lin Congrong were brave and skilled in battle, and they drove the Great Liang army into retreat, forcing it to cede cities and sue for peace.

Lin Zhiqing overturned the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion, exposing the fact that the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion had dealings with Daliang.

These events made Lin Zhiqing somewhat worried about the upcoming palace banquet.

She took a deep breath. The Lin family really was always living on the edge.

It seems she'll have to think things through this time.

The next day, Yan Yu found Lin Zhiqing early in the morning.

Lin Zhiqing led him to the flute player's courtyard.

"Yan Yu, wait a moment, I have something to tell you," Lin Zhiqing said.

Yan Yu's eyelashes trembled slightly: "Skeleton Spirit, wait a minute, I also have something to tell you."

His hand didn't move naturally as usual; it was slightly hidden behind him.

Lin Zhiqing knew that Yan Yu was probably going to tell her about the thing wriggling on her wrist.

Even if he didn't say it, Lin Zhiqing could guess a thing or two.

Only living things move. That day, when she encountered Yan Yu, she felt something alive wriggling. Moreover, after the poisonous ants crawled out of the fake Yan Hang's body, Yan Yu tucked them into his sleeve.

Lin Zhiqing didn't think there was any space inside her cuff to catch a dead ant.

Therefore, it is highly likely that the ant was something that Yan Yu fed to himself.

Sure enough, as various thoughts flashed through Lin Zhiqing's mind, Yan Yu slowly extended his hand.

He opened his palm, and an ant the size of a fingernail lay quietly in his palm.

This is clearly not the one that was on the fake Yan Hang yesterday.

Although they all look the same, this ant is much larger, and its entire body is as if it has been soaked in ink, turning blackish-red.

It swayed its antennae slightly, as if greeting Lin Zhiqing.

Yan Yu slowly opened his mouth:
“You are very smart, you should know that this is a poisonous insect. On the day Jiang Yunhe was executed, I fought with the poison master of Daliang and took this thing from him.”

"So you concluded last night that the person came from Daliang?" Lin Zhiqing asked.

“That’s right,” Yan Yu replied. “That’s why I’m going to Daliang to find Xiao Hang.”

Mentioning this, Lin Zhiqing looked into the inner room:

“Yan Yu, I suspect that the fake Yan Hang went to great lengths to get close to this place because of the Flute Man.”

"Take a look at the flute player first, just in case he is..."

Upon hearing Lin Zhiqing's words, Yan Yu frowned: "The flute player?"

A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, only to be replaced by a deep sadness.
"Xiao Hang doesn't know martial arts, so the flute player can't be him."

Lin Zhiqing frowned: "What if he learns it later?"

Yan Yu pursed his lips, about to nod, when footsteps sounded outside the door.

The footsteps were fast and hurried; it was Lin Yangyang!

"Butterfly, I've been looking for you everywhere. I got up early this morning to prepare a lot of things for you. Come out and take a look."

Lin Yangyang's voice came from outside.

Upon seeing this, Lin Zhiqing opened the door and then stared wide-eyed.

"You want me to take all of this with me?" Yan Yu looked at the bundle in front of him, which was as tall as him, and silently swallowed.

"I've prepared all the food and supplies here, as well as some hidden weapons. Keep them for self-defense," Lin Yangyang said, patting the bundle.

Yan Yu couldn't help but laugh: "If I carried this bundle, I'm afraid it would take me half a year to get to Daliang."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yangyang became somewhat listless.

Seeing this, Yan Yu patted her head: "I'm going to find someone, not to get married. It's not like I'm never coming back."

"Send these things to my yard; I might need them sometime when I come back."

Hearing this, Lin Yangyang was fully revitalized: "Okay, I'll deliver the things over in a bit."

Yan Yu nodded and looked at Lin Zhiqing again:

"Skeleton Spirit, does that flute player have any unusual birthmarks?"

Lin Zhiqing shook her head, recalling Lin Shi'an's earlier words: "No."

"As expected," Yan Yu sighed. "You see, he isn't."

"Finally, there's one thing Lin Zhiqing is wrong about." He laughed heartily, as if trying to hide his emotions.

Lin Zhiqing smiled as well:
"If I were accurate in every way, why would I bother opening Jianxin Hall? I could just go out and tell fortunes."

The two of them spontaneously tried to ease the tension.

Lin Yangyang scratched her head, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Only after watching Yan Yu leave the courtyard did she look at Lin Zhiqing with a puzzled expression:
“Qing-meimei, what were you talking about birthmarks? I remember that Di Ren has a birthmark.”

Lin Zhiqing was taken aback: "Cousin, what do you mean by that? How do you know he has a birthmark?"

"Oh dear, not on my body, on my head," Lin Yangyang said.

“You forgot, I couldn’t stand it anymore and washed his hair.”