Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 111 Bad News

The two talked privately in the duty room for a long time. At one point, the door to Lin Xuan's duty room opened.

Lu Feng walked out and strode away.

Wenren Yue walked in from outside, turned around with a puzzled look, and asked Lin Xuan, "What does Commander Lu want with you?"

Lin Xuan explained, "The imperial court purchased a batch of telescopes from the Jiuli tribe, and they will be passing through Bozhou soon. Commander Lu has arranged for me to escort them for a part of the journey."

Wenren Yue nodded slightly, not giving it much thought.

It was customary for the imperial court to arrange for local border control officers to escort goods procured from the southwest to the capital.

She hesitated for a moment, looked at Lin Xuan, and spoke again: "Could you... teach me to cook a few more dishes?"

Lin Xuan smiled and said, "Okay, what dish do you want to learn? We'll go buy some ingredients when we get back."

Wenren Yue nodded gently: "Let me think about it, I'll tell you in a bit."

In the past two days, she realized that there are other interesting things in life besides spiritual practice.

She could also begin to understand why he was so passionate about cooking.

Watching ordinary ingredients transform into delicious food in your own hands brings a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that nothing else can replace.

On the way home, Lin Xuan accompanied Wenren Yue to the market to buy some ingredients.

For the next few days, he taught Wenren Yue how to cook at home.

Lin Xuan taught her everything he knew without reservation.

Even if she knew, with her memory, she could remember every step of every dish.

Lin Xuan wrote down the key points of cooking he had collected and summarized over the years in a booklet and handed it to Wenren Yue.

Wenren Yue looked at Lin Xuan, and a strange feeling lingered in her heart.

He seemed very eager to learn these things as soon as possible.

Through these days of learning, Wenren Yue realized that cooking skills may seem simple, but there are many details involved that are no less than those involved in spiritual practice.

She put away the booklet and asked, "When do we set off for this mission to escort the telescope?"

Lin Xuan said, "I'll leave this afternoon."

Wenren Yue instructed, "Be careful in everything."

Lin Xuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll teach you new dishes when I get back."

Wenren Yue nodded and said, "Okay."

After finishing her meal, she watched Lin Xuan leave, then turned and walked back to the courtyard.

Fortunately, I've learned a lot from him these past few days.

Even if he's away for a few days, she can still cook for herself.

Lin Xuan walked to the alley entrance and suddenly stopped.

He glanced back and saw her last glimpse of her back.

After standing there for a long time, Lin Xuan turned around and strode away, quickly disappearing into the crowded streets.

……

Three days later.

Inside Lin Xuan's small courtyard.

Wenren Yue sat at the stone table, on which sat a dish of stir-fried bamboo shoots and a dish of braised pork ribs, which was the lunch she had prepared for herself.

Judging by the days, Lin Xuan should be back in the next couple of days.

Having gotten used to having him around, she found it a little strange to be alone for these three days.

I had just picked up my chopsticks when there was a knock on the door.

A hint of joy flashed in her eyes. She immediately put down her chopsticks, strode to the door, opened the gate, and when she saw Du Yunzhou standing outside, her smile faded. She asked politely, "Commander Du, is there anything I can help you with?"

Du Yunzhou looked at Wenren Yue, his lips moved, but for a moment he didn't know how to speak.

After a long silence, he sighed and said, "Sister, I have bad news. I hope you won't be too sad after hearing it..."

A sense of foreboding rose in Wenren Yue's heart, and she asked, "What happened?"

Du Yunzhou lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "The town government just sent word that the batch of telescopes purchased by the imperial court was stolen by unknown forces during the escort. Commander Lin unfortunately died in the line of duty while fighting with those bandits..."

Wenren Yue's mind went blank, and she felt a sudden dizziness. She had to hold onto the courtyard gate to steady herself.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out.

……

Sizhou. Although Lin Xuan was not there, Tian Qingluan still moved back to her old courtyard.

Since no one cooked for them, she arranged for a nearby restaurant to deliver two meals a day to her and Aro.

Manager Wei returned from Bozhou with two letters for them.

One letter was for A-Luo, and the other was for her.

The letter was filled with longing for her, and Tian Qingluan smiled as she opened a small booklet that had been accompanied by the letter.

Her eyes widened suddenly when she saw the contents of the first page of the booklet.

As she turned to the next page, even her breathing slowed down.

As she turned the pages, her excitement grew.

This thin booklet contains a method for making money on every page.

Every single one of them is a highly profitable business.

If the Tian family can turn all the businesses recorded in this booklet into reality... she is confident that she can make the Tian family the richest family on the continent.

Of course, this is all predicated on the Tian family being able to hold onto this wealth.

She held the booklet to her chest, a look of happiness on her face.

This was given to her by her sweetheart.

Even though there isn’t a single sweet word in this booklet, every page, every line, every word, every stroke contains his heartfelt sentiments.

A'Luo walked in from outside and asked curiously, "Sister Qingluan, what did Brother Lin write in his letter to you?"

Tian Qingluan glanced at her and said, "You show me yours first, then I'll show you mine."

Aro thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay!"

The two exchanged letters, looked at each other for a long time, and then returned them to each other.

The contents of the two letters were largely the same, essentially instructing Tian Qingluan to take good care of A'luo, to listen to Tian Qingluan, and to remain impartial in matters of the heart, leaving no room for criticism.

Tian Qingluan put away the letter and said with some anticipation, "I wonder when he will be back. It would be best if he were back before the New Year..."

A look of anticipation also appeared on A Luo's face.

When he returns this time, let's remove the Heart-Eating Gu from him.

She no longer wanted to control him with the Gu worms...

Just as the two were about to go out for a meal, a figure appeared at the gate of the courtyard.

Wenren Yue looked travel-worn, her face showing deep fatigue.

She covered the 500-mile rugged mountain road in less than two days.

Even though she didn't dare to face A'Luo and Tian Qingluan, she still chose to tell them the news in person.

A Luo was the first to see Wenren Yue.

She ran over quickly, looked around behind her for a long time, and then asked with some curiosity, "Lord Wenren, where is Brother Lin?"

Tian Qingluan also walked over with a look of anticipation.

Wenren Yue pursed her dry lips and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry..."

Tian Qingluan looked at Wenren Yue, and seemed to have thought of something. Her expression changed, and her voice trembled slightly: "Lord Wenren, what, what's wrong? Where is Lin Xuan?"

Wenren Yue lowered her head and said guiltily, "I'm sorry, I failed to protect him."

Tian Qingluan swayed and almost fell, but Wenren Yue immediately caught her.

Tian Qingluan refused her help, forced herself to stand, and asked again, "What happened?"

Wenren Yue bowed even lower and said in a deep voice, "Lin Xuan... he died in the line of duty..."

Tian Qingluan trembled and finally fainted completely. Wenren Yue caught her in time.

A Luo stood there, stunned, as if her heart had been squeezed tightly.

She preferred to believe that this was a lie Wenren Yue used to deceive them in order to monopolize Lin Xuan, rather than believe it was true.

An indescribable sadness swept over her, and she felt cold all over. She stared blankly at Wenren Yue and said in a trembling voice, "What...what did you say?"

Wenren Yue took out a wooden box wrapped in layers of soft cloth from the bundle on her back and said sadly, "He was attacked while participating in the mission to escort the telescope... They couldn't bring back his body. This is his ashes, and..."

She took out a blood-stained sachet from her bosom and said, "He always kept this in his hand..."

A Luo took the sachet that she had sewn herself, her mind blank.

In her plan, Aro's death was meant to facilitate his emotional transformation, serving as the final step in helping him become a top secret agent...

How could he die? How could he die first?
(End of this chapter)