Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

Sitting in the balcony seat on the second floor of the Banzhu Building, looking at the sunny, bustling, bustling street, Qiu Jiushi couldn't feel the existence of the invisible opponent, but he knew that he had begun to believe Ruan Xiuzhen's deduction. He had just met Qian Shichen.Just as Ruan Xiuzhen expected, Qian Shichen had been busy all night, but still couldn't find any clues about the five escaped thieves.What they were afraid of became a reality they had to face. Ruan Xiuzhen believes that the five escaped robbers are still in the city, he is dubious; and Ruan Xiuzhen points out that the five escaped robbers are more or less related to Baichun, which makes him even more puzzled.If the invisible enemy is really on the side of the five escaped robbers, he should not be allowed to have the opportunity to contact Baichun.All this is really confusing.

But if it is proved that the five escaped robbers are indeed related to Baichun, and he has to get in touch with Baichun, can he control it and only use his brain without emotion? Since the first meeting on Changjie, he has been dominated by a strange emotion that he has never had before.In the past, his head was only filled with the great cause of a man, and he never made any plans for himself, nor did he want to have any emotional fetters.The appearance of Baichun made him see another world.When Baichun lifted the curtain to reveal his beautiful face, without any effort, he naturally forgot all the most important things in the past.It was a taste like never before.Is it the feeling of love?

At this moment, Ruan Xiuzhen came, and after closing the door, he sat beside him with a strange expression, and said in a low voice, "There is a clue." Qiu Jiushi was overjoyed, and he raised his spirits and said, "Did you find that kid?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "It's almost like this. The people from the Yueyang Gang couldn't find the boy, so I had to use the last resort and asked Ma Gongcheng to concentrate on the Hongye Building. The Hongye Building hired many people from the Yueyang Gang , This is the practice of Jianghu, so that the Yueyang Gang can share the benefits, and they will find out a person who is very likely to be the fifth robber."

Qiu Jiushi's hair stood on end when he heard it, and he lost his voice: "Is it really related to Baichun?" Ruan Xiuzhen said, "It's not the kind of fellowship you imagined, but a very subtle, delicate relationship that makes one's heart chill." Qiu Jiushi took a deep breath and said, "I'm ready, let's talk!" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Hongyelou's reputation in the south of the Yangtze River in recent years is all due to Baichun's help from the capital. Of course, she has charisma, and more importantly, her wisdom. In order to make Hongyelou a higher level, Baichun Fatty Zhou, the owner of Hongyelou, proposed to hold a dinner on the Qiqiao Festival on the seventh day of July to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hongyelou's tenth anniversary. As early as three months ago, Hongyelou had issued invitations, We invite people who are famous and respectable in Jiangnan to attend the meeting and participate in the celebration. This invitation is a symbol of status, and those who haven’t received the invitation dare not tell others. This shows how sensational Hongyelou’s 10th anniversary party was.”

Qiu Jiushi was puzzled and said, "What does the Hongyelou celebration on July 7 have to do with the five escaped robbers?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Of course it has a lot to do with it. One of the celebration methods that Baichun came up with was to invite famous painters to paint portraits for the eight most popular girls in the building. Of course Baichun is one of them. The completed eight beauties , will be hung in the venue of the dinner on July 7th, let poets write poems and inscriptions, follow the example of Yueyang Tower, and hope to publish another "Hongyelou Ji". It is a pity that the so-called famous masters of Yueyang City did not draw a picture Baichun liked it, so Fatty Zhou had no choice but to openly recruit in nearby cities. For more than two months, dozens of painters from all over the world came to apply for the job, but nothing came of it. Until yesterday afternoon, a painter who claimed to be from the capital As a painter, he was recognized by Fatty Zhou and Baichun at the same time, and treated him like a guest."

Qiu Jiushi immediately became vigorous and fierce, and said happily: "The timing is very good." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "This time he escaped into the identity of a painter, and he has no flaws at all. At least he has deceived an old and cunning man like Fatty Zhou." Qiu Jiushi shook his head and said: "Everything can be changed, and so can the shape of the eyes, but the unique eyes cannot be changed. As long as I see his eyes, I can recognize him immediately." Ruan Xiuzhen analyzed: "This person played a very important role in Hongyelou's 10th anniversary celebration, and he directly involved Baichun. If we went straight to Hongyelou to arrest him without any evidence, it would be very tense. Don't be afraid of 10,000 yuan. I'm afraid that if we catch the wrong person, it will become a big joke. So we must make a plan before we move..."

Before he finished speaking, his subordinates pushed the door open and said, "Yueyang is here to help Ma Ding." The two looked at each other in astonishment, a middle-aged man with a bearded face rushed in, put his hands on the table, leaned over and said in a low voice: "The target has come out, and the little maidservant of Hongyelou will lead the way, and it seems to be going to Dongshi go." The two stood up abruptly, feeling that the opportunity was rare. Wu Zixu bought enough materials and utensils for dozens of paintings in one go at the largest store specializing in stationery in Dongshi City. There were only more than a dozen brushes, big and small, and two bundles of raw paper and two bundles of cooked paper. Cicada Wing frowned, but couldn't interfere, and the two big men who accompanied him were even more frantic. Seeing that Cicada Wing didn't express anything, they could only curse in their hearts.

The owner of the shop was naturally smiling, this big shopper not only bought a lot, but also selected the best items, including old collections that could not be sold, which made him a huge profit, and he praised Wu Zixu's quality goods incessantly. After Chanyi paid the bill, Yanniang gave her very little money left, seeing that Wu Zixu still seemed to be unsatisfied, she was secretly surprised, leaned closer to Wu Zixu and said: "There is no more money!" Wu Zixu took the opportunity to touch her fragrant shoulder, and the cicada's wings moved away like an electric shock. Before he had a chance to attack, Wu Zixu said with a playful smile: "So that's it. Lady! Let's go home."

Cicada Wing was furious: "Who is your wife?" Wuzi pretended to look at her carefully, laughed and said: "Yes! Yes! You are still not my wife." After another haha, he waved goodbye to the shopkeeper and walked towards the shop door. Cicada Wing chased after him, knowing that this man was very thick-skinned, scolding him might be right in his arms, just when he didn't know how to avenge this arrow, suddenly Wu Zixu staggered backwards, fell on all fours, completely confused for a moment Be clear about what happened. The matter happened too quickly, and the two Hongyelou guards who followed behind also stayed on the spot, not knowing whether to throw away the things in their hands, or continue to hold them.

A burly and imposing man stood outside the door, holding a long knife obliquely in his hand, in a strange gesture of cutting halfway. Of course it was Qiu Jiushi who made the move.Ruan Xiuzhen came up with this method of revealing the identity of the other party's Five-Dun Bandit. As long as the other party is a Five-Dun Bandit, there is absolutely nothing to hide. The moment Wu Zixu stepped out of the store, Qiu Jiushi flashed out from the side, and with the shining knife he borrowed from his hand, he slashed down at Wu Zixu's face. He ended it easily, as long as the five escaped robbers dodged back, they would immediately reveal their true colors.The most powerful thing is that this knife does not allow the opponent to have time to think. In order to save his life, and based on the instinctive reaction of the master, the five escaped robbers will inevitably retreat. In this way, it is impossible not to touch his foundation.

I only regret that the fact was completely unexpected to Qiu Jiushi, he slashed until he was an inch away from Wu Zixu's forehead, but Wu Zixu still didn't know how to dodge like a goose.If it were a person with inferior martial arts, he would not be able to keep his hand. Fortunately, it was Qiu Jiushi, who would accept it as he said, otherwise people would die. Seeing Wu Zixu, who was still unable to get up, was so frightened that his face turned blue and his lips were white, and he couldn't help trembling, Qiu Jiushi felt a headache. How to clean up the mess that he made? Cicada Wing screamed. Two courtyard guards stood in front of Wu Zixu holding large and small bags. Master Qiu Jiu lowered the long saber and handed it back, and his staff came to pick up the long saber with knowledge. He coughed dryly and was about to speak when Ruan Xiuzhen came out from the other side and stood next to Master Qiu Jiu, forcing out a smile. He raised his hand and said, "It's just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding." Cicada Wing had just recovered from the shock, and wanted to squat down to see if Wu Zixu was injured, but unexpectedly his legs became weak, and he fell to the ground with a "gudong". Wu Zixu suddenly regained his strength, crawled towards the cicada wings, and sighed: "The robber is coming! The robber is coming! Don't be afraid, lady, I will protect you." Seeing that he wasn't injured, Chan Yi felt relieved, seeing that he was about to hug her, she was shocked and said: "Don't come here." She quickly stood up. Ruan Xiuzhen saw the fierce look in the eyes of those two big men, and knew that they were about to attack, so he hurriedly said: "Ruan Xiuzhen, this is Qiu Jiushi, for today's misunderstanding, I will apologize to Boss Zhou and Miss Baichun in the future. Just ask one more word, and we will turn around and leave immediately." The name of the person, the shadow of the tree, Ruan Xiuzhen reported the names of the two people, and immediately stopped the two big men in Hongyelou. Wuzi stood up staggeringly, and shouted sternly: "I have no grievances with you in the past, and I have no vendettas in the present, why do you use despicable means to plot against me? If I, Lang Geng, hadn't practiced boxing for a few days, and my skills were nimble, this knife would kill me." killed me." Even the two big men shook their heads, such a brazen guy is really shameless. Don't look at Cicada Wing's identity as a maidservant, but she is a person who understands the general situation, and knows that the situation is not as good as others. If Fatty Zhou is here, he has to endure this birdishness and pretend to be polite, so he asked: "What do you want to ask, sir?" Ruan Xiuzhen asked leisurely: "I want to ask Mr. Lang, is his beard glued on?" Qiu Jiushi was paying attention to Wu Zixu's wrist, but he couldn't see any scars. Hearing this, he exclaimed in his heart, the face of the kid selling snake guts was clean, if this guy named Lang Geng was pretended by that kid, the beard would of course be sticky What goes up can be easily torn off. Wu Zixu hid behind the two big men, and yelled furiously: "Scholars can be killed, but not insulted. How dare you say that my beard is fake. Come on! Draw me fairy Lang Geng and beat these two boys out. Ouch!" !" Cicada Wing unexpectedly moved to his side, grabbed his drooping beard with one hand and yanked it, and said sternly: "Stop shouting, please? I really hope it's False Beard, then I won't have to see you in the future." Wu Zixu cried out in pain and couldn't speak anymore. Qiu Jiushi and Ruan Xiuzhen looked at me and I looked at you, both felt defeated and fell home. Qiu Jiushi clasped his fists and said: "Mr. Lang has a lot of offenses, please don't take offense." After pulling Ruan Xiuzhen, he left helplessly. The small boat left the small pier and headed towards the Eight Arrays Garden. Qiu Jiushi was in charge of rowing the oars. Ruan Xiuzhen sat on the bow, closed his eyes and meditated. Qiu Jiushi shook his head and smiled wryly. Since his debut, he has never been so useless. Ruan Xiuzhen opened his eyes and said, "I'm pretty sure he's the fifth escaped thief." Qiu Jiushi said: "I know you are not convinced, and I am not too convinced, but his beard is real, if it sticks to it, it would have been torn off by that pretty maid." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "The Fifth Bandit is the most outstanding thief, his disguise technique is of course not an ordinary disguise technique, there is a way to make the fake beard stick to it and it cannot be pulled off, it needs some kind of special potion to get it off. " Qiu Jiushi said: "How to explain the knife? Could it be that he was impatient and let others kill him?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "Don't forget that he is the most adaptable person, he can see clearly who you are in an instant, and guess that you are just testing him, so he will use his tricks." Qiu Jiushi agreed: "This makes sense, but his panic-stricken expression and frightened look of wimpy expression can't be faked. I know how to read people's eyes best, and that's the expression of being so scared to death." , can't hide it from people." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "I don't know if you have noticed that when he crawled towards that pretty maid, his eyes revealed the desire to pursue something, exactly the same as that kid selling snake guts." Qiu Jiushi frowned and said, "I didn't pay attention. At that time, I was thinking of digging a hole to hide. Alas! Now that he has returned to Hongyelou, what can we do with him?" Ruan Xiuzhen said, "What if there are real evidence?" Qiu Jiushi sighed: "How can there be any real evidence?" Ruan Xiuzhen pondered: "He said it was Lang Geng, a painting fairy from the capital. Let's go to the capital to see if there is such a person. It is best that he is a fake, and the real Lang Geng is still in the capital. That's the proof we need most." Qiu Jiushi said: "It takes at least a month to go back and forth from here to the capital, and this kid would have slipped away by then." Ruan Xiuzhen said: "We can ask Qian Shichen for help, and he will send letters to people in the capital for help, but we can get results within ten days. We don't have to be idle these ten days. On the one hand, we will closely monitor Hongyelou, on the other hand On the one hand, it is up to you to plead guilty to Baichun, the fraud is a misunderstanding, which made the five escaped robbers really think that they have passed the test." Qiu Jiushi said in amazement: "Aren't we going to get entangled with Baichun again?" Ruan Xiuzhen said: "This is changing according to the current situation. When there is good news from the capital, our plan to catch the robbers will be completed. Is there any other choice now?" Wu Zixu knew that he was in the most dangerous situation and had to change his plan.If Qian Shichen refuses to make a deal, and still uses knives and guns, he must escape from Yueyang City immediately. At that time, the only thing he can rely on is his ability to escape. Ruan Xiuzhen and Qiu Jiushi really lived up to their reputation, not only were they not deceived by his suspicious tactics and chased him elsewhere, they also grasped his new identity.Fortunately, I am not a fuel-efficient lamp, so I did not show up on the spot. His flaws became his strengths, and he was genuinely scared when he fell.He has never been so close to the enemy, and the opponent is qualified to defeat him in a single-handed and head-on confrontation. Just thinking about it makes me sweat. Are you still going to see Qian Shichen?He didn't want to die, he was very afraid of death, but he knew better that he would soon spend all his money.The life of a poor man in poverty is simply worse than death.Ye Mingzhu had become his only hope, so he had to gamble on his mother's hand no matter what. "Why are you sitting here in a daze? Do you want to be surprised?" Wu Zixu returned to his place and looked back, only to see Cicada Wing entered the hall, walked around him to the other side of the table, sat down unexpectedly, looked at him coldly with mocking eyes. Wu Zixu immediately felt itchy, stroked his long beard with his hands, pretended to be in pain, and said, "It hurts me so much, how can Sister Cicada Wing compensate me?" Cicada Wing angrily said: "Who is your Cicada Wing Sister? You deserve it for killing you. I really hope that Qiu Jiushi will kill you with one knife." Wu Zixu laughed and said: "Don't lie, Miss Chan didn't know how much she cared about me at the time, she even knelt down and hugged me, lest I be harmed by bad people. Ha! The beauty is so kind, I, Lang Geng, am so happy." Cicada Wing knew that bickering with him would only take advantage of him, so she rolled her eyes at him and said, "Don't talk nonsense, Yanniang asked me to ask you, can you start work? The boss said that I will see your first photo tonight." painting." At this time, Wu Zixu had put all his worries and worries to the wind, and pretended to be serious and lowered his voice: "Why don't you let me draw a portrait for Sister Chan, and leave your youthful and charming appearance, Chan Chan, forever. When you grow old together, you have beautiful memories. Think about it! When the children and grandchildren are full, you take out the treasures of the family and say, "Look! How beautiful and charming my mother-in-law was when she was young, and how hard my father-in-law pursued me at that time." Still Is there anything more fun than this?" On the one hand, Cicada Wing was so angry that she almost rolled her eyes, on the other hand, she was also a little moved: Although this pervert is annoying, but the hand-painting is really excellent.Before coming here just now, Yan Niang also asked her to see if she could let this guy paint a portrait of her in private, why didn't she have the same idea?But when she saw Wu Zixu's complacent face, she felt angry and said angrily: "Stop chewing your tongue, I won't follow your tricks. Can you start writing? I want to explain to Yanniang! " Wu Zixu stretched his waist, and said lazily: "Tonight is the time for me to show off my skills. When it comes to painting, I immediately become fierce. Is Qian Shichen coming tonight? If he is not free, he will be at Shuxiangxi Set up a banquet, and then find a beautiful and charming sweet sister to drink and have fun with me. My mother! Life is so far, what more can I ask for." Cicada Wing said displeasedly, "Do you want to paint or spend your time?" Wu Zixu shrugged his shoulders and said: "Is there any conflict between the two? Let me tell you, painting is only a short-lived scene, but the painting emotion needs to be cultivated for a long time. If the painting emotion is enough, it can be done with one wave. When painting, Cicada must help me develop a passion for painting, and show me the most fascinating side, and the things drawn in this way will be superior works, understand?" Cicada Wing Fen blushed, probably because he thought about what aspect of his "deadly person" was referring to, and couldn't do anything about him, and said angrily: "What you like to say is your own business. Except for the Shuxiang Pavilion, other water pavilions I have Everything can be arranged." Wu Zixu's purpose was only to observe the situation of the Shuxiang Pavilion, and he said happily: "Then what kind of pavilion next to the Shuxiang Pavilion! The wine and dishes are made by Cicada, and as for the beautiful sister, of course it is one of the eight beauties, otherwise how to cultivate painting affection? " Cicada Wing's pink face turned even redder, she gave him a hard look, and ran away as if fleeing for her life. Qian Shichen read Eunuch Feng's letter, and said: "Eunuch Gu instructed that Mr. Gu has a special status and is directly responsible to the emperor, so he has the autonomy to act independently, and we don't need to insist on the etiquette between us. Is there any use for me?" I will fully cooperate with Qian Shichen." Gu Yueming saw that his eyes kept scanning the leather bag on the table, obviously curious, but deliberately kept silent.Since the letter was hidden in the leather pouch, he put the leather pouch on the table casually, not intending to attract Qian Shichen's attention.He said lightly: "I want to find out what happened back then." Qian Shichen said in astonishment: "I wrote a detailed report of more than a hundred pages about what happened that year, sent one copy to the capital, and left a copy for Mr. Gu to read." Gu Yueming said casually: "I hope to meet with Ge Mo, he should know the cause of death of the members of the treasure hunt team best." Qian Shichen showed embarrassment on his face, and said: "Ge Mo, like Mr. Gu, has always been alone and is not under my jurisdiction. It is a great honor to invite him to assist in the investigation back then." He pretended to be surprised and said: "What happened back then, the imperial court has already made a conclusion. The most urgent task now is to arrest Xue Tinghao and bring him to justice, and then trace Fu Meng's whereabouts from him. Master Ji has already gone to Yunmengze because of Xue Tinghao's disappearance. Lord Gu..." Gu Yueming cut him off politely and said: "Master Qian forgot again, I only act in my own way. During my trip here, I was assassinated twice. This person is not only powerful in martial arts, but also knows sorcery. Suspicion. Hmph! Anyone who dares to mess with me, Gu Yueming, will have no good results. He underestimated me even more, thinking that as long as he pretends to be a ghost, he can hide his identity. I don’t know that I have a special ability to distinguish people. I could spot him right away." Qian Shichen's face immediately became very ugly, and he asked displeasedly, "Did Mr. Gu imply that the person who attacked you was Ge Mo?" Gu Yueming's eyes were cold, and he looked straight into Qian Shichen's eyes, as if he could see through the secrets hidden in his heart, and said: "I don't know how deep Master Qian knows about Ge Mo, but I The usual style is to doubt everyone. I want to see Gemo, to confirm whether he is the one who attacked me. I was ordered to come south this time, and the goal is to get the Chu box. Whoever blocks me will die. I hope Lord Qian understands .” He intentionally scares Qian Shichen, so that Qian Shichen understands that if he finds Ge Mo, no matter whether Qian Shichen is Ge Mo's accomplice or not, he will inevitably be implicated.The ideal is that Qian Shichen can't hold his breath and asks Ge Mo to kill him, and his chance will come. Qian Shichen said angrily: "Mr. Ge is definitely not such a person! I will send someone to find him immediately, and invite him to meet Mr. Gu, so as to dispel Mr. Gu's doubts." Gu Yueming put on an expression of "this is the best", and said with emphasis: "The tragedy in Yunmengze ten years ago is full of doubts, but Xue Tinghao escaped into Buddhism and suddenly appeared again, which is already puzzling. I will To investigate this case from a new angle, Mr. Qian needs to be prepared." Qian Shichen took a deep breath to suppress his turbulent emotions.He began to understand why Ji Nieti was so afraid of Gu Yueming, and Ge Mo didn't dare to underestimate him, this person is too powerful.He suppressed the fear in his heart and said: "As long as the case can be solved, I, Qian Shichen, will fully cooperate." Gu Yueming pondered for a moment, and said: "Is there a quieter place? It's best to be in a place with the same convenient water and land transportation. I don't need someone to wait on me. If there is nothing special, Mr. Qian had better not come to me." Qian Shichen had nothing else to say, and said, "I can make arrangements for Mr. Gu right away." Gu Yueming secretly laughed in his heart, he chose a residence with convenient transportation, not for his own convenience, but for the convenience of Ge Mo to kill him. Wushuang woman lay on the ridge of the tile, looking down at the gate of the outer courtyard of the chief minister's mansion.After arriving at Yueyang City, she immediately invested in the store, settled Hei'er, and waited outside the south gate. After waiting for a while, she saw Gu Yueming who had returned from Yunmengze enter the city, and hurriedly followed him until he entered the city. The chief minister's office. After burying her uncle, she had only one thought in her mind, which was to kill Gu Yueming.If there were no lessons learned from the past, she would find a chance to get close to Gu Yueming and kill him with his flying needle skills, but thinking of the barefoot master's ability to hold the flying needle with two fingers, she no longer had the confidence in the past.If you miss one hit and make Gu Yueming more alert, you may never be able to kill him. If Gu Yueming settled in the chief minister's office, the difficulty of killing him would increase dramatically. Just thinking of this, I saw Gu Yueming galloping out of the chief minister's mansion with two other riders leading the way.