"Elders Yue and Kang?"Du Yan grinned broadly, but left it to Lin Liushui to elaborate. Which he did, after giving out a rather l.u.s.ty sigh:
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"Those are two rather elderly gentlemen, who have been in service to the Zhao Family of Lingfei City for close to thirty, forty years. They are the main Protectors of the same, and are generally about when the Patriarch and the First Son of the Zhao Family make an appearance. Compared to the two of them, Fatty Zhou is no more than an inconsequential fly."
"Oh?"
Lin Liushui nodded, and his face held a rather serious expression, although there was still a smile on his lips. "The fact that you have offended the Eldest Daughter of the Duke of the Westlands is of little concern, since her father and her youngest brother are clearly on your side. But you should take care. The Zhao Family of Lingfei City are closely related to the Royal Line, and the Princes of that family tend to be more than a little protective."
"The Royal Princes?"
Qin Feng remembered his small dispute with one Royal Prince Zhuo Lingming, back at the Fu Lai Medicine Hall, in Changqing. Which explained the frown that he wore on his face. If the rest of the Princes were anything like that idiot wastrel, he would definitely have a difficult time with them.
But Du Yan merely shook his head at him, and laughed. "Oh, I wouldn"t be too bothered with them. They are more interested in competing among themselves, to see who wins their father"s favour. The King of the Yen Kingdom is getting old, from all accounts, and his Crown Prince has been a little too quiet lately."
Qin Feng nodded carefully as he heard that. So it was unlikely for that idiot Royal Prince to make a complaint regarding the matter to his father, the King. Especially since it would only make him look like a worthless fool. Which he was.
Nevertheless, it looked like the Kingdom didn"t have the leisure to pursue the earlier dispute. Besides, he was wearing his puppet"s form when he smacked the foolish Royal Prince"s face the last time, so it was unlikely that the matter would be traced to his doorstep. So he should be safe enough.
"Still, one should not be too complacent, when it comes to the Royal Family and their schemes," Lin Liushui warned, in a slightly softer voice, which hinted at his concern regarding being eavesdropped on.
"Just because they have not started to reach out to the Dukes doesn"t mean that they would not do so. And the First Ducal Prince is already involved with the Crown Prince"s faction."
Oh? That was something new. Qin Feng had not heard anything regarding the Succession, or how the Royal Princes were forming factions. But it seemed to be something a little tricky, since Li Changhai"s older brother had gotten involved. No doubt, with the Duke of the Westlands" approval? That was something that he would have to look out for, in the future, no doubt.
Then Lin Liushui chuckled and waved a hand at the table of food laid out in front of them. "But let"s not talk about all that, and concentrate on the food! We should dig in before all of this gets cold, don"t you think?" he laughed, as he picked up his chopsticks, and gestured at the other two.
"I have heard a lot of praises for the food here, so I am eager to see if it is really as good as they say it is!"
Qin Feng laughed along with the pair, and dug into the food, as soon as he had been invited to. After all, he had been keeping to his room, and eating his leftover trail rations, in his attempt to save money. He had not had a chance to eat like this for quite a while already!
Yet he could not help but feel a little curious. It did not seem as though this was just a simple lunch that he had been invited to. From the way that the two men had been heaping praises on his head, and the subtle warning that they had given regarding the Zhao Family in Lingfei City, he had the impression that they were waiting for the right moment to spring something on him.
Well, he wasn"t in that much of a hurry to find out, and kept his attention on the dishes before him. Even if he had no choice but to refuse them, he was definitely going to do it on a full stomach! Who knows when he would have a chance to eat like this again?
So the meal went on, and it was only towards the tail end of the same, when most of the dishes laid on the table had been utterly demolished, that Qin Feng finally deigned to look at the pair again, and ask what this was all about.
As before, Du Yan merely gave a laugh, and pointed at his companion, while Lin Liushui gave a rather loud and exaggerated sigh. The grin on his lips, however, made it clear that it had all gone on as he had expected, and that he was waiting for Qin Feng to ask that particular question.
Then, much to the former"s surprise, the latter reached into his voluminous sleeve and pulled out what looked like a filthy piece of sc.r.a.p paper!
"That"s ... That"s the map to the hidden ... You are showing him that right now? Here?"
Qin Feng scowled at the pair, not quite understanding what was going on. But Ling Liushui merely chuckled, and pushed the stained piece of paper over to him.
But when he took hold of it, the texture and the weight of the same made it clear that it was not paper at all! Instead, it had the feel of leather, and it was heavier than brocade cloth! Yet, despite his evident surprise, it was the markings on the same that drew his eyes immediately.
It didn"t take him any time at all, to recognise it for what it was:
"This ... This is a map?"
But what was its purpose and where did it lead? Qin Feng had no idea at all. Nor did he understand why Du Yan had been so shocked, or why Lin Liushui had taken such good care of it.
That is, until the handsome, scholarly fellow began to explain:
"This is an heirloom of my House, to tell the truth. One that had been in our hands for generations, always pa.s.sed down to the eldest son in the primary line of descent. It is said to lead to a magnificent treasure, set aside by the last King of the Yuan Kingdom, before it fell, some three centuries ago. This map was handed over to one of his trusted general, who died at the hands of my ancestor.
"Unfortunately, no one had been able to discover the landmarks that he had used as markers in the map, and my family had spent all this time searching for them to no avail. That is, until the map was pa.s.sed down to me."
Lin Liushui wore a somewhat proud smile then, as he leaned a little closer. Subconsciously, the other two men did the same, their eyes intent on the sc.r.a.p of leather in Qin Feng"s hand.
"I had come across one of the markers, you see, and had reported this to my father. And he, in turn, had offered the map and its related treasures to the Duke. Hence, I have been waiting here, in the Westlands, for his permission to go hunting for this lost trove. And he has given it!
"So you see, we would like to invite you to join us, on this particular treasure hunt."
* * *