Chapter 489: Heading Toward the Capital 6
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
As a grand master, Gongsun She’s intuition told him that Li Ruoxuan had specially recruited the tiger guards just to protect themselves against him!
Although he was a grand master, the intelligence system of the Zhaixing Administration as well as the investigative abilities of the State Preceptor of Northern Liang himself were very refined. Both parties were certainly aware that he had not left Qingzhou City.
Hence, the question stands—if the tiger guards had been called in by Li Ruoxuan, then… perhaps the mysterious person who had just ascended to the level of a grand master was Li Ruoxuan? Was it possible that his true motive of recruiting the tiger guards was to protect himself, while under the guise of accompanying Qi Qingyao to the Capital?
…
…
Three days after their departure, they finally arrived in a relatively large town, staying at an inn under the Senluo Chamber of Commerce. The inn had been vacated in advance to welcome the group. With the Head Grand Secretariat, the State Preceptor, and their own master coming, the innkeeper was overwhelmed with excitement.
They greeted the group with delicious meals, not daring to be even a little tardy.
After they had eaten, the children were utterly exhausted and so went straight to bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
The horses had rushed the journey, causing a rough ride for those in the carriage. The children could hardly stand it!
On the other hand, Qi Qingyao was in high spirits. As she stood in the corridor, she peered into the backyard of the inn. The tiger guards were in the midst of swapping s.h.i.+fts. Some of them guarded the front of the inn while others guarded the back, making the entire inn practically impenetrable.
After Qi Qingyao had observed enough, she returned and sat at the table in the hall.
She took a sip of tea.
Upon seeing her in deep thought, Lu Yan asked, “What exactly are you looking at?”
Qi Qingyao answered with a half-smile. “I have a feeling someone is following us.”
Li Ruoxuan happened to enter the hall from the backyard then. He brushed the dust off his body and asked in a deliberately unbothered tone, “What makes you think that?”
Qi Qingyao shrugged and responded jokingly, “Probably because you’ve called upon so many tiger guards, and that we have been hurrying throughout the journey. Also, every time we’ve stopped to rest, you’ve sent out a team of scouts to carefully scout the surrounding area.”
“I call it being cautious,” Li Ruoxuan said with a straight face.
Sitting at the table next to him and calmly drinking tea, Jiang Yeqian thought to himself, ‘He’s just trying to protect us from Gongsun She.’
“If you’re overly cautious, then there is certainly more to it than just wanting to stay safe,” Qi Qingyao said lightly. “Right?”
Li Ruoxuan glanced at Qi Qingyao with sharp, blade-like eyes. He said, “Do you want to know why I called in so many tiger guards alongside personally escorting you to the Capital? If you would really like to know, then beg me—maybe I’ll pity you enough to tell you the reason.”
What a joke!
Beg him…
Qi Qingyao paused, then smiled casually. “You’re being very cautious because Gongsun She hasn’t left.”
She knew? This surprised Li Ruoxuan. “How do you know that he hasn’t left?” He glanced at Jiang Yeqian. Surely it couldn’t have been this guy that told her! Definitely not—he was not such a revealing person.
Jiang Yeqian also glanced over nonchalantly.
His gaze happened to meet Li Ruoxuan’s.
They both saw the confusion in each other’s eyes.
Qi Qingyao answered unhurriedly, “Because he came looking for me.”
Jiang Yeqian, “…!!!”
Li Ruoxuan’s face immediately darkened. “Why didn’t you mention this before?” He hastily walked toward her and sat opposite of her.
He gave the table a single hard hit.
Qi Qingyao reminded him with a kind tone, “Before I left Qingzhou City, he came to see me—though it was just to say goodbye.”
“That old man’s objective was not just to say goodbye to you..” Li Ruoxuan said, mildly angry.