Chapter 293: Learning One’s Identity 3
Lu Yan shut his eyes and said slowly, “I’m not an idiot.”
Qi Qingyao almost wanted to applaud him. “Little Yan is certainly the young master of Northern Liang’s richest family, you’re quite smart. I like talking to smart people.”
Lu Yan let out a chuckle and picked up his teacup. After taking a sip of his tea, he raised his brows and looked at Qi Qingyao.
“The various forces in Qingzhou City have not figured out his identity. They don’t know exactly who the Ox-head and Horse-face by your side are nor where they’re from.”
“Based only on the attempted assassination that night where the corpse collector Ke Yishan had lugged countless of corpses from here in one night, it’s clear that both of their strengths are probably above rank eight! They could even have the strength of rank nines.”
“And then, Si Jin revealed his face. I’ve seen it myself and indeed I don’t recognize him. The ox-head man, on the other hand, is very mysterious.”
“He has spoken to you, but he has not spoken in front of me. He has never shown his face either.”
“Ke Yishan had exchanged words with him before. This means that he doesn’t reject communications with outsiders. But he avoids talking to me. This is pretty interesting.”
“My people have also found some clues from the Pei Residence…”
“The ox-head man has not spoken to Heir Pei either.”
“He doesn’t talk to me or Pei Fengtang, but he doesn’t mask his own voice in front of ordinary people. This can only mean one thing, that he’s purposely concealing himself in front of me and Pei Fengtang.”
…
Qi Qingyao was very impressed with Lu Yan after he voiced the series of deductions. He was indeed a wise man who also suspected Jiang Bai’s identity.
Lu Yan continued, “Lady Qi.”
Qi Qingyao waved her hand and said airily, “Don’t call me ‘Lady Qi’ anymore. It sounds so distant, just call me by my name.” They were about to start investigating such an important topic and yet he still called her ‘Lady’—how distant.
Lu Yan was, for a moment, startled. “Qingyao/sounds too much like a maid’s name. I don’t like it.”
Qi Qingyao smiled slightly, her eyes filled with mischief. “Then, call me Yaoyao, I don’t mind.”
Yaoyao…
Lu Yan recited the name softly internally, as though he needed to practice. After a few seconds, he said it out loud.
“Yaoyao~”
His expression was restrained, and his features were calm and without a trace of vulnerability.
Lu Yan’s heart, however, skipped a beat inexplicably.
Ahem.
Too intimate.
He got a little nervous.
Qi Qingyao waved her hand lazily. She picked up her teacup and drank her tea, “Mm, continue.”
Lu Yan said unhurriedly, “If you went out of your way to assess my familiarity with the Capital City, it means that you’ve indirectly discovered that there was something wrong with him.”
Qi Qingyao replied with a hint of a smile, “Since Little Yan has made such an accurate guess, then I won’t beat around the bush. I suspect that he’s someone from Capital City, and he should run in the same circle as you and Pei Fengtang. The two of you must at least know him.”
Lu Yan still found it hard to believe. “You… really don’t know the ox-head man’s identity?”
Qi Qingyao threw her hands in the air with a shrug and said a little helplessly, “I don’t know.”
With a trace of imperceptible pride in his voice, Lu Yan said, “Then, what makes him worthy of being your bodyguard? You two also seem rather close.”
Qi Qingyao answered slowly, “I found him.”
Lu Yan pressed, “And where did you find him?”
Qi Qingyao pointed to a certain direction. “By Jiuli River.”
Lu Yan, “…”
Jiuli River.
How could it be the Jiuli River?
If it was the Jiuli River, at that time… the entire assassin organization in Qingzhou City was forced into motion to look for that person. The State Preceptor’s forces were even dispatched on a very large scale to find him.