Miss Truth
Chapter 247 - 155 Beggar_2

Chapter 247: Chapter 155 Beggar_2

Ze San’s grip relaxed slightly, then he immediately thought of how Liu Shisan was counting on his money and likely wouldn’t dare to kill him. That’s why he withdrew his hand.

"Cough cough!" Liu Shisan leaned against the wall and coughed twice, still smiling as he said, "Do you think I’m still the feeble student from the State Academy of over a decade ago? You all are ruthlessly insane, how could I not think of ways to protect myself? If you don’t want things to stay this way, then obediently hand over the hundred strings of cash. From then on, I will never return to the East Capital. Otherwise, even if we perish together, I would have earned a few people to cushion my fall!"

After a pause, Ze San asked, "Really?"

"I, Liu Wen, grew up reading the sages’ books. I naturally wouldn’t speak carelessly!" Liu Shisan’s remaining eye glowed unnaturally bright against the other side’s dark void, eerie yet firm.

"Fine!" Ze San agreed at once, then viciously added, "If you break your word, you’ve said it yourself, we’re all ruthlessly insane!"

Ze San knew he only wanted a hundred strings because he must surely be planning to demand the same from the other four, amounting to five hundred in total—an extraordinarily large sum.

Liu Shisan also understood the principle that "a cornered dog will leap over a wall." The sum he asked for was neither too much nor too little, just the right amount that Ze San could afford.

"I don’t have that much money right now; tomorrow evening, I will leave the money in the usual spot. You can fetch it yourself!" Ze San ultimately compromised.

With a slight smile, Liu Shisan responded, "It’s a deal."

An agreement reached, Ze San snorted coldly, flung his sleeves, and left the dark alley.

The night wind howled even more fiercely, and soon enough, ice pellets began falling from the sky, sparsely hitting the rooftops, making faint sounds. However, they didn’t linger long before gradually melting away.

The next day before dawn, the ice pellets had turned into rain. The small town near the docks, its streets and houses, were all shrouded in mist, the rain getting heavier and the fog thicker, resembling the misty rain of Jiangnan.

Just as dawn spread faintly, a sharp scream suddenly cut through everyone’s peaceful dreams.

About half a teacup’s time later, people began to open their courtyard doors one after another, scuttling out with oil-paper umbrellas in a fluster.

Ran Yan huddled under the blankets, shivering. The ancient North was many times colder than a millennium later; her frail body would have frozen to death before reaching Chang’an if not for practicing the Breathing Technique given by Su Fu.

"What’s going on outside?" Ran Yan asked when she heard footsteps.

Wan Lu came in, drenched, and originally moved quietly, but upon hearing Ran Yan awake, she immediately raised her voice, "Wife, this Jushui Town is truly bizarre. Just yesterday someone died, and now today another has passed. Slave just heard from Shilang that it’s hard to travel in the heavy rain, we probably have to wait for it to stop before we can leave!"

Before Ran Yan could ask further, she heard Qian Xue grumble, "When exactly is this rain going to end, there’s no telling. If it lasts half a month, are we to stay here that long?"

Ran Yan replied with a smile, "The rain in the North is not like that in the Southern, it can’t last half a month! At most, it would be for two or three days. Did you go see the person who died?"

"Slave didn’t go, just heard it from others." Wan Lu lifted the curtain to enter while Ran Yan turned over inside the quilt, catching sight of Wan Lu packed like a dumpling, moving laboriously inside, her breath forming mist, and continuously rubbing her reddened fingers.

"The North is really cold, and everything is so dry." Wan Lu knelt tearfully in front of Ran Yan’s bed, leaning her face closer, "Look, my face has peeled off several layers of skin!"

Ran Yan said, "When we were at Yingmei Temple, didn’t I make snake oil ointment? Use that and drink more hot water."

"I don’t want to drink water!" Wan Lu immediately rejected the suggestion.

Seeing the look of difficulty on her face, Ran Yan guessed the reason; surely it was because she thought it was too cold to take off her trousers, and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Wan Lu turned her face away, "Seeing my lady so happy, I’ll just be the laughing stock then."

"What is Seventeenth Lady laughing so joyfully about?" A young woman’s voice came from outside the door.

Wan Lu went to meet her and saw it was Er Dong, Ran Yunsheng’s companion, and bowed slightly, "Sister Er Dong."

"Please get up quickly, I can’t accept your bow." Er Dong hurriedly lent out a hand to softly support Wan Lu and handed over the two bundles she was carrying on her arm, "These are cotton clothes for the Seventeenth Lady and you all. It rained last night and suddenly got much colder. Thinking that you just arrived in the North and might find it hard to adapt, Qian Xue and I rushed to make a set overnight. Those for you and Ge Lan are clothes from Qian Xue and me. Sister, I hope you won’t find them wanting!"

"How could I disdain such thoughtful consideration, Sister?" Wan Lu said with a smile.

Listening to the conversation from inside the room, Ran Yan said, "Er Dong is here? Come in."

Throughout the journey, Ran Yan had received much care from Er Dong and Qian Xue. Both had been with Ran Yunsheng since childhood and were very kind-hearted, virtuous, and dignified, no less than any ordinary wife.

Wan Lu lifted the curtain to invite Er Dong in, who curtsied and said, "I’ve seen the Seventeenth Lady."

"Let’s not be so formal. Have a seat." Ran Yan got up and leaned against the edge of the bed.

After putting down the bundles, Wan Lu said with a smile, "Exactly, Sister Er Dong must not look at our lady’s usually stern face; she is actually warm-hearted and doesn’t stick to these trivial formalities."

Ran Yan didn’t pick up on that thread and instead asked Er Dong, "Do you know what happened this morning?"

Er Dong sighed and said, "Nothing too serious, just a beggar died at the end of the alley. It is said that the man was once a State scholar with considerable talent, but after his appearance was ruined, he was so horrifying to look at that no one recommended him, and eventually, he fell on hard times and came out to beg. I think he might have frozen to death."

"It’s a pity to lose such promising talent," Wan Lu said with regret.

"Who found his body?" Ran Yan frowned, a premonition lurking in her heart as she felt it was too coincidental for two lives to be lost one after the other.

Er Dong paused before saying, "They say it was an embroideress."

"An embroideress?" Ran Yan asked, puzzled, "In such rainy weather, with the sky barely bright, how could an embroideress have passed by there?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast a recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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