Chapter 202: Found Her

The old madam's face was already lined with wrinkles and weathered by frost, yet her features remained delicate; one could imagine she had been a great beauty in her youth.

She had a servant bring paper and ink, then drew a portrait of Zhou Qingqing for Li Lin right there on the spot.

Unexpectedly, this old madam was skilled in meticulous brush painting.

A bewitching woman appeared on the paper.

"The technique is not bad." Li Lin took out a silver note and handed it to the madam.

The madam looked at the portrait with a touch of melancholy, but upon seeing the silver note, her expression instantly brightened.

"Thank you, Young Master, for your generosity."

Li Lin took the portrait upstairs and found a room to stay in.

Several women tried to offer themselves, but Li Lin did not open the door.

Once inside the room, Li Lin threw out a large number of small paper men.

These little things climbed out the window at the back of the room onto the roof, then slipped into the darkness and scattered.

Li Lin yawned, lay down on the fragrant bed, and fell asleep quickly.

When he woke the next day and pushed open the door, he saw several courtesans pacing back and forth outside his room; upon seeing him awake, they happily approached.

This was the second floor; Li Lin flipped over without hesitation, landed in the empty courtyard below, and walked out.

The group of courtesans first screamed, then let out long sighs.

After a night, the small paper men had almost turned the entire Yuecheng upside down.

With the support of spiritual energy, the small paper men possessed greater intelligence and stronger searching abilities.

Li Lin made a paper fan and dressed as a scholar to avoid conflict with the martial artists on the streets.

Now, Yuecheng was filled with martial artists walking about, looking at everyone as if they were enemies.

Were they searching for that exquisite jade box again?

Li Lin helplessly shook his head, then headed straight for the north of the city, where a slum district lay; after passing through a narrow alley, there were low brick-and-thatch houses, and... a small dirt path.

On both sides of the path were many ragged children, with greenish-yellow snot running from their noses, black and thin, wearing expressions of fear, glancing at Li Lin from time to time.

After all, Li Lin was dressed in fine clothes, something these poor little ones could not approach.

Following the muddy path, Li Lin arrived before a low dwelling.

It was a mud-brick house with a thatched roof.

Two small paper men were hiding in the thatch above; seeing Li Lin arrive, they secretly waved at him.

Li Lin came to the dilapidated door and knocked lightly.

Shortly after, a small child opened the door, about five years old, black-skinned, with a face covered in mud and ash, revealing only patches of white skin.

"You... who are you looking for?"

Li Lin smiled: "I am looking for Zhou Qingqing."

The child's eyes widened, and he immediately hid inside the house, trying to close the door.

Li Lin gently but firmly blocked it, and the door jammed.

Seeing the door would not close, the child immediately ran back inside.

Soon after, a hunchbacked woman emerged, her face black, her clothes equally tattered.

"This... honorable sir, have you mistaken the door!"

If one was unsure of someone's status, calling them "honorable sir" was never wrong.

Li Lin smiled: "Zhou Qingqing! Stop pretending; I know it is you."

Fear flashed in the woman's eyes; then she closed her eyes seriously, and finally straightened her body slightly.

The originally loose-fitting clothes began to seem somewhat form-fitting, outlining her graceful curves.

"Xiao Hua, close the door."

The door closed; there were no windows in the room, and it was very dark.

The woman lit a candle.

Light filled the room, though it remained yellow and dim.

Despair filled the woman's eyes: "Even like this, you still found me; truly worthy of being the famous assassin organization in the Wu Lin."

Li Lin raised an eyebrow slightly: "I do not know what you are talking about; I am someone invited by Qin Donglai."

The woman paused: "Invited by my husband?"

Her tone was quite excited; then she sized Li Lin up and down, and finally nodded gently, saying: "True, you do not look like a person of the Jianghu at all."

Li Lin felt somewhat strange: "How did you attract the attention of people from the Jianghu?"

"Please sit." The woman had the child bring a chair: "I will tell you, honorable sir, about this matter."

It turned out that a little over a month ago, Qin Donglai was dispatched to attack Jincheng; worried that no one would care for his home, he left behind a considerable sum of money, enough for the two of them to eat for several months.

But... not long after, news arrived that Qin Donglai had been defeated in battle and captured.

Zhou Qingqing's first reaction was to sell the house to protect herself.

She had heard how Qin Wang dealt with surrendered generals.

In fact, her move was correct.

Less than two days after she sold the house, someone went to her former residence and set it on fire; although the damage to the house was not great, the main bedroom was burned clean, and if she had not moved, she would certainly have died.

After that, she disguised herself and went into hiding.

Although she did not know the art of disguise, courtesans were skilled in the techniques of elaborate makeup, which, fundamentally, shared common ground with the art of disguise.

Relying on this makeup art, she hid in the slum district, even making herself smell foul, and thus remained safely hidden until now.

But she never expected to be discovered anyway.

Li Lin was somewhat puzzled: "You just said I am not one of those people from the Jianghu; how did you attract the attention of people from the Jianghu?"

"How could I possibly provoke someone from the jianghu?" Zhou Qingqing's eyes were full of grievance. "There's been a rumor lately that Qin Donglai, a great general under the Prince of Yue, inadvertently obtained a treasure called the Exquisite Jade Box—palm-sized—when you place it beside you during cultivation, it can speed up the circulation of internal energy, effectively increasing your cultivation speed. And this thing was given to one of his concubines—a little Zhou Qingqing. Squire, you tell me—how could I possibly have such a thing? Of course I'd run."

Hearing this, Li Lin could not help but laugh. "You truly don't have the Exquisite Jade Box, but Qin Donglai did indeed give you something."

"Apart from silver, he didn't give me anything."

"A piece of five-colored bone," Li Lin said slowly.

After a long silence, Zhou Qingqing looked at Li Lin and asked, "Were you really sent by him?"

"He did indeed entrust me to come and help look after his little son."

Zhou Qingqing looked at Li Lin expectantly. "Did he… mention me?"

"He did."

"What did he say?" The look of anticipation in Zhou Qingqing's eyes grew ever stronger.

Li Lin thought for a moment, then said, "He said you… are a good woman."

Zhou Qingqing went completely rigid, then covered her face with both hands. "He still doesn't trust me? Just because I came from a pleasure house… Even though I've been so virtuous, even thinking for the good of this family, he still won't trust me."

Li Lin knew that his lie had been seen through.

But that was only natural—after all, Zhou Qingqing and Qin Donglai were husband and wife in truth, and the two of them should be familiar with each other.

After a long while, Zhou Qingqing raised her head; tears streaked down in several pale tracks across her fair skin. "He sent you, Squire, to take my child away, didn't he? You can't do that—I won't let you have your way."

(End of chapter)