Chapter 97: Your strength is a bit lacking

Cantonese cuisine uses ingredients with exquisite skill; it is clear but not bland, fresh but not vulgar, tender but not raw, oily but not greasy. Gu Qing and Xue Bing sat in the Wen Garden, savoring the refined dishes of the region. When the Hundred-Flower Chicken was served, a red shadow suddenly flashed by. A person arrived, hugged the basin to their chest, and ignoring Gu Qing and Xue Bing entirely, grabbed the chicken meat and chewed it in large mouthfuls.

Gu Qing saw this person and wore a smile, while Xue Bing was filled with joy.

This person was none other than Lu Xiaofeng, wrapped in a large red cloak.

"Hello."

Gu Qing said with a smile.

"I am not well!"

Lu Xiaofeng picked up the shark fin soup nearby, took a sip, and then said with a straight face, "No one would be happy to see a friend abduct their female companion."

Lu Xiaofeng had already gone to the Qixia Nunnery and discovered that Jiang Qingxia was a member of the Red Shoes. Now that he had arrived in Wuyang City, he was preparing to try and storm the Prince's Mansion to see if his lightness skill could reach the mansion's treasury.

"I did not abduct Xue Bing."

Gu Qing refuted first.

Xue Bing snorted and said, "I followed Gu Qing of my own volition."

Lu Xiaofeng, who had been furious, felt as if he had been punched in the nose, leaving him somewhat dazed.

"Why did you follow him?"

Lu Xiaofeng asked Xue Bing.

Xue Bing said with a smile, "Naturally, it was to help you grow."

Hearing this answer, Lu Xiaofeng's mouth hung open, wide enough to fit an egg.

"I imagine that during this time without Xue Bing, you have grown quite a bit."

Gu Qing said cheerfully, "You have likely already discovered the true identity of the Embroidery Bandit from that red satin, haven't you?"

"Hmph hmph!!"

Gu Qing and Xue Bing's cheerful demeanor made Lu Xiaofeng mutter, "At least I went to investigate the case, while some people said they would find the Embroidery Bandit in Wuyang City, but after arriving here for two days, they have just been wandering around aimlessly. They must have no clues at all."

After Lu Xiaofeng arrived in Wuyang City, he immediately went to find the Snake King. The Snake King was the local overlord of Wuyang City. Through the Snake King's channels, Lu Xiaofeng learned that Gu Qing had been taking Xue Bing everywhere to play, which made his bile rise in anger and his face turn green.

"My way of investigating a case is different from yours."

Gu Qing said calmly, "I investigate cases by running down clues with my own two legs."

In this era without surveillance, visiting and interviewing people was a necessary means of solving a case.

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head upon hearing this.

"Speaking of which, I do have a bit of experience I can share with you."

Gu Qing crooked his finger, and when Lu Xiaofeng leaned his face in, he said in a normal voice, "If, in the process of investigating a case, someone suddenly starts interfering, guiding you to run around in circles, and acting mysterious, that person is likely the culprit."

This was a conclusion Gu Qing had reached from watching *Kindaichi*, *Conan*, and reading mystery novels—that in novels or manga, if someone suddenly joins the protagonist's group and leads them through various cases, that person is basically the culprit.

In the case of the Embroidery Bandit, Jin Jiuling fit this point very well.

"Sophistry!"

Lu Xiaofeng picked at his ear. He had leaned in close to Gu Qing, only to be buzzed by Gu Qing's normal-volume speech.

"Is it?"

Gu Qing smiled and gently tugged at the corner of Xue Bing's skirt.

"What are you doing?"

Xue Bing blushed with shame and slapped Gu Qing's arm.

Lu Xiaofeng should have been jealous of this display of coy anger, but at this moment, he stared at Xue Bing in shock, filled with disbelief... Xue Bing was wearing red shoes.

"Do you still suspect the Red Shoes now?"

Gu Qing asked with a smile.

At this moment, Lu Xiaofeng began to recall how he had been led by Sikong Zhaixing to the Qixia Nunnery, where he met Jiang Qingxia, judged her to be a member of the organization, and also believed that the red satin contained the decisive clue to the Red Shoes' theft of the jewels.

But now, Lu Xiaofeng was somewhat dazed.

How could Xue Bing be involved?

"Please, look to the root of the matter."

Gu Qing urged Lu Xiaofeng to think about the fundamental aspect of the case, saying, "Jiang Zhongwei of the Prince Pingnan's Mansion entered the treasury to retrieve the pearls and saw a strange person embroidering inside. That strange person blinded Jiang Zhongwei... Since this red satin has clues, why would the Embroidery Bandit throw it away?"

Gu Qing stopped there.

Lu Xiaofeng had met with the victim of the case, Jiang Zhongwei, and was clear about the process of the battle at the time. Thinking about everything regarding the red satin now, he suddenly gave a bitter laugh and said, "In other words, you concluded back at Master Kugua's place that the red satin was thrown out by the Embroidery Bandit to mislead people, so you didn't even look at it?"

Gu Qing had sighed at that time and said that cases weren't solved that way, while Lu Xiaofeng had taken the red satin, gone around in a big circle, and discovered the Red Shoes—he had likely been misled.

"Why didn't you give a hint?"

Lu Xiaofeng complained.

"Only by stumbling can one truly grow. This is also helping you."

Gu Qing laughed.

Hearing the word "grow," Lu Xiaofeng thought again of Gu Qing taking Xue Bing away, snorted, and said, "Do you want me to thank you for taking care of Xue Bing as well!"

"Oh my..."

Gu Qing's face was full of bitterness as he said, "You really should thank me for this. At her age and my age, gossip can be lethal; some people talk without listening, and even if I jumped into the Yellow River, I couldn't wash myself clean. So, when I'm with Xue Bing, I'm constantly mindful of this!" Gu Qing pointed to his own face.

During this time, Gu Qing really hadn't overstepped with Xue Bing.

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head and said, "That's perfect. This time I won't need you to 'save face' for me; I will arrange a more proper place for Xue Bing."

Lu Xiaofeng had a life-and-death friendship with the Snake King, and there was no need for many words between them. Leaving Xue Bing with the Snake King, Lu Xiaofeng felt at ease.

At least the Snake King had rules.

"Arrange?"

Xue Bing looked at Lu Xiaofeng in surprise and said in a breathy voice, "You aren't taking me with you?"

Xue Bing had been very happy to see Lu Xiaofeng, but she hadn't expected that after picking her up, Lu Xiaofeng would actually want to arrange for her to be somewhere else.

"I am preparing to go to Prince Pingnan's Mansion to test how the Embroidery Bandit could have entered the treasury."

Lu Xiaofeng said, "If I took you with me, we would both get trapped inside."

Prince Pingnan's Mansion was too dangerous.

Hearing this, Xue Bing turned away in anger.

"If you must entrust Xue Bing to the Snake King... you might as well entrust me along with her. Once there, my interactions with Xue Bing won't need to be concerned with 'saving face'."

Gu Qing looked at Lu Xiaofeng and continued to tease, "If the Snake King can't take care of Xue Bing, I can also take care of the Snake King."

Hearing Gu Qing mention the Snake King, Lu Xiaofeng was amazed that Gu Qing actually knew the Snake King was his friend and was certain Xue Bing was going to the Snake King's place. He felt that Gu Qing hadn't wasted his time in Wuyang City. As for the latter part about taking care of the Snake King, Lu Xiaofeng took it to mean that Gu Qing could protect the Snake King from the Embroidery Bandit while he was at it.

"You came to Wuyang City, wasn't it to investigate the case?"

Lu Xiaofeng asked with a headache. Why was Gu Qing just circling around Xue Bing?

"I am investigating the case."

Gu Qing said, "It's just that the current conditions are not quite mature, so I cannot persuade the people in Prince Pingnan's Mansion. Once you, Lu Xiaofeng, go to the mansion, my conditions will be mature, and I will be able to intervene and solve the case."

Gu Qing was also waiting for Lu Xiaofeng to break into Prince Pingnan's Mansion.

"Why don't you go to Prince Pingnan's Mansion yourself?"

Lu Xiaofeng asked, puzzled. If going to the mansion made the conditions mature, Gu Qing going would have the same effect.

"I'm afraid that if I break in..."

Gu Qing said in a low voice, "The Prince Pingnan's Mansion would directly label me as the Embroidery Bandit, which would be too unjust. Your strength is a bit lacking, so you definitely won't be able to break in, and that way, my conditions will be mature."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 98 =====