Chapter 97: Your Skill Is a Bit Weak

Guangdong cuisine uses ingredients with great care, light but not bland, fresh but not vulgar, tender but not raw, oily but not greasy; Gu Qing and Xue Bing sat at Wenyuan, savoring the exquisitely prepared dishes, when suddenly a red shadow flashed in—a person rushed over, snatched the dish of hundred-flower chicken to his chest, ignored Gu Qing and Xue Bing entirely, and began devouring the chicken meat in large bites.

Gu Qing, seeing this person, smiled; Xue Bing, however, was overjoyed.

The person was Lu Xiaofeng, wrapped in a large crimson cloak.

“Hello.”

Gu Qing replied with a faint smile.

“I’m not fine!”

Lu Xiaofeng picked up the nearby shark fin soup, took a sip, then frowned and said: “Anyone who sees a friend abducting a lady companion won’t be happy.”

Lu Xiaofeng had gone to Qixia Nunnery and confirmed Jiang Qingxia was a member of the Red Shoes; now that he had arrived in Wuyang City, he intended to test his lightness skill by attempting to break into the Wang Fu’s treasure vault.

“I didn’t abduct Xue Bing.”

Gu Qing immediately rebutted.

Xue Bing sniffed and said: “I came with Gu Qing of my own free will.”

Lu Xiaofeng, who had been furious, felt as if he’d been punched in the nose—stunned.

“Why did you go with him?”

Lu Xiaofeng asked Xue Bing.

Xue Bing smiled sweetly and said: “Of course, to help you grow.”

Upon hearing this answer, Lu Xiaofeng’s mouth hung open, wide enough to fit an egg.

“I suppose during the time you lost Xue Bing, you’ve grown quite a bit.”

Gu Qing chuckled: “You’ve probably already uncovered the true identity of the Embroidery Bandit from that red silk.”

“Hmph!!”

The cheerful expressions of Gu Qing and Xue Bing made Lu Xiaofeng mutter: “At least I went to investigate; some people claimed they’d come to Wuyang City to find the Embroidery Bandit, yet in these two days, they’ve just wandered around aimlessly—clearly with no leads at all.”

After arriving in Wuyang City, Lu Xiaofeng immediately sought out the Snake King, the local underworld boss; through the Snake King’s network, Lu Xiaofeng learned Gu Qing had been taking Xue Bing on endless sightseeing trips, making him so furious his bile rose and his face turned green.

“My investigation is different from yours.”

Gu Qing said calmly: “I pursue leads with my own two feet.”

In an era without surveillance, personal visits are essential to solving cases.

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head at this.

“Actually, I have a bit of experience I can share with you.”

Gu Qing beckoned with a finger; when Lu Xiaofeng leaned in, he spoke in a normal voice: “If, during an investigation, someone suddenly intervenes, leading you in circles, creating mystery and confusion—that person is almost certainly the murderer.”

This was Gu Qing’s conclusion from watching Jin Tianyi, Conan, and detective novels: whenever someone suddenly joins the protagonist’s group and guides them through various cases, that person is almost always the killer.

Jin Jiuling in the Embroidery Bandit case fits this perfectly.

“Nonsense!”

Lu Xiaofeng scratched his ear, leaned close to Gu Qing—only to be startled by the normal volume of Gu Qing’s voice, making his ears ring.

“Is that so?”

Gu Qing smiled, gently tugging at the hem of Xue Bing’s skirt.

“What are you doing?”

Xue Bing blushed, swatting Gu Qing’s arm.

This delicate pout should have made Lu Xiaofeng jealous—but at that moment, he stared at Xue Bing in shock, unable to believe it… Xue Bing was wearing red shoes.

“Now, do you still doubt the Red Shoes?”

Gu Qing asked with a smile.

Lu Xiaofeng now recalled: he had been led by Sikong Zhaixing to Qixia Nunnery, met Jiang Qingxia, concluded she was part of an organization, and assumed the red silk contained vital clues about the Red Shoes’ jewel thefts.

But now Lu Xiaofeng was bewildered.

How could Xue Bing be involved?

“Return to the root.”

Gu Qing urged Lu Xiaofeng to consider the case’s most fundamental point: “Jiang Zhongwei of the Pingnan Wang Fu entered the treasure vault to retrieve a pearl, saw a strange embroidered figure inside, and the figure blinded him… If this red silk contains clues, why would the Embroidery Bandit discard it?”

Gu Qing said no more.

Lu Xiaofeng had met the victim Jiang Zhongwei and understood the confrontation; now, reflecting on the red silk, he let out a bitter laugh: “So… you already concluded at Master Kugua’s that the red silk was a decoy thrown out by the Embroidery Bandit, which is why you didn’t even look at it?”

At that time, Gu Qing had sighed, saying the case couldn’t be solved that way; Lu Xiaofeng, clutching the red silk, had circled endlessly and uncovered the Red Shoes—possibly misled.

“Why didn’t you warn me?”

Lu Xiaofeng complained.

“Only by falling can you truly grow. This is helping you.”

Gu Qing smiled.

Hearing the word “grow,” Lu Xiaofeng thought again of Gu Qing taking Xue Bing away, snorted, and said: “Should I thank you for taking care of Xue Bing?”

“Oh dear…”

Gu Qing’s face contorted with bitterness: “You really should thank me. At our ages, gossip can be deadly; some people talk without listening, and even jumping into the Yellow River won’t cleanse their reputation—so when I’m with Xue Bing, I’m always cautious!” Gu Qing pointed to his own face.

During this time, Gu Qing had never overstepped with Xue Bing.

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head: “Then fine—I won’t need you to preserve anyone’s reputation. I’ll arrange a better place for Xue Bing.”

Lu Xiaofeng and the Snake King had shared life-and-death bonds; many things passed between them without words. Leaving Xue Bing with the Snake King, Lu Xiaofeng felt at ease.

At least the Snake King had standards.

“Arrange?”

Xue Bing stared at Lu Xiaofeng in surprise, whispering: “Aren’t you taking me with you?”

Xue Bing had been delighted to see Lu Xiaofeng—yet now, after he came to retrieve her, he planned to place her somewhere else.

“I’m going to the Pingnan Wang Fu to test how the Embroidery Bandit might enter the vault.”

Lu Xiaofeng said: “If I take you, we’ll both be trapped.”

The Pingnan Wang Fu was too dangerous.

Hearing this, Xue Bing turned away in anger.

“If you insist on entrusting Xue Bing to the Snake King… then entrust me too. There, my interactions with Xue Bing won’t need to preserve anyone’s reputation.”

Gu Qing looked at Lu Xiaofeng and teased further: “If the Snake King can’t take care of Xue Bing, I can take care of the Snake King.”

Hearing Gu Qing mention the Snake King, Lu Xiaofeng was startled—Gu Qing knew the Snake King was his friend, and was certain Xue Bing would go to him. Lu Xiaofeng realized Gu Qing hadn’t wasted his time in Wuyang City; but the part about “taking care of the Snake King” made Lu Xiaofeng think Gu Qing intended to protect the Snake King from the Embroidery Bandit.

“Why did you come to Wuyang City if not to investigate?”

Lu Xiaofeng asked, exasperated—why did Gu Qing keep hovering around Xue Bing?

“I am investigating.”

Gu Qing said: “But the conditions aren’t ripe yet—I can’t convince anyone at the Pingnan Wang Fu. Once you, Lu Xiaofeng, visit the Pingnan Wang Fu, the conditions will be ripe, and I can step in to solve the case.”

Gu Qing was also waiting for Lu Xiaofeng to break into the Pingnan Wang Fu.

“Why don’t you go to the Pingnan Wang Fu yourself?”

Lu Xiaofeng asked, puzzled—if going there made the conditions ripe, why couldn’t Gu Qing go and achieve the same result?

“I’m afraid I might break in.”

Gu Qing whispered: “Then the Pingnan Wang Fu would just accuse me of being the Embroidery Bandit—that would be too unfair. Your skill is a bit weaker—you definitely won’t break in. That’s when my conditions become ripe.”

(End of Chapter)