Chapter 38: She Wang, The Dark Alley

After receiving news of the wager from Hua Manlou, Lu Xiaofeng readily agreed.

He had handled countless cases, and he possessed absolute confidence in solving them—a confidence even greater than that which he had in his martial arts.

Even if that Embroidered Bandit was cunning and crafty, as long as a person committed the crime, they would inevitably leave behind traces, and he would certainly be able to ferret them out.

Lu Xiaofeng was very excited; once this case was over, he would make Yu Liancheng take off his shirt, do three somersaults around Yangcheng, and for every somersault, shout "Yu Liancheng is a pig."

At the mere thought of this, Lu Xiaofeng was almost trembling with excitement.

However, this particular case was truly baffling.

Up to now, although he had grasped some fragmented clues, he had been unable to string them together, let alone identify the true mastermind behind the scenes.

It was said that the Wang Mansion was heavily guarded, yet the Embroidered Bandit had been able to sneak inside; perhaps a crucial clue was hidden within this fact.

Thus, Lu Xiaofeng decided to sneak into the Wang Mansion himself to investigate.

But before that, he needed to obtain a topographical map of the Wang Mansion.

He found She Wang.

She Wang was his good friend and controlled the underground forces of Yangcheng.

Lu Xiaofeng wanted not only the map but also detailed notes on the locations of the hidden sentries and their shift-change times.

This was certainly not an easy task, but She Wang neither showed any sign of difficulty nor asked why he needed such a map.

His reply was only one word.

"Fine."

Lu Xiaofeng did not thank him; their friendship had already reached a point where that word was unnecessary.

By dusk, the map was already in his hands.

"The Wang Mansion is heavily guarded and has an peerless swordsman like Ye Gucheng sitting in command. Even with the map, it remains extremely dangerous; once discovered, you will have a slim chance of survival."

She Wang was leaning against a daybed covered in tiger skin, wearing a long robe. His hands were gripping Lu Xiaofeng's; they were very thin and very pale, just like his face. No one would have expected that this She Wang, who dominated the underworld, would look like this.

But Lu Xiaofeng could clearly feel a kind of strength from his hands.

—The strength of friendship.

This warmed Lu Xiaofeng's heart, and even though he was about to face a dragnet, he did not feel afraid.

"Don't worry, although the Wang Mansion is dangerous, you know my martial arts. In this world, there has never been a place that could trap Lu Xiaofeng."

Lu Xiaofeng also gripped She Wang's hand tightly.

He had already seen the map and knew that a peerless expert like Ye Gucheng was in the Wang Mansion, so he actually had no confidence at all, yet he did not want to make his friend worry.

Xue Bing, who was wearing light, soft clothing, stood nearby; the usually shy young girl was now cold as frost: "You must go."

Lu Xiaofeng nodded.

Xue Bing said: "You definitely won't let me go with you?"

Lu Xiaofeng nodded again, but Xue Bing turned her head away, for there were tears in her eyes, and she did not want Lu Xiaofeng to see them.

Lu Xiaofeng sighed softly: "If the two of us go, the chance of surviving is only half."

Xue Bing bit her lip: "But... leaving me alone outside to wait for you, how can you expect me to bear it?"

Lu Xiaofeng said: "You can find people to chat with and drink with. There are many people with tongues to talk, and no shortage of people with mouths to drink; you can go find them."

"Don't worry, I will definitely go find other men." Xue Bing turned her head abruptly, glared at him fiercely, and kicked him hard: "Go to hell, die by a thousand arrows, be killed by Ye Gucheng's sword."

Lu Xiaofeng gave a bitter smile and turned his gaze toward She Wang.

They had been friends for many years.

So Lu Xiaofeng did not speak, and She Wang already understood his meaning.

She Wang said in a low voice: "Don't worry, as long as Miss Xue is still on my turf, no one will be able to touch a hair on her head."

Lu Xiaofeng nodded.

He trusted She Wang; he trusted his friend.

His trust in his friends was even greater than his trust in himself.

Moreover, for a person like She Wang, once such a promise was made, he would surely fulfill it at all costs, even if it meant his own life.

And no matter who it was, it would not be easy to harm someone She Wang wanted to protect in his own lair.

Therefore, Lu Xiaofeng was extremely at ease regarding Xue Bing's safety.

With the sound of robes rustling in the air, he unleashed his movement technique and sped off in the direction of the Wang Mansion.

No matter what, he would not lose to Yu Liancheng again.

This round, he would win!!

Long after Lu Xiaofeng had left, Xue Bing sat on the stool, motionless, as if she were a lifelike sculpture.

"You should know that Lu Xiaofeng is doing this for your own good." She Wang sighed lightly.

Xue Bing remained motionless.

She Wang stood up, took a pot of wine from a hidden compartment, and poured a cup for Xue Bing: "When a person is in a bad mood, drinking might be a good choice. Because of my health, I haven't touched alcohol for a long time. This is Bamboo Leaf Green a friend gave me over a dozen years ago. If you want to drink, I can keep you company for a couple of cups. But you must not drink too much, or your head will ache terribly tomorrow."

Xue Bing snatched the wine pot, tilted her long, fair neck, and gulped down a few mouthfuls into her rosy mouth.

Then, she clutched her head, feeling a wave of dizziness.

She was a very alert girl and immediately realized something was wrong, but she fainted away.

She Wang looked at Xue Bing, biting his teeth tightly, his five fingers clenched into a fist, his body seemingly trembling. After a long time, he finally let out a breath: "Lu Xiaofeng, I have failed you."

……

…………

This was a very narrow alley.

The alley was gloomy, and the ground was still muddy from the rain two days ago.

At the end of the alley was a very small shop with a large stove at the entrance, and a large pot of something was stewing inside, emitting an alluring aroma.

This is Black Street, and Black Street is mostly filled with a group of rats who cannot see the light of day.

Yet suddenly, a man and a woman arrived; they looked radiant and certainly did not seem like people who engaged in low-class trades. But they had come to Black Street, stood before a shop, and ordered two bowls of meat broth that gave off a fragrance from a large pot.

Shangguan Xueer ate three bowls, her little belly stuffed full; the meat broth in this small alley was actually more delicious than the Hundred Flower Chicken and Dinghu Vegetarian Dish her sister spoke of.

Once the two had paid the bill, Yu Liancheng smiled and said, "Half-disciple, how was the taste of this meat broth?"

Shangguan Xueer smiled sweetly and said, "It was truly delicious; I will never forget it for the rest of my life."

A strange smile appeared on Yu Liancheng's face: "If you knew what kind of meat it was made of, you would certainly never forget it even more."

Shangguan Xueer blinked her eyes: "What meat?"

Yu Liancheng said, "Snake meat and cat meat."

Shangguan Xueer immediately felt a wave of nausea and dry-heaved.

Even this little girl who feared nothing in heaven or on earth was, after all, still just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl.

Yu Liancheng patted her back and laughed: "Go ahead and retch, go ahead; once you're done, we can just go and save your sister Xue Bing."