Ye Xian smiled after listening: “Rough mountains and dangerous waters breed tough people?” It seemed like Lady Luo, this man hadn’t studied much either.
Anyone familiar with the current court situation could describe it. Ye Xian wasn’t surprised by Xie Si Xing’s words, and these people had criminal records—keeping them might cause him trouble.
Xie Si Xing knew that a few words wouldn’t persuade Ye Xian.
He stood up, clasped his hands, and smiled: “Talking is meaningless. This time, I’ve brought a great gift for Young Master. It’s right inside this corridor room.”
Ye Xian continued drinking his tea: “Xie Yuan said you brought someone. Man or woman?”
“A woman,” Xie Si Xing said softly.
Upon hearing it was a woman, Ye Xian became even less interested. He said dispassionately, “I won’t go look! Originally, keeping you all would have been possible… but if I’m not mistaken, I suspect it was you two who recently killed someone. I don’t like trouble. If the Shuntian Prefecture traces this back to me, I’ll have to deal with these people. For the sake of you being Xie Yuan’s brother, I’ll give you three hundred taels of silver for your journey. You may leave.”
Xie Si Xing frowned.
This Young Master was quite unpredictable. Weren’t women supposed to be more interesting?
He could only smile: “Young Master, please look first, then decide. This is quite an extraordinary woman! I encountered her on the road and had to kill to capture her. Her guards were all highly skilled in martial arts. If not for the medicine Old Miao gave me, I might not have been able to defeat them in direct combat…”
Xie Si Xing continued: “The person is in the corridor room. Once Young Master sees her, you’ll surely change your mind.”
Ye Xian remained silent for a while before smiling: “If you can make me change my mind, you may stay.”
He pushed open the door and entered.
It would only take a moment; he wanted to see what Xie Si Xing was really up to.
The corridor room was full of unused items. A square eight-immortals table was already dusty, and behind a brown curtain was a long table with a white porcelain vase. Several chairs were stacked nearby. He indeed saw a figure with its back to him, legs curled up on a chair.
“What, too afraid to turn around?” Ye Xian asked indifferently.
He didn’t immediately look at the woman, but slowly walked to the long table and reached for the white porcelain plum vase.
“Don’t be afraid of me. I hear you were kidnapped by Xie Si Xing. Which family do you belong to?”
Still no response from the woman.
Ye Xian put down the vase, his tone still flat: “If you won’t speak, so be it. Having fallen into Xie Si Xing’s hands, you probably have little chance of survival. I see you wear a married woman’s hairstyle, so you must be married! To preserve your honor, biting your tongue to commit suicide would be best.”
He finished speaking and prepared to leave.
“Young Master, don’t you recognize me?”
A familiar voice sounded from behind.
Gu Jin Chao couldn’t help but smile bitterly, saying softly: “Now that I can’t escape, for the sake of our past relationship…” Gu Jin Chao paused; she didn’t like asking for help. “If you can, would you deliver a message for me?”
Though she and Ye Xian were nominally related, they were quite distant. For some reason, Gu Jin Chao had a feeling Ye Xian might not save her. She still hadn’t turned around, yet she didn’t hear the door opening either.
Ye Xian was stunned.
When he recovered, he immediately turned and walked to Gu Jin Chao’s side, lifting her face with his hand.
It was Gu Jin Chao!
“You…” Ye Xian paused, then said, “How did you fall into their hands? Where is Chen San? You married him, and this is how he protects you?” Without waiting for Gu Jin Chao to answer, his face darkened. “Those people… have they harmed you?”