Hearing the news from his subordinate, Lin Zihan didn't hesitate for a moment. Without even having time to say goodbye, he rushed straight there. Lu Yinxi, on the other hand, stood there a bit dazed.
It was just a rather solemn blessing. How could the so - called "spoken spirit" take effect just like that? And her chest didn't hurt anymore?
She suppressed her doubts deep in her heart and quickly followed Lin Zihan, heading downstairs with him.
Just as she stood still at the door, the girl heard the clattering sound of horse hooves. In her field of vision, Shang Luoshu was riding his horse towards them. The spring light was hazy in a cluster behind him, making her eyes a bit dazzled.
The sound of the hooves stopped. The man reined in his horse and had no intention of dismounting. He just looked down at them indifferently and said, "On Chenghua Street, Chen Guang is guarding there. I'm not convenient to interfere in this matter. I'll leave the rest to you, Deputy Minister Lin."
"I will surely live up to your trust!"
Anyway, the case of Fang Qinhu was assigned to Lin Zihan by the emperor. It would not be appropriate for Shang Luoshu, a prince, to interfere.
The subtleties in the court were well - known to the deputy minister. He quickly bowed to the Prince Jing and then led his subordinates back to the Supreme Court of Judicature in a hurry, completely ignoring Lu Yinxi behind him.
After Lin Zihan's figure disappeared, Shang Luoshu dismounted from his horse and shifted his gaze to the girl.
"Miss Lu Si, we meet again!"
Ignoring his greeting, Lu Yinxi got straight to the point and asked, "Didn't you say that Zhou Kou was found?"
"If we've found his family, can Zhou Kou himself be far behind?"
This time, Lu Yinxi didn't even respond. She always felt that this matter wouldn't be so simple.
"Does Miss Lu not trust me?" The distance between them was very close, so all the worries on the girl's face fell into the man's eyes. He didn't try to comfort her but simply said, "In that case, how about we wait for the news here?"
Since this matter was related to her bet with Fang Qinhu, the girl also wanted to get the news as soon as possible, so she didn't hesitate and readily agreed.
They returned to the elegant private room on the second floor and sat back in their original seats. Only this time, the person sitting opposite was Shang Luoshu.
"Chenghua Street is quite a distance from here. It will take some time for the news to come back. How about we eat while waiting?"
As her doubts grew, Lu Yinxi subconsciously leaned back, trying to keep a greater distance from the man opposite. What was wrong with this man? Why was he being so attentive to her?
Noticing her resistance, the man just smiled faintly.
"Miss Lu Si, don't misunderstand. I just want to ask you a question."
"What question?"
"Has Miss Lu Si ever heard of the 'spoken spirit'?"
Lin Zihan didn't dare to delay. He gathered all his men from the Supreme Court of Judicature and rushed them to Chenghua Street at full speed.
Just as Shang Luoshu had said, Chen Guang had been guarding there. When he saw Lin Zihan's figure, he immediately showed himself: "Deputy Minister Lin, please follow me."
"Thank you."
They walked so fast that their feet almost left a blurred shadow. Finally, the group stopped in front of a civilian house.
Along the way, Lin Zihan deliberately observed the surroundings. He found that this place was extremely remote and sparsely populated. Except for the civilian house in front of them, the bungalows around seemed to be empty.
"Lord Lin, Zhou Kou's whole family lives here."
"Okay."
Holding his breath, Deputy Minister Lin bent his index finger and gently knocked on the wooden door a few times.
"Excuse me, is there anyone inside? I'm just passing by. Could I ask for a bowl of water?"
After a few moments, there was complete silence all around. There was no response from inside the door.
Lin Zihan frowned his smooth and handsome eyebrows. After hesitating for a moment, he knocked on the door again.
"I know it's a bit presumptuous of me, but I'm really thirsty. I hope the host can be kind - hearted and give me just a bowl of water."
A few more moments passed, but the only response he got was silent stillness.
Something was wrong!
Lin Zihan and Chen Guang exchanged a tacit look and then quickly stepped back. A gust of wind swept in front of them from their legs. The next moment, the wooden door of the civilian house was lying on the ground.
"Search!"
At his order, the subordinates behind him quickly scattered and walked into each room. Half a stick of incense later, the scattered people gathered again.
"Reporting to my lord, there is no one in the house, but the money is still there."
This meant that the family had left in a hurry.
"Guard Chen, have you been guarding here since you knew about this place?"
"Of course!"
Chen Guang was extremely annoyed for losing track of the people, so his tone was a bit aggressive.
"And even if I'm not here, there are other people guarding."
Lin Zihan trusted the people of the Prince Jing. In this case, there was only one speculation.
"There is a secret passage in the house."
The sweet smell of rose cakes mixed with the fragrance of tea filled the private room. Lu Yinxi lowered her eyelids, and the hand on her lap unconsciously tightened.
After a long while, just when Shang Luoshu thought she would remain silent like this forever, the girl finally spoke.
"Why does His Highness the Prince Jing ask me this out of the blue?"
"Some story - books were sent up by my subordinates a few days ago. I found them quite interesting, so I wanted to ask Miss Si if you've ever heard of the 'spoken spirit'?"
It was a perfect explanation, seamless.
But the girl knew very well that Shang Luoshu must have discovered something, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a probing remark.
"Your Highness the Prince Jing should be aware that I've been raised in a manor since I was a child. It's already a blessing for me to be able to read a few characters. Where would I get the spare money to read story - books?"
The first time she met Shang Luoshu was in the manor. He must know about her life there, so this explanation was reasonable.
A glint of admiration flashed in the man's eyes, and he agreed, "That's true. But speaking of the manor, I didn't expect that Miss Si would know some martial arts. This is quite different from your second elder sister."
Lu Yinxi took a deep breath to calm herself down.
"My father didn't want me, and my mother wasn't around. In such an environment, it should be okay for me to learn some martial arts for self - protection, right?"
"Of course it's okay."
Raising his eyebrows and slightly curving his lips, this was the expression Shang Luoshu would show when he was interested in someone. However, in the girl's eyes, it just made her feel creepy.
She couldn't talk to him anymore!
Just as Lu Yinxi was about to speak, the news came at this moment.
"Your Highness, Zhou Kou's family has disappeared!"
Just as she expected!
Her attention was diverted, and a sense of restlessness welled up in Miss Lu Si's heart. Her bad premonitions had never failed!
At the same time, the smile on the man's face also faded.
"What did Lord Lin say?"
"Lord Lin guessed that there is a secret passage in that civilian house."
That's why they came up empty - handed.
It was not impossible. All his smiles faded away. Shang Luoshu leaned back on the chair, propping his temple with his index finger, apparently thinking about the next countermeasure.
This seemed to be the first time Lu Yinxi saw him thinking so seriously. For a moment, she didn't dare to interrupt and could only silently taste the snacks.
I don't know how much time had passed, but the man finally pulled himself out of his thoughts: "Tell Chen Guang to come back. Besides..."
The figure of the girl was reflected in his eyes. Shang Luoshu deliberately softened his voice a bit: "It's getting late. I'll send someone to take Miss Lu Si back."
It was already deep at night, and the candles in the capital had been extinguished. However, the mansion of Zhu Chengjie was brightly lit at this moment.
"Where are my family?"
Clutching the scabbard tightly, the man stared menacingly at Zhu Chengjie not far away.
"Hide?"
As if hearing a funny joke, Zhu Chengjie in the crowd suddenly sneered, "Zhou Kou, don't you think the prince still wants to recruit you?"
"What do you mean?"
A faint sense of panic welled up in his heart, but Zhou Kou didn't dare to show it.
Noticing the subtle change in his expression, General Mingwei laughed even more wildly: "Mean? It means that if you want to see your family, then go to the underworld!"
"By the way, I forgot to tell Captain Zhou that your younger sister's taste is quite delicious!"