The current expression on the landlady's face...
Perhaps Zhao Shuning hadn't experienced love as deeply as she had, so she couldn't understand why the landlady would be so humble in loving someone.
Rong Yan probably knew that her state was not good at this moment. The person in front of her was Zhao Huai's beloved younger sister, the one she had been longing for. She couldn't be too impolite in front of her.
Immediately, she changed her attitude.
She forced herself to cheer up.
"Right, earlier I heard you say that you had another condition?"
"Actually, it's not really a condition. I just want to ask you about something regarding the State of Cangwu."
The people in the black market were of all kinds. They came from all corners of the world. Although the information they brought was messy, there were still some clues.
"Tell me. If there's any information you want in my black market, I definitely won't hide it from you."
Zhao Shuning smiled and said, "Landlady, since the information in your black market is quite well - informed, why did you go to the sect to ask that Senior Brother Lan for news about my elder brother?"
Rong Yan's face blushed slightly.
Why?
It was because she was still unwilling to give up.
Because she had exhausted all her efforts but still couldn't find out Zhao Huai's whereabouts. She had no other choice. She could only place her last hope on the sect where Zhao Huai had once stayed.
"Alright, I'm not joking with you anymore. Landlady, when I was in the sect, I heard Senior Brother Lan say that a few years ago, the Prince of Cheng made a comeback. What was the deal with the high - ranking monk who appeared in the end?"
"A high - ranking monk?"
Rong Yan's delicate eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.
"It seems that there was such a thing."
Zhao Shuning perked up.
"Landlady, you know about this?"
"Yes. At that time, due to the war, many commoners flooded into our Eastern Marsh Wilderness from the State of Cangwu. You know what kind of business we do. My black market is different from other black markets. Most of the people here are those who have retired from the martial world or refugees from all over the world with nowhere to go. So, we get more information."
"Was what Senior Brother Lan said correct? Who was that high - ranking monk who appeared in the State of Cangwu? Why do people say they've never seen him before, yet they claim he's a high - ranking monk?"
"I don't know much about this either. I only heard from someone that the man was extremely powerful. After he appeared, he overwhelmed the Prince of Cheng's army. Overnight, the Prince of Cheng suffered continuous setbacks. People who had personally participated in that war told me that the person who appeared that night was indeed a gray - robed monk. As for whether he was a high - ranking monk or not, there's no way to verify. However..."
Rong Yan hesitated for a while.
She didn't know whether she should say it or not.
After all, that matter was really quite absurd.
"However what?"
"Alas, it's all just hearsay. We don't know if it's true or not. Speculating like this, we don't have any solid information."
"Landlady."
Zhao Shuning's tone rose slightly.
Rong Yan had no choice but to say, "It's said that the person who appeared that night wasn't just the gray - robed monk. There were also many women behind him."
"Ah?"
This was quite absurd.
A high - ranking monk usually kept away from women. This rumor added a touch of legend to that gray - robed monk.
"Why do you ask about this high - ranking monk?"
Zhao Shuning scratched her head.
She said, "I'm not interested in that high - ranking monk at all. I'm just worried that the master didn't hurt Gu Zhiruo in the end. Is there any relationship between him and Gu Zhiruo?"
"The current ruler of the State of Cangwu?"
"Yes."
Rong Yan's expression was not much different from Lan Anran's before.
In their eyes, Zhao Shuning was a fearless person. It was so natural for her to call the ruler of another country by name.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have thought of it. Now that you've brought it up, I do remember that once by chance, I heard someone say that the eyebrows of that high - ranking monk seemed a bit similar to the current ruler of the State of Cangwu. However, this can't be taken as truth. You know, in the martial world we live in, people always like to embellish those ordinary stories and add a lot of legendary colors."
Zhao Shuning nodded.
She understood this.
"Xiaoning'er, do you have anything else?"
Zhao Shuning stood up.
Suddenly, she remembered something.
"Landlady, I'd like to ask you about two people. I wonder if you've seen them?"
"If they're from the Eastern Marsh Wilderness, it's easier to say. But if you're asking about people from other states on the Nine - Continent Continent, I'm afraid what I know is just the tip of the iceberg."
"These two people are indeed commoners from the Eastern Marsh Wilderness."
"Who?"
"Kong Ye and Qi Yurou."
Rong Yan thought for a moment.
Then she stood up.
She waved her hands gently in front of her, and the image of a man appeared.
"Is this the person you're asking about?"
Zhao Shuning had seen Kong Ye once a long time ago. After so many years, Kong Ye had changed a lot and looked much older, but she could still recognize him.
The dark - green belt around his waist.
It was very similar to the one that Kong Shishuang had given her.
However, the Kong Ye in the image was completely different from the high - spirited one in her memory.
"Yes, it's him. Landlady, when did you see him?"
"I saw this man once at the border of the State of Hailing. However..."
"What's wrong?"
"He didn't seem to be doing well at that time. There were many people there. Their hands were tied to a very long hemp rope, and each person had a wooden sign hanging on their chest with their name written on it."
"What's going on? Where were they going? What were they doing? Kong Ye is an alchemist. How could he end up in such a situation?" How could he be at the mercy of others?
"He's an alchemist?"
Rong Yan exclaimed in surprise.
Then she added, "How could he be an alchemist? At that time, those men all seemed to be ordinary people. When I passed by them, I didn't detect any spiritual power on them. Moreover, that team seemed to be a group of prisoners detained at the border of the State of Hailing."
Prisoners?
Now it was Zhao Shuning's turn to be surprised.
Kong Ye was at least the former master of the Misty Rain Tower. How could he have become a prisoner?
There must be some unknown reason behind this.
"Xiaoning'er, why are you asking about this person? What's his relationship with you?"
Zhao Shuning took a deep breath.
She said, "He's the elder brother of my friend. He's very important to my friend."
Miss Kong only had Kong Ye as her relative.
If she knew that Kong Ye was not in the Eastern Marsh Wilderness but had become a prisoner in the State of Hailing, she didn't know how sad she would be.
"Is that friend of yours very important to you?"
"Yes."
Rong Yan said, "Since that's the case, there's a master - level person in my black market. He has some connections. He should be able to help you get into the city of Bianjing in the State of Hailing to visit Kong Ye once or twice. It should be no problem."
"In that case, thank you, landlady." If Zhao Shuning just rushed over like a headless fly, she would definitely waste a lot of time.
Having someone lead the way would at least save half of the time.
"Don't thank me in a hurry. I can't invite that master either. I can only take you to meet him." That master was also a veteran figure in the Water Cloud Society.
In the capital city of Chang'an, there were no more than five people who could invite him.