Cang Lan Dao - Chapter 34.1

Chapter 34.1
That face was similar to the one he remembered —

Hearing the word ‘change face,’ Luo Wanqing was surprised and asked subconsciously, “Change face?”

“Li Guiyu is not a normal person,” Xie Heng’s finger touched her scars, seemingly checking. While looking at it, he calmly said, “Ordinary people find it difficult to get close to him, so we can only use extraordinary means. We cannot take the initiative to approach him; only he can come to us. I want to give you a face he wants so you can approach him. But,” Xie Heng raised his eyes to Luo Wanqing, “Are you willing to use someone else’s face?”

“I am at your command, Young Master.” Luo Wanqing immediately bowed her head and answered.

Xie Heng’s movement slightly paused. He stared at her for a long time before finally saying, “Okay.” He loosened his hand on her jaw, straightened up, and softly said, “Look for Zhu Si outside. Starting today, you will stay in the back of the mountain. You do not need my permission to go out; you can look for Xuan Shan. Tomorrow, I’ll let Zhong Lao change your face.”

Luo Wanqing didn’t dare to say more and respectfully said, “Yes.”

Xie Heng didn’t say much. He walked straight to the house. Halfway there, he stopped, “Liu Xiniang.”

Luo Wanqing raised her eyes and saw the other party turn back with a sideways face, looking at her seriously, “Every word you say, I will have someone go to Yangzhou to verify.”

Luo Wanqing couldn’t help but clench her fists. The other party lowered his eyes and turned away, “You only have one chance to choose. Cherish it.” After saying that, Xie Heng raised his steps and entered the door, his figure disappearing into the courtyard.

Seeing Xie Heng leave, Luo Wanqing got up from the ground, frowning as she pondered over Xie Heng’s words.

Cherish?
Cui Heng also said this to her, but what should she cherish?

Luo Wanqing couldn’t figure it out. She walked out of the courtyard, and when she left the gate, she heard a young girl’s voice ringing out, “Agent Liu.”

Luo Wanqing saw a green-clothed young girl standing at the door, softly saying, “Agent Liu, I’m Zhu Si. Please come this way.”

When Luo Wanqing heard this, she reacted to Xie Heng’s request for her to stay at the back of the mountain.

“Where is Cui Guanlan?” Luo Wanqing exclaimed, “Does he stay in the back mountain with me?”

“Mr. Guanlan does not reside in the back mountain, but if there is a need, Mr. Guanlan will go up the mountain himself.”

Zhu Si gently gave Luo Wanqing an answer, leading Luo Wanqing to a cottage near Xie Heng’s residence. As Luo Wanqing listened to this, unexpectedly, she had chest tightness. She felt like a baby bird that had left the nest and couldn’t help but look back at the warm nest where it was born. But she suppressed this emotion. She had let the person go the previous night, so why should she think about him? He has to leave at some point, right? She followed Zhu Si into the house. Zhu Si stood in the doorway and said gently, “Agent Liu, if you need anything else, you can inform me.”

Luo Wanqing listened to this and walked into the room. As soon as she entered, she noticed something strange. This place was a place where a woman lived. Makeup, hairpins, and clothes were all available. It was evident someone had prepared them long ago.

“Are there other women living with Young Master here?” Luo Wanqing asked in confusion. Zhu Si smiled faintly and only said, “This all prepared for Agent Liu.”

Luo Wanqing’s grip on the hairpin froze, and Zhu Si respectfully said, “I will withdraw first.”

Zhu Si quietly retreated. She walked softly; obviously, she had excellent concealment ability. Luo Wanqing held the hairpin and looked around with an unspeakable anxiety surging up. She felt this place was like a furnace, and every object was searing her, reminding her. He had prepared the room for her, but it was not recently, which meant that at least last night, he had already intended to make her stay here. It wasn’t her scheming that brought her close to him. It was his. Whether Bai Li had an accident or not, he would ask her to stay in the back of the mountain, but what was he planning? Why? He knew that she was eavesdropping on him and had all sorts of suspicious behavior. Yet, he didn’t think about how to deal with her, but he wanted her to stay. Did he want to kill Li Guiyu last night? No.

Luo Wanqing suddenly reacted, finally noticing the order of Xie Heng’s words just now – Listen to me, and I’ll let you kill him.

I’ll let you kill him. For Xie Heng, killing Li Guiyu was a reward. At this moment, in Xie Heng’s heart, she was not the first candidate to kill Li Guiyu, but she begged him, so he used Li Guiyu as bait and ‘let’ her kill him. What he wanted was for her to listen to him. Is he thinking about ascertaining her identity; that’s why he wanted her to be obedient? His every word seemed to remind her that he already knew her bad intentions; he did not believe a word she said; he was indulging, letting her submit. As long as she spoke the truth, he would forgive her. But why didn’t he believe her?

Luo Wanqing lowered her eyes and looked at the gold hairpin, pondering what she had just said. Although he investigated, every word she said could be verified. She had a rough idea of the Inspection Department’s work; when they were investigating a case, they searched for all the information from the suspect’s perspective, but in the end, they wanted actual evidence when judging a case. Now, Xie Heng suspected her, and he reminded her. He made Zhu Si remind her, use this room to pressure her, and agree to her request as if he would forgive everything as long as she said it. If she really came to assassinate, at this moment, she should be restless and afraid of being discovered. Perhaps she could not sit still and confessed all to Xie Heng. But if she confessed —

Luo Wanqing wasn’t sure what the outcome would be, but no matter what, she couldn’t afford to gamble. She couldn’t be so hasty to confess without a fight, and if she wanted to confess, she would have to obtain a life-preserving card before she opened her mouth. For example, she had to become the most suitable person in Xie Heng’s heart to use to approach Li Guiyu. If Bai Li were alive, Xie Heng would inevitably have to save her; if Bai Li were dead, he would have to avenge her. In this way, even if she exposed her killer identity, then at least until after she killed Li Guiyu and became useless, the Inspection Department would not pursue the matter. If she really had to be held accountable, then she would at least have no regrets. Her heart settled when she thought about this; she looked at the surroundings and became happy again. Xie Heng’s suspicion of her was not entirely without benefit. He saw her as an assassin, warning on one side and courting on the other. That was to say, he hoped that she would turn against Xiang Xizi and then follow his wishes. Xie Heng didn’t make it clear while she did not ask anything, but he would give her many facilities. For example, her staying on the mountain became the bargaining chip for her for the next negotiation with Xiang Xizi.