noffsinger Chapter 2162 Wu Ping'an
Chapter 2162 Wu Ping'an
The leaves of the old locust tree outside the courtyard wall were swirled by the wind, rustling softly against the window frame.
The sound of the clapper, which had just passed midnight, still lingered slowly in the alley, before being completely swallowed up by the silence of the side courtyard.
Qian Wu sat on the cold stone ground, his back against the mottled wall, his wounds still throbbing.
He stared at the flickering oil lamp in the corner of the room. The lamp flame crackled and popped, making the smugness in his eyes even deeper.
Although he was locked up here, he knew in his heart that as long as that person came, he would be saved.
His loyalty deserves a better future.
The faint fragrance in the air grew stronger, sweet and carrying a subtle chill. Qian Wu's previously clear mind gradually became heavy, and his eyelids felt like lead.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, a very light footstep came from the doorway.
Qian Wu jolted awake, his drowsiness instantly dissipating.
He looked up abruptly and saw a person standing at the doorway, backlit by the moonlight in the courtyard. A black cloak hung down to his ankles, and when the wind blew, the hem of the cloak swept across the withered leaves on the ground without making a sound.
The man was wearing a silver mask that covered his face.
"You've arrived!" Qian Wu's eyes lit up instantly, and his previous dejection vanished.
He endured the pain and scrambled to his feet. His knees barely touched the ground before he was about to kneel when the gaze from the man in the black cloak froze him in place—a gaze that, through the mask, was as cold as an ice pick, making the back of his neck stiffen.
Qian Wu quickly stopped his movements, bent his waist even lower, and said in a fawning tremor, "Don't worry, whatever they asked, I only said the unimportant things—I didn't miss a single word of the important ones."
As he spoke, he glanced at the man in the black cloak. Seeing that the other person did not speak, he added, "I have admitted to everything: the corpse, the impersonation of Prefect Ding, and the conspiracy with the Liu family. They have not suspected anything else."
The cloaked figure finally moved, his fingertips gently stroking the hem of his cloak. His voice, muffled as if wrapped in cotton, came from beneath the mask, making it impossible to discern whether he was male or female: "Where's the horse farm?"
Upon hearing those two words, Qian Wu's body stiffened abruptly, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.
He quickly knelt down with a thud, his knees hitting the stone ground. He winced in pain but dared not cry out. He simply buried his head even lower and said, "Yes, it's my fault for failing in my duties... The loss of the horse farm was a mistake made by the Liu family!"
They didn't keep a close eye on the people and let those guys in. I tried to fix it later, but it was too late. They came too fast, and I didn't have a chance at all..."
"Where is the divine beast?" The black-cloaked man's voice was flat, but Qian Wu sensed a chill in it, and sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
He picked at the moss on the ground with his fingers, mud embedded in his fingernails, and his voice lowered: "The divine beast... the matter of the divine beast is also the Liu family's fault."
They leaked the island's location and even lured Su Zhenhai's men to the island... I originally wanted to keep an eye on it, but I didn't hear from you for several days, and I didn't dare reveal my identity, so I could only..."
“The Liu family is foolish and arrogant,” Qian Wu quickly added, his tone tinged with anxiety, seeing that the man in the black cloak remained silent. “I’ve tried to reason with them several times, but they simply won’t listen… I have no choice. If things fall apart with them, the task you entrusted to me will become even more difficult…”
"I'm not here to hear your explanation." The man in the black cloak raised his hand to interrupt him. The movement of his fingertips stopped, and the fragrance in the air seemed to intensify, becoming cloyingly sweet and carrying a faint fishy smell.
Qian Wu was a little dizzy, but he gritted his teeth and shut his mouth, burying his head so low it almost touched the ground: "Yes, I know I was wrong."
The man in the black cloak was silent for a moment. Moonlight shone from behind him, stretching his shadow long, which covered Qian Wu like an invisible net.
After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice even colder than before: "Do you still remember the token I gave you back then? Do you still remember what the words on it meant?"
Qian Wu felt a sense of relief, thinking the other party was going to bring up the old trust, and quickly looked up, his eyes filled with hope: "I remember! You said back then that you trusted me, that I was meticulous and reliable, and that we would be safe and sound..."
As he spoke, he tried to express his loyalty, but he felt that the gaze from behind the black cloaked man's mask seemed even colder.
"All is well?" The man in the black cloak chuckled, the laughter echoing eerily through the mask. "You certainly know how to flatter yourself."
"Wu Ping'an, do you think you can take responsibility?"
Qian Wu pursed his lips tightly and kowtowed forcefully: "Yes, I have failed in my duty, and I am willing to accept punishment."
“If you give me another chance, I am willing to make amends.”
"Make amends for your mistakes?" The man in the black cloak sneered. "You've been in Rongzhou for so long, and you still managed to make such a blunder. How can I trust you again?"
Qian Wu's palms were sweating, and he was about to say something when the man in the black cloak raised his hand to interrupt him.
"I'm asking you, where are the important things you're keeping safe?"
"If the goods are safe, I might let you go this time."
Qian Wu's hope was rekindled, and he replied without hesitation, "Don't worry, the things have always been there. Although there have been several inexplicable thefts in my mansion, I know the importance of those things and we cannot afford to lose them."
"So, put them in the pool."
"When the pool was built, a hidden compartment was also built, specifically for storing things."
"Anything else?" the man in the black cloak asked.
Qian Wu choked, a hint of annoyance on his face: "As for the other valuables, I don't know who broke into my residence at night and stole them all."
"That thief is quite resourceful. He managed to steal everything so quietly, regardless of its value or worth. It's truly unbelievable."
The man in the black cloak chuckled briefly: "Don't you have anything to hide?"
Qian Wu's fingers tightened subconsciously: "This humble one... dares not."
"Is it that you dare not, or that you don't?"
"I think you're very bold, not like someone who wouldn't dare."
Qian Wu quickly kowtowed again: "There are some, but I don't mean to hide them. I just wanted to keep them in case someone coveted them, and also to be wary of the Liu family. That's why I found another place to store them."
"Where?"
Qian Wu whispered an address.
"Just this one place?"
"I dare not lie about this one place."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man in the black cloak clapped his hands lightly.
Lights were lit outside the courtyard gate, and several people carrying torches walked in.
The one leading the group was Huo Changhe.
Qian Wu's pupils suddenly contracted, and he couldn't make a sound.
He turned to look at the black cloak standing in front of him.
With slender, white fingers, she gently removed the mask, revealing a face as beautiful as jade.
Qian Wu felt a chill run down his spine, his mind went blank, and he instinctively tried to get up and run away, but his body felt like it was filled with lead, and he couldn't even move a finger.