Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Jade Hairpin

"Not enough."

The man with the horse-like face said.

"The knife is good, but it's still just a knife. If we really have to face the master of this place, it'll depend on each person’s abilities."

As he spoke, he scrutinized Bai Zhengliu and Mei, examining them from all angles.

Bai Zhengliu calmly allowed him to look, and listened as the man with the horse-like face continued, "In the end, that person with the surname Qian definitely won't do."

Bai Zhengliu asked, "Then what about Mei and me?"

The man with the horse-like face's expression twitched, as if in resignation. "How would I know?"

Bai Zhengliu: "What?"

The man with the horse-like face: "That person with the surname Qian, I could lift him with one hand! The rest of you... Ha, just some Jianghu people."

As he spoke, a complex expression appeared on his face, one that seemed to say, "If only I had joined some school or sect from a young age, I’d be free to go anywhere by now."

Bai Zhengliu understood and couldn't help but glance at the man’s shoulders and arms. Then, he thought about Brother Qian Gui, who was round and pudgy, and imagined he probably couldn’t even match up to half the width of Ma Er's physique.

He understood the man's meaning. To put it plainly, the man was saying, "I've already ended up like this, so those weaker than me will definitely be doomed. As for those stronger, who knows?" The real question was, wasn’t the man a bit too confident?

"I see." Bai Zhengliu was silent in his heart, but on the surface, he still earnestly thanked the man. "Thank you, Brother Ma, for sharing this with us."

The man with the horse-like face clicked his tongue and confirmed, "No more questions, right?"

Bai Zhengliu smiled and said, "If Brother Ma still has anything he wants to tell us, feel free..."

The man with the horse-like face waved his hand. "I've said enough, you should be satisfied." However, his gaze was still circling around the water pouch hanging by Bai Zhengliu's side.

Bai Zhengliu knew exactly what he meant. Considering their dangerous situation and his own lack of interest in drinking, he took down the water pouch, shook the remaining wine inside, and said with a smile, "Not much left, Brother Ma, don't be picky."

At this point, the man with the horse-like face actually became more reserved. "What do you want me to do with this? It's not even the wine I won in a bet. It’s always missing that little bit of taste."

Bai Zhengliu: "Oh." He then put the pouch away.The man with the horse-like face: "……"

Mei Yinghan watched the scene and couldn't help but laugh. As soon as he smiled, the man with the horse-like face couldn't hold back any longer and shot an accusatory look at Bai Zhengliu.

Bai Zhengliu forced back his laughter, "Even though it’s missing that little bit of flavor, it is still alcohol. Brother Ma, you should still take it."

With that excuse, the man with the horse-like face reluctantly said, "Alright."

Bai Zhengliu struggled to hold in his laughter, his body trembling. Thankfully, Mei Yinghan, who knew when not to laugh, was there to help him cover for his earlier slip.

Mei Yinghan coughed twice, deliberately positioning himself to block half of Bai Zhengliu’s body.

Bai Zhengliu thought to himself, "What is this? Covering the ears while stealing the bell?"

He wanted to laugh even more, but fortunately, the man with the horse-like face had no intention of getting further entangled with these two young outsiders. He took the water pouch and was about to leave.

Bai Zhengliu said, "Hey!" and called out to him, "Brother Ma! Your dice."

"Didn't you break them all?" The man with the horse-like face waved his hand. "Pick them up and play with them yourself."

After saying that, his figure—like a ghost—vanished beyond the hallway.

With the person no longer in sight, the swordsman took a deep breath and let his emotions slowly settle.

He watched as Mei Yinghan crouched down to pick up the dice, then, after a moment, he crouched down as well. Resting one hand on his cheek, he simply observed Mei Yinghan.

Mei Yinghan was weighing the intact dice and the broken ones in his palm. When he raised his eyes, he happened to catch Bai Zhengliu lightly inhaling.

Mei Yinghan paused for a moment, "Bai Brother?"

Bai Zhengliu’s gaze was complicated. "Mei Brother, I just remembered something I forgot earlier."

Mei Yinghan frowned, slightly alert. "What is it?"

Bai Zhengliu sighed. "It’s rare to meet someone like Brother Ma, who’s so easy to talk to. I should’ve asked him earlier if he’d let me lift him up."Mei Yinghan: "......"

Mei Yinghan glanced towards the hallway. "It’s still not too late to ask now."

Bai Zhengliu said, "Let’s wait until later." He lowered his head and looked at the dice in the swordsman's palm. Combined, the intact and broken ones made a total of nine pieces, resting between Mei Yinghan's thick calluses.

Swordsman: "He told us to pick them up, right?"

Mei Yinghan nodded. "One for each of us?"

Swordsman: "There’s still one left."

Mei Yinghan thought for a moment. "How about seven of us, one for each?"

Bai Zhengliu smiled. "That sounds familiar."

Mei Yinghan also remembered when they divided the yin talismans earlier. He shook his head. "Forget it, we’ll keep them—Brother Ma seems like an open person, and he took your wine..."

Bai Zhengliu corrected him. "Our wine."

Mei Yinghan smiled. "I think these dice might be useful."

Bai Zhengliu muttered, "But who else can we gamble with? It can’t be Mr. Tan, can it?"

Mei Yinghan glanced at the three broken dice. "Perhaps that’s not their intended use."

Bai Zhengliu shook his head. "Never mind. Let’s first find Brother Qian and ask if he has any insights into Mr. Tan's attitude."

Mei Yinghan looked at him, a new subtle smile appearing on his face. "Brother Bai already has some guesses, doesn’t he?"

Bai Zhengliu hesitated for a moment, and the image of Brother Qian Gui tapping his chest earlier flashed in his mind. He slowly nodded.

A moment later, the group of seven gathered in the backyard.

The scene seemed to replay like yesterday, but everyone’s mindset had shifted.

From the pure confusion of the previous day, they had now managed to discern some hints about the Tan family. Especially since Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan had "disappeared" for a while earlier, and now, hearing that they had called everyone together, the disciples of Emei, the Emei son-in-law, and a passing merchant all looked at Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan with renewed expectations.Under the bright gazes of the crowd, Bai Zhengliu once again felt the pressure ahead. However, after some time, he had somewhat adapted to it and was now able to calmly ask, "Brother Qian, the main reason I’ve called everyone here is because I have something I want to ask you."

Qian Gui had been secretly pleased that Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan had found a lead so quickly, thinking he now had a good chance of surviving. However, he did not expect that the two would turn the conversation towards him.

He looked completely puzzled.

The others, seeing Qian Gui's confusion, also wore expressions of bewilderment.

"Bai Hero," Qian Gui hesitated before speaking, "What could I possibly have that would interest Mr. Tan? Isn’t it just that I speak a bit more sharply, and I’m good at saying auspicious things?"

Had it not been for the gambling match with the man with the horse-like face, Bai Zhengliu might have agreed with that. However, the swordsman shook his head. "It’s not just that."

Qian Gui looked even more confused. Jun Tao thought for a moment and then tried to guide him, "Perhaps there’s something you consider ordinary that Mr. Tan finds unusual. Why don’t you tell us everything that’s happened since you came to the Tan family? Maybe we can find a clue!"

Qian Gui held his head in deep thought.

Bai Zhengliu watched him and, with his hand resting on his long sword at his side, slowly slid his palm across the scabbard.

He spoke again, "I didn’t explain it clearly before. The reason Mei Brother and I were absent from the main courtyard earlier is because we had a gambling match with that gambler."

As soon as this was said, Nie Qing'e and Lu Qing immediately gasped, looking at him disapprovingly.

However, after a second, they both realized that since Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan were still standing here, things must not have been as bad as they feared. The couple reluctantly calmed down and asked, "What happened?"

Bai Zhengliu briefly explained his exchange with the man with the horse-like face, focusing on two key points: first, the man had revealed that "other guests had been avoiding them today because they were already in Mr. Tan’s pocket"—this made Jun Tao shiver and mutter, "What kind of thing is this?" The second point was that, before Bai Zhengliu proposed using wine to engage in the game, the man with the horse-like face had shown interest in the 28 Generals.

The swordsman concluded, "It might not be that Brother Qian has done something, but rather that Brother Qian possesses something."

He laid the matter out step by step, and finally, Qian Gui showed a hesitant expression. He raised his hand and touched his chest.

Jun Tao caught this detail immediately and shouted, "Brother Qian! Do you have something special?"

Qian Gui sighed deeply and took out a handkerchief from his chest.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to the handkerchief. Qian Gui pressed his lips together, unfolded it, and revealed what was inside.

Everyone was surprised. "A hairpin?"Qian Gui: "I bought it for my wife. When I bought it, the seller praised it highly, claiming it was unparalleled—nothing like it, above the heavens and below the earth..."

However, Qian Gui didn’t take these words to heart. He himself was a merchant, and how could he not know that sellers always speak highly of their goods? He bought it simply because the hairpin was indeed beautiful. The entire piece was made of smooth, glossy jade, and it would surely look stunning in his wife’s hair.

The reason he often touched his chest earlier was because he was unsure whether he would return home safely or be able to personally give the hairpin to his wife.

After looking at the hairpin for a moment, Qian Gui raised his head again and looked towards Bai Zhengliu.

He asked, "Bai Hero, is Mr. Tan’s enthusiasm towards me because of this?"

Bai Zhengliu: "What exactly did the seller say? Tell us more about it."

Qian Gui calmed himself. "He said that as long as you wear it, you can avoid misfortune and attract good fortune."

He continued, "My wife bought a bracelet made from the same jade, and the next day, her husband became the top scholar. There was another family that was poor, and they only took a small piece of jade, the size of a soybean, to make a ring. Not long after, the woman who wore the ring accidentally fell into the water..."

"Everyone thought she was done for, but the woman merely drifted downstream and reached a wide area where she was safely able to get out of the water. However, when she got out, the jade on the ring had shattered."

Jun Tao clicked his tongue. "That does sound a bit mystical."

Qian Gui smiled bitterly and shook his head. "When I first heard this, I thought the shopkeeper was exaggerating. But now, sigh! Bai Hero, if you think it’s useful, then take it."

As he said this, he tried to fold the handkerchief and offer the item to Bai Zhengliu. But Bai Zhengliu shook his head and said, "If this really is something useful, then it should be kept by Brother Qian. We all have our martial arts to protect us, but only Brother Qian lacks a bodyguard."

Qian Gui was moved but worried. "But..."

"However," Bai Zhengliu suddenly thought of something else, "it’s better to put on a show in front of Mr. Tan, to make him think you’ve given it to someone else."

For Qian Gui, this would be a double security measure.

Author's note:

I really enjoy writing the scenes where Xiao Bai and Xiao Mei are alone together 555

Although in this chapter, there are only a few lines with just the two of them, when I wrote those few lines, I was like: =v="