https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-271-A-Game-of-Go-with-He-Tianqing/12536452/
Chapter 270: He Xiu Muddies the Waters Again
Chapter 270: He Xiu Muddies the Waters Again
Dugu Yihe glanced at the man in green being held by Su Shaoying, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Who is this?"
"Someone who wants me dead." Su Shaoying replied, yanking the man's hair back. "Master, do you know him?"
Dugu Yihe shook his head, but the short, elderly man beside him spared the captive a sideways glance and said casually, "This man is Wei Manyan, known as the 'One-Sword Piercing Flowers' in the Qilu region. However, he hasn't been seen in the jianghu for the past five or six years."
The man in green was startled. He hadn't expected that this unremarkable-looking old man would recognize him at first sight.
"Who are you?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
But the short elderly man didn't answer; instead, he turned to Dugu Yihe and said, "He's from the Green Clothes Tower."
Dugu Yihe nodded.
"Given Wei Manyan's swordsmanship, his portrait should definitely be in the Green Clothes Tower's collection," the short elderly man continued.
Dugu Yihe nodded again.
"You know where my money comes from and where it goes," the short elderly man, who was undoubtedly He Xiu, said. "You should also know that I have to spend a lot of time and energy to make that money."
Dugu Yihe remained silent for a moment before finally nodding again.
Su Shaoying's eyebrows furrowed.
While it was clear that the short elderly man was He Xiu, what did he mean by his last statement?
He Xiu sighed. "Sometimes I really envy you and Old Yan."
"The path we walk is one we choose for ourselves," Dugu Yihe replied calmly.
He Xiu nodded in agreement. "Indeed. That's why I'm now the richest man in the world."
Dugu Yihe fell silent once more before asking, "You haven't found any traces of the Green Clothes Tower?"
"Of course, I have. Otherwise, why would I be here?" He Xiu looked up and continued, "I also found out that the Green Clothes Tower's headquarters is in Taiyuan."
Dugu Yihe's eyebrows knitted together as he heard He Xiu's revelation. "The Two Elders of Shang Mountain traveled all over the country ten years ago. You must have known about this."
Dugu Yihe's eyes flickered as he considered He Xiu's words.
He Xiu clapped his hands, stood up, nodded to Su Shaoying, and then left with his hands clasped behind his back.
Su Shaoying watched him go and asked, "Did he say that the Green Clothes Tower was left to He Tianqing by the Two Elders of Shang Mountain?"
"The Two Elders of Shang Mountain are dead," Dugu Yihe said. "They died a couple of years ago, around the same time as Official Jian."
"Are you saying that they fought each other to mutual destruction?" Su Shaoying asked.
Dugu Yihe rose to his full height and walked over to Wei Manyan. "I heard that the Two Elders of Shang Mountain once saved your life?"
Wei Manyan's pupils contracted, but he remained silent.
Dugu Yihe narrowed his eyes. "Do you know where the Green Clothes Tower's headquarters is?"
Wei Manyan's mouth twitched. "I don't know."
"Who is the leader of the Green Clothes Tower?"
Although Wei Manyan's expression was ugly, he still didn't say a word.
It wasn't that he didn't want to speak; no one could keep secrets from Dugu Yihe. The truth was that he genuinely didn't know.
"Then what use is there in keeping you alive?" Dugu Yihe asked. As his words landed, he slapped Wei Manyan on the top of his head.
"Pa!"
A soft sound echoed, and Wei Manyan's eyes rolled back as he died.
Su Shaoying clicked his tongue, looking at the dead Wei Manyan. "Even I am starting to suspect He Tianqing."
With Wei Manyan and He Xiu appearing together, the first layer of suspicion was that Wei was brought by He. The second layer was that Wei was there to frame He, and the third layer was that He had done it intentionally.
And so it continued, like a set of nesting dolls.
However, regardless, the waters had been muddied once more, and the suspicion on He Tianqing had intensified.
"He Tianqing even has the leisure to play chess."
Ma Xiuzhen and the other three returned with news of He Tianqing. "We visited Qingfeng Pavilion outside the city and saw him playing chess with the pavilion master."
"Good," Dugu Yihe nodded.
"Good?" Ma Xiuzhen asked curiously.
"I've told you many times," Dugu Yihe said calmly, "when faced with great challenges, those who remain calm and composed, hiding their true emotions, are the ones fit to be generals."
"I think he's just pretending to be calm." Shi Xiuxue stuck out her tongue. "And we don't aspire to be generals anyway."
Dugu Yihe fell silent.
Suddenly, Su Shaoying asked, "Did He Tianqing say why he was playing chess at Qingfeng Pavilion?"
"He goes there to play chess for a couple of days every ten days or so, so I've heard," Ma Xiuzhen replied.
Dugu Yihe's eyes flickered.
Su Shaoying continued, "So, will he be there playing chess tomorrow as well?"
Ma Xiuzhen thought for a moment and nodded. "Most likely."
"Then why don't you accompany him there again tomorrow and spend the day playing chess with him?" Su Shaoying suggested.
Ma Xiuzhen frowned and asked, "Why?"
"To see if he's really there at Qingfeng Pavilion, and also to find out if Qingfeng Pavilion is indeed the headquarters of the Green Clothes Tower," Su Shaoying explained.
Ma Xiuzhen was taken aback. "Is Qingfeng Pavilion the headquarters of the Green Clothes Tower?"
"Not necessarily," Su Shaoying shook her head.
"Shaoying, you go with them tomorrow," Dugu Yihe said.
...
The next day, on the way to Qingfeng Pavilion.
This time, the four women of Emei didn't take the carriage but walked to Qingfeng Pavilion with Su Shaoying.
"Senior Brother, what exactly happened between you and Master that night?" Ma Xiuzhen asked, and the other three also looked at Su Shaoying curiously.
The night before, they had come to Taiyuan City with Dugu Yihe, who had sent them to find Lu Xiaofeng. When they returned, they noticed a drastic change in Dugu Yihe's attitude towards Su Shaoying. Even during the dinner at Zhuguang Baoqi Pavilion, Dugu Yihe had allowed Su Shaoying to sit at the table.
It was worth noting that Dugu Yihe clearly favored the four women of Emei over the three heroes of Emei, yet he was usually strict about following rules. In formal settings, even Ma Xiuzhen, the leader of the group, wouldn't be qualified to sit at the table.
Moreover, in their eyes, Dugu Yihe was undoubtedly the number one martial artist in the world. So, when he mentioned that he had almost died twice, they couldn't help but feel shocked, angry, and curious.
Who was powerful enough to almost kill Dugu Yihe twice, and how had Su Shaoying turned the situation around?
Su Shaoying glanced at Ma Xiuzhen and said, "Didn't Master already say that he almost died twice?"
"And then?" Ma Xiuzhen asked.
Su Shaoying shrugged. "And then he didn't die."
Ma Xiuzhen was almost choked by Su Shaoying's reply. "Of course, I know Master didn't die. I'm asking what happened at that time."
Su Shaoying nodded. "I didn't expect you to be so interested in Master's embarrassing moment."
Ma Xiuzhen paused for a moment, then changed her tone and said coquettishly, "Senior Brother, you won't go and tell Master about what I just said, will you?"
Ma Xiuzhen, with her long legs, bright eyes, and heroic demeanor, suddenly acted coquettishly, which would have been quite alluring to most people.
Unfortunately, Su Shaoying wasn't most people.
"Do you want to know?" Su Shaoying asked.
"Yes!" The four women nodded in unison.
Su Shaoying smiled and said, "If you really want to know, then cooperate with me later."
(End of Chapter)
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