Chapter 44: The Thief Confesses
On Dongting Lake under the starry night, the man in the multicolored mask who had been replaced as the hall master stepped on the edge of the boat and slowly approached the shore. The master leaped to his feet and landed on the shore. Under the cover of the hazy moonlight, step on the stone road, go up the road, and come to another Taoist temple on the lake shore mountain, which is the Jingyu Temple where the Jingyu faction is located.
Just after the ugly hour, when it was almost the end of the hour, Li Youguang, the head of the Jingyu faction, was sleeping soundly in the room. Suddenly, he heard the window creak open, Li Youguang woke up and opened his eyes, and suddenly, a dart flew towards him quickly from the window. He lay on the bed and raised his right index and middle fingers to catch the dart. There was a note on the dart. He sat up and looked around, and there was nothing unusual, so he opened the note and saw that there were six words written on it: "Come from the well, dispel worries"
Li Youguang picked up his sword and came to the well. I saw the man in black armor and five-colored mask turn around from the well. Li Youguang was in a trance for a moment, and said: "It turned out that the master of the hall of dissipation was coming, and he was disappointed!"
"Hahahaha, Master Li, don't come to harm?" the man asked through the mask.
"Li hasn't been in contact with the Worry Hall for many years, I wonder if the hall master can understand Li's distress?" Li Youguang said.
"I know that you have long since stopped taking the errand of the Worry Hall, you are now the head of the Jingyu Sect, a well-known figure in the martial arts, and the past has long been bleached. But if you do it, I believe it will do you no good," said the hall master.
"I don't know what the hall master said?" asked Li Youguang suspiciously.
"I know that you have always wanted to annex the other two factions in Dongting, the Chuyun faction and your Jingyu faction were both separated from the Donghu faction, but the other two factions have long been weakened, but Master Li, you have been struggling to find a suitable opportunity and excuse to annex them. But now there's an opportunity for you to swallow up the other two factions in one fell swoop."
"I don't know what kind of opportunity the hall master is talking about?" asked Li Youguang.
"Jiang Suyue, a female disciple of the Donghu Sect, stole a peony wealth map in Tanzhou Lu Mansion a few days ago, and Lu Mansion sent someone to find the Worry Elimination Hall to solve the matter. My people had already caught the girl, but unfortunately let her run away again. You know that my Sorrow Hall has never done dark things, and I have not seen the light of day. Now the Donghu faction must be strictly guarded, but if you head Li can take this opportunity to lead the crowd to force Chang Peiyao of the Donghu faction to hand over people, if Chang Peiyao hands over things to people, of course it is best, if you don't hand it over, you can take it as an excuse for the three factions to eliminate harm, and raze the Donghu faction in one fell swoop, and naturally sit in the head of the three factions" The hall master said.
"That's a good idea, but it's easier said than done, don't forget that my master is still alive, and he won't allow me to do this. I have been forbearant all these years and served my master very well, just because I think that when he is old, if he can pass on all his skills to me, then I will be able to dominate the martial arts," Li Youguang said.
"Your master is pedantic, he has been testing you for decades, and he is still not satisfied, so don't expect too much from him. Besides, hasn't he always pretended to be morally noble, and if he knew that the woman was stealing someone else's things, and you cleaned the door for the sect, maybe your master would praise you for doing a good job," said the hall master.
"There is a little truth in this, but there is also a Weng from the Chuyun faction, although this person is a little fun-loving and laughing, but his martial arts are really powerful, even I can't beat him," Li Youguang said.
"Don't worry, since he likes to play, when the time comes, I will find a few people who like to play and drag him down with your disciples, and I will ensure that I will not miss your business. This is your best chance to unify the three factions of Dongting, if you don't seize the opportunity, I'm afraid you won't be able to come back," the hall master said.
"Okay, thank you for your help, what should I do?" asked Li Youguang.
The hall master took out the piece of jade smiling Buddha and handed it to Li Youguang and said: "This is evidence, tomorrow at dawn, you will take all the disciples, take it and fight to go to the Great Cloud Temple to ask for someone, I will help you drag that Weng not to hide, you can rest assured."
"Okay, thank you hall master! let's split up according to the plan" As soon as Li Youguang looked up, the hall master had disappeared.
At this time, behind a big tree, two Liang warriors looked at all this, and couldn't help but whisper: "You said that this peony wealth map, could it be the Tui Bei map?"
"I think it's very likely," said another.
Wu Shijia: "This Lu Shizhou, obviously secretly hid the back picture, and even said no, I see how he can bear the crime of bullying the king"
"He can't have lost it, right? You see, he's still looking for Samurai B on the rivers and lakes."
"Whether it is or not, we must investigate this matter carefully, otherwise the emperor and the envoy will blame us, and we will not be able to afford it," Samurai Jia said.
"Well, let's not startle the snake first, let's follow behind and quietly investigate, and then make a move when the time comes," Samurai B said.
The next day, it was just dawn. Yi Dan walked back to the Great Cloud Temple from the bottom of the mountain. In the corridor, I met Jiang Suyue, who had just gotten up and yawned. Jiang Suyue saw Yi Dan coming from outside, and asked in surprise, "Sister, why did you get up so early?
Yi Dan looked around, made sure that there was no one, pulled Jiang Suyue aside, and asked in a low voice, "Sister Suyue, let me ask you, are you causing something outside?"
"No, what can I do, Sister Dan'er, why do you suddenly ask like this?" Jiang Suyue looked at Yi Dan in confusion.
"Last night, I was taken captive. What peony wealth map do they want me to hand over, may I ask if you did this?" Yi Dan asked with a serious face.
"What peony fortune picture? I don't understand what you're talking about?" As soon as she finished speaking, a word suddenly popped into her head, as if she had seen such words somewhere, so she made a frightened expression.
Yi Dan looked at her expression and asked, "Did you remember?"
Jiang Suyue nodded awkwardly and said, "It seems that I have indeed seen these words somewhere."
"People say it's in Tanzhou. Now they have found someone from the Hall of Worries to investigate this matter, and the situation is already very serious," Yi Dan said solemnly.
"Elimination of Worries, is it a rumor in the rivers and lakes, a dark organization that kills people invisibly?" Jiang Suyue looked frightened.
"That's right, the Elimination of Worries Hall specializes in black errands, they shoot, either killing people or overstepping goods, and they have never missed. I slept in your room last night, and they mistook me for you, so they took me and I managed to escape, but I think they'll come back. Sister Su Yue, you must pay attention to yourself, what did you take from others, or hurry up and return it to others," Yi Dan said.
"I've stolen so many things, I still remember everywhere" Jiang Suyue was so anxious that she slipped out of her mouth.
"How many things did you steal, why did you steal?" Yi Dan asked.
Jiang Suyue looked around and motioned for Yi Dan to be quiet. She stepped forward and whispered, "Now, I can't hide it from you anymore." In fact, I am the female thief in Dongting, who specializes in stealing corrupt officials and corrupt officials. All the stolen gold and silver treasures were distributed to the poor people, so I don't know which one they were talking about."
Yi Dan was pleasantly surprised: "Ah? This, won't it? It turns out that along the way, the female thief of Dongting praised by the people is really Sister Su Yue, you? I really didn't expect you to be so chivalrous."
Jiang Suyue nodded and said, "Be quiet, don't let the other junior sisters not hear."
"Oh, I remembered. No wonder the predecessors of the Tianlongs were hesitant and said that you should go to pick persimmons together, and he should be talking about this thing, right?" Yi Dan asked.
"That's right, Uncle Weng has also gone to steal with me several times, he thinks it's funny, so he is addicted to stealing, and now he can remember this more than me, every time he sees me, let me take him with him again. But he was always careless, either knocking over the jar or breaking the bowl, and he was almost discovered several times, so I rarely took him there," Jiang said.
"Oh, I see, no wonder the weapon you use is the Flying Hundred Tempering Hands, which is to make it easier to climb over the wall and climb the courtyard, right?" Yi Dan asked with a smile.
"yes. Do you know that the gold and silver treasures in the homes of those corrupt officials are piled up like a mountain? I often carry gold and silver treasures that are much heavier than my body, and no matter how good my light skills are, I can't fly, so I can only use this flying hand to help me climb the wall," Jiang Suyue said with a smile on her eyebrows.
"Well, I know, if I'm not mistaken, the blind grandma's eyes by the lake last time were also cured by you with money, right?"
Jiang Suyue nodded and acquiesced.
"Sister Suyue, great, I didn't expect you to be so chivalrous," Yi Dan took Jiang Suyue's hand and said.
"Sister Dan'er, you are so good, strong in martial arts, and good in character, I am really much worse than you. I was afraid that you would look down on me for stealing, so I didn't dare to tell you about it..."Jiang Suyue said embarrassedly.
"Sister, you're worried, although sister, you stole something, but you robbed and helped the poor, and there is a way to steal. In this troubled world, it is really rare to have a female thief like my sister and you to save people in danger, and it is too late for me to admire my sister, how can I look down on you?
"Thank you for your comfort, as long as you don't look down on me," Jiang Suyue said.
"Of course not, I admire my sister's chivalrous deeds, it seems that in the future, there will be a place for our women in this ranks of thieves," Yi Dan said happily.
"Yes, who said that we women have to teach our husbands and children three times and four virtues? This practice of chivalry and righteousness, eliminating violence and peace, we women can also do it" Jiang Suyue said this, with a firm look in her eyes, as if she was calling out the old-fashioned old man Sun Yandeng.
"Yes, sister, you are a thief in Dongting, but you live up to your reputation. But sister, then again, since the people from the Worry Hall are now interfering in this matter, we must pay attention to it. What kind of peony wealth map, if it is not important to you, return it to them, let's not make a big deal of it, although we are not afraid of things, but try not to provoke them," Yi Dan said.
"If there is, I must have returned it to them, what do I want to do with this broken map? But I really don't remember if I got it back, I went to Tanzhou three times this month, but I remember where I seem to have seen these words."
"People say it's Tanzhou Lu Mansion, how many times have you been to Na Lu Mansion?" Yi Dan asked.
"You tell me to think about it again. Do you know? There are so many gold and silver treasures in the homes of those corrupt officials that I fill the sacks every time, but I still can't take all the gold and silver treasures that are piled up. Each time, I had to walk dozens of miles to disperse all the gold and silver treasures. There are so many things, where do I remember which one is which," Jiang Suyue said.
"Hey, it's really unfair, the common people are living so miserably, those corrupt officials are still bending the law for money, arrogant and lascivious, it's hard for good people in this world to live" Yi Dan also sighed.
"So, every time I think about it, I feel that I haven't stolen enough, so I brought my uncle with me," Jiang Suyue said.
"You, you're not serious at all, you dare to bring the giggling senior Weng to do such a dangerous thing. Then does your master Chang know about this?" Yi Dan asked.
"I guess I know a little bit, but she hasn't exposed me. It's just that they told me not to go out and run around at night, saying that I was afraid of ghosts or something after walking at night for a long time, which hinted at me," Jiang Suyue said.
"Well, it seems that Senior Chang still agrees with you in his heart, but he is worried about your safety," Yi Dan said.
"Yes, I think so too, so I'm going out less now, trying not to worry Master," Jiang Suyue said.
"Let's not talk about it for now, let's look around first to see if there is this picture of peony wealth," Yi Dan said.
Jiang Suyue nodded, took Yi Dan's hand, and the two returned to the house together.
The two rummaged through the cabinets and found the so-called "peony wealth map" for a long time. At this time, Youming also woke up, he came from next door, saw them rummaging around, stretched his waist, and asked, "Senior sister, Sister Suyue, what are you looking for?"
"Senior brother, you're awake, we're looking for something, you can come and help find it," Yi Dan said.
"What is it, I heard it in the next room early in the morning," Youming asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Brother Youming, it's so noisy that you rest," Jiang Suyue said.
"It's okay, I've woken up anyway," Youming said.
"It's like a painting, what is it called a peony rich picture. Don't stand still, come and help us find it," Yi Dan said.
"Peony Wealth Map?" You Ming repeated again: "Peony Wealth Map? Why is it so familiar?"
"What? Have you ever seen this peony rich map?" Yi Dan asked.
At this time, Youming suddenly remembered, so he asked, "Is it the peony wealth?"
"Yes, yes, it seems to be called Peony Fugui, have you ever seen it?" Jiang Suyue asked.
"It doesn't seem like it's a painting, it's a book, isn't it?
Jiang Suyue jumped up happily: "Yes, yes, I also remembered, it was the book that put on the table, and the title of the book was Peony Fugui, which was brought back from Tanzhou."
"Hey, you're all mistaken, in fact, it's not a peony wealth map. That's obviously to teach the cultivation tips of hibiscus flowers, but I'm afraid of misleading people, so I've changed the title of the book to the tips of hibiscus potted plants," Youming said casually.
When Jiang Suyue heard this, she was shocked and said, "Ah, it's over, it's over, isn't it the book I took to give to my uncle yesterday?"
"Yes, I see that you gave it to the eldest grandson yesterday, he seems to be very happy, isn't it very good, doesn't he love to grow flowers, so that he can spend a lot of time" Youming said casually with a smug face.
"Oh, what's good, it's bad luck now, I really thought it was some kind of book for planting flowers, so I took it to my uncle," Jiang Suyue said.
"That's a book for planting flowers, what's wrong with you?
"Sister Su Yue, it turns out that the book you gave to the eldest grandson yesterday is the peony wealth map they wanted?" Yi Dan said.
"It's all said, it's not a peony, it's a hibiscus," Youming corrected seriously.
"Okay, don't say it, I have to find a way to quickly go to Uncle Shi and get it back," Jiang Suyue said.
"I'm afraid it's not good to get back what you've already given away? Besides, your uncle is so picky, he will definitely be angry," Youming said.
"I don't know what the secret is in that book, but I hope the eldest grandson hasn't noticed it yet. But Sister Su Yue, now that we know the whereabouts of the book, let's go to the eldest grandson and get it back now," Yi Dan said
"Hey, okay, anyway, a stinking scolding must be inevitable. I'll go to Yuelu Mountain now and get the book back," Jiang Suyue said.
"Well, I'll go with you," Yi Dan said.
"Eh, what's going on, I'll go with you too, I want to explain to your uncle clearly, I changed the title of the book, please don't blame you!"