I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 396 Proceeding as Planned

Chu Liuzheng leaned back slightly and smiled, "Yin Lanci is so cunning, I'm worried I won't be able to catch her and she'll get away."

"I will kill her." Jiang Yao sat back down, her expression and tone remaining unchanged.

Chu Liuzheng felt that Jiang Yao had lost some of her human energy since she woke up, and he wondered if it was a side effect of the rapid cultivation of the Shadow Moon Gu that Feng Jing had vaguely mentioned before.

The carriage stopped half a street away from Xiyuan.

They didn't arrive early. There were long lines of people waiting at the entrance of Xiyuan Garden. To prevent the carriages from hitting the people, there were yamen runners who were there to stop the carriages and direct them to park in a unified manner.

Zhou Yuande, who was driving the car, poked his head in and reported, "Young master, there are only civilians ahead. We can only proceed by walking."

Xiao Jingfan nodded: "Okay, everyone get out of the car."

At his command, everyone on the three carriages disembarked.

Chu Liuzheng turned his head and pointed at the people, only to find that Feng Jing was not there.

She asked in confusion, "Where did Dr. Feng go?"

Lu Fei said, "Doctor Feng got off the train early to go to Baxian Bridge to find that fortune teller who can predict marriage."

Chu Liuzheng: "..."

Tonight, almost the entire city has come to Xiyuan. Who knows, even that fortune teller might have come to join the fun. Feng Jing will most likely be disappointed.

But the person is already gone, so there's no point in saying anything.

Lü Fei said, "There are two guards with you, so you don't need to worry, young lady."

Chu Liuzheng wasn't too worried about Feng Jing's safety. With Doctor Feng being so ruthless, he could unleash a barrage of poison powder with a single move. Unless he killed him with a single, unexpected blow, it would be the other way around.

Zhou Yuande took a plaque and handed it over to the yamen runner.

A yamen runner with a full beard personally escorted the group through the crowd, into Xiyuan through a side door, and up to the second floor to enter VIP room number one.

The private room was simply decorated, but it was large enough that even with Xiao Jingfan and his party inside, it didn't feel crowded.

The constable stood at the door and instructed the waiter: "The young master inside is a relative of the county magistrate. Serve him well, or you will be held responsible."

Upon hearing that the man was a relative of the county magistrate, the waiter became even more attentive, quickly bringing over several large platters of snacks and fruits, and serving the best tea.

He bowed and said, "I'll be waiting outside the door. Just call out if you need anything."

"Hmm, you don't need to serve me here. Go do what you're supposed to do." Zhou Yuande only slightly adopted the demeanor of the Grand Steward in charge of the Emperor, which frightened the waiter into a cold sweat. He thought to himself that the steward, a relative of the county magistrate, was too imposing, even more so than the county magistrate himself.

He didn't dare linger and hurriedly ran away, closing the door behind him.

Tongniang checked the room for anything bad that might have gotten in, while Jiang Yao checked the water and food on the table and said to everyone, "No problem, you can eat."

Chu Liuzheng then picked up the teapot and poured tea for everyone.

Xiao Jingfan stood by the half-open window and looked down.

The garden was brightly lit, as bright as day.

The platform was surrounded by a large crowd of people. Families sat on the stone steps, chatting quietly with each other. Occasionally, there were sounds of children laughing and crying, and adults arguing and bickering. The noise was so lively that it felt like being in a market.

A dark figure pushed the door open and closed it behind him.

Hearing the noise, Xiao Jingfan turned around and looked directly at the person who had come in: "Where is he?"

Xiao Dadao: "Reporting to the Lord, we have just entered the garden and should be in VIP room number three by now."

There are three private rooms on the second floor. Room 1 is on the left side of the stairs and is the largest room on the second floor. Rooms 2 and 3 are on the right side of the stairs, separated only by a wall.

Although Yin Lanci had disguised herself, Ping Xuan had not, so Xiao Da and others who were keeping watch in the shadows spotted her immediately and came to report.

Xiao Jingfan asked, "Is someone monitoring our movements?"

“Yes,” Xiao Da said. “A man in black, with very high martial arts skills, has been following us ever since the carriage entered the city. Judging from his description, he should be the medicine man named Black Cauldron that Ping Xuan mentioned.”

He asked, "My lord, should we arrest the man or take him away now?"

"No need," Xiao Jingfan said. "Proceed according to plan."

"Yes, sir." Xiao Da accepted the order and left. Jiang Yao also put down her cup, stood up, and floated out like a shadow.

The door to the private room closed again, and the sound of gongs and drums could be heard from outside the window.

The noise on the first floor gradually subsided, and the people quieted down.

All the lights around were turned off, leaving only a few on the platform.

The illusion play is about to begin.

"Dong dong dong."

The door to the private room was suddenly knocked on, and not in the way we had agreed upon.

The group exchanged glances, and Chu Liuzheng, who was sitting closest to the door, called out, "Who is it?"

"Miss Chu, it's me." A woman's voice came from outside the door, and Chu Liuzheng felt that it sounded familiar.

She recalled for a moment, turned her head to look at Xiao Jingfan, and whispered, "Young Master, it's Miss Huang."

Upon hearing that the visitor was Huang Ting, Zhou Yuande immediately recalled her plan to implant a love potion in his emperor, and his face instantly darkened. If he were given a knife, he would immediately take it out and stab someone.

Lu Fei grabbed him to prevent the Grand Eunuch from ruining things because he was too eager to protect the master.

Xiao Jingfan gestured for Chu Liuzheng to open the door.

Chu Liuzheng got up and opened the door. The woman outside the door had her face covered by a light veil, revealing only a pair of beautiful, watery eyes. It was Huang Ting, whom he hadn't seen for many days.

"Miss Chu, we meet again." Huang Ting's eyes were smiling, and her voice was also smiling, making her sound very gentle.

Chu Liuzheng smiled slightly, glancing behind her but seeing no one else. She asked a perfunctory question: "Miss Huang, are you here to see the illusion play too?"

Huang Ting nodded: "Ying'er heard that there was a magic troupe performing in Sishui Town and insisted on coming. I couldn't persuade her otherwise, so I brought her here. But we happened to run into a situation where the official seal was stolen and the city gates were blocked. The magic troupe didn't dare to offend the county magistrate and had to waste several days in the city. I almost thought we would have to stay in Sishui Town for ten days or half a month."

"Fortunately, the county government caught the thief. Ying'er is a lively person who can't sit still for a moment. As soon as she heard that the fantasy troupe was going to perform at Xiyuan Garden tonight, she hurriedly dragged me here."

“We arrived early and are in VIP room number two. I was looking out the window when I saw you coming in through the side door. I thought it was a rare coincidence that we met, so I came over to say hello.”

Her words explained the whole story, but to Chu Liuzheng, they sounded like she was trying to cover something up.

It conveys the message, "I wasn't following you; it was just a coincidence that we met. It was all fate, not something I deliberately brought up."

"What a coincidence." Chu Liuzheng smiled, without revealing anything.

Huang Ting glanced discreetly into the quiet private room and sighed softly, "There are only Ying'er and me in the second private room. It's better to watch the fantasy play with more people; it's more lively with everyone chatting and laughing."

Chu Liuzheng chuckled. Huang Ting's words were quite tactful. Was she perhaps waiting for her to invite the two sisters to come and watch the illusion play together?

Just as I was thinking about how to invite him in a natural way, a cold male voice suddenly came from inside: "Who is it?"

(End of this chapter)