Needless to say, this woman's hair was nice to the touch. The softness from her hair made him feel comfortable.
Niu Youdao closed his eyes and enjoyed it. He waited for her to say what she wanted to say.
"Daoye, that Wei Duo is still kneeling outside." Shang Shuqing reminded him.
Niu Youdao said indifferently, "The Shanghai Sect wants to kill me! If he wants to kneel, let him kneel! "
Shang Shuqing fell silent again. When he was helping him with his hair, he said, "If Daoye needs a quiet place for closed-door meditation, we have an absolutely safe place here. At least it hasn't been exposed to outsiders yet."
Niu Youdao nodded. "Is there one here? Where is it? "
Shang Shuqing said, "To be honest with Daoye, our foundation in Canglu County is not only what we see. There is also an arcane realm!"
"Arcane realm?" Niu Youdao slowly opened his eyes and asked, "What kind of arcane realm?"
Shang Shuqing said, "It's very important. It's not convenient to tell Daoye the details now. If Daoye is willing to go there for closed-door meditation, he will naturally see it."
Niu Youdao pondered for a while. "If it's safe, there's no harm in going."
Shang Shuqing said, "Alright! Arrange it for Daoye immediately. But it might take a few days to cover up. Otherwise, if Daoye suddenly disappears, it will be easy for sister-in-law to suspect it. "
"I can wait for a few days." Niu Youdao finally agreed. But after a moment of silence, he asked again, "You're the one who persuaded Prince and Mr. Lan to let me go to that arcane realm for closed-door meditation, right?"
Shang Shuqing was stunned for a moment. She did not know how he guessed it. That place was of great importance. Shang Chaozong and Lan Ruoting were indeed hesitant to let Niu Youdao go there. She was the one who strongly persuaded them. She didn't answer and asked, "Does Daoye have a hairpin?"
She had already coiled up Niu Youdao's hair into a bun, only then did she realize that she needed a hairpin to hold it in place.
Seeing that she was avoiding the question, Niu Youdao did not ask any further. In fact, he was well aware that the reason they wanted him to go into closed-door meditation in that arcane realm was more or less because they were worried that he would never return. The crux of the matter wasn't whether he could return or not. With the support of the Heavenly Jade Sect, his usefulness had already weakened. The crux of the matter was that he had revealed an important plan to him. In addition, he knew the truth about the one hundred thousand Crow Generals. If this news were to leak out, he would be consigned to eternal damnation.
If it were someone else with a more ruthless heart, they would have already silenced him. However, it wasn't that easy for Shang Chaozong to kill him silently. It would also be difficult for him to borrow the cultivators from Feng Ruonan's side. There was no way he could explain this to Feng Ruonan and the Heavenly Jade Sect. Didn't they say that he, Niu Youdao, was helpful in finding the one hundred thousand Crow Generals? Without a valid reason to make a move, the Heavenly Jade Sect would definitely want to find out what was going on.
"I don't use hairpins, so where would I get one?" Niu Youdao smiled.
Shang Shuqing hesitated for a moment before he plucked a relatively neutral hairpin from his own bun and inserted it into Niu Youdao's bun. When she wasn't out, she didn't wear a gauze hat. She only covered half of her face with a scarf.
Shang Shuqing scrutinized Niu Youdao's neat and tidy hairstyle and asked with a smile, "What do you think, Daoye?"
"Mirror." Niu Youdao beckoned Yuan Gang over.
Yuan Gang quickly brought a bronze mirror over. Niu Youdao took the mirror and looked at it, then asked Yuan Gang, "What do you think?"
Yuan Gang replied, "Not bad. You look much more energetic."
The bronze mirror was returned to him. Niu Youdao stood up and turned around. He stroked his bun and smiled, "Since the Princess personally made it, I can't bear to let it go."
Shang Shuqing pursed his lips into a smile, "It's fine. If Daoye doesn't mind, I'll do it for you in the future."
Niu Youdao waved his hand. How could he order the Princess around like a maidservant …
In Canglu County, the storm after the purge had quickly calmed down. Some families were happy while others were sad. Everyone knew that the commoners couldn't resist the trend and could only go with the flow.
On the street, there was a stationery shop called 'Quiet Ink Pavilion'. It was the best stationery shop in the county. The quality of the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in the shop was also the best in the county. Quiet Ink Pavilion seemed to be doing business as usual, but someone had changed to take care of the counter. The original shopkeeper had been affected by the recent storm and said that he had gone to avoid the limelight. This wasn't a special case. Many shop owners seemed to maintain a similar attitude after witnessing the looting of their shops.
The new shopkeeper was dressed in plain clothes and had a thin figure. He took a feather duster and dusted the furniture carefully.
The three people who were strolling along the street walked to the entrance of Quiet Ink Pavilion. They looked up at the signboard and quietly observed their surroundings before entering the shop.
"Customers, please take a look …" The new shopkeeper turned around and greeted them. Before he could finish his words, he was stunned when he saw the leader of the three people.
The burly man in the lead looked at the furnishings in the shop and slowly approached the new shopkeeper.
The new shopkeeper said in a deep voice, "Brother Liu, why are you here?"
The man also said in a low voice, "Lu Shengzhong, Wang Heng asked you to avenge Young Master Yan Qing, but you came here to sell brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Why are you pretending to be elegant?"
Just as he said, this new shopkeeper was none other than Lu Shengzhong, who had come to take Niu Youdao's head under Wang Heng's order. This man was none other than Liu Ziyu, the son of Liu Lu, the steward of the Song family in the capital's Supreme Court. He was also a disciple of the Retain Immortals Sect. He had also come here after receiving the order from the Song family.
Although they weren't very familiar with each other, they had met each other before because the Song family and the Wang family were in-laws. Naturally, they knew each other and knew each other's background.
'You're the one pretending to be elegant!' Lu Shengzhong cursed inwardly. 'You're just a servant. How dare you come out here and order me around?'
He kept his unpleasant words to himself and said politely, "This isn't the place to talk. Come to the back hall." Looking at the commotion outside, he put down the feather duster and turned around. He lifted a curtain and entered.
Liu Ziyu and the other two followed him in. When they met in the back hall, Lu Shengzhong asked again, "Why are you here?"
Liu Ziyu said indifferently, "Do I need to ask? I was afraid that you couldn't handle it alone, so I came to keep an eye on you. My family values you so much, but you're so carefree. Are you going to make a fool of yourself and report back? "
Lu Shengzhong smiled bitterly. "Brother Liu, since you're here, don't you know the situation in Canglu County? Niu Youdao has so many experts around him. It's not that easy to make a move. Am I not looking for an opportunity? "
Liu Ziyu grunted coldly. "Don't give me that. Who are you trying to fool? I've been watching you for more than a day or two. You hide in this shop and don't even go out to gather information. How do you think I can find an opportunity to make a move like this? "
Lu Shengzhong sighed. "Presently, this place is already under Shang Chaozong's control. Who knows if he's set up any hidden sentries. Gathering information everywhere and attracting attention is courting death. So what if I manage to gather information? Bai Yao is by Niu Youdao's side. Can we make a move directly? So we can only make a move with our wits and not force! "
Liu Ziyu's brows raised. "Hiding in this stationery shop is considered making a move with our wits?"
Lu Shengzhong shook his head and seemed to be slightly helpless. "Brother Liu, since you've been watching me for more than a day or two, I presume you know something. Let me ask you, how does my Silent Ink Pavilion compare to other similar shops in Cangwu County?"
Liu Ziyu frowned. "It's considered the best. What does this have to do with you making a move with your wits?"
Lu Shengzhong shrugged. "Think about it. Shang Chaozong has so many people, so it's impossible for him to not use any brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, right? On this piece of land, with the level of people like Shang Chaozong, the stationery they use naturally wouldn't be inferior. If they want to purchase something, then this Silent Ink Pavilion would surely be their first choice. This is an opportunity to come into contact with them, and it's the least likely to arouse suspicion! "
As soon as he finished speaking, a person who was standing guard behind the curtain and peeking through a crack to observe the outside suddenly shushed and signaled for everyone to be quiet.
Subsequently, someone shouted from outside. "Is the shopkeeper here?"
Lu Shengzhong raised his hand to indicate Liu Ziyu to wait for a moment, and then he quickly pulled open the curtain and walked out. He was stunned when he saw the attire of a robust man outside. Others might not recognize him, but he did. It was precisely the attire of Ying Yang Wu Lie Graud, not to mention the saber hanging on his waist. Lu Shengzhong instantly welcomed him with a face full of smiles. "Sir, what would you like to order?"
The man inquired about the price of some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, then ordered some for each of them. After paying, he asked Lu Shengzhong to pack them up.
Lu Shengzhong didn't say much, but when he was packing them up, he wrote a poem, blew it dry, and put it in the bag.
Seeing this, the man asked curiously, "Shopkeeper, what did you write to put in the bag?"
Lu Shengzhong chuckled. "It's a stationery shop, after all. What we sell is elegance. I just wrote a poem and put it in, to please the esteemed customer. I hope you'll come again." He placed the packed items in front of the man.
The man chuckled. "You scholars are so particular." He shook his head, picked up the items, and left.
After sending the man to the door, Lu Shengzhong looked left and right before quickly returning to the back hall. He bumped into Liu Ziyu, who was peeping from behind the curtain.
Liu Ziyu turned around and followed him. "Ying Yang Wu Lie Graud's man?"
"It seems like my judgment was correct." Lu Shengzhong rubbed his hands excitedly. "I heard that Shang Shuqing is a person skilled in the four arts. I put a good poem in, and if Ying Yang Wu Lie Graud's man brings it back, it will definitely reach her ears and attract her attention. This is an opportunity to gradually get in touch with her, and I'll wait for an opportunity to act! Even if it causes other insiders to come into contact with me. "
"A good poem?" Liu Ziyu looked him up and down. "You can write poems? Are you sure that a poem you wrote will attract their interest? "
Lu Shengzhong chuckled. He walked to a small table inside, grinded some ink, dipped the brush in the ink, and wrote a poem on a piece of paper. He put down the brush, took off the paper, and turned to hand it to Liu Ziyu. "Brother Liu, how about appreciating this poem?"
Liu Ziyu's face was full of suspicion. She received it and looked at it, muttering, "Those who have seen the ocean cannot see the water, those who have not seen Mount Wu cannot see the clouds. Looking back at the flowers, half fate is to cultivate the Dao, half fate is to be a monarch! " After looking at it, she nodded and looked at the other with surprise. "Good poem, it really is a good poem. I didn't expect Brother Lu to have such talent!" There was a hint of admiration in her expression.
Lu Shengzhong waved his hand. "I'm sorry. This isn't actually my poem, but one that your young master, Song Yanqing, gave to me. I'm just borrowing it." As he spoke of this, he felt a little emotional. He had suddenly heard that Song Yanqing had a talent for poetry, and when Song Yanqing had come to visit his father-in-law, Wang Heng, he had complimented him. In the end, Song Yanqing had really written a poem for him, and two of them at once. He had been disdainful at first, but after seeing it, he was greatly surprised. They really were good poems!
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