Miss Truth
Chapter 515 - 341: The Teacher Dies Before Achieving Success - Part 2

Chapter 515: Chapter 341: The Teacher Dies Before Achieving Success - Part 2

Ran Yan’s heart softened, and she reached out to encircle his neck, giving him a kiss that was neither too deep nor too shallow.

Xiao Song rubbed her hair, "Go ahead, I’ve already informed Bai Yi to meet you outside."

"So you had already agreed to let me go, yet you still treated me with a cold face," Ran Yan frowned.

"This is a helpless measure, my lady must take it to heart," Xiao Song said with a smile. He paused in his movements, smelled the strong fragrance of tea in the pot, and couldn’t help but pat her buttocks, "You’ve ruined a good pot of tea!"

"Once I find Brother Ten, I’ll have him compensate you; he’s a wealthy man," Ran Yan jumped away and smiled brightly at him, then hurried down the path.

Xiao Song was stunned for a moment, his slender fingers touching the lips that Ran Yan had just kissed, and a gentle smile bloomed on his face, adding more grace to his demeanor.

He summoned Wan Lu to clear the tea set, stood up, and stroked his robe, heading straight for the stables.

Although Ran Yan had left before Xiao Song, she waited near the Inner Gate for a while. After Xiao Song rode out of the residence, she disguised herself as a servant and left the residence with the servants returning to Chang’an.

About the time it took to drink two cups of tea, Bai Yi came to meet her. The two passed through a forest on horseback, and after a while, Ran Yan saw the Zhuangzi of Cheng’s residence where she had attended the Noble Lady gathering before; its large plum garden was easy to recognize.

Moving south from Cheng’s residence was about eleven or twelve li, and the trees around became denser until they finally were surrounded by dense forest.

Bai Yi had been observing this area for over half a month and had thoroughly familiarized himself with the surroundings. After entering the forest, he found a hidden place to tie up the horses.

Ran Yan looked around, only then could she see a small hill nearby. If it was meant as a summer retreat, it indeed wouldn’t be bad, but under normal circumstances, the Princess could not leave the residence casually, nor had she heard of the Princess of Baling being particularly favored. How could she have been granted the privilege to build a residence outside, and in such a nice location at that?

Ran Yan thought about it and asked Bai Yi.

"The Princess of Baling and Princess of Gao Yang are close," Bai Yi was not much of a talker, but he always focused on the crucial points.

Ran Yan nodded; no wonder they later conspired together. The current Princess of Gao Yang was only about twelve or thirteen years old, very much favored. The Princess of Baling being close to her was more likely just using her.

"Dr. Liu is waiting for us ahead..."

Bai Yi was halfway through speaking when Ran Yan interrupted him, "Liu Qingsong is also here!"

No wonder Ran Yan was startled; she was almost allergic to Liu Qingsong. Hearing that Liu Qingsong was also there, she immediately felt as if she had failed before even beginning.

Bai Yi did not notice Ran Yan’s unusual reaction and just affirmed with a nod.

As the biological brother of Ran Yun, Ran Yun was bound to be even more worried. If Liu Qingsong did not show up, Ran Yun might well skin him. Therefore, Ran Yan deeply understood and could not prevent Liu Qingsong from coming. Thus, she was determined to stay far away from Liu Qingsong during tonight’s activities.

"The path here is rough; you need to be careful," Bai Yi warned.

To avoid alerting the guards in the other courtyards, they definitely couldn’t make any light. The two men groped their way in the dark. Bai Yi’s memory was strong, and the paths he chose had few vines or bushes, and since Ran Yan had some experience with outdoor traveling, it wasn’t too difficult for her.

Back in Suzhou, Bai Yi had known about Ran Yan’s involvement in autopsy investigations. Despite this, he couldn’t help but divert some of his attention to her, fearing she might become delicate like other young ladies and cause some kind of problem, after all, she was the main wife of a marquis.

Although Ran Yan was somewhat struggling, the resilience she showed made Bai Yi nod in approval internally, and thus he shifted more of his attention back to the task at hand.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they saw more than a dozen shadows fluttering ahead.

"Big brother?" Someone on the other side detected movement and swiftly turned back on guard.

Bai Yi grunted acknowledgment and walked over with Ran Yan. By now, Ran Yan, like Bai Yi, had her face covered, so the others only saw a figure smaller in stature. Since she came with Bai Yi, they did not ask further.

Though everyone’s faces were covered, Ran Yan immediately recognized Liu Qingsong, who was a good half-head taller than the others and so skinny it seemed the wind could blow him away. He was particularly conspicuous.

"What’s the situation?" Bai Yi asked.

Someone answered, "Just like a few days ago, there are eighty guards around the courtyard, divided into three shifts, with a complete change each time, so we estimate that there are at least two hundred and forty guards in the entire estate. We had a group of bandits attack the estate earlier, and each of those guards is highly skilled. With only fifty or so of us, and even though we have quite a few drugs, it’s hard to approach the estate without making any noise."

"The master has made arrangements, so we’ll just wait quietly," Bai Yi said.

Ran Yan sighed in relief, thinking that since Xiao Song was willing to let her come, he must have planned everything very thoroughly. She relaxed slightly and began to observe the surrounding environment.

They were standing on a slope near the estate, enabling them to roughly overlook the whole scene.

The estate was built against a mountain, brightly lit inside. From here, they could faintly hear the sounds of music and dancing inside, so despite the dense forest covering, they could clearly see that the entire estate occupied an area of more than thirty acres.

The size of the place was not a problem. Located away from other villages and shops, once they could control the people inside, they could search as long as they wanted.

Summer was not an easy time to squat in the woods, but fortunately, Ran Yan was prepared and quietly sprinkled mosquito repellent around, which made it a bit better.

After waiting in the distance for a little over an hour, Liu Qingsong started to show signs of impatience, "I say, when exactly is his arrangement going to happen!"

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, there was movement at the side door, and everyone held their breath to watch closely.

The light was too dim to make out anything.

"Our chance has come," Bai Yi whispered, "Ten days ago, the master arranged for Ben Xiao to find two reliable and beautiful performers to pretend to be sisters in distress, looking for an opportunity to get close to the estate."

The estate had few maid servants, and although they were all pretty, they couldn’t touch anything without the permission of Princess Baling. The guards, not being formally trained by the Court’s army and mostly made up of rangers or even former bullies, had not seen women for many years. Upon seeing such beautiful sisters, how could they resist. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)