Chapter Ninety-Six: The Hidden One

You always claim to be a madman, but in my eyes, Thirteenth Sister, there aren’t many people as clear-headed as you. Since you’ve spoken, I have nothing to hide. I indeed have something I want your help with! Thirteenth Sister naturally had nothing to hide either. She spoke right away: “I’ve also said it myself: someone like me can’t stop earning money. It’s destined to be a businessman. Businessmen have no unprofitable trades in their eyes. You, the wine madman, naturally understand this. So right now, he wasn’t in a hurry to answer, but kept his gaze on the other person, in a listening posture, to let them continue speaking. Indeed, Thirteenth Sister paused slightly: ‘The reason I asked you to drink this wine is because this matter is related to the friend who sent me the wine. She’s been looking for a person, and this person is like you, a Central Plains person, so!’”

“So you want me, the wine madman, to impersonate him?” It slipped out instinctively. The originally serious scene suddenly took on a somewhat amusing tone. Looking at his posture, the wine madman was quite serious, with no trace of joking. But Thirteenth Sister clearly laughed. She wasn’t the reserved type of girl, so she had no reservations about her smile, and even while laughing, she couldn’t help but taunt: “Forget it, with you, the person my friend wants to find is a hero of the Central Plains martial arts, outstanding in appearance, dignified and proper. Where would he look like you, dressed sloppily, with a long beard dragging down? Impersonating him isn’t to deliberately mock me, is it?”

“Since you’ve said it this way, then I’m relieved, the wine madman. I really was afraid you’d ask me to!” When someone said it like that, a normal person would probably have gotten angry, but at this moment, on the wine madman’s face, there was not a trace of anger. Instead, he looked as if he had set down a heavy burden, let out a light sigh, and his hand naturally rested on the hot water pot. The cup of water he had just drunk had gone down, although it had alleviated some of the chill, it seemed he still wanted another cup. The water fell into the cup, naturally steaming hot. He wasn’t in a hurry to drink it, after all, the water was still too hot. After waiting a moment, he continued: “Thirteenth Sister, why did you ask me for help?”

“My friend in the Central Plains is also a notable person. If the person she wants to find is still in the Central Plains, she couldn’t fail to find him. And in fact, since that person disappeared three years ago without a word, she has almost searched every corner of the Central Plains and Jiangnan regions, but couldn’t find any trace of him, so!”

“At first, I said exactly that to my friend, but she would never believe it, no matter what. To see a person alive is one thing, to see a corpse dead is another. Besides, if he truly wanted to die, no one could stop him. I was just fulfilling my duty as a friend, to help her look for him. You’re also from the Central Plains, perhaps you know the Central Plains people in Shuozhou City better than I do. I hope you can secretly help me find out if there is anyone my friend is looking for. Remember one thing: you must not cause too much commotion!”

The first half was full of emotional undertones. Obviously, Thirteenth Sister’s thoughts were also influenced by the scenes in her words. As for the second half, her voice became much softer and carried a cautious tone, as if she was deliberately emphasizing it.

“I thought Thirteenth Sister was just a businessman. It seems I’ve misjudged you, the wine madman. Just from what you said earlier, and because you have such a devoted friend, I know Thirteenth Sister is also the type who values love and righteousness. You just hide it well in front of people, so no one can see it. Even though the wine madman drank your friend’s peerless fine wine and helped you, according to your abilities, finding a person in Shuozhou City would be easier than the wine madman. It’s just that he’s afraid of causing too much commotion, and if that person learns about it, he might run away again. This point the wine madman understands!”

The person who pretends to be foolish is most afraid when it’s time to be sensible, not that others are afraid, but he himself. So this time, the wine madman didn’t hesitate. Although the sensation from the water cup was still somewhat hot, he still drank it all in one gulp. After finishing the water, his body stood up abruptly: “However, some ugly words I’ll say in advance. Since this person can hide from your friend, he must be good at hiding. Even if he is truly in Shuozhou City, the wine madman may not be able to find him. I can only do my best. If I really can’t find him in the end, Thirteenth Sister, you must not blame me for failing to fulfill my duty!”

“Of course not!” No matter what, success could be expected when there was no matter. Moreover, Shuozhou City was such a huge place, with people coming and going, and the flow of people wasn’t small. To find a person here was no different from looking for a needle in the sea, so it wouldn’t be too easy. Looking at the figure standing up and speaking, she understood that the wine madman was unwilling to stay in this boudoir for too long, so she also stood up, directly handing the opened wine jar to the other person: “Since this jar of wine is the one I asked you to drink, you should take it with you. After all, it’s a waste to leave it here. This matter has troubled you!”

Although the wine had many flavors, one could only truly feel them when drunk in the mouth. If it was just placed in front of the eyes, one could only smell the faint fragrance. No one could guess that it had such an effect. However, it was indeed a fine jar of wine. The name wine madman wasn’t simple; it meant he was a lover of wine. Since he had agreed to the other person’s request, it wasn’t that he accepted without giving anything in return. So he accepted it quite readily. His figure habitually swayed, as if he couldn’t stand steadily after drinking too much, and he walked out swaying toward the door, leaving only the gaze of Autumn Thirteenth Sister, which remained fixed on his back, with a slight upward curve at the corner of her mouth.

“Come out. Do as I instructed. I never thought that such a romantic figure as Thirteenth Sister would be bored enough to accompany you in doing such a thing!” The sound of stumbling down the stairs became increasingly distant. Obviously, the wine madman had already descended the stairs. As for what kind of scene was waiting downstairs, Autumn Thirteenth Sister didn’t care. Her wine cup wasn’t far away. When she said this, her gaze naturally stayed on the wine cup. Inside, it was basically still full of one cup. As for things like four-season wine, she ultimately only dared to drink the first small mouthful. To others, four seasons gathered together—that was the flavor. But in her eyes, it was just pointless self-inflicted suffering, so she left the wine where it was. At least right now, she didn’t want to drink even a drop more.

A figure, accompanied by her voice, slowly walked out from behind the bed. Covered by light gauze, her figure appeared extremely graceful. Paired with her exquisite and unparalleled face, when standing together with Thirteenth Sister, it was truly two different styles. How to put it? One was the peerless boss lady of the northern desert, her face dyed with lead powder, and the other seemed like a clear and emerald lotus in the Jiangnan region, charming and enchanting, in stark contrast to her reserved and restrained nature. Originally, each had their own charm, and when placed before different people, they naturally had their own reasons for liking them. The figure quickly sat down. Even though she wanted to deliberately maintain composure, her face, whether in her gaze or her brows, revealed a trace of joy.

“Living in the northern desert, I suppose you’ve been living quite happily. And I dare say you want to continue like this, right?” The words spoken from the figure’s mouth seemed rather plain, with no deliberate posture at all. If one had to find something, perhaps it was only the word envy. But this time, Thirteenth Sister’s expression clearly changed. The carefree feeling from earlier seemed to dissipate completely. Her gaze could be said to be fixed dead on this figure, and the meaning contained within it was only something she herself understood. At this moment, the other’s gaze wasn’t directed at her. You’d better not say, the act of pouring water seemed like an ordinary and unremarkable thing in the other’s eyes, not requiring much effort. In the blink of an eye, the cup of water had gone down. The warm air rose, and only then did she continue: “Rest assured. Since you hope to live such a life, I naturally hope you can continue to live it. So, as long as you can accomplish this for me, the name Blue Lotus Cult will be completely wiped from your life. You will only be the boss lady of Tianxiang Pavilion, with no other identities. Thirteenth Sister, I wonder if my words can match your wishes?”