ragginovel Chapter 21 Taiping Tongbao
Chapter 21 Taiping Tongbao
Yuebin Inn is located in the middle of South Street. It is an old two-story inn with a small facade and peeling paint on its signboard. But at this moment, three carriages are parked in front of the inn, with small flags stuck on the shafts, each flag embroidered with the character "金" (gold).
Jin? Jin Dynasty?
Lu Chenzhou and Shen Xingyao exchanged a glance, then hid at the alleyway across the street to observe from a distance.
The inn door opened, and three people came out.
They were all dressed in Song Dynasty clothing, but their mannerisms were stiff—their strides were too large, their backs were too straight, and their eyes were too sharp. Moreover, one of them had a faint bluish-black tattoo on the back of his hand.
That was the sign of the Shadow Hall. Lu Chenzhou had seen it in Zhongnan Mountain.
"It really is Yingtang," Shen Xingyao said in a low voice. "What are they doing in Jiangling?"
The three men boarded the carriage, and the driver flicked the reins, sending the carriage heading south—directly towards the dock.
"Should we go or not?" Shen Xingyao asked.
Lu Chenzhou hesitated for a moment.
Following them might alert them. But if we don't, we won't know Ying Tang's purpose in Jiangling.
"Follow," he said, "be careful."
The two followed the carriage at a distance, keeping a distance from which they could see the rear of the carriage.
The carriage traveled through the streets, made several turns, and finally stopped in front of a warehouse.
Lu Chenzhou's pupils contracted.
The warehouse had a circle with three wavy lines drawn above the door.
Jingtao Canal.
The people from the Shadow Hall entered the Stormy Wave Warehouse.
Moreover, the guards at the gate saw them and opened the gate without even asking any questions.
What does this tell us?
Is the Jingtao Society colluding with Yingtang?
Lu Chenzhou's heart sank.
If the clues left by Xiao Bieli are indeed from the Jingtao Society, then what is the relationship between Xiao Bieli and Yingtang?
Or perhaps... the "they" that Xiao Bieli mentioned before his death referred to Yingtang?
The carriage came to a stop, and the three men got off and went into the warehouse. The door closed again.
Lu Chenzhou and Shen Xingyao hid in the shadows of the street corner and waited for about fifteen minutes before the door opened again.
This time, it wasn't just people from Yingtang who came out; there were several others as well—all dressed in black and with their faces covered—who were members of Tingtao Society.
Surging Waves Club, Shadow Hall, Listening to the Waves Courtyard...
There must be a connection between these three.
"Let's go back first," Lu Chenzhou said in a low voice. "We can't stay here any longer."
Shen Xingyao nodded. The two quietly retreated, circling around a few times to make sure no one was following them, before returning to the escort agency.
---
As soon as he entered the backyard, Chen Sihai came to greet him, his face looking rather grim.
"Young Miss, Young Master Lu, you're finally back." He lowered his voice. "We just received news that the City Defense Bureau arrested a man at the docks last night, claiming he's a spy for the Surging Waves Society. The entire city is now searching for any remaining members of the Surging Waves Society, and our escort agency is also under surveillance."
Shen Xingyao's expression changed: "What's going on?"
"I don't know the specifics, but I heard that a list was found on the person they arrested, which included the names of more than a dozen businesses in Jiangling City, including our Sihai Escort Agency." Chen Sihai wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Two groups of officials have already come to question us, and I've dealt with them, but I'm afraid this matter is not over yet."
Shen Xingyao frowned: "A list? We've never had any dealings with the Jingtao Society, so how come we're on the list?"
"That's exactly what's strange," Chen Sihai said. "I suspect that someone deliberately framed us."
As Lu Chenzhou listened, the fragments in his mind began to slowly piece together.
The Shocking Waves Society. The Shadow Hall. The Listening Waves Courtyard. The Four Seas Escort Agency was framed.
And... the Azure Sword's connection to the Prince's Mansion.
All of this is no coincidence.
"Uncle Chen, no one from the escort agency should go out for the next two days," Shen Xingyao decided immediately. "Keep the gates closed and say you don't know anything if anyone asks. I'll go find Commander Li of the City Defense Bureau. He owes my father a favor, so he should be able to help."
"Okay, I'll go arrange it right away." Chen Sihai hurriedly left.
Shen Xingyao turned to look at Lu Chenzhou, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Young Master Lu, you heard it too. Jiangling is a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. Do you... still want to continue investigating?"
Lu Chenzhou looked at her and suddenly asked a question:
"Miss Shen, is it really true that your father... has no connection with the Shocking Waves Society?"
Shen Xingyao was startled.
Her face turned pale instantly, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything.
That silence itself is an answer.
Lu Chenzhou nodded: "I understand."
He turned and walked towards his room.
He stopped at the door without turning back.
"Don't worry, I won't implicate the escort agency. I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
After saying that, he pushed the door open, went inside, and closed it.
Outside the door, Shen Xingyao stood in the courtyard, looking at the tightly closed door, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes tightly.
---
In the room, Lu Chenzhou sat at the table and took out three things from his pocket.
A jade pendant. A black stone. Xiao Bieli's brocade pouch.
He placed them on the table and examined them carefully by candlelight.
The jade pendant was icy cold, but if you held it for a while, you could feel a faint pulse inside, resonating with the sword energy in your chest.
The black stone was rough, but the fine lines on it didn't seem to be naturally formed; they were more like... some kind of runes.
Inside the brocade pouch was a marked note and a small copper coin—not an ordinary copper coin, but one with "Taiping Tongbao" on the front and a tiny "Xiao" character engraved on the back.
Three things, three clues.
The jade pendant points to the Azure Sword, the black stone may be some kind of token, and the brocade pouch points to the Jingtao Society and Xiao Bieli.
And all three lines eventually converge in Gangneung.
Lu Chenzhou closed his eyes, and deep in his consciousness, the Azure Nether Sword reappeared.
This time, the blood lines on the sword were a glaring crimson, and the tip trembled violently, pointing in three directions:
The Prince's Mansion. The Listening to the Waves Courtyard. The Surging Waves Warehouse.
It was as if they were urging him to make a choice quickly.
Where should we go?
---
The Prince's mansion was heavily guarded, and we couldn't get in.
The Tingtao Villa is guarded; forcing your way in would alert the enemy.
The people from the Shadow Hall just went into the Stormy Wave Warehouse; it's too dangerous to go there now.
It seems that every path is blocked.
But Lu Chenzhou suddenly remembered Lu Jinghong's words:
Sometimes, what seems like a dead end is actually a way out.
He opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the black stone.
The old man said that this was a keepsake left by his son who worked on a ship, "which can save his life in an emergency."
What kind of keepsake can save your life in a crisis?
Unless... it represents an organization or an individual.
A thought flashed through my mind.
Lu Chenzhou picked up the black stone, walked to the window, and examined it carefully in the moonlight.
Those fine lines seemed to...move under the moonlight?
No, it's not the patterns that are moving; it's the moonlight shining on the patterns, reflecting extremely faint light, and those points of light connect to vaguely form a pattern.
Lu Chenzhou rotated the stone.
The light spot has changed.
He suddenly realized—this was no ordinary stone, but a special kind of crystal or jade that contained some kind of image that could only be seen under specific angles of light.
He adjusted the angle, and finally, the dots of light stabilized, forming a clear pattern:
A ship.
On the sail, there is a mark drawn—three wavy lines inside a circle.
The Stormy Seas.
This black stone is a token of the Stormy Waves Society!
Lu Chenzhou's heart began to pound.
The old man said his son used to work on ships. What kind of ships? Smuggling ships? Or... ships belonging to the Stormy Waves Society?
In any case, this token might help him enter the Stormy Wave Warehouse.
He put away the stone and then looked at the jade pendant and brocade pouch.
Three things, three paths.
Now, he has a choice.
---
Late at night.
Lu Chenzhou blew out the candles and lay down on the bed, but he didn't fall asleep.
He is waiting.
Wait for Shen Xingyao's reaction—if she really is connected to the Jingtao Society, she will definitely take action tonight.
Sure enough, just after midnight, very light footsteps came from outside the door.
It wasn't one person, it was two people.
The footsteps paused briefly in front of his door before continuing toward the backyard.
Lu Chenzhou got up silently and opened the door a crack.
Under the moonlight, Shen Xingyao and a masked man in black were walking quickly toward the side gate of the backyard.
Lu Chenzhou recognized the figure of the man in black—it was from Jingtao Warehouse.
Shen Xingyao is indeed connected to Jingtao.
The two exited through the side gate and disappeared into the night.
Lu Chenzhou did not follow.
He already knows what he wants to know.
Now, he needs to make a choice.
Should I continue to trust Shen Xingyao? Or...act alone?
He touched the black stone in his arms and then looked at the faint bluish light emanating from the jade pendant on his chest.
Ultimately, he made a decision.
Push open the door and step into the night.
The direction—not the direction Shen Xingyao went.
It's another direction.
Jingtao Canal.
He wanted to go and see for himself what secrets were hidden there.
This time, however, he doesn't intend to rely on anyone.