The Ace Bigshot Becomes A Farmgirl

The group stayed in the prefecture for a day. After Meng Yunzheng confirmed that they weren’t being followed, he left a message for Qi Lie.

On the second day, they headed straight to Heichang County.

For Shu Yu and the other two, it was a return to familiar grounds, but for Ying Xi and Xia Yan, it was their first time here. Although they had been to many places, Heichang County was unlike any place they had seen before.

The disparity between the rich and the poor was huge. The wealthy were very wealthy, but most lived in hardship. There were many more beggars on the streets compared to other towns, and most people seemed ashen and dispirited.

Their carriage moved rather slowly, so it wasn’t long before Zhao Xi frowned and said, ”It seems like someone is following us.”

”We’ve been tailed since we entered the city,” Meng Yunzheng said. ”At the city gate, there were two people at the corner wall keeping an eye on the carriages entering. When we leaned out to show our travel permit to the guards, they got up and lined up behind us to enter the city.”

”So what should we do now? Should we capture them and ask for the temple master’s whereabouts?”

Shu Yu let down the carriage curtain and sat up straight. ”They’re just small fry tasked with keeping an eye on us. They might not know master’s whereabouts. We should act as if we know nothing and follow the normal route after receiving the letter. After arriving in Heichang County, we should head directly to master’s residence to look for her.”

The letter contained the address of the Dongqing Temple master. Shu Yu was quite familiar with Heichang County’s layout, so the group headed straight to the alley mentioned in the letter.

As soon as the carriage entered the alley, they became instantly alert, proceeding cautiously towards the fifth courtyard.

When Ying Xi reached the courtyard, they found that it was locked.

She turned back, ”Miss, it seems there’s no one here.”

Shu Yu thought Shu Feng and the others would be lying in wait to catch them, but it turned out to be a trick.

The group alighted from the carriage, just as the door of the neighboring courtyard opened, and out came a middle-aged woman with somewhat dark skin.

Seeing them, the woman paused for a moment, then asked, ”Who are you looking for?”

Shu Yu and Meng Yunzheng glanced at each other, then smiled and said, ”We’re looking for the person who lives in this courtyard. Auntie, do you know where she’s gone?”

”Oh, you’re looking for Master Dongqing? She left yesterday, said she had something urgent and would be back in a few days. Before she left, she told me that someone might come looking for her in the next few days and asked me to pass on the message if anyone came.”

Shu Yu was thoughtful, ”I see, thank you, auntie. We’ll come back in a couple of days to find her.”

”Alright, I’ll inform Master Dongqing when she returns.” After speaking, the aunt smiled and went back into the courtyard.

The group got back into the carriage and exchanged glances.

”Looks like they aren’t ready to make a move yet,” Shu Yu glanced at the closed gate of the neighboring courtyard. ”The woman is either one of theirs or has been bribed.”

Shu Quan had said that master was being controlled by Shu Feng. Then how could there have been any opportunity to entrust this woman with a message?

And it was clear that this woman had been intentionally waiting behind the gate to come out upon hearing us; otherwise, why did she turn back inside right after speaking?

”We still have no idea where they took master.”

Meng Yunzheng squeezed her hand, ”Don’t worry, since we’re here, they’ll show up sooner or later. Let’s find an inn to settle in for now.”

”Alright.”