Chapter 43: Betrayal

Hearing activity outside, Shi Chun immediately got up. As he was about to stroll over to Bian Weikang's side, passing under the corridor of a small courtyard, he suddenly heard a soft sound coming from inside a room. He turned his head to look and saw a familiar face behind a half-open window. It was none other than Cen Futong.

Shi Chun quickly glanced around, feigning a leisurely stroll, and casually approached the window. He asked in a low voice, "Why are you staying here?"

"I moved in last night. Everything's ready on my end."

"Just stick to the original plan."

"Alright. I was worried you might be unsure, so I came specifically to give you confirmation."

"Brother Cen is indeed dependable, a man capable of great things." Shi Chun praised him verbally but inwardly cursed, thinking it was insane to have such a conspicuous target.

He then left that area, taking a winding path directly to Bian Weikang's room and knocking on the door.

The person inside was already awake. The door opened with a single knock, and the two met to agree on their departure time.

Afterwards, they each prepared. Shi Chun and his companion also took the opportunity to try the breakfast here.

Time was too short, and there were many things they hadn't had a chance to experience. Only the important matters took precedence; everything else could wait.

When they left the Carefree Pavilion, the group of four showed no significant changes, except for Xiang Lan'er, who wore a cloak to cover her face.

The couple preferred to avoid further encounters, so Shi Chun and his companion had no choice but to respect their wishes. Instead of passing through the bustling area at the foot of the mountain, they went directly to the cliff above the Carefree Pavilion and then disappeared into the vast, primordial forest.

As they soared and dashed, their varying cultivation levels became apparent. Among the four, only Bian Weikang possessed high-level martial cultivation; the other three were unremarkable. Fortunately, Bian Weikang didn't discriminate based on gender and slowed his pace to accompany them as they flew...

At the Bo Wang Tower, Che Si rushed to Miao Yilan's office and sought permission, "Miss Miao."

"Come in," Miao Yilan's voice replied.

Che Si immediately entered, approached Miao Yilan's desk, and glanced at the beautiful feather that had been repositioned. He reported, "Miss Miao, Shi Chun, Bian Weikang, and Xiang Lan'er have left. It seems they've departed Zhaotian City, and I couldn't keep following them."

"Left?" Miao Yilan, who had just picked up and opened an account book, froze. She then turned to him and asked, "Didn't they say they'd pay back the debt within three days? How will they pay if they've left?"

She found it hard to believe Shi Chun would act so untrustworthily towards her. Could he really think that after leaving the Land of Exile, he was free as a bird and she couldn't do anything about them?

For her, the money wasn't a big deal; she simply didn't want to be deceived like a fool.

Che Si replied, "I don't know what happened, but judging by Old Dong and Big Stone's secretive behavior yesterday, they likely know the inside story."

Miao Yilan pondered for a moment, paused her work, and stood up. "Call them both here," she instructed.

"Yes," Che Si replied, then departed.

Old Dong and Big Stone, who had taken leave yesterday, had returned to their normal duties. Both were responsible for inbound and outbound logistics in the storeroom, essentially working as porters.

Whether they wanted to or not, Che Si easily took the two away after invoking Miao Yilan's authority to the person in charge of the storeroom.

All the way there, the two kept asking what was happening, but Che Si didn't answer. He led them directly to Miao Yilan's office.

At the balcony railing, Miao Yilan was basking in the morning sun, her entire being enveloped in a glow. She was waiting for them. Upon their arrival, they bowed and greeted her.

Miao Yilan turned around and wasted no time with pleasantries. She directly asked, "Do you know that Shi Chun and the others left Zhaotian City today?"

"No."

"Yes."

The two spoke simultaneously but gave different answers: Old Dong said he didn't know, and Big Stone said he did.

Old Dong's face instantly turned green. He didn't know where to look, avoiding Miao Yilan's gaze, and felt an urge to strangle Big Stone.

Big Stone also felt awkward. He probably guessed that Old Che's "no" meant he didn't want to disclose information, but his own "yes" wasn't meant to reveal secrets either. He figured that Shi Chun's departure from Zhaotian City couldn't be hidden; otherwise, they wouldn't have been summoned to be asked about it.

Miao Yilan, who usually carried herself with grace and gentleness, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the two starkly different answers. She genuinely hadn't expected these two to dare to deceive her so blatantly.

Che Si let out a cold snort, his gaze turning frigid as he looked at Old Dong. Anyone who said "no" was clearly lying.

Just as he was about to speak and jeopardize Old Dong's job, Old Dong suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "I remember now! Big Stone's right, I drank too much yesterday and got a bit confused. Yes, yes, Shi Chun and the others did mention leaving today during the meal."

Miao Yilan's beautiful lips curved slightly. She asked, "They just left like that? The money he borrowed from me, isn't he going to return it?"

Old Dong immediately replied, "He will pay it back. He said that barring any unforeseen circumstances, someone would deliver the money today."

Miao Yilan was puzzled. "Can Bian Weikang pay him back that quickly?"

Big Stone lowered his head slightly, unsure what to say.

To everyone's surprise, Old Dong clearly stated, "Bian Weikang has no money to repay him. Shi Chun made arrangements with Lü Taizhen. He'll get the money by selling Xiang Lan'er to Lü Taizhen."

Big Stone abruptly turned to look at him, then quickly lowered his head again to hide his surprised reaction.

Miao Yilan and Che Si both looked bewildered. They simply couldn't understand. They had stolen Lü Taizhen's person, and now they were selling her back to Lü Taizhen? Had they heard correctly? What was the point of such a convoluted scheme?

Old Dong, however, wore a sincere expression, as if he hadn't told a single lie.

Che Si couldn't help but interject, "How will he sell her?"

Old Dong replied, "I don't know the exact details of the sale. The transaction method was likely secretly negotiated with Cen Futong, Cao Puqing's nephew. He didn't tell us."

Che Si retorted, "Secret negotiations? What's there to negotiate secretly? Besides, what kind of scheme is this, robbing the person Lü Taizhen intended to buy and then selling her back to him? Are they bored, or do they think Lü Taizhen has too much time on his hands?"

Old Dong explained, "It's different. Lü Taizhen would have to pay 500,000 gold if he bought her from Liyun Tower, but only 200,000 gold if he buys her from Shi Chun."

"What the...?" Miao Yilan and Che Si couldn't immediately grasp it, but then they realized the crux of the matter.

Upon closer reflection, they gradually pieced together the hidden trick, both left wide-eyed and speechless.

After a long moment, Miao Yilan seemed to awaken from a dream, staring at Old Dong and Big Stone. "Where are they making this transaction?" she asked.

It was clear to anyone that the woman seemed intent on stopping the transaction.

Old Dong shook his head. "We truly don't know the specifics of the transaction, and he wouldn't tell us either. When he first borrowed the money, we had no idea he intended to do this. We only found out after the person was redeemed. He said that since we are now people of Bo Wang Tower, he wouldn't let us get involved in this matter, only asking us to help transfer the delivered money back to you."

He had to emphasize this to distance himself and show that he hadn't gone out to participate in private work.

Miao Yilan's expression was complex. She sighed, "That's a living person, after all. How can they just be sold back and forth like that?"

Old Dong and Big Stone were startled, both looking at her with surprise. If even this couldn't be done, then they wouldn't have survived anything; they would have starved to death long ago in the Land of Exile.

Big Stone then tried to remind her, "Miss Miao, she was a courtesan to begin with. She was meant to be sold."

Old Dong also nodded in agreement. "Whether Liyun Tower sold her to Lü Taizhen or Shi Chun sells her to Lü Taizhen, it's still a sale. There's no difference. Shi Chun is just making a profit from the price difference."

Miao Yilan was utterly speechless. The other party paid 450,000, and you only paid 50,000. What right do you have to sell her? Most importantly, it ruined a couple who were deeply in love, and that was something she couldn't accept.

She had been foolish enough to believe him before, even moved by Shi Chun's claim that "true love outweighs countless riches." It turned out his words had to be taken in reverse; that scoundrel's cultured demeanor was indeed a pretense. He was truly despicable!

Old Dong and Big Stone aside, the real issue was Che Si's reaction. Initially, he was as shocked as she was, but now there was a hint of admiration and awe in his eyes. Was he actually praising Shi Chun's cunning?

Since that was the case, she didn't want to say more. She waved her hand, dismissing them.

As Che Si and the two others reached the staircase landing, just about to descend, they suddenly moved urgently to the side to make way. They all bowed in unison and greeted, "Madam Proprietor."

Someone was coming up from downstairs. It was none other than Lan Qiaoyan, the manager of Bo Wang Tower in the Land of Exile.

She was there to see her daughter. She didn't have to stay cooped up in the Land of Exile; she could enter and exit whenever she pleased. In fact, she spent most of her time in the outside world.

She nodded slightly in acknowledgment. She was familiar with Che Si. As her gaze swept over the faces of the other two, she suddenly paused in surprise and asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Not only had Old Dong and Big Stone met her in the Land of Exile, but she had also personally recommended them for positions at Bo Wang Tower recently, so there was no way she wouldn't recognize them.

Old Dong replied on behalf of both of them, "The person in charge saw that you had recommended us and asked if we knew Miss Miao. We said we did, and he said it's easier to communicate with acquaintances, so he transferred us here."

"..." Lan Qiaoyan was speechless. "Never mind," she thought. She waved her hand, indicating they should get back to their work, and then turned and left.

Upon entering her daughter's office, she found her daughter staring blankly at the balcony railing, so lost in thought that she didn't notice her mother's approach. Lan Qiaoyan immediately roused her and asked what was wrong.

What else could be wrong? Miao Yilan recounted the story of Shi Chun borrowing money to sell the courtesan from Liyun Tower.