Yun'an City was the capital of Great Wei and was under the eyes of the empress. There were no forces of Jianghu on the surface, but it was unrealistic to say that a large city with a population of more than a million didn't have any places to hide filth.
In the west of the capital, half of the area was martial arts schools, escort agencies, and carriage and horse shops. It was a place where people from all walks of life gathered. Many people from Jianghu who entered the capital liked to stay nearby. The Black Office had also planted many informants in the market.
Ye Jingtang wanted to pretend to be the Wingless Owl to lure the snake out of its hole. The Black Office was very cooperative. Since yesterday, Wang Chihu had asked informants to spread news in the market, such as 'the theft of an aristocratic family', 'the Wingless Owl is suspected to have struck again', 'a Mr. Horn was stolen and is being sold', and so on.
What Ye Jingtang wanted to do was to sneak into the 'black market' provided by the Black Office and take out the Mr. Horn to ask about the price to attract the attention of some people.
Although Wang Chihu looked carefree and unreliable, his ability to handle affairs was really extraordinary.
Ye Jingtang originally thought that it would take several days before Wang Chihu would make some noise in the market. Unexpectedly, while walking, he heard a casual conversation.
"Brother Wang, have you heard? The Wingless Owl struck again…"
"Oh?! Is that so? What family did he steal from this time?"
"According to rumors, he snuck into the prime minister's residence and stole…"
"Woah! The Wingless Owl is so bold?"
"He has always been bold. I heard that that item is a must-have item for Prime Minister Li. Since the Wingless Owl stole this item, doesn't that mean he has indirectly touched Prime Minister Li's wife and concubines…"
…
The drizzle had not stopped, and the sky had already darkened unknowingly.
Ye Jingtang led his horse along the sparsely populated street. When he heard the whispers coming from the teahouse, he couldn't describe the emotions in his heart.
Throughout the day, he only wandered around the capital and took the Mr. Horn to a few shops to ask about the price. He didn't take the initiative to fabricate any story.
In the end, the idlers in the market were really good at imagining things. They exaggerated the story for no reason and forcefully imagined a woman losing her chastity. They even beat their chests and stomped their feet in anger, cursing the Wingless Owl for being a good-for-nothing.
There were even some people who described the use of this item vividly, as if they had personally seen the prime minister's wife holding the Mr. Horn and stuffing it into the prime minister's little flower…
This kind of news about the affairs between men and women spread quickly everywhere.
Ye Jingtang was skeptical of this method at first. But when he heard the hooligans in the teahouse talking about this, he knew that as long as the Wingless Owl was in the capital, it would definitely reach his ears.
Luo Ning had been following by his side, holding the box like a little wife. When she heard all this nonsense, her face almost turned blue, and she wished she could smash the dirty thing in her arms on the spot.
But this was obviously not possible. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, Luo Ning asked, "Where to now?"
Ye Jingtang was pretending to be the Wingless Owl and strolling the streets, attracting the attention of many people. But when he and Luo Ning secretly observed them, they were all ordinary Jianghu people who had heard the news. There were no traces of any experts with extraordinary lightness skills.
Under the fanning of the Black Office, as long as it was a place where people from all walks of life gathered, they were basically talking about the Wingless Owl stealing the Mr. Horn.
If the Wingless Owl was hiding in the capital, it was impossible for him not to hear anything. To find him, they only needed to wait for him at the shop selling the stolen goods.
According to Ye Jingtang's estimation, the Wingless Owl might already be following in the dark to investigate. But his lightness skills were too good, so he and Luo Ning didn't notice.
If he ended work and returned home now, there was a high chance that he would reveal himself. He pondered for a moment and said, "Ning'er, should we continue to find a place to sell the goods or rest for the night?"
Luo Ning was a little hesitant. In her opinion, the rumors released by the Black Office had almost spread throughout the city. It would be too fake for her and Ye Jingtang to continue to find a place to sell the stolen goods.
But they couldn't return to Double Osmanthus Alley now. If they wanted to rest, they could only find an inn to stay.
The two of them were pretending to be husband and wife in Jianghu. If they stayed in an inn, they would sleep together…
Luo Ning's footsteps slowed down as she hesitated for a moment before whispering, "You are a man. Make up your own mind."
Ye Jingtang nodded slightly. After scanning the street, he walked toward an inn on the side.
"…"
Luo Ning gritted her teeth. Since the matter was serious, she didn't show any abnormalities and followed Ye Jingtang.
"Waiter, get me a good room. Feed the horse and get some hot water."
"Alright, guests. Please come upstairs."
…
Soon, the two of them arrived at a room on the second floor.
After Ye Jingtang waited for the waiter to go downstairs, he entered the room, came to the window, raised his hand, and knocked twice.
The bird, who was standing guard in the dark, was already outside the inn and on standby. When it heard this, it cooed in reply.
Ye Jingtang calmed down slightly. He took off his bamboo hat and raincoat and turned to look at Heroine Luo.
Luo Ning closed the door, took off her hat, revealing her stunningly beautiful face, and looked around the room.
The room was a standard 'big bedroom'. The windows were facing the street, and there were guest rooms on both sides. There was a square table, a tea table, and a bed with a blue mosquito net against the wall. It was very big.
Luo Ning glanced at the bed. The walls had ears, so she didn't show any abnormalities. She walked to the tea table and sat down. "The wind is blowing outside. Let's take turns keeping an eye on it in case the officials come!"
Ye Jingtang sat at the side. He tilted his head and pointed outside, signaling: How will we lure the snake over if we take turns standing guard?
But he smiled and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Don't you believe in my abilities? There were only a few followers on the way just now, but we shook them off. Don't worry and sleep."
Luo Ning blinked and wanted to say something, but she couldn't find an excuse, so she got up, sat in front of the dressing table, and pretended to comb her hair.
It was easy to expose themselves if they said too much. The two of them chatted for a while before stopping.
When the waiter brought hot water, the two of them washed up like ordinary guests. Ye Jingtang came to the bed, placed the box beside the pillow, and lay down. "Phew…"
Sitting at the dressing table, Luo Ning glanced at the man on the bed with a complicated expression. She couldn't possibly sleep on the table all night. After gritting her teeth for a long time, she finally touched the soft sword at her waist, sat down at the head of the bed, and glared at Ye Jingtang.
When Ye Jingtang saw Luo Ning's murderous gaze, he shook his head and sighed. "Let's sleep. We might have to run away at night. There's no need to take off our clothes."
Luo Ning's eyes warned Ye Jingtang for a moment before she slowly lay down on the pillow. She kept her hand on the soft sword at her waist and kept a foot away from Ye Jingtang. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep while paying attention to the movements outside.
But if they fell asleep the moment they lay on the bed, they would clearly not look like husband and wife.
In order to make the act more convincing, Ye Jingtang tilted his head and looked at the sandalwood box between the two of them. "Ning'er, have you ever used this thing in private?"
?
What's wrong with you? Heroine Luo opened her beautiful peach blossom eyes. Her eyes were full of embarrassment and anger. She suppressed her anger and said softly, "What nonsense are you saying? Go to sleep."
Luo Ning's appearance was very fairy-like. Even without makeup, her bare face was extraordinary. Whether she was angry or annoyed, her eyes carried a heart-palpitating beauty. Lying on the pillows, they looked at each other in close proximity, and the trembling of each eyelash was very clear.
Rustle, rustle, rustle…
It was drizzling outside the window. Other than two people breathing, there was no sound in the room.
Ye Jingtang looked at the side profile of the beautiful woman in front of him and thought for a moment before saying, "Are you still angry? I really didn't do it on purpose last time. At that time, you were almost discovered by the constables. I was helping you. Who would have thought that you wouldn't cooperate at all…"
The bulging little watermelons under Luo Ning's clothes undulated slightly as she said flatly, "Don't talk about it. It's all in the past. If I blamed you, I would have castrated you long ago."
Even though it sounded like a joke, she was telling the truth.
Ye Jingtang smiled and closed his eyes to pretend to be asleep while secretly paying attention to the movements outside.
Before long, the bird hooted in the distance. "Coo~ coo~"
The cry of an owl was very common at night, but Ye Jingtang's heart skipped a beat. He understood the secret signal of the bird: There was a suspicious figure outside.
He didn't expect the fish to take the bait so quickly. He turned to look at Luo Ning beside him.
Luo Ning also recognized the bird's sound. In order not to alert the enemy, she turned around, looked Ye Jingtang in the eye, and mouthed: What should we do?
Ye Jingtang listened attentively to the sounds outside. Because he couldn't find where the person was coming from, his eyes signaled not to alert the enemy. Then in the tone of a couple chatting, he said gently, "Why do I feel like you're still angry?"
Luo Ning's expression was solemn as she listened to the wind outside the window. "How am I angry at you?"
"If you're not angry, why are you sleeping so far away?"
?!
You little thief! Luo Ning glared at him as if she wanted to eat him up.
There was indeed a faint sound outside the window. It seemed that someone was listening on the roof, but they couldn't tell the exact location.
Luo Ning was extremely annoyed, but in the end, she put the overall situation first. She moved a little closer and lay on the same pillow as Ye Jingtang. They were only a palm's width away from each other. She raised her slender hand and made a gesture of scissors cutting, telling Ye Jingtang not to play with fire.
Ye Jingtang expressed that he understood. His eyes were focused on the window as he raised his hand to hug Luo Ning.
?!
Seeing Ye Jingtang pushing his luck, Luo Ning quickly leaned back to dodge. She glared at Ye Jingtang with a look that said: Little thief, are you tired of living?
Ye Jingtang's movements paused for a moment before he went forward and whispered into Luo Ning's ear, his voice as soft as a mosquito's. "What can I do? I can't kiss you, but I can't just lie here and stare, right?"
His scorching hot breath blew against her earlobe and neck. Luo Ning shivered and avoided his gaze.
But if the two of them were facing each other without any movement, it would indeed arouse suspicion. She gritted her teeth and gestured to the head of the bed, telling Ye Jingtang to shake the bed.
"There's no foreplay. Are we just going to start shaking?"
Foreplay? Luo Ning seemed to understand but didn't quite understand. She was afraid that if they dragged it out for too long, the person would notice something amiss. So she made up her mind, covered Ye Jingtang's mouth with her hand, pressed him onto the pillow, and leaned forward to kiss the back of her hand.
Smooch…