When he awoke the next day, Liu Zhenqing felt much calmer. After another day of travel, they arrived at Kanchuan City.

Kanchuan City was originally a small, remote village, but due to the diversion of the official road, many groups passing from one prefecture to another had to stop here, causing it to gradually become a city similar to a transit hub.

The livelihood of the people in the city basically revolved around the comings and goings of guests, so inns and restaurants were the venues with the most traffic.

And they had come to this place because the missing funds had passed through here, so they intended to find out where the money went after leaving this place. 

But because the enemy was in the dark and they were in the light, they couldn’t operate openly this time. They had to find a way to sneak into the city guard’s office and check the correspondence files directly, see the last whereabouts of the team from Tongmao Prefecture during a certain time, and then make a decision. Therefore, staying the night here was a must.

In the evening, Qin Yu and He Lan took action early, while Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie stayed at the inn. After all, it was not necessary for everyone to go handle such a small matter.

Sitting on the second floor of the inn, Liu Zhenqing was watching the hustle and bustle outside the window when he heard Huo Fenglie say from behind: “Do you want to go out?”

Liu Zhenging looked back at Huo Fenglie and raised his eyebrows, saying: “Is this okay? They work and we go shopping?”

Huo Fenglie said: “It’s not a problem.”

Seeing such a lively scene on the street made Liu Zhenqing feel really itchy, so he went out with Huo Fenglie.

They asked a waiter where the funnest place was, and he enthusiastically recommended going to East Street.

When the two of them arrived at East Street, they were taken aback by the excitement. There were truly a lot of people.

Liu Zhenqing was looking around when a hand suddenly appeared beside his shoulder, hugging Liu Zhenqing and pulling him forward. 

Liu Zhenqing was stunned, and felt extremely embarrassed.

At this time, Huo Fenglie had already turned back coldly to look at the person who had tried to run into Liu Zhenqing.

The man paused in his steps and turned to look over fiercely, but was met by a pair of cold and piercing eyes that almost made his legs go weak. Knowing that he had encountered a ruthless person, he just tried to flee, but was knocked to the ground by an invisible force and knocked unconscious.

Huo Fenglie didn’t look back. He just hugged Liu Zhenqing and continued walking, leaving the chaos behind. The person he was holding suddenly paused. Huo Fenglie looked down at the person in his arms and saw Liu Zhenqing looking uncomfortable as he asked: “Can’t you walk well? Why are you tugging and pulling? I almost…..lost my footing.”

Huo Fenglie said without thinking too much: “Qing-ge, there are too many people. Come closer to me.”

Liu Zhenqing was mentally exhausted, ah.

So going out was an excuse to go on a date, then create opportunities to cuddle. Was this pursuing him romantically?

Er-gou was really…..

Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Fenglie a feeble glare.

I know you like me, but please restrain yourself, okay? Aren’t you afraid I’ll notice it and be frightened, then ruthlessly reject you and break your heart?

Don’t you understand how to proceed step by step, ah?

But in the end, Liu Zhenqing didn’t escape, and let Huo Fenglie hold him. Just like this, they passed through the lively crowd.

Let it pass, let it pass. There were indeed a lot of people here, and it was just an arm around the shoulder, so he would tolerate this kid.

As he walked down the street, Liu Zhenqing gradually found that something was wrong. How come there was a brothel every three step and an entertainment house every five steps, ah.

So that’s what this place was…..as soon as Liu Zhenqing turned his head, he saw beauties appearing everywhere, laughing and chattering with red sleeves fluttering.

It turned out that the waiter recommended such a place.

Huo Fenglie also seemed to realize that something was wrong. He frowned and came to a stop, then said: “Brother Qing, let’s go that way.”

Looking in the direction Huo Fenglie was pointing, he clearly wanted to leave this place.

Liu Zhenqing suddenly skewed his eyes and said with a smile: “Er-gou, after all these years, have you never been to an entertainment house?”

Huo Fenglie shook his head.

Liu Zhenqing said in surprise: “Not for discussions with officials or gatherings with friends?”

“Restaurants and tea houses are enough.”

It was likely that even if those officials wanted to, they must follow the general’s wishes.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie, at a loss for words. Could this be considered the ignorance of an influential family’s child in ancient times? After all, going to that kind of place in ancient times was not all about sex, but more about socializing.

One corner of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth suddenly rose, and his narrowed eyes flashed. He tugged Huo Fenglie’s shoulder, gesturing for him to come closer so he could whisper something.

Huo Fenglie turned his ear sideways and felt Liu Zhenqing’s sweet breath as he spoke, penetrating into his sensitive ear.

And what he said was even more…..

“Er-gou, are you still a virgin?”

When Liu Zhenqing asked, his heartbeat couldn’t help but accelerate. Then he watched red spread across Huo Fenglie’s face from his earlobes, and it was as if he didn’t know what expression to wear.

He turned his head to look over, and his eyes seemed to contain a hint of reproach. “Qing-ge, you…..”

Liu Zhenqing looked innocent. “So you have no experience?”

Huo Fenglie took a deep breath, but in the end could only give a vague hum.

The corners of Liu Zhenq’s mouth rose higher uncontrollably. He took Huo Fenglie’s arm and led him somewhere. “Then shall I take you to look today?”

Huo Fenglie staggered at the tug. His face changed drastically, and he abruptly stopped. He absolutely refused to take a step forward, as if he was about to be sold for money to a den of rogues.

“Come, ya, I remember what I promised you before. When you grew up, I would be the first one to take you to an entertainment house to gain experience. Today is just the day to fulfill that promise.” Liu Zhenqing smiled wickedly.

In fact, Liu Zhenqing was a frequent visitor to entertainment houses in the past, and had many confidantes. There were even rumors that if a courtesan was not praised by Liu Zhenqing each year when she was in the same room with him, she could not be considered a true courtesan. Of course, he didn’t go there to do anything. Many spring buildings in the capital were very stylish, and watching performances, spending money, and having fun, could be regarded as an evening pastime. In the past, not only did he go, but Li Xingruo often disguised herself as a man and the three of them went out to play.

It was just that Er-gou was too young at the time. He definitely couldn’t go to such a place, so he was often left alone at home by them.

He wouldn’t sleep at that time, not restoing until they returned at night.

Back then, Liu Zhenqing felt that the child definitely didn’t want to be excluded, so when Er-gou wanted to follow them, Liu Zhenqing promised to take him to see the excitement when he turned sixteen. In the end, it was delayed until now.

“Qing-ge!” Huo Fenglie became anxious and suddenly pulled Liu Zhenqing, almost bumping into him.

Huo Fenglie grabbed the moving Liu Zhenqing with both hands and said gravely: “Qing-ge, I don’t want to go.”

Liu Zhenqing tilted his head and said: “Really? Then…..I’ll go.”

As he spoke, he was about to turn around, but was pulled back by Huo Fenglie. His expression was no longer so calm, and he almost looked anxious. “No!”

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie and said: “What? I used to come here often. This is a rare opportunity, you know.”

Huo Fenglie’s expression changed several times, and in the end, he said aggrievedly: “Qing-ge, let’s go somewhere else.”

The dignified general actually spoke to him in such a pleading tone. Liu Zhenqing pursed his lips, thinking that Er-gou really…..liked him very much.

“This place is lively, so we can just go in to watch and not do anything else.” Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but say: “In the capital, I also used to…..just go in to watch.”

Huo Fenglie was stunned for a moment. His eyes flashed, and he said: “I know. Da-ge said so before, but…..” He didn’t know how he got the scent of powder all over his body, as well as the sachet given to him by a girl.

Huo Fenglie calmed down incrementally and said: “If you want to watch the fun, we can find some music houses or theaters. The more people, the more eyes. It’s not good to go to a place like this.”

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows and shook his head helplessly. What was this? Possessiveness?

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t even his, so why was he so possessive? Couldn’t he really not be more restrained?

However, seeing that Er-gou truly seemed like he was being cornered, Liu Zhenqing stopped insisting. He was about to leave when a small thing flew from up high.

Huo Fenglie raised his hand to take it. Liu Zhenqing also noticed and watched as Huo Fenglie spread his hand. It turned out to be a peanut.

Looking up, they saw a familiar face by the second-floor window of the spring building, as well as a look that told them to go up.

Huo Fenglie frowned, and Liu Zhenqing was taken aback: “Qin Yu?”

The two of them weren’t behaving badly. Qin Yu must have something to do there. He probably happened to see them and called them up on the way.

Huo Fenglie’s expression turned ugly for a moment. Liu Zhenqing smiled dryly and led this person into the spring building.

Following the establishment owner, they arrived at the private seating area on the second floor. As soon as they entered, they saw Qin Yu sitting inside drinking, with a girl accompanying him.

“Come.” Qin Yu said to the girl on the side: “My two friends are here. Go and call some more people.”

The girl sensibly stood at once, then smiled sweetly at Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing. “The two lords are so handsome. It’s a blessing to have you here. I wonder…..do you want boys or girls? We have them all here. Do you need a recommendation, or should I bring some over so that the two of you can choose?”

This was definitely Huo Fenglie’s first time in a place like this, and he felt uncomfortable all over.

Liu Zhenqing stepped forward with a smile and teased: “It’s up to this beautiful sister to choose. They should be as beautiful as this sister, otherwise the three of us will have a falling-out, oh.”

The girl was instantly amused, and stretched out her hand to pat Liu Zhenqing’s chest delicately. “The young master is making fun of this slave. Young Master, please wait a moment. This slave will leave right away.” Saying this, she gave Liu Zhenqing a flirtatious look.

Liu Zhenqing said at once: “Beautiful sister, walk slowly.”

The girl soon left. Qin Yu raised his eyebrows and said, “That’s pretty impressive, ah.”

Liu Zhenqing was about to laugh when he saw Huo Fenglie’s face turn dark. Glancing at Liu Zhenqing’s chest, he walked over to sit down.

“What’s going on?” Huo Fenglie’s tone was a little unfriendly.

Liu Zhenqing could only take a seat.

“We went to the city guard’s residence and entered the warehouse to investigate, but found that the files placed outside did not contain any records on Tongmao Prefecture.”

“Outside?” Huo Fenglie grasped the key point.

“Because there is still part of the treasury that cannot be opened, we guessed it must be in there. But the treasury needs a key, and the key is with the city guard. After some snooping, we found that the city guard comes here every night, so we came directly to find him. Yundu went to look for him, and I was waiting for news when I saw you.”

Liu Zhenqing nodded and said: “Only the ones on Tongmao Prefecture are missing. It seems that someone told them to either hide or destroy them.”

“If they aren’t in the treasury, then we can only arrest people and interrogate them,” Qin Yu said.

Just as he was speaking, someone pushed the door open. It was He Lan who entered.

And He Lan was shocked when he saw them.

“Have you found him?” Qin Yu asked.

He Lan smiled and said to Huo Fenglie: “Perfect, you’re right on time.”

“What do you mean?” Huo Fenglie asked.

“I just happened to see that the old boy is wearing the treasury key around his neck. There are guards around him, so if we want to get the key, we either have to confront him or steal it while he’s sleeping, then return it after using it. I prefer the latter. After investigating, I found that three officials who came with him booked three rooms. I don’t know which one he will use, so we can only split up to ambush him and find an opportunity to steal it. Originally, Qin Yu and I weren’t enough, but it’s just right now that you’re here.”

After He Lan finished speaking, he sat down and took a sip of wine, saying: “It’s like this, so we should act now.”

“That will work,” Qin Yu said.

Huo Fenglie paused and looked at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing said: “I’ll wait for you here.”

Just when He Lan and Qin Yu were about to nod, they heard Huo Fenglie say: “No, you come with me.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes instantly widened, and he said: “Brother Huo, you have business to do. I don’t know martial arts. Won’t I hold you back?”

Seeing the disapproval on Huo Fenglie’s face, Liu Zhenqing thought about it and suddenly couldn’t help but say with a smile: “I’ll just watch the show and deal with the beauties who come over later. How could I have the nerve to be dishonest when you’re doing serious things?”

When Liu Zhenqing said this, He Lan and Qin Yu immediately looked at Huo Fenglie with ambiguous meaning.

He Lan couldn’t suppress his smile: “They’re all on the third floor. I’ll go to the Peony Room, Lao Qin will go to the Drunken Immortal Room, and the last one is the Orchid room. You guys act as soon as possible.”

Having said this, He Lan left first.

“Go, ba.” Liu Zhenqing sat down and said, “Go and come back quickly.”

Huo Fenglie was silent until there was a knock on the door. The girl from just now returned.

“Young masters, this slave has brought others.”

However, after calling out for a long time, there was no response. When she opened the door and went inside, the room was empty aside from a silver ingot on the table.

“Aiya, why did they leave? Sisters, I’m not lying to you. They were all very handsome men, each with his own style. If it were me, I would do it for free. It’s a pity.”

And Liu Zhenqing had been brought to the Orchid Room by Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing narrowed his eyes and admonished: “Why are you so disobedient?”

Huo Fenglie didn’t speak, as if in silent resistance. He went in and began to check the room, looking for a hiding place.

“Huh?” Liu Zhenqing asked again.

Huo Fenglie had no choice but to say: “Since someone is covertly sabotaging our progress, it’s inevitable that someone is following us. What if there is danger?”

Liu Zhenqing shook his head helplessly. This child was obviously jealous and couldn’t distinguish between public and private matters.

Clearly he was a great general, but he was so impulsive.

Sure enough, did love make people childish?

If it weren’t inconvenient to say, he should really teach him that it was okay to like someone, but not to like them too much. If you liked someone too much, it would affect your judgment. There was no need to have a love brain.

A hiding place for two people was definitely harder to find than a hiding place for one person.

In the end, they could only choose under the bed. After all, there was still a risk that the wardrobe would be opened. There was a footrest at the bottom of the bed, which was completely covered, but they could see clearly through the gaps from inside.

Before Liu Zhenqing lay down, Huo Fenglie spread out his outer robe to prevent him from laying on the cold ground.

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows and complained: “I could have been drinking and watching the show.”

Huo Fenglie couldn’t help but say: “I think you just want to have beauties by your side.”

Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Fenglie a helpless look and was about to retort.

Then they heard the door open. The two looked at each other and went quiet, listening to what was going on outside.

“Liu-daren, be careful.”

Liu-daren? They won the lottery! It was the city guard. Ai? Why was it a male voice speaking?

Liu Zhenqing’s expression became strange, and then he heard increasingly embarrassing sounds.

He was dying. How had this evolved into listening to the live version of two men here?

This was more shocking than the book, ah.

The movement outside became more and more wild, and they didn’t even go to the bed, but sat on the table. Old Liu was very fierce, and the young master was also very good at shouting, which made the straight man Liu Zhenqing blush. In addition, the incense in the room should be the kind specially used by the spring building, so he was somewhat affected.

Soon, there was a bang from above the bed. All kinds of flirtatious words followed. Liu Zhenqing felt like it was a physical interpretation of the story!

Immediately afterwards, they got to the main point.

Liu Zhenqing was currently scolding He Lan countless times in his heart. What bad idea had he come up with?

It was better to wait until the person was dead asleep before coming back in the middle of the night. Although it may delay time, it was worse to be tortured like this.

Liu Zhenqing really didn’t mean to look, but he couldn’t help it. After all, he felt a little physically uncomfortable, and he wondered, what would happen to Huo Fenglie?

After a scan, Liu Zhenqing felt his brain buzzing.

He could only close his eyes and pretend to be an ostrich.

Suddenly, the person next to him seemed to move. Because the two of them were next to each other, Liu Zhenqing could naturally feel the strong current of air. He looked over instinctively, thinking he was about to take action, and saw a tall figure leaning toward him.

This time, there was no night breeze to block.

What was this kid going to do!

“Qing-ge…..” The low voice was hoarse and magnetic, which instantly caused Liu Zhenqing’s breathing to become disordered. Huo Fenglie raised his hands as if to hold his face.

Wait, calm down, ah, it’s just the influence of the drugs in the environment! You can’t mess around, ah!

Damn it, we shouldn’t have come in. Er-gou isn’t doing it on purpose!

You’re pressuring me, ah! Can’t you give me some time?

I have to think about this, it’s a big deal.

I couldn’t even mentally get through the first page of that book!

What to do? What to do? If Er-gou comes on hard, should I kick him away?

No way, that would ruin the mission, ah!

But….but…..can’t we change to a better location for our first time?

Er-gou, you are too unromantic!

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Chapter Fifty-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Eight