Chapter 27: The Mysterious Person

  Tonight, apart from Liu Qingqing who couldn't sleep, another person was Yang Liuqing. He rode the precious horse Snow Green, which his brother-in-law had just given him, out of the Hong Cuishan Villa, galloping and whipping, running down the mountain to the Wind Cloud Ferry, five miles northwest of the villa, where they had agreed to meet. The ferry was deserted, with only a tea shed 10 meters away, which he hadn't noticed before but now saw clearly in the quiet night. Looking around and seeing no one, he went into the tea shed and sat down. Inside, there was only an old woman in her fifties, boiling water. Yang Liuqing asked, "Old mother, are you here? Have you seen anyone come to the Wind Cloud Ferry?"

  "No, on a cold day like this, no one will come. I'm also waiting for my old partner to return by boat, and we'll be going home too." The old lady wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel, possibly due to the strong fire and abundant steam. "Sir, would you like a cup of tea?"

  "Alright, bring me a bowl then." Yang Liuqing was in a hurry and felt somewhat parched. Seeing that there was no one at the ferry terminal, she called out to Old Mother to bring her a bowl of hot tea to quench her thirst. Noticing some pastries on the table, she also ordered some more pastries. She thought to herself, "I'll eat while I wait and see what happens."

  The rain had just stopped, and the river water was almost overflowing from the riverbed, flowing rapidly southward. Liu Qingqing was drinking hot tea and eating snacks, secretly scolding the person who had invited him to meet here. He thought it was unnecessary to be so cautious and meticulous, as they had transacted many times over the years without any issues. This person was very cunning, and in their ten-year acquaintance, Liu had never seen his true face. Moreover, this person's behavior was strange and unpredictable; at the slightest sign of trouble, he would disappear without a trace. As a result, Liu had to be extremely careful when meeting him, even checking if there were any followers around. Despite this, the original plan to meet at the Hong Cuishan Villa had been changed en route, and now they were here instead. However, the person still hadn't arrived, which was infuriating. Unfortunately, Liu had initiated the request for a meeting, so he couldn't refuse the other party's demands. After all, it was his own fault for breaking the rules.

  As he thought, his head spun and the room seemed to turn upside down. He fell forward onto the table, and just then, an old woman leaned over him with a spryness that belied her age, quickly supporting him as she removed Yang Liuqing's black cloak and hat. At this moment, a figure emerged from the shadows. The old woman whispered, "Hurry to the Evening Breeze Pavilion, be careful if anyone is following you, we will meet there in an hour."

  That man got on his horse, Snow-in-June, and galloped away in the direction of the Late Wind Pavilion.

  The willow tree's green leaves swayed gently in the breeze as he slowly came to. The dizziness from earlier seemed like an illusion. He looked around, but except for the sound of the wind, there was no one in sight, not even the old woman who had been there just a moment before. He felt a sense of unease and his hair stood on end as he got up and considered leaving.

  A low and hoarse voice laughed: "Youngster, don't go, I've arrived."

  Yang Liuqing smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you to show yourself. Don't pretend to be a ghost, Yang Liuqing should at least see your face."

  The old voice said: "No need, our friendship is limited to transactions, whether I see you or not is irrelevant. Speak up, what do you want from me? I'm right beside you."

  Yang Liuqing's heart was filled with hatred, her teeth aching: "Every time we meet, you don't show up. What are you doing?! I'm not even bothered to see your face, maybe you're just an ugly and evil yaksha, otherwise why wouldn't you dare to show up?" At this point, she didn't waste any words, directly saying: "I hope you won't harm Liuqing."

  The old man said: "I knew you would ask for this, kid. Are you really in love with that woman this time?"

  Yang Liuqing sneered coldly: "How could I possibly take a liking to her? It's just that I haven't seduced her yet, and I can't get the evil spirit out of my mind."

  The old voice said, "You can't fool me. Except for Xiulian, you've never had any true feelings for any of Hu Zhongren's wives. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get my hands on them so easily and control all his wives in my own hands. All these years, I really have to thank you for your help."

  "We each take what we need, and don't even say thank you. But this Liu Qingqing I haven't gotten my hands on yet, how did you make your move? Are you going to say that the two things before weren't done by you?" Yang Liuqing's tone was dissatisfied. In the past, it was always him who would give the signal after he had tired of those Hu family women, and this mysterious person would take action. Unexpectedly, this time Liu Qingqing had just gone up the mountain when she was severely injured by her, unconscious and unresponsive. Now, she was planning to drown Liu Qingqing in the lake."

  "That was when I saw you had genuine feelings for her, no longer thinking of revenge against Hu Zhong. You don't think that I can only understand everything through you, do you?" The old voice sneered coldly: "Everything is under my control. So this time, you and I make a deal, it seems you'll have to pay a higher price."

  "What do you want?" Yang Liuqing grasped the table, her eyes fixed on the dark and gloomy Fengyun Ferry, and asked with a hint of resentment. All these years, she hadn't given him little money.

  "Don't get angry, considering our many years of friendship, I can compromise. This time, just donate some incense to the temple for the sake of Cuicui An, this is your temple, you won't be stingy, will you? Moreover, you can also atone for your sins, all these years, you've wronged several beautiful sisters-in-law, you must have a guilty conscience. Donate more good deeds and you'll be able to face the Buddha."

  Yang Liuqing said with hatred: "Ashamed, even if he wears a green hat forever, it can't alleviate my pain. He took away the woman I love, but didn't take good care of her. Not only was she cold-shouldered, but also burned to death by him. Every time I think of my Xiulian, being tortured by him like that, I hate him so much that I want to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin!"

  "This is exactly why we are collaborating, believe me, I have no less resentment towards Hu Zhongren than you do. As long as she is the woman Hu Zhongren loves, we must get rid of her and let Hu Zhongren taste the pain of losing his beloved! Let him never be able to escape!" The old man's voice was somewhat agitated, in his heart, Xiulian was his life's dependence, his entire reason for living. But this despicable Hu Zhongren had actually burned her to death, how unreasonable! The two people fell silent for a moment, immersed in the hatred of past events.

  It was a long time. The old voice finally calmed down: "Although I promised you not to kill Liu Qingqing today, but I have already seen that Hu Zhongren is very fond of this woman. If you can't seduce Liu Qingqing immediately, it will be even more difficult later on. You should know that whether it's you or Hu Zhongren, although you both love Liu Qingqing, she doesn't have any romantic feelings for either of you."

  "How did you know?" Yang Liuqing asked in surprise.

  "Don't forget that night, when you sneaked into the Nourishing Life Hall, trying to force your way in, but were repelled by Liu Qingqing's protective treasure, the Biyu Buddha. Actually, you don't have to be too concerned about it, because Hu Zhongren's experience was the same. Although he is Liu Qingqing's husband, he also couldn't withstand the radiance of the Biyu Buddha and was shocked out of the room. The Biyu Buddha only recognizes true love, so no one can possess her, and no one can cure Liu Qingqing's infatuation. Unless two Biyu Buddhas meet."

  "Your meaning is that as long as we find a Green Jade Buddha, we can cure Liu Qingqing's illness." Yang Liuqing exclaimed with surprise.

  "Don't think it's that simple, I know you're running a gold and silver jewelry store with all sorts of treasures. But you just won't own the Biyu Buddha." The hoarse voice said faintly.

  "Why? There is a green jade Buddha in my temple." Yang Liuqing had some excitement.

  "There are thousands of jade Buddhas like yours in this world. Do you think the people of Hu Zhong are fools? If a single Bi Yu Fo can save Liu Qingqing, why hasn't he decreed to collect all the Bi Yu Fo in the world? It's because the Bi Yu Fo only recognizes those with fate, if it's not worn by someone with fate, it will only bring disaster. In other words, the one in your shop is definitely not a true Bi Yu Fo!"

  "How did you know so clearly? Who are you?" Yang Liuqing was astonished by his sharp observation, knowing it so clearly.

  "It's still the same old thing, who I am doesn't matter and what I say isn't special either. In your elder brother Hu Zhongren's home there is a book called 'Yueyue Tong', it's written clearly on that book."

  "So, how can we make Qingqing recover?" At this point, he was no longer afraid of Lao Lao knowing his emotional orientation. He had to get Qingqing, he had once sworn that as long as it was a woman his brother liked, he would definitely make a move.

  "Don't have high expectations of me, I won't be able to cure Liu Qingqing. However, you don't need to worry either, the person who can cure her has already arrived and will soon head to Hong Cuishan Manor. What I'm afraid of is that both you and Hu Zhongren will have to give way to this person, because he is Liu Qingqing's true love. Don't worry, from now on, I'll just be a bystander and won't interfere with the matter anymore, as soon as Hu Zhongren and his brother will be climbing over the wall."

  "Are you referring to Yue Qianshan?" Yang Liuqing also knew that Hu Zhongren had sent Ren Zhongjie to Sai Bei to find Yue Qianshan, so he could find his fiancée Liu Qingqing. The purpose was to find the two Biyu Buddha and cure Liu Qingqing.

  "But I remember Brother Biao sending someone to ask about it and saying that Little Sister-in-law wasn't the fiancée of Yue Qianshan?"

  "That was me who intercepted the letter from Yue Qianshan, altered it to this, and the purpose is to make Hu Zhongren and Yue Qianshan, two good friends, turn against each other. Even you were deceived by me, haha! The old man's voice laughed loudly towards the sky, with an unknown amount of arrogance. Young man, do you still want to compete with me? You're far from being my match."

  Yang Liuqing thought back to her situation when she came to the Liu family village, no one had ever mentioned that Liu Qingqing and Yue Qianshan were related. Could it be that Old Man Liu and Madame Liu didn't know that Liu Qingqing already had a lover of her own? No wonder they had to force Liu Qingqing to marry before she could come over. It wouldn't be hard to find out about this matter, just ask Yanyan and she would definitely tell the truth, as she was now devoted to Yang Liuqing. However, it's likely that Yanyan only knew this much and wouldn't know about the entanglements between Yue Qianshan and Liu Qingqing.

  "Don't be gloomy here, I can still tell you something for free. Hu Zhongren has already set his sights on you. It was me who sent someone disguised as you to meet him at the Late Wind Pavilion and led him away. You should hurry back to Hong Cuishan Manor. Don't fall behind him and expose your own trail, not to mention possibly implicating me, although I'd be happy if you did implicate me. If he knew there was a person like me, I believe he would be unable to sleep or eat." The old voice laughed loudly again: "His suffering is my pleasure, haha!"

  The willow is green and silent.