"I would never expect that we will meet again here, Young Master Jin." The blonde man smiled while looking at Jin Qiu. For a moment, his eyes looking at Song Yun and Pan Zhiqiang, who showed him a lot of hostility, but he then choose to ignore the two and just looking at Jin Qiu. "Though it seems like this time, you choose to show yourself and not using any kind of disguise. You look very beautiful." He complimented.
Jin Qiu looked at the blonde man. "Why do I feel like you choose to follow me all the way here? Too bad, I have no business with you."
"Don't be so cold.. Who knows, maybe I can help you?"
"Please don't joke with me, Master Meng." Jin Qiu replied again. "This time, I really have no business with you."
Despite the rejection, Meng Chen still chooses to step forward and reached his hand out to grab Jin Qiu. However, the two men who accompanied Jin Qiu stepped forwards and unsheathed their swords at Meng Chen. People who thought that there will be a fight choose to step away as far as possible.
"You have such a scary bodyguards, Young Master Jin."
"Should I remind you that I am the First Concubine?"
"Oh? So you choose to call yourself as one again?" Meng Chen raised an eyebrow. "The last time we met, you don't seem too happy with your title."
"Whether I like my title or not have nothing to do with you. And if you come here simply to have this idle talk with me, please move away. I can't waste my time here because there's something important that I need to do. And even though I enjoyed the liquor in your place, doesn't mean it make us as an acquaintance."
Jin Qiu stepped aside and walked pass Meng Chen when a sword slashed towards him, though before it could reach him, Pan Zhiqiang has already blocked it and shoved the sword that were held by a girl away. "How did you become acquaintance with this people, Jin Qiu?" Pan Zhiqiang asked, resting the sword on his shoulder while looking at the twin tailed girl who attacked Jin Qiu before.
"Remember the place where I drink before?" Jin Qiu asked. "She was the servant at that place, though… I don't know about that blonde. And acquaintance? I just said that even though I enjoyed the liquor there, doesn't mean that I'm on friendly term with them." He continued. "I don't even know why they choose to approach me now."
"Then I guess its fine for me to get rid of her." Said Pan Zhiqiang as he dashed towards the girl. His swords clashed against hers.
The battle between the two looked quite fierce, but it doesn't look like Pan Zhiqiang having a hard time at all. He looked different than usual and Jin Qiu can't help but whistling as the Imperial Commander swiftly moved behind the girl and tackling her leg to make her fall. As the girl fell, she spins her body for a bit to tackle Pan Zhiqiang as well, but the man jumps and they continued to fight using their swords.
While Pan Zhiqiang was fighting fiercely against the girl, Song Yun remained by Jin Qiu's side since he knew the man called Meng Chen. Jin Qiu supposed to know about the man too, but at the moment, it looked like Jin Qiu doesn't even know Meng Chen's true identity.
He felt like the blonde man is trying to approach Jin Qiu for something dangerous and his feeling usually never wrong. "Jin Qiu, do you really not remember about these two people?" He asked in a whisper, low enough so that Jin Qiu would be the only one to hear it.
Jin Qiu raised an eyebrow and tilted his head for a bit. He knew that Meng Chen and everyone in that restaurant are not ordinary since they've offered him a plan to kill Ren Zhengsheng, but he doesn't remember them, no, he doesn't know about them because the novel never explain anything about these people. If someone tells him that the incident at the border was caused by them, Jin Qiu would definitely believe it. It was Meng Chen who sent someone to him and told him that they're gathering people to start war against Ren Zhengsheng. But why would Meng Chen approach him? The masked man should have already told the blonde that he refused the offer.
But can he really tell Song Yun about it? Even now, he still don't know what is the original Jin Qiu's relationship with the enemy, he can't make it worse.
"Am I supposed to know them? I know that blond hair is not common here. The only thing I can guess is that he knew about me, unlike most of the people here. And also, blond hair is hair color of people from Western Continent."
When Jin Qiu mentioned Western Continent, he could see that Song Yun flinched for a second. Another thing that he will need to investigate is about what happen between this Empire and the Western Continent. He doubts that people would go for all the trouble to sneak into the enemy's territory just to start an unreasonable war.
"I came here to make a deal with you, Young Master Jin." Meng Chen started again, ignoring the fight that getting intense between his subordinate and Pan Zhiqiang. "I knew you came here because the matter concerning Zhou Family." He continued. "I will give you information, but I want something from you as exchange."
"How dare you ask for something from the First Concubine?" Song Yun replied. His grip on the sword hilt tightened.
"Why shouldn't I? You can't be thinking that I will just give information without anything in return, right, Sir Advisor?"
"You…What exactly are you planning by coming to this place?"
"I simply came here to open a restaurant and have a leisure life. Though I managed to get lot information while doing it. As example…I know about your past."
The calm and collected Song Yun started to show some annoyance towards Meng Chen, but Jin Qiu can't let the fight escalated to a serious one. "True, I'm looking for some information about Zhou Family, to be exact, it's Zhou Huizhong." Jin Qiu said. He stepped forwards and standing between Song Yun and Meng Chen. "How important is the information that you will give me?"
"Jin Qiu!"
"It's fine. I know what I need to do. Beside, if you're about to fight here against him, I'm afraid that we will end up involving the people around here. We came here to solve a problem because Shen Yue doesn't want the people to get affected by it."
Though reluctant, Song Yun listened to what Jin Qiu said and moved his hand away from the hilt of his sword.
At the same time, Pan Zhiqiang got the upper hand in the fight. He grabbed the girl's left wrist and hit her shoulder using the hilt of his sword. When she slashed the short sword using her right hand, Pan Zhiqiang lowered his head and now landed a hit on her chest using the hilt of his sword again.
The girl got pushed back. "Damn you!" She cursed, refusing to give up. This time, she choose to uses her spiritual power and manifesting a fire around her sword. She slashed the fire from her position towards Pan Zhiqiang, but all of it got blocked perfectly. She then jumps on the man. Once again, her sword clashing with Pan Zhiqiang's and since the two are using their spiritual power, the road around them got affected and destroyed.
"Linghun!" Pan Zhiqiang released the power of his spiritual sword and thrown the girl quite far away. It was quite strong that she didn't get up again. He then looked at Jin Qiu and Song Yun.
"As expected of the commander." Meng Chen commented. "But…"
Jin Qiu looked at Pan Zhiqiang and noticed that the girl who just got defeated by the man slowly getting up and walked towards Pan Zhiqiang. Annoyed, Pan Zhiqiang focused his spiritual power on his sword and raised it against the girl.
"Zhiqiang!!" Jin Qiu shouted, stopping the man right before he finished the girl.
Pan Zhiqiang looked at him.
"You don't have to make your hand dirty with something like that."
Right before the girl could reach Pan Zhiqiang, she fell down and losing her consciousness.
Pan Zhiqiang took a deep breath and put the sword back to the sheath. Everyone there should have already know that his hands have already stained with the blood of his enemies during the war, but again like Song Yun, he chooses to listen to Jin Qiu and sparing the girl's life. He walked back to Jin Qiu and glared at Meng Chen who still has a smile despite seeing that his companion almost died.
"If not because of Jin Qiu, your friend would be dead and you're still smiling here? I wonder what kind of person would do something like." Pan Zhiqiang commented.
"Because I know that Young Master Jin would stop you from doing something like that."
"You're supposed to call him 'Your Highness'. Don't forget that he is the First Concubine, so I would like you to mind your manner."
"Such a loyal dog."
Pan Zhiqiang and Meng Chen stared to each other. Though unlike before, none of them make first movement to attack the others.
Jin Qiu let out a sigh. "Can you stop wasting my time and get to the point?"
"Let's go to my place. I don't think it's appropriate for us to talk here."
Jin Qiu just nodded his head and followed the other man back towards the small restaurant where he spends some of his time before. Song Yun and Pan Zhiqiang followed them without really saying anything. Perhaps they knew that Jin Qiu will do something about the man if it turns out that the man only lying.
❖
Like always, the restaurant is empty of people.
Meng Chen took the group inside one of the secret room; to the place where they won't be disturbed since the thing they will talk about is quite an important thing. Not to mention, this can be considered as secret information.
Slowly, he set the girl he's carrying down on the chair and stared at her for a moment. This is the first time he saw the girl got so beaten up like this, though he didn't regret letting her fight Pan Zhiqiang. It would be a good learning for her.
"Can you start now?"
"What's the hurry? It's not like Zhou Huizhong will go anywhere. First, let's enjoy some tea. Or should I prepare some Horny Toad for you? You seem to like it before."
"I just told you to stop wasting my time. If you're not going to start, I will just leave. I can always find information from another place."
The threat is not an empty threat. Meng Chen also knows about that. He let out a sigh before starting. "Are you aware that Zhou Huizhong and Jin Rong are an acquaintance?" He felt quite satisfied to see the shocked look on Song Yun and Pan Zhiqiang's face. Not with Jin Qiu though. "From the look on your face, it seems like you've already know about the matter?"
"If you said that I'm not surprised because I know about it, then you're wrong. I don't know anything about it. I don't even know what kind of deal they made or what kind of relationship they have. But considering Jin Rong personality and Zhou Huizhong record of having trouble with me, I can at least guess that they will work together."
"Oh? How interesting. Then I guess you already have some plan inside that smart brain of yours? Because you need to know that Zhou Huizhong is not an easy opponent."
'There's no need for you to worry about me. Rather than that, why don't you just tell me about the information that you said you will give me? Don't tell me that Zhang Ai also involved in this matter."
At the mention of that name, both Song Yun and Pan Zhiqiang now looking at Jin Qiu. They both knew about what happened at the border village regarding a princess called Zhang Ai. The Emperor have no interest with her and send her away without killing her, the last kindness that the man could give her. And at the moment, they're investigating Zhou Huizhong and his intention towards Luo Family. There's really no reason for the princess name to be mentioned.
Jin Qiu letting out a sigh knowing that the two men would want to know about it.
"Zhang Ai is the princess who tried so hard to catch Zhengsheng's attention. If she can make a mess of his subordinate by using two people from a strong military family, then she can have a way to make a deal with Zhengsheng. The deal, I think I can already make a guess about it." He explained while looking at Meng Chen. "And I feel like Zhang Ai has been hidden by this man in front of us. How can he do that? Well…he's the King of Western Continent, Meng Chen, after all."
As soon as Jin Qiu finished his words, the air within the room became quite heavy. Both Song Yun and Pan Zhiqiang tried their best to hide their killing intent before, but not now.
Song Yun looked at Jin Qiu. "You said that you don't know about him, and now you're saying that he's the King of Western Continent? I really don't want to think about it like this, but what kind of relationship that you have with him?"
"He was the one who told me when I first come here. I just remembered that Severin Fevre is the name of the enemy's King."
That was a lie though. He didn't know about Meng Chen until just a moment ago. He remembered the name Severin Fevre mentioned in the novel. The playful king of Western Continent who fell in love with Zhang Ai and chooses to wage another war with Ren Zhengsheng. In the end, Meng Chen died miserably and Western Continent got demolished.
"Are you betraying His Majesty to side with this bastard?" Pan Zhiqiang furrowed his eyebrows.
It looked like Pan Zhiqiang is ready to kill Jin Qiu as soon as the man admits his betrayal towards the Emperor.
"Don't you want to know the reason of why you came here all of sudden?" Asked a voice that came from the kitchen.
Jin Qiu flinched and looked towards the man who came to his room at that time. The red eyed man who was sent to him to tell him about the offer, Xiao Changming. What surprised him was not that though. It was the fact that the man know about his situation. From Xiao Changming, he looked at Meng Chen again and then let out a sigh. "I will never betray Zhengsheng so stop glaring at me." Jin Qiu ordered both Song Yun and Pan Zhiqiang.
Song Yun stared at Jin Qiu for a moment before he moved his hand away from the hilt of his sword.
Just like Pan Zhiqiang, he will get rid any person who dares to harm the Emperor, even if it's Jin Qiu.
"I need to talk with that subordinate of yours. Just me and him. If you let me do that, then I will talk to Zhengsheng and let you go back to Western Continent without being harmed even for a bit."
"Jin Qiu! He is the enemy! Just what exactly are you thinking?!" Pan Zhiqiang complained.
"I have my own reason. Beside, do you really think that Zhengsheng would just capture an enemy king here? If he do that, who knows? Maybe there will be a blood bath here soon. Not to mention, we still need him to fool Jin Rong and that Zhou bastard. I'm sure they dare to do that because they think the almighty King Severin will protect them. Isn't that right?"
Meng Chen's gaze and Jin Qiu met. While Meng Chen remained calm, Jin Qiu also remained confident. Everything that the man said is not wrong. One thing that Meng Chen don't understand is how the man managed to get all that information.
"Why my subordinate? You can talk to me since I know more than him."
"How confident, but too bad, the information that I want to find from your subordinate is not about your plot against Zhengsheng or something like that. It's about myself." Jin Qiu replied, completely ignoring the confused look given by Song Yun and Pan Zhiqiang. He could get a clue, so he got a bit impatient. "Are you going to let me or not? If not, then I will just kill you here. I believe that with Song Yun and Pan Zhiqiang here, I can do something like that."
Meng Chen let out a sigh and started to laugh. "Though I'm confident that I will be able to defeat you, I'm not confident that I will be able to take my two subordinates out of here, so sure..talk with him as much as you want. But what will you do about your two bodyguard? They looked like a dog that ready to bite."
"First, they might be working in the palace, but they're not my bodyguard, I think of them as my friend. And second, that girl looked more like a dog. A rabid dog at that." Jin Qiu said as he looked at the girl who just regained her consciousness.
Jin Qiu then walked to Xiao Changming, who showed him to another room inside that building while Song Yun and Pan Zhiqiang waiting outside.
❖
The man stopped in front the window inside the room.
"I was quite surprised that I guessed it right." The man started. "But if I think about everything, you being someone else will be the only possible explanation. Whether you know it or not, Jin Qiu is a very sly person. He will pretend that he's weak while being the cruelest person when no one is looking. But you're not like that. You are just crazy and I feel like you will do whatever you want to do. You won't bother to plot anything."
"No one here know about something like that though."
The man smiled for a bit. Xiao Changming can be considered as a young man with handsome face. "I figured because the same thing happened to me. Though unlike you who came here with only your soul, I came here with my body."
"What?"
"Exactly like I said. I came here with my body, this body. It was really hard when I just came here, you know."
He stared at Xiao Changming without saying anything. If the man came from another world, just like him, then it would make sense that the man says something like that. True that he has been showing his true personality rather than following the original Jin Qiu's personality, but all this time, no one really notice it. They all just think that he choose to change after everything that happened. But someone who came from another world just like him would definitely notice it.
"Unlike you who just need to continue being Jin Qiu, I need to solidify my existence in this world first."
"How did you come here?"
"I was a student at medical department and I went to check on my patient when a lightning struck me. When I opened my eyes, I was already standing in this world. The one who taught me everything was Meng Chen."
Feeling grateful and then unconditionally serving the person who saved one's life. That's quite common.
He knew a certain someone with the same personality and loyalty. "So then, you claimed that you know the reason why I came to this world. That thing catch my curiousity more than anything. Ah, another thing. The way to go home. Is something like that even exist? Can I really go back to my own world because believe me, I'm not really a fan of being someone's concubine."
"Before I start explaining that thing, should I explain more about Jin Qiu? He is quite famous in the capital. Whether before the marriage or after the marriage."
"I don't need that kind of explanation. I already know what I need to know about him."
"Really? Then is that mean you know his relationship with the enemy?"
Jin Qiu turned silent. He know what kind of life Jin Qiu have after coming to the palace, but what about his life before? The people he meet? The people he's being friend with? Is there even any girl who tried to get close to him before?
No. He doesn't know anything about that. That was why he was so surprised when the enemy came and blabbering everything that day. His brain working hard and it ended up with him telling the Emperor the truth.
"From your face, I can see that you don't know that much." Said the man again. "Then I will tell you this, in my eyes, Jin Qiu is the worst villain."
"Villain? I don't think he is a villain." Jin Qiu raised an eyebrow. The figure he read in the novel was far from the figure of a villain. Rather than a villain, in his eyes, the original Jin Qiu is a very poor thing that need to helped and protected.
Xiao Changming started to shake his head. "He is a part of Jin Family, so undoubtely, even though he's an illegitimate child, he's still a villain." He continued. "A villain with the face of an angel, but again..that's what made him so evil."
"Is it means that he pretended to be nice while doing all the bad things?"
"That's right. Even when he was younger, he got involved in the assassination of the Emperor's mother. Using an underhanded method, he killed everyone in one village while telling Jin Troop that they should protect those people. And also, killed half of the people who's very loyal to the current Emperor."
❖❖❖