"Nonsense! You drunkard, are you trying to get Li into prison?" The old beggar glared, his mustache bristling with disdain. "If you're itching to land yourself in jail, go on your own. Don't drag the kid into this!"
Wei Hai sneered, "Afraid of what? Worst case, I'll take full responsibility in court!"
The old beggar laughed coldly. "Ha! That's just tough talk. Wait until you're strapped to the tiger bench; then you'll see how 'fun' it really is!"
"Alright, enough, you two," Gu Ning'an interjected, raising his hand to calm them down. He turned to Li Xunshan and asked, "What do you think? It's up to you. If you want to go, we'll stand by you. If not, we'll drink the night away, and tomorrow you head back to Gucheng County."
Li Xunshan paused before replying firmly, "Mr. Gu, I want to go!"
Bang!
The dishes on the table shook as Wei Hai stomped a foot on his stool and shouted, "That's the spirit! This grudge needs to be settled, no matter what!"
Li Xunshan knew Wei Hai wanted to stand up for him. While deeply moved, he remained rational. He wasn't going to seek revenge or start a fight.
More than anything, he wanted to see for himself what kind of man had defeated him after five long years of longing and dedication.
When Li Xunshan voiced his thoughts, Wei Hai fell silent for a moment, then reined in his combative demeanor.
"By the calendar, the poetry conference is tomorrow. Get a good night's rest tonight so you'll be in top shape for it," Gu Ning'an said as he rose and left the private room.
Li Xunshan stood up quickly. "Wait, Mr. Gu, let me arrange a room for you."
"No need. You all can stay here. Tomorrow morning, I'll meet you downstairs at the tavern."
Before Li Xunshan could follow, Gu Ning'an had already stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Outside the private room, a small, wiry man leaned against the railing, glancing subtly in Gu Ning'an's direction.
Ignoring him, Gu Ning'an strode confidently downstairs.
Not long after Gu Ning'an descended, the wiry man hurriedly followed, slipping out of the tavern and darting into a nearby alley.
Unbeknownst to him, Gu Ning'an trailed behind at a leisurely pace, maintaining a consistent distance as the man weaved through streets and alleys.
In truth, the wiry man had been watching Gu Ning'an and his group ever since they entered the city. Although the man had backed off after some time, the sensation of being watched returned near the Ren family courtyard.
From then on, the wiry man had been tailing them, only leaving after overhearing their plans to attend the poetry conference.
After twisting and turning through the alleys, the wiry man finally stopped at the back gate of a large mansion. He knocked rhythmically, and a voice called out from within, "Who's there?"
"Dogtail Grass!" The wiry man replied. The moment he spoke, the door creaked open, and he darted inside.
Bang!
The back gate slammed shut, and the bolt slid into place.
The gatekeeper frowned and asked the wiry man, "Why are you so late? What were you doing on the master's orders?"
"You dare question me?" The wiry man waved dismissively and headed straight toward the inner courtyard.
…
"Yue'er, you live alone out here, isn't it lonely?"
"Why not come back home to live instead?"
A woman, dressed in rich satin and with a full figure, grabbed the hand of the elegant woman standing before her and asked with a smile.
The elegant woman shook her head and said, "Mother, I prefer peace and quiet, you know that…"
"Hmph! You call that liking peace and quiet? What you really want is to avoid your father and me keeping an eye on you!" A deep voice interrupted.
The speaker, also dressed splendidly, appeared to be around forty. He was somewhat plump, but it was clear he had once been a handsome man in his youth.
"Father! If you say one more thing, I won't go to the poetry conference tomorrow!" The elegant woman pouted in response.
"Look at this stubborn girl!"
"You spoiled her when she was little!"
The middle-aged man sighed heavily and took a long sip from his tea.
The full-figured woman covered her mouth and chuckled, "My lord, you spoil Yue'er even more than I do… After all, it was you who approved of buying her that small house back then."
"Hmph!" The middle-aged man poured himself more tea, clearly uninterested in responding.
Knock knock knock.
"My lord, there is something I must report to you."
Hearing the noise, the middle-aged man waved his hand toward his wife and daughter. "It's getting late. You two should go rest."
The full-figured woman took her daughter's hand and smiled. "Let's go, let your father work."
"Alright…" The elegant woman responded, then turned to the middle-aged man with a smile, "Father, don't forget what I told you!"
"I won't forget!" The middle-aged man sighed.
Creek.
The door opened, and the wiry man, upon seeing the visitors, quickly lowered his head and gave a bow. "Madam, Miss!"
The mother and daughter nodded and left, heading toward the other side of the courtyard.
Gu Ning'an glanced at the elegant woman and murmured, "No wonder Mr. Li is so obsessed, she's certainly quite beautiful."
Meanwhile, the wiry man entered the house and closed the door behind him. Gu Ning'an showed no intention of entering. After all, there was little difference to him between listening from inside or outside.
After a while, Gu Ning'an exited the "Ren residence," having pieced together the reason behind the surveillance from the conversation between the head of the Ren family and his subordinates.
It turned out that the Ren family head didn't want his daughter to marry Li Xunshan, so he had specifically dispatched someone to watch him at the city gate.
Upon spotting Gu Ning'an and his group, the spy had returned to the small courtyard to inform the maid Xiao Yu.
That explained the flustered behavior of Xiao Yu when she opened the door, and the two "heart-piercing" letters she had left behind.
It was all part of a well-designed plan to discourage Li Xunshan, hoping he would give up.
However, they clearly didn't expect that Li Xunshan wouldn't come alone. With a group of friends to support him, he was actually inspired to attend the poetry conference.
"Mr. Li couldn't possibly not recognize Miss Ren's handwriting…"
"So that letter to Young Master Sun was indeed written by her…"
Under the moonlight, Gu Ning'an muttered to himself. He was about to begin a divination when he stopped and lowered his hand.
"Forget it, forget it. There's no point in trying to predict everything. It's better not to act in this mortal world."
Putting aside his thoughts of divination, Gu Ning'an strode back down the path he had come.