24: A chain of frame-ups!

Lu Jiuyuan slowly put down the scraps of cloth. He picked up the coarse pottery teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of cold, coarse tea.

The tea was turbid, reflecting his unfathomable eyes.

“So, you came to find me,” he took a sip of the cold tea, his Adam's apple bobbing, “are you asking me to help you catch a ghost? Or are you asking me to return to Six Doors with you and prove my innocence to Jin Jiuling?”

“Catch the ghost! I’ve already guessed who the ghost is!” Lu Xiaofeng said decisively, “You have your own sword for your innocence, no need to prove it to anyone!

But this ghost, hiding in the shadows, embroidering, must be dragged out!

He not only harmed others, but almost killed my friends, and even made me, your old man, run around in circles!

And to use me to get rid of you, I can’t swallow this anger!”

He leaned forward, his eyes burning with the anger and excitement of being fooled:

“Old Nine, this case is interesting! The opponent is cunning enough, ruthless enough, and understands us well enough! Framing you is aimed at both you and me!

How about we, brothers, join forces and overturn this game? Don’t you want to see who is behind all this, holding a needle, trying to embroider you into this dead end?”

“Good!”

“The person who framed me has a very malicious mind.”

He tossed the fragments back onto the table: “They know I use needles, they know the style of my sword, and they can even get fragments of my clothes.

I practice my sword here, and normally no one comes. This fragment was stolen. The person who could steal something without my noticing is a master.”

“The Old Thief cannot escape responsibility for this matter.”

“No more than three people in this world could do it, and Sikong Zhaixing is the most suspicious!” Lu Xiaofeng nodded:

“The Old Thief owes him a favor, he must know a lot, but he is unwilling to speak, unable and unwilling to testify. He has been avoiding me, I can’t catch him, and I can’t force him.”

“The Prince’s Mansion is a tall building with high walls. How did I get in without a map or a key?” Lu Jiuyuan asked:

“From the clues, your relationship with Red Shoes is not shallow!” Lu Xiaofeng smiled somewhat strangely:

“You killed Gongsun Da Niang, so on the surface, you are mortal enemies with Red Shoes. But from the known clues, you indeed have a connection with Red Shoes.”

“Who?”

“Shangguan Xueer!”

“Xue'er? How did she become Red Shoes?” Lu Jiuyuan was a little shocked.

“Among the Red Shoes, she is currently ranked ninth, called Ninth Girl!

She probably hasn’t been with Red Shoes for long, but your relationship with her is enough to link you with Red Shoes.”

“Haha, this is interesting, much more interesting than I imagined.”

Lu Jiuyuan laughed. He had killed Gongsun Da Niang and was wondering how Jin Jiuling would continue this play without this major supporting character. He didn't expect the final result to be like this.

This supporting character, who was supposed to take the blame, actually turned out to be me!

“What else do you know? Tell me everything!”

“Jiang Chongwei is the steward of the Prince’s Mansion. Jiang Qingxia is ostensibly Jiang Chongwei’s younger sister, but in reality, she is his fiancée.

The Prince’s Mansion map was stolen by Jiang Qingxia, the key was duplicated by Jiang Qingxia, the intelligence was provided by Ninth Girl, the treasury was stolen by you, the traces were left by you, and Jiang Chongwei’s eyes were blinded by you…”

“The narrative is so complete, I’m starting to suspect I did it!”

“You did it in cahoots with Red Shoes!” Lu Xiaofeng followed with a laugh:

“Jiang Qingxia stole the map, duplicated the key… Shangguan Xueer provided intelligence… I made the move… Heh, it’s all interconnected, watertight.”

He raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as needles, piercing Lu Xiaofeng, “Lu Xiaofeng, this game is much more meticulously planned than that old fox Huo Xiu.

It seems someone not only wants to reap the benefits but also wants to kill two, or even three birds with one stone — besides the treasures, they want to deal with me and Red Shoes at the same time.”

The smile on Lu Xiaofeng’s face also completely disappeared, his mustache drooping: “Indeed. This framing is a series of traps aimed at you.

Using your sword, your needles, your clothes, and even your connections, they want to firmly nail you to the ‘Embroidered Bandit’ pillar.

Once confirmed, not only will Six Doors hound you like mad dogs, but the connections and forces behind those masters whose eyes were embroidered blind will also never let it go.

Within Red Shoes, there are already undercurrents due to Gongsun Da Niang’s death, and dragging Shangguan Xueer into it will make them fight among themselves.

Killing three birds with one stone, it’s indeed a brilliant play.”

Xue Bing listened with bated breath, her heart pounding. As a member of Red Shoes, she didn’t know it was so thrilling.

“Miss Xue, what do you say?” Lu Jiuyuan looked at Xue Bing.

“Me?” Xue Bing pointed to her nose with her finger, asking somewhat uncertainly, “Are you asking me?”

“Xue Bing, the eighth of Red Shoes, the famous tigress in Jianghu, can still say something!”

When Lu Jiuyuan said this, Lu Xiaofeng’s expression didn’t change much.

Only Xue Bing’s expression changed.

She looked at Lu Jiuyuan, then at Lu Xiaofeng, seeing his lack of surprise, and her face turned ugly: “You all know? Did Little Nine sell me out?”

“I only know a little bit!” Lu Xiaofeng chuckled, then quickly said:

“I just found out. Before, I just had a bit of a guess! How Old Nine knew, I don’t know!”

“Xue'er didn’t tell me. I also just found out that Xue'er became Ninth Girl of Red Shoes.” Lu Jiuyuan looked at Xue Bing:

“What I want to know now is, why did Xue'er join Red Shoes? Was it for self-preservation, or was she being used?

Or… was she herself a chess piece in this game, without even knowing it?”

“Miss Xue, you are Lu Xiaofeng’s friend, and half a friend of mine. How much do you know about Xue'er?”

Xue Bing’s heart trembled under his gaze. Lu Jiuyuan’s eyes were calm, yet like a deep pool, unfathomable. This killer, who had almost wiped out the Tianqin Sect, was feared by few in Jianghu.

That look, that invisible pressure, was more unsettling than any aggressive Aura.

She composed herself and said, “Ninth Sister… Xue'er joined not long after Big Sister died.

Why Big Sister was killed is a closely guarded secret within the organization, not allowed to be spoken of or questioned, but Gongsun Erniang seems to have taken great care of Xue'er.

As for why she joined, and why she is called ‘Ninth Girl,’ I am not entirely clear on the specific details.

She is the youngest and rarely participates in core affairs; it’s more like… more like she’s just playing around.”

She paused, then added, “I’m the same. I just joined not long ago and haven’t even attended three gatherings.”

“Gongsun Erniang… she really put in a lot of effort!” Lu Jiuyuan chuckled softly.

“And Sikong Zhaixing…” Lu Jiuyuan slowly uttered the name, his voice low:

“The Old Thief and I have no enmity. Only he has the ability to stealthily steal fabric from my clothes while I practice my sword, without me noticing.

I don’t offend those who don’t offend me. Since he’s involved, he’ll have to test if my sword is sharp!”

“What do you plan to do?”

“Your purpose in coming wasn’t just to take me to Jin Jiuling, was it!” Lu Jiuyuan said with a smile:

“I’ll go with you to see him!”