GBP Chapter 8 Peak Acting Skills
Chapter 8 Peak Acting Skills
Chu Ling poured Xie Yan a cup of tea, and after seeing him gulp it down, he joked, "I thought the number one in Fengyun Tower would be immune to all poisons."
Then the bed curtains were drawn, and a rustling sound came from inside, which could be vaguely heard as someone changing clothes.
Xie Yan returned to her original state behind the bed curtains, and as if by magic, pulled out his mask from somewhere and put it on before getting off the bed. "To my shame, I am indeed immune to all poisons."
He said with a hint of sadness, "But aphrodisiacs aren't exactly poison."
"On another note, how did Your Highness recognize me?"
Chu Ling sat at the table, looked up, and stared into Xie Yan's eyes.
Although during this process, his gaze clearly lingered on Xie Yan's mask for a moment before hesitantly fixing on where her eyes should be.
"Would you believe me if I said it was because of the look in your eyes?"
Hearing this, Xie Yan was quite pleased with herself: "Oh? I didn't expect Your Highness to be able to see my unruly soul in my eyes."
Chu Ling said in a low voice, "...It's because out of the group of people, only you looked at me with a 'watching a show' kind of gaze."
"..."
Xie Yan chuckled awkwardly and changed the subject rather stiffly, "Why did Your Highness come here alone?"
Chu Ling lowered his eyes and chuckled a few times. He glanced at the night outside the window and said thoughtfully, "It's about time."
"It seems you've encountered some obstacles with Dong Feng."
Xie Yan didn't care how Chu Ling found out. He waved his hand and said, "Oh, you mean the Rainbow Five? They are a bit annoying, but not much of a problem."
He has lingered here until now in order to find evidence of Dong Feng's treason.
"Rainbow Five?" Chu Ling pondered silently for a moment, then felt a bit amused and exasperated.
"You must be referring to the Five Eccentrics of Youzhou. These five men, being from the same Youzhou region, formed a sworn brotherhood and ventured out into the world. In recent years, they have made quite a name for themselves in the martial arts world, but their actions tend to be wicked. I wonder why they have come to serve as Dong Feng's bodyguards this time."
Xie Yan looked profound: Never heard of it.
"By now, Xuanfeng and the others should have already disguised themselves as you and entangled the Five Eccentrics of Youzhou."
Seeing Chu Ling's meaningful look, Xie Yan immediately understood and climbed out the window without saying a word.
Chu Ling tapped the table with his fan, kindly reminding him, "You're going the wrong way."
"No."
Xie Yan had drifted far away, but her voice still reached his ears clearly: "I need to break one of my legs first."
Chu Ling accidentally slammed his fan against the ground: "...What leg?"
Dong Feng paced anxiously around the room, occasionally pressing his ear against the window to listen intently to the sounds outside.
"Have we been discovered? Which side is it...?"
He muttered to himself, his bottom barely touching the stool before he stood up again, as if there were thorns on the stool.
After a while, the voice of a guard came from outside, and Dong Feng opened the door slightly like a thief.
Several rows of guards surrounded Dong Feng's room. The lead guard had just bowed to Dong Feng when he saw a familiar young man in blue robes among the retainers hurrying over.
"Young Master Zhou, how is the situation?"
The young man, called Young Master Zhou, was in a hurry, but his sword, which he always carried with him, was nowhere to be seen.
As they got closer, they could see that Zhou Chen was pale and panting: "I can still manage, but I was afraid of falling into a trap, so I rushed back to check on him."
He turned his head and saw that Dong Feng was safe and sound, and he visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you're alright, sir."
"Come in quickly! Come in quickly!" Dong Feng hurriedly pulled him into the room.
"Is it the same top-ranked member of Fengyun Tower who came this time?"
Zhou Chen frowned, his tone grave: "Not only that, there are a few more this time. Judging by their skills, they seem to be assassins from the Fengyun Tower as well."
Upon hearing this, Dong Feng became restless again, muttering to himself, "Assassins, assassins... This doesn't seem like the Emperor's style... Could it be them?"
Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes imperceptibly, then urged, "Xie Yan's martial arts have reached a state of perfection, and now she has several more helpers. I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for long, let alone the guards outside. My lord, you should leave with me quickly!"
Dong Feng swallowed hard, and without thinking, he turned to leave. But at the same time, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards a certain spot.
The next moment, he felt a pain in his neck, followed by everything going black.
Zhou Chen helped Dong Feng up as he collapsed, making him fall to the ground without making a sound.
He then quickly walked to the spot where Dong Feng had subconsciously looked, first observed the surroundings, and confirmed that there was only one painting hanging on the wall before taking it down and hiding it in his pocket.
Xie Yan put the painting away, chuckled as she passed Dong Feng, and even kicked him in the butt before opening the door and walking out with a stern face.
"I'll go check again. You must protect the adults here and not let any suspicious people in."
All the guards responded in unison.
Pushing open the window, Xie Yan skillfully climbed inside.
As soon as they stood still, they looked at Chu Ling, who was standing next to the bathtub with his clothes wide open and still damp.
Xie Yan: "...Sorry, I went to the wrong place."
Xie Yan had just placed his hand on the windowsill when someone grabbed the back of his collar.
Chu Ling pulled him close, his hot breath hitting Xie Yan's face directly. Chu Ling gave him a knowing smile and said, "It's alright, it won't hurt to see what's missing."
Xie Yan: ...You're so slutty.
As he said this, Chu Ling leaned forward again. He hooked his arm around Xie Yan's collar and teased, "Want to come along?"
Suddenly, a loud "bang" came from the windowsill. The two people, still facing each other, looked over at the same time, and a person stared at them in disbelief.
Feeling that he shouldn't exist, Yu Bai slowly curled up into a ball: "...I'm sorry! I disturbed you!"
After a while——
Xie Yan sat with his legs crossed, looking at Yu Bai who stood solemnly to the side. The latter looked at the sky and the ground, refusing to make eye contact with him.
"What if I said..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Bai nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes, you're right!"
Xie Yan was taken aback, feeling that her reputation was seriously under scrutiny.
Chu Ling changed his clothes and came out from behind the screen. He glanced at Yu Bai, who was shivering, and then turned to Xie Yan: "Did you find anything?"
A painting depicting Buddha feeding a tiger was laid out on the table; it was the very painting Xie Yan had taken from Dong Feng's room.
“I’ve been here for several months, and that old bastard Dong Feng is as cautious as a mouse. He hasn’t discovered anything. Except for today when he slipped up and glanced at this painting as he was running away.”
Their eyes all fell on the painting, but the painting was mediocre, and apart from the Buddha and the tiger, the surrounding area was empty, and nothing could be seen.
Chu Ling reached out and pressed and stroked the painting a few times, his brows furrowing slightly as if he were a little puzzled, but he still made a decisive decision: "Take it apart."
Upon hearing this, Yu Bai immediately pulled out a dagger and began carefully cutting through the layers of the painting.
Xie Yan rested his chin on his hand, carefully examining the painting from top to bottom. He had described the situation as critical, a matter of life and death, and Dong Feng's subconscious glance was certainly not a mistake, but he still felt as if he had overlooked something.
Suddenly, Xie Yan's surveying gaze paused, landing on the head of the dismantled scroll. Dong Feng's every move seemed to reappear before his eyes.
He wasn't looking at the painting itself, but rather at the top of it!