BXBX NOVEL Chapter 159 - 159: The Highest-End Hunters Often Appear in the Form of Prey
Qingxian City, Government Office.
As dusk approached, Yamen Runners Qin and Gu were summoned by the County Magistrate.
It seemed like the other yamen runners in the office had finished their day’s work. Only Magistrate Wu and Advisor Cheng remained in the hall.
“Qin Fu, Gu Rong.”
Magistrate Wu stood behind the desk, hands clasped behind his back, calling out their names.
“Present. ”
The two women responded in the manner of other yamen runners.
“I am currently investigating a case where a specific rouge was found at the crime scene. This rouge is sold in various rouge shops around the city, and I need to compare them to determine its source,” Magistrate Lu explained, picking up a piece of paper from the desk and handing it to them.
“However, all the operatives in the county office are men, and it’s inconvenient for them to visit rouge shops without female companions. This paper lists several rouge shops in the city. I need you two to change back into women’s clothing and purchase the types of rouge listed here.”
Qin Fu and Gu Rong exchanged glances, surprised. After a moment, Gu Rong took the paper.
“Alright, go now, while it’s still not completely dark… The rouge shops will close soon,” Lu Xuan instructed, gesturing dismissively.
“And remember, ask the shopkeepers for receipts. The office will reimburse you for the purchases.”
With the magistrate’s orders, Qin Fu and Gu Rong dared not disobey. They exchanged a glance, bowed to Lu Xuan, and then left the office together.
After Qin Fu and Gu Rong left.
Lu Xuan looked at Cheng Lingzhu, smiling, “Let’s get ready to act, Advisor.”
“Rest assured, my lord,” Cheng Lingzhu replied, smiling and bowing gracefully.
Qingxian City.
Qin Fu and Gu Rong walked together.
“This should be the last shop,” Qin Fu noted, looking at a store not far away.
“It’s getting dark, ” Gu Rong observed, looking up at the sky. “The curfew will start soon.”
“Don’t worry, it’s just reached the hour of Xu (7-9 pm), there’s still time before the curfew,” Qin Fu calculated. “The shops in the southern part of the city don’t close until curfew, and since the patrolling yamen runners are from our office and know we are on a mission, we can take our time returning after the purchase.”
“I’m just worried about bad people lurking around this late,” Gu Rong expressed her concern.
“With Oingxian’s protection over Qingxian City, where would such bad people
come from?” Qin Fu laughed. “Besides, we are yamen runners of the county
office. If anyone should be afraid, it should be them, not us.”
They had a list of six rouge shops, arranged in order of proximity to the county office.
Qin Fu and Gu Rong had completed purchases from the first five and were heading to the last one. With the curfew approaching and the streets nearly deserted, the surrounding area was dark and quiet.
Qin Fu quickened her pace, feeling uneasy about Gu Rong’s earlier comment. Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from an alley, grabbing Qin Fu’s arm and trying to drag her inside. Qin Fu screamed in panic before her mouth was covered.
Gu Rong, stunned at first, quickly reacted and pushed the attacker away. She and Qin Fu ran towards the other end of the alley, where some light from lanterns was visible, indicating there were people there.
The shadowy figure pursued them closely as they ran desperately down the seemingly endless alley.
Finally, they emerged from the alley, with the attacker following close behind.
“Help! Help us!” Qin Fu yelled for help.
“Audacious thief, daring to attack innocent women at night!” a voice exclaimed.
The young man, holding a folding fan, commanded several men dressed as servants to apprehend the attacker. The assailant, seeing the situation turn against him, fled swiftly, evading capture.
“It’s okay, come back!” the young man ordered his men, who returned to his side.
“Are you two ladies alright?” he asked.
“Thank… Thank you, sir,” Gu Rong replied quietly.
Someone lit a lantern, allowing them to clearly see the face of their rescuer.
Qin Fu was momentarily stunned: “Bo… Master Bo?”
“Hm? You two know me?” Bo Chang flicked his fan.
“Master Bo is a prominent figure in Qingxian City; of course, we recognize you,” Qin Fu responded. She had seen Bo Chang at a banquet at Master Gu’s residence.
“Where do you two live? Why are you out so late on the street? Can I offer to send you home?” Under the lantern light, Bo Chang examined them both one young and not fully developed, the other with a gentle face and good looks.
“Thank you, Master Bo, we are…” Qin Fu began to reply but was interrupted by Gu Rong tugging at her sleeve. They were out for an investigation, something not to be disclosed to outsiders.
“We are from the yamen,” Qin Fu quickly adjusted her answer. “We had just finished our duty and were planning to visit a rouge shop to buy some rouge.”
“Women from the county office?” Bo Chang looked surprised.
“Just doing some clerical work, organizing files and archives,” Qin Fu explained.
“This new Magistrate Wu is truly no ordinary man,” Bo Chang mused.
“Right, since you are here to buy rouge, there’s a rouge shop nearby that I’m familiar with.. Why don’t we go there together?”