Playing Hard to Get

A folding fan attracted the attention of many people in Yaocheng.

If Peng Wei hadn't intercepted Hu halfway, he would have been slapped down by the King of Yue. Except for the always upright and irritable General Peng, no one else dared to come forward to fight against Situ Xie.

Su Liang was not only a great benefactor of the Peng family, but was also treating Liang Emperor Situ Han. This was one of the reasons why Situ Xie did not insult Peng Wei in public.

Su Liang held the fan and was about to leave with the Peng family's ancestors and grandsons. Situ Jing asked with a smile, "Divine Doctor Su, can you let everyone see how powerful the hidden weapons made by the descendants of the Mu family are?"

As soon as this statement came out, it immediately attracted a lot of echoing voices.

"I don't know how to use it yet. I'm afraid I might accidentally hurt myself or others." Su Liang declined politely.

Situ Xie said, "I have just seen it, why don't you let me try it?"

Su Liang raised his eyebrows and said, "Of course. Please come, King Yue." He said and handed the fan to Situ Xie readily.

A large area of ​​space was opened on the street outside Zhenbao Pavilion, and the onlookers craned their necks to watch, fearing that they would miss the exciting part.

Situ Xie stood in the center and looked at the fan carefully for a moment, then suddenly opened it and pointed it at a pine tree at the entrance of Zhenbao Pavilion.

A few flashes of silver light showed that the silver needle had penetrated the hard bark and was firmly nailed to the tree, leaving only a little bit of its tail outside.

If it hits someone, you can imagine the consequences.

Hidden weapons, like martial arts, are both means of attack. The most important thing is speed. Speed ​​is the only thing that can't be broken.

A fan, at such a close distance, is too fast to see clearly, and is very powerful. If poison is applied to the silver needle, the lethality will be doubled.

Su Liang cupped his hands and walked towards Situ Xie, "The King of Yue knew how to use it as soon as he saw it. I admire him."

Situ Xie smiled, returned the folding fan to Su Liang, and expressed his opinion.

A harmonious one.

"This is not an antique. The expert who made the fan may be the mysterious Mr. Mu. I really want to make friends with him." Su Liang sighed with regret, "His Royal Highness the King of Yue should send someone to look for Mr. Mu in the city, right? If he finds him, can you introduce him to him? one time?"

Situ Xie's expression did not change at all, he smiled and nodded, "Okay."

Peng Wei on the side knew that this was nonsense. How could Situ Xie let Su Liang know if he could really find the descendants of the Mu family? This is not a trivial matter, it is a national matter.

Su Liang's words gave people the impression that she did not understand how important the descendants of the Mu family were.

Under the spotlight, Su Liang returned to Prince Yue's Mansion with his precious folding fan. When he entered, he asked Gu Ling if he was in the manor. When he learned that he had not returned from the Qingjing Temple, he chased after him again.

In the evening, Gu Ling and Su Liang returned to Prince Yue's Mansion. Soon Situ Jing got news from Gu Ming: Gu Ling rejected the folding fan presented by Su Liang.

"Cousin Ling really has no desires and desires." Situ Jing sighed, "The man who claimed to be a descendant of the Mu family seemed to have disappeared out of thin air without a trace. Why did he sell this fan? Just for five thousand Two?"

Situ Xie put down the tea cup and said, "Let Yao'er walk more with Su Liang."

Situ Jing nodded, "Okay, I will warn my little sister again."

After Situ Jing left, only Situ Xie was left in the study. The bookshelf slowly rotated, and a person came out from behind. Situ Xie raised his finger and the man sat in the shadow of the corner.

Situ Xie described the folding fan that appeared in Zhenbao Pavilion today, looked at the man and asked, "Could it be your master's handiwork?"

The man spoke, his voice was very young, "Normal people can't make such a sophisticated hidden weapon. Master must have come to find me, and wanted to use this to let us know that he is coming. If master finds him, he will definitely kill him mine."

"Mu Yu, I need half of the Secret Records of the Organization in your master's hands." Situ Xie said coldly, "Otherwise, the half of the book you give to me will be worthless."

The news Duanmu Yi received was not wrong. There was indeed a descendant of the Mu family who joined Situ Xie's family, and brought the secret records of the institutions that the royal families of the Three Kingdoms had been secretly searching for for many years. This was the young man named Mu Yu in Situ Xie's study.

Unfortunately, Mu Yu only brought half of the secret book, and the half was cut horizontally. The drawings on each page were incomplete, not a single one was complete, and could not be used at all.

"I didn't expect Master to cut the secret record in half. He must be on guard against me!" Mu Yu said in a somewhat annoyed tone, "If I had known earlier, I would have..."

"I don't want to hear nonsense." Situ Xie said coldly, "The place you are talking about has long been deserted, the houses have been burned down, and nothing is left. If the folding fan today was really made by your master, he He must be in Yao City. Tell me how to find him."

Mu Yu shook his head, "That's not right. Master has lived in seclusion for many years, and there is no one around him except me. But why is it a young master who sold the folding fan to Zhenbao Pavilion today?"

"How old are you? Do you really think that your master has no children, grandchildren, or other disciples?" Situ Xie snorted coldly.

"This..." Mu Yu spoke again after a moment of silence, "Your Majesty is right, Master must be hiding something from me. Your Majesty already knows his body shape and appearance. Just now I thought of something, Master has done it before Many hidden weapons were destroyed. He said that the ancestors left a legacy and the descendants of the Mu family should not let any weapons fall into the hands of others. This would be a crime. "

"He is good at this, but he can only remain anonymous. He is just bound by the so-called legacy. The weapon is not wrong, but the world is wrong." Situ Xie said coldly, "As long as I can see your master, I can try Try to convince him."

"My lord, what Mu just said is the way to find the master!" Mu Yu looked excited, "If that fan belongs to the master, he will definitely take it back! No matter who is in the hands of it!"

Situ Xie's eyes narrowed, "The fan is in Prince Yue's Mansion, and I will keep an eye on it. Go back."

After saying this, Mu Yu stood up and returned to the secret room behind the bookshelf. Situ Xie opened the window and flew out.

…

A night of silence.

When Su Liang saw Situ Xie in the front hall the next day, she found bloodshot eyes in his eyes. It was obvious that he had not slept well last night.

Situ Xie's eyes fell on the folding fan in Su Liang's hand, and he smiled and said, "Doctor Su cannot bring this thing into the palace. It's not that he doesn't trust Dr. Su, this is the rule."

Su Liang chuckled, "It's understandable." It was indeed inappropriate to let a Qianguo man bring a hidden weapon into the palace to see the Emperor of Liangguo.

Su Liang handed the fan to Lonicera and said, "I'll get it back after I leave the palace. It's not because of the hidden weapon. I like this fan very much. I think it suits the beauty. It's a pity that he doesn't want it."

Hearing this, Situ Xie chuckled and said, "It's getting late, let's go."

Every day Su Liang went into the palace to administer acupuncture to Situ Han, and Situ Xie accompanied him throughout the process.

Su Liang felt that this was probably not only because Situ Han was the emperor of Liang Kingdom, but also because he was Situ Xie's son. When she was administering the acupuncture, Situ Xie was always nearby, somewhat like a guardian.

…

After leaving the palace, Su Liang took back the folding fan and told Situ Xie that she was going to Qingjing Temple. "Gu Ling is still playing chess with Master Xuanqing. I'll go find him."

"I haven't seen Master Xuanqing for some time, and I just want to see how their chess skills are. Let's go together." Situ Xie smiled gently.

Su Liang agreed quickly, "That's very good. After we get there, can the King of Yue play a few games with Master Xuanqing and let your grandson accompany me to visit the Qingjing Temple?"

Situ Xie nodded happily, "I am very happy."

In this way, we went to Qingjing Temple together, and when we met Gu Ling, he had just finished a game of chess with Master Xuanqing.

Situ Xie proposed to play chess with Master Xuanqing, so Gu Ling stood up and stepped aside and walked out.

Situ Xie asked quickly, "Ling'er, are you going back?"

Gu Ling didn't look back, "I'm going to Tallinn."

Su Liang looked happy, "I'll go too! Gu Hou, wait!"

Situ Xie smiled, "Master, what do you think of my grandson?"

After Master Xuanqing pondered for a moment, he commented on Gu Ling, "This son has an extraordinary mind, but a peaceful temperament and a Buddhist heart."

Situ Xie smiled and shook his head, "This is the king's grandson. Master, please do not lead him into Buddhism."

Master Xuanqing smiled and waved his hand, "Beginners may not be willing, but those who are willing do not need to start. Is that little friend who came just now, the donor Su who is currently treating the emperor?"

Situ Xie said yes, and Master Xuanqing sighed, "That Almsgiver Su has clear eyes and an open heart. He must be a compassionate person, and he also has a Buddha's heart!"

Situ Xie smiled and said nothing.

…

At this time, Su Liang had already chased Gu Ling into the pagoda forest of Qingjing Temple.

Among the dark green pine trees, there are many stone towers of different heights, enshrining the relics of deceased eminent monks.

This place is usually not open to the public, but Master Xuanqing gave Gu Ling permission to visit various parts of the temple. The guarding monk thought that Su Liang and Gu Ling were together, so they didn't stop him.

The tower forest is quiet and quiet, and there is nowhere to hide people, making it easy to talk.

"The bait has been put out, but there is no movement yet." Su Liang sighed.

Yesterday was the fifteenth day, and there were activities in the temple. Master Xuanqing didn't have much free time. Gu Ling said that he could wait until he was finished before continuing the game. Taking advantage of that gap, Gu Ling went to sell the fan.

Situ Xie was staring at Su Liang, and Su Liang was also observing Situ Xie, but his life was regular and nothing unusual.

"Someone was near Hanxiangyuan last night." Gu Ling said. But he didn't know who it was.

Su Liang frowned, "Is it Situ Xie who arranged to keep an eye on me? Maybe, it's him? It seems to me that he didn't sleep last night."

Su Liang had been living in Prince Yue's Mansion for a few days. Last night someone suddenly started to monitor her. She was coming to Qingjing Temple, and Situ Xie was following her. This made her heart move, "He can't possibly know that you made that fan. I was thinking , maybe he is not staring at me, but at the fan. In that case, does he think that someone will be attracted by this fan? "

Gu Ling nodded, agreeing with Su Liang's view.

However, neither Su Liang nor Gu Ling knew whether there were any descendants of the Mu family around Situ Xie, and why he thought the hidden weapon folding fan would attract someone.

"In this case, there is some movement. Let's see who the fan will attract." Su Liang also had another fan on her body, which was given to her by Gu Ling and she always carried it with her.

Suddenly hearing the sound of footsteps, Su Liang's expression condensed. He turned around and saw a stooped old man in gray clothes carrying a large bamboo basket and picking up dead branches on the ground.

The old man raised his head, his messy beard was like dead grass, his eyebrows were long, his old eyes were dull, and he spoke in a slow voice, "This is not a place for tryst, leave quickly."

Su Liang smiled, "Master Xuanqing allowed us to visit here."

Hearing this, the old man lowered his head and continued to pick up dead branches, but when he stood up, he suddenly fell to the ground.

Su Liang's expression changed and he ran over quickly, but Gu Ling was faster than Su Liang. He reached the old man first and leaned over to help him.

As soon as Gu Ling's hand touched the old man's arm, the old man suddenly took action and reached for Gu Ling's waist! Those old, dim eyes were already full of light when they were opened again!

Unfortunately, the old man thought that the doctor Su Liang would come to him first, but he did not expect that it would be Gu Ling.

Su Liang took the fan that was originally hanging on her waist. It was obvious that the old man came for the folding fan. Perhaps he was not from Qingjing Temple at all, but followed her here.

At this time, Gu Ling had already fought with the old man. The old man with a hunched back straightened up and was tall. It was obvious that he was disguised before. Su Liang almost got fooled.

Su Liang was thinking, is this person related to the Mu family, or just wants to steal the fan for his own use? If it is the latter, it is not a big gain. If it is the former, their plan is mostly accomplished.

After a few moves, the old man suddenly said, "I just want to borrow the fan to see!"

Su Liang said coldly, "If there were no masters around me, you would have snatched the fan and left."

The old man's mouth twitched slightly, "Anyway, we won't fight now!"

Su Liang knew that the old man stopped because he found it difficult to suppress Gu Ling, but this was not the point at the moment, "Why do you want to borrow the fan to see?"

Gu Ling returned to Su Liang's side. The old man was two meters away from them, staring at Su Liang, "You name a price."

Su Liang chuckled, "If you know me, you know that the last thing I lack is money."

The old man glanced at Gu Ling and said coldly, "I want to know if this fan is from the hands of the descendants of the Mu family."

Su Liang's heart moved. Only the Mu family can tell whether the fan is from the hands of the Mu family! "Caught" the real thing!

"Aren't you afraid that we will listen to you and not let you go?" Su Liang asked with a smile.

The old man snorted coldly, "It's not easy for me to defeat that guy, but it's a foolish dream for you to keep me here!"

Su Liang smiled, "Okay. Since the old man is an expert, it's okay to take a look. I also want to know if this precious fan is a genuine Mu family product."

After saying that, Su Liang handed the fan to Gu Ling, "Please help deliver it to the old man, Lord Gu, and bring it back after he has finished looking at it."

Gu Ling took it, walked towards the old man, and handed it to him directly.

The old man was obviously stunned, "Little girl, aren't you afraid that I will run away after getting it? You can't stop me!"

"Although your appearance is not very friendly, old man, I really want to make friends with you, so why not take a gamble?" Su Liang smiled.

"Forget about making friends, I don't need it." The old man snorted lightly, took the fan, opened it, and examined it carefully.

Su Liang walked to Gu Ling, "How is it? Is it the work of the Mu family?"

The old man shook his head, "No. The descendants of the Mu family I know can't make such a delicate hidden weapon."

"Oh? So, my fan is a fake Mu family hidden weapon, but it is better than the real Mu family descendants?" Su Liang looked surprised.

"Not all descendants of the Mu family are skilled craftsmen." The old man said, still looking at the fan handle, "Little girl, can I take this fan apart?"

"If I agree, the old man will also agree to one thing for me, how about it?" Su Liang's voice fell, and there was a tearing sound, and the fan was torn apart by the old man.

Su Liang also saw the mechanism in the fan for the first time, and once again sighed that Gu Ling was born with a pair of skillful hands.

"It's not complicated, but it's so delicate, it must not be made by that evil disciple..." The old man's words to himself were heard by Gu Ling and Su Liang.

The two looked at each other and had new gains. Su Liang even thought at this moment that maybe the evil disciple mentioned by this person was the descendant of the Mu family who was loyal to Situ Xie as mentioned by Duanmu Yi.

After all, after so many years, the Mu family has not made any moves, and the secret records of the mechanism have not been revealed. It can be seen that their descendants do not want to get involved in the disputes in the world, nor do they pursue fame and fortune.

If someone suddenly appeared and joined Situ Xie's school, if he was not the only one, then he would most likely be a traitor?

Su Liang felt that if her guess was right, the situation would not be bad for them, provided that they had a good relationship with this old man.

"Is the old man's surname Mu?" Su Liang smiled obediently.

The old man glanced at Su Liang and snorted, "Don't try to take advantage of me! I know you are sent by the royal family of Gan country!"

"That's not important." Su Liang shook his head, "If I guess correctly, the old man must be the true successor of the Mu family's master craftsman. If you only have one apprentice and they broke up, how about taking another one?"

The old man frowned at Su Liang, "Do you want to take me as your master?"

Su Liang was basically sure that she guessed right, and shook his head quickly, "I am clumsy, not this material. I have a friend who is the most skillful person I have ever seen."

The old man shook his head, "Let your friend embroider well."

Su Liang coughed lightly, "He is a man."

"He can also embroider." The old man snorted.

Su Liang's expression became serious, "What if it was the maker of the fan in your hand? Would it please you?"

The old man's expression changed slightly, "You know the person who made this fan? Then why did you let someone buy it... You cunning girl, this fan was originally yours, right?!"

Su Liang kept smiling, took out another fan of the same model but smaller than the one she brought with her, and admitted the old man's guess, "Don't be excited, old man, just like you pretended to be sick to deceive me today, I played a little trick with my friend yesterday, the degree of cunning is the same."

"Friend..." The old man's eyes fell on Gu Ling, "Could it be this kid?"

Su Liang nodded, "Yes, it's him. My most clever friend, he made these two fans by himself when he was free, but no one taught him. Is he gifted?"

"Really? You came up with it yourself?" The old man's eyes lit up.

"I'm not interested in becoming your apprentice. Goodbye." Gu Ling turned and left.

"Wait a minute!" The old man grabbed Gu Ling, "If what you said is true, you are the apprentice I have been looking for! I can teach you what I have learned throughout my life!"

"Sorry, no need." Gu Ling refused again, with a cold expression.

The old man looked at Su Liang and said, "Little girl, you obviously want him to become my teacher, so why don't you persuade him!"

Su Liang coughed lightly, "Brother, agree, there is no harm in it. Don't you want to see the exquisite mechanism made by Mu's master craftsman? There is no such shop beyond this village!"

Hearing this, Gu Ling frowned slightly, looked at the old man and said, "Okay, but you can't force me to do anything."

"As long as you abide by the teachings of your ancestors, everything else is up to you!" The old man said and his expression changed. "When someone comes, I will look for you again!" After saying that, he picked up the bamboo basket on the ground and disappeared into the depths of the tower forest in a few leaps. .

When Situ Xie walked into Talin and saw Su Liang and Gu Ling, Gu Ling was taking the folding fan from her hand and putting it in her arms.

In fact, what Su Liang gave Gu Ling was another one. This would prevent Situ Xie from discovering that the fan he was staring at was missing.

"It seems that Doctor Su finally gave away the gift." Situ Xie walked over with a smile.

Su Liang looked happy, "Gu Hou just wanted to see the hidden weapon and said he would return it to me after seeing it. It's okay if you don't return it."

"I'm very happy that Ling'er has a friend like Doctor Su." Situ Xie smiled meaningfully, "It's getting late. I'm going back to my house. Will you go back?"

"Yeah." Gu Ling responded.

…

Returning to Prince Yue's Mansion, when he was about to separate between Ningxiang Residence and Hanxiang Courtyard, Su Liang bumped Gu Ling's shoulder lightly and whispered, "I played hard to get today, and it was a good one."

It's not that Su Liang made his own decision, Gu Ling is really interested in mechanism-type things, and the old man is an opportunity that can't be missed.

Gu Ling shook his head, "I'm not good at it." At Qingjing Temple, he indeed refused on purpose, pretending that he didn't want to become a disciple. But his efforts to play hard to get against Su Liang had no effect. The problem was him, he was so "manipulative" that Su Liang didn't notice that he wanted to "capture" him. But now this state is not bad, but in fact, what he looks forward to most in his heart is that Su Liang can like him without knowing that he likes her...

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－

Asking for a monthly ticket (*^▽^*)

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