After Transmigrating, My Younger Brother Always Tries to Seduce Me - Chapter 23

Zhu Zhenzhen crouched beside him, grabbed his hair, and yanked his head back, a hint of roguishness flashing across her stunningly beautiful face.

The man’s face was exposed. She slapped his cheek with the back of her hand, snarling, Hand over the money pouch.

The thief remained silent, his gaze fixed blankly on the ground. Zhu Zhenzhen hardened her resolve and snapped his dislocated joint back into place, only to twist it out of alignment again.

The man on the ground screamed anew, sweat dripping onto the ground. He uttered no words beyond his cries, as good as mute.

After a while, Zhu Zhenzhen’s patience wore thin. She flipped him over like a salted fish in a pan, ready to get physical.

Just as she unbuttoned his collar, her fingertips brushing against his skin, a deep voice sounded from behind her. Her hand froze, and she turned to look.

Beside him, a man gasped for breath, seemingly drained of all strength. His voice, barely audible above a whisper, was still caught by her sharp ears.

Song Heng strode forward with long strides, covering four steps in two, his movements as graceful as ever. Not a drop of sweat marred his composure, a stark contrast to Lu Yin beside him, only accentuating his refined elegance.

The man on the ground was drenched in sweat, the moisture seeping through his back to stain the ground beneath him.

Song Heng immediately understood her intentions. With a calm tone, he said, Get up. I’ll search him.

Standing at the alley entrance, backlit by the streetlights, Song Heng’s face remained obscured from Zhu Zhenzhen’s upward gaze.

Without a word, he pulled her behind him, leaving her only his broad back to observe.

As darkness deepened, she couldn’t discern what he was doing to the thief. She only knew that within moments, the man’s teeth began to chatter, clicking together in a frantic rhythm, his legs kicking wildly as if gripped by terror.

Suddenly, a coin pouch was tossed toward her, its drawstring still dangling in mid-air. As Zhu Zhenzhen caught it, Song Heng emerged from the shadows.

His handsome face appeared even more striking under the glow of the street lanterns, the shadows and highlights sharply defined.

The alley remained eerily silent. Zhu Zhenzhen glanced sideways at the man who had emerged and asked, That thief isn’t dead, is he?

Petty theft hardly warranted a death sentence.

Song Heng withdrew a handkerchief from his inner robe. A smiling face, embroidered by Zhu Zhenzhen herself, adorned one corner, looking utterly comical.

He slowly wiped his hands, meticulously cleaning each finger with the handkerchief, his expression one of utter disdain.

He’s fine, he said. Just fainted from fright.

Lu Yin, leaning against the wall to steady himself, approached them. What kind of luck is this? Getting robbed the moment I step outside? Talk about bad luck.

Zhu Zhenzhen tossed the coin pouch into his arms, grinning. We got it back for you. Shouldn’t you treat us to a celebratory meal?

Then let’s try that Min Yue Pavilion, Lu Yin suggested.

Sounds good. Lu Yin turned his gaze away from the alley.

As luck would have it, Min Yue Pavilion stood prominently just around the corner from the alley exit.

As if meticulously planned, they spotted the restaurant the moment they retrieved their coin pouch.

The lively atmosphere inside spilled out through the entrance, accompanied by waves of savory aromas that tickled their noses and whetted their already ravenous appetites.

Zhu Zhenzhen’s stomach rumbled appropriately. She and Song Heng strode inside, where a waiter greeted them warmly and ushered them to a table.

She glanced at the menu hanging on the wall, took a sip of the tea the waiter offered, and was about to order when she noticed only one cup on the table, the teapot already whisked away.

You forgot a cup, she reminded him.

The waiter looked puzzled. Miss, there are only two of you. Why would you need three cups?

Two?

Zhu Zhenzhen glanced around, her eyes meeting Song Heng’s equally bewildered gaze.

Damn it, where’s Lu Yin?

The pair rushed out of the restaurant and split up to search. They expected a long hunt, but Zhu Zhenzhen spotted him around the very next corner.

There he was, in his familiar narrow-sleeved robes, his green hair ribbon—which should have been neatly draped along his hair—now tangled and disheveled, the ribbon twisted into his dark locks.

Lu Yin stood in the alley where they had been earlier, his back to her. One hand braced against the wall, the other pressed to his chest as he gasped for breath.

Zhu Zhenzhen patted his shoulder. What’s wrong?

Lu Yin, his voice hoarse, stared straight ahead. I sensed something was off earlier. I glimpsed another figure in the alley, but it vanished in the blink of an eye.

He pursed his lips, recalling the moment, his expression unusually serious—more so than even when he’d lost his coin pouch earlier.

After they entered the restaurant, Lu Yin hurried to catch up, his steps quickening perhaps due to hunger. This caused his coin pouch, which hadn’t been properly secured, to slip out. He bent down to retrieve it.

Amidst the shifting shadows, he thought he recognized a familiar figure entering the alley. A sudden suspicion arose in his mind. He picked up the pouch and followed.

Just then, an old man passed by the alley entrance, his lantern illuminating the narrow passage. Lu Yin held his breath, peering cautiously inside.

In the brief moment before the light faded, he clearly saw the man’s face. It was none other than Old Yue, the servant from their residence!

He grabbed the man on the ground by the shoulders, hoisted him onto his back, and carried him out effortlessly, his back bent low.

Old Yue was supposed to be lame. Even if he could carry a person, he shouldn’t have been able to move so quickly.

A moment’s thought revealed this was a classic diversionary tactic!

If there was anything the Capital’s residents coveted from these outsiders, it could only be the Black Nether Posts given by the Yan Family siblings.

They quickly found Song Heng, explained the situation, and returned to the residence together.

They didn’t fully grasp the gravity of the situation, but Song Heng did.

During the earlier search, he had inserted three needles into the thief one into his mute acupoint and two into his meridians. Without external assistance, the man would be utterly unable to stand.

The needles were deeply embedded, the technique identical to what he had used in Changding City.

Since his needle technique had already been exposed in Changding, Zhao Lin’s dog-like nature would undoubtedly lead him to investigate the two corpses. It was only a matter of time before the silver needles in their brains were discovered.

The faction vying for the Black Nether Post would never work for Prince Jin. If they became his subordinates, Zhao Lin would report back, their information would be verified, and a thorough investigation of the Capital would expose them like black rats under the noonday sun.

Therefore, his only option was to retrieve the Black Nether Post before Zhao Lin could report back, complete the Martial Arts Tournament, and pledge allegiance to Prince Jin before anyone else.

According to earlier reports, Zhao Lin was still at the stronghold, awaiting Prince Jin’s new guards to watch over Magistrate Li’s corpse. Song Heng needed to create further distractions to delay Zhao Lin’s return to the Capital.

A ruthless glint unconsciously flashed across his eyes as he gradually slowed his pace, eventually turning and vanishing into the crowd.

Zhu Zhenzhen seemed to sense something. She glanced back at her side, but the man had already disappeared.

Without pausing, she hurried toward the residence.

The ancient wooden door was kicked open with a resounding crash, slamming against the wall.

A bucket of fish feed still sat by the pond, but the person who had been there was nowhere to be seen.

The pair charged into the side rooms, while Lu Yin went to check Song Heng’s quarters. Though mentally prepared, the chaos that greeted him when he opened the door still shocked him.

The packages they had brought lay wide open, their contents scattered across the floor. The bedding was slashed with knife marks, cotton spilling out to cover the entire bed.

Yet every silver tael and silver note remained intact, not a single one missing. Even the unsold jewelry and hairpins, though slightly bent, were otherwise undamaged.

Zhu Zhenzhen had no time to clean up. She rushed next door to check the adjacent room, only to find an identical scene of chaos.

The Black Nether Post is gone!

Both Zhu Zhenzhen and Lu Yin exclaimed simultaneously as they met each other.

A sudden realization struck Zhu Zhenzhen. She grabbed Lu Yin’s hand, ready to search elsewhere.

But her hand closed on empty air.

Lu Yin punched the wooden door, wincing at the pain. Frustrated, he slid down the wall, gradually drawing his knees to his chest. His voice muffled, he muttered, If I had learned some martial arts techniques, maybe they wouldn’t have stolen our things, and I wouldn’t have lost your Black Nether Token.

Lu Yin’s mood had shifted. Over the course of their time together, he had evolved from shy and reserved to openly candid, and finally to cheerful and lively. He had never spoken with such self-blame and detachment before.

Zhu Zhenzhen gently turned his face to meet her gaze. Her voice was firm and resolute as she said

It’s not your fault. Besides, if it weren’t for you, we’d still be completely in the dark. And I promise I’ll get the Black Nether Post back.

Her words were somewhat nonsensical and lacked any real basis, sounding like a hollow promise. Yet, whenever she spoke, her words always had a calming effect on Lu Yin.

As Lu Yin gradually recovered from his despondent mood, he suddenly thought of something and immediately asked, Would it be useful to go to the Patron now?

Zhu Zhenzhen’s mind raced.

No.

Even if the Patron wasn’t in league with the enemy, if he was unaware of the situation, the real manager had likely already been killed.

Song Heng had explained that the Black Nether Posts were issued by Prince Jin to the most vicious and desperate criminals. Cornered and seeking a way to escape capture by imperial forces, these men had no choice but to pledge loyalty to Prince Jin.

However, if they were caught before the Martial Arts Tournament, they would simply have to accept their fate.

Prince Jin wouldn’t dare act too brazenly in the Capital, keeping his dark schemes hidden from the Son of Heaven.

The Black Nether Posts served only as admission tickets to the Martial Arts Tournament. This meant that before the tournament began, no one could verify the authenticity of the tokens.

This gave Zhu Zhenzhen room to maneuver.

The Capital bustled with its usual vibrancy. Even before the sun reached its zenith, vendors had already set up their stalls, hawking their wares with tireless enthusiasm, hoping to fetch a good price for their goods that day.

But in recent days, their customers had dwindled to a pitiful few. Even regular patrons were scarce, and the once-crowded market now felt eerily empty.

Only small groups of people strolled the streets.

The young ladies, usually confined to their chambers, had chosen this day to venture out with companions, drawn by rumors of a novel entertainment sweeping the Capital.

Surrounded by giggling companions, a woman in indigo robes stepped back, covering her lips with her fan as she whispered to her maid, Is this thing really as miraculous as they say?

Of course, my lady, the maid replied. Not long ago, I heard that one of the Yan Family siblings found a worthy husband, while the other returned to the Capital and was immediately appointed to a high position by Prince Jin.

The indigo-robed woman gasped. But aren’t those the two Yan siblings who were once out of favor?

They’re far from out of favor now. The Yan Family practically worships them both.