Our Protection

Ch 83 - Laying Low (pt 2)

A/n - It's long overdue. Let me know your comments later.

The pattering of footsteps on the wooden floor become louder before someone was banging on the double doors of the Hall of Swords. The Hall of Swords usually will be used to entertain guests and also to receive any complaints that might arise from local civilians. Although they were entertaining guests the last several days, they wanted to keep it low for the moment. None of their maids or servants is allowed to enter the Hall of Swords unless it's necessary or urgent matters.

"Is it their news?" Madam Yu's voice penetrated through the semi-transparent lotus decorated doors. Those inside the hall could see a silhouette of a person bending over on the other side of the door, possibly trying to catch their breath. "Well, I'm asking you ... Is it them?" asked Madam Yu again impatiently.

"My lady ..." Jiang FengMian tried to stall his wife to let the messenger catch his breath, but Madam Yu was not paying attention.

"Yes," gasped the poor messenger. He took out the letter and hold it out for someone to take. Yin Zhu open the door and slipped out to take the letter. She took out a small ingot of silver for the messenger.

"Thank you for your patronage,"

"It's my honour as the fourth generation of my family to serve the Jiang Clan." Replied the young messenger dutifully sounded with practice ease and a hint of pride.

"Still, your loyalty and dedication are truly invaluable,"

. . . . .

"A-Niang, A-Die," Jiang YanLi arrived as they were going halfway through the letter. Jin Zhu had informed her of the letter from her brothers and led her into the hall. "Greetings, Clan Leader Lan and clan Leader Nie," both the young Clan Leaders had arrived a couple of days ago, to relay some of the progression on their part of The Plan.

"Wen RuoHan suspected A-Xian have something to do with the controlled fierce corpses in Caiyi Town. He had a meeting with A-Xian and was asking for his second son's whereabouts. However, the moment that brat of his son turned up at the Nightless City, he tried to kidnap A-Xian again."

"A-Cheng and the others ... Are they well?" Jiang YanLi gracefully joined her mother with a murmur of inquiry.

"Other than being forced to do some labour and to memorize the Wen Clan rules, they're alright," assured Madam Yu.

"Doing labour? I could imagine very well how weak and useless my little brother was in that situation," Nie MingJue's grimace as he expressed his thoughts made most of the room occupants to sigh.

Like a bat out of hell, Lan XiChen promptly counter Nie MingJue's pessimistic reaction. "Listen now ... Da-ge, have some faith in your little brother."

"Er-ge is sensible. Nie HuaiSang is your little brother after all. He doesn't possess your strength in muscles, but he surely possesses a stubbornness that you were famous for," quietly observing the situation, Meng Yao at least could say with confident that young master Nie HuaiSang wasn't entirely as Clan Leader Nie MingJue's portrayed he is.

"The letter is quite long, who wrote it?" As most the occupants were smart in each of their own ways, so they let Clan Leader Nie to redirect the focus back on the letter.

"It was Lan WangJi," answered Jiang FengMian after he flipped to the last pages to confirm the signature. He had suspected when he first read, but there's no harm done to be confirmed. "This letter was written before they went into the XuanWu cave,"

"It's the same cave where they were trapped by Wen Chao?"

"Yes, but we're not sure of the situation now."