LWDC Chapter 42

Chapter 42 – Strange Things

Chapter 42 – Strange Things

Chapter 42 – Strange Things

Ning Fei arranged a meeting with his colleague Chonglin at a wine shop’s private room on the second floor.

The private room faced the street. Although there were bamboo curtains on the windows, the sounds of hawkers, carriages, and conversations from the street below all filtered in. Ning Fei approached the window, slightly lifted the bamboo curtain to peek down, and then dropped it. “Even though this is a private room, it’s too easy for people to discover our location.”

“Don’t try to lecture me with your old methods. The current situation is completely different from what you know,” Chonglin said, dressed in luxurious clothing, exuding an aura of wealth, completely different from Ning Fei’s simple appearance. He took a sip of wine, scoffed, and continued, “When you arrive in a new mission world, don’t you even bother to understand the current situation?”

This was clearly a taunt. Ning Fei’s expression didn’t change at all, and he calmly replied, “What new situation? The new situation where Dong Lingyan is marrying all his enemies into his family?”

Chonglin obviously didn’t expect Ning Fei to blurt out such a sentence. He was stunned and subconsciously asked, “…How did you know?”

Ning Fei picked up the ceramic wine bottle, filled his small wine glass, took a sip, and then leisurely said, “‘When you arrive in a new mission world, don’t you even bother to understand the current situation?'”

He even deliberately imitated Chonglin’s tone, doubling the mockery.

Chonglin’s face suddenly changed. It took him several seconds to choke out two sentences: “Ha, as expected of you, Ning Fei. You’ve only been here for a short while, and you’ve already managed to gather so much information. Must have cost you a lot, right?”

Ning Fei glanced at his own clothes, then at Chonglin’s, and took another sip of wine, “Waste money on that? Do you think it’s necessary?”

“…” Chonglin was choked speechless. Even though he was dressed much better than Ning Fei, he seemed to have become the more embarrassing one.

Chonglin couldn’t sit still anymore.

Even though there was a table full of fine wine and delicacies, at that moment, he just wanted to get away from this colleague as soon as possible. So he said, “Since that’s the case, I’ll leave the mission to you. Although I can cooperate with you, I don’t think you need it. You’ll just think I’m a hindrance anyway, right?”

“I didn’t say that,” Ning Fei blurted out subconsciously, and then realized that this seemed to be Duan Yunhong’s catchphrase. Hmm, thinking of that big guy made him a bit hungry. The local residents in the last mission weren’t that great, so he didn’t get to vent properly. He should earn enough points for a vacation as soon as possible and go have some fun.

These stray thoughts flashed through his mind, and Ning Fei quickly came back to his senses and continued, “But no matter what, you asked me to assist you, so you have an obligation to cooperate with me. So, don’t think you can just pass the buck now. You don’t have to do anything yourself, just wait for someone else to clean up the mess, and then you can leave. Are you here to work or to travel?”

Chonglin said in a stifled voice, “I don’t know what I can do to help someone as capable as you.”

Ning Fei swirled his wine glass, “Then, tell me about it.”

Chonglin: “Tell you what? Aren’t you all-knowing? You knew everything as soon as you arrived, right?”

Ning Fei’s language was very subtle: “That’s what others say. I want to know how you see all of this from your perspective. The main point is, how exactly did you mess all of this up?”

“You…!” Chonglin was provoked by him and didn’t realize the main point at all. He also didn’t realize that Ning Fei was subtly trying to get him to reveal the current situation of the transmigrator’s surroundings.

The angrier Chonglin got, the calmer Ning Fei became. As Ning Fei expected, not everyone who chose the role of insider could grow the corresponding intelligence.

“Come on, we have wine and dishes.” Ning Fei actively filled Chonglin’s glass with wine and smiled, “Tell me your story.”

*

In Chonglin’s narration, Ning Fei learned the ins and outs of the matter—but not that clearly.

Because Chonglin made the matter sound very sudden and inexplicable. He had been in this world for three years, and up until a year ago, the mission was progressing well. Chonglin was working as an insider for the Prime Minister, helping the transmigrator who had become Dong Lingyan to complete several blows against the Prime Minister. This not only helped Dong Lingyan raise his status in the Second Prince’s faction but also helped him take revenge on his political enemies. Because the original owner Dong Lingyan’s death was caused by the Prime Minister’s orders.

As for the foreign tribes, Dong Lingyan was also trying to instigate the Second Prince to advocate a tough stance against them. He told the Second Prince that this would allow him to show off in front of the Emperor, but in reality, he was just encouraging the Second Prince to become a hardliner. In this way, on the one hand, he could use the Second Prince to prompt the Emperor to launch a strong attack against the foreign tribes; on the other hand, if the Second Prince ascended the throne in the future, Dong Lingyan would be able to more easily take revenge on his foreign enemies.

The whole plan was very cautious and slow-paced, the complete opposite of Ning Fei’s “fast, ruthless, and accurate” style. But the overall logic made sense. It would just waste a lot of time to implement. Chonglin naturally chose to do this because he was good at this style. However, about a year ago, everything suddenly started to change.

The Prime Minister’s daughter—that is, Chonglin’s identity’s younger sister—accidentally fell into the water while going out to pray for blessings and go on a spring outing. Dong Lingyan was the one who rescued her. The two got to know each other. The Prime Minister’s daughter actually fell in love with Dong Lingyan at first sight. They began to secretly exchange letters through servants, and their relationship became closer and closer. Although they had hardly ever talked face-to-face, the frequent written exchanges, and the carriages deliberately brushing past each other on the street for a glance were quite ambiguous for people in the feudal era.

However, Chonglin, as the Prime Minister’s son, was completely unaware of all of this.

He didn’t pay attention to his sister’s movements, feeling that this unmarried woman in the feudal era had almost no presence. The transmigrator Dong Lingyan also deliberately concealed this from him because he realized that Chonglin would be dissatisfied with this kind of interaction. After all, Chonglin and Dong Lingyan belonged to different camps on the surface. Chonglin’s own power was relatively weak. If Dong Lingyan wanted to hide something from him, it was difficult for him to get the news.

By the time Chonglin found out, Dong Lingyan had already “inadvertently” helped other members of the Prime Minister’s family twice, and the relationship with the Prime Minister’s daughter had turned into a public affair. The Prime Minister also began to change his views on Dong Lingyan, this “opposing faction,” and the relationship between the two sides eased. The idea of marriage between the two factions began to circulate.

Chonglin was shocked and went to question Dong Lingyan. Not only did he not get an answer, but he also had a big fight with him. Just as Chonglin was trying hard to investigate and find a way to turn the tide, something even more deadly happened.

After a trip lasting several days, Dong Lingyan directly brought back a girl. The girl’s appearance was clearly not that of a local!

After some inquiries, Chonglin learned that the girl was a member of the foreign tribes, even the daughter of the Great Chieftain of the foreign tribes. Chonglin was shocked by this development and went to see Dong Lingyan at the risk of exposure. Then, he was completely stunned by the facts revealed by Dong Lingyan.

Dong Lingyan said that he and the daughter of the foreign tribes’ Great Chieftain had slept together.

The plot was very cliché. Dong Lingyan was out having fun when he accidentally got drugged. In a daze, a girl was thrown next to him, and the two had a confused encounter. Then, Dong Lingyan said he wanted to marry that girl.

“Wait a minute, what do you mean ‘then he wanted to marry her’?”

Ning Fei finished the wine in his glass and asked, “What about the setup, development, twist, and conclusion? He suddenly slept with an enemy, and suddenly wanted to marry her?”

Chonglin hesitated for a moment: “…I don’t know.”

Ning Fei repeated, “You don’t know?”

“He won’t tell me, what can I do!” Chonglin’s tone was aggrieved, helpless, and stifled, “I asked him why it happened, why it came to this point, but he won’t say anything!”

“Won’t say, won’t say, won’t say, how many times have you said he won’t say?” Ning Fei didn’t feel helpless or angry. He found it amusing, “What exactly did you come here for? Are you and your debt collection target so unfamiliar? He doesn’t even communicate with you about things to this extent, so what debt are you collecting?”

“What’s the use of telling me? Then you try asking him, and see if he’ll tell you.” Chonglin was very unconvinced, “Anyway, I’ve told you everything. Now Dong Lingyan is about to marry two enemies. The Prime Minister already admires him very much, and the foreign tribes are also preparing to send people to negotiate peace because of the upcoming marriage. Dong Lingyan doesn’t want to deal with either side anymore. He just wants to turn hostility into friendship with both sides for the sake of two women. You say I can’t do it, then you go ahead.”

“Don’t just complain. Two-thirds of what you said was just complaints,” Ning Fei said, “You said he suddenly changed, but he’s been changing for almost a year, and you still haven’t figured out the reason? Since it’s a sudden change, there must be an external cause. Didn’t you even catch that?”

Chonglin hesitated for two seconds and replied, “…No.”

—Lying.

Ning Fei saw through his lie at a glance and asked, “Really? I’ll give you one chance to tell the truth.”

“Really.” Chonglin stood up, using this to turn away from the eye contact, “I’ve said everything I can say. We’re not on the same wavelength. I’m leaving.”

As he spoke, he walked out, as if afraid that Ning Fei would jump up and grab him. But just before he left, he paused and turned his head, “If you still want to eat, then eat. Anyway, I paid for it.”

After saying that, he really left.

Ning Fei: “…Pfft.”

Clearly, that last bit of sarcasm, which lacked any real threat, made Ning Fei laugh again. He felt that Chonglin was quite humorous. He was both incompetent and wanted to save face, so all he showed was a joke.

Ning Fei didn’t feel embarrassed at all to continue eating and drinking, especially since this wine was really interesting. He leisurely drank another half-cup until he felt a bit tipsy, and then he left the wine shop.

He had already decided not to help Chonglin clean up this mess. He planned to have some fun here for a few days, rest enough, and then leave. Anyway, he wouldn’t lose any points if the assistance mission failed.

—He just wondered what kind of fun things there were to play around with in this place…

Ning Fei walked back to the Second Prince’s residence, letting his mind wander and sober up. He gradually moved away from the lively market, and the surroundings gradually became quiet. Although Ning Fei’s steps were a bit unsteady, he was actually quite excited in his mind and his attention was not lacking.

He suddenly turned his head.

There was no one behind him, but he always felt like he was being watched.

—Was it an illusion?

Ning Fei turned back and took a few steps forward. Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of him, and a piece of cloth was violently pressed over Ning Fei’s mouth and nose!

Ning Fei: !!!

He wanted to struggle, but his body was forcefully restrained. With rapid breathing, his mind quickly became dazed, and his eyelids uncontrollably drooped. Before completely losing consciousness, Ning Fei had only one thought.

—How could anyone be targeting me, a newcomer who just arrived!