VIP Volume Chapter 23: The Art of Heavenly Listening

With that abrupt interruption, both Ye Xiaoxuan and Hua Lingluo snapped back to their senses. Hua Lingluo let out a startled scream, her face flushed with shame and anger as she cursed at Ye Xiaoxuan, “You scoundrel! Get off me this instant!”

Ye Xiaoxuan gave a sheepish chuckle, awkwardly rolling off her. In passing, he gave Hao Six-Fingers a kick and muttered under his breath, “You really know how to ruin a moment, don’t you?”

“Untie me right now!” Hua Lingluo was so furious she was nearly in tears. When had she ever been humiliated like this? And by a notorious good-for-nothing, a petty village rascal, no less!

Though the two little thugs weren’t much for skill, they weren’t fools either. Seeing Hua Lingluo’s wrath, they both shook their heads vigorously, like rattles.

Ye Xiaoxuan grinned at her. “You’re no lightweight yourself—I can tell. Even if the two of us teamed up, we wouldn’t be a match for you. If we let you go now, we’d never make it out of here in one piece.”

Hua Lingluo was so angry she could hardly breathe, yet there was nothing she could do. The sinew rope binding her was far too formidable—the more she struggled, the tighter it became. She dared not move recklessly.

It wasn’t just the suffocating indignity—her clothes were sparse to begin with, and after her earlier struggle, a pale section of her waist was now exposed. Worse still, the wretched rascal had torn open the buttons at her chest; if she kept wriggling, there was no telling what else might be revealed! Though it was dark and they couldn’t see her clearly, Ye Xiaoxuan was far too lecherous for her liking. Who knew when he might shine a flashlight her way, and catching a glimpse of what he shouldn’t, lose all restraint. If that happened, her honor would hardly be safe. Then again, what he just did could hardly be called restraint either...

She coughed twice to break off her wild imaginings, realizing it was pointless to plead with these two to untie her. Fearing they might further take advantage, she hastily changed the subject, asking Ye Xiaoxuan, “I’ve answered your questions—now answer mine. When did you realize I was an imposter?”

Ye Xiaoxuan chuckled and shook his head. “My brother never calls me Xiaoxuan. So I was suspicious of you from the start. Second, you smell too fragrant—my brother might not be unkempt, but he’s never smelled so sweet. Third, knowing tomorrow’s fishing trip is a deadly risk, my brother would never drag his friends into danger. And finally, you didn’t even know where Six-Fingers lives.”

Hao Six-Fingers grinned, adding, “Most importantly, you asked me what size hook I use! Everyone in Reed Village knows the Hao family only uses ox hooks and earth hooks—not big or small hooks. So you definitely aren’t Ye Dajun!”

Hua Lingluo gave a bitter laugh. “I thought I’d observed well enough, that my imitation was impeccable. With the cover of night, I hoped to bluff my way through and get the information I needed to complete my mission. But in the end, no matter how carefully I planned, you two saw through me at every turn!”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s lips curled in a sly smile as he fixed his gaze on her. “You’re truly impressive. Barely an hour’s contact and you could imitate him so well—you’re a master of your craft! I imagine you’re quite famous, though we country bumpkins have never heard of you. You wanted to test us, to see if we’d agree to go out with you on the boat, didn’t you?”

By now, Hua Lingluo realized this fellow, though useless in many things, was by no means a fool. His cunning was hard to guard against—even a skilled martial guard might fall for his tricks if not careful.

She’d learned her lesson; in this boy’s hands, it was best to be honest. There was little hope of outwitting him. She promptly replied, “In Reed Village, heading out by boat at night is strictly taboo. If you two refuse to come, our mission is doomed to fail. I saw that your outrageous demands weren’t truly about money, and your attitude was hard to read. I wanted to use my skills to probe your intentions…”

Hao Six-Fingers stared at her. “So your skill is pretending to be a man?” Hua Lingluo bristled, correcting him, “It’s disguise! My nickname is the Fox of a Thousand Faces!”

Ye Xiaoxuan and Hao Six-Fingers exchanged glances. Hua Lingluo sighed, somewhat disappointed. “As expected, country bumpkins—you’ve never heard of me. But even if you had, what difference would it make? I still ended up in the gutter, tripped up by the two of you! Your brother was far less cunning; when I disguised myself as you, he spilled everything with hardly any prompting…”

Suddenly, a flash of light swept across the sky, as if a giant lamp had been switched on. “Shh!” Hao Six-Fingers pressed a finger to his lips, then dropped to the ground like a giant frog, cocking his ear toward the sound. He whispered to Ye Xiaoxuan, “A vehicle’s come to the village entrance and stopped…sounds like a van. At least a dozen people got out—I can hear the scrape of metal. Weapons!”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s brow furrowed. He said quietly, “They’re up to no good. Someone in the village has enemies.”

Hua Lingluo stared at Hao Six-Fingers in astonishment. “This is the west end of the village—can you really hear sounds from the east? And you can tell if they’re good or bad?”

Ye Xiaoxuan shot her a look. “Six-Fingers has the Art of Heavenly Hearing. It’s no less impressive than your disguise. As for telling good from bad, you don’t need special skills—those who sneak into Reed Village at this hour, don’t dare drive in, and are ready to flee at any moment, are never up to anything good.”

Hua Lingluo’s face reddened, though fortunately her disguise concealed it. Such a simple deduction, and she hadn’t thought of it—how embarrassing! Yet, was this fellow truly a good-for-nothing? His mind was so sharp, she found herself growing more and more intrigued by Ye Xiaoxuan.

He turned to her. “I’ll go out on the boat with you. But the pay can’t be short, because it’s a deadly job. I’ll free you now—if you want revenge for tonight, you’ll have plenty of chances. For tonight, let’s call it even. Agreed?”

Hua Lingluo bit her lip, then countered, “Are you going to the village entrance?” Ye Xiaoxuan waved her off. “None of your business. Six-Fingers, release her.”

Without any visible movement, the sinew rope binding Hua Lingluo recoiled like a measuring tape, snapping back into Hao Six-Fingers’ hand. He gave her a quick bow and a sheepish grin. “Apologies!” Then he hurried after Ye Xiaoxuan.

“Hey, can’t you wait for me? Why are you running so fast? Are those thugs going to your house to make trouble?” Hao Six-Fingers puffed and wheezed as he caught up, his chest heaving like a bellows.

Ye Xiaoxuan’s expression was tense and urgent as he ran. “We have to hurry!” Hao Six-Fingers’ legs trembled, and his eyes darted about, already searching for an escape route. “Are they really coming for you?”

Ye Xiaoxuan shook his head. “I don’t know them. But that girl isn’t one to let things go—after what we put her through, she won’t just swallow her anger. If you don’t move fast, get ready for a beating.”

Hao Six-Fingers could only groan in reply.