As Wen Chaoshen had told A Shui, he cherished life, but he wasn't afraid of death.

  Back then, to avoid being looked down upon by Lü Zhiming, Wen Chaoshen would rather risk his life to insist on staying in the abandoned temple.

  And now, facing the guillotine that could fall on his neck at any moment, Wen Chaoshen was surprised at himself for being able to hold back from responding.

  After a moment of silence, Lu Chuan looked at Wen Chaoshen with concern and asked:

  "Why aren't you speaking?"

  "Is it because the wind is too cold?"

  Wen Chaoshen snapped back to reality, his mind racing, and he replied in a slightly difficult tone:

  "Lord Lu, you see, isn't this the dilemma of who to save?"

  Lu Chuan's eyes flickered with interest as he asked:

  "What dilemma?"

  Wen Chaoshen expined to him:

  "It's like when your wife and your mother fall into the water at the same time, and neither of them can swim. You can only save one. Who would you save?"

  Lu Chuan pondered for a moment, ready to blurt out an answer, but then Wen Chaoshen added:

  "Your wife is pregnant with your child."

  Lu Chuan's open mouth suddenly closed again. He was silent for a while before asking in a strange tone:

  "What does this have to do with the question I asked?"

  Wen Chaoshen patiently expined:

  "I'm just an ordinary person... No, maybe to someone like you, I'm not even a person, just a stray dog on the roadside that could be kicked to death."

  "But I can see that you and the person next to you are not simple, not someone I can afford to offend. I'm also not sure if the person who hired me has any grudges against you. If they do, then I've harmed my savior."

  "But if you ask me and I don't answer, I'm sure to die."

  "So, I'm now considering whether to save myself or save my benefactor."

  Lu Chuan sighed:

  "You're so honest, it's making me feel awkward. So I'll be honest too... Maybe you won't be able to save anyone today."

  Wen Chaoshen frowned, tilting his head to sincerely ask:

  "Lord Lu, I really don't understand how a lowly person like me could have offended someone as high and mighty as you."

  Lu Chuan pointed to the brightly lit tall building across the little river and smiled:

  "Hey, don't rush. It's just a few steps away. We've ordered some food. Let's eat and talk."

  When they arrived at the Mandarin Duck Tower, the girls chirped and cooed, and upon seeing Lu Chuan, they swarmed over as if they had seen their beloved. The air was filled with fragrance, and Lu Chuan, not minding, cheerfully took out some taels of silver from his pocket and scattered them, finally managing to escape with Wen Chaoshen to the front hall of the tall building.

  Of course, some girls noticed the serious expression on Wen Chaoshen's face, but this was a pce of romance, and they never asked about matters beyond romance, as Madam Song had always advised them.

  The Mandarin Duck Tower received a rge number of guests daily, all sorts of people, and the less they knew, the safer they were.

  They came from humble backgrounds, with no backing. If they caused any major trouble, no one could protect them.

  In the hall of the Mandarin Duck Tower, guests were scattered around, some reciting poetry and drinking merrily, others chatting about business and boasting. The seat for the musician on stage should have been occupied by a young woman, but when Wen Chaoshen entered the hall, he saw no one.

  His heart sank.

  Tonight seemed particurly unlucky. Not only was he trapped, but all possible means to escape his predicament had been erased.

  Was there really no way out?

  Wen Chaoshen didn't know Lu Chuan, and he was sure they had never met before, but he was certain of one thing: someone like Lu Chuan, once he learned what he wanted to know, would surely kill to silence him, leaving no evidence behind.

  Lu Chuan went to a retively secluded corner of the hall, where no one was around. He ordered some wine and dishes, and a girl brought over some drinks and melon seeds. As for the man in bck named Qian Lv, he had disappeared at some point.

  Wen Chaoshen picked up the wine pot and poured a cup for Lu Chuan first.

  He wasn't trying to win Lu Chuan's favor with this gesture; he simply didn't dare let Lu Chuan touch the wine pot.

  "Go ahead, Lord Lu."

  "Why did you seek me out tonight?"

  Lu Chuan raised his cup, clinked it lightly with Wen Chaoshen's, drank it in one gulp, and said:

  "Let me correct you, Wen Chaoshen."

  "I didn't come for you, and I really don't know you. The reason I suddenly sought you out tonight is because of something you took."

  Wen Chaoshen's eyes flickered slightly as he silently took out the letter he had previously obtained from Wang Kun and pced it on the table.

  "This?"

  Lu Chuan picked up the letter, gnced at it casually, and said indifferently:

  "This is just an ordinary family letter. What do you want it for?"

  Wen Chaoshen hesitated for a moment, his expression becoming much more serious as he said to Lu Chuan:

  "Does Lord Lu really want to know?"

  Lu Chuan picked up a peanut with his chopsticks and tossed it into his mouth.

  "Stop beating around the bush. It's just the two of us here. Say what you want to say directly."

  Wen Chaoshen took a deep breath, as if making some kind of decision, and lowered his voice:

  "White Dragon Guards."

  Lu Chuan's hand holding the chopsticks paused, his brows furrowing, and his previously gentle and even affectionate gaze turned icy cold.

  "Say that again."

  Wen Chaoshen said helplessly:

  "You don't believe me, but what reason do I have to deceive you?"

  "Someone like me, you don't care about, and the White Dragon Guards certainly don't care either."

  "There was a lord inside who saved my life and gave me some money, just asking me to help investigate a small matter. This year, the snow in Kuhai County came so fast and heavy, I needed this money to survive. In terms of emotion and reason, I had no reason to refuse him."

  Lu Chuan gently rubbed the chopsticks in his hand, asking:

  "Describe what that person looked like?"

  Wen Chaoshen:

  "I didn't see his true face. My benefactor wore a veil and a bamboo hat, all in white, with a long sword, about... this long, and seemed to have a special pendant at his waist..."

  He described in detail what he had seen and heard that night in the abandoned temple.

  This was, of course, an act of desperation, but after thinking it over, Wen Chaoshen still felt that Mr. Lü could not be betrayed.

  No matter whether the trouble he encountered was considered trouble for Lü Zhiming, leading disaster to his benefactor was something Wen Chaoshen believed could not be done.

  Since the truth couldn't be told, he might as well speak nonsense.

  Coincidentally, he didn't like the person who came that night because of his sharp tongue.

  After Wen Chaoshen's detailed description, Lu Chuan's initial suspicion diminished significantly, and he believed it about seventy percent.

  A maid brought over steaming food, dishes that Wen Chaoshen usually couldn't access, their aroma filling the air, but neither of them touched their chopsticks, their eyes only on each other.

  "...So, this letter is what the White Dragon Guards want?"

  Lu Chuan spoke each word slowly, his face filled with unprecedented seriousness.

  Wen Chaoshen nodded.

  "Yes."

  "I don't know anything else."

  "They wouldn't tell someone like me."

  kant202323