A guard entered and reported, "Second Young Master, there are two women outside claiming to be this lady's escorts, saying they are worried you might harm her!"
Liang Xiao looked at the woman, "May I ask your name?"
She simply stood up and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go and speak with them."
Before Liang Xiao could respond, she rose and quickly walked out of the inn alone.
Miss Xun looked expectantly at Liang Xiao, asking to follow, and Liang Xiao readily agreed.
The guard handed the gathered intelligence to Liang Xiao, glancing at Miss Xun as she walked away, "Second Young Master, this is the intelligence we just collected from the art studio..."
Liang Xiao took the intelligence and reviewed it with Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian.
"The Golden陵 Art Immortal..." The three suddenly understood.
The third young lady of the Zhuo family, the youngest daughter of Zhuo Wu Lue, the eldest son of Zhuo Zifang, Zhuo Xun!
This woman was skilled in calligraphy and painting, and recently gained considerable fame in the Golden陵 area, earning the title "Golden陵 Art Immortal."
The woman had not lied; the female art immortal had indeed offended the Gongyang clan of Jiangnan, exposing Gongyang Qiu's corruption and murder, causing immeasurable losses to the Gongyang clan, and even forcing the current Grand Tutor to retire to Jiangnan.
The Gongyang clan wished to eliminate the female art immortal as soon as possible.
Yue Lian suddenly realized, "Young Master, what Master Zhuo Lingjun told you about 'good things,' could this marriage be with you..."
Liang Xiao nodded slightly, "So that's how it is! Her mention of 'imperial power' was likely because I am a favored figure by the Emperor."
No wonder Zhuo Zifang was so eager for him to go to Jiangnan; it was likely because the second and third young ladies of the Zhuo family had eloped!
Jian Qinwan said resentfully, "Since she's from the Zhuo family, you should protect her even more..."
Before Jian Qinwan could finish, Liang Xiao had already clasped her hand.
Feeling Liang Xiao's deep affection, Jian Qinwan bashfully lowered her head, her jealousy vanishing like smoke.
Liang Xiao sighed, "Even if only for the sake of the Zhuo family, protecting her is necessary. It's just that I am surprised. That woman is likely not simple either, perhaps she is even..."
A moment later, Miss Xun and the woman returned to the inn.
The woman said, "I have already explained the misunderstanding to them. If you do not fear the Gongyang clan, then take her with me to find the female art immortal."
Hearing the woman use the self-appellation "lao shen" (old one), reserved for women over fifty, Liang Xiao was startled and seemed to understand something. He nodded, "Please lead the way."
Miss Xun bowed deeply to the woman, "Thank you, Auntie!"
The woman merely smiled bitterly, without responding.
The two female soldiers outside guarded the woman, watching Liang Xiao and his group vigilantly.
Liang Xiao, along with Jian Qinwan, Yue Lian, and the hidden Tian Shan swordsmen, followed the woman towards the bustling eastern street, stopping at the entrance of an inconspicuous civilian house.
After unlocking and opening the door, the woman asked Liang Xiao, "Are the two behind you reliable?"
Seeing Liang Xiao nod, the woman relaxed and entered, "Please come in."
Jian Qinwan tugged at Liang Xiao's arm. He responded with a smile, and the three, along with Miss Xun, entered, walked through a corridor, and arrived in a bright and spacious art studio filled with brushes, ink, and pigments, even high-quality cinnabar. There were also piles of superior artworks around.
"Auntie, is my master not here?" Miss Xun asked anxiously.
The woman sighed for a moment, then reached up and tore off a human skin mask, revealing an aged face weathered by time.
Her face was old, but no one doubted that she must have been a beauty of unparalleled charm in her youth, her beauty likely not inferior to that of Gu Gongsun Jing, the Master of Qin.
The face she had longed for was before her, and Miss Xun immediately threw herself into the woman's arms and cried tears of joy, "Master!!"
Miss Xun's master gently stroked her long black hair and looked at Liang Xiao, her voice stern, "I am indeed the Golden陵 Art Immortal, Li Jinyu."
"Actually, I had already guessed about seventy to eighty percent," Liang Xiao nodded.
The female art immortal Li Jinyu asked, "Then why didn't you expose me earlier?"
"You even kept it from your disciple, how could I presume to reveal it?" Liang Xiao retorted.
Li Jinyu smiled bitterly, released Miss Xun, wiped her tears, and said softly, "Good disciple, you've become so thin!"
Miss Xun choked back sobs, "Master, you haven't paid attention to me for two years, of course I've gotten thin!"
Li Jinyu looked dotingly, pinched Miss Xun's cheek, and comforted her, "The letters you sent were first forwarded to Xiu Yun, who then passed them to me. It's just that at the time, I feared implicating you! If Xiu Yun hadn't become the Prefect of Luzhou, I wouldn't have dared to acknowledge you!"
Miss Xun didn't listen, merely pouting and complaining, "Master, Master, my grandfather and those bad guys are forcing me to get married!"
Li Jinyu's face immediately turned cold, "That's why I always told you, men are all bad, even your deceased grandfather betrayed me!"
Deceased?
Liang Xiao's brow twitched. It seemed he had stumbled upon some significant gossip.
If the intelligence was correct, then Miss Xun was Zhuo Xun, and her grandfather was Zhuo Zifang...
Who would have thought this old fellow had so many romantic entanglements in his youth?
Miss Xun said, "Your Xiu Yun is quite good, and this Brother Zhang Yang is also a good person!"
"He impersonated General Anbei, Lü Changhe, how good can he be?" Li Jinyu gave Liang Xiao a sidelong glance impatiently.
Miss Xun was speechless.
"If you hadn't insisted that he was simply kind enough to save you, rather than having ulterior motives, and even capable of bringing you to me, I wouldn't have treated him the same way."
As Li Jinyu spoke, she took out a hundred tael silver note, "Young man, thank you for saving my disciple. This is your reward."
Liang Xiao stared at Li Jinyu silently.
"Brother Zhang is not a greedy person, he doesn't lack money, he was just kind enough to send me to seek refuge with Master!" Miss Xun quickly defended Liang Xiao.
Li Jinyu sized up Liang Xiao, nodding slightly, "I am truly sorry. I have been in a state of anxiety for two years and had to be cautious with outsiders."
"It's alright," Liang Xiao said nonchalantly, merely smiling.
Li Jinyu then asked Miss Xun to recount the entire process of Liang Xiao saving her truthfully.
After Miss Xun finished, she bowed to Liang Xiao again, "Brother Zhang, I'm sorry! Actually, I am the third young lady of the Zhuo family of Golden陵, and my grandfather is Zhuo Lingjun of the Great Qian Empire..."
Liang Xiao simply smiled and nodded.
"So you came to seek refuge with me to escape a marriage?" Li Jinyu feigned displeasure.
"I missed Master too~" Miss Xun pouted affectionately.
"Then whose marriage are you escaping?" Li Jinyu asked, then glanced at Liang Xiao, "You don't have to worry about implicating him while you are by my side. I will find a way for you."
Miss Xun then stammered, "It's that Ghost King Liang Xiao..."
Although they had prior intelligence, Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian couldn't help but stifle their laughter.
Li Jinyu frowned, "Ghost King Liang Xiao? You mean the recently famous Marquis of Anguo, Liang Xiao?"
"Miss Xun" Zhuo Xun then nodded obediently, "That's right! My grandfather insisted that my second sister and I marry him, but we don't want to marry that consumptive ghost!"
"Consumptive ghost?" Liang Xiao, Jian Qinwan, and Yue Lian were taken aback.
Li Jinyu asked doubtfully, "Consumptive ghost?"
"Yes! I heard he looks like he could die of illness at any moment. My grandfather still wants me to marry him, isn't that just to curry favor? My grandfather has changed, he doesn't love us anymore! Not only is he a consumptive ghost, but he also has three heads, six arms, and eight wings, specializing in eating virgins and children, three virgins and thirty children a day!"
"Eating virgins and children?" Liang Xiao's brow twitched.
Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian covered their mouths and chuckled, "Then he must be truly formidable..."
Liang Xiao's face flushed, and he pouted, "Miss Xun, how did you know that?"
Miss Xun snorted, "I dreamed it! My dreams are very accurate. I dreamed that he finished eating virgins and children and came to catch me, which scared me awake! He, a wastrel, suddenly became the Marquis of Anguo, which also proves he's a monster transformed! Then, I drew what I saw of him in my dream..."
"So the Ghost King Liang Xiao was really drawn by you??"
Liang Xiao and the other two almost suffocated. Liang Xiao almost spat out a mouthful of blood!