159 Friends and Family 5

He was still preoccupied with his plans, and how he was going to make his escape from the Ducal Palace, which was why he did not notice that the two young maids in front of him had stopped. But he was certainly paying close attention to them, as they dipped their heads at a pair that was seated at another of those lavish courtyard stone tables. One that sat a short distance from the path that he was being led on, it seemed.

And their greetings were obviously towards a pair of men, one of whom was clad in quiet cream colored robes and the other wearing a dull grey one. Both, however, were armed. The first with a long sword and the second with a broad saber. And the two men clearly had their eyes fixed on the young man following at the heels of the young women, rather than his guides.

"Oh? The Second Ducal Prince has welcomed another guest? And this one is from the South? From the Heaven Sword School there, no doubt?"

Qin Feng looked up at the two men, and studied them carefully. They were about the same age as Li Changhai, and had a smiling disposition that was similar to the Second Ducal Prince as well. Yet, from the way that the two maids had greeted them, he had the impression that they were similarly guests, like he was.

The slimmer of the pair - the one dressed in white, nodded at Qin Feng in greeting. And he seemed a little more polite than his companion in grey. Although the latter was clearly a little tipsy, despite the time of the day. His cheeks were flushed and he wore a thick moustache and beard that covered his chin. And he had a wine cup in the hand that he was raising at Qin Feng.

No doubt, that was his way of welcoming the Second Ducal Prince's new guest, as he said. The white robed man, however, had already risen and was already dipping into a courteous bow at the newcomer. The fact that he was making an apology was apparent in his movements.

"I beg pardon for my friend here. Du Yan is from the Northern Tribes, and can barely be trusted not to embarrass himself in polite company. That is, if he is sober. Which, as you can see, he is clearly not.

"So let us begin again: This one is Ling Liushui of the Bamboo Leaf School. And this is my old friend, Du Yan, of the Roaring Thunder Sect."

"Qin Feng, previously of the Heaven Sword School. Just as you have guessed. But I have already left the same, and can only be considered a previous disciple. There are no ties between me and that organisation any longer."

"At least not formal ones. But I do not doubt that you would have a few friends there still?"

Qin Feng gave the tall, handsome fellow calling himself Ling Liushui a simple nod. "That is true. There are still a few from that School that I consider friends. Not many though. I left the School under a cloud, as you might have heard. Or will hear, I mean. My situation there was ... complicated."

Du Yan laughed when he heard that. And there was not a trace of mockery in that hearty guffaw. Instead, there was only genuine amusement. Which was enough to surprise Qin Feng a little.

"Oh, you make it sound as if you were bullied there! You were, weren't you? That sounds just like Brother Ling here! He had twelve cousins and brothers in the Bamboo Leaf School, back in the day! And all of them seemed to be intent on making his life miserable!

"Why else do you think he ran off here?"

Ling Liushui gave out a sigh, and shrugged at Qin Feng, as if to emphasize his earlier point. Regarding the drunken state of his companion. Which had the youngest of the trio nodding his head in agreement. This Du Yan was trulya rascal when he was drunk!

"But ... Hey! If you are here, that means Sanlang is back! We should go get hold of him, before he runs off again!"

Du Yan staggered to his feet then. And almost toppled over, if it had not been for Ling Liushui catching him. The white-robed man laughed as he heaved the taller, brawnier fellow back into his seat, even as he grinned in Qin Feng's direction.

"I don't doubt that Sanlang has some other important business to deal with, so we can't ambush him like we usually do. After all, he isn't the sort that would leave a guest to be attended to by his maids, unless he had no choice," Ling Liushui said, gesturing at Qin Feng and his two guides with a broad grin.

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"And I think you had best work on getting sober again, if you wish to be able to catch him. Otherwise, you'll not make it out of this garden without falling over again. And I am certainly not about to take care of you again! Not after how you ruined my last outfit!"

Qin Feng grinned at the pair's antics as they managed to get Du Yan seated at the stone table again. And he shook his head when Ling Liushui gestured at him, as though inviting him to join them.

"I am afraid that I have been given notice by the Second Ducal Prince to get myself ready. There were some messages from ... Lady Xie that was meant for the Duke's ear, and he'll probably want me present to confirm that he hasn't made any mistakes," he told the pair honestly.

After all, he had no intention of hiding his role in what was supposed to happen later. Besides that, it would give Li Changhai an excuse, if the Prince or his father wished to get rid of him. While it cannot be considered as giving away the entirety of the story-line, he was passing rather obvious clues with regards to the plot to people who may not be altogether trustworthy, in the Duke's eyes.

That should be enough to get him into trouble. And give the Duke an excuse to have his younger son toss him out of the estate. Just as he hoped he would!

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