In order to find out the truth, Xiao Tianjian simply picked up his granddaughter and left the store quickly. He still has a house in this town, not far behind the shop, only separated by a road, but this is a remote place on the outskirts of the street, with few neighbors around.
The house is very large, with a large courtyard. The house is white with gold edging and carved, and has an onion-shaped roof. It has a very Wishart look, but the verandah and pavilion in the courtyard are of a style that Ming Na has never seen before. The courtyard is densely covered with flowers and plants, but they are all half dry. It seems that no one has taken care of them for a long time. The beautifully shaped fountain is covered with moss and the water has dried up. You can vaguely see the fish half buried in the soil. corpse.
Ming Na held her nose and walked past the pool and entered the living room. She saw her grandfather wandering around the room, trying to find traces of the people who originally lived here. She then found a sofa by herself, took off the big white cloth that covered the dust, and Sit back and wait.
Although the furnishings in the house were covered with dust, one could still see their splendor. All the vases, furnishings, clocks, candlesticks, furniture, etc., are all extraordinary items. The crystal wine glasses and white porcelain in the cabinet, even a little girl like Ming Na, knows that they are very expensive things.
The sofa she is sitting on now is made of unknown animal skin. It is soft and hard when sitting on it. No one has taken care of it for so long, and the surface of the leather still has a faint luster. The carpet under her feet was woven with scenes from the ancient legends of the Guangming Cult. The lines were vivid, the colors were rich, and the characters were lifelike. When you stretched out your hand to touch it, it felt furry and very soft. I wonder what kind of material was used? Ming Na thought of the carpet in her family's house in Meton. Her mother had spent a lot of effort to buy it from Meton. It only had simple flower and plant patterns woven into it. It was said to be very expensive. So how much did this carpet cost in her grandfather's house?
However, is this really grandpa’s home? Ming Na looked at the light pink or lavender gauze curtains fluttering in the wind around her, as well as the colorful and delicate silk embroidered pillows on the sofa. No matter how she looked at it, she felt that this place was more like the room of an aristocratic lady like her mother said.
But there is a portrait of grandpa hanging in the middle of the living room. It should be his home, right? In the portrait, Grandpa is wearing a black robe with a stand-up collar and a buttoned collar. It is unclear whether it is a Weisha or Nuojia costume, but the hem of the clothes is embroidered with long animal patterns with gold thread. Ming Na remembered that her grandfather once mentioned that it was their family's totem, an oriental mythical beast called "dragon". She didn't understand why this creature called a dragon looked different from the dragons she knew, but she admitted that it did look quite imposing.
Just as she was holding her head and wondering why this house seemed to be occupied by a woman, Mingna saw her grandpa coming down the stairs and hurriedly greeted him: "Is anyone there?"
"No, but there should be someone living here half a month ago." Xiao Tianjian looked a little anxious, "The master bedroom has probably been unoccupied for a long time, but there are traces of activity in the servant room, and there are some flour and flour left in the kitchen. Food, judging from the degree of rottenness of the meat, the servants have only been away for about half a month, which is about the same time as the people in the business." He glanced at the situation in the living room, thoughtfully: "Although I don't know why they left suddenly, I don’t know who took them away, but it seems they didn’t resist, and the other party didn’t have any intention of taking anything in the house..."
"So...those people are good people?" Minna asked.
"I can't say for sure." Xiao Tianjian pondered for a moment and said, "I know who might know the news. You wait here while I go find someone to ask." After that, he turned around and walked out.
Ming Na rushed over and grabbed his clothes: "I want to go with you! I don't want to stay here alone!" She didn't want to experience the nightmare of being discovered in the secret room again.
Xiao Tianjian lowered his head and saw the determined expression on his granddaughter's face. He knew that the child must have a knot in his mind because of the experience in Nomonka. He thought that she and he had seen a lot of the world, and with him protecting her, there should be nothing wrong with her. When someone hurt her, she agreed.
Mingna happily followed her grandfather and returned to the street. After turning countless turns, she came to a building. There was a "Friedolf" sign hanging on the door. She knew at a glance that this must be a pub or a bar. After pushing the door open and entering, the scene in front of her confirmed her guess.
However, unlike the pubs and bars she had seen before, this store was very large. Although it was broad daylight outside, the interior was dimly lit with oil lamps or candles, so there was a kind of smoke filling the air, which made her choke. She coughed twice, and soon, she smelled a strange fragrance again and felt a little confused.
There are many customers in the store, all sitting around the round table, but the ones placed here are not ordinary tables and chairs, but large sofas. The men are spread out on them, stretching their limbs comfortably, clinking wine glasses with each other, and whispering. Talking. Twenty or so beautiful women with graceful figures and revealing tulle dresses shuttled through the crowd, bringing drinks or food to the guests, occasionally flirting with people, their long jade arms wrapped like snakes. Holding the men's necks.
As soon as Xiao Tianjian walked into the store, he attracted the attention of some customers. As he got closer and closer to the counter, more and more people focused their attention on him and stopped to talk. The store was silent for a while.
Standing behind the counter was a man who looked to be in his twenties. He was tall and slender, with a rare fair complexion and handsome features. Compared with the strong and dark-skinned men around him, there was something that made people say Unexplained feminine beauty. He was wearing a Weisha robe made of black silk, with a pair of slender white hands exposed from the cuffs, and a palm-long silver pot rotating flexibly between his fingers.
As soon as he saw Xiao Tianjian approaching, he stopped what he was doing, showed a meaningful smile on his face, and raised his hand to say hello: "My dear Earl, it's been a long time no see. Frido sends my regards to you." There was a strange rhythm in his accent, as if he was singing. Ming Na thought it sounded pretty good, but why did that tone make people feel awkward
Xiao Tianjian stopped in front of the counter: "It's been a long time indeed." He glanced around. Almost as soon as Frido said hello, people began to whisper about something, and they looked at him a little strangely, as if with a hint of confusion. It seemed like he was taking pleasure in someone else's misfortune or watching a good show. Could it be that something happened that he didn't know about
As he thought, he smiled and said, "I haven't been here for a few years. It's rare to see so many friends again. As usual, I'll treat everyone to a drink and ask for the best wine." He threw out a bag of gold coins. Ming Na recognized that it was the money bag in the secret room of the Nomonka branch. There were twenty gold coins in it. She opened her mouth but said nothing.
Frido whistled: "You are so generous. How about a glass of Ice and Fire Wine for each of us? I heard that your family's business is the largest underwriter of Ice and Fire Wine in the entire continent."
Xiao Tianjian smiled and acquiesced. Two more whistles came from the crowd around him, and then two people stood up and bowed to him to thank him. He smiled and returned the greeting. However, the others just watched, with meaningful smiles on their lips, exchanging glances, and did not express anything. It was completely different from the past when many people thanked him or toasted him. Xiao Tianjian once again affirmed that something must have happened.
Glasses of wine were served. The men were in a happy mood and rewarded generously. The women seemed to be more enthusiastic. A beautiful girl wearing a pink vest and a purple gauze skirt swayed her slender waist, put her jade hands on Xiao Tianjian's shoulders, and almost pressed her whole body against it: "Gentle guest, how about buying me a drink?"
Minna smelled the pungent perfume on her body and fanned the wind with her hands in disgust. Frido chuckled: "This is the new Shasha, our ace. Your Earl has never seen it, has he?" Xiao Tianjian glanced at him unmoved: "I have something to ask you, let irrelevant people Get down." Frido smiled and said softly to the girl: "Did you hear that? You are not qualified to serve this guest, so get out."
The beautiful girl's face changed, she straightened up and left immediately. Only then did Ming Na dare to breathe hard. Frido ignored her and only asked Xiao Tianjian: "What do you want to ask?"
"Where have the people from my business gone, and the people living in my home? Who took them away half a month ago?"
"You are such a humorous person." Frido covered his mouth and smiled, "I am not yours, how can I know where your family members have gone? Hahahaha..."
Ming Na suddenly shuddered and felt goosebumps rising on her body. This person was so strange.
Xiao Tianjian's expression turned cold: "You are the biggest intelligence dealer in Mengli. Do you know what happened in this town? I wonder what the underground Duke would think when he heard his subordinates say this?"
"Hehehe..." Frido laughed a few more times and waved his hand, "You are so funny. The underground Duke has gone underground, so how can you still feel anything?"
Xiao Tianjian's face was almost frosty: "What do you mean by this?!"
"Hahaha... Lord Earl, you are so smart, you really can't understand what I say, right?" Frido pretended to be able to hold back his smile, but sarcasm appeared on his face.
Ming Na felt that this person was really annoying. All the people who owned the tavern she had met were very welcoming to her grandfather and treated her well. However, although this person was good-looking, his tone of voice was weird. Grandpa Why did he still laugh at grandpa after spending so much money on him
As she was cursing, she suddenly felt a powerful aura emanating from her grandfather Xiao Tianjian, heading towards Freedo, and at the same time, some of it also radiated to other guests. The hustle and bustle in the store fell silent again, and everyone felt the power of this hero.
Xiao Tianjian knocked on the counter casually and said calmly: "It seems that I haven't been here for a long time. Everyone seems to have forgotten who I am and think that I can only stand here because of the power of the Duke."
Frido's face was pale, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his hands were shaking slightly. He quickly lowered his head and whispered: "I'm sorry, I was the one who offended."
Xiao Tianjian then regained his momentum. Seeing the adoring look in the eyes of the little granddaughter next to him, he raised his lips and said to the young man behind the counter: "It's not convenient to talk here. Let's find another place."
Frido hurriedly responded and led him to the back of the store, and Minna quickly followed. As soon as they disappeared from everyone's sight, it aroused heated discussions among everyone in the store, and many of them were thinking about their own little thoughts.
Mingna followed her grandfather and Frido to a small room at the back of the store, which seemed to be a bedroom. The style was completely different from the previous one. The furniture was simple and neatly kept. There were two pots of green plants on the windowsill. Light yellow flowers the size of rice grains bloom in the sun, emitting a faint fragrance.
Frido asked Xiao Tianjian to sit down and was about to pour tea, but he stopped him: "No, you answer my question first."
"Yes." Frido stood carefully in front of him and replied respectfully, "The people from your business and the servants at home left Mongli fifteen days ago, and they were picked up by a group of strangers with weapons. , many of them are experts. I can't find out where they come from, but judging from their words and actions, they should be East's people. The steward in your store gets along well with them and seems to have made an appointment with them. of."
Xiao Tianjian was slightly relieved, but when he heard Frido say "but", he became nervous again.
"But Mrs. Ziya in your family left that house three years ago and took her maid and a few escorts to the oasis ten kilometers west of Mengli. She opened a tavern and restaurant there. Casinos, because they don’t have to pay taxes, attract a lot of people to play there, and the business is very good.”
Xiao Tianjian frowned: "Three years ago? Why didn't I know?" He didn't care much about that woman. She was just a singer given to him by the underground duke. There was no relationship at all. He had already helped her cancel her status. He gave her a large amount of money and let her live in his mansion. Now that she has left on her own initiative and has her own career, he doesn't have to worry too much. But it’s not a good feeling to be kept in the dark. Why didn't the people at the commercial bank mention it to him
"I heard that she had some disagreements with the people in your business. You haven't been back for a long time, so you left."
Xiao Tianjian nodded and asked: "What about the Duke? Is he really... dead?"
"Yes." Frido replied cautiously, "This happened seven days ago. His nephew colluded with those Noga people and set a trap when he came to Mongli for inspection. He poisoned and then Arranged an ambush. He was... But one of the guards escaped and went back to Westside to expose his nephew's conspiracy. As a result, the guy committed suicide. In order to seek justice, the Duke's men fought with the Noga people. There was a fight, and the boss over there also died in the chaos. Now there is no one in West West taking charge of the overall situation, it is a mess, there are also a few noisy gangs in Mengli, but the market is still peaceful. "
Xiao Tianjian frowned, and somehow remembered the words he overheard in Nomenka: "I have known for a long time that his nephew is unreliable, but how could he be so easily fooled?" That man has always been shrewd, I can't believe he died like this.
"Well...I don't know. Something happened to several batches of goods at the same time that day. The Duke thought that I and several other people in charge were not doing things well, so he whipped us and sent us to find out the situation, so we didn't follow... "
Xiao Tianjian's expression changed, and he did not continue to ask. He just asked where his old friend was buried. Freedo's head hung lower: "The body is in West, and the funeral has not been held yet..."
Xiao Tianjian was stunned. Although he knew that once that person died, his subordinates would fight endlessly over who would inherit the huge underground kingdom, but he did not expect that there would not even be a funeral ceremony. There was a faint anger in his heart as he stared at the young man in front of him. This Frido was once that man's right-hand man. Unexpectedly, his master had only been dead for seven days, but he would dare to be rude to himself, an ally of his old master.
Frido felt the murderous aura on Xiao Tianjian's body, and his hands trembled slightly again. He just gritted his teeth and held on, thinking that he could not let him kill him no matter what.
At this time, Ming Na spoke up: "Grandpa, is that Duke... the friend you mentioned who gave you the house?" Her question greatly reduced Xiao Tianjian's murderous intent, and there was even a faint smile on his face: " Yes, that's him. We used to drink together a lot. Although he was ruthless to his enemies, once he recognized you as his friend, he would help you with everything and considerately. He was also very generous and he was a very good person. "
Ming Na felt a little pity: "Why did he die? I really want to see him..."
"Yeah..." Xiao Tianjian pondered for a moment and said, "Mingna, I will take you back to my house later. Just stay there and don't run around. I have to go to West Coast. I'll give you something to eat." I’ll ask this person to send it over.”
Frido was overjoyed when he heard this, and just as he was about to say something, Minna interrupted him first: "No! Grandpa, are you going to leave me again?! I want to go with you!"
"Be obedient!" Xiao Tianjian showed a rare stern look, "There will be fighting there at any time, and it is not a place for children! You stay in the house obediently, and I will come back after I have arranged the funeral for my friend. Take you away! If you are really sensible, you should be obedient!"
Mingna bit her lip and stared at him for a while, then nodded: "I know, I will be good..."
(Ahem... I’ll torture again tomorrow~~~ But after I finish this part, I’ll have a happy time~~~ There have been so few messages in the past two days. Do you really have nothing to say?)