Chapter 257: Chapter 109: Covering Him_1
The chill of the lingering snow had not yet left her body when the flickering lamplight revealed the facial features of the newcomer.
Yin Zheng exclaimed in surprise, "Lord Pei?"
Lu Tong paused, her tense body gradually relaxed, and the person behind her released the hand that was restraining her. Lu Tong turned around to face the person in front of her.
It was actually Pei Yunmeng.
In the narrow space of the medical clinic, he wore a dark arrow robe that nearly blended him into the darkness, his demeanor composed and self-assured, as if breaking into a civilian’s home at night was something done by another.
A faint scent of blood emanated from the person in front of her.
Pei Yunmeng glanced at the hairpin in Lu Tong’s hand, his eyes shifting slightly as he joked, "It’s good that I was quick, this doesn’t have poison on it, does it?"
Lu Tong tucked the hairpin back into her sleeve and spoke calmly, "What is the Marshal doing?"
Running to the medical clinic in the middle of the night and dressed like that, it was hard not to let one’s thoughts wander.
"A bit of trouble," Pei Yunmeng sighed, "I’m thinking of taking refuge here for a while."
His tone was too natural, as if he and Lu Tong were old friends who had known each other for many years, making such a request without any hesitation or reluctance, to Yin Zheng’s astonishment.
"That’s not good."
Lu Tong spoke indifferently, "I have no kinship with the Marshal, and helping you would mean offending someone else. The mad dogs of Shengjing are troublesome, and I never ask for trouble."
Pei Yunmeng’s gaze faltered.
These familiar words, weren’t they the same excuse he had used previously at Yuxian Tower when Qi Yutai came to him and Lu Tong asked for his help in getting out of a tight spot?
Now, Lu Tong had returned his words to him.
Pei Yunmeng smiled and lowered his head, "Doctor Lu really knows how to hold a grudge."
"Thanks for the compliment," she replied with a nod, "You make a good point. But, if I were to be discovered here, it would be bad for you as well."
Lu Tong looked up.
He was smiling brightly, showing no sign of awareness of the danger he faced, and spoke leisurely, "What if others think you and I are in league? In that case, Doctor Lu would also be implicated."
"I don’t mind," he shrugged nonchalantly, "but if Doctor Lu were to be investigated and they discovered any secrets in the process... If that interfered with what you need to do, wouldn’t that be troublesome?"
Lu Tong watched him coldly.
He seemed unconcerned.
She had no idea what he was up to or whom he had offended, but she wanted to enter the palace. If Pei Yunmeng were truly discovered here and she became implicated, all her previous planning would be for naught.
Pei Yunmeng must have calculated this confidence.
The oil in the lamp was running low, and the wick flickered, casting the expressions of everyone in the room in a blur.
After a long pause, Lu Tong turned and said coldly, "Follow me."
...
The snow outside became heavier.
The small courtyard was covered with a layer of silver-white, and the dim glow from the row of orange lanterns beneath the eaves made the falling snowflakes scatter from the sky.
No sooner had Lu Tong stepped out of the small kitchen than there was a violent knocking at the door of the medical clinic.
Yin Zheng held the lantern in the courtyard, looking towards Lu Tong with anxiety.
Lu Tong fell silent, took the lantern, lifted the felt curtain, and walked towards the door of the medical hall.
"Bang, bang, bang—"
The knocking was urgent, piercingly loud in the dark winter night. As Lu Tong opened the door, a blazing torch immediately lit up the street in front of it.
At the entrance of the medical hall stood a group of Pawn Shop Soldiers from the Military Inspection House, bursting in with overwhelming force.
Yin Zheng cried out, but before she could speak, the soldiers surged into the medical hall like wolves, searching and ransacking the place.
"Who is it?" called out Yin Zheng.
The leading soldier took a step inside and, using the dim light, recognized Lu Tong’s face, pausing before exclaiming, "Doctor Lu?"
Lu Tong looked at the man and gave a slight nod: "Lord Shen."
It turned out to be Shen Fengying from the Military Inspection House.
Shen Fengying seemed to suddenly realize where he was, stepping back to glance at the sign above the medical hall’s door, then slapped his thigh, "Didn’t even see it was your place!" Turning, he signaled to his men, "Be gentle, don’t break anything!" He looked back at Lu Tong, "I apologize for troubling you again, Doctor Lu."
"It’s no trouble," Lu Tong said, "But what is this about, Lord Shen? Surely you haven’t received another report about Renxin Medical Hall and accusations of murder and burial?"
The soldiers had stormed in with such force, but in terms of the number of troops and the show of force, it was even more substantial than the last time.
At these words, Shen Fengying seemed to recall the previous misunderstanding of the night raid on the medical hall, showing a bit of embarrassment on his face.
With a slight cough, Shen Fengying said, "No, that’s not it. There’s an assassin who escaped from the palace tonight, and the whole city is searching for them. We at the Patrol House were also called to action."