Meister der Mehrdeutigkeit

Kapitel 31

Xiao Xiao sighed, "Of all the things under heaven, only Shennong has the power to turn the tide... but..."

“Then let’s go to the Shennong Family!” Lian Zhao took the little girl’s hand. “No matter what, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She nodded, slightly touched. This time, the mischief should have succeeded by now, right?

In the azure sky, the wind still pushes the clouds, slowly drifting away. But no one knows where they are going…

Volume Two: Saving Lives and Healing the Wounded

Cold Food Festival in March

Leaving Jiangling Prefecture and heading east for a few miles, you'll find a small town. Although small, it has a water post station, making it a necessary stop for traveling merchants. It has inns and taverns, and all kinds of vendors gather there, making it quite lively.

At the south entrance of the town was the dock. It was dusk, and the last boat from the water station was about to set sail. Just then, a man and a woman came running quickly from the pier. The boarding ramp had already been retracted, and the boat had already sailed several meters ahead. The people on board thought that the two of them would never catch up.

At that moment, the man bent down and gathered the hemp rope at his feet. He untied the carved bow from his back, took an arrow from the quiver, nocked it onto the rope, and fired. The arrow pierced the air with extraordinary force, instantly embedding itself in the mast in the center of the ship. The man pulled on the rope with one hand, lifted the woman beside him with the other, and leaped into the air. With his nimble movements and the help of the rope, the two landed on the deck in the blink of an eye.

The passengers on the ship couldn't help but cheer and applaud.

The man smiled somewhat awkwardly, pulled out his arrow, untied the hemp rope, and put it back in the quiver. The passengers then saw clearly that the man was around twenty years old, tall and handsome, dressed in a simple, dark blue cloth robe. But the carved bow and quiver in his hands were clearly not ordinary items.

The woman accompanying her was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with delicate features and a petite figure. Her clothes had clearly been washed many times, faded and worn, their original colors long gone. She carried a bag and a sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) on her back, looking every bit the traveling singer.

If it weren't for the kung fu move they just displayed, they would have looked like nothing more than a young couple or a brother and sister traveling together.

Needless to say, those two were Xiao Xiao and Lian Zhao.

Xiao Xiao was tidying her hair with a bit of helplessness, while giving the onlookers a forced laugh.

Lian Zhao was also a little embarrassed. He didn't want to show off, but this water station only had one boat available for travelers every three days, and it would be a pity to miss it.

However, the way they boarded the ship naturally attracted the attention of the boatmen who came forward to inquire.

The Lian family had been officials for generations, so they naturally carried postal passes. Upon seeing the passes, the boatman immediately became respectful and led the two men to their cabin. Seeing there was no excitement to be had, the onlookers dispersed.

Xiao Xiao entered her room and immediately collapsed onto the bed. Goodness, accompanying Young Master Lian on this journey was truly exhausting. The sons of officials were indeed difficult to please; she didn't even know what to say. The journey to Guangling was more than a thousand miles; she was practically suffocating from boredom. But without the Lian family's reputation, how could Shennong possibly lend a hand? She sighed deeply. When would her miserable days ever end?

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Xiao Xiao hadn't locked the door, so she answered, "Come in..."

However, upon seeing who entered, she was filled with regret. The person who entered was none other than the esteemed young master of the Lian family.

Xiao Xiao jumped up from the bed in a flash, too shocked to speak.

Damn it. She should have gotten up and opened the door. The way she talked just now, wasn't she treating him like a boatman?

Lian Zhao was puzzled when he saw Xiao Xiao's appearance.

"What's wrong?" he asked with a smile.

"..." Xiao Xiao smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Lian Zhao didn't ask any further questions. He walked to the table and placed several plates of snacks down. "You haven't eaten anything on the way here, have you? The ship is simple, and there's not much good food. I brought you some snacks."

Xiao Xiao looked at the plates of pastries, utterly astonished. "Young Master Lian, you don't need to do this yourself..."

Lian Zhao smiled, "The sailors are all busy. There's no need to trouble them with such a small matter."

The short story was rendered speechless.

Seeing her silence, Lian Zhao felt a little uncomfortable.

“Xiaoxiao…” He took a step forward and spoke.

Xiao Xiao snapped out of her daze, took a step back in surprise, and blurted out, "What are your orders, Young Master Lian?"

Lian Zhao frowned slightly. He hesitated for a moment, then said somewhat uneasily, "Xiao Xiao, I am still young. If I have done anything inappropriate, you must tell me."

"No, no! No offense intended!" Xiao Xiao replied hastily.

“But…” Lian Zhao still frowned, “you seem… unhappy…”

Xiao Xiao was stunned and tried hard to find an explanation.

Lian Zhao naturally felt the awkward atmosphere as well. He smiled and said, "It's alright, get some rest." He turned to leave. After taking a few steps, he stopped, turned back, and said, "Oh, and remember to lock the door."

Xiaoxiao stood there, stunned, watching him close the door.

The Lian family is truly strange. How could high-ranking officials of the imperial court raise such a young master? Is this his true nature, or is he plotting something else? ...But if he is plotting something, what is it?

She was penniless, powerless, and plain-looking. Her only connection to powerful figures in the martial arts world was her master, the "Ghost Master." The Lian family had a prior feud with the "Ghost Master"—could it be that he was seeking revenge?

No, impossible. Only those who were in the Crystal Chamber that day knew she was a disciple of the "Ghost Master." And Li Si had already used excuses to keep quiet about it. Besides, Lian Zhao was acupunctured by her at the time; there was no way he could have known any of this.

Xiao Xiao thought about it for a while, then sat down at the table, picked up a piece of pastry, and took a bite.

Sweet and fragrant, it's a jujube cake...

She chewed slowly, a slight unease creeping into her heart. ...Upon closer reflection, this wasn't affection. Back then, whoever was in his bed, they would all receive such care and attention today. Therefore, everything he was doing now wasn't out of genuine feeling, but merely a sense of duty. That way, she wouldn't owe him anything...

Continue until the silver needle is removed.

She made up her mind. Regardless of who owed whom, once the silver needle was removed, she would settle things properly.

Thinking about this, Xiao Xiao felt much better. She smiled and took a big bite of the jujube cake.

Mmm. So delicious! She was chewing contentedly when she suddenly remembered something.

Date cakes? March? ...Could it be that the Cold Food Festival is approaching?

Xiao Xiao stretched out her hand, counting on her fingers. That's right, tomorrow is Cold Food Festival! If she remembered correctly, Cold Food Festival was the seventh day after her master's death…

Although Xiaoxiao didn't have many relatives, she still knew about the seventh day after the death. On that day, a feast must be prepared to welcome the soul of the deceased back.

Wine and dishes? Xiao Xiao was helpless. How was she going to prepare wine and dishes for the Cold Food Festival? Her master loved meat the most, but since she couldn't light a fire, was she supposed to offer raw meat? Tsk… If she had known this would happen, she would have prepared dried meat a few days ago. Sigh…

Now, all I can do is go to the kitchen and ask what vegetables they have left. There's still plenty of time during the ion time; if I start preparing now, it should still be in time.

She swallowed the date cake, pushed open the door, and went out.

After winding through the maze of streets, she finally found the kitchen. As soon as Xiaoxiao stepped inside, she saw the cook pouring out water and turning off the fire. Her heart sank, as cold as the embers. She sighed and left the kitchen.

The fire was out, and it was dark now. What should she do? She pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

Is her master more important, or the Cold Food Festival? Of course, her master is more important! She's not even familiar with Jie Zitui, so what's wrong with offending him?

Hehe, she's a bad person by nature. What kind of bad person follows the rules?

She planned to secretly cook a few dishes to offer to her master when the night was quiet. With that thought, she returned to her room in a cheerful mood. After eating a few jujube cakes, she lay down to rest.

...

At midnight, Xiao Xiao tiptoed into the cabin. Sure enough, at this hour, the only ones still awake on board were the sailors on watch. She cautiously made her way into the galley, carefully searching for usable ingredients by the dim moonlight.

Xiao Xiao was turning over a large cabbage when she heard a soft rustling sound.

Xiao Xiao froze, looking around. The sound was coming from behind the stove in the kitchen, where there was a passage leading to the lower deck warehouse. Could it be the cooks checking the goods in the middle of the night? Xiao Xiao immediately panicked. Although lighting a fire during the cold food festival wasn't a serious crime, doing it so stealthily was still inappropriate. She looked around again, then, with a large cabbage on her head, hid behind the rice bin.

Sure enough, a short while later, three figures came out.

"What kind of warehouse is this? It's suffocating!" someone complained softly.

Another man cursed, saying, "That guy is like a persistent ghost! I'm a grown man, and I have to sneak around like this!"

"Shh, keep your voice down," the third person interrupted. "Stop talking and get to work! Our boss is waiting for us to come to his aid."

Xiao Xiao helplessly carried the cabbage on her head. Sigh, why was she so unlucky? She always ran into these kinds of things, no matter where she went. These two were probably passengers hiding on the boat. And judging from their conversation, they were probably wanted by the authorities. If she were discovered, she'd inevitably face a "murder to silence her."

As she was thinking, suddenly, a dark shadow swept past her.

Xiao Xiao was startled, and the cabbage she was carrying fell to the ground.

The two people who were talking immediately fell silent.

Xiao Xiao froze, only then realizing the dark shape was just a mouse. Xiao Xiao wasn't afraid of mice; if this mouse hadn't suddenly appeared, she wouldn't have been frightened at all. But what should she do now?

"Who goes there?" one of the two asked in a low voice.

Xiao Xiao was on the verge of tears.

The footsteps grew closer, and a growing sense of panic intensified. At this point, there was no choice! Run!

Xiao Xiao picked up a large cabbage next to her and threw it hard at the three people.

In the darkness, such a sudden attack naturally caught the two off guard. Taking advantage of this opening, Xiao Xiao darted away.

"Help! Murder..." she screamed like a pig being slaughtered as soon as she stepped out of the kitchen. However, the rest of her sentence was stuck in her throat.

Four or five menacing-looking men stood before her, their knives stained with blood, and at their feet lay the corpses of several sailors.

Just then, the three people in the kitchen came out. Upon seeing the scene, they said with some delight, "Big brother, you've arrived."

"Hmm," a burly man of about thirty responded. "What are you two doing? Weren't you supposed to kill people and seize the ship? Why have you been dragging this out until now?!"

"Brother, we were just about to make our move... when we ran into this girl..." the newcomer replied.

"Hmph." The man chuckled sinisterly. "Today, not a single person on this post ship is to be left alive! Kill!"

Xiao Xiao was utterly shocked. No way?! Murder and theft of a boat?! This is an official's boat! What kind of world is this?!

Before she could even process her surprise, several sharp knives came flying at her. She instinctively ducked to avoid the blades, then rolled low to the ground and broke free of the encirclement.

"Help!!! Murder!!! Help!!!" Xiao Xiao shouted as she ran.

The people on the post ship were awakened by the shrill sound, and the once quiet cabin was now in turmoil.

Little Xiao kept her eyes closed and ran wildly until she was out of the cabin and on the deck. The bow of the ship was right in front of her; there was nowhere to hide.

"Hmph, see where you think you can run!" the fierce-looking man shouted as he caught up. "How dare you ruin my good time!"

Under the moonlight, the sharp edge of the knife was clearly visible, terrifying beyond compare. Xiao Xiao was wondering if kneeling would still be effective at this moment. Suddenly, a gentle breeze arrived, and someone gracefully descended, standing in front of Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao was surprised to see that the faces of those fierce-looking men had changed. The killing moves they were about to unleash were abruptly halted.

Judging from the back, it was a man. In the moonlight, the original color of his light-colored clothes was indistinguishable. In his left hand, he held a knife. The knife was only about a foot long and two inches wide, with a slightly curved blade. His grip was casual, his fingers loose. But Xiao Xiao strangely knew that this man's knife would be extremely difficult to disarm. He seemed to be a master…

"You...you actually found this place!" The leader was terrified, his voice trembling.

“Among a mob, there will always be one or two who aren’t tough enough.” The newcomer spoke, his voice calm and even somewhat indifferent, his low, gentle tone quite pleasant to the ear.