Why bother speaking up? "Zhai Huan is incredibly greedy. He can even sell news about when vegetable prices in the East Market will rise for a tael of silver. How could he refuse something you're giving him for free?"
After saying "Oh," Ban Lan suddenly asked, "Brother He, what kind of information did you buy with those three taels of silver?"
Upon hearing this, Cen Ji also perked up his ears.
He seemed to be struggling to think of it, because his rather delicate eyebrows were almost twisted into a curve.
He thought for a long time, and when he was almost in front of Zhai Huan's door, he finally remembered: "Oh, when I first came to this city, I randomly asked someone where Changchun Garden was. After that person told me the place, he asked me for three taels of silver."
It was obvious that he had unfortunately dragged Zhai Huan into this mess, and as a result, Zhai Huan had taken advantage of him severely.
Ban Lan looked up at He Bi: "Back then? How 'back then' was it?"
He touched his nose and said, "About a year ago."
*******
When the three of them pushed the door open, they didn't see Zhai Huan, but instead saw a strange man.
The man looked like a bean, with sparse hair, small, round eyes, and a slightly reddish nose. He frowned before even opening his mouth.
"Closed today, no business."
Ban Lan said, "Your boss just asked us to help him collect debts this morning, how come you're closed this afternoon?"
The man with the bean-shaped hair said, "What boss? I am the boss! I say I'm not doing business, and that means I'm not doing business!"
Ban Lan's expression darkened. "Where is Zhai Huan?"
Upon hearing this, the man with the bean-shaped hair raised his head and said, "So it's you guys." He pointed at He Bi and said, "He'll stay, you can leave."
Just as Ban Lan was about to explode, the bean-faced man added, "Zhai Huan said that Crane Feather Palace is in the vicinity of White Chess Mountain. You can find it yourselves."
Upon hearing this, Cen Ji turned and left. Ban Lan hesitated for a moment, then walked up to He Bi and said, "Brother He, you..."
He immediately waved his hand and said, "I have three taels of silver; you don't need to give it to me."
Ban Lan stuck out her tongue. "...Take care, we're leaving."
Why did he have a slight smile on his lips? Ban Lan saw it but felt inexplicably uneasy.
He Bi's eyes gleamed with a brown light. When he looked at Ban Lan, it was as if he knew everything about Ban Lan. Therefore, Ban Lan did not like being looked at like that by him.
She stepped back.
Why bother asking slowly, "Are you aware of the rumors surrounding Fish Eye Valley?"
Ban Lan was taken aback.
Why bother to tell she didn't know just by looking at her? He smiled and said, "There are rumors in Kongshan Ridge. Since Yumu Valley and Kongshan Ridge have such a good relationship, there must be some too."
Ban Lan thought about it and agreed.
Why say, "Miss Ban, I can tell you really like Cen Ji"?
Ban Lan almost wanted to jump up and rush out to chase Cen Ji, but under He Bijiong's intense gaze, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.
He Bi replied, “Give up. The legend of Fish Eye Valley is that one must never fall in love with someone from Empty Mountain Ridge, otherwise even if one defies the heavens, one will not have a good ending.”
Ban Lan blurted out, "He's from Kongshan Ridge?"
Why not just smile and say, "What do you think?"
Ban Lan murmured, "Yes, I should have thought of that sooner..."
He gently patted her shoulder: "You're still young, young enough to have plenty of time to meet someone better."
Ban Lan lowered her head: "I don't know what's better."
Why sigh and say, "You'll understand when you encounter it"?
Ban Lan glanced outside the door and said, "Forget it. I think what I like is the best."
*******
Baiqi Mountain is actually a very broad concept. Even if one rode a horse around the foot of the mountain non-stop, it would take seven or eight days. Moreover, the road to Baiqi Mountain is mostly through dense forests and bamboo groves, with very few trails for people to travel on. So Cen Ji and Ban Lan simply sold their horses and hiked through that sparsely populated forest.
He remained silent the entire way. It was early summer, and the weather was already hot. Although the forest was shady, it was extremely humid, making it difficult to breathe.
Ban Lan followed behind Cen Ji, stepping in his footprints, her mind filled with the words He Bi had just said.
"Are you from Kongshanling?"
The voice from behind made Cen Ji pause in his steps. After a moment, he replied, "Didn't Mo Yin tell you?"
Ban Lan shook her head. She had forgotten that Cen Ji was blind.
So Cen Ji, unusually, took the initiative to ask, "Hmm?"
Ban Lan said, "I have never heard my senior sister talk about any man, including Master."
After Ban Lan finished speaking, seeing that the person in front of her did not respond, she guessed that he was feeling down and comforted him, "Don't be sad. Even the man she married this time, Chen Ting, I never heard my senior sister mention him before. It's not like you don't have a chance."
Cen Ji suddenly stopped and turned around abruptly.
Ban Lan kept her head down, stepping in the footprints he had left behind, and before she knew it, she bumped into Cen Ji's arms.
Ban Lan instinctively jumped back half a step. "What are you doing?"