All the guests were present when the announcement was made, and I was certain that the news would soon spread far and wide.
Although Baili Chenfeng was surprised that I would be traveling with him, he ultimately agreed without hesitation, considering the value of the treasure bottle.
Feng Xiansu's reaction surprised me. She didn't seem surprised at all, as if she had not only expected me to lend her the money, but also knew that I would ask for an escort.
Seeing the flicker in her eyes, I suddenly realized that even if I didn't make the request, she would have.
After the guests had left, leaving only me, Feng Qiansu, and the ever-present Xiao Zuo in the flower hall, Baili Chenfeng stood up and thanked me: "Thank you so much, Miss Gong, for your generous loan. The entire Baili City will never forget it. If there is ever any need for Baili City in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. We will go through fire and water for you."
His expression was very serious, and his bow was very formal, so I stood up as well, intending to say something polite. But before I could finish saying, "Your Excellency, there is no need for such formality," Xiao Zuo interrupted me.
"Only a fool wouldn't do something that yields three benefits from one investment! Judging from Miss Gong's ingenious ideas at the exhibition, she's not a fool after all. Chenfeng, you're being too polite."
Although I was furious with him, I was also amazed by his sharp thinking: enhancing the family's reputation, obtaining Baili City's promise, and establishing one's authority were indeed three benefits in one.
Xiao Zuo was only wrong about one thing: even a fool would be willing to do such a thing.
Although surprised, I still said coldly, "I have important matters to discuss with Mr. Baili. All irrelevant persons, please leave!"
Xiao Zuo looked around, but his bottom remained firmly in the chair, showing no intention of leaving.
How could there be such a clueless person in the world? I gritted my teeth and said, "You! I told you to get out!"
“Me?” He looked at me innocently. “I’m not an irrelevant person.”
I sneered, "What does this have to do with you?"
“I don’t want to be involved!” he said with a bitter face. “But I have promised Chenfeng that I will be the bodyguard of your precious bottle until we arrive safely in Baili City.”
I was so surprised my voice changed: "What did you say? He hired you as a bodyguard? He actually hired you as a bodyguard?"
"Yes!" He seemed even more surprised than I was, and exclaimed louder than I did. "You didn't know?"
I tugged at my hair, staring blankly for a while, then suddenly turned to Baili Chenfeng and said, "Mr. Baili, I strongly oppose having this person accompany us! In fact, I am certain that if he were to act as our bodyguard, the Eja Bottle would be utterly unsafe!"
Before Baili Chenfeng could answer, Xiao Zuo had already stood up, bowed respectfully to me, and said, "Miss Gong, thank you! Thank you so much!"
I started spacing out again.
He said, “This journey to Baili City is a long one, a thousand miles. Along the way, we'll pass six or seven bandit strongholds, seven or eight mountain bandit territories, and eight or nine horse-riding outposts. Although I'm fairly familiar with the road conditions and have some connections with some of the bandits, I really doubt how strong friendships can be under the lure of money, given that you're carrying so much treasure. I'm naturally averse to trouble, especially such a big one; I usually avoid it like the plague. But recently I've been broke, and Chenfeng promised me a large sum of money after the deed was done, and begged me for most of the day before I reluctantly agreed to do such a foolish thing as being a bodyguard for a bottle. I never expected you to save me! You saved my life! Thank you, thank you!”
He rambled on and on, getting more and more excited as he spoke, until finally he was so moved that he almost cried.
The more I listened, the heavier my heart sank, until finally my heart almost stopped beating. I couldn't help but ask, "Where exactly is Baili City?"
"In Sichuan." The person who answered me was Baili Chenfeng.
"What? That far!" I exclaimed in surprise, looking at him and saying, "You said your city lord died three days ago, but you arrived in Luoyang two days later. How do you explain that?"
"This is because my city lord knows his time is coming, so he ordered me to come to Luoyang half a month ago," Baili Chenfeng said. "This journey is a thousand miles long, and I hope Miss Gong will bear with me for all the trouble I have endured."
“That’s fine. The problem is…” I glanced at Xiao Zuo and gritted my teeth, “Do we really need him to lead the team?”
Baili Chenfeng nodded and said, "Brother Xiao is familiar with the terrain of all directions. When it comes to arranging travel routes, I'm afraid it would be hard to find someone more authoritative than him."
So, this trip has to be led by this bastard no matter what? I cursed inwardly, and couldn't help but glance at Xiao Zuo again.
He, perhaps because he had talked too much, grabbed a teacup from the coffee table and gulped it down. Then he stared at the empty cup in his hand for a long time, muttering, "Jade?" Suddenly he said to me, "May I take this cup? It'll be a memento of my visit to the Gong family."
Looking at his money-grubbing behavior, I doubt he just wanted to keep it as a souvenir.
—He would rather beg from me for a teacup than earn that “large sum of money” from Baili Chenfeng!
I stared at him intently for a long, long time before taking a deep breath and saying, "Okay, let's go together!"
Bai Lichenfeng's tense body suddenly relaxed, and even Feng Qiansu seemed to calm down.
Xiao Zuo remained as languid as ever, and slowly said, "Going together is fine, but we have to agree on three rules."
"Okay!" I replied casually, then immediately came to my senses and asked, "What agreement?"
Xiao Zuo said, "First, it's best to behave yourself along the way and not cause any trouble. I know some people are born to cause trouble, but for the sake of the big picture, arriving safely in Baili City is the most important thing."
I stared at him intently, as if trying to find a flower on his face, when suddenly I smiled broadly and said, "What you said is absolutely right! I've never heard anything so reasonable in my life!"
Xiao Zuo added, "Secondly, let's each go our own way and handle our own affairs. It's best not to bother each other."
My smile deepened, and I said, "That would be the best possible outcome."
"Third, no turning back. Now that we're on the road, we must deliver the goods to their destination." He glanced at me listlessly and said, "I've been terrified that someone might run off with the treasure bottle halfway through the journey!"
I was smiling so broadly, like a spring flower in full bloom, that I couldn't speak, I could only nod.
Feng Xiansu looked at me with a strange expression—she was probably afraid I would be so angry I would die.
She's known me since she was five, so of course she knows that how brightly I smile means how angry I was back then.
That bastard Xiao Zuo actually beat me to it and said everything that was supposed to be my turn! It's outrageous!
"Since Miss is smiling so happily, she must think what I said makes sense. So, shall we agree?"
"Why not?" I immediately forced an even bigger smile and said politely, "I'm so happy that Young Master Xiao is so understanding, I'm absolutely thrilled!"
Take his life!