Lava

Kapitel 56

"What's wrong?"

"My arm is dislocated."

"..."

Neither Ning Jin nor Bai Yingyu knew how to reattach Mo Yan's arm, so they had no choice but to leave it dangling for the time being, waiting until they reached Yangzhou to find a doctor to set it. Mo Yan was also unable to drive, so Ning Jin had to take matters into his own hands. Although he knew how to ride a horse, driving a carriage was a completely different matter, and it took him half a day of struggling to finally get the carriage wobbling along the road.

Inside the carriage, Bai Yingyu carefully used a silk cloth to fix Mo Yan's arm, and said softly with a smile, "If only Lord Zhan were here, he could fix it in no time."

"Who says otherwise?" Mo Yan sighed. It was indeed a bit inconvenient without Zhan Zhao around.

Ning Jin, who was outside, lifted the carriage curtain a crack and said coolly, "Whose fault is this? It's your own fault for not picking the right time."

"Liu Jin! Drive carefully!" Mo Yan pulled the curtain back forcefully in an annoyed tone.

At this moment, on the official road about seven or eight miles away from them, Zhan Zhao was leaning against the carriage with his eyes closed, resting when he suddenly felt a jolt and sneezed three times in a row.

"Are you cold?" Wu Zichu asked.

Zhan Zhao shook his head: "I don't feel cold at all, that's strange."

Wu Zichu laughed and joked, "That means someone misses you."

Knowing he was joking, Zhan Zhao smiled but did not answer. He lifted the curtain on the carriage window, and raindrops mixed with wind immediately rushed in, icy and refreshing.

Chapter Forty-Four

Upon arriving in Yangzhou, the rain had begun to stop, and the three headed first to the Yangzhou Prefectural Government Office. It wasn't that they weren't in a hurry to have their arm reattached, but Mo Yan had planned that, given Ning Jin's status, the Prefect would surely go out of his way to please her and would naturally arrange for a good doctor to reattach her arm. Unexpectedly, just as they arrived at the government office, they heard that the Yangzhou Prefect, Li Gaoyi, had gone to Jiangning to congratulate the former Grand Tutor, Old Master Wei, on his birthday, and would probably return in two days.

"These bastards!" Ning Jin was furious when he heard that Li Gaoyi had abandoned the entire Yangzhou prefectural government office in order to curry favor with Old Master Wei.

Mo Yan leaned against the car, nonchalantly munching on a meat bun as she said, "Why are you so angry? He's just another sycophant. If you went to that old man Wei's birthday banquet and saw all those big and small officials, you'd be furious. In my opinion, it's better not to bother with them."

Ning Jin wasn't about to listen to her. Having walked this short distance, he knew Mo Yan was impetuous and that relying on her was absolutely unacceptable. It would be safer to ask the government to send someone to escort her.

"I think we should stay at an inn first and wait for Prefect Li to return before coming to find him," he said, leading the carriage toward the nearest inn.

Mo Yan complained, "It'll take two days!"

"It's a matter of life and death, we can't wait any longer." Ning Jin knew she was anxious. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to Miss Bai, would you?"

"I'm still here!"

"It is because of you that I have no choice but to wait."

"……you……"

Mo Yan almost choked on the meat bun and coughed several times. Bai Yingyu handed her a water pouch and said softly, "Xiao Qi, let's listen to this... this Brother Liu Jin. Let's find an inn to stay in first, and we also need to get a doctor for your hand."

Seeing that both of them shared the same idea, Mo Yan had no choice but to let them be.

They found an inn, and as soon as they stepped inside, Mo Yan's face lit up with joy. Without saying much to the two of them, she went straight to the man in the blue robe sitting at the table inside.

"Second brother!" She tugged at the man in the blue robe's sleeve, almost knocking the vegetables he had just picked up flying away.

The man seemed slightly startled as well, turning his face towards Mo Yan without any annoyance. He had a faint smile on his face and was none other than Mo Yan's second senior brother, Xiao Chen.

"Didn't you go to the capital? How come you're here again?" Mo Yan asked curiously.

Xiao Chen didn't answer, but instead asked her, "Aren't you with Zhan Zhao?" Ning Jin and Bai Yingyu's footsteps were heavy, clearly indicating they weren't martial artists; he could tell with just a little listening.

“Yes, he had to leave first.” Mo Yan pulled Ning Jin and Bai Yingyu over. “This is Liu Jin, and that is A Bi. I’m going to the capital with them right now. …This is my second senior brother, Xiao Chen.”

Just as Bai Yingyu was about to step forward to greet him, she heard Xiao Chen coldly say, "What kind of shady people have you been hanging out with again?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yingyu froze on the spot, while Ning Jin immediately darkened his face and looked Xiao Chen up and down.

Mo Yan was used to his behavior and said with a forced smile, "They're not some shady characters... I can't explain it clearly right now, I'll tell you later."

Xiao Chen's face turned cold, and he remained silent.

Mo Yan waved to Ning Jin and Bai Yingyu, gesturing for them to sit down at the table. Bai Yingyu readily agreed, but Ning Jin was quite reluctant, hesitating for a long time before finally sitting down sideways.

What happened to your hand?

Mo Yan slowly sat down, supporting her hands. Although Xiao Chen couldn't see her, he sensed something was wrong.

"It's dislocated," she said helplessly.

Xiao Chen's already icy face turned even colder. He got up and went to Mo Yan's side, supporting her injured arm and gently lifting it with his hand. The bone had already been reset.

"If it hurts, just yell," Xiao Chen said calmly.

"...It doesn't hurt that much." Mo Yan grimaced and endured the pain, casually saying, "It's a pity Zhan Zhao isn't here. Last time he set Abi's ankle, it didn't hurt at all."

Xiao Chen coldly replied, "Nonsense! A perfectly good young lady isn't someone you can just touch..."

His words made Bai Yingyu, who was standing next to him, turn pale and lower her head.

"...You've been out here all this time, and you've been led astray more and more." Xiao Chen said coldly, gently turning Mo Yan's arm a few times to make sure she was alright before sitting down again.

Seeing that Mo Yan was listening so obediently without saying a word or even offering any explanation, Ning Jin couldn't help but feel strange. Little did he know that Mo Yan had been scolded by Xiao Chen since childhood and never dared to talk back.

"Second brother, will you come to the capital with us?" Mo Yan stretched her arms a few times and smiled at Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen originally intended to go to Suzhou to find her, but unexpectedly ran into her here. He was secretly glad that he hadn't missed her. Now, hearing Mo Yan say this, he had already agreed in his heart, and only said, "You come with me to the capital." The implication was that he did not want to travel with Ning Jin and Bai Yingyu.

"Then what about them?" Mo Yan was taken aback.