Peaceful Jianghu

Chapter 36

Looking up, Xiao Dao chuckled, "Xiao Yue!"

Lou Xiaoyue was the one who dragged Xiao Dao into the alley, and Xue Beifan followed Chonghua into the alley as well. Chonghua led everyone into a small door, locked it, and only then did Xiao Dao realize that they were back in Chonghua's backyard.

"This house is huge!" Xue Beifan patted Chonghua on the shoulder. "I'm so thirsty and hungry!"

"Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you, we're so worried!" Xiaoyue told Xiaodao. "Cai Bian started searching for you all early this morning, he even posted pictures of you. You'd better not go out these next few days."

"What?!" Xiao Dao frowned. "Isn't that brat Cai Bian afraid that Granny Shan will come after him again?"

“Cai Bian has been lording it over people in Jinling for quite some time now. You made him suffer a loss, so of course he'll seek revenge! Besides, he's offering a reward for the capture of the mountain woman, while you two are looking for someone.” As he spoke, Chonghua took out a yellow notice.

Xiao Dao leaned closer for a look and almost spat out her drink. Wasn't this the very human skin mask she had used to scare Cai Bian? So that idiot really thought the one who attacked him was the Mountain Woman. If that was the case, why did he capture her and Xue Beifan?

"He arrested Shanpo because he felt guilty, he arrested you because he had ulterior motives, and he arrested me to silence me," Xue Beifan muttered as he ate his rice bowl.

Xiao Dao's stomach was growling with hunger. Xiao Yue put some food on her plate, and Xiao Dao, with a chicken foot in her mouth, asked Xue Bei Fan, "If it's not for revenge, why are you causing me trouble?"

"Heh." Chonghua couldn't help but chuckle, and Xue Beifan shook his head, muttering, "Slow-witted."

"What are you laughing at?" Xiaoyue asked, a little worried. "Could it be that he also wants Xiaodao to find treasure for him?"

Xiao Dao chewed on a long cowpea and stared at everyone, thinking to himself, "So Cai Bian found out my identity so quickly?"

Xue Beifan and Chonghua smiled without saying a word, hurriedly finished their meal, and went out, seemingly without knowing what they were going to do.

Just before leaving, Xue Beifan picked up the small knife and gently tapped her forehead with his finger, instructing, "You crazy girl, you absolutely are not going out tonight!"

Before Xiaodao could argue, Xue Beifan tossed her to Xiaoyue and ordered, "Keep a close eye on her! Go to sleep early."

Xiaoyue nodded subconsciously and pulled Xiaodao into the house.

After washing up, Xiaodao lay on the bed, hugging her pillow and lost in thought. When Xiaoyue came in, drying her hair, she asked her, "Xiaoyue, what are Xue Beifan and Chonghua doing in the middle of the night?"

Xiaoyue thought for a moment, "Hmm, I just heard Chonghua say that he wants to settle accounts with Cai Bian."

Xiao Dao jumped up with a "whoosh," exclaiming, "Why weren't you calling me for this?!"

Xiaoyue pushed her back into the blanket and said, "I told you you're not allowed to go out!"

Xiao Dao pouted, bored, and lay on the bed poking the cat, "Can't sleep."

"Aren't you tired? You've been running around all day." Xiaoyue picked up the little yellow cat and placed it at the foot of the bed, then snuggled into the covers and asked Xiaodao.

"I have something on my mind that's making me feel uneasy, and I can't sleep." Xiao Dao frowned and told Xiao Yue the truth about what he had seen and heard that night, which gave Xiao Yue goosebumps and a lot of questions.

"Seventh Concubine eats people?"

Xiao Dao rubbed his arms. "That's right! She originally wanted to eat Cai Yunting, but that girl got lucky and escaped. She couldn't wait, so she ate the maid instead."

"Heavens!" Xiaoyue's usually lukewarm expression finally showed some major fluctuations, clearly disgusted. "How can eating human flesh grant immortality? On the contrary, it easily leads to disease!"

Xiao Dao paused, then looked at Xiao Yue.

Xiaoyue lowered her head and remained silent. Xiaodao knew that she had suffered a lot before being sold to Shen Xinghai and had probably seen some things, so he reached out and patted her shoulder to change the subject, "Xianyun Mountain and Xianyun Temple are both eerie, and the scariest thing is that old nun."

Xiaoyue frowned and nodded, "You absolutely mustn't go alone next time."

“I suspect Xue Beifan knows something! At least he probably knows about that old nun’s background.” Xiao Dao said, then seemed puzzled, “Why doesn’t he tell me? He won’t even let that nun see what I look like, all mysterious.”

“Speaking of wooden figures…” Xiaoyue seemed to remember something, “I once heard the young master mention that there are several types of people with special significance!”

"What kinds of people?" Xiao Dao didn't quite understand.

“For example, straw figures, wooden figures, stone figures, bronze figures, gold figures, jade figures, and so on,” Xiaoyue said earnestly. “I have a deep impression of them. Straw figures are associated with illness, wooden figures with mental health, stone figures with life and death, bronze figures with calamities, gold figures with wealth and honor, and jade figures with marriage.”

Xiao Dao found this intriguing. "Is that really a saying? In what situations is it used?"

“Yes, I heard the young master mention it once to a sorcerer. It seemed to be about a curse.” Xiaoyue shook her head. “It’s a pity Chonghua isn’t here. He’s read a lot of books, so he should know about it.”

Hearing this, Xiao Dao glanced at Xiao Yue, rested his chin on his hand, and asked her, "Hey, Xiao Yue, what do you think of Chong Hua?"

Xiaoyue turned to look at her, "Chonghua?"

"Um."

"Hmm... He's a good person, he's very good to me."

Xiao Dao curled the corners of his mouth, "Between your young master and him, which one is better?"

Xiaoyue paused, as if seriously considering something, and after a long while, asked, "This... how do we compete?"

Xiao Dao blinked.

Xiaoyue rolled over and reached out to touch Xiaodao's head. "You're overthinking things again. People are all different, there's no comparison."

Xiao Dao loosened his grip on his chin, collapsed onto the pillow, and hugged the little yellow cat that had climbed onto his back, giving it a good rub. "You're going to die!"

Xiaoyue opened her eyes wide and looked at her, "Who wants to die?"

Xiao Dao held the cat up to her face and patted her cheek with the cat's soft paws. "Don't you ever compare the two of them occasionally?"

Xiaoyue smiled and said, "It's not fair to compare them. They've both been very good to me. Good is good, and there's no way to compare them."

Xiao Dao sighed and pressed her nose with the cat's paw. "What if you had to choose between two people? Which one would you choose?"

Xiaoyue looked surprised. "Why did you choose this?"

"You're such a dense idiot." Xiao Dao shoved the kitten into Xiao Yue's hands, but didn't want to overstep his bounds and expose Chong Hua's misunderstanding. What if things went wrong and Xiao Yue ignored him? Wouldn't Chong Hua nag her to death? She'd probably get a real tongue-lashing from Old Madam Chong...