Peaceful Jianghu - Chapter 53
Xiao Dao raised his hand and slapped him hard across the face.
The sudden "smack" stunned everyone present.
Chonghua and Hao Jinfeng looked at Xiaodao and then at Xue Beifan, somewhat bewildered. Although the two usually bickered, everyone knew it was all just playful banter. Xue Beifan usually teased Xiaodao like a cat; what had he said today that angered her?
Only Xue Beifan, despite being beaten, still smiled happily, as if he had asked for it.
Xiao Dao turned around and looked at the constables who were holding Liao Xiaoqing. "Release her."
The yamen runners looked at Hao Jinfeng with a troubled expression.
Hao Jinfeng also felt that it was indeed inappropriate to carry out such a vigilante justice, but Liao Xiaoqing was hiding a deadly poison and had personally stated that she was there to kill someone.
"She's hiding poison..." the constable explained.
"Who said she was hiding poison?" Xiao Dao took the packet of powder, opened it, and poured all the powder from the paper packet into his mouth.
"Xiao Dao!" Lou Xiaoyue was so shocked she forgot to call him by his real name, and tried to stop him but it was too late. Xue Beifan, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Yan Xiao Dao had switched the medicine packets in that instant—such a quick move. The other constables, of course, couldn't tell the difference and just thought Yan Xiao Dao had gone mad and taken poison.
Xiao Dao clicked his tongue and waved his hand at the constable, "Aren't you going to release them?! What kind of poison is this? It's fried rice noodles!"
"Uh..." The constables looked at each other, "Then what about this straw figure?"
"There's no name written on it, so who could it harm?!" Xiao Dao glared. "I cured Wen Si. He was bitten by an insect, it has nothing to do with witchcraft!"
The constables all looked at Hao Jinfeng, who also felt there was indeed no evidence to arrest Liao Xiaoqing. The constables had just let go of her…
Liao Xiaoqing pounced on Wen Si and attacked him fiercely. The maids and servants in the mansion hesitated for a moment, and Wen Si's face was covered in blood from her attack.
The servants rushed over to stop her, but Miss Zhai remained standing aside, acting as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Dao coldly observed the mess, then turned and left, muttering, "What a waste of my precious medicine!"
Chonghua shoved Xue Beifan, "What did you say?"
Xue Beifan shrugged and said slowly, "Just telling the truth."
Xiao Dao stopped, turned around, and looked back, it was unclear whether he was looking at Xue Beifan or Wen Si behind him, before coldly uttering two words, "Bastard."
Chonghua and Hao Jinfeng stared at Xue Beifan in disbelief, while Xiaoyue chased after Yan Xiaodao.
Xue Beifan laughed even more happily, touching the side of his face that hadn't been hit. "I'll go say a few more words, and then I'll have her slap the other side too." With that, he chased after her.
Hao Jinfeng looked at him with admiration, "This is the first time I've ever seen someone who's asking for a beating."
Chonghua smiled helplessly, but he had a vague feeling in his heart: what exactly was Xue Beifan thinking?
Outside the door, Xiao Dao stormed off. Xiao Yue, the only one who had overheard their conversation, followed after them for a couple of steps and whispered, "Xiao Dao."
"Um?"
"Don't you always say that men are unreliable and relationships don't last?" Xiaoyue asked. "Why did Xue Beifan say you wanted to hit him?"
Xiao Dao was stunned.
Xiaoyue smiled. "Actually, you still believe in the concept of forever, right? You also want to find someone who is devoted to you, right?"
Xiao Dao put on a stern face, "That's not true."
Xiaoyue took her arm and walked out, saying, "Alright, let's go eat something delicious, let's ignore those stinky men."
"That makes sense!" Xiao Dao nodded seriously.
Behind the courtyard gate, Xue Beifan leaned against the wall, laughing. He touched the side of his face that had been slapped by the knife earlier. It didn't hurt; it felt numb, slightly spicy, and warm...
35
[Enemies Meet in Love]
Xiao Dao left the Zhai family in a state of chaos, and took Xiao Yue to an inn to sit down and have some tea.
"That Xue Er is such a nuisance." Xiao Dao sat down to wait for his food, unconsciously touching his palm, which was still numb.
Seeing that she was sulking, Xiaoyue smiled and shook her head, "You, you take Xue Beifan too seriously. He's been talking nonsense for a long time."
"No way," Xiao Dao said, touching his nose. "Let's not talk about him."
"Let's talk about something else then," Xiaoyue changed the subject. "Are we just going to let Liao Xiaoqing off like this?"
"I haven't let her go yet." Xiao Dao took a bite of his bun. "I just didn't like Wen Si earlier, so I taught him a lesson. As for Liao Xiaoqing, what's the point of catching her? Are you saying she overreacted because of love turned to hate? Or that she's vicious and has caused a lot of harm? Catching her is useless. We need to find the root of the problem to resolve this."
Xiaoyue, holding a teacup, asked, "You want to use her to cast a long line to catch a big fish?"
“Yes, the culprit is that old nun.” Xiao Dao’s face darkened slightly. “First it was the Seventh Concubine, then Liao Xiaoqing… and that moving wooden figure. I want to find out what really happened. Eating people to maintain youth, using witchcraft to kill—they’re all accomplices in this conspiracy, and none of them can escape!”
"Hmm, as expected of the Divine Constable's sister."
As the two were talking, Xue Beifan suddenly appeared, sat down next to Xiaodao, and put his arm next to hers.
Xiao Dao immediately moved away a bit, still looking at him with some resentment.
Xue Beifan followed along, grinning mischievously.
"Go away!" Xiao Dao shooed him out. "Sit somewhere else!"
Xue Beifan stuck to him tightly. So one dodged and the other chased. There were only four sides to the table, and Xiao Dao used a chopstick to block Xue Beifan, saying, "Keep a distance of ten feet from me!"
Xiaoyue watched the two bickering while holding her cup. Xue Beifan hadn't seemed to care at all about that slap earlier. Was he asking for it? The young master was right. No one could see through Xue Beifan's thoughts.