Peaceful Jianghu - Chapter 82
Wang Bibo swayed and fell backward, thinking to himself that falling flat on his face here would be terrible. Just as he was about to fall, Xue Beifan steadied his arm and said calmly, "Be careful, don't sit on chairs carelessly, and don't say things carelessly."
Wang Bibo was secretly alarmed—he did know that Xue Beifan was skilled in martial arts, but he hadn't even noticed when Xue Beifan made a move.
His attendants quickly came to help him. Wang Bibo steadied himself, his hands slightly sweaty. He looked at Yan Xiaodao again, only to see her unhappily poking at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks.
Touching her head, Wang Bibo knew that she had relied on her mother since she was a child and hated people talking badly about her mother. She had indeed spoken without thinking just now, and it was fortunate that Xue Beifan stopped her. Otherwise, if she had said those words, Yan Xiaodao would probably never talk to her again for the rest of her life.
"I was wrong, okay?" Wang Bibo admitted her mistake to Xiaodao.
Xiao Dao rolled her eyes at him, "What's the point of telling me this? Go tell it to the one who's deeply in love with you!"
Wang Bibo pouted and sighed, "I live in the inn. If you need anything, just come to me."
Xiao Dao turned away and ignored him.
Wang Bibo raised her hand slightly to the crowd, indicating that they would meet again... and then left disappointed.
He was in a bad mood and walked away quickly, without even saying goodbye to the Beihai faction members.
After he left, Xiaoyue served Xiaodao a bowl of soup and whispered, "Xiaodao, ignore him and eat."
Xiao Dao nodded.
Just then, Qin Ke, who was not far away, said in a cool tone, "It was just a kind gesture. Even if you said something wrong, you don't have to curse people so harshly. This is exactly what it means to be both arrogant and spoiled."
Qin Ke was just being sarcastic, and Xue Xing and Fang Tongli naturally wouldn't participate in the girls' bickering. They continued eating, only curious about Xiao Dao's identity.
Since the place was a dining area, there were many idle people around, and the diners whispered among themselves, thinking that Yan Xiaodao was quite fierce among women, and some even felt sorry for Wang Bibo.
Xiaoyue frowned in displeasure; she hated gossips the most.
Xiao Dao didn't seem to care, he just held the bowl, drank his soup, and drifted off into thought.
Just then, Youyou suddenly clapped her hands.
Everyone looked at her, and Xiao Dao also came to her senses.
Youyou asked, "Wang Bibo and Yu Lanzhi, whom you just mentioned, are both your friends, right, Xiaodao?"
Xiao Dao didn't say anything, he just nodded slightly.
"No wonder. My mother always says that the deeper the love, the harsher the criticism. You were so angry because you were afraid they would quarrel and miss each other, wasn't that right?"
Xue Beifan smiled and put a Four Happiness Meatball into Xiaodao's bowl.
Youyou gave Xiaodao a thumbs-up and said, "Xiaodao, I know you're a good girl."
Xiao Dao was so distracted that he didn't notice the meatball in his mouth and swallowed the whole Four Happiness Meatball, choking on it!
Xue Beifan patted her back, and Xiao Dao's face turned red. The gossip around them stopped, and everyone ate as usual.
Xiaoyue and Chonghua exchanged a glance, then smiled and continued eating.
Cool Cat
Hao Jinfeng put a second chicken leg on Youyou's plate, and she blushed instantly, shyly lowering her head to eat the chicken leg.
Xiao Dao finally swallowed the meatball and, holding her teacup, pondered—her mother wouldn't possibly send Wang Bibo all the way to deliver a message to her; Wang Bibo's time was incredibly valuable, he certainly wouldn't be a mere errand boy, it must have been something he did on the side. Since he was here and even came to find a husband, there must be a reason… but this reason was far too difficult to guess.
Wang Bibo has plenty of money; he shouldn't be coveting the treasures of the ghost town. For the sake of the place? What kind of business can you do in this poor, remote place? It's not even as good as his vast wealth in the Central Plains. So what is it about this place that attracts Wang Bibo, who's only interested in profit?
As Xiao Dao was lost in thought, Xue Beifan suddenly nudged her gently with his arm.
Xiao Dao looked up, and Xue Beifan gestured with his chin, indicating to her to look downstairs.
Xiao Dao turned to look down... and couldn't help but frown.
46
[Omens and Scars]
The person coming downstairs was none other than Wei Xinjie, who had previously allowed Xiao Dao and his group to steal the dragon bone ahead of them at Xianyun Mountain.
He rode by on horseback, followed by a retinue, hurrying past as if he had some urgent business to attend to.
Chonghua frowned slightly. "Is he here to find a husband too?"
Xue Beifan stared at Wei Xinjie for a while, "After eliminating Cai Lian and Cai Bian, why didn't Wei Xinjie return to the capital to rise to prominence? What is he doing running to this poor and remote place?"
"He's very likely here to find the Dragon Bone Five Diagrams too." Xiao Dao always felt that Wei Xinjie was unfathomable, and his words were often insincere. He seemed untraceable, so it was best to avoid provoking him.
"You still have types you can't handle?" Xue Beifan looked at Xiao Dao as if he had discovered something interesting. "I thought you were immune to all poisons."
Xiao Dao frowned and said quite seriously, "To be honest, I'm really not good at dealing with that type!"
"Which type?" Xue Beifan asked, resting his chin on his hand with great interest.
“Like Wei Xinjie.” Xiao Dao frowned and shook his head, holding up a finger straight in front of his eyes and gently shaking it, saying, “He’s the type who looks very upright from all angles, but you don’t really know what he’s like inside.”
After saying that, everyone paid the bill and obediently rested in the room, preparing to sneak into the Ghost City Palace tonight to investigate.
That evening, Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan scouted ahead, and Youyou drew them a rough map. The basic structure of the stone castle was very simple. After Xiao Dao figured out the location of each palace, he and Xue Beifan left the inn together.
However, as soon as the two stepped out, they saw a white shadow flash by... and someone else followed them.
Xiao Dao scratched his head as soon as he saw the person—Wang Bibo!
"Why are you here?" Little Knife glared at him from the rooftop.
"I was so angry with you that I couldn't sleep at night, so I came out for a walk!" Wang Bibo lied through her teeth, not forgetting to wink at Xiaodao. "And you two? As the saying goes, if someone is dressed in all black at night, they're either a thief or a criminal. You two were sneaking around like thieves in the dead of night..."