Peaceful Jianghu - Chapter 83
"Where do you get so many words?" Xiao Dao was still angry with him. She pointed in the opposite direction and said, "If you want to take a walk, go there. Go five hundred miles ahead, turn right, turn right, and turn right again. Walk for eighty-one days and you'll succeed." After saying that, she grabbed Xue Beifan's wrist and ran off in the other direction.
"Wait!" Wang Bibo stopped him abruptly, staring at Xiao Dao holding Xue Beifan's wrist. "What's your relationship with him?!"
Xiao Dao raised an eyelid and reached out to hook Xue Beifan's arm, "My lover!"
Wang Bibo's expression changed slightly, then returned to normal, looking completely understanding. "Oh... Yan Xiaodao, you wanted to annoy me so I'd go back to Lanzhi, so you just grabbed someone randomly, right?"
Xue Beifan had been in a good mood, although he knew that Xiao Dao probably meant the same thing, but Wang Bibo's comment "just drag one along" didn't sit well with him.
Xiao Dao didn't want to waste time arguing with Wang Bibo, so he shooed him away, saying, "Don't interrupt, I have important things to do."
"I have important things to do too, and anyone can walk this road!"
Seeing that Wang Bibo was relentlessly pursuing them, Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan continued on their way. However, wherever they went, Wang Bibo followed. Unfortunately, this young master was quite skilled in martial arts… they couldn't shake him off.
Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan exchanged a glance.
"Ah! I know." Wang Bibo raised her voice a few decibels, whether intentionally or unintentionally, "That's the palace over there, you're not going to sneak in at night, are you...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Dao kicked him into a dark alleyway next to him.
Xue Beifan gave her a thumbs up, indicating – Good kick!
Xiao Dao tried to pull him away quickly, but Xue Beifan waved his hand and said in a low voice, "The palace is only so big. Wang Bibo is capable of anything. If he wanted to cause you trouble, wouldn't it be easy?"
Xiao Dao's face was tense, and he looked dissatisfied—what should he do?
At this moment, Wang Bibo climbed out of the alley, steadied himself, looked down, patted a dark footprint on his chest, and said to Xiao Dao, "I'll remember this nasty kick, I'll make you pay for it sooner or later!"
Xiao Dao pretended to take off his shoes and hit him with the soles, but Wang Bibo quickly dodged.
Xue Beifan asked him, "Brother Wang, you've traveled thousands of miles to the Western Regions, abandoning such a lucrative business opportunity. You won't return empty-handed, will you?"
"That's right." Wang Bibo crossed his arms. "In business, I, Wang Bibo, never suffer a loss!"
Xiao Dao looked disgusted—a swindler!
"No one gets up early for nothing, what do you want?" Xue Beifan directly discussed business with Wang Bibo.
“Her.” Wang Bibo pointed to the knife.
Without even thinking, Xue Beifan waved his hand and said, "She won't do. You can choose the others."
Xiao Dao narrowed his eyes.
"Then... what about the family heirlooms of your Beihai Sect, such as the Moon Sea Golden Boat or the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual?"
Xiao Dao scoffed when he saw that the man was asking for an exorbitant amount.
“Sure,” Xue Beifan readily shrugged. “The three leaders of the Beihai Sect are all here. Just ask them for it.”
Wang Bibo raised an eyebrow slightly. "Those are just small fry."
"I'm not even as good as a pawn," Xue Beifan laughed generously. "Everyone knows I was expelled from the Beihai Sect a long time ago, and those treasures have nothing to do with me."
"What about Xiao Dao's red paper umbrella?"
"That's a token of our love, there's only one of its kind." Xue Beifan blurted out without thinking. Xiao Dao, watching the two of them go back and forth, secretly competing, sighed, "Are you two ever going to stop? If you keep going like this, it'll be dawn soon."
"This won't do, that won't do either, Brother Xue is being a bit stingy." Wang Bibo was clearly disappointed, and finally sighed, "How about this, I'll ask a question, and Brother Xue will answer truthfully, then I won't follow along."
Xue Beifan immediately listened attentively.
Wang Bibo smiled slightly, "I want to know, what secrets are hidden in the Moon Sea Golden Boat and the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual?"
After Wang Bibo finished asking her question, Xiao Dao looked up at Xue Beifan. She had only heard that it was a treasure, but she had never known what other meaning it might have. Was the Moon Sea Golden Boat probably a ship made of gold? And wasn't the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual a martial arts manual? Had she misunderstood it before?
"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" Xue Beifan didn't seem to have any intention of hiding anything.
"That's the truth, of course."
“The truth is… there are no secrets.” After saying that, Xue Beifan reached for Xiaodao and walked away.
Wang Bibo stood still, not chasing after him—he could get away with cheating with Xiao Dao, but not with Xue Beifan, as it would make him seem inferior. Then he thought again, after all, he was a "shady businessman," so if the honest way didn't work, he'd resort to crooked methods; he wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal.
So Wang Bibo straightened his clothes, went down from the roof, and headed to the inn where the other three members of the Beihai Sect were staying.
Xiao Dao followed Xue Beifan for a while until they reached the vicinity of the Ghost City Palace's city wall. Curious, he asked, "Hey, isn't the Moon Sea Golden Boat a big ship? Isn't the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual a martial arts manual? Is there a secret here?"
Xue Beifan glanced at her and said in a low voice, "I don't know either."
Xiao Dao stared in surprise. "You don't know? Then why did you bring him here?"
"My older brother told me to look for it."
"He's your older brother, not your father," Xiao Dao said, pursing his lips.
"You sound jealous," Xue Beifan immediately put on a grin. "Don't worry, it's all yours!"
Xiao Dao chuckled in agreement and didn't press the matter further.
Xue Beifan's trick wasn't working on her anymore. He was the kind of person who avoided anything, and his only weakness was his roguishness. She might be fooled once or twice, but someone as shrewd as Xiaodao would naturally see through his rogue tactics time and again. A nagging feeling settled in her mind: why would that old fox Xue Beihai, so capable, go to such lengths to find those two things? Something was suspicious!
...
The palace in the ghost city was brightly lit, perhaps because everyone was preparing for the marriage proposal.
Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan wandered around until they reached a fork in the road.