Peaceful Jianghu - Chapter 102
Xiao Dao shrank further into the bed, then, remembering that she had been drugged, her eyes widened in surprise, "You..."
Xue Beifan nodded, "It's me!" He then pointed at the knife, "I kidnapped you!"
"Where are my older brother and the others?!" Xiao Dao exclaimed, his mouth agape.
Xue Beifan smiled mischievously, "I left them a note saying that we have something to do and will leave first, and we'll meet at Naihe Gate."
“Then on this ship…” Xiao Dao quickly pulled up the blanket.
“That’s right.” Xue Beifan smiled smugly, pointed to himself, “A lone man.” Then he pointed to Xiao Dao, “A widow.”
Xiao Dao moved back a little further, glancing out the window.
Xue Beifan approached, "This place is surrounded by water on all sides; you can't escape."
"Run away...why should I run away?" Xiao Dao asked nervously.
Xue Beifan nodded. "That's right, we love each other, why would we run away? Hmm?" As he spoke, he moved closer and closer...
"Ouch!"
"A knife?"
"Ah!" Xiao Dao suddenly woke up and saw Xiao Yue shaking her anxiously. "What's wrong with you?"
Xiao Dao sat up and looked around. The scene in front of him seemed familiar, as if... it was the same painted boat that Chonghua had taken when they arrived.
"Huh?" Xiao Dao scratched his head, opened the window and looked out. Outside was a lake, and the bed board under his bottom was swaying gently.
"What's going on?" Xiaodao asked Xiaoyue, puzzled.
“You fainted in the courtyard last night for some reason. Young Master Xue said you've been too tired lately and need to rest more. So we carried you to the boat. We're on our way to Naihe Gate now.” Xiaoyue finished speaking and reached out to touch Xiaodao's forehead. “How are you? You've been moving around a lot. Did you have some strange dream?”
"A dream?" Xiao Dao frowned and thought for a moment. A dream?
"Ah!" She clapped her hands in relief. "It was all a dream!"
Xiaoyue was startled and looked at her with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Are you alright?"
"No..." Xiao Dao finished speaking, then felt something was amiss. If it was a dream, it meant that he dreamt that Xue Beifan had kidnapped him? Or was it that the kiss he received earlier was also a dream?
"It must be a dream." Xiao Dao nodded vigorously, then covered his face. "Ugh! I think I had a really disgusting nightmare!"
"Ahem." Just then, someone coughed.
Xiao Dao looked up... and saw Xue Beifan sitting at the table, looking at her with a half-smile.
Xiao Dao stared at him.
Xue Beifan suddenly laughed, lowered his left hand that had been supporting his chin, and switched to his right hand, showing Xiao Dao the complete half of his face... On his face, there were five clear finger marks, and these fingers were much thinner than Xue Beifan's own.
"Cough cough..." Xiao Dao had just taken a sip of the teacup Xiao Yue handed him when he choked on the tea.
"What's wrong, Xiaodao?" Xiaoyue took the cup to wipe her cup, but saw Xiaodao hug a pillow and crawl under the covers. The blanket was rolled up into a bun shape, and Xiaodao was rubbing against it.
"Xiao Dao?" Xiao Yue listened with her ear pressed against the quilt, wondering what was wrong with this girl now?
Then they heard Xiao Dao muttering inside, "It's a dream, it must be a dream! I'm not alive!"
52
Each with their own secrets
"Um……"
Inside the cabin, on a wooden table, was a birdcage containing a beautiful, pure white pigeon with a red beak and large black eyes, staring at a face with the same red beak and large eyes.
"Coo-coo." The pigeon made some noises, and the person in front of him sighed and rested his chin on his other hand.
Outside the cabin, Hao Jinfeng whispered to Chonghua, "Xiaodao has been like this all morning, what is she doing?"
Chonghua shook his head. "I only know that she's been so listless for the past two days since we set sail."
Let's rewind a bit and start from three days ago.
The matter wasn't complicated. When Xiao Dao tried to sneak away, Xue Beifan caught him red-handed, drugged him, and took him aboard the ship.
The group bid farewell to the Queen and Youyou and headed towards the Naihe Gate.
As they were leaving, Youyou was a little reluctant to part. She made a promise to them that they would meet again in Ghost City after they finished their business, and she wanted to treat them well. Xiaodao was fast asleep the whole time, and that's how he was tricked onto the ship in a daze.
The Gate of Helplessness is located in the Jiangnan region, extremely far from the Ghost City. It is said that it takes at least half a month to travel there by boat. Fortunately, the Queen prepared ample supplies for them and also provided them with several carrier pigeons. These carrier pigeons were raised by Youyou. If anyone had anything they wanted her to do, they could put a letter in the mailbox and release the pigeons.
This morning, Xiao Dao sat by the table with a pen and paper, staring intently at a white dove.
These past few days, Xiaodao seemed to be in a bad mood, only able to exchange a few words with Xiaoyue, and even his older brother was being blamed. Hao Jinfeng asked her nervously what was wrong, and she just wrinkled her nose and replied, "Mother was absolutely right, not a single man is any good!"
Hao Jinfeng shrank his neck, and as a "stinky man," he consciously avoided provoking Xiao Dao.
Speaking of which, besides Xiao Dao, Lou Xiaoyue has also been acting strangely these past few days.
Chonghua treated Xiaoyue better and better each day. Xiaoyue, being human, naturally sensed this and began to distance herself from Chonghua. She spent her days cooped up in her room, sighing and lamenting with Xiaodao.
Finally, Xiao Dao picked up his pen, laid out the letter paper, and quickly wrote something. Then he rolled the paper into a tube, stuffed it into the letter tube on the pigeon's leg, and, carrying the plump white pigeon, went to the bow of the boat. Xiao Dao carefully determined the direction, then tossed it into the air…
The white dove spread its wings, flew higher and higher, and soon disappeared from sight. Xiao Dao raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight, looking at the distant sky.