A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 57

Xiao Chen said calmly, "Don't they have legs?"

Mo Yan kicked the blue bricks on the ground with her toe with difficulty, and hesitated, "No, Second Brother. I promised Lord Zhan that I would protect them and ensure their safe arrival in Kaifeng Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen's expression turned even colder, and his tone became annoyed: "What, you got a worthless plaque, but you've become family with Zhan Zhao and don't take me seriously anymore?"

"No, no..." Mo Yan hurriedly said, "It's all because of Fifth Brother." Then she leaned close to his ear and whispered the reason to him. Xiao Chen's expression softened, but he still said, "Then let's go together. But since I'm here, there's no need to go to the government."

As expected of fellow disciples, they're all so arrogant. Ning Jin shook his head inwardly, then said, "I think it would be more appropriate to ask the government for help."

Even though Mo Yan had just told him about Prince Ningjin's identity, Xiao Chen's tone remained unchanged, cold and indifferent: "Since you think I am incompetent, please do as you see fit."

Ning Jin almost stumbled over these words. Just as he was about to get angry, he looked up and saw Mo Yan shaking her head vigorously at him, with a rare smile in her eyes, indicating that he should not take Xiao Chen seriously. He had no choice but to suppress his anger for the time being.

“My second brother is very skilled in martial arts, no less so than your nanny Wu,” Mo Yan said, trying to smooth things over. “With him around, we…”

Xiao Chen coldly interrupted her: "Whether my kung fu is good or not is none of their business. Why are you being so nosy? Do you think I need to beg them?"

"It's all because of Fifth Brother, Second Brother, please just let it go this once, okay?"

Xiao Chen hadn't seen her for a long time and was quite worried about her. Now, hearing her pleading, his heart softened, and he said nothing more. Although Ning Jin was displeased, she at least didn't show it in front of Xiao Chen. The group ordered food and ate quickly, then had tea. While they were eating, Mo Yan excused herself to add hay to the horses, gave Ning Jin a wink, and then slipped out the door.

When they arrived at the stable, Ning Jin strolled over slowly and glared at her with annoyance: "Your senior brother has quite the temper, even more arrogant than me."

Mo Yan chuckled, "The prefect of Yangzhou isn't here right now. If it takes three or four days to get back, wouldn't that be a waste of time? It's perfect that we've run into my second brother. I just want to remind you, don't get into any arguments with him on the way. He's not as easygoing as I am."

"You're quite good-natured," Ning Jin thought to himself, shaking his head.

“My second brother’s kung fu is really good,” Mo Yan thought to herself, then hesitated. “I estimate he’s about the same as Zhan Zhao. With him going to the capital, we won’t need to find any more officials.”

"Is your senior brother that skilled?"

"Of course, don't let his blindness fool you, he's not..."

Ning Jin was shocked to hear this: "Blind!" He had eaten a meal with Xiao Chen face to face, how could he not have noticed that Xiao Chen was actually blind?

Chapter Forty-Five

At this moment, only Xiao Chen and Bai Yingyu remained at the table.

Having heard what Xiao Chen had said before, Bai Yingyu felt a little awkward being alone with him. She sipped her tea slowly, occasionally stealing a glance at Xiao Chen. She saw him sitting quietly, not only with the tea in front of him untouched, but also with his eyes unmoving, like an ice sculpture.

She didn't know where Mo Yan and Ning Jin had gone, and they hadn't returned for a long time. The thought of traveling with this person made her uneasy.

Xiao Chen suddenly frowned and said, "Go and call Xiao Qi back."

"Huh?" She was taken aback. "Me?"

Seemingly disgusted by her blank stare, Xiao Chen didn't even bother to say anything more, only nodding almost imperceptibly.

She asked in confusion, "Oh, then...where is she?"

Xiao Chen frowned, clearly impatient: "Didn't you hear her say she was going to add more fodder?"

His tone was extremely harsh. Bai Yingyu, being a young lady from a wealthy family, could not tolerate such idle insults. Slightly annoyed, she said, "Since you know, why don't you go find it yourself?"

A brief silence...

“Because I’m blind,” Xiao Chen said calmly, slowly turning his face toward her.

Bai Yingyu froze, staring incredulously into his eyes. His pupils were as black as ink, no different from ordinary people, except that they lacked some of the liveliness and brilliance of his eyes.

Not knowing what to say for a moment, she opened her mouth with difficulty, wanting to apologize to him, when she suddenly saw that Mo Yan and Ning Jin had returned and sat down.

Unaware of what had happened between the two of them, Mo Yan smiled and said to Xiao Chen, "Second brother, I'll drive the carriage. Why don't you rest in the carriage for a while?"

Do you know how to catch the train?

"Of course I will. Do you remember? When I was at home, I drove a horse-drawn carriage for Uncle Liu in town for a few days to deliver wine."

Seemingly recalling that time, Xiao Chen finally showed a slight smile: "Of course I remember."

Seeing his icy expression melt away, Bai Yingyu was somewhat stunned. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to apologize and simply lowered her head to listen to their conversation.

"Second brother, go out the fifth to the left." Mo Yan took her own bundle, then took his luggage, told Xiao Chen where the carriage was, and then went out to put the things on the carriage first.

Xiao Chen stood up, and Bai Yingyu quickly stood up as well, thinking that he would need someone to help him walk. She stood there hesitating whether to go forward. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Chen had already passed by her side, walked out of the inn alone, turned left five steps, and stopped next to the carriage.

"This guy doesn't look blind at all."

Suddenly, she heard Ning Jin shake his head and sigh beside her. She hurriedly looked away, afraid that he would notice her strange behavior, and quickly grabbed her bundle and went out.

Ning Jin followed slowly.

When Bai Yingyu lifted the carriage curtain and realized the carriage was heading out of the city, she belatedly exclaimed, "Weren't we waiting for the Yangzhou prefect to return? What happened...?"

Xiao Chen ignored her completely, pretending not to hear. Ning Jin glanced at him sideways and said with a forced smile, "With this great hero Xiao around, whose kung fu is superb, the road ahead should be worry-free."

Xiao Chen was always perceptive. Although he was blind, he could still hear the sourness in Ning Jin's words. He said coldly, "The world is unpredictable. I dare not make any promises. You two may wish to weigh the pros and cons. It is not too late to get off the carriage now."

"You're telling me to get off the carriage?!"

Ning Jin raised his voice. He had bought the carriage himself, and if anyone wanted to get off, it shouldn't be him.

Mo Yan's voice came at the right time: "Liu Jin, come out and drive. I think my arm needs more rest." As she spoke, she had already pulled on the reins, reached into the carriage, and dragged Ning Jin out, not giving him a chance to speak.

By the time Ning Jin came to his senses, the reins were already in his hand. Mo Yan whispered angrily in his ear, "Didn't I tell you not to mess with my senior brother?"

"Who provoked whom?!" Ning Jin was furious. "Didn't you hear him..."