Une aura glaçante

Chapitre 18

Xiao Dao smiled knowingly, "You don't want me to stay, do you?"

Yu Lanzhi pursed her lips and said to the accountant beside her, "Give Miss Yan a 10,000 tael silver note, and be quick."

The accountant nodded quickly.

Yu Lanzhi followed him inside, a vague worry creeping into her heart. Was the smile on Wang Bibo's face just now one she had never seen before—a smile of gratitude, admiration, and attraction?

It was too dangerous for Yan Xiaodao to stay, Yu Lanzhi knew. Yan Xiaodao had to leave! Call her ungrateful or ungrateful if you will, she didn't want Wang Bibo to see Yan Xiaodao again. Anyway, such a good girl would always find someone who liked her. She just wanted to protect her cousin and prevent him from being taken away.

Xiao Dao gave the Eight Treasures Dagger to Xiao Yue, then opened his bundle and took out a pair of beautiful Seven Treasures White Jade Bracelets, handing them to Hao Jinfeng. "Brother, these are for my future sister-in-law." He then took out a pair of jadeite-encased Ruyi Locks with silver threads. "These are for my future nephew and niece."

Hao Jinfeng was so excited, he really hadn't mistaken his sister!

Xiao Dao packed up his bundle, implying that the remaining treasures were his alone, and no one else would get a share. Xue Beifan scratched his head, and Chonghua rolled her eyes at him again—"See?! Collective punishment!"

Xue Beifan was also quite frustrated. He waved to Xiao Dao, as if asking, "Where is the Dragon Bone Five Diagrams?"

Xiao Dao raised his hand and flicked it...

An ebony box flew toward Xue Beifan.

Reaching out, Xue Beifan caught it and opened the box. Inside was a piece of white, hard bone shaped like a tortoise shell, with a map engraved on it and the words "Dragon Bone Five Maps" on the back. It was genuine.

After putting away his things, Xue Beifan smiled at Xiao Dao, intending to thank him.

Xiao Dao, however, looked up at the sky, pretending not to see, determined to make him owe this favor. Xue Beifan stepped forward to flatter him, "You've worked hard, are you hungry? I'll treat you to something good tonight?"

Xiao Dao grinned, "My mom said, don't eat anything good that strangers give you."

Xue Beifan rubbed his temples, watching Xiaodao skip and jump as he pulled Xiaoyue and Hao Jinfeng outside to discuss where to book a table for dinner.

Chonghua leaned closer and asked after a long pause, "Do you think if I break off our friendship, Xiaodao will still become my friend?"

Xue Beifan rolled his eyes at him, pointed at Xiao Dao's back and said, "Save your breath. This woman looks down on all men. The only man in the world she doesn't hate is probably her older brother."

Just then, Wang Bibo rushed out, "Where's Xiaodao?"

Xue Beifan turned around, "What? There's a trap that hasn't been broken?"

"Uh, no." Wang Bibo smiled awkwardly. "I wanted to invite you to dinner tonight. Xiaodao has been kind to my Bibo Manor, and I want to thank her properly."

Xue Beifan shrugged. "No need. That girl said you just need to keep your promise. We'll leave tonight."

"So soon?!" Wang Bibo frowned, clearly somewhat unwilling.

Xue Beifan patted him on the shoulder, "You have important matters to attend to."

After leaving the courtyard with Chonghua, Xue Beifan quickly packed his things, including the bundle containing Xiaodao, and left Bibo Manor.

Chonghua followed behind him, teasing him, "What's the rush? Afraid someone will snatch it from you?"

Xue Beifan didn't even turn his head, feigning nonchalance, "How can I not be in a hurry? There are still several places to go!"

"Be careful," Chonghua shook his head and poked him in the back. "Only those who truly care know what you're really anxious about."

...

As night fell, Xue Beifan and Chonghua found Xiaodao and her friends eating crabs in a private room of the largest restaurant in Pingjiang Prefecture and shamelessly came in to freeload.

Despite his cleverness, Xiao Dao was clumsy at peeling crabs. Three of his ten fingers were wrapped in gauze, yet he still struggled to peel the crab shells.

Hao Jinfeng found eating crabs troublesome, so he simply didn't eat them.

Xiaoyue and Xiaodao are similar; neither of them can peel it.

Xue Beifan was overjoyed when he saw this and sat down next to Xiao Dao, saying, "I'll do it, I'll do it."

Xiao Dao, chopsticks in his mouth, said, "These crabs are really hard to eat."

“Good things always have hard shells and thorns.” Xue Beifan reached out and took the crab that she had almost poked to pieces without getting any meat out. In a few quick movements, he peeled all the crab meat out and put it back into the shell. He mixed it with rice vinegar and scallions and put it in front of Xiaodao. “Eat.”

Xiao Dao used a small silver spoon to scoop up the crab meat and roe, which were sweet and delicious after being dipped in vinegar. Xiao Dao's lips curled up in satisfaction, just like a kitten that had just caught a fish.

Xue Beifan quickly peeled the second one, while Chonghua, who was standing nearby, also wanted to peel one for Xiaoyue, but his skills were no match for Xue Beifan's, and he ended up getting soup all over himself.

Xiao Dao was enjoying his meal when he noticed that Xue Beifan's hands weren't very oily, and the crab shells were still intact after the crab meat was removed. He exclaimed in surprise, "You lecherous scoundrel, you're quite good at peeling crabs!"

Xue Beifan teased her, "Yes, peeling crabs is one of the three great skills of a lecherous thief."

This was the first time Xiao Dao had heard that being a lecherous thief required special skills. "What are the other two?" he asked.

"Peeling crabs, massaging legs to swat away mosquitoes?" Xue Beifan asked with a smile, leaning closer to Xiao Dao. "Want to try? I'm pretty good at it."

Xiao Dao, holding a cup of yellow wine, glared at him and spat softly.

Xue Beifan asked the waiter to bring up two more plates of crabs, peeled them, and let Xiaodao enjoy them to his heart's content. He asked, "Are you ever clumsy? There's no reason why someone who can open a mechanism shouldn't be able to peel a crab."

“My mother doesn’t know how to peel them either,” Xiao Dao replied while eating. “My mother said that a woman can’t be good at everything. If you can do big things, don’t be good at small things. If you can do small things, don’t be good at big things. A girl who can do everything will be unloved, and a girl who can’t do anything will be cheated.”

Xue Beifan could only shake his head with a smile.

"Speaking of which," Hao Jinfeng asked Xiaodao while gnawing on a chicken leg, "Xiaodao, what's your mother's background?"

Chonghua and Xue Beifan both stared at Xiaodao.

When Xiaodao was feeling awkward, Xiaoyue interjected and said earnestly to Hao Jinfeng, "Xiaodao's mother is amazing; everything she says makes so much sense."

"Hmm..." Hao Jinfeng seemed to have a different opinion, "Actually, a very capable girl will also be loved by someone, and a girl who can't do anything won't necessarily be deceived."

“Exactly.” Xue Beifan gave Hao Jinfeng a thumbs up. “It all depends on the person; everyone is different!”

“Yes.” Xiao Dao downed the small glass of wine in one gulp. “Everyone is different. If you want to like something, you don’t need a reason. If you don’t want to dislike something, you’ll always find a reason.”

Xue Beifan sighed helplessly, "You're going to never get married. In your eyes, there's no such thing as a truly good man in the world!"

Xiao Dao wrinkled his nose and pouted, not answering his question. After eating and drinking his fill, he went to lean against the cool couch next to the bay window and continued to drink his wine and enjoy the breeze.

Xue Beifan wiped his hands and poured himself a glass of wine. He then saw Chonghua and Xiaoyue working together to peel a crab. Xiaoyue was seriously struggling with the crab, while Chonghua, blushing, was only focused on embracing Xiaoyue, who was right in front of him.

Xue Beifan smiled and shook his head. Even someone as shrewd as Chonghua could be so clumsy. Truly, everyone has their match. He took his cup and went to the bay window, leaning against the cool couch next to Xiaodao.

At this moment, Xiao Dao was holding a very ordinary agate fan pendant, which he was waving around and looking at.

"Taken from the Nine Pearl Dragon Pool?" Xue Bei turned his head and looked over by the moonlight and starlight, only to see Xiao Dao's eyes sparkling.

"Um."

"Why take this when there are so many valuable items?"

Xiao Dao curled up the corners of his mouth, smugly saying, "This is the most valuable thing in the world."

Xue Beifan was puzzled. He reached out and took the fan pendant to examine it. The agate stone was polished into a teardrop shape, with a smooth, uncarved surface and faint blue cracks on a pure blue background. It was indeed quite ordinary. Two small seal characters were engraved in the upper left corner. Upon closer inspection, they were in small seal script. The handwriting was very delicate, and it looked quite old, clearly the work of a woman. The inscription read—"Six taels."

"Six taels?" Xue Beifan weighed the fan pendant in his hand. It weighed at most one tael. Where did the six taels come from? Or was someone named Six Taels?

So he looked at the knife with a puzzled expression.

Xiao Dao reached out and took it, carefully cradling it in his palm. "Do you know what six ounces means?"

Xue Beifan was completely baffled and could only shake his head in confusion.

Xiao Dao squinted his eyes. "A girl's heart weighs only six ounces. If one or two people lose it, they'll die. Besides, if you give away all six ounces, how can it not be precious?"

A night breeze blew by, and listening to Xiao Dao's soft, slightly tipsy voice, Xue Beifan asked her calmly, "That's a good thing, why don't you give it to me?"

Xiao Dao chuckled, put away the fan pendant, and turned over. "I won't give it to you."

Heavy rain poured down.

Originally, the group planned to travel to their second stop, Xianyun Mountain, overnight. However, a strong wind arose during the night, threatening a sudden downpour. Traveling by boat overnight was dangerous, so they had to stay another night in Pingjiang Prefecture.

Xiao Dao ate too many crabs and drank a couple more glasses of wine. That night, he felt bloated and his stomach was distended. He lay on the bed, wrapped his head in the blanket, and rolled around.

Xiaoyue also said that she felt uncomfortable in her stomach after eating too many crabs. So, in the middle of the night, the two girls wrapped themselves in blankets and squatted in the kitchen, making a fire to boil ginger tea and brown sugar water. As a result, the guests in the inn smelled a strong ginger aroma all night long.

The next morning, Xue Beifan got up and excitedly went to knock on Xiao Dao and the others' door.

After banging on the door twice, Xiaoyue opened it, peeked out, and said to him, "Shh!"

"Where's that little rascal?" Xue Beifan asked cheerfully. "We have nothing to do today, so I'm taking her shopping."

Xiaoyue peeked into the room and heard Xiaodao shout, "Don't let him in! Get him out!"

Xue Beifan found it amusing and craned his neck to peer inside. He almost burst out laughing when he saw what was happening. There sat Xiao Dao at the table, his face tilted back, two slices of cucumber covering his eyes, and a hot towel covering his face.

"This girl is getting more and more mystical," Xue Beifan remarked.

Chonghua and Hao Jinfeng also came out from the next room.

"The wind is strong today, and it'll probably rain soon. It's better to set off tomorrow." As he spoke, Chonghua looked at Xiaoyue and hesitated for a moment.

Xiaoyue noticed this expression.

Xiaoyue asked him, "Does Young Master Chong have something he wants me to do?"

Chonghua was a little dejected. "Xiaoyue, just call me Chonghua. I've said it so many times."

Xiaoyue pursed her lips. "Have you gotten used to it?"

Xue Beifan joked from the side, "That's right, it sounds like calling insects."

Xiaoyue was amused by him, and Xiaodao inside the room was also stomping his feet and laughing. He swayed and dropped a cucumber slice, which he quickly caught.

Xue Beifan seized an opportunity to slip inside. "What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?" he asked, reaching out to pick off her cucumber slices.

"Stop messing around!" Xiao Dao tried to kick him.

Xue Beifan quickly dodged, "Are your eyes swollen? Let me see?"

"Go away, go away," Xiao Dao shooed him away. "Mind your own business when it comes to girls." As she spoke, she pointed to the cold tea cup on the table. "Have those tea leaves cooled down yet? Bring them over here."

Xue Beifan reached out to take her a teacup.

Just as Xiaoyue was about to go in, Chonghua quickly asked, "Xiaoyue, do you have anything to do today?"

Xiaoyue asked Xiaodao.

Xiao Dao was munching on cucumber slices, crunching as he shook his head. "No, I'm free today."

Xiaoyue turned to look at Chonghua.

Chonghua seemed to have mustered up some more energy and asked Xiaoyue, "Shall we go out together?"

Xiaoyue asked, puzzled, "Going out on errands?"