Une aura glaçante

Chapitre 58

Xiao Dao squinted slightly, rested her chin on her hand, and said softly, "Every mother always says, 'Keep your eyes open and find a good man.'"

The sound of the wooden fish drum, "tap tap tap," rang out again.

The maid carried the tea tray and continued walking, the servant continued sweeping with a broom, Chonghua drank the tea in his cup, Xiaoyue turned the kitten over and scratched its belly, and Hao Jinfeng sheathed the polished knife.

Xue Beifan still crossed his legs, looking at Xiao Dao beside him, who was comfortably enjoying the breeze like a cat... He chuckled softly without saying a word.

37

The journey westward was fraught with difficulties.

Having found the second dragon bone map, Xiao Dao and his companions decided to set off to find the third. Following Xue Beihai's clues, this time it was the Western Regions Ghost City's turn.

Xiao Dao was quite familiar with the Central Plains, but this ghost city in the Western Regions was something he had never heard of before. However, the name sounded quite frightening, so he hesitated and refused to leave Jinling City, hoping to prolong the journey as long as possible.

Xue Beifan probably figured out what the girl was thinking, so during lunch that day, he asked her with a grin, "This 'ghost city' doesn't mean a haunted town, you know that, right?"

Xiao Dao quickly scratched his head, "Well, of course I know."

"Really?" Xue Beifan smiled and leaned closer. "What does that mean? Tell me."

Before Xiaodao could even struggle with the situation, Xiaoyue came to his rescue, "I've heard the young master mention that it's actually the gathering area of the Ghost Mother Clan, right? That is, the area around Luoxiecheng and Motuo? The city lord of Ghost City is the queen of the Ghost Mother Clan, who is said to be beautiful and incredibly wealthy."

"The Ghost Mother Clan..." Xiao Dao roughly understood. It was just a Western Regions tribe with the word "ghost" in their name. It was clear that he had been making a fuss over nothing.

“Why don’t we head west?” At this moment, Chonghua walked in, sat down next to Xue Beifan, and whispered, “Wei Xinjie has been looking for you these past few days. It seems he also wants to find the dragon bone.”

"Isn't this your family heirloom?" Xiao Dao asked Xue Beifan curiously. "Why does everyone want it? Speaking of which, what exactly are the Moon Sea Golden Boat and the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual? I'd like to see them too."

"I found the first one, I'll show it to you." Xue Beifan gently tugged at her sleeve. "Pack your things, we'll travel tonight."

Xiao Dao was still somewhat indignant as he packed his bags. Why did he listen to Xue Beifan? He just left because Xue told him to.

"A knife."

Xiaoyue took out two beautiful white gauze scarves, each with hidden silver thread embroidery; one was embroidered with flowers, and the other with birds.

"Which one do you want?" Xiaoyue asked her with a smile. "I bought it on the street. Chonghua said that there is a lot of sandstorm in the west."

Xiao Dao took a flower-shaped piece and put it on Xiao Yue's head. After looking at it from left to right, she nodded, "Hmm! It looks good!" Then she took the bird-shaped piece and put it on herself, saying, "I'm a chatterbox, so the bird-shaped one is perfect for me."

The two looked at themselves in the mirror and laughed at the masked man inside.

Xue Beifan walked past the door carrying a bundle, saw the scarf, and ran in. "This scarf is so pretty! Do you have any more? I want one too!"

Xiao Dao squinted and tossed him a pillowcase. Xue Beifan was about to play with the pillowcase for a while when Chong Hua hurriedly walked in from outside.

Seeing his expression, Xue Beifan seemed a little disappointed as well. He grabbed the pillowcase and threw it out.

Xiao Dao, with his legs crossed, craned his neck curiously to look around, and asked Xiao Yue, "What's wrong?"

"Perhaps the Beihai Sect has some news." Xiaoyue finished packing her own things and then helped Xiaodao fold clothes.

"What have those demons from the Beihai Sect been up to again?" Xiao Dao didn't have a good impression of the people from that place.

"It seems like he's vying for the position of gang leader, but he still needs to accomplish three things." Xiaoyue held up three fingers. "First, find Xue Beihai's body; second, find the four great martial arts treasures of the Beihai Sect; and third, gain the favor of Lady Wuyou."

Xiao Dao frowned. "Wuyou... Feng Wuyou?"

Xiaoyue nodded, "If you gather these three people, and they are also highly skilled in martial arts, you can hold a martial arts tournament and gain the recognition of the martial arts world, and then you can become the leader of the Beihai Sect, the supreme sect in the martial arts world."

Xiao Dao frowned. "Isn't the Beihai Sect Xue Beihai's? His younger brother Xue Beifan is right there. Logically, wouldn't that lecherous thief be the best candidate? Besides, he's good at martial arts. Why choose someone else?"

Xiaoyue hesitated for a moment, "Young Master said that Young Master Xue has no interest in matters of the martial world, so..."

Xiao Dao noticed that Xiao Yue seemed to be hiding something, and narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. "Is it that simple? Did your young master say anything else?"

Xiaoyue looked embarrassed and shook her head, saying, "People in the martial arts world often talk nonsense, and some of the rumors are quite unpleasant. Don't believe them."

Xiao Dao was somewhat taken aback by what she said. Could it be some rumors that were very detrimental to Xue Beifan? Xue Er's reputation was bad enough, so why wasn't Xue Beihai, as the older brother, on his side? That old fox!

Xiao Dao crossed his arms and spoke up for Xue Beifan, completely unaware that he was biased towards Xue Er and felt that Xue Er was being taken advantage of.

After nightfall, under the cover of darkness, the group boarded carriages and headed west, a journey that took over a month. Yan Xiaodao and Xue Beifan chattered incessantly the whole way, either arguing with each other or teaming up to argue with others, making for a rather lively and carefree trip.

On this day, the group arrived at Lotus City, a necessary passage from the Western Regions to the Ghost City.

"This place is dry and overgrown with weeds, how can it be called Lotus City?" Xiao Dao, with a white veil covering half his face, sat on the long handle in front of the car, swinging his legs and looking around.

This was her first time in the Western Regions, and she saw many different customs along the way, such as men with braids, earrings, and big beards, and women with red hair, blue eyes, and big skirts. It was quite an eye-opening experience for her.

"After Lotus City, we enter the Devil City territory." Xue Beifan rode up to her on horseback and asked with a smile, "Want to ride a horse for a while?"

Xiao Dao glanced at him. This guy always tricked her into going horseback riding, and then she would jump on as well. He was only happy when the horse was startled and thrashed around. Xiao Dao only rode it once and never wanted to ride it again. And Xue Beifan kept asking her about it.

The carriage traveled a little further and entered the market town, where the number of people, horses, and carriages was frighteningly large.

"It's so lively!" Xiao Dao got off the carriage and wandered around. Xue Beifan was afraid she would get lost, so he followed her.

Finally, Xiao Dao chose a rather grand-looking inn to have a meal, wanting to try the delicacies of the northern frontier.

Xiao Dao went up to the second floor, chose a seat by the window, and called the waiter over to order.

Xue Beifan also went upstairs, thinking to himself, "Look how capable Yan Xiaodao is. Other girls are all quiet and reserved, but when it comes to rescuing her, she's jumping around like a rabbit."

As soon as he sat down, Xue Beifan caught a glimpse of the diners at the next few tables, and his expression darkened. He sighed helplessly and looked at Xiao Dao, who was asking him whether he wanted roast lamb or roast pheasant. This girl, he wondered, was either a lucky star or a jinx. Of all the restaurants out there, she had to pick this one. He figured he was in for a good show.

Before Xiaoyue, who was following behind, could even sit down, Chonghua whispered in her ear, "This is going to be interesting."

Xiaoyue was confused, while Hao Jinfeng was so hungry that he couldn't notice anything else except food.