Before the laughter had even subsided, he looked up at me, raised an eyebrow, and said, "So, how about it? Interested in coming with me to visit the Dragon Palace?"
Dragon Palace? What Dragon Palace?
I was speechless.
Volume 1, Chapter 5: The Turmoil in Hancheng (2)
Section 2 Chasing the Wind for Hundreds of Miles
The Five Dragons of the Yellow River.
I stroked the rim of the cup in my hand, and began to think about the identities and origins of these five people. I had no recollection of them, but the innkeeper was so afraid of them, which showed that he had considerable influence in Hancheng. What was going on?
Gong Feicui turned to me and said, "I'm going to the Dragon Palace with Xiao Zuo. Sister Qiansu, are you coming?"
Seeing that the other person clearly did not invite outsiders to go, I said, "I won't go, Young Master Xiao. Please take good care of Miss."
The youngest of the Five Dragons of the Yellow River stared at me and laughed, "This must be Steward Ziyu Xiangmanfeng, right? Steward Feng, please rest assured, Miss Gong's safety is in my hands. If even a single hair of hers is missing, I'll come to you with my head."
I nodded slightly: "Thank you very much."
Gong Feicui immediately got up and followed Xiao Zuo onto his horse, looking very excited. I've known her for over ten years, and this is the first time I've seen her trust someone so much. Just because of one word from Xiao Zuo, she went along with him.
The rain outside had stopped sometime earlier, and the sky was clear, faintly displaying a light blue hue, which reflected on the two people riding horses, making the man appear even more dashing and the woman even more graceful.
Behind her, the two maids, Jin Zhao and Yu Cui, whispered, "Miss and Young Master Xiao are a perfect match." It seemed they had also noticed Gong Fei Cui's special feelings for Xiao Zuo.
I waved to the innkeeper, who was still in shock. He came over, wiping his sweat, and bowed, saying, "What else would you like, sir?"
"May I ask you, what is the background of these five people?"
The innkeeper was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Weren't they here to invite your friends? How come... you don't recognize them?"
I just smiled. The innkeeper was a shrewd man, and he immediately understood the subtle relationship between us. However, he looked at me with a troubled expression, as if he wanted to say something but dared not.
I handed him a silver ingot, and his eyes lit up. He leaned closer and whispered, "To be honest, young lady, I don't really know much about these five people. Since our shop opened, our monthly allowance has always been paid to the 'Dragon King's' men. But starting last month, the people collecting the money suddenly changed to these five. And judging from the respect the Dragon Gate members show them, especially the leader, who seems to be acting like a young master, we secretly suspect that they must have already become the Dragon King's disciples..."
Before he could finish speaking, I jumped up and looked down the street. The group of people had already disappeared.
How could I forget? In this Yellow River region, the most powerful and prestigious person is only one: the Dragon King. He controls all the waterways and river transport businesses of the Yellow River, and the number of his disciples is second only to the Beggars' Sect. If the Five Dragons of the Yellow River didn't have him backing them up, how could they have such grandeur and prestige?
No wonder Xiao Zuo said he was going to some Dragon Palace. He must have known that the Five Dragons of the Yellow River were sent by the Dragon King to invite him.
However—the news of the Five Dragons siding with the Dragon King had never spread throughout the martial world; even I was unaware of it. Yet, when the youngest introduced himself as the "Five Dragons of the Yellow River," Xiao Zuo seemed completely unsurprised. How did he learn of this? With Gong Feicui gone, she won't be back for several hours. We were in such a hurry to cross the river to avoid the Thunderbolt Hall and the mountain den of ghosts, yet we've been delayed here by these five…
The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. Countless guesses flashed through my mind, only to be rejected one by one. Unable to come to a conclusion, I decided to wait and see. Given the Five Dragons' current reputation, they had guaranteed the young lady's safety, so nothing bad was bound to happen. In that case, the best thing to do now was to conserve my energy and wait for our departure.
Thinking of this, I turned to the leader of the cavalry and said, "Arrange for the brothers to go to their rooms to rest. Send those who need medical treatment to the hospital, and those who are in good spirits to gather provisions. Once the young lady returns, we will continue our journey. You are in charge here for now. Jin Zhaoyu, you two come with me."
Baili Chenfeng was drinking tea when he heard this, so he looked up with a questioning look on his face. I smiled at him, offered no explanation, and then led the two maids out of the inn.
Some things are inconvenient to say in public, such as—
Buy clothes.
The silk shop owner brought out seven or eight kinds of high-quality fabrics in a row. Seeing that I was still shaking my head, he became a little anxious: "Young lady, what kind do you want? These are the best items in our shop."
“The most expensive doesn’t necessarily mean the best.” I turned to the samples on the shelf next to me and saw a piece of silk in the corner with a light blue color, like the sky after the rain. I immediately said, “Take that down and let me take a look.”
The shopkeeper sighed, "Young lady, you certainly know your stuff. This is the most precious Xiangyun yarn. Our shop has only managed to get one bolt, but it's already been reserved."
I gently stroked the silk surface; it flowed smoothly through my fingers like water. "I'll give you double the price; this Xiangyun yarn is mine."
The shop owner looked embarrassed: "Well... our shop has always been honest and trustworthy..."
"Five times." I uttered those two words, silencing all his hesitation. Honesty? Honesty is merely a form of speculation when the price difference is small. Coming from a merchant family, no one understands this better than me. Sure enough, the shopkeeper nodded hastily.
"Wait a minute. Find some of the best tailors right now to make me these clothes. Be quick; I'll send someone to pick them up in about three hours. Also, I need five sets each of the best underwear, shoes, and socks. Here are the measurements." Seeing his surprised expression again, I handed him a silver note. After seeing the number on it, he finally stopped talking.
As they left the silk shop, Jin Zhao excitedly said from behind, "That satin is so beautiful. The head steward would look so good in it."
"Who said it was me wearing it?"
"You're not wearing it?"
I lowered my eyes: "That was bought for the young lady, and the size they gave me was hers."
Jin Zhaoyu exclaimed in surprise, "We were wondering why the head steward, who has never been particular about food and clothing, would suddenly start buying clothes. It turns out he's buying them for Miss. We never expected the head steward to be so thoughtful about such a small matter."
A small matter? I smiled faintly; in my opinion, this was a big deal.
The Yellow River sank, and apart from the precious artifacts like the Ega bottle, everything else sank to the bottom of the sea, including the chest of clothes that Gong Feicui cherished dearly. This young lady, pampered since childhood, suffered quite a bit on this journey to deliver the treasures. Just because she doesn't show it doesn't mean I can pretend I don't know.
Just then, a commotion arose from the other side of the street. Looking over, one could see a large group of people surrounding a white horse, shouting and yelling, trying to lasso it, whip it, and even climbing onto its back. But the horse was truly fierce, struggling incessantly and refusing to yield. Several people were even hoovesed by it and lay on the ground groaning in pain.
With a slight thought, I walked towards them, but a burly man stopped me and said, "Young lady, please don't go any further. We are training the horses, and we might kick you."
"Taming?" I glanced at the man; his appearance and attire clearly indicated he was a horse trader. "Stealing, isn't it?"