"Young Miss." I sat down in front of Gong Feicui, and saw that she looked bored and somewhat annoyed. When did she come back yesterday? Did she quarrel with Xiao Zuo again?
I turned my head and ordered, "Someone, go upstairs and invite the two young masters to get up."
Gong Feicui muttered under her breath, "What's with the invitation? Who knows if he's even in the room?" I was taken aback. What did the young lady mean by that?
Just then, a waiter came running in, panting as he put on his hat. The innkeeper was standing behind the counter doing the accounts. When he saw him, he put down his abacus and yelled, "Lazybones, you're only coming now? I'll dock your pay!"
"No, no, boss, I didn't mean to be late, it's just that something terrible happened at home..."
"You always say that when you're late!"
"This time it's for real, something really serious has happened! The Drunken Red Pavilion next door to my house exploded in the middle of the night last night!"
"ah!"
"What?"
Not only the innkeeper, but even Gong Feicui was taken aback and immediately turned to look at him.
The waiter said, "It's true! Several neighboring households were affected. They spent the whole night putting out the fire and still don't know who to complain to. And the most unbelievable thing is that we even pulled someone out of the river behind Zuiyan Tower. Boss, guess who it is?"
"who?"
"The neighbor's brother, Xiao Niu, jumped into the river and pulled the person out. The person was only wearing an undergarment, which became almost transparent when wet. The men standing on the riverbank were stunned. Her figure was truly amazing! Brother Xiao Niu was startled, not expecting it to be a woman. After he lifted her head and shone a lantern on her, hey, boss, you would never guess who she is!"
The innkeeper, as expected, was filled with curiosity and forgot to pursue the matter of the waiter's lateness, repeatedly urging him for an answer.
"Let me tell you, that person just arrived in our city yesterday—"
Before the waiter could finish speaking, Gong Feicui blurted out, "Miss Hua Ye, the foremost of the three most famous courtesans in the land?"
"Oh, young lady, how did you know? Were you here yesterday too?"
Gong Feicui's expression changed from surprise to relief, and finally she burst out laughing.
The waiter was taken aback by her reaction. He scratched the back of his head and said, "It's quite funny. Heh, look at how arrogant she was when she first arrived in Hecheng. She even charged twenty taels of silver just to meet her. Tch, what's so great about her... I wonder which big shot she offended, that she was actually thrown into the river!"
I frowned and asked, "Can't she swim?"
"Swimming? Don't be ridiculous. She doesn't even have the strength to walk. It's a miracle she didn't drown!" Several waiters chuckled slyly, winking and pushing each other. I couldn't help but feel displeased—how dare you laugh at Hua Ye?
I gently stroked the edge of the table and had just put down my chopsticks when a clear voice rang out: "Good morning, everyone."
Looking up, Xiao Zuo stretched and yawned as he slowly walked downstairs.
Volume 1, Chapter 7: A Startling Dream in Crane City (3)
The third section is about you.
If Xiao Zuo hadn't come out, fine, but now that he has, I can't help but laugh so hard I can hardly breathe.
I don't care why he threw Hua Ye into the river; I only know that he must have his reasons for everything he does.
Moreover, this move was truly brilliant and ingenious—you know, not every man has the ability to turn a beautiful woman into a drowned rat.
Just as I was laughing my heart out, Feng Qiansu suddenly asked, seemingly casually, "Young Master Xiao, you don't look well. Did you not get enough rest last night?"
"Ah—" Xiao Zuo yawned again and answered indistinctly, "Um, I dreamt last night that a beautiful female ghost came to kill me, but I couldn't bear to kill her, so I threw her into the river."
A female ghost? I was startled when I heard this: Could it be that Hua Ye was one of the ghosts in the mountains?
Wait, so the explosion at Zuiyan Tower was the work of the Thunderbolt Hall?
From this perspective, the enemy has been chasing us all the way from the Yellow River all the way to Hecheng!
The more surprised I was, the more I tried to keep a straight face—alas, after spending so much time with Xiao Zuo, I've unknowingly picked up all his "bad habits."
So, I winked at Xiao Zuo playfully and asked, "That's all? You just threw that female ghost into the river?"
He winked at me and said, "Oh, right, I also crippled her thousand years of cultivation with one palm strike, so she wouldn't harm anyone else in the future. That's doing justice for Heaven!"
No wonder the waiter said that when Hua Ye was pulled out of the river, she had no strength left in her body. It turns out that he had crippled her martial arts... no! Her thousand years of cultivation!
I pursed my lips, but before I could laugh out loud, Feng Qiansu chimed in, "Young Master Xiao is truly kind-hearted. This dream must be quite exciting... However, I've heard that beautiful female ghosts all have powerful backers. Young Master Xiao, be careful, you might dream of the Ghost King coming to take revenge on you tonight."
Xiao Zuo replied with a grin, "Thank you for reminding me, Miss Feng. However, what you've said has piqued my curiosity—that female ghost is already quite powerful; I really wonder what kind of person her master is!"
Feng Qiansu smiled and said, "No matter how powerful the female ghost is, she was still crippled by Young Master Xiao with a single palm strike."
"I was forced by that female ghost. I didn't want to hurt her, but she not only drugged me, but also ordered other little ghosts to detonate explosives, intending to kill me. How could I show her mercy?" Xiao Zuo glanced at Feng Qiansu and smiled. "However, it's always better to leave some room for maneuver. To say I showed no mercy is an understatement; I did save her life, otherwise she might have been blown up too... This dream is quite interesting, don't you think, Miss Feng?"
Feng Qiansu's expression remained unchanged as she said calmly, "Not bad, truly interesting. Speaking of which, I also had a nightmare last night..."
At this point, she suddenly frowned, turned to the two cavalrymen and said, "It's getting late. Go and invite Mr. Baili out for breakfast. After breakfast, we'll be on our way."
The cavalryman accepted the order and went upstairs.
The waiter had already served Xiao Zuo some congee and side dishes. Seeing that he was eating with relish, I suddenly had a great appetite too. I ordered the waiter to bring me another bowl of congee and then, laughing and joking, I grabbed the side dishes from Xiao Zuo.