“Someone from Jianghu?”
“There are some all-knowing people in Jianghu, and he is one of them. Don’t worry, your father will be able to find him.”
Xia Dabao hugged Nan Feng, “Mom, it’s our family’s first time venturing into Jianghu, and I never expected it would be for Axian.”
Nan Feng placed her hand on Xia Dabao’s head and rubbed it, “Jianghu has always been a dangerous place, soaked in blood. If it weren’t for Axian, who wouldn’t want to live a peaceful life? It’s just unfortunate for you—you’ve reached the age to be married, yet you have to undergo such hardship.”
“Mom, let’s not worry about my issues for now. Rescuing Axian is more important, I don’t want to think about the rest right now,” Xia Dabao said.
The carriage continued speeding along, while Nan Feng let Xia Dabao rest her head on her shoulder and fall asleep, just like when she used to roam with her during her childhood.
The only difference was, this time, Xia Ye was with them.
…
The carriage traveled for about a day, and that evening, they stopped at a manor in the suburbs. Xia Ye then called them to get off.
Nan Feng picked up Axian, and Xia Dabao grabbed some soft belongings.
Xia Dabao first glanced at the manor’s gate, which had some stones with inscriptions. She read them out loud, “Bagua Gate?”
Xia Dabao was taught how to read by Xia Ye, and she recognized more characters than Nan Feng did. Moreover, since these characters were pictorial, Nan Feng initially could not piece them together until Xia Dabao read them out loud.
Xia Ye spoke with the gatekeeper who then asked them to wait a moment while he went in to announce their arrival.
After a while, the gatekeeper came back out, “Hero Xia Ye, our Master invites you to wait in the front hall. Please, follow me.”
Xia Ye tried to take Axian from Nan Feng, but she was reluctant, “You’ve been driving all day; let me hold Axian.”
“It’s no trouble; I’m not tired,” Xia Ye quickly took Axian from Nan Feng’s arms, and Axian, without waking up, fell asleep again on Xia Ye’s shoulder.
Nan Feng turned to take the bundle from Xia Dabao, but Xia Dabao would not hand it over, “Mom, you should rest for a bit. This isn’t heavy, and besides, I got some sleep on the way.”
Thus, Nan Feng went in empty-handed.
Once inside the front hall, a servant quickly served them tea. Shortly after, a man with thick eyebrows and a lively appearance came out. He bowed to Xia Ye, “Nangong…”
Xia Ye gestured with his hand, “Just call me Xia Ye. It’s been over a decade, yet Master Jiang still looks so young.”
Xia Dabao felt puzzled but didn’t catch clearly whether that man had said “Blue Palace” or “Nangong Work?”
“Thank you for the pliment, Hero Xia Ye. You too, haven’t changed a bit in all these years. When the servant came to report, I thought I had misheard. But then, if it truly was you, I couldn’t miss the chance to meet you, so I hurriedly bathed and changed before daring to e out,” Master Jiang said.
After finishing, he ordered the servants to quickly prepare wine and dishes, as well as rooms, saying he wanted to have a drink with Xia Ye until neither could stand.
“Master Jiang is being too polite,” Xia Ye said, “I mainly have a matter to discuss.”
Master Jiang smiled broadly, “Of course, I know you’ve e because you have a matter. If not, why would you e here? I’ve known you for over a decade; shouldn’t I understand your nature? But here, we have our rules—you won’t get a word about the matter unless you drink three cups and spend a night here.”
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