This is indeed a childish and unreliable thod, but Huangfu Jingchen now has no other choice. He said, "Prepare a horse, I’m heading to the county town imdiately!"
Unfortunately, my mother is not here. She knows so much; maybe she even knows the Holy Doctor?
Jiang Ning hurriedly said, "Yes!"
He rushed over quickly, intending to persuade the young master to leave the dangerous place of Wangshan Town. Now, without having to say a word, the young master is leaving on his own, which for him is a delightful surprise.
He dashed out, and soon had the horse ready.
Huangfu Jingchen did not linger for a mont, imdiately mounting the horse and riding away.
Jiang Ning chased after him, wanting to ask a question, but before he could open his mouth, he only saw a lone rider disappearing into the distance.
He shook his head and sighed. A doctor, where could he be found? Is the young master too concerned with the matters of Wangshan Town? But whether it’s hard to seek or easy to seek, as long as the young master leaves here, that’s good.
Huangfu Jingchen was anxious, as six days felt like a heavy mountain pressing on his heart. He didn’t want to waste a second.
The horse Jiang Ning prepared was a fine steed, its pace swift, yet he found it slow, urging it onward. What usually took a day, this ti took only half a day.
He reached the county town just at the ti of You hour.
Huangfu Jingchen imdiately looked to buy flowers, and upon hearing that soone specialized in growing them at ho, he made his way there.
It was a small farmhouse courtyard. Upon entering, he saw the yard full of blooming flowers, their fragrance rich.
A woman of about thirty-seven or eight, wearing a green dress with a red flower in her hair, was watering the flowers. Upon seeing soone enter the yard, she raised her eyebrows, "Who are you looking for?"
Huangfu Jingchen said, "I want to buy flowers!"
The woman laughed, "What would a young man like you want with flowers? Are they for a beloved girl?"
Huangfu Jingchen had no interest in joking. He didn’t respond to her words and said, "Sell ninety-nine!"
He feared that after sending out thirty-three, the Shadow Pavilion disciples might not see them. Naturally, he wanted to buy more and send them out longer, increasing the chance that a Shadow Pavilion disciple would co.
"Ninety-nine?" The woman smiled, her voice drawn out with a touch of teasing, "And which kind does the young master want?"
"The brightest blooming ones in this courtyard!"
The woman extended her hand, "Young master has a good eye. Money for flowers, as they say. That will be ninety-nine taels of silver!"
This courtyard was at the outskirts of a small county town. Ninety-nine taels of silver could probably buy her entire farmhouse. Huangfu Jingchen narrowed his eyes and looked at her.
The woman also seed to know the price was outrageous. She pursed her lips with a smile and said, "Don’t say I’m greedy, young master. At my flower market, I rarely encounter generous custors. But a few days ago, soone told to charge one tael per flower if anyone ca to buy thirty-three, sixty-six, eighty-eight, or ninety-nine of them!"
These four numbers?
Hope flared in Huangfu Jingchen’s heart, and he quickly asked, "Could you tell who said that to you?"
"How would I know who it was?" the woman laughed, "He ca to buy flowers that day, took a dozen without paying a single copper, and when I asked for money, he said he’d pointed to a source of wealth. I didn’t believe him at first; who buys that many flowers? But here you are, and it seems he didn’t deceive !"
Huangfu Jingchen: "..."
Not getting the information he wanted and having no ti to bargain, he took out a silver note of a hundred taels and said, "Please help pick the flowers!"
The woman took it, her eyes smiling with the delight of spring, inspected the note in the light, secured it in her sleeve, turned into the house, and soon ca out with a pair of flower scissors.
She walked to the vibrantly blooming flowers, snipping away, and before long, handed a bundle of flowers to Huangfu Jingchen, saying, "Young master, ninety-nine blossoms, not one more, not one less!"
Huangfu Jingchen took them and strode out the door, mounting his horse, and quickly headed to the busiest street in the county town.
The woman held a piece of broken silver between her fingers and called out, "Hey, I haven’t given you your change yet!"
But Huangfu Jingchen was already far away.
The woman muttered, "Seems he’s an impatient one too!"
Huangfu Jingchen inquired from others and learned that the busiest street in the county town was called Yuyang Street. Since it was still early, he imdiately rushed toward Yuyang Street.
Once there, he gave a flower to each passerby.
He was a handso young man, and though giving away flowers seed strange, most people accepted them. So wary individuals thought they encountered a scam and turned to leave.
The recipients were both n and won, young and old.
Receiving flowers, so n were bemused, while so young won were initially delighted. After all, Huangfu Jingchen was a dashing young man, and they imagined pink heart-shaped bubbles around them, thinking they caught the eye of a handso gentleman. But they turned around and saw that many others also received flowers. This young man gave one to everyone, and they couldn’t help feeling disappointed!
But then they thought again, after all, the flowers ca from such a handso young man. She even spoke a few words with him previously, and that was enough to make them giddy.
Ninety-nine flowers were quickly given away from one end of the street to the other.
Seeing his empty hands, without a single flower left, Huangfu Jingchen stood in the street, his steps faltering, montarily unsure of where to go. His mind was filled with one thought: would a Shadow Pavilion disciple co to find him?
Among the people coming from the opposite direction, who could be a Shadow Pavilion disciple? Could it be that old man? Or that young person? Or perhaps that child?
However, those people ca from afar and passed by him without stopping.
Huangfu Jingchen wandered a few steps like a lost soul, feeling empty inside, his mind constantly replaying the image of Xia Wenjin: bright black eyes, gaunt face, clean and clear eyes, and the blood-stained handkerchief...
Wenjin, you will be fine.
I will find the Holy Doctor!
He will surely save you!
Suddenly, soone patted his shoulder, which was...
Huangfu Jingchen’s heart surged with joy, and he turned around sharply.
A vendor with an earnest face said, "Young master, could you step aside a bit? You’re blocking my stall!"
It turned out Huangfu Jingchen had unconsciously walked a few steps and was standing right in front of a stall.
Huangfu Jingchen said, "Sorry!" and moved a few steps to a place with no one. He looked around, the street full of people, each one seed like a Shadow Pavilion disciple, yet none were.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Huangfu Jingchen.
When his father and mother were together, they often joked with each other.
His mother loved to spin strange stories, but she spoke as if they were true. His father knew they were false yet listened intently, asking questions with a look of sincere belief.
The things Jiang Ning heard, were they real, or was his mother just teasing his father?
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