Chapter 136

More than ten days later, outside Yongzhou City. The official notice posting area was bustling with activity early in the morning, with many people gathered there whispering and discussing something.

"Hey, hey, I'm here!"

Two men dressed in black official robes carried several documents through the crowd and walked to the official notice board.

"Come, come, come all! Take a look! This is the most wanted bandit in the martial arts world! Everyone, take a good look! Anyone who finds him and provides clues will be rewarded with ten taels of silver!"

The official notice displayed portraits of several people, drawing a large crowd to the front to get a better look. The two officials stood to one side, silently observing the reactions of the people below, but neither of them noticed the two departing figures in the distance.

"Hey! I'm back! I'm back!"

Aunt Wang saw the two people returning from afar and quickly stood up to greet them.

"So, are we there?"

Xiao Hei untied his cloak and shook his head at her: "No, but those officials have been guarding that official posting, seemingly looking for someone. I don't know if they're looking for those notorious bandits or something else."

Fan Xiaoxiao, standing to the side, also removed the cloak that had been covering her; the high temperature had made her face flushed.

"To be on the safe side, it's best to disguise yourself a little before going over."

“Since it’s not us, let’s give it a try. Although we collected a lot of herbs the other day, there are still some that we can only buy by going into the city. Baby, come in with me. Little Blackie, you and Little White Flower take them around Yongzhou City. We’ll meet at the West Gate in two days.”

Hearing this, Xiao Hei frowned and looked at the battered carriage behind him, saying, "But Yongzhou City is surrounded by mountains, and we can't carry the carriage over the mountains."

"Hey! How can you be so stupid! We don't need the carriages anymore! You take two of the four horses, we'll take the other two, and I'll find someone to rebuild two carriages after we get into the city! How can you be so dumb!" Ghost Doctor slapped Little Black on the head in exasperation, making the boy cry out in pain.

Fan Xiaoxiao glanced worriedly into the carriage. Since leaving the deserted village over ten days ago, Gu Zhongtai had been frequently falling into a coma. The old ghost doctor said it was because he hadn't listened to advice and insisted on using force, causing his internal energy to circulate and exacerbating the backlash from the poison within his body. He hadn't been harmed before because that guy had been holding on to his life; if they didn't reach Tianshan within a month, she feared...

The Ghost Doctor didn't finish his sentence; he simply sighed and shook his head.

"Alright, then you must be careful. We'll unload the carriage now."

Uncle Wang's health has improved considerably these past few days. He and Grandpa Lu were nearly killed by their injuries that day, but fortunately, the Ghost Doctor saved their lives, and they have now regained some of their energy. Upon hearing that the carriage was to be unloaded, Uncle Wang stood up and walked to the carriage to begin moving.

When everyone saw him move, they rushed forward to help. In no time, both carriages were unloaded. The contents of the carriages were carried by the two horses that Fan Xiaoxiao and her group wanted to take, while the two horses that Uncle Wang and his group had were carrying some dry rations.

Seeing that everything was quickly arranged, Xiao Hei carried Gu Zhongtai, who was still unconscious, on his back.

"Alright, it will take some time to circle the city, so we'll head out first. You two, please be careful!"

"Alright, we still need your reminders."

The Ghost Doctor rolled his eyes and watched the group leave with Fan Xiaoxiao. Only after their figures had completely disappeared did he sigh and say, "Alright, let's go too."

"Um"

The Ghost Doctor applied something to Fan Xiaoxiao's face, and in no time, she looked noticeably different from before. To outsiders, she now appeared as a thin, dark-skinned child with sunken cheeks. The Ghost Doctor, too, had disguised himself as someone who had suffered greatly. The two led their horses and soon returned to the outskirts of Yongzhou City.

Getting into the city didn't take the two of them much effort. The Ghost Doctor had been wandering around for years, so checking household registrations was a piece of cake for him.

As Fan Xiaoxiao passed by the official list, she glanced at it carefully. It contained several men's faces. One of them had a large, diagonal scar on his forehead, running from his forehead to the corner of his eye, which looked quite frightening.

"baby."

The Ghost Doctor's call brought Fan Xiaoxiao back to reality. She responded and quickly followed in his footsteps.

Yongzhou City was the fiefdom of Princess Renle, a vital hub for people from all directions, and a very prosperous city.

Fan Xiaoxiao and her companions quickly gathered all the medicinal herbs, and the cost of the medicine was paid out of the doctor's own pocket. Fan Xiaoxiao felt a little embarrassed and wanted to give Grandpa Wang and the others their share of the money for the medicine, but the old man refused to accept it, saying that if she had that money, she would rather buy him more good ingredients to make food.

Speaking of this, Fan Xiaoxiao inexplicably craved barbecue, hot pot, and grilled fish from her modern-day life. She swallowed hard several times before managing to pull those thoughts out of her mind.

"It's just food. Once we've settled down, I'll set up a food stall! I'll let you eat your fill!"

The Ghost Doctor was amused by her confident demeanor and nodded repeatedly, rubbing his hands together like a fly.

As they talked, they arrived at the large market, where they needed to buy two more carriages.

"A carriage? What kind do you want?"

The manager of the carriage shop was a young man. When he heard that the two people in front of him wanted to buy a carriage, he looked them over a few more times.

"We want the simplest option. A larger carriage is fine, but we bought a lot of things this time, and there's simply not enough room on horseback."

The Ghost Doctor was right; they had not only bought some medicinal herbs but also a considerable amount of dry rations. Now, not only were they on horseback, but even his and Fan Xiaoxiao's baskets were filled with food.

"Alright then, but we only have one of those carriages left. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to pick up the others."

"That's no problem. I'll take my grandson around the city a bit more."

The Ghost Doctor chuckled and patted Fan Xiaoxiao behind him. She was currently cowering behind him, dressed like a boy, her face showing a mixture of naivety and shyness.

"That's fine then. You can go and explore the city, and come back to pick it up tomorrow."

After saying this, the Ghost Doctor handed over the deposit to him. After signing the note, Fan Xiaoxiao, who was behind him, gently tugged at his clothes.

The Ghost Doctor cleared his throat, took the note handed to him by the shopkeeper, and asked with a smile, "Shopkeeper, this is also our first time in Yongzhou City. Is there anything we should be careful about? We heard that this is Her Highness the Princess's fiefdom, and I'm a little worried that we, as farmers, may not know the proper etiquette and might offend the Princess."

The shopkeeper, who had just finished a transaction, was clearly in a good mood. Upon hearing the Ghost Doctor's question, he waved his hand and said, "Yongzhou City is the least rule-abiding city. Here, just remember that the princess is the highest authority. Do not disobey or disrespect the princess."

After a slight pause, he continued, "By the way, I heard that the princess is looking for a peasant girl. What was her surname again... um..."

A waiter passing by saw his manager's appearance and chimed in, "His surname is Fan!"

"Yes, yes, his surname is Fan!"

(End of this chapter)