Chapter 162

A few days later, Fan Xiaoxiao and her group finally circled around to the back of Youzhou City and approached the foot of Tianshan Mountain.

As summer drew to a close and autumn approached, whether due to an impending drought or the lingering heat of late summer, the daytime weather was unusually hot. Coupled with the fact that Fan Xiaoxiao and her companions had only eaten simple biscuits soaked in water for the past few days, by the time they reached the vicinity of the Tianshan Mountains, they felt as if their stomachs were practically sticking to their backs from hunger.

"I'm so hungry..."

Fan Xiaoxiao didn't care about the difference between men and women at the moment. She was so hungry that she felt dizzy and looked drowsy as she leaned against Gu Zhongtai's back.

"I'm so hungry too."

The Ghost Doctor has visibly lost a lot of weight these past few days, going from a large, fat old man to a medium-sized one. The two of them kept complaining about being hungry, which gave Bai Chaoyan a headache.

"The tea stalls at the foot of Tianshan Gate are just ahead. Stop shouting. Once we get there, we'll be safe."

Fan Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows, perking up a bit: "Tianshan even has its own tea stalls?"

"Is it strange? Many other sects in the martial arts world also have their own shops and stalls. After all, with so many disciples, they always need to cover expenses to survive. A little past this tea stall is the town at the foot of Tianshan Mountain, and many shops there are managed by the Tianshan Sect."

As for other merchants who want to set up stalls or shops here, they will have to pay a certain amount of silver to the Tianshan Sect every month, and naturally, disciples of the Tianshan Sect will protect the peace and safety of their town.

After hearing Bai Chaoyan's explanation, Fan Xiaoxiao's lips twitched slightly. This explanation sounded exactly like a gang that had divided up territory—this part belonged to them, that part belonged to someone else. And if someone wanted to open a shop on their territory, they had to pay protection money.

However, this method is quite applicable in today's chaotic world, since nothing is more important than ensuring one's own safety.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and Fan Xiaoxiao smelled the aroma of food carried on the wind. This made her, who was already starving, even more unbearable.

"It smells so good!"

She tugged at Gu Zhongtai in front of her: "Boss Gu, can we stop and get something to eat? I'm starving."

Gu Zhongtai didn't turn around; he flicked the reins and walked towards the tea stall. Fan Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief; at least she could finally eat something.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

When the four arrived near the tea stall, they realized it wasn't a tea stall at all, but rather a small eatery where they could eat snacks. There were quite a few people coming and going; when Fan Xiaoxiao and the others tied up their horses and went inside, they found quite a few people already seated. Each table had either steamed buns or noodle soup. They had smelled the delicious aroma from afar, and now that they were inside, Fan Xiaoxiao felt that if she didn't eat something soon, she might really faint from hunger.

There were no seats left inside the tea stall, so Gu Zhongtai led the group to an empty spot outside. After they sat down, a waiter approached them. Seeing that their clothes were a bit dirty, he didn't show any disdain on his face. Instead, he asked with a smile, "What would you gentlemen like to order? We have tea, steamed buns, wontons, and plain noodles."

"Yangchun noodles!"

Fan Xiaoxiao and the Ghost Doctor shouted in unison that they had been eating chess piece cakes on the road for the past few days. Fan Xiaoxiao had developed several blisters on the corners of her mouth and her throat also felt quite sore.

"Could I also have a bowl of plain noodles? I'll pay for this meal."

Bai Chaoyan wasn't particularly concerned about food. Although she was a noblewoman from a prestigious family, Bai Xiang had never spoiled her in this regard. So, she ate everything along the way, from wolf jerky to chess piece biscuits, without complaint.

However, she saw Fan Xiaoxiao distributing food and knew that these people didn't have much food. Even so, Fan Xiaoxiao still gave them food, and she remembered this kindness.

"Brother Gu...where is Young Master Gu?" Bai Chaoyan still firmly believed that Gu Chongtai was the little brother she had seen when she was a child, and she always made a mistake when calling him.

"Just plain tea, nothing else."

Fan Xiaoxiao was very familiar with Gu Chongtai's problem; he was a picky eater. He only ate what she cooked along the way, and wouldn't touch anything else unless he was extremely hungry. But Bai Chaoyan didn't know this and thought Gu Chongtai was just being polite.

"Don't you want the rest?"

"Oh dear, he won't eat! Hurry up and bring us some food, we're all starving!"

The Ghost Doctor was slumped over the table, banging on his bowl; he must be starving. Bai Chaoyan glanced at the Ghost Doctor with a hint of helplessness. After confirming that Gu Chongtai didn't want anything else, Xiao Er flicked his handkerchief and called out inside.

"Three bowls of plain noodles! A pot of clear tea!"

While waiting for the noodles, Fan Xiaoxiao imitated the Ghost Doctor by resting her head on the table. Her seat faced the official road not far away, which was the route they had come from.

A gentle breeze swept by, clearing Fan Xiaoxiao's mind considerably. She had been too hungry to pay attention to her surroundings earlier, but now she realized that not far beyond the official road was a wide river. It was just that a tall grove of trees beside the road had blocked its view, preventing her from noticing it.

On the opposite bank of the river stood many houses, white walls and black tiles, forming a continuous stretch. Gu Zhongtai noticed her gaze and followed it.

“That’s a village sheltered by the Tianshan Mountains. If you’re going to stay here, you might want to go and take a look.”

Gu Zhongtai had been to Tianshan before and visited the villages there. The terrain was flat, and because the land was fertile, the people there lived a very prosperous life. If Fan Xiaoxiao and the others went there, they shouldn't have to worry about food.

However, after listening, Fan Xiaoxiao did not show much interest; she simply nodded listlessly.

Several fast horses galloped toward this direction on the official road in the distance. Upon closer inspection, they were again people dressed in white.

"Are they from the Tianshan Mountains too?"

"Yes, I am an inner disciple of Tianshan."

Bai Chaoyan finally showed a slight relaxation on her face. Seeing the familiar servants meant that she would soon be able to see her grandfather.

Fan Xiaoxiao didn't notice Bai Chaoyan's expression, but she recognized this color of clothing from a previous encounter at the mountain stronghold. Xiahou had worn similar white robes, appearing aloof and otherworldly, like a banished immortal. Speaking of which, now that the female lead was nearby, it meant she was about to meet the male lead from the original novel. She remembered their first meeting was when the female lead entered the mountain.

It seems that if she's lucky, she might even witness the very first scene of the male and female leads meeting. Fan Xiaoxiao found this somewhat amusing; she'd practically been transported to the scene of the story while following the book.

Just as she was lost in thought, the horses stopped nearby. Several people dismounted and walked towards the tea stall, the leader of whom dusted himself off with a look of disgust.

"Our master is really something, insisting on sending us to meet Xiahou. It's made us run around for nothing!"

"Senior brother, this also shows that Master values ​​you! Everyone knows you are Master's favorite disciple!" The dark-faced disciple next to him, who was a step behind him, flattered him obsequiously.

The flattering words made the leading disciple feel a bit better: "That's right, don't you know who I am! Sigh, I just didn't find any fun on this trip down the mountain... Hmm? Over there, isn't that a young lady dressed as a man?"

The dark-faced disciple followed the other disciple's gaze, his eyes immediately lighting up: "Yes! Senior brother! This young lady is quite pretty!"

Their gaze fell upon Bai Chaoyan, who was chatting with Fan Xiaoxiao!

(End of this chapter)