Yongqi found it unbelievable, and at the same time, he thought his cousin was really capable. No matter how he tried to persuade that girl, she just wouldn't leave. But his cousin got her to leave in no time at all.

The old man was also a witness to this scene, and he was filled with emotion.

After a short rest, everyone arrived at a small town and continued to rest.

Following her uncle's advice, Anke went back to her room to rest early. She didn't linger outside at all, and went straight to sleep as soon as she lay down on the bed.

It turned out the next day that they had also arrested a child the night before, who was said to be a thief. The reason? Her uncle was hungry in the middle of the night, and Ziwei came downstairs to cook him some plain noodles, which is how she stumbled upon them.

I really don't know whether to call it a coincidence or a coincidence. Then, Ziwei suggested that it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Anke really agreed with this point. What's the point of teaching him now if you can't teach him? It's better to pass on the skill to him.

So much so that when General Zhaohui asked why they weren't on their way, Anke spoke up for Ziwei.

After their noodle shop opened, Anke even offered some strong suggestions. Besides Ziwei and the others' idea of ​​getting the master to bestow an imperial signboard, she suggested some discount promotions. The rest was instructing Liu Hui to improve and revamp the noodles in a few days.

Plain noodles are good, but the world is changing, and people's tastes are evolving. Only by keeping up with the times can one remain competitive. It's crucial not to be eliminated by people; naturally, plain noodles are still a signature dish, and it must be refined and perfected. Liu Hui remembered all of this and bowed deeply to An Ke with gratitude.

When the master ordered them to continue their journey, the carriage was filled with the cheerful laughter of Ziwei and Xiaoyanzi.

An Ke didn't say anything, just sat there indifferently. No matter what, she had Qing'er by her side. The two exchanged a glance, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

Next, they arrived at the next town, where they saw the townspeople moving quickly toward one place, as if there was some activity going on.

An Ke's mind raced. Could it be that they had reached the turning point in the drama—the White Lotus Sect?

Anke quickly followed her uncle to the activity area, which turned out to be a pole-climbing game. The winner would receive food.

An Ke breathed a long sigh of relief. Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei had just picked out quite a few hairpins at the stall, which they planned to send to the Empress Dowager, Consort Ling, and Consort Yu after returning to the palace.

However, the Empress Dowager would definitely not be interested in these hairpins. She already had too many hairpins to bring from the palace, so how could she possibly be interested in these crudely made ones from outside the palace?

One by one, the people who had climbed the pole fell down; the pole was simply too slippery and steep. It seemed that even the wealthy man's grain wasn't so easy to obtain.

Anke: Of course, geniuses like myself are an exception. (Proud and smug)

The master was also very interested in the activity and instructed the younger generation to participate and stretch their muscles.

Anke didn't really want to participate. Her uncle, however, was making a big fuss, grabbing Anke's arm and admonishing her that a girl shouldn't climb such a dangerous pole. Besides, so many people were watching; they couldn't lose face by disregarding the decorum they valued, could they?

For those few guys, this pole is a piece of cake. If they can't even handle it, the master will probably give them extra training when they get back.

Clearly, the outcome was obvious: they picked the flowers from the stalk and came down. As for the grain, they didn't take it; instead, they said they would distribute it to the city's poor who couldn't afford to eat.

The wealthy man was also surprised, knowing that the reward he had given was very generous, yet these people distributed the grain to the people without even blinking an eye. Instantly, their image was greatly enhanced in the wealthy man's mind.

However, if the wealthy man knew their true identities, he would probably just say something, no wonder he looked down on them.

The people were naturally overjoyed to receive food for free. Could there be anything more exciting? Therefore, in their eyes, they were practically indistinguishable from living bodhisattvas. The only difference was that they were walking bodhisattvas?

At noon, they randomly chose a restaurant to eat at.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, a man in a straw raincoat entered through the door, carrying a sword in his hand and a flute at his waist. This man was Xiao Jian.

An Ke thought that without the incident with Cai Lian, Xiao Jian would be lost to Butterfly, but it turns out he still wasn't. However, he's not important now, since he saved Qing'er back then, which is why Qing'er has feelings for him.

Fortunately, he saved Qing'er before Xiao Jian could act; otherwise, if Qing'er had developed feelings for him like in the drama, An Ke would have been in dire straits.

Xiao Jian was unaware that he had been exposed. He even looked up at them and sat down at a table not far from them.

He tapped his chopsticks against his wine glass and recited that poem that An Ke had heard countless times before: "A flute and a sword to roam the world, a thousand years of love and hate in a pot of wine. My feet tread the dusty road of the world, with the sky as my blanket and the earth as my furnace."

Since Anke was sitting with the master and the others, she couldn't hear what Xiaoyanzi and the others were talking about.

Fu Erkang was the first to stand up and walk towards Xiao Jian, his usual smile on his face.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Yanzi and the others hurried over. After discussing something with that Xiao Jian, Xiao Yanzi simply drew his sword and went outside.

Ziwei and Fu'erkang exchanged a glance, deciding they couldn't let Xiaoyanzi continue her antics, and quickly went to chase after her. When Benjamin arrived, he wanted to know if it was him playing the flute and accompanying him on the violin.

Unexpectedly, Little Swallow recklessly drew the sword from the other person's hand, forcing them to chase after her. It seemed that they wouldn't be able to get any answers this time. Benjamin wasn't discouraged; he simply sat down at the table and calmly ate his lunch.

The master didn't indulge them like in the drama. His brow remained furrowed, and his face was very gloomy. It was only after Anke offered a few words of persuasion that the master picked up his chopsticks and continued eating.

Not many people chased after them; besides Fu Erkang, Xiao Yanzi and only Ziwei did. Yongqi just glanced at them quietly and didn't impulsively chase after them, instead focusing on having his lunch.

Yongqi: Isn't it nice to eat a proper meal? I'm so hungry from all this travel that I feel like I could eat a whole cow.

The rest of the people were having lunch quietly.

After lunch, the master drank a pot of tea at the table, also wanting to see when they would return.

They had already drunk a whole pot of tea before they happily returned home together.

Just as Xiao Yanzi entered, she was about to introduce Xiao Jian to the master. Luckily, she was perceptive enough to read the room, noticing the master's gloomy face. She knew he must be very unhappy. Ziwei also sensed an impending storm. This was the first time she had seen the master with such a look since her inspection tour.

The two were stunned by the master's expression and froze on the spot. Not daring to make a move, Xiao Yanzi also dropped her playful demeanor, lowering her head and not daring to approach.

The master was furious, his beard bristling and eyes bulging, but since they were outside the palace, and in someone else's restaurant, it wasn't convenient to deal with the situation. He simply waved his hand and ordered them to set off.

Little Swallow blinked and carefully tugged at Ziwei's sleeve. "We haven't finished lunch yet. I just practiced archery outside, and now I'm a little hungry."

Ziwei could only comfort Xiaoyanzi, saying that things would be better by evening. The master was clearly angry, and they couldn't afford to upset him further.

After they left, only Xiao Jian remained standing in the center of the restaurant, his expression unreadable. As he watched the departing carriage, a cold smile curled at the corner of Xiao Jian's lips.

"I saw that our food was taken away, so it must have been the waiter at this restaurant who took it away," Xiao Yanzi said angrily from the side.

The more she talked, the uglier the master's expression became. It was the master who had ordered the food to be cleared away.

"I had the food cleared away. You seem to be in excellent spirits, even managing to snatch someone's sword and run away." The old man, with his eyes closed, slowly revealed the truth that shocked Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei. "Enjoy your lunch properly. Everyone is about to set off after lunch, and you haven't returned yet. The entire group is waiting for you. And what have you done? Humph."

Xiao Yanzi originally thought she could just tug at the master's sleeve and act cute to get past him, but the master didn't give her that chance at all. Just as she was about to tug, the master pulled his hand away. If the master hadn't closed his eyes, Xiao Yanzi would have suspected that the master was doing it on purpose.

Anke: There's no doubt, Uncle did it on purpose. How could the hearing of a martial artist be compared to that of an ordinary person? Master had already predicted it when Xiaoyanzi stretched out her hand.

At this moment, Anke, who was resting with his eyes closed, seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Uncle, where is our next stop?"

The old man slowly opened his eyes, chuckling as he patted An Ke's head. "I didn't expect An An to be concerned about the journey. Well, that's good! Fu Heng."

At the sound of the master's shout, Fu Heng appeared beside the carriage. "What are your orders, sir?"

"Where are we going next?" The old man calmly picked up the tea on the small table, took a sip, and waved the folding fan in his hand.

Without hesitation, Fu Heng blurted out, "Master, our next stop is Qijiang Town."

Upon hearing this, An Ke's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this the very place where the White Lotus Sect was located? A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Did you hear that? The next stop is Qijiang Town." The old man repeated it with a rather indulgent tone.

"Uncle, An'an would like to ride a horse for a bit." There are some things that still need to be discussed with Lord Fuheng, after all, Lord Fuheng still has people he can use.

The master thought she couldn't stand the stuffy environment in the carriage and wanted to get out for some fresh air, so he agreed. "Go ahead, go ahead, it'll be good to get some fresh air outside."

Seeing this, Xiao Yanzi pressed her luck and asked to go down and ride a horse. The master simply closed his eyes, ignoring everything else. Xiao Yanzi had no choice; without the master's verbal promise, she dared not go down.

Having just angered the master, she was still somewhat afraid. Ziwei, even more hesitant, tightly gripped Xiaoyanzi's sleeve, preventing her from leaving.

An Ke rode quickly to Fu Heng's side and instructed him to stay by the master's side at all times in Qijiang Town.

Although Fuheng had some doubts, his intelligence prevented him from asking. The princess's words were sometimes not without reason; it seemed that things were about to get turbulent in Qijiang Town.

Fu Heng narrowed his eyes dangerously. No matter what, he would stay by the master's side.

After giving Fu Heng his instructions, they discussed it further and decided that it was too late to rush to Qijiang Town for the night.

Fortunately, they brought quite a few tents with them when they came out, so they could stay in them.

Besides what Anke and Xingxing brought, Fu Heng also considered it, but at the time he thought that if he couldn't find an inn or anything, he could just stay in the suburbs.

It just so happens that this item is quite suitable for this situation.

When the master heard that they would be staying in the suburbs tonight, he did not express any objection.

Master: How many years has it been? I haven't stayed in these tents since. Back when I was traveling around with my brother, we couldn't find a place to stay, so we had to set up a simple tent in the suburbs. Thinking about it now really gets me excited.

Ertai walked straight to the princess's side. When Qing'er saw Ertai coming, she secretly smiled and turned to walk towards her and Anke's tent.

"Remember, it might be cold in these deep mountains. This servant is tough and can handle it, but Princess, you are of noble birth, so please take good care of yourself." As he spoke, he prepared to give An Ke the clean blanket he had prepared.

Anke naturally refused. Throughout the journey, Ertai had taken meticulous care of Anke. When she was hungry, Ertai had pastries. When she was bored, Ertai had strange things he bought from street vendors.

To say she felt nothing would be impossible. It's just that Anke felt these feelings came rather inexplicably. Humans aren't plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? That's why she had planned to give Fu Ertai the cold shoulder for a few days.

Unexpectedly, that very night he came straight to the door and knelt on the ground, asking him what he had done to offend the princess. Anke couldn't answer, and guiltily chased him out.

After that, things were no different from usual. She didn't deliberately avoid Fu Ertai or give him the cold shoulder.

I just didn't expect this person to be like a monkey; give him a pole, and he'll climb it. He tried all sorts of tricks to make Anke happy and to win her favor.

For safety reasons, Anke also instructed him to stay by the master's side at all times the next day. Ertai respected the princess's words more than an imperial edict, so he naturally obeyed.

In the end, Anke didn't take his blanket either. A fire was lit there that night, so it wouldn't be cold.

After finally making it to the second day, as soon as I entered Qijiang Town, I saw the people dancing and walking forward.

"You must be from out of town. Today is our local bonfire festival, also known as 'Bake Away All Illnesses.' It's when you take out your clothes and other belongings during the autumn harvest and bake them in the fire, and then all your illnesses will be cured. If you bake in 100 bonfires, I guarantee you'll be free of all your ailments." Before they could even ask, a local stopped them and explained.

These people are far too eager to help.