Chapter 502 Childhood Sweethearts

Song Chunxue had never seen so much money before; her Qiankun bag couldn't hold it all, which showed just how rich the Zhang family was.

That night, they secretly changed inns by horse-drawn carriage.

The Taoist priest discovered that someone was following them. He easily knocked them down and dragged them to the donkey pen and stable, so that they would not freeze to death.

The inn they found later was inconspicuous, and no one would believe they would want to stay there.

The mattress in the room was not soft at all; the cotton wadding inside the quilt had turned into hard lumps, like old tree bark covering one's body. The wooden planks on the floor had been gnawed by rats, and in some places they were warped. Under the threshold, worn down by feet over the years, there was a hole, through which one could vaguely see the yellow soil below.

Senior brother went to Zhang Ziyou's place. Song Chunxue was meditating in her room. She really didn't want to sleep on such a hard bed. There was a dusty smell in the room. She guessed that very few people would want to live here.

She had been meditating for two hours, and it was already midnight. Just as she was about to take a nap, there was a knock on the door.

"Junior brother, I've changed my mind. We'll leave as soon as the city gates open tomorrow morning."

The Taoist priest looked eager and said, "Pack your things tonight, and I'll come knocking on the door early tomorrow morning."

Song Chunxue asked in surprise, "Has something happened? Aren't you going to see your old friend?"

"After making such a commotion, they dare not see me, and I don't want to cause them any trouble. As for old friends, let's just wish each other well, and it's better not to see each other again."

Indeed, the Zhang family has made quite a fuss. If they really want to meet their senior brother, they will take the initiative to do so.

She guessed that perhaps her senior brother had said something to Zhang Ziyou, and he was so disgusted that he didn't want to stay even a quarter of an hour longer.

The next day, as soon as it was light, people who were cold didn't want to get out of bed.

But when she heard that her senior brother next door had already gotten up, Song Chunxue stopped dawdling and quickly changed into her Taoist robe, holding her hair up with only a peach wood hairpin.

She used all her money in her Qiankun bag, so her bundle was heavier than when she arrived.

"Knock knock knock".

"Junior brother, let's go quickly. Have you brought everything?"

My senior brother's voice was a little faster than usual.

Song Chunxue opened the door and quickly checked everything. "I brought everything. It's okay to leave anything unimportant behind."

As she spoke, she followed the Taoist priest out of the inn, where the carriage had already been brought to the door by the waiter.

After she got into the carriage, the Taoist priest handed her two hot buns and took out a pot of hot tea from his pocket.

To Song Chunxue's surprise, there was a low table in the middle of the carriage, with a tea stove on it, and plenty of tea trays and charcoal.

"When did you prepare this, Senior Brother? Drinking tea in a pot on a carriage is indeed quite nice."

The senior brother lifted the curtain and looked outside, "I went to Zhang Jiashun's place last night."

"Huh?" she exclaimed softly, "Did Senior Brother go to the Zhang family again last night?"

"Well, I talked to Ziyou and we felt it was too easy for those people. Anyway, the Zhang family can't hold onto it. Rather than letting it benefit corrupt officials at the top, it's better to give it to those who need it."

Song Chunxue clicked her tongue in surprise, "So, Senior Brother, you're leaving so early in the morning because you're worried they'll find out and cause trouble? Wouldn't that make you look guilty?"

The Taoist priest smiled faintly, "Whether they feel guilty or not, they will still come looking for trouble. As long as we leave, they will have no evidence. Aren't they just bullying others because of their power? I'll go to Yuzhou to have tea with the prefect and ask him for a protective talisman. They will have no choice but to put up with it. Anyway, I haven't touched the land deeds or house deeds."

"Huh?" Song Chunxue was even more confused. "Isn't the land deed more valuable?"

“But it’s useless for us to take the land deed with us; it will only implicate Zhang Ziyou.”

I see.

Song Chunxue lifted the curtain and sat outside, picking up the reins and whip. "Hold on tight, or we'll get caught."

The Taoist priest grabbed the tea stove. "They won't find out until noon, so you don't need to worry too much."

Song Chunxue, however, did not think so. The divination results kept changing, and one should always leave room for maneuver in everything.

Upon arriving at the city gate, the guards opened the gate and, seeing their attire, huddled together and whispered a few words.

"Are you Taoist priests? Lord Zhang instructed that you cannot leave. Why don't you stay a few more days until after the burial of the Zhang family patriarch?"

The Taoist priest smiled slightly; it seemed they were unaware that the vault had been stolen.

"My two young brothers have worked hard. We have urgent business to attend to, so please make an exception. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please have some drinks with us."

As he spoke, he tossed a bag of loose silver coins out.

The two guards exchanged glances, weighed the loose silver in their hands, and hesitated, "But there are orders from above..."

Before he finished speaking, the Taoist priest flicked out two pebbles, striking their pressure points.

"Junior brother, let's go quickly."

Song Chunxue glanced at the two people who were standing there dumbfounded, then lashed her whip across the chestnut horse's back. "Run!"

The horse, in pain, pulled the carriage quickly out of the city gate.

To avoid being caught, they ran along the path for two hours without stopping until their chestnut horse started to kick up its heels, at which point they stopped by the roadside.

We'll be arriving in Yuzhou soon.

Song Chunxue squatted down by the roadside to wash her hands, sat down by the stone, took out a pancake and took a bite.

"Senior brother, how much gold and silver did you take from them last night? Was it necessary to run away so fast?"

"The same amount as yesterday afternoon, most of which were Zhang Yaoming's private stash. I delivered them to the border general overnight."

"Flying on a sword?"

"Well, we'll stay in Yuzhou for lunch. I'll go see two old friends, and tomorrow I'll go see my master."

Song Chunxue nodded, "Then I'll go outside for a walk and see the local customs and culture."

The Taoist priest, with a sudden thought, silently cast a divination.

"Never mind, you should come with me."

"Since you're going to see an old friend, it's inconvenient for you to bring me along. If you're worried that I'll cause trouble, I can just stay in my room and sleep."

The Taoist priest nodded, "Alright."

Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived in Yuzhou and got off the carriage, they heard someone excitedly calling out the Taoist priest's name from afar.

"Zhang Chengxuan!"

"Zhang Chengxuan~"

Looking towards the source of the sound, Song Chunxue saw a round and incredibly agile fat man running from the entrance of an inn.

In the blink of an eye, he had run to the carriage and reached out his hand for the Taoist priest to help him down.

His eyes reddened. "It's been more than ten years since we last met. You haven't changed at all. I heard magpies chirping non-stop this morning. I didn't expect it to be you. This is truly a joyous occasion."

The Taoist priest was somewhat at a loss, letting the nimble fat man pull him into his arms and pat him on the back.

"Wu Bai, why have you gotten so round? Aren't you cold wearing such thin clothes?"

Wu Bai smiled and grasped his wrist as they walked toward his own inn.

"You said I'm chubby, and with all this fat protecting me, I'm still afraid of the cold. Isn't all this fat just for nothing?"

His gaze fell on Song Chunxue, and he belatedly froze on the spot.

"She's a woman?"

"Zhang Chengxuan, have you taken on a female disciple or found a Daoist partner?"

Do you know how sad my sister will be?

The fat man was a little angry, and his gaze towards Song Chunxue was clearly one of displeasure.

"You've misunderstood. I'm the Daoist's junior brother," Song Chunxue explained gently, then asked with a smile, "Senior brother mentioned childhood sweethearts, could it be your sister?"

"Junior brother?" The fat man punched the Taoist priest, angrily defending his sister, "Back then, my sister wanted to cultivate with you, but you wouldn't let her. Today, however, you bring another woman to see her. How can my sister bear this?"