Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Bai Naixiang had intended to curry favor with Luo Yiqiong, but her brother wasn't there. He had only left a short while ago, and they arrived right after he left.
The timing was indeed a bit too coincidental.
There was no way around it; the original plan was to have a protector, but it ended up being a trio of them.
Temple.
Bai Naijiong came directly from the Bai residence. Knowing that the person was still waiting at the temple, he didn't linger at the residence. As soon as he finished his work, he rode over without stopping, planning to meet the person here and then head directly to the capital.
They met up with Yan Qingxue and the others. They had originally planned to go directly to the capital today, but he had already asked someone to wait for them here for several days, so they felt bad about delaying any longer.
So the group met up and boarded a carriage heading towards the capital.
The area around the temple is bustling with people and vehicles, and the reason it's even more crowded than before is entirely due to the recent disappearance of the ancient tree.
This incident caused quite a stir in Baicheng.
Almost everyone who heard the news rushed over to see what was going on, eager to find out what had happened. The disappearance of such a large, thousand-year-old tree seemed absolutely impossible.
Bai Naijiong naturally knew about this news, but the ancient tree was indeed gone. Miaohu Lake, which could be seen with his own eyes, was now bare, with no longer the towering tree that once protected it like a protective umbrella.
"What happened to the ancient trees in Miaohu Lake? How did they suddenly disappear?" Bai Naijiong was naturally very curious. After leaving the suspension bridge, Bai Naijiong lifted the car curtain, glanced out the window, and asked casually.
Yan Qingxue became incredibly excited whenever the ancient tree was mentioned. Such an elusive thing was indeed very mysterious, and the rumors about it had become increasingly fantastical in the past few days.
Some say the ancient tree in Miaohu turned into a demon and left, while others say the ancient tree was originally a tree spirit. In short, a variety of versions have emerged in just a few days.
"I'm not entirely sure what happened, but it occurred on the very night we arrived."
Isn't it a coincidence? We just arrived here, and then this happened. It really scared Lele.
I heard from the people at the temple that the ancient tree was an ancient relic that already possessed spirituality, so it's probably understandable that it would leave.
Of course, this explanation sounds a bit far-fetched, but no one really knows why he disappeared so mysteriously.
When the commotion broke out, we were all alerted. Many tourists in the temple heard the commotion and ran out.
I went there too, but when I got there, the ancient tree in the lake had already disappeared, as if it had vanished into thin air.
Yan Qingxue's tone sounded unusually elusive and furtive.
Anle had already calmed down by now. The people from the temple hadn't been able to find her for the past few days, which meant that no one knew about this matter.
She was also happy to listen to the various versions around her, especially Yan Qingxue's tone, which sounded mysterious. If she weren't the culprit, she would have thought that this whole thing was really a case of the tree coming to life.
As for that tree, I really didn't think there was anything about it that made it sentient. Apart from being quite thick and exceptionally tall, there was really nothing else unusual about it.
She planted it in her garden, but her garden system didn't change much. It's very likely that, like the stone before, it will need to be absorbed slowly before it can play its role.
She waited patiently, hoping the tree would bring her a different kind of surprise.
Yan Qingxue and Bai Naijiong were talking in the carriage when it suddenly stopped. They heard He Yusheng, who was driving the carriage, lift the curtain and peek inside.
"There have been an unusually large number of people coming to join the fun these past few days. The road ahead is blocked because of too many horse-drawn carriages. We may have to wait here for a while."
Anle nodded, never expecting to encounter traffic jams in the bustling modern world, just as she had in this world.
The person was completely unaware of who was responsible for the traffic jam.
"There's a teahouse right next to here. Let's go in and sit down for a while, rest our feet, and have some hot tea. It's chilly outside," Bai Naijiong said, lifting the curtain of the carriage window and glancing outside.
“Alright, it’s no fun sitting inside, let’s go down and wait.” Yan Qingxue, who was sitting on the side, was the first to lift the carriage curtain and jump out.
The group could only wait temporarily in the teahouse next door. They had only been sitting in the teahouse for a short while when they saw several familiar figures walk in from the entrance. They could also hear a particularly familiar voice, "I really didn't expect to get stuck halfway here on this trip. It's not far from Miaohu Lake. Why don't we go there ourselves in a bit? I estimate we'll have to wait for the carriage for a while. There are so many carriages stuck here that they can't move at all."
Bai Naijiong looked up upon hearing this.
"Nai Ying?"
Bai Naiying, who had spoken, turned her head and saw the awkward scene: her brother was sitting at a table with several people she didn't know.
Bai Naiying was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but turn her head to look at Luo Yiqiong again. Wasn't this a blatant slap in the face? How did she end up witnessing this embarrassing scene?
Her mother explained to Luo Yiqiong that her brother was busy with official business and had to go out, but now he was busy outside accompanying the girl.
What are people supposed to think? You can't just blatantly slap them in the face like that.
"Ahem... Brother, are you out there entertaining... entertaining businessmen?" Bai Naiying scratched her head, forced an awkward smile, and told a particularly clumsy lie.
Luo Yiqiong glanced suspiciously at Bai Naijiong's table, but didn't react otherwise. Originally, Luo Yiqiong didn't think anything of it, but unfortunately, there was Bai Naixiang, who was stirring up trouble, next to her.
Bai Naixiang, never one to shy away from a good show, sarcastically remarked, "Oh, Second Brother, what kind of merchants are you entertaining? I've never seen any merchants like this in our household before."
Which merchant is this young lady from?
"So you've left Yiqiong here just to entertain these unfamiliar merchants?"
The implication was clear: this was not a merchant at all; she didn't know him at all.
Luo Yiqiong felt a little awkward hearing this.
It's one thing if the secret hasn't been revealed yet, but it's another matter entirely once it's revealed. Not only will Bai Naijiong look bad, but she will also lose face.
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