Chapter 3
Although Fengcheng had experienced a war, it recovered quite quickly. The market was now bustling with activity, people coming and going, vendors hawking their wares, and shops lining the streets, as if it had never suffered a disaster. Leng Xueran felt something was amiss, but decided not to dwell on it for now. It was getting late, so she found an inn and decided to investigate the rest tomorrow. As soon as she entered the inn, she saw the handsome young man she had met at the mountain teahouse a few days ago; this was Xi Yimin. Xi Yimin walked towards Leng Xueran and said with a smile, "Miss, are you looking for someone? Perhaps I can help." Leng Xueran looked up at the tall and handsome man in front of her and asked in confusion, "Do I know you, sir?" Xi Yimin smiled and said, "No." "Then why would you help me, sir? How did you know I was looking for someone? Are you following me? Who exactly are you?" Xi Yimin laughed loudly, "Miss, you certainly have many questions. I don't know how to answer them. However, I have no ill intentions. I just have a good impression of you and was pleased to follow you." Upon hearing this, Leng Xueran said angrily, "You lecherous scoundrel!" After saying that, she ignored Xi Yimin, went upstairs, found a table by the window facing the street, ordered some food, and asked for a superior room. While gazing at the street in contemplation as she ate her meal, the lecherous man unexpectedly followed her and sat opposite her. Leng Xueran coldly asked, "May I ask what brings you here, young master?" Xi Yimin laughed loudly, "Can't I visit a young lady for no reason? I am Xi Yimin, and you may call me Yimin." Hearing this name, Leng Xueran said coldly, "Are you related to Yimin Manor?" Xi Yimin smiled, "Not related, but also related, depending on what kind of relationship you are referring to." Leng Xueran said seriously, "Is Guan Haoshan related to you, young master?" Xi Yimin answered irrelevantly, "As I said, you may call me Yimin, and I will call you Xueran, is that alright?" Leng Xueran asked in surprise, "How do you know my name? Who exactly are you?" As she spoke, she gripped her sword tightly in her right hand. Xi Yimin laughed, "Xue Ran, there's no need to be afraid. I said I wouldn't harm you, and I mean it. As for how I know your name is Xue Ran, I have to thank that brother downstairs. I only found out because he called out to me." Xi Yimin smiled at Leng Xue Ran and continued, "As for Guan Haoshan, whom Xue Ran mentioned, I only know that he's dead. What would Xue Ran want with a dead man?" Leng Xue Ran said coldly, "He might not be really dead. No one has seen the body." She stared at Xi Yimin for a long time, as if trying to find some clue. Downstairs, the Third Prince searched for a while before finally spotting Leng Xue Ran by the second-floor window. He happily went upstairs, only to find a handsome young man he didn't recognize sitting beside her. Displeased, he sat down on the stool next to Leng Xue Ran and asked, "Xue Ran, who is this young man? I've never seen him before." Leng Xue Ran coldly replied, "I don't know him either." Xi Yimin laughed, "Xue Ran, didn't we just meet? Why do you say you don't know him?" Hearing this, the Third Prince became even more displeased and said, "May I ask what you mean by this, young master?" Xi Yimin laughed, "Nothing much, just fair competition. I am not talented, but I admire Xue Ran." Hearing this, the Third Prince angrily said: "You ignorant, arrogant scholar," Xi Yimin chuckled instead of getting angry. "What does the Third Prince mean? Does he know how high the sky is or how thick the earth is?" Hearing him address him by that title, it was clear he knew Xi Yimin's status, yet he still showed no respect. Thinking of this, Wang Cheng angrily said, "Since you know I am a prince, yet you still provoke me like this, do you know your crime?" Xi Yimin laughed, "This humble one truly doesn't know where my crime lies. Did Xue Ran promise the Third Prince anything? Or is there something the Third Prince is determined to have?" Wang Cheng chuckled, "I am a prince, what is there that I cannot obtain?" Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran's face turned frosty, and she suddenly got up and walked towards the guest room, leaving the two clueless people to bicker over her. Xi Yimin watched Leng Xueran angrily go upstairs and laughed, "That's not necessarily true. A woman as unique as Xueran must have her own opinions." He then went upstairs as well, only to find that the room next to Leng Xueran's was occupied. The Third Prince, furious, turned ashen-faced and angrily called to his servant, "I want the room next to Xueran's too!" The servant stammered, "Your Highness, the two rooms next to Miss Leng's and the room opposite are all occupied..." The Third Prince glared at his servant and roared, "Change it for me, but make sure it's next to hers, lest some villain succeed! Go quickly!" The servant, flustered, retreated and replied, "This servant will do it immediately, Your Highness, please calm down."
A lively scene ensued, and the three guests were indeed next to each other. However, Leng Xue Ran and Xi Yi Min were not in their rooms. Only the Third Prince, unaware of what was happening, was in his room, chuckling to himself, "Finally, I'm next to Xue Ran." It was quite comical.
That night, in the woods outside Fengcheng, Leng Xueran, riding a white horse, suddenly stopped, turned her horse around, and said coldly, "Come out!" Xi Yimin didn't flinch, but smiled and rode out, saying, "Xueran, you truly have excellent skills; your hearing is so sharp." Leng Xueran looked at him coldly and said, "Please, sir, have some self-respect and stop bothering me." Xi Yimin laughed, "I certainly have self-respect, but Xueran is traveling alone late at night, and I was afraid she might encounter danger, so I followed to protect her." Hearing this, Leng Xueran sneered, "No need!" Xi Yimin laughed, "How can there be no need? With Xueran's stunning beauty, so many people covet her; I'm worried about that too. So many people are vying for her!" Hearing his frivolous words, Xueran blushed and angrily said, "Please, sir, have some self-respect." She was about to ride away when Xi Yimin stopped her, saying, "Doesn't Xueran want to know if Guan Haoshan is really alive, or where he is now?" Leng Xueran turned back to look at Xi Yimin on his black horse. Yi Min asked seriously, "Does Young Master really know?" Xi Yi Min smiled and said, "I don't know, but I can help you find it." Leng Xue Ran smiled and said, "Find it? How?" "I have my own way of finding it, but it depends on whether Xue Ran believes me." After a long silence, Leng Xue Ran said coldly, "Then where should we go?" Hearing this, Xi Yi Min's lips curled up and he said happily, "Let's go to the countryside courtyards, where the flowers bloom along the roadside." Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran said angrily, "Young Master Xi, are you joking?" "How could I be joking? Xue Ran, listen to me. You think Guan Hao Shan is now a criminal of the court, he certainly wouldn't go to the bustling city, and his remaining old subordinates wouldn't be traveling around so openly. They must be hiding in a place where few people go by. Am I right?" Leng Xue Ran smiled and said, "Whether you are right or not, we'll have to see if Young Master Xi finds it." "Then Xue Ran agrees to go with me?" Leng Xue Ran rode forward without saying a word, and Xi Yi Min, seeing this, smiled and followed.
Outside Dahe Village, far from Fengcheng, Leng Xueran sneered, "Young Master Xi, we've been wandering aimlessly for two days now, yet we haven't heard a single word about Guan Haoshan. What explanation do you have for this?" Xi Yimin laughed, "My Min Kingdom spans thousands of miles; how could we possibly see it all in just two days? Although finding someone is urgent, it's getting late. Why don't we go into the village and rest for the night?" Without waiting for Leng Xueran's reply, he went into the village alone, leaving Leng Xueran with angry eyes and a cold face. A moment later, she followed him in. Not far away, he saw Xi Yimin waiting for him under a willow tree by the river. With a cold face, he stepped forward and asked, "What are you doing here?" "Waiting for you! Xue Ran, we've been traveling for two days and haven't had a proper bath. How about we take a bath together tonight?" He laughed heartily, but before his laughter subsided, a sword was aimed straight at his face. Xi Yimin had no time to dodge and fell into the river behind him with a splash, looking quite disheveled. When Xi Yimin emerged from the water, he saw a slight smile on Leng Xue Ran's face. It was brief, just a fleeting moment, but it truly captivated him, bewitching him. He stared blankly, when Leng Xue Ran realized something was wrong. Her face turned cold, and she turned to leave. Xi Yimin, regaining his senses, called out, "Xue Ran, since I'm already in the water, I might as well take a bath. Wait for me under the tree ahead!" Though he didn't hear a reply, Xi Yimin happily began to bathe. Although early summer wasn't cold, it wasn't hot either. Only now, in the water, did Xi Yimin feel the coolness. He quickly removed his clothes and began washing rapidly. Leng Xue Ran, watching from afar, curiously turned back to see that the man was indeed bathing. She saw that Xi Yimin's back was bare. Upon seeing this, Leng Xue Ran's face flushed red, and she suddenly felt incredibly hot. Startled, she hurriedly led her horse deeper into the village. If you looked at the face of the relocated woman underwater, you would be surprised to find that her breasts, though not large, were unmistakably female. Looking at her skin above the water, there wasn't an ounce of excess fat, and her strong, muscular arms, when raised, clearly showed prominent bulges on her shoulders. No wonder, from behind, she appeared so masculine; how could anyone doubt she was a woman? After the relocated woman finished bathing, Leng Xueran, who was under a tree not far away, had already disappeared. Wearing her half-dry clothes, she headed deeper into the village to search for her. Inside the village, Xi Yimin saw from afar a white horse tethered to a tree branch inside a farmer's fence, leisurely grazing. Leng Xueran was helping the farmer's wife pick vegetable leaves. Seeing this scene, his heart suddenly warmed, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his face. Xi Yimin quickly walked to the outside of the fence and said with a mischievous grin, "Wife, such virtuousness is something I've never seen before." Hearing his words, Leng Xueran remained silent with a cold face. Seeing this, the woman thought the young couple was arguing and said with a smile, "Young master, don't be impatient, I'll open the door for you right away." "Then thank you, elder." "Why are you being so polite with a woman, young master? Please come in."
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