Xu Bai sighed and said nostalgically, "Traveling around everywhere, what do you think? It was absolutely wonderful, Cousin Yuhan. Let me tell you, this time I experienced the desolation of the vast desert and felt the lightness of the misty rain in Jiangnan. Ah, the feelings were indescribable."
Chen Yuqiao sneered twice and said, "You heartless bastard, we gave you a travel gift before you left, and asked you to write us a letter every time you went to a place, telling us about the famous mountains and rivers and the local customs. But you only wrote two letters at the beginning, and then you were like a kite with a broken string. How can you be worthy of all the things we gave you?"
Xu Bai felt a little guilty. Before leaving, his cousins were really reluctant to part with him and gave him a lot of things, including food and toys. They even exchanged their monthly allowance for silver notes and gave them to Xu Bai.
The Chen family has always been very strict about the education of their children. The boys receive very little money each month. Although the family can't afford to feed and drink them, they have to save money if they want to buy things they like. Saving money is not easy.
Xu Bai naturally understood that the gifts his cousins gave him, including the silver notes, were a precious token of their affection.
Chen Yukang sneered twice and said, "I think this Xu Xiaoqi is not a grateful person. She clearly agreed, but after she left, she acted as if nothing had happened."
Xu Bai defended himself, saying, "Cousins, I am truly sorry. I have not been sightseeing along the way. As you know, my great-uncle is very strict about my studies. I have to practice martial arts every day. At first, I could grit my teeth and persevere, but later I really couldn't keep up. Brothers, you must understand me."
Chen Yukang remained expressionless and said, "You said it yourself: you went out to see the scenery of Daliang and then describe it to us. It would be as if you went to see it for us. You left, and we waited anxiously at home. And what happened? Sigh, Xu Bai, Xu Bai, tell me, how are you going to make it up to us?"
Xu Bai chuckled twice and said, "Cousin Yu Kang, how about I spend a few days with you while you stay in Miaozhou? Don't be fooled by how the place is all washed up by the flood. If you take a closer look, you'll find it's actually quite nice to wander around here. These are all remnants left behind after nature unleashed its fury. Plus, if we catch some fish to take home, Sister Zhao can cook them for us. The fish dishes at all the restaurants in Miaozhou are the best."
Seeing Xu Bai's fawning manner, Chen Yukang said to Chen Yuhan and Chen Yuqiao, "See? The three of us combined don't even have as thick a skin as him."
When we arrived at the city gate, the government officials and their officers were still guarding the gate. The water outside the city gate had receded, but the city wall needed repair, the road needed to be rebuilt, and everything was in a state of disrepair.
Upon seeing Xu Bai, several constables greeted him. When they heard that he was going outside the city, they all told him to be careful and not to stay outside for too long.
The group walked out of the city gate, and before they even reached the location of the Yun family's original lotus garden, they saw a group of people approaching from afar. Some of them were riding horses, while others were leading them; in short, they all looked very disheveled.
When Xu Di and his companions came out, they had changed into some old clothes. They looked like children from a small family in the city who had come out to play when they had nothing to do.
Xu Bai put his hand to his forehead and looked at himself. He then said to his cousins, "I think there's something wrong with those people. When we get closer, don't say anything. I'll find out what's going on first."
Chen Yukang was quite tall. He looked at Xu Bai, then at the people covered in mud and water, and nodded. They had actually been in a pretty sorry state along the way, but these people looked much better than them.
As he approached, before Xu Bai could even speak, a man asked listlessly, "Young man, do you need to continue along this road to get to Miaozhou?"
Xu Bai, speaking in broken Miaozhou dialect, said, "Yes, yes, did you come from out of town? The original roads have been washed away by the flood, and the roads are very difficult to travel on."
After observing them up close, Xu Bai realized that these people were all trained martial artists, and some of them even carried a murderous aura. Xu Bai didn't know what murderous aura was; it was a feeling. These people had killed people, so they had an aura that was different from ordinary people. Xu Bai spent more time with A Jin and the others, and under A Jin's guidance, he slowly figured out this feeling.
Xu Bai asked curiously, "Where are you from? I heard that the roads around Miaozhou are all broken, but the post road to the capital has been repaired and is basically passable now."
The group exchanged glances, and the one who had spoken earlier smiled and said to Xu Bai, "We're from out of town. The flood hadn't started yet when we came. We've been stuck in a place upstream for days. We heard that there's a road out of Miaozhou now, so we came to check it out. Hey, young man, is it easy to get in and out of the city gates?"
Xu Bai, looking completely naive, said innocently, "We just need a travel permit at the city gate. We came out with a travel permit."
Upon hearing the road permit, Xu Bai noticed that someone's eyes narrowed slightly. Xu Bai's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, the constables at the city gate are very reasonable and usually won't make things difficult for people."
After thanking Xu Bai, the man led his men forward. Xu Bai waited until they had all passed, stood and watched for a while, before leading his men onward. As he walked, he pondered how much of a chance he and his men had if they were to encounter them.
The three Chen brothers, along with Chen Yuyuan and Xu Bai, although they had trained since childhood, were still not as skilled as those who spent their days on the edge of a knife. At this moment, they were accompanied by two guards who had served Xu Di, all of whom had been trained at the old lady's estate. Xu Bai didn't know how far their skills had progressed, and his heart was truly rising higher and higher.
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