Tang Fengxing smiled. "Where to? You'll find out soon enough!"
"master?"
Seeing that Tang Fengxing didn't reply, Chuanwu came over. Tang Fengxing quickly wiped the smile off his face and pointed to a grove of trees to his right. "I remember there's a village beyond that grove. Let's rest there for a couple of days and find out if there's any news from the capital."
It was a well-planned arrangement, and Chuanwu also thought it was a good one. They would first find a place that was neither too far nor too close to the capital to stay and see what was going on in the capital.
But he sensed that his master was a little excited. Chuanwu followed Tang Fengxing, who was walking towards the woods. Remembering that his master had sold all eighteen of her disciples, he became wary and worried that he might be tricked into selling them by this old man!
The two had not been in the woods for long when they saw the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, who was sitting on a rock eating dry rations.
The three men exchanged a glance, and the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies immediately felt unlucky. "What are you all doing here!"
Tang Fengxing's eyes lit up. He wasn't angry at the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies' glare, but instead smiled and walked over to ask him, "What are you doing here, Lord Lin?"
Chuanwu followed behind without saying a word, but judging from his master's wicked smile, this Lord Lin was in for trouble.
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was unaware of the impending danger and continued to treat Tang Fengxing with a cold shoulder.
"What's it to you!"
Tang Fengxing glanced at the cold steamed bun in his hand and suggested, "There's a village ahead. If you don't mind, Lord Lin, why don't you come with us? It's so cold out here. Wouldn't it be nice to go and ask for a bowl of hot water?"
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies intended to go to Qingfeng Temple. He thought that even if it was a bit of a walk, he would arrive in an afternoon. However, he got a little lost as he walked.
Although he didn't want to travel with Tang Fengxing, he had no choice; sleeping on the streets in this weather was no pleasant experience.
So the three of them set off together, passed through the forest, and sure enough, a small village appeared.
The three of them went to a house and asked for water. The family was very hospitable. Seeing that it was getting late, they invited them to stay overnight and even cooked them some dinner.
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies enjoyed the meal immensely and couldn't help but remark, "The people here are so kind and simple!"
Chuanwu, who hadn't eaten much, glanced at the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial and sighed inwardly. He felt that this official was more honest and simple.
Tang Fengxing seemed very familiar with this villager's home, serving them rice and chopsticks, even more hospitable than the villagers themselves. Chuanwu, who was keeping a watchful eye, thought that his master must come here often, and that this might even be her hideout for selling her apprentices' families.
Chuanwu and the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, both men, were assigned to the same room, while Tang Fengxing, being a woman, had her own room.
After returning to his room, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies quickly became drowsy, found his way to the bed, and fell asleep immediately. Chuanwu, hiding under the window, soon saw Tang Fengxing leave the room and go outside the courtyard gate with the men of the house, whispering amongst themselves, presumably haggling over the price.
Chuanwu waited quietly until Tang Fengxing and the other man had agreed on the price and gone back to their room to sleep. After waiting a while longer, he quietly opened a crack in the door and slipped out.
However, instead of sneaking away, he went to the toilet at the back of the yard, where he had just seen the man from that family coming this way.
The man had just made some money and was happily taking a dump when someone suddenly crawled in, startling him so much that he almost held it back.
The two locked eyes, and for a moment the air seemed to freeze.
"There's someone here."
In the darkness, the man didn't recognize Chuanwu at first and said, somewhat bewildered.
"If you really can't wait, just take care of it outside."
Anyway, it's dark, so I'm not afraid of being seen.
Chuanwu pinched his nose in disgust, wondering what this person had eaten during the day. It smelled awful. He had wanted to finish quickly, but he couldn't stand the smell, so he ran out again in a flash.
Chuanwu took a deep breath of fresh air outside before he could stop spitting out.
A short while later, the man came out, and the two whispered to each other by the latrine, eventually selling Tang Fengxing for one tael of silver.
After taking the money, Chuanwu quietly slipped out of the village.
However, after talking with the man, he realized that the man was running a legitimate business and was not the ruthless human trafficker he had imagined. The women he bought were brought by their families and were willing to sell themselves.
Tang Fengxing told the man that the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial was her elder brother and son, and that her family had gone bankrupt and could not survive, so she wanted to sell her elder brother and son so that at least she could live.
As for the sleeping potion, it was purely for creating a certain atmosphere.
In any case, Chuanwu escaped and even betrayed Tang Fengxing! As for that Lord Lin, well, good luck to him.
However, before he had gone far from the village, he was hit on the back of the head. He knew without a doubt who had hit him.
"Didn't you say... a legitimate business?"
Chuanwu asked his question before he fainted, but since he had already passed out, he could not hear the answer.
He woke up the next day with his hands and feet bound, his buttocks nearly split open from being jostled around on the donkey cart.
"Is it dawn?"
A groggy voice came from behind him, and Chuanwu realized that there were two other people on the donkey cart: Tang Fengxing and the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies.
The effects of the sleeping potion on the Minister of State Ceremonies had just worn off when he slowly woke up. Tang Fengxing stared at him with a forced smile, indicating that he had been awake for a while.
Chuanwu suddenly felt guilty, and only then did the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies realize his predicament. He started shouting and yelling, which was then met with a whip from the person driving the carriage.
"Behave yourself!"
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, wincing in pain, became even more relentless, shouting, "Do you know who I am! How dare you whip me! I'll make you regret this!"
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