Chapter 208 Even the most meticulously crafted fried cake can have a flaw.
The next day, at the Feng family's old residence
As dusk settled, from the moment she opened her eyes, Mei Xiaojing held onto Xiao Ma's hand tightly. Xiao Ma tried several times to pull his wrist away but couldn't. He could only lovingly stroke Mei Xiaojing's hair and kiss it to comfort her.
Feng Shisan supported himself with his sword, his eyes filled with undisguised envy. "If I could have a fairy-like girl who would care for me so much, I would die willingly."
Ji Fang found it amusing. "Even if no one admires you, you can still risk your life for righteousness, can't you?"
Feng Shisan thought it made sense, and his rough face relaxed but then tightened again. He said bitterly, "That's true, but you're still all alone. At least you have a sister." Mentioning Ji Yuan, Feng Shisan suddenly thought of something and reached out to grab Ji Fang's clothes. Ji Fang realized what was happening, shrunk away from Feng Shisan's clutches, and darted away half a zhang.
"Don't even think about messing with my Ah Yuan. Everything has to be to her liking. If she doesn't like you, you can forget about being brothers with her."
Feng Shisan was too exhausted to argue with him. He put his hands on his hips and glared at him, saying, "Ji Fang, putting everything else aside, Xiao Ma gave up his promising future to come back and save us. Today, he entrusted you with a treasure more precious than his own life. You must protect it well. If there is even the slightest mishap, I, Young Master Shisan, will never forgive you."
Ji Fang drew his sword and pointed it to the sky, saying, "If Mei Xiaojing loses even a single hair, I, Ji Fang, will pay with my life."
Mei Xiaojing, who was crying with tears streaming down her face, couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. She glanced at Ji Fang and said, "I'll scratch off a few strands of your hair later, and then I'll see how many lives you have."
Ji Fang's handsome face turned red. Mei Xiaoqing, who was scolding him, was beautiful and charming. Her eyes were filled with tears, which made Ji Fang's heart sway. Ji Fang turned away with difficulty, not daring to look at her again. He could not deceive his brother's wife, much less covet her. Ji Fang sheathed his sword, gripped the hilt tightly, gritted his teeth, and secretly vowed to protect Mei Xiaoqing even if it cost him his life.
Feng Shisan cleared away the rubble from the wall, took out the wooden box again, poured out the silver ingots inside, wrapped them in a rag, weighed them in his hand, and stuffed them into Ji Fang's hand. "Without Xingguo Fang's support, life on the island will probably be even harder. With this silver, no matter which family my father takes over, it's better to make the most of it than to hide it here and wait until the house is demolished before it's discovered and we don't even know who it will end up with."
Ji Fang did not refuse, and nodded heavily to Feng Shisan while holding the heavy silver ingot. Feng Shisan suppressed his reluctance, turned away from Ji Fang, and said in a rough voice, "I won't see you off. When you get back to Canglang Island, if Aunt Lou and A Yuan ask about me, you'd better tell them all about how powerful Young Master Shisan was."
"Of course then," Ji Fang sniffed.
"It's getting late." Guan Ye glanced at the sky outside. "Let's head to the dock before the morning mist dissipates."
Ji Fang was about to start walking with a limp when suddenly a cane made of tree trunk was handed to him. Ji Fang looked up in surprise, "Your Highness... what's this?"
"Take it." Mu Chenbi shoved the cane into Ji Fang's hand. "It will make walking easier."
Ji Fang's eyes welled up slightly, and he turned his head to secretly press the corners of his eyes. He had longed to return to Canglang Island as soon as possible, but he hadn't accomplished anything, and he was too timid to ask the head of the monastery. It wasn't until he finally presented his skills to the emperor and made many friends that he planned to put his skills to good use, but now he had to go back... Life, Ji Fang sighed in his heart. The more you want something, the more things go against your wishes. Ji Fang, you should be like A Yuan, an ordinary fisherman. You are a descendant of fishermen, and you shouldn't have any extravagant hopes. Rongdu is just a dream. You may want to stay in the dream, but dreams are like bubbles. Once someone gently pokes them, they're like the bubbles A Yuan spat out when she caught a dying fish, just like that... shattered into foam.
The group disguised themselves and, under the cover of the thick fog, sneaked out of the Feng family's house. They walked along the alley towards the dock. After walking a long way, Guan Ye couldn't help but look back. The fog rose up like immortals ascending to heaven. She saw Feng Shisan's imposing figure getting smaller and smaller. Guan Ye blinked and could no longer see anything.
At Rongdu Wharf, Xiao Ma lowered his straw hat and whispered a few words to the boatman. He returned to the group, his expression still resolute. "The fog hasn't cleared yet. The boatman said we have to wait until the fog clears before we can set off."
Mei Xiaoqing was a little uneasy. "How much longer do we have to wait? What if something unexpected happens? Maybe..." Mei Xiaoqing bit her lip and peeked at Xiao Ma's expression, then grabbed his hand again. "How about we don't leave?"
"Silly." Xiao Ma gently pinched her round, onion-like nose. "The fog will dissipate when the sun comes out; it'll only take an hour or two."
Mu Chenbi looked around warily and saw that they were all ordinary peddlers and laborers, and no one paid any attention to them. He was slightly relieved. Guan Ye took out the short sword she had hidden. Mu Chenbi saw it and realized that he had sharpened the sword for Guan Ye. At that time, he told Guan Ye: "Once the sword is sharpened, it can truly protect you."
“It’s not just this sword that protects me.” Guan Ye sheathed her short sword. “It’s also you.”
“I am willing…” Mu Chenbi murmured, “to pave the way for you and help you achieve your wishes.” Mu Chenbi smiled bitterly, “I just don’t know if I am no longer the Crown Prince, but just an ordinary person with nothing, I can still fulfill my promise to you.”
Guan Ye stared at Mu Chenbi. After days of torment, his tanned chin was covered with fine stubble, which made him look less dashing and more defeated. Seeing Guan Ye staring at him without blinking, Mu Chenbi wiped away the prickly stubble and asked, "Do I look funny?"
Guan Ye withdrew her gaze, looked up at the sky and said, "No, if I build up my strength for a while longer, I'll be about the same as Chief Luo, and I'll look quite imposing."
Mu Chenbi laughed heartily, "You think it's impressive? Then I'll grow my hair like Luo Yichen's from now on, so don't look down on me then."
Guan Ye ignored her and kept looking out to sea while pulling at the wild grass beneath her. The sun was gradually rising and the fog was slowly dissipating, but it would probably take some more time.
Xiao Ma suddenly remembered something, "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back."
"Xiao Ma," Mei Xiaoqing tugged at his sleeve, "Where are you going?"
“Go…” Xiao Ma laughed happily, “I’m going to take care of something. It’ll only take a quarter of an hour or two. I’ll make it in time for the boat to leave. Wait for me.”
Seeing that Xiao Ma had run far away in just a few words, Mu Chenbi looked worried. "The fog is about to clear. What important thing does Xiao Ma have to do at this time? Should I... follow him?"
Guan Ye threw down the grass clippings in her hand. "Xiao Ma is quick-witted, and his face is much safer than yours. If he says he has something to do, it must be something he absolutely has to do. We'll know when he gets back."
Mu Chenbi found the argument reasonable and stopped asking questions. Ji Fang stole glances at Mei Xiaoqing's anxious eyes, but quickly looked away when Mei Xiaoqing noticed him. He nervously scratched his sweaty palms, racking his brains to think of a few words to comfort her. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. Unlike Xiao Ma, who could make people laugh with just a few words, he was clumsy with words and his words never hit the mark. It was better not to say anything at all.
"Ji Fang," Mei Xiaoqing suddenly called out.
Ji Fang jolted awake and straightened up. "I'm here."
"Where is Little Horse going? What if he hasn't come back by the time the boat leaves?"
Ji Fang thought and thought, afraid of saying something wrong again, "Xiao Ma is the smartest among us. Don't worry. The ship is about to leave and he hasn't returned yet. We'll just wait for him." Ji Fang pondered for a while after speaking, making sure he hadn't said a single wrong word. Seeing that Mei Xiaoqing was neither angry nor upset, he finally felt relieved.
"Let's wait for him to come back." Mei Xiaoqing smiled gratefully at Ji Fang. "We'll wait for Xiao Ma to return before we leave."
Rongdu West Street
As the morning mist gradually dissipated, the shops on West Street opened one after another. On the bluestone road, a man wearing a straw hat walked hurriedly. Every few steps, his dark eyes, hidden under the hat, would silently scan his surroundings to make sure there were no suspicious traces. He was dressed in inconspicuous old gray clothes, which made him look like an ordinary citizen on the streets of Rongdu, and he would not attract anyone's attention.
"How much longer will it take to get the first batch of fried cakes?" Xiao Ma half-raised his straw hat, revealing only his dark eyes.
The waiter, using long chopsticks, stirred the lumps of dough in the oil. "Almost done, almost done."
Xiao Ma took out a handful of copper coins and placed them on the side of the pot. "I want six, and wrap them all up."
As they were talking, the fried cakes were already thoroughly fried. The waiter deftly picked them out to drain the oil, skillfully wrapped them tightly in oil paper, and then tied them up with thin hemp rope. "The fried cakes are ready. Be careful, they're hot."
Little Ma hooked the rope, his eyes darting around under his straw hat. Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly noticed something and stopped in his tracks. "What is it? Could you please make way for the guests behind you?"
Xiao Ma responded softly and turned around, taking a deep breath and pretending nothing was wrong. He brought the paper-wrapped fried cake close to his nose and inhaled deeply. The sweet aroma wafted through the paper, causing Xiao Ma to swallow hard a few times. He had been in Rongdu for half a year, and all he had been craving was this dish that his father longed for. He had walked back and forth on West Street countless times, but he had never been able to eat it even once. If only… Xiao Ma stared at the fried cake in his hand, really wanting to sit down and have a proper meal right now, to see if it was as his father said: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a sweet and juicy filling. He thought that after eating one, even a god wouldn't want to be alive.
Unfortunately, with the little horse fiddling with the rope knot, it seems he won't be able to get a hot meal.
Because... he discovered that someone was watching him from the street corner, Cang Yu, it was Lou Cang Yu.
"Chief Lou, have you discovered something?" The Eagle Guard peered in the direction Lou Cangyu was looking.
"No." Lou Cangyu said without hesitation, "This is West Street, the liveliest place in Rongdu. Those are rats that can't stand the light of day. How could they dare to come to West Street? Go to other streets and markets and search every house and every corner. Don't miss a single one."
Should I reserve some manpower for you?
Lou Cangyu's eyes darkened, sending chills down one's spine at first glance. "I've already said, this is West Street."
"Your subordinate obeys."
After dismissing the Eagle Guards, Lou Cangyu's eyes, sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the all-too-familiar figure. To be precise, Xiao Ma had concealed himself extremely well. At first glance, he was just an ordinary passerby, not worth a second glance. But even the best-laid plans can have flaws. He could disguise his clothes and appearance, but he couldn't let go of his ever-present possession—his sword, the treasured sword from Xingguo Ward.
It was that sword that led Lou Cangyu to spot Ma Lin in the bustling crowd. Yes, he had a name; his name was Ma Lin. What a Ma Lin! Twice tested his sword skills, once defeated by Wushuang, and once no match for Ma Lin. This time, Lou Cangyu would win it all back, with interest, without any help, relying solely on himself, starting today.
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