Chapter 67 is voluntary.
Ning Jue suppressed his smile and looked at Bai Hua with a more serious expression.
He said, "Before, I traveled alone all over the country, seeing many different sights. Although I gained experience, I was always uninterested and found it uninteresting. But now that I have you by my side, and we are going to different places together to set foot on new trails, that makes me look forward to it."
The two faced each other. Ning Jue was lost in thought, while Bai Hua was planning their separation.
She stammered as she spoke, "Before I met you, young master, I was confined to my own residence and only stayed in Jingqi and Jiling. I rarely went out, and at most I would just go to the outskirts of the city to enjoy the spring. I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to take a boat to Yecheng, or even travel south along the sea route to Guocheng... You have already shown me so much."
Ning Jue: "That's different. You've been traveling with me all this way, whether to Ye City or Guo City, because we have important business to attend to, not just sightseeing. The experience is naturally different. Afterwards, when the truth of what I'm investigating comes to light and the weight is lifted from my heart, we'll have plenty of time to ourselves. Then, we can go see the vast mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas together, and no one can bother us, okay?"
Bai Hua felt a pang of sadness; she longed for everything the young master had described.
However, with her brother still in prison and facing imminent death, how could she possibly indulge in a carefree life and only think of her own pleasures...?
Also, her cousin's men have already caught up with her in Ye City. She received the coded message, and all she has to do now is find a chance to escape and flee.
In her heart, the young master should always be free and unrestrained, just like when they first met. Dressed in white, spotless, he roamed the world with his sword at will, his eyes unconsciously carrying a sense of arrogance. He was very unruly, but he certainly had the right to be so.
The swordsman who comes and goes without a trace should roam freely in the vast world, and she only needs to silently pray for him from afar. She has already felt guilty towards Ning Jue, and she must not drag him into trouble involving the court because of her own selfish greed.
But before leaving, Bai Hua had one more thing she wanted to confirm.
The carriage continued its slow journey through the bustling city streets. The noise outside was so loud that the driver in front couldn't hear the conversation inside the carriage unless he lowered his voice.
So Bai Hua deliberately lowered her voice and asked him, "Young master, General Wang has set up a selection arena for swordsmen in Jiling. Would you be interested in stepping onto the arena and giving it a try?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Jue smiled thoughtfully, looked at Bai Hua quietly, and after a long while said, "Go, why not go?"
Bai Hua asked hesitantly, "Young Master has never liked dealing with people, especially since the court is treacherous and politics are complicated. With your open-minded nature, why would you be willing to join in that fun and restrict your freedom to be recruited by the Great General King?"
He said quietly, "People's thoughts can change."
Meeting Bai Hua's surprised look, Ning Jue added, "We also dealt with Jiang Shen'er in Guocheng for a few days. She is also a member of the martial arts world. Later, she was highly valued by the young emperor of Nanmin and has a lot of power. She is doing very well. I didn't feel that she was not free."
Bai Hua earnestly advised him, genuinely believing that Ning Jue's personality was not suited for the court: "I'm afraid it's not that simple. You are paid by the emperor and you are loyal to him. If you really make dealings with the royal family of Great Yan and become someone appreciated by the Great General, then you will not be able to stay or leave as you please, and you will have to do things entirely according to your own will."
Ning Jue smiled and spoke casually. Compared to Bai Hua's nervousness, he was much more relaxed in both tone and demeanor: "I know what I'm doing. Besides, many acquaintances were there that day, so of course I couldn't miss out on the excitement."
Bai Hua naturally assumed that the acquaintances the young master mentioned referred to the many swordsmen of Ji Ling.
After all, they are all masters of swordsmanship. Having roamed the martial world for a long time, they might have had some connection with each other and even met by chance.
But that's not the point.
The key point is that my cousin's previous fears have all come true.
If the young master intends to take to the arena, then he will inevitably become his cousin Bachou's biggest rival.
Bai Hua didn't know whether Ning Jue just wanted to participate or try his best to win. She couldn't figure out his thoughts, but she didn't want to keep trying to get information out of him, as that would seem too deliberate.
...
After staying peacefully at the Duan residence for two days, Bai Hua finally got her chance to escape.
It wasn't that she used any special methods; rather, Jiuqiu helped her by chance.
That day, Chen Fu couldn't find Jiu Qiu in the secluded courtyard in the countryside. He assumed that she was unhappy about the accommodation arranged by Duan Yi Bian, so she simply left.
Bai Hua was somewhat worried upon learning of the unexpected situation.
Worried about Jiuqiu's safety, she discussed with Ningjue that they should also go out to help search.
Because Jiuqiu and Fang Lun had a past entanglement, and both of them were once prominent figures in Yecheng, the search for Jiuqiu was inevitably hampered by Fang Yanhai's many eyes and ears. They could not post notices to inquire, but could only rely on people who knew her to carefully search the streets and alleys.
Duan Yi also attached great importance to this matter.
He wasn't worried that Jiuqiu would suffer if she left the side courtyard penniless and had nowhere to go, but rather that she would be targeted by Fang Yanhai's spies, bringing unnecessary trouble to the Duan family.
Fang Yanhai and Duan Yi were both well-known local bullies in Yecheng, but they had always kept to themselves. If Fang Lun hadn't foolishly set his sights on Miss A Peng this time, completely angering Ning Jue, he wouldn't have had to commit murder and get himself into this mess.
But killing is killing. He used to be in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and had seen plenty of bloodshed. So as long as the aftermath was dealt with cleanly, he didn't care who he killed. He didn't even blink.
But clearly, Jiuqiu is that lingering, unresolved issue.
How could Duan Yi possibly find her pleasing to the eye?
She left, which suited him, but she didn't leave with her mouth shut, otherwise there would be endless troubles and she would only annoy people.
...
Bai Hua and Ning Jue searched a street together and actually found a clue. A woman wearing a purple veil appeared in front of them for a moment, and then immediately disappeared into a narrow alley next to them.
The woman was dressed in purple, her clothes fluttering in the wind.
Bai Hua stared to her right front, feeling that the figure looked familiar. But when she tried to take a closer look, the figure had already turned the corner and disappeared.
She frowned and thought carefully. Jiuqiu did seem to have a similar style of purple dress. When she wore it, she looked very bright and beautiful, which naturally left a deeper impression on Baihua.
Bai Hua asked suspiciously, "Young Master, could that person be Jiu Qiu? Why did she rush into the alley? Was she afraid of something?"
Ning Jue also looked in that direction, but couldn't confirm the other person's identity.
He had been in contact with Jiuqiu, but he didn't remember what clothes she wore. Normally, his attention was not on Jiuqiu at all.
Bai Hua was 80% sure she wasn't mistaken, and Ning Jue, after hearing her words, felt it was necessary to investigate further.
"This alley connects two streets, and you can turn in either direction. If you don't follow the right direction, you'll miss each other. So let's split up for now. I'll go left, and you go right. We'll meet at the end of the alley afterwards, okay?"
This is an efficient and reasonable arrangement.
Bai Hua nodded quickly; if she hesitated any longer, Jiu Qiu would probably have disappeared by now.
"Okay, I'll go this way then."
After saying that, Bai Hua took action.
Ning Jue, however, was not in such a hurry. He stood there watching her and called out, "Be careful. If anything happens, call me immediately."
Bai Hua glanced back quickly and replied, "Don't worry, the Jade Bone Whistle is on me. I'll blow it if anything happens."
This is what the young master put around her neck last night.
This whistle had once been inside her body, and even though it had been thoroughly cleansed, Bai Hua still felt uncomfortable with it; the memories lingered, making her feel incredibly embarrassed.
At that moment, as she watched the young master slowly remove the jade whistle from his neck and put it on hers, Bai Hua blushed silently.
Afterwards, the two shared a passionate and unrestrained love affair. As their parting drew near, Bai Hua wanted to make amends, no longer caring about shame, only wanting to be inseparable from the young master, their bodies intertwined.
The whistle kept dangling from her chest, and when it finally stopped, she was so dazed that she forgot to return it.
Even now, the whistle still hangs around her neck, serving as a means of communication, which is making the best use of it.
The two of them simultaneously looked away and walked in opposite directions.
After turning the corner, they briefly disappeared from each other's sight, but the alley was only so long, so the two wouldn't get too far apart.
If anything happens, as soon as Bai Hua makes a sound, Ning Jue can leap up using his light-footed skill and appear beside her in the blink of an eye. Therefore, this arrangement poses almost no safety risks.
Ning Jue quickly caught up to the end, but saw no one and did not find the figure in purple.
He guessed that Bai Hua might have successfully stopped the people, and the fact that Bai Hua didn't blow the whistle meant that she had already stabilized Jiu Qiu.
During the few days they spent together on the ship, Ning Jue noticed that the two women got along very well, and perhaps Bai Hua's persuasion really was effective.
Thinking of this, Ning Jue turned around and searched in the opposite direction, but after walking to the end of the alley, not only did he not see Jiu Qiu, but Bai Hua had also disappeared without a trace.
Ning Jue's brow twitched; he sensed something was wrong.
He called out, but received no response. He leaped up using his light-footed skill and stood on high ground, but found nothing unusual.
People don't just disappear; they must still be nearby. There are no side streets on either side of the alley, and apart from the gray-white walls, there are only a few scattered houses.
Disregarding the owner's wishes, Ning Jue pushed open the door and forced his way into the courtyard, searching room by room, house by house.
During the process, he inevitably attracted curses, but Ning Jue didn't care and ignored them all, continuing his actions hurriedly and without stopping, but the result was not optimistic.
There was no one there.
Bai Hua was neither in the alley nor hiding in the courtyard, so there is only one possibility: she was led out of the alley by someone who climbed over the wall and then disappeared without a trace.
If that's the case, he would have noticed it immediately if Bai Hua had made even the slightest sound.
The fact that it could be done so silently, without even a trace of struggle or dragging, can only mean one thing.
Ning Jue was unwilling to accept it, but the facts were undeniable.
—Bai Hua did it voluntarily.
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