Having packed up, the first thing Ye Li saw when she was downstairs was Han Ming Xi, sitting at the most notable table in the hall, looking at her with a flirtatious smile. She felt a headache.
Han Ming Xi, who seemed unaware of her anger, waved at her joyfully. “Jun Wei, come here and have some breakfast.”
Walking over, she saw a table full of food. Raising her brows with a smile, she said: “Brother Han, what a big meal.”
Han Ming Xi waved his hands, not caring he was the center of attention in the hall and smiled: “Jun Wei, eat as much as you can. We won"t be able to enjoy something like this when we are in Nan Zhao.”
Ye Li made herself at home and called Secret Guard No.3 over to have some breakfast as well.
Looking at silent Secret Guard No.3, Han Ming Xi raised his brows with a question: “Brother, I don’t know your name yet. Jun Wei, your guard is indeed a master-hand.” Normally, Han Ming Xi knew his own limitations. Besides, as the younger brother of the master of Tianyi Pavilion, he had a broad outlook as well. Though he was unparalleled in terms of flying skills, he wasn"t so good at fighting. At least, this guard of his new friend was better than him in regard to martial arts.
Ye Li glanced at Secret Guard No.3 and said: “Zhuo Jing.”
Secret Guard No.3 looked up at Ye Li, a little surprised. Zhuo Jing was his real name which was rarely used after he became the princess’ secret guard. He didn’t expect that she would know it.
Han Ming Xi smiled: “Well, I shall call you Brother Zhuo then. I’ll be troubling you from now on.”
Secret Guard No.3 said indifferently: “You flatter me, Mr. Han.”
As they finished breakfast and Secret Guard No.3 checked out, the middle-aged man who spoke to Ye Li yesterday came up again, with a man who looked like a steward. “Mr. Chu, are you leaving too? Is this... lord your guide?”
Ye Li nodded slightly without a word. Apparently, neither Ye Li nor Han Ming Xi wanted to reply. However, the man didn’t feel awkward at all and smiled: “Since your men are all here too, are you leaving today? If so, how about we travel together?”
Han Ming Xi played with the food on the table lazily and said: “Why will we leave with you guys? Isn"t it better that we take our separate ways?”
The man said with a smile: “We are all going to Nan Zhao. Besides, we’ll be safer in a bigger group. As far as I’ve heard... we’ll enter the territory of Luoyi Clan as soon as we are out of Scattered Snow Pa.s.s. Yesterday, you two...”
Looking up, Ye Li said with confusion: “Sir, you"ve known that we’ve had an unpleasant encounter with the young lord of Luoyi Clan, why do you insist traveling with us?”
The man curled his lips and said: “Luoyi Clan is nothing. Though Nan Zhao is good with poison, we don’t have to fear them.”
Ye Li agreed with him inwardly. You guys don"t have to fear them since you have the Sick Scholar who was good with poison as well.Thinking of that, she nodded: “Well, we shall trouble you then. May I have your name, sir?”
The man laughed heartily: “I’m Zheng Kui. I used to be a head of escort, now I make a living by being a personal guard. This is the steward. That over there is our lord. And that one...” The man who called himself Zheng Kui looked at the Sick Scholar who closed his eyes and rested on the wall and said: “I"ve heard he’s a master-hand who was paid a lot by our lord. Well... huh, I see nothing good with he but weakness.”
Nodding, Ye Li said: “Well, nice to meet you, Guard Zheng. Shall we leave for Nan Zhao now?”
Having Ye Li"s agreement, Zheng Kui was apparently happy. He laughed heartily: “Let me report to my lord.” Turning around, Zheng Kui and the steward went back to talk to that merchant lord, who seemed a little unhappy but agreed anyway. Then the four of them went back to their rooms to pack up their luggage.
Watching them go upstairs, Ye Li glanced at Han Ming Xi slightly who leaned on the table in grievance and looked back at her: “Jun Wei, what did I mess up this time?”
Ye Li snorted slightly and cast him a sidelong glance: “Mr. Han, can you subdue yourself?”
“Subdue myself?” Han Ming Xi was confused and asked: “I’m not a celebrity. Why do I need to subdue myself?” Few knew he was Young Master Feng Yue. Otherwise, he would have been encircled and intercepted by those who called themselves men fighting for a just cause.
Ye Li looked at him in an expression like a smile yet not a smile and said: “You are indeed low-key but your face isn"t. Do you think the Sick Scholar ever met Master Ming Yue? Do you think he knows Master Ming Yue owns Tianyi Pavilion?”
Blinking, Han Ming Xi looked at Ye Li apologetically and said below his breath: “Eh... my big brother is a friend of the first master of the Hall of Darkness. So... he has probably seen me before. It seems he knew we have recognized him.”
“Obviously.” Ye Li said without any expression.
“Why does he want us to travel with him?” Han Ming Xi asked in a small voice. “If it’s me, he should have told me first. After all, my big brother is on good terms with the first master of the Hall of Darkness.”
Ye Li shook her head and said: “I don"t think so. He has invited me to join him before you were here which I rejected.”
Rubbing his chin, Han Ming Xi said: “The Sick Scholar can"t come all the way here for nothing. But why is he with that merchant? Ordinary merchant can"t afford to hire him. As for medicine business... no merchant who does such business will go to Nan Zhao during this time of year.” The most traded goods between Great Chu was rare medicine. However, judging from how desolate Yong Lin was right now, one could figure out it wasn’t time for medicine business.
Supporting her forehead, Ye Li said: “Do you think an ordinary merchant dare to be around someone like the Sick Scholar?”
Han Ming Xi raised his brows. “Oh? Is there a problem?”
Ye Li was silent for a while. “I haven’t a clue for now.” But since they were going to travel together, she was going to find out if something was wrong.
Soon, they met in front of the inn. After that, they left Yong Lin and headed for Scattered Snow Pa.s.s. To Ye Li’s surprise, that heavy-jowled and pot-bellied merchant was in fact a good rider. However, she did worry about his horse. The Sick Scholar had been coughing as soon as he was on his horse as if he was going to cough his lung out. As they went past Scattered Snow Pa.s.s, Ye Li happened to see Murong Ting talking with a middle-aged man happily when she looked back at the Pa.s.s. Murong Ting must have been enjoying herself without the restraint of the capital. Ye Li was happy for her friend. Turning back with a smile, she caught up with her group.
“Have some water.” Out of Scattered Snow Pa.s.s, they made a rapid march and only stopped when dusk fell. Apparently, they had missed the chance to find a decent lodge. However, the wildness of Nan Zhao might be dangerous, the homes and inns of Nan Zhao weren’t better.
Secret Guard No.3 went into the woods and carried out a bunch of firewood and a wild chicken a while later. Then, he started a fire and cooked. Zheng Kui caught a few fish from a river not far away. Glancing at the Sick Scholar who was coughing violently under the tree, Ye Li pa.s.sed him some water with a frown. The Sick Scholar paused for a second before he took the water bottle and nodded at her as he said below his breath: “Thank you.” Ye Li nodded and sat at her old spot. Though the Sick Scholar seemed to only have half a life left, Ye Li wasn"t going to take him less seriously. It was better to stay as far away as possible from someone like him, especially when he bore grudges against Mo Xiu Yao.
Han Ming Xi leaned on the tree, bored, as he watched Secret Guard No.3 put the chicken over the fire, ready to roast it. He smiled at Ye Li: “Jun Wei, Brother Zhuo is great. I"ve never seen anyone as good with these things as he is. Those fellows of the green woods who eat in the wind and sleep in the dew might not be a match for him.”
Secret Guard No.3, who was sitting by the fire raised his brows without a word. He was not going to tell Han Ming Xi what kind of training he went through with his other three brothers under the Hidden Could Mountain last year. In fact, up to now, none of them figured out how their master came up with those strange ideas for training, that field survival training in particular, where they were left in a wide forest, living in the company of poisonous insects for a whole month, with only a dagger and five arrows to protect themselves. At first, they didn"t understand what good this kind of training did them since they already managed martial arts, flying skills and internal energy. However, one month later, Secret Guard No.2, the first one to come out of that forest in rags, knocked down Secret Guard No.1, No.4 and himself. They used to match each other in strength. If anyone accidentally won, he would be at the end of his strength. However, that time, Secret Guard No.2 displayed his martial prowess and knocked down No.1, himself and went down with No.4. Secret Guard No.2 didn"t learn anything else, didn"t even go up a level in terms of his internal energy, but his change was both a shock and good news to them.
Only by the time Secret Guard No.3 himself went into that forest did he realize what No.2 had gone through. Poisonous snakes, insects, herbs, swamps, beasts. In the first few days he was in the forest, he didn"t even dare close his eyes when night fell since he would find himself surrounded by a wolf pack or eyed at menacingly by a hissing snake after some sleep. Every day, he had to find his own food and collect what the princess asked him to. One time, he was stuck in a swamp for three hours that he thought he was going to die. However, towards the end of his one-month training, he found himself adapting to that horrible circ.u.mstance, that he could manage at ease without martial arts. He wouldn"t suffer even when he didn"t eat or sleep for a whole day which he couldn"t do simply with his martial arts. On the day he left the forest alive, he knew that the princess had been following him in secret in the forest. That was when he started to submit himself to the rule of this young princess wholeheartedly. His friends and he knew that their master was going to be the most outstanding Princess Ding compared to her predecessors. The only pity was that the princess stopped their training due to His Highness"s illness.