Now that large ship was damaged, they could only leave once it was repaired!

Ji Yunshu, having caught a chill, rested as soon as she arrived at the inn.

Yi Wei’an ordered people to prepare a new coffin and settled Prince Jing’an properly.

Wen Che invited a physician to carefully examine Wen Yu once more.

After the physician finished examining him, he asked, “May I know if the young master has seen a physician before?”

Wen Che said, “We haven’t invited a physician, but we had someone administer silver needles.”

“That physician has superb medical skills! Most admirable.”

“Oh?”

“Fortunately, the needles were administered in time. The patient is in no great danger now. As long as I prescribe a few doses of medicine for the patient to take after brewing, and he rests quietly, he’ll naturally recover.”

“Thank you, physician.”

After the physician wrote the prescription and left, Wen Che immediately had Shu Tian go procure and brew the medicine.

Afterward, he went to find Luo Yang.

Luo Yang and Xiao Ba were eating and drinking heartily in their room.

Since someone else was paying anyway, they had no reason not to take advantage.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

Xiao Ba stuffed meat in his mouth and asked unclearly, “Who is it?”

“Me!”

“Who’s ‘me’?”

“…”

Luo Yang recognized the voice and kicked Xiao Ba. “Hurry and open the door.”

Xiao Ba swallowed the meat in his mouth and ran to open the door.

When the door opened, Wen Che saw them eating meat and fish lavishly but wasn’t surprised.

However, when Xiao Ba saw him, he was somewhat afraid and involuntarily stepped back several paces.

Luo Yang squinted his eyes and stared at Wen Che from top to bottom. Knowing his intent in coming, he secretly smiled and kicked an empty chair beside him. “Sit.”

Previously, Wen Che not only wouldn’t have come looking for them but wouldn’t have sat down either.

But this time was different. Luo Yang had helped him so greatly, and he wasn’t some heartless person. Naturally, he understood the principle of repaying kindness.

So he sat down.

Xiao Ba also sat down, then pushed a plate of meat in front of Wen Che and asked, “Do you… want to eat?”

Wen Che glanced at it coldly without speaking.

“Not eating? Fine then!”

Xiao Ba ate it himself.

Luo Yang said, “Xiao Ba, go outside.”

“Why?”

“Just go out!”

Xiao Ba, confused, scratched his head, then grabbed a chicken leg and went out.

Closing the door behind him.

Only the two men remained in the room!

Luo Yang smiled, poured Wen Che a cup of wine, and said with raised eyebrows, “Have a drink.”

He picked up the wine cup and drank it!

Very straightforwardly!

Luo Yang smiled and said, “I really never imagined you’d be Wen Yu’s older brother! Your personalities are like heaven and earth—one talks a lot and is vicious, but poisonous openly. You talk less but are sinister and scheming in the shadows.”

“…” Wen Che said nothing.

Immediately after, Luo Yang stood up, holding the wine pot in one hand and wine cup in the other. He poured and drank while circling behind Wen Che, saying, “I wondered why you so readily let me board the ship. Turns out you had plans in the shadows—you wanted to put me to death! You nearly killed me.”

Wen Che’s brows furrowed slightly. “What makes you think that?”

“You’re still pretending! Two snakes suddenly appeared in mine and Xiao Ba’s cabin and bit each of us. Those snakes were poisonous—we nearly died. I asked the people on the ship, and they don’t keep snakes at all. Besides you people, I can’t think of anyone else. Are all you people surnamed Wen this vicious? You actually wanted to take lives! Do you know I could go report you to the authorities right now and have you all arrested?”

Ha ha!

That official would probably tremble with fear and fall to his knees upon seeing Wen Che.

And Wen Che didn’t want to play word games with him anymore.

He said directly, “That’s right. I did indeed order those snakes to be released.”

“Bang!” Luo Yang’s eyes turned fierce. He immediately slammed the wine pot in his hand heavily onto the table. The pot lid fell off, hit the ground, and broke in two.

“It really was you! I merely tied up Wen Yu—I didn’t take his life. Besides, if not for me, could he have left the Nansai Desert? Could he have seen you? You should be thanking me. Instead, you wanted to kill me! How vicious! Your hearts are more poisonous than those two venomous snakes.”

A ball of fury suddenly surged in his chest!

Wen Che remained very calm and said, “This was unexpected. I only wanted to give you a small lesson so you’d remember and wouldn’t casually tie people up again. How could I have known those two snakes would actually be poisonous? This point I was indeed careless about, and I must apologize to you.”

“That’s it?”

“Of course, I also need to thank you.”

Luo Yang snorted, plopped down in his seat, and viciously stomped his foot on the stool.

Wen Che continued, “This time, if you hadn’t stepped forward to save him, A’Yu wouldn’t be safe and sound. Then you protected that corpse. Such great kindness is like saving the Wen family.”

Luo Yang’s eyes shifted. It seemed Ji Yunshu was right!

That desiccated corpse really was a benefactor!

Good thing he didn’t throw it away then!

He said, “Since I saved your Wen family, how do you plan to thank me?”

“What do you want?”

By rights, Luo Yang should ask for silver, but he suddenly changed his mind and asked, “What can you give me?”

Uh!

Give?

With the Wen family’s current position in Yanjing, there was much he could give Luo Yang.

Wen Che also perceived his thoughts and said, “If you wanted silver, you would have said so just now. Since you’re asking this way, you naturally want something else. Speak—what exactly do you want?”

“To soar to success, to advance rapidly in career—can you provide that?”

“You truly don’t want wealth?”

“Money can be spent completely, but fame and status are inexhaustible.”

Wen Che smiled slightly. “Then how can you be certain I can grant you success and rapid advancement?”

“I’m guessing! I see you don’t seem like those ordinary wealthy families. The people around you are all skilled fighters. Perhaps you’re some important personage. Since you’re an important personage, what I want, you can definitely give me.” Luo Yang raised his eyebrows.

“Luo Yang, you’re the greediest person I’ve ever met, but also the most genuine.”

“So?”

“Since I want to thank you, I’ll naturally thank you properly. What you want—I can give it to you.”

“Really… really?”

Unbelievable!

Luo Yang had only been testing, never expecting Wen Che would actually agree.

Wen Che stood up. “When the ship is repaired and we reach Liangzhou, you’ll come with me to Yanjing.”

But—

Luo Yang had concerns. “How can I trust what you’re saying? What if on the road… you kill us?”

Ha!

“If I really wanted to kill you, do you think you could have gotten off the ship alive and be sitting here negotiating terms with me?”

Luo Yang thought carefully—that was true. He didn’t have anything they could use, so there was no need to trick him into going to Yanjing.

“Good! I’ll wait for you to grant me these things.”

Wen Che stood up, but before leaving, he warned him, “But on this journey, you’d better behave yourself. Otherwise, I can take back my words at any time.”

Having said that, he left.

Xiao Ba quickly came in from outside and asked curiously, “Brother, did you get the silver?”

Luo Yang raised his hand and draped it over his shoulder. The corner of his mouth curled up as he said, “Xiao Ba, once we reach Yanjing, we’ll have endless money to spend!”