Not to mention Xiao Ba—even Luo Yang was stunned for a moment.

When he came to his senses, he immediately grew anxious: “How can you be so vicious, woman? You made Xiao Ba eat poison and forced us to follow you to Qujiang to find someone. Now you’re just leaving with a pat on your bottom, and you say there’s no antidote. You’re simply… simply taking lives.”

“Taking lives” was about the only phrase he could think of and use.

But Ji Yunshu remained calm, saying: “Why are you in such a rush? I haven’t even finished speaking.” She looked at Xiao Ba and told him: “You can rest assured—what I gave you wasn’t any poison at all, just an ordinary medicinal pill. Not only won’t it poison you to death, it actually helps invigorate your meridians and won’t harm your body.”

Xiao Ba was shocked: “Really… really?”

“If you don’t believe me, go find a physician to examine you.”

So he had worried about this and that all along the way, all for nothing?

Those tears were shed in vain too?

Although this was good news, Luo Yang’s anger flared: “Do you know what we did for that antidote? We captured that man surnamed Wen, risked being swept away by sandstorms all the way looking for you, and nearly lost our lives. But in the end, you were just toying with us.”

“Just now I also saved both your lives—we’re even.”

“That makes us even?”

“Otherwise? Don’t tell me you really want me to force poison down both your throats before you’ll let it go?”

“You…” Luo Yang swallowed.

Seeing he had nothing to say, Ji Yunshu turned and left.

Luo Yang stood frozen in place for a moment, but then his feet involuntarily followed after her. He asked: “Hey, are you really planning to just leave like this?”

She walked forward without looking aside: “You’re free now, aren’t you?”

“Then… aren’t you planning to find that person called Shatuo anymore?”

“I’ve already found the person I was looking for. You don’t need to follow me anymore—go back to Zhu New City.”

Luo Yang’s face looked troubled, with a trace of embarrassment, as he said: “Zhu New City… I’m afraid I can’t go back there.”

His voice was somewhat small.

Hearing this, Ji Yunshu stopped walking and looked at him sideways: “Why not?”

Luo Yang hesitated for a long while before saying: “Isn’t it all because of your… antidote! So I borrowed a few camels from Lord Hu, and also took a small advantage from Yao Niang. So they’re definitely setting up nets everywhere waiting for me. Once I return to Zhu New City, I’m surely dead! So now, Xiao Ba and I can only wander the four seas as our home.”

Calling “stealing” borrowing.

Calling “three hundred taels” a small advantage.

Such words could probably only be spoken so skillfully by Luo Yang.

After hearing this, Ji Yunshu fell briefly silent and said: “In that case, you should find a good place to settle down anew.”

“What about you? Where are you going?”

“Yanjing!”

“Yanjing? What are you going to Yanjing for?”

“You don’t need to know that.” She was unwilling to say more. “I’m leaving now. You and Xiao Ba take good care of yourselves.”

This time, she really left!

Luo Yang didn’t chase after her either.

Xiao Ba quickly walked over and asked: “Brother, since I don’t have poison in me anymore, where do we go now?”

Luo Yang said: “In any case, we can’t go back to Zhu New City.”

“If we’re not going back, then…”

Before he finished speaking, Luo Yang asked him: “Xiao Ba, do you want to go to Yanjing?”

He raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Ba scratched his head: “Yanjing? Is that place good?”

“I’ve never been there either, but… it should be a good place.”

“As long as you go, I’ll go.” Xiao Ba was determined to stick with Luo Yang.

The two happily decided.

They decided to go to Yanjing, just like Ji Yunshu.

…

Ji Yunshu returned to the inn where she had stayed before.

The waiter saw her return and asked: “Miss, was there no boat to Liangzhou?”

“Something delayed me, so I need to stay another night—the same room as before.”

“Right away!”

The waiter went around to the back of the counter to get her key. Ji Yunshu took out silver and was about to hand it over when a hand beat her to it, placing silver on the table.

The newcomer raised his voice and called out: “Waiter, give this young master an upper room.”

Just hearing that voice, she knew it was that brat Luo Yang!

Ji Yunshu couldn’t help but furrow her brows several times.

Why was he haunting her like a ghost?

Ji Yunshu looked at him: “You?”

Luo Yang grinned cheekily: “Miss Ji, I’m also planning to stay here tonight.”

Fine, she couldn’t control where he stayed!

The waiter accepted the silver and said: “Young master, please wait, I’ll arrange it right away.”

At this moment, Xiao Ba ran in from outside, saying: “Brother, I’ll take the carriage to the back.”

Ji Yunshu pondered to herself.

Luo Yang was usually so poor he couldn’t even afford a steamed bun—how did he now have both a carriage and silver?

It seemed he had taken quite a bit of advantage from Lord Hu and Yao Niang!

No wonder he couldn’t return to Zhu New City.

The waiter gave them keys: “All three of you, please go upstairs.”

Ji Yunshu walked ahead and went upstairs first!

Luo Yang tossed the key in his hand and smiled at Ji Yunshu’s retreating back.

He was determined to cling to her!

…

On the other side.

After Wen Che brought Wen Yu back to the inn, he immediately summoned a physician.

The injuries on Wen Yu’s body hadn’t been treated for half a month.

Several wounds on his body had festered.

He would likely be left with scars.

“Physician, will this leave any lingering ailments?” Wen Che asked.

Having finished bandaging, the physician wrote a prescription while saying: “Lingering ailments shouldn’t be the case, but in the future his body may be rather weak. He’ll need to carefully recuperate. If the recuperation isn’t done well, that could be big trouble. After all, this young master’s injuries have been neglected for so long.”

Shu Tian, standing nearby, heard this and said angrily: “We should have killed those two people then and there!”

Wen Che glanced at him, telling him to shut up!

After prescribing medicine and giving a few instructions, the physician left.

Wen Che comforted Wen Yu: “Don’t worry. When we reach Yanjing, we’ll have the imperial physicians from the palace examine you—you’ll be fine.”

“Mm.”

Although Wen Yu wasn’t a military officer, in the end he was a seven-foot tall man—what would it be like if his body became weak?

Wen Che’s face was grave as he asked: “What exactly happened? Weren’t you ordered to receive Prince Jing’an? Why did you go for three months without news, and end up covered in injuries? What about the people who accompanied you?”

“They’re all dead!”

“Dead?”

Wen Yu: “Brother, I barely got this life back. I almost died in the Nansai desert too.”

Wen Che frowned, waiting for him to continue.

“On the journey from Yanjing, I kept feeling someone was following me. Not long after entering the Nansai desert, a group of black-clothed men suddenly appeared to hunt us down! Each one struck viciously, determined to take our lives. So we could only circle around the desert evading them for a long time, and our journey was delayed. My men were killed one after another. Fortunately I managed to escape, and was then rescued by that Miss Ji today—that’s how I kept my life! Otherwise, how would I have had the chance to see you?”