The courtyard gate suddenly swung open, and two people emerged from within. Zheng'er looked around curiously. The narrow alley was deserted. A gentle breeze stirred, dislodging apricot leaves from the trees, which fluttered down before them like a cascading waterfall.
She was puzzled, unable to guess the source of the voices she had heard. "I clearly heard someone talking, but now there's no one here."
Brother Mu smiled faintly. "Perhaps we misheard. Let's go back."
"Perhaps."
The two then turned to return to the courtyard, gently closing the gate behind them.
Seeing them go back, I finally released Ah Li. Ah Li grumbled at me, "Why did we have to hide?"
I grumbled back, "Why did you have to shout so loudly? Were you afraid no one would hear you?"
"It's because you bumped into me! My face still hurts."
"How was I supposed to know you were above me? Truly."
"Are you blaming me?" he suddenly said.
I pouted. "I'm not blaming you."
"If you blame me, I'm going back to Nanshan right now. You can find Zhang Tianshi yourself."
My heart suddenly fluttered. How could I manage without him? I quickly soothed him, "I don't blame you, I don't blame you. You're the best. Why would I blame you? You have to stay with me and have fun and eat well. You'll be so cute when you're plump and fair."
My coaxing appeased his anger, and he couldn't help but smile happily. "Alright, you did a good job coaxing. I'm happy now."
"Hahaha, see? One shouldn't be too sad."
"It seems that great general kept his promise. He didn't lie. Now that we know they are doing well, we shouldn't disturb them anymore. Let's go find Zhang Tianshi."
I tilted my head slightly, gazing at the courtyard before me. I silently offered them my blessings in my heart, and after a moment, I said, "Mmm, let's go."
So, the two of us returned the way we came, back to the carriage. Ah Li was unusually cheerful, likely because I had appeased him.
Seeing him so happy, I couldn't bear to dampen his spirits. I lowered the curtain and sat back in the carriage, closing my eyes to doze.
Just as we were about to leave, we heard someone call out, "Wait!"
Ah Li looked back and saw Brother Mu and his lovely wife standing at the alley entrance. I also poked my head out and saw them.
I exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Mu! Sister-in-law Mu! What brings you here?"
Brother Mu chided us, "Why didn't you come in for a sit-down when you reached our doorstep?"
I replied sheepishly, "Ah Li and I just came to see you. Seeing that you are doing well now, we are relieved."
Sister-in-law Mu was touched that someone cared about them so much. Recalling what her husband had told her about the people he met in the dungeon, she quickly asked me, "You must be Sister Muye, right? Your brother has already told me about your experiences in the dungeon."
I replied, "Those were just minor things. I didn't expect Brother Mu to remember."
Brother Mu then looked at Ah Li, gazing at the pair of fluffy, grey, adorable ears atop his head. He immediately guessed who he was. "You must be that little Raccoon Dog, aren't you?"
Ah Li smiled bashfully. "Yes. I was unconscious then and didn't know anything. But I overheard your conversation with Muye and knew you were that Brother Mu."
Brother Mu invited us, "Since you're already here, why don't you come inside for a bit?"
I shook my head. "Brother Mu, thank you for your kindness, but Ah Li and I still need to rush to Dongyue Town."
Sister-in-law Mu asked curiously, "What's so urgent?"
"It's a personal matter that needs to be resolved in person."
"In that case, we won't keep you. However, you must take these with you."
Saying this, she handed me the basket she was holding. I took the basket and saw it was filled with flower cakes.
I exclaimed in surprise, "So many flower cakes! We can't accept them, we really can't."
I tried to hand it back, but Brother Mu said, "Please accept them. We made them ourselves."
I replied sheepishly, "But so many must have cost a lot of money."
"It didn't cost much. Take them for the road. It's just a small token of our appreciation."
Since they insisted, I had no choice but to accept. Ah Li said, "Brother Mu, Sister-in-law Mu, meeting you is fate. However, we still have to rush to Dongyue Town, so we must bid farewell now."
"Alright, have a safe journey."
I said, "May you also be safe and happy."
They replied, "Yes, you too."
After bidding farewell, Ah Li urged the carriage onward, and we gradually drove away, eventually disappearing around the corner.
Brother Mu and Sister-in-law Mu remained standing in place. Even though the carriage was no longer visible, they still listened to the swaying sound of the carriage as they watched us depart.
Ah Li drove the horse to the city gate. From afar, he could see several convoys lined up at the gate. The foremost and rearmost convoys had two flags each on their sides, one red and one white.
Ah Li glanced at them and knew, without guessing, which convoy was heading to Dongyue Town and which was going to Nanhai City.
While waiting for the convoy, a man in tattered clothes with messy hair suddenly lunged towards the carriage, causing it to sway violently. I was also jolted awake by the sudden tremor.
I quickly got out of the carriage and saw Ah Li already stepping forward to pull the man away.
"I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving! Don't drag me."
The man clung stubbornly to the outside of the carriage, refusing to let go. Ah Li looked at him quizzically and asked, "What do you want?"
The man tidied his clothes and let out a long sigh before saying, "Nothing much. I'm just a bit hungry and would like some food."
I said to Ah Li, "He looks quite down on his luck. Why don't we buy him a bun?"
"Thank you, young lady," the man said hurriedly.
Ah Li looked at the man before him and felt a bit of pity. "Alright, wait here. I'll go buy you something to eat."
He turned back to me and said, "Muye, keep an eye on the carriage. I'll be back soon."
"Okay, I'll watch it carefully."
After Ah Li finished speaking, he turned and left. Seeing him walk away, the man grinned and walked towards me. I felt a bit scared and kept backing away. "You, what do you want!"
"Don't you remember me?" he asked.
I was a bit confused. "No, I don't."
He scratched his backside and then said, "I'm that 'great hero brother' who robbed you that night."
"What!" A shock ran through me. I had thought it was strange enough that the 'dark brother' had robbed me in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night, but I never expected his true appearance to be like this.
Recalling his lecherous hands that night, I couldn't help but feel a chill of fear.
I coughed lightly and said politely, "Ah, so it's the great hero brother. Didn't we agree not to see each other again? Why are you here again?"
"I was begging on that street over there when I saw you, so I came over to catch up."
I gave an awkward laugh. "Ah, hahaha, it's good of you to still remember me. Look, now that you've found me, you should go back. Go back."
"Let's shake hands before I go."
Saying this, he extended his hand, which had just been scratching his backside. I immediately smelled a faint scent of moldy socks, and a wave of nausea washed over me. I turned and leaned over the carriage, retching.
Brother Hero looked at me in confusion and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
I waved my hand, indicating I didn't want to talk to him. He, however, looked at my fingers and seemed to interpret them. "What does the five mean? Does five mean five days?"
I was speechless. I turned back to him and said, "Great Hero Brother, please be a good person and let me go. I thank you."
Just as he was about to speak, Ah Li walked over and handed him a flatbread. The Great Hero Brother took the flatbread, ate it, and said to him, "Do you know what five means?"
Ah Li was confused. "What five?"
Great Hero Brother pointed at me and said, "She just made a gesture with her hand."
Ah Li looked at me doubtfully.
Knowing I was about to be misunderstood, I quickly explained, "I didn't mean anything. I just waved my hand, and Great Hero Brother misunderstood."
Ah Li asked me curiously, "Do you know each other?"
"We met once before."
With food in hand, Great Hero Brother no longer pestered us. He waved goodbye. "Since there's nothing else, I'll be going."
I happily saw him off. "Farewell, Great Hero Brother."
Ah Li looked at me even more doubtfully. I knew he wouldn't understand, so I glanced at the city gate and said, "We should be leaving soon. Let's get in the carriage."
Ah Li then said, "Okay," and got into the carriage. The city gate then opened, and vehicles were allowed to pass. Ah Li drove the carriage, following the convoy.
Sitting in the carriage, sleepiness returned, and I couldn't help but lean against the window and fall asleep.
After exiting the city gates, we entered the main road. The road initially led south, but halfway through, it split into two paths, one heading southeast and the other south. Seeing the endless road, it would likely take two or three days of fast travel to reach Dongyue Town.
By the time the convoy entered the mountains and forests from the plains, it was already deep into the night. As everyone was settling their carriages by the roadside, preparing to spend the night there, they suddenly looked up and were surprised to discover that it was a full moon.
Ah Li also looked up, finding the moonlit night as beautiful as a landscape painting. He eagerly wanted me to see it, so he shook me awake and called out, "Muye, Muye, wake up quickly! There's a moon tonight."
I groggily opened my eyes, looked at him, rubbed my eyes, and lifted the small curtain on the carriage window to look outside. The swaying mountain trees seemed to be covered in snow, or perhaps they had always been silver leaves.
A gentle breeze blew, refreshing and invigorating. I shook my head, feeling a bit happy. Turning my head, I saw some people stopped by the side of the main road and curiously asked Ah Li, "Who are they?"
"They are merchants."
"Merchants?"
"Yes, look at the flags on their carriages," Ah Li pointed them out to me. I squinted and saw two fluttering flags. Ah Li explained to me, "They are a red and a white flag. Red represents important goods, while white means they are guarded by experts."
I understood somewhat. "So that's how it is."
"Look at that portly merchant in front. He's one of the wealthiest merchants in Dongyue Town."
I looked closely and saw that indeed, standing by the roadside was a middle-aged man dressed exquisitely, with a plump physique, holding a folding fan.
Indeed, wealthy people are often portly and have a prosperous appearance.
"We just need to follow them to reach Dongyue Town," Ah Li said.
I was a bit confused and asked him, "How do you know all this so clearly?"
He explained, "I accompanied an elder to Dongyue Town once before, and the elder also taught me some common knowledge about the four cities."
"Oh, no wonder. Are you sleepy?"
I yawned, feeling still a bit sleepy. He patted my head and said, "If you're still sleepy, you can sleep for a while."
I nodded and was about to turn to sit down when a gust of wind suddenly swept in like waves. I heard someone shout, "Someone! Someone!"
I immediately perked up and leaned out to see what was happening. I saw a group of people drawing their long swords and surrounding the carriage.
At this moment, from the bright moonlight, a melodious male voice emerged, reciting a poem: "The divine dragon blesses a thousand households, inviting the nine from the moon."
As the voice began, a dark figure flew out from the trees and stepped into the moonlight, appearing like an immortal emerging from the moon, astonishing everyone.
In a daze, I looked up. It seemed I saw the person wearing a blue robe, a bamboo hat, and holding a long sword, lightly landing on the leaves.
I heard the exclamations of others around me, "It's Yue Jiucheng!"
"Yue Jiucheng?" I murmured.
Before everyone could recover from their shock, another figure leaped from the bushes and landed on a branch opposite him.
The person was dressed in black and held a shining long sword. He pointed his sword directly at Yue Jiucheng and, without preamble, swung his sword forward. Yue Jiucheng lightly leaped to dodge.
The man turned and slashed with his sword. Yue Jiucheng leaped and, in a stance of a golden rooster standing on one leg, stepped onto his sword. The man was startled and took out a hidden weapon from his怀 to throw at him. Yue Jiucheng elegantly spun, caught the hidden weapon, and landed on a light leaf. With a slight flick of his fingers, he sent it back. The man hurriedly blocked it with his sword.
Throughout the exchange, Yue Jiucheng never drew his sword, yet he consistently outperformed the man in black, truly living up to his reputation as a chivalrous hero.
Perhaps feeling he couldn't defeat him, the man in black sheathed his sword and leaped off the branch. Yue Jiucheng followed him closely.
The onlookers watched with great interest, sighing repeatedly, "Great Hero Yue's martial arts are truly remarkable. He repelled the enemy in just a few moves."
"Yes, yes. I had only heard people say that Great Hero Yue's martial arts were peerless and that he wielded his Moon Shadow Sword with great skill. Seeing it with my own eyes tonight, he truly lives up to his reputation. I'm still not entirely satisfied."
"Alas, I wonder who that man in black was, to be so bold as to fight Great Hero Yue."
"He's probably just some hot-headed young fellow who likes to stir up trouble."
I pulled my head back, also feeling unsatisfied. The heroic figures from Jin Yong's wuxia novels flashed through my mind. It then occurred to me that what was written in wuxia novels was actually true. I couldn't help but smile and murmur, "Yue Jiucheng, Yue Jiucheng."
Ah Li looked at me, murmuring to myself and grinning foolishly. He couldn't help but interrupt me and asked curiously, "What are you smiling about?"
I looked up, my face filled with excitement. "You wouldn't understand. Wuxia truly exists."
"Wuxia? What wuxia?" Ah Li was utterly confused.
"People like Yue Jiucheng, their lives are called wuxia."
Ah Li seemed to understand a little. "Oh, we don't call this kind of thing wuxia here. We call people who are free to come and go and are agile 'xiaoyao guests'."
"Xiaoyao guests?" Strange knowledge was increasing.
"Xiaoyao guests are people who like to live freely and unrestrained."
"That's like the people in wuxia, who also like to live freely and unrestrained."
"They should be the same."
Ah Li looked outside and saw that the bright moon was slightly obscured by dark clouds, its light almost invisible. He knew it was late at night and turned to me, saying, "Go to sleep quickly. We still have to travel tomorrow."
"Okay, you sleep too. You've had a tiring day."
Ah Li nodded slightly and slowly walked to the long bench opposite me, plopping down. "I'm going to sleep now."
"Okay, I'll sleep too."
Saying this, he closed his eyes and fell asleep gently.
Seeing him asleep, I also turned and lay down on the long bench beneath me. Perhaps because I had slept more today, I was now completely free of drowsiness.
Recalling my arrival in this world, I had often skirted the edge of danger. From the mountain god Heifeng to Tai Shen Gong Ziyu, who didn't want to eat me or live forever? Fortunately, Ziyu had a change of heart, saving me from being eaten. Now, with her guidance, I only wished to return home.
However, today, to encounter the wuxia world described in books in such a place was like a dream. My interest in this other world had unknowingly increased. I really wanted to know if such people would appear again.
Thinking this, I unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
Yue Jiucheng:
"The divine dragon blesses a thousand households, inviting the nine from the moon." He is rumored to be a chivalrous hero from the northwestern desert, a descendant of the Divine Dragon clan. Because he likes to appear on nights of the full moon, people also call him the "Moon Shadow Knight."