The room fell silent for a moment, only for a greater commotion to erupt. After Ye Beizhi had effortlessly taken down the innkeeper, the attendants and thugs snapped back to their senses and began shouting.
"You’ve got guts, kid!"
"We won't let you leave today!"
They closed in on Ye Beizhi as they shouted, ready to pounce.
Ye Beizhi glanced at each of them and lightly said, "When I left today, I was told to avoid getting into a fight."
The thugs frowned, unsure of what he was muttering about.
At these words, the thugs all burst into laughter. "What’s this? Are you saying you want to surrender?"
"I thought this kid was brave to fight us, but I guess I was wrong!"
Ye Beizhi rested his right hand on the hilt of his blade, gently stroking it as he murmured, "You’re making this difficult for me..."
Seeing Ye Beizhi’s hand on the blade, Fang Dingwu realized trouble was brewing and quickly shouted, "Brother Ye! Don’t!"
Silver light flashed through the room.
Fang Dingwu’s pupils contracted, and he involuntarily gasped. He hadn’t even seen Ye Beizhi move. All he saw was a flash of light before his vision blurred, and Ye Beizhi had already sheathed his blade.
The thugs surrounding Ye Beizhi all swallowed in unison. A perfectly horizontal cut had appeared on their shirts, exposing their abdomens underneath.
"Move," Ye Beizhi ordered in a low voice, his right hand still resting on the blade.
Intimidated by his presence, the thugs instinctively stepped aside.
Ye Beizhi walked over, helped Fang Dingwu up, and asked, "Can you walk?"
Gritting his teeth, Fang Dingwu nodded. "I can manage. Just a bit weak, but I’ll be fine."
After putting on his shoes, Fang Dingwu let Ye Beizhi support him as they walked out. But after taking a single step, he turned back to rummage through the bed, eventually pulling out his pair of blades from under the pillow. Grinning at Ye Beizhi, he said, "Can’t leave these behind."
Ye Beizhi nodded and helped Fang Dingwu out.
Walking along the street, Fang Dingwu opened his mouth several times but said nothing, clearly hesitant. Ye Beizhi noticed but chose not to say anything either.
Finally, unable to hold back, Fang Dingwu asked tentatively, "Brother, tell me... How is Little Sister Nanwei?"
Ye Beizhi instinctively wanted to say, "She’s fine," but paused. He remembered the hardship and sorrow Chi Nanwei had endured while traveling with him, and couldn’t bring himself to utter those words.
"She..." Ye Beizhi hesitated.
Seeing Ye Beizhi’s reaction, Fang Dingwu’s expression changed, and his voice trembled. "She... What happened to her?"
"She’s fine," Ye Beizhi said, shaking his head and looking ahead. "I’ll take you to her."
They walked in silence, and by the time they returned to the inn, it was already dusk.
Ye Beizhi led Fang Dingwu and opened the door to the room.
Baili Gucheng sat by the bed, staring blankly at Yang Lu. Xue Qiming lounged in a chair, dozing with Xue Niang asleep in his arms. Chi Nanwei and Rao Shuang were chatting quietly at the table, which was covered with various powders and cosmetics. The only one missing was Tang Jinnian.
At the sound of the door opening, Xue Qiming opened his eyes momentarily, saw that it was Ye Beizhi and Fang Dingwu, then closed them again to feign sleep.
Chi Nanwei and Rao Shuang turned to look, and Chi Nanwei immediately stood up with a smile when she saw Fang Dingwu behind Ye Beizhi. "Big brother Dingwu... you’re here."
Fang Dingwu froze the moment he saw Chi Nanwei. Hearing her call him, he trembled as he stammered, "Little sis... little sister..."
Blinking hard, Fang Dingwu took an unsteady step forward, murmuring, "Little sister, I’ve finally found you..."
Fang Dingwu stumbled, and Chi Nanwei quickly stepped forward to steady him.
"Heavens be praised... heavens be praised..." Fang Dingwu’s eyes reddened as his voice choked with emotion. He gripped Chi Nanwei’s wrists tightly, as if afraid she would vanish again. "I’ve finally found you... I thought you were all..."
"Big Brother Dingwu, don’t be ..." Chi Nanwei watched the large tears rolling down his face, her own mood sinking. Forcing a smile, she said, "See? We’re all fine."
"Fine... you’re all fine..." Fang Dingwu nodded emphatically, then seemed to recall something and slowly lowered his head. "I... I went back to the escort agency... The old master, he... he..."
"I know..." Chi Nanwei’s smile was strained, but she still tried to comfort Fang Dingwu. "I know... Big Brother Dingwu, it’s all in the past now."
"In the past?" Fang Dingwu raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion. "What do you mean?"
On the other side of the room, Ye Beizhi walked over to Xue Qiming and patted his shoulder.
Xue Qiming opened his eyes and looked up. "What?"
"Where’s the other one?" Ye Beizhi asked.
"Next door... he said he’s refining medicine and doesn’t want anyone disturbing him except to deliver food and drinks." Xue Qiming waved dismissively, then pointed at the cosmetics on the table. "These two ladies went to buy his ingredients and came back with a load of makeup. Aren’t you going to do something about it?"
Ye Beizhi glanced at the table, then at Chi Nanwei’s forced smile, and shook his head. "It's up to them."
"If you don’t keep them in line, who will?" Xue Qiming widened his eyes, raising his voice.
Perhaps disturbed by the noise, Xue Niang stirred in Xue Qiming’s arms and mumbled something incomprehensible before falling back into a deep sleep.
Only then did Xue Qiming lower his voice to continue. "Do you know how expensive that stuff is? Do you think money grows on trees?"
Ye Beizhi tilted his head in thought. Back in the capital, Ye Fan had given them several thousand silver taels. They had only spent a small portion of it on the journey so far. He nodded decisively and seconded Xue Qiming's question. "Yes."
Xue Qiming opened and closed his mouth. He didn't have the words to describe Ye Beizhi's financial acumen.
Meanwhile, Chi Nanwei and Fang Dingwu continued their conversation.
"What do you mean by it’s in the past? Do you know who destroyed the escort agency? Are you not planning on taking revenge?" Fang Dingwu asked flusteredly.
Chi Nanwei tilted her head slightly to look at Yang Lu on the bed, her expression darkening. "It was the External Prime Minister, Qi Zongbi. Dummy and I have already tried to get our revenge on him..."
"The Prime Minister?!" Fang Dingwu gasped. "Why would he destroy our escort agency? Did... did you succeed?"
Chi Nanwei shook her head, biting her lip. "We failed... See those two? Miss Yang Lu was gravely injured and still hasn’t woken up. Sir Baili and Dummy were also seriously hurt and took a long time to recover."
She let out a bitter laugh. "The prime minister... can't be taken down easily..."