Xue Qinshuang said there were new goods arriving.
The people came to look for Wang Anfeng today, and since there wasn't anything urgent, they casually strolled to the street. As expected, they saw that the market was filled with exceptional fruits that weren't commonly seen on normal days, all now displayed out in the open.
A piece of rough hemp cloth was carelessly spread on the ground, where the fruits were piled up. The passersby came and went leisurely; the cries of the vendors were slightly competitive, unwilling to show weakness and relax. The way they hawked their goods was similar to martial artists sparring.
Previously, Wang Anfeng had informed the Deputy Chief Arrestor of Fufeng County about the events in Danfeng Valley. The next day, Fu Mo had handed him two hundred silver taels as a reward. Therefore, although the young man's appetite had increased, his purse once again had some value, and he bought many fresh fruits. On the way back, through casual conversation, he learned about the purpose of Xue Qinshuang and the others' visit.
It was actually because of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Baili Feng was going to his uncle's house to visit his elder relatives, and Tuoba Yue seemed to have relatives in Fufeng County City as well.
Xue Qinshuang took an orange, while peeling it, she continued to explain:
"On the fifteenth, I need to visit my elders in the city."
"So even though it's a day for reunion, we can't all gather together. After thinking about it, it seemed a good idea to meet up in advance."
Wang Anfeng nodded in agreement.
Xue Qinshuang placed a segment of the orange in her mouth, paused slightly, and then, without a change in expression, her gaze quickly swept past Wang Anfeng and seemingly casually offered him the orange. The young man hesitated for a moment, then understood her intent and took a segment, under the seemingly indifferent but expectantly watching eyes of the girl, and placed it in his mouth.
Just as he bit down, Wang Anfeng's expression stiffened slightly.
He felt an indescribable sourness explode between his teeth and lips, causing his scalp to tingle slightly.
The young man looked up at Xue Qinshuang, only to see an uncontrollable smile hiding within the girl's brown eyes.
His mind instantly understood everything; just as he was about to speak, he noticed Baili Feng coming from behind, calling out to grab an orange. Instinctively, he suppressed the change in his facial expression, maintaining the same composed face as Xue Qinshuang had.
He gestured with his hand, stopping Baili Feng from grabbing a fresh orange.
The young man pointed to the orange in Xue Qinshuang's hand that was already peeled.
Because it was so sour, Wang Anfeng was afraid his expression would distort if he spoke, so he simply gestured for Baili Feng to finish the opened one first.
Baili Feng, having no suspicions whatsoever, reached out to take it, but instead, Tuoba Yue preemptively intercepted it. The girl looked triumphantly at Baili Feng, slowly peeled off a segment, and placed it in her mouth.
Her steps hesitated slightly.
In Tuoba Yue's mind, a flood of thoughts rushed in: "What is this?", "Where am I?", and "What did I just eat?" She then quickly realized that she had taken the bullet for Baili Feng. Her thoughts raced, and a clear idea surfaced.
This loss cannot be in vain.
Tuoba Yue looked ahead at Baili Feng, determinedly suppressing the urge to stick out her tongue, her face remaining expressionless. She handed over the orange, saying:
"No, no, just because I ate a piece of your orange, here, you can have these."
Baili Feng took it. Since the previous three friends appeared as usual, without any odd expressions, he had no suspicions in his mind, casually peeled the orange, and treating it like an apple, put it to his mouth and took a big bite amidst three expectant gazes.
The juice collided between his teeth and lips.
The next moment, the tall young man carrying a Mo Blade stiffened suddenly.
His eyes widened and trembled slightly.
In the eyes of the young martial artist, who believes men should seldom weep, tears had unknowingly filled his eyes.
.....................
At this moment, as everyone was still on the main road, Baili Feng could only bear with the sourness of the orange that brought tears to a man's eyes, walking dozens of steps further before finally disposing of it.
Likewise, his view of the orange turned into one of dread.
The group had initially intended to find a restaurant outside the Academy to enjoy a decent meal of meat and wine. Wang Anfeng suddenly thought of the always solitary Fu Mo and hesitated before suggesting,
"Why don't we visit Master Fu Mo?"
"After all, we have traveled together before."
Baili Feng, having the best relationship with the elderly man, naturally had no objections and stated that they had nothing much to gift but could bring him some fine fruits. As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the orange in Wang Anfeng's hand.
Tuoba Yue raised her hand and knocked on Baili Feng's forehead, glaring at him fiercely. When the young man instinctively shrank his neck backwards, she then turned to look at the other two and said,
"I have no objections, we should indeed visit the Master."
Her voice paused, her face showing hesitation, as she added,
"However, the Master is indeed different from us, and I wonder if it would be presumptuous to visit him ."
Great Qin occupied the richest part of the world, a place of outstanding people and a birthplace of martial artists. In the Academy, many strong martial artists from the hundred schools were gathered, but on the frontier grasslands, a Middle Third Rank martial artist was not as commonly seen as within the Academy.
In some of the slightly weaker tribes, a Middle Third Rank martial artist was already the strongest, able to protect the people and livestock of the tribe from powerful enemies and truly considered the pillar of the entire tribe.
Although she had also traveled with Fu Mo for a long time, when it came to respect for the elder, she truly had the most among them all.
Baili Feng, hearing this, rolled his eyes and said,
"He? Presumptuous about what?"
"If it were Mid-Autumn Festival, perhaps indeed people would seek him, but since there is still some time before Mid-Autumn, he's probably holed up in his machine, hardly presumptuous."
Tuoba Yue still hesitated, but seeing that the other three had already made their decision, she could not dissent and followed the group to the Mo Family Academy. Baili Feng, knowing his way well, found Fu Mo's room and unceremoniously pushed open the door, calling out loudly,
"Old man, we've come to see you."
The old man, engrossed in his contraption, upon seeing the visitors, set his work aside and smiled as he welcomed them in.
After chatting for over half an "hour," Baili Feng dragged Fu Mo out of the Academy to the nearby Wind Character Tower and into Wang Anfeng's small wooden cabin, where they had a simple meal, enjoyed some tea, and laughed until the evening sky began to fill with sunset glow. Only then did the group bid farewell and leave.
Wang Anfeng leaned on the doorway, watching the sunset in the sky, his thoughts sprawling.
Only five days were left until Mid-Autumn Festival.
He still didn't know the exact status of Yu Wen's elder, hoping that the family banquet would go smoothly without any disturbances.
Wang Anfeng's brows furrowed slightly.
From the stories he had heard since he was young, none of the members of the Qin royal family were simple, so although he had convinced himself logically, his heart was still full of caution.
Lifting the orange to his mouth.
The young man's face slightly stiffened, his worries instantly overwhelmed by a stronger emotion.