Chapter 286 - 175: Iron Fan Beast?

Chapter 286: Chapter 175: Iron Fan Beast?

When Xie Luohe intentionally tossed her long hair back and, with Feng Bei’s expression and tone, spoke the two words, "Brother Zheng."

Zheng Xiu felt no stirrings within him.

In fact, he almost wanted to laugh.

At this moment, it was as if Xie Luohe was determined to challenge Zheng Xiu, constantly switching between "Xie Luohe" and "Feng Bei," as if trying desperately to prove something.

"Alright."

Zheng Xiu readily agreed.

When he was the Richest Person, he always used to take his whole family to parade through the streets of the Imperial City in grand style.

Now that he was a "Poor Scholar," he wasn’t picky about whether it was Feng Bei or Xie Luohe standing before him.

’However,’ Zheng Xiu sighed to himself, ’ever since Xie Luohe accepted the premise that "she might be Feng Bei but could never truly be Feng Bei," her behavior on this journey has made it clear that overturning this "cognition" of hers will be no easy task.’

’Drastic measures might be necessary.’

Xiaotao was in the next room, pressing her ear to the door to listen in. The moment she heard her lady seemingly inviting the young master for a walk, she immediately opened the door. With an eager, pleading look, she said she wanted to go too, offering to help carry things or be of assistance.

Before Zheng Xiu could agree, Xie Luohe said flatly, "That won’t be necessary. Xiaotao, you stay in your room and rest. Wait for us to return."

Xiaotao was dumbfounded.

"Let’s go."

Wasting no more words, Xie Luohe led Zheng Xiu out for their walk, leaving Xiaotao all alone.

It seemed Xie Luohe truly was just out for a stroll to look around. The streets weren’t particularly bustling, but Xie Luohe walked at a leisurely pace, observing everything with great interest.

When they passed a blacksmith’s shop, Xie Luohe made a point to go inside and check on the progress of the horseshoes. The blacksmith’s craftsmanship was superb, and he was clearly rushing the forging. They would be able to set off by the next morning at the earliest.

People came and went on the street. Zheng Xiu fanned himself with his fan, a bamboo basket on his back, as he followed behind Xie Luohe. After they had been walking for about an hour, just as Xie Luohe mentioned returning to the inn, Zheng Xiu happened to spot a shop selling paper-mâché masks, and his eyes lit up.

"A gift for you." After much deliberation, Zheng Xiu picked one out and, feigning calmness, presented it to Xie Luohe.

Xie Luohe took the mask, held it up to her face for a moment, and then, right in front of Zheng Xiu, asked the shopkeeper for a thin cord. She threaded it through the mask and tied it to her waist. Then, she gave a graceful twirl before Zheng Xiu, looked back over her shoulder, and smiled. "Is it pretty?"

Zheng Xiu’s expression froze.

Seeing Zheng Xiu standing there stunned and silent, Xie Luohe’s smile widened. She looked down and murmured thoughtfully, "It seems to be missing something."

Xie Luohe closed her eyes, speaking as if to herself. "It’s missing a waist token."

When she opened them again, the smile on her face had vanished, instantly replaced by a cold indifference. "A waist token engraved with ’Upper Three, Feng Bei’."

"Do you want to have that blacksmith forge a similar one for you?"

Xie Luohe stepped closer, until she was only two paces away from Zheng Xiu.

"What do you think? Gongsun Mo."

In that moment, Zheng Xiu stared into Xie Luohe’s clear eyes.

The two of them stood still on the bustling street.

For a moment, it was as if they and their surroundings existed in two separate realities.

It was exceptionally quiet.

Zheng Xiu said calmly, "If you don’t like it, then never mind."

Xie Luohe’s expression suddenly switched to one of delight. "No, she likes it. Let’s go back."

The clamor of the surroundings returned. Xie Luohe walked ahead, her back to him.

Zheng Xiu watched her retreating back, his eyes on the mask hanging from her waist. He could clearly sense a new distance between them.

He could also detect a hint of anger in her earlier reaction.

Xie Luohe didn’t say much else on the way back.

The night passed without a word.

「The next day.」

There was no trace of anything unusual on Xie Luohe’s face. Xiaotao, just as always, brought hot water and towels for the two of them to wash up and change.

Xiaoyun and Xiaoliu were fitted with the new horseshoes, and the three of them each mounted a horse and left the small town.

The mask at Xie Luohe’s waist swayed gently with the clatter of the horses’ hooves.

"Young Master, did you... did you make my lady angry?"

Although Xie Luohe hadn’t shown any sign of being upset in front of Xiaotao, Xiaotao sensed that something was different between the Young Master and her Lady.

"Maybe so. Who can say?"

Leaving the town, the three of them continued north along the main road.

Zheng Xiu still painted a picture of Xie Luohe every day.

And just as she always did, Xie Luohe would wait until Xiaotao was not around to hold out her hand and ask Zheng Xiu for her portrait.

She always wanted to see how Zheng Xiu had depicted her.

’Xiaoxie was becoming more and more inscrutable.’

At first, Zheng Xiu thought Xie Luohe was just being proud and difficult.

But later, Zheng Xiu gradually began to sense that she was genuinely angry.

But as for *why* Xiaoxie was angry, Zheng Xiu couldn’t figure it out.

’Hasn’t he already laid his cards on the table about turning her back into Feng Bei? It’s all out in the open.’

’What the hell is there to be angry about?’

Zheng Xiu was quite displeased but didn’t dare bring it up.

Traveling as this strange trio, they finally arrived at the foot of Hidden Sword Mountain at the end of the second month.

Zheng Xiu vaguely remembered this landmark, but in later ages, this place wasn’t called Hidden Sword Mountain, and there was certainly no Hidden Sword Manor on it.

Two hundred years later, it was just an ordinary mountain.

A man traveling with two women was indeed a dangerous way to wander the Jianghu.

What’s more, Xie Luohe and Xiaotao were both exceptionally beautiful, attracting countless lechers and crude ruffians.

Along the way, the three of them were ambushed and robbed sixteen times and had stayed in eight crooked inns.

Every time they ran into such trouble, Zheng Xiu could always see a mix of vexation, regret, and indignation in his opponents’ eyes just before they died, along with a deeply hidden trace of jealousy.

This era was far more chaotic than later ages. As expected of the Jianghu.

Sigh... the Jianghu.

At first, Xiaotao couldn’t get used to all the fighting and killing, finding it simply cruel.