119: Chapter 119 The Huai Party, Encountering the Know-It-All Again

"To the Imperial City, Zhao Ge."

Chen Fan's answer was light, like the night breeze blowing in through the window, yet it set off a thousand waves in the hearts of the two sisters.

The Imperial City, Zhao Ge.

That was the heart of the entire Great Shang, the legendary land at the foot of the Son of Heaven where Dragon Qi converged. For women like them, who had spent half their lives struggling at the bottom of the Jianghu, it was a place as distant as a palace in the heavens.

It was also the final destination of their current travels.

Qing Luo's small mouth opened slightly, and for a moment, she actually forgot how to speak.

Hong Shao's heart also skipped a beat. She subconsciously gripped Chen Fan's sleeve, and for the first time, a hint of expectation and apprehension appeared in those fox-like eyes.

"Master Luo... are we... not staying in Jiangzhou City for a while longer?"

"This place has already become a den of trouble." Chen Fan turned around, sat down by the bed, and pulled the two sisters into his arms, one on each side. "Staying here will only bring endless trouble."

His words were few, but they were enough for the exceptionally clever Hong Shao to instantly understand the key points.

The bloody assassination at Cuiwei Villa seemed to have ended, but behind it lay a struggle between two colossal factions in the imperial court.

Chen Fan had killed the assassins tonight; in the eyes of the Shangguan Family, he was a benefactor, but in the eyes of the assassins, he was a mortal enemy.

Jiangzhou was the stronghold of the Jiang Faction. But once they left Jiangzhou, with the world being so vast, who could guarantee that the assassins' revenge wouldn't arrive quietly at an unexpected moment?

Having understood this, the bit of fear Hong Shao felt toward the unknown was instantly replaced by deep worry. She pressed her cheek tightly against Chen Fan's chest, feeling that steady and powerful heartbeat, which finally gave her some peace of mind.

"Wherever Master Luo goes, we will go," she said muffledly.

"Mm." Qing Luo also nodded vigorously, her small hand tightly clutching the corner of Chen Fan's clothes.

To them, the Imperial City and the imperial court were far less important than the man in front of them. As long as they could be by his side, even the ends of the earth would be a place of peace.

Chen Fan said no more.

He just reached out and gently patted their backs.

As the night deepened, the candle in the room was blown out. In the darkness, two warm and soft bodies, filled with absolute trust and attachment, clung to him tightly.

...

The next day, as the sky began to brighten.

Chen Fan and the other two had just finished packing their bags and were about to go downstairs to check out when there was a "dong dong dong" knock on the door.

The waiter's voice, carrying a bit of fear and difficulty, came from outside the door.

"Master Luo... the Young Master of the Shangguan Family has come again. He said... said that no matter what, he must see you."

Hong Shao and Qing Luo glanced at each other, both seeing a trace of tension in the other's eyes.

Chen Fan's movements did not pause at all. He tied the last bundle, slung it over his back, and then walked to the door and pulled it open.

Standing outside the door was indeed Shangguan Yun.

He had changed out of his blood-stained silk robe and was wearing a brand-new moon-white long gown, but his pale face and the bloodshot streaks in his eyes showed that he had not slept all night. Behind him followed several servants, carrying several heavy red sandalwood boxes.

Seeing Chen Fan open the door, a smile that looked worse than crying immediately appeared on Shangguan Yun's face. He looked past Chen Fan and saw the luggage already packed in the room, and the color on his face faded even more.

"Brother Luo, you... you are leaving?"

Chen Fan did not answer, just looked at him calmly; that mask isolated all emotions.

This silent sense of pressure made Shangguan Yun feel a sense of suffocation. He took a deep breath and gave Chen Fan a deep bow, almost burying his head in his chest.

"Brother Luo, regarding what happened last night, it was because the two of us were blinded by greed and acted poorly, nearly dragging Brother Luo into a situation of eternal damnation! I, Shangguan Yun, apologize to you here!"

The servants behind him immediately presented the wooden boxes in their hands.

"Here are a thousand taels of gold, as well as the title deeds for the Zhenwu Hall in the west of the city and the contracts for five prime shops within Jiangzhou City. I know these worldly things cannot enter Brother Luo's Dharma Eye, but this... this is the only way my Shangguan Family can express our apologies. Please, Brother Luo, you must accept them!"

His posture was extremely low, and his words were very sincere.

However, Chen Fan only glanced indifferently at those priceless wooden boxes and then looked away.

"No need."

His voice was calm, but it carried an unquestionable decisiveness.

"Take them back."

Shangguan Yun's body froze there.

He had imagined countless possibilities. Brother Luo might angrily rebuke him, might demand an exorbitant price, or might mock him before finally accepting with a show of reluctance.

But he never expected the other party to refuse so cleanly.

This was no longer simple aloofness.

It was a complete disregard that came from the bones. It was as if the wealth and power his Shangguan Family were so proud of were truly just insignificant worldly things in front of the other party.

A huge sense of frustration welled up in his heart.

"Brother Luo..." He still wanted to say something.

But Chen Fan had already taken Hong Shao and Qing Luo's hands and walked straight past him.

At the moment they brushed past each other, Shangguan Yun seemed to have made a decision and suddenly spoke, his voice kept very low.

"Brother Luo, the assassins last night were from the Huai Party. They are my Shangguan Family's mortal enemies in the imperial court."

Chen Fan's footsteps paused for a moment.

Seeing this, Shangguan Yun quickly continued: "They have always acted ruthlessly, pulling up roots to eliminate the problem. Since last night's operation failed, they will definitely not let it go. In their eyes, you, who killed their dead soldiers, are already an ally of my Jiang Faction. The journey to the Imperial City is long; please, Brother Luo, you must be careful!"

After saying these words, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength and slumped dejectedly against the door frame.

Chen Fan did not look back.

He just continued walking, leading the two sisters, and disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

The information was very useful.

But it didn't change anything.

A chess piece is, after all, a chess piece. Even if this chess piece had the power to overturn the chessboard, he didn't want to have anything more to do with that chess player.

...

At the city gate of Jiangzhou City, traffic was heavy, as prosperous as ever.

Chen Fan and the other two led their horses, blending into the crowd leaving the city, without attracting anyone's attention.

When they had completely walked out of that tall city gate and looked back, that prosperous yet secretly turbulent city was slowly receding behind them.

The trip to Jiangzhou ends here.

The official road was flat, and the three of them headed north.

After traveling about dozens of miles, a medium-sized village appeared ahead. At the entrance of the village stood a huge locust tree, and beneath it were several simple tea stalls for passing travelers to rest.

Chen Fan pulled the reins and dismounted.

"Let's have a drink of water and rest here first."

The two sisters naturally had no objection.

The three of them led their horses toward one of the tea stalls.

At that moment, Chen Fan's footsteps suddenly stopped.

His gaze fell on an inconspicuous corner of the tea stall.

A man was sitting there.

The man was wearing a washed-out green cloth gown, had an ordinary appearance, and was holding a coarse porcelain tea bowl, leisurely savoring the tea.

As if sensing Chen Fan's gaze, the man slowly raised his head.

A plain face, and a pair of startlingly bright eyes.

It was exactly that scholar in green who called himself "Mr. Know-It-All," whom he had met once at the Yingke Inn.

He saw Chen Fan and wasn't surprised at all; instead, he looked like he was seeing a long-lost old friend.

He put down the tea bowl, a profound smile appearing on his face, and raised his hand toward Chen Fan from a distance.