Fuzhu's Ballad

24

CHAPTER 24 Knowing when to retreat

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In desperation, Lan Dan jumped up and grabbed Su Yi Ming. “Wait a minute!”

Su Yi Ming had already begun to lift his leg to depart, but Lan Dan’s sudden action caused him to hesitate. He glanced at her and then at Shentu Rui, unsure of what to do. It was Sun Shi Xiang who signaled him to stay.

Lan Dan let go of Su Yi Ming’s hand and absentmindedly clenched her fist by her leg. She took a deep breath and looked directly at Shentu Rui. “Is it because I made you angry?”

Shentu Rui’s expression flickered with irritation, but he maintained his cold smile. “What do you think?”

Stumped by Shentu Rui’s response, Lan Dan lowered her head for a moment. “If that’s the case,” she said, “then I apologize to you.”

“No,” Shentu Rui said decisively, catching Lan Dan off guard. He responded quickly and with conviction.

Lan Dan’s face lost color. She struggled to speak, but eventually bit her lips and paused before turning to Shentu Rui again. “Do you have to treat Fifth… Xiao Bing Wen like this?”

“Absolutely!” Shentu Rui’s voice grew even louder, emphasizing his hostility.

Snowflakes slowly drifted down from the gloomy sky. Even though it was already spring, the snow was still soft and gentle, falling on shoulders and heads before quickly melting into droplets.

Lan Dan watched Shentu Rui through the snowflakes for a moment before looking away and silently taking a seat by the fire, lost in thought.

Shentu Rui was surprised but quickly composed himself, brushing off his coat and taking a seat by the fire, ignoring Lan Dan.

Meanwhile, Su Yi Ming stood frozen, feeling small and insignificant amidst the falling snowflakes.

He suddenly let out a cry and fell to the ground, clutching his left rib and writhing in pain, “Oh no! I ate too fast and got choked! It hurts so much!” He even fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

With a cold snort, Shentu Rui contemptuously brushed away the dust in front of him.

Lan Dan was aware that Su Yi Ming was being sly to avoid getting involved in her conflict with Shentu Rui.

“Let’s hit the road,” Shentu Rui said, turning to Sun Shi Xiang. “No need to hurry. We can reach Zhaoling by evening.”

Lan Dan didn’t respond. She had no idea where they were passing through or what their specific itinerary was. Su Yi Ming and Sun Shi Xiang, on the other hand, looked surprised and asked in unison, “Zhaoling?”

Su Yi Ming slapped his thigh and asked, “Aren’t you going directly to Tongye?”

“Xiao Bing Wen has been caught by you, hasn’t he?” Shentu Rui squinted his eyes at him, making Su Yi Ming feel as if he was being looked down upon. “Why should I be in a hurry? What’s worth rushing to in your shabby county town? Naturally, we have to go to Zhaoling to evacuate for two days.”

Su Yi Ming was stunned for a moment and then sighed in admiration, nodding his head, “That makes sense!”

One by one, the guards mounted their horses, ready to continue their journey. Lan Dan too made her way towards her own horse, preparing to ride alongside them. However, Shentu Rui remained seated by the fire, unmoving as a statue. Su Yi Ming, who had been sitting on the ground, crawled forward a couple of steps and hugged Shentu Rui’s leg like a child throwing a tantrum. He rested his chin on Shentu Rui’s knee and looked up at him with puppy eyes.