Blood Bonds And Golden Ties

Chapter 9: Fear to Confess

[Quan Mo Ran]

They trudged through the snow. The whole landscape was blanketed in white. They now walked on a well traveled road. Mo Ran enjoyed the steady crunch of snow beneath them. Occasionally, wind would blow some snow off the branches and they would float down on Mo Ran. The whole time they walked, Xie Fei admired the knot Rui Ming gave him.

Mo Ran noticed and commented, "You like her. Don't you?"

"What?" Xie Fei asked as he was jolted out of his thoughts.

"You like her."

"What? Like who? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Why are you staring at the knot for a long time?"

"It just looks nice," he said as he gently caressed it.

"I never knew you were interested in those knots."

"This one is different," Xie Fei said dreamily.

"How so?"

Xie Fei merely sighed in contentment.

The two continued to walk.

After a while, Xie Fei broke the silence and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Guess."

"Huh? How am I supposed to know? I can't read your mind!"

"Hint: The place that has the most information."

"Oh! I know ! Lian Hua Lou!"

Mo Ran sighed. "Lian Hua Lou is a good place to go. But they don't have the information we need."

"Oh. Then where can we find the information we need?"

"The world's greatest academic school."

"Ohhh! I know! It's a school in Jing Du! What's it called?" Xie Fei scratched his head. Then his eyes lit up. "It's called Guozijian!"

"So you do have a brain after all."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Never mind."

"Fine."

After walking a bit, Xie Fei asked, "I thought we were going to Guozijian. Isn't that in the south? Why are we heading toward Bei Pan?"

"I have business."

"Oh."

They arrived at the big city gate. By now, there was a long line of people waiting for the gate guards to check their identities and allow them into the city.

They stood side by side and waited as the sun smiled down on them.

Mo Ran crossed his arms as he stood staring ahead. Slowly, they inched their way closer and closer to the city gate. In front of them was a man who pulled a cart of radishes.

Xie Fei bumped Mo Ran with his arm. "Look," he said as he tipped his chin in the direction of the person in front of them. "This is going to be interesting."

"How so?"

"Shh. Watch the show."

"Let me see your identity card," a guard wearing a silver helmet and bronze armor commanded a man with a cart full of radishes. The man took out a rectangular piece of wood with words engraved on it and held it out to the guard.

The guard scrutinized it and asked, "Your name is Liu Yang?"

"Yes."

"And you are from Ning An?"