Finding My Way Home

Chapter 9: Fear to Confess

The birds were chirping and flitting in the tree branches above. The sun shone brightly as they walked underneath the shade of the trees. Occasionally, they saw a bunny hop away. Flowers of different colors grew everywhere with butterflies dancing among them.

The whole time Xie Fei walked, he admired the knot Quan Rui Ming gave him.

Yang Hao 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 to be 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, Zhang 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!"

"The place that has the most information."

"Oh! I know ! Lian Hua Lou!"

Yang Hao 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?" Mian Feng 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 going into Yong Ping city?"

"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 beat down on them.

Yang Hao Ran crossed his arms as he stood staring ahead and once again got lost in his own thoughts. 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 Yang Hao 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?" Asked Quan Mo Ran.

"Shh. Watch the show."

"Let me see your identity card," a guard wearing a silver helmet and bronze armor commanded.

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?"