Wang Cong was sent back to the inn, dead drunk.
He had returned fairly early. Quanzhou had grown lively of late because the maritime ban had been lifted and the port opened. With all sorts of people milling about, it was especially chaotic during the New Year. Thus Prefect Lu had ordered a curfew. When Wang Cong was brought back to the inn, it was not even dark yet—but by sheer rotten luck, Pan Yun had returned early that day.
The instant Wang Cong stepped into the inn and saw his Junior Martial Uncle, he gave a start. As he raised his left foot to enter, he caught it on the threshold. His feet lost their balance, and with a thud, he sprawled face-first onto the floor.
Tao Yanbai hurried over to help him up.
Pan Yun rose while holding Pan Little Black.
The people who had brought Wang Cong back saw Pan Yun's dark expression and the two-meter-eight aura around her. In an instant, they felt like a pack of fair-weather drinking buddies who had run into someone's parent. Their bodies jolted, their feet pivoted, and they fled.
Pan Yun gave their retreating backs a cold glance, then strolled over to Wang Cong and asked, "What guilty thing did you do behind my back?"
Tao Yanbai helped Wang Cong onto a nearby chair. As though he had heard nothing, Wang Cong clutched his head and groaned, "Dizzy."
Pan Yun shook her head and did not press him further. She told Tao Yanbai, "Boil him a bowl of sobering soup, then help him back to his room to sleep."
Tao Yanbai asked, "Are we still leaving tonight?"
"We'll set out early tomorrow morning."
Wang Cong was drunk senseless. They would not be able to leave with easy minds if they