Zhang Ziwang went to find the County Magistrate.
Pan Yun and Li Wenying squatted on the street, each holding a bowl of wontons.
Li Wenying tipped the last drop of broth into his mouth, wiped his lips, looked around, and sighed. "This town is so desolate. It isn't even noon, yet the market on the street has already scattered. There's only one bun shop and a wonton stall without even a storefront."
Pan Yun finished the last of her broth too. She casually took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, swept her gaze around, and said, "Isn't it because it's not market day?"
"But the Huang estate is so extravagantly wealthy. By rights, the townsfolk and villagers nearby should be quite rich too. Even if it isn't market day, there should still be some bustle."
Pan Yun shot him a glance.
Li Wenying shifted closer, shoulder to shoulder with her as he whispered, "You think that Huang fellow is rich but cruel too?"
Pan Yun said, "It's not that I think so. You think so."
Li Wenying acted as though he had not heard her and continued, "For the sons and daughters of the jianghu, robbing the rich to aid the poor is professional ethics."
Pan Yun said, "Go ahead. I'll support you in my heart."
Seeing that she would not take the bait, Li Wenying changed tack. "But we're Daoists. We shouldn't be so crude. We can outwit him."
"You can't even get through the door, and you're thinking of swindling him?"
Li Wenying said, "He seems very afraid of Daoists from Mount Longhu. We can pretend to be Mount Longhu's enemies and go in under another identity."
Pan Yun: ...That was rather in line with what she had done before. If they really went, that Huang fellow