Martial Arts Novels

"Too bad... all right."

Luo Ping said it was too bad, but he didn't insist. Going along with Lu Xi'an, he said, "My base is north of Shanyang County, in Pingchuan City to the south. Big brother, if you come across any good people, make sure to send them my way. If anyone manages to get there, I'll find them."

He suddenly returned to his sedan and rummaged around inside, pulling out something. "Here. I got this from that group in the county seat. It can count as repayment for the dry rations you gave me."

It was a small black cloth bag. It had passed through who knew how many hands and suffered who knew what kind of abuse. It was covered in stains and looked utterly disgusting.

Lu Xi'an took it and opened it. Inside were six or seven compressed biscuits.

These were worth far more than the few packs of Instant Noodles he'd given Luo Ping.

"You've already given us the gas can. Why give us this, too?"

Luo Ping shook his head. "The gas can was something I promised to give you once I found one. This is repayment for your dry rations. They're different."

Lu Xi'an accepted it without hesitation and smiled. "Then you've taken a big loss."

"How have I taken a big loss?" Luo Ping grinned. "A gas can and seven compressed biscuits, in exchange for... well... let me count... six lives. Is that a loss?"

"If you put it that way, then no, it isn't."

He hesitated, then turned to Yao Wei. "We should return the favor and give this guy something, don't you think?"

He'd expected Yao Wei to hesitate, or perhaps refuse outright. Instead, she agreed without a second thought. "Sure."

After saying that, Yao Wei went straight back to her car and came out with a bag of unopened vacuum-packed white rice.

Luo Ping's eyes went wide. "This is... the white rice you gave me earlier?!"

Lu Xi'an smiled. "What, never seen it before?" He looked like a rich landowner staring down a country bumpkin.

Luo Ping's eyes were fixed on the bag of rice. He swallowed and said, "I'd only ever seen it in books. This was the first time I'd actually eaten it. It's amazing..."

He turned to Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei. "You're really giving this to me?"

Yao Wei said nothing. She simply tossed the whole bag of rice into Luo Ping's car through the open door.

Lu Xi'an smiled, carried the gas can back to the car, and rearranged things a little. He moved the other bag of rice to make room, then stowed the gas can inside.

Only after he'd finished did he take the driver's seat.

Yao Wei followed right behind him. She tossed the rice in, turned away, opened the front passenger door, climbed in, and shut it without even acknowledging Luo Ping.

"All right, we'll part ways here. Until we meet again!"

Lu Xi'an waved at Luo Ping from inside the car, started the engine, and drove west with a press of the accelerator.

Luo Ping stared blankly at the rear of Lu Xi'an's car. After a while, he smiled and returned to his own car, then hit the gas and followed.

He was heading west too, before turning south.

His sedan was much faster than Yao Wei's car.

Before long, he caught up with Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei.

"Beep, beep, beep—"

He honked, then picked up the megaphone in his car and said, "The jianghu is wide and the road is long. Until we meet again!"

After speaking, he tossed the megaphone aside, hit the gas, and left Lu Xi'an with the rear of his car.

"This big brother must've read martial arts novels, too. He's got all kinds of lines ready, just like me."

Luo Ping grinned, eyes on the road, and muttered to himself, "I forgot to ask what novel he had with him. Oh, well. If we meet again, I'll ask."

The people from Fengcheng County's county seat hadn't wrecked his sunglasses; they were still on the passenger seat. He reached over, found them, and perched them on his nose and ears. He felt even more dashing.

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei soon lost sight of Luo Ping's sedan.

Turning over the words that had come through Luo Ping's loudspeaker, Lu Xi'an smiled. "That guy's definitely read martial arts novels or something like that."

He hadn't expected that martial arts novels—or something similar—existed in this world, too.

Yao Wei had no idea what martial arts novels were. Hearing Lu Xi'an say that, she instinctively glanced at the back seat.

Lu Xi'an's backpack was there, with a small side pocket holding the book she couldn't bear to look at.

Those two were cut from the same cloth. She wondered whether the martial arts novels they were talking about had anything to do with that sort of book.

As she was lost in thought, Lu Xi'an suddenly glanced at her and asked, "Why did you give Luo Ping the rice?"

Yao Wei looked at him, too. "Wasn't it you who wanted to give it to him?"

"But I didn't say I wanted to give him rice."

"Wasn't that what you wanted to give him?"

"...Yeah."

Lu Xi'an fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "Does this count as being of one mind?"

"What?"

Yao Wei didn't understand.

Lu Xi'an explained, "Though we have no wings like the colorful phoenix, our hearts are joined by a single thread. It means we can understand each other's thoughts without saying a word."

Yao Wei suddenly grew flustered. She quickly turned back to face the windshield, feeling inexplicably nervous.

"N-no!"

She said, "I... I was thinking that the car was already cramped. If we took the gas can, there wouldn't be room for it. Giving him a bag of rice would clear enough space to fit the can."

Lu Xi'an smiled. "That's what I was thinking, too. Look at the car. We cleared out a bag of rice, then just barely managed to squeeze the gas can in. We had to put in that much effort. If we hadn't given him a bag, there really wouldn't have been room."

"Mm."

Yao Wei nodded and pressed her lips together, saying nothing more.

She didn't know what to say, and she didn't want to talk.

But she knew Lu Xi'an had truly wanted to give Sharp Brother a bag of white rice. That was why she'd brought one out.

The lack of space in the car might have played a part, but it certainly wasn't the main reason Lu Xi'an had wanted to give the rice away.

Sharp Brother Luo Ping's plans and actions must have impressed Lu Xi'an a lot. That was why, even though Lu Xi'an hadn't agreed to go with him, he still wanted to help him as much as he could.

She felt the same way.

It was nothing, really. They'd just had the same thought and reached the same conclusion. That was perfectly normal. But for some reason, when she heard Lu Xi'an say "of one mind," she suddenly felt too embarrassed to say what she'd been thinking.

How awkward!

The car drove on. When they reached the road where they'd first met Luo Ping, Yao Wei stopped daydreaming and focused on staying alert.

They'd first met Luo Ping here, along with those people from Liangshui Village. Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei could still see the wrecked pickup parked off the road. Its door was open, and the steering wheel and seats were gone. Someone had clearly picked through it.

Would the people from Liangshui Village try to stop them again?

"Beep, beep, beep—"

The familiar sound of a car horn rang out again.

At some point, Luo Ping's sedan had fallen behind them. Now it had overtaken them once more.

As he passed, Luo Ping turned his head, grinning broadly and showing his uneven white teeth. He spoke into the megaphone again. "Big brother, big sister, drive on without worry. I already went to Liangshui Village.

"I left those people from the county seat in such bad shape they wouldn't dare come after us again. The county seat is their prize catch now, so they're all heading there in a big crowd. Until we meet again!"

He left Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei with another view of his car's rear, then disappeared from sight.