Though the master of the house was eager to have a long chat with his newly met "kindred spirit," circumstances pressed him. After restocking his food and water, he hurriedly set off on the run again with his family and servants. Before leaving, he earnestly advised Chu Yao, "I have one piece of advice for you, my friend: Xiaocheng has become a place of trouble. If you can avoid going there, do so—"
Chu Yao gave a bitter smile. "I have no choice..."
As for how he was "without a choice," he didn't say.
The master had only offered a casual warning. There was nothing he could do if Chu Yao wouldn't heed it; he simply believed Chu Yao was headed for certain danger. Aloud, he said, "Sigh, then please be careful, my friend. Take good care of yourself. We were fated to meet; let's gather again someday..."
After exchanging a few polite words, he climbed back into his carriage.
Chu Yao smiled as he watched it go. Once it had disappeared into the distance, the curve of his lips vanished instantly, as if it had never been there. He turned and returned to the eatery, then relayed the information he'd learned exactly as he'd heard it. "That's more or less the whole story..."
That master was someone of standing in Xiaocheng. Even if his information wasn't entirely accurate, it was far more reliable than what ordinary people knew. A servant, for instance, might hear only that fighting had broken out somewhere again. The master, on the other hand, could get wind of it at once.
Shen Tang: "...A whole nest of lunatics!"
Her feelings were complicated.
She was worried about Xiaocheng's situation, but disgusted by the Geng royal family's antics. She'd thought Zheng Qiao was a one-off freak, but