Once Shen Shixu realized this, he smacked his forehead and said in frustration, "I was so focused on investigating that I forgot about those two. Oh well, there'll be other cases. I can teach them next time."
When Xiao Jinyi saw him smack his forehead in frustration, he inwardly blamed Jiang Bin and Zhang Ming for being so oblivious. They had been brought along to learn, yet they hadn't even known to keep up. Did they expect Shen Shixu to guide them by the hand? They weren't little An Chengyu.
(Jiang Bin: He's my own cousin. I can't curse him out. Hold it in!
Zhang Ming: He's a prince, and he's a very good fighter. I have to hold it in!)
Fortunately, Jiang Bin and Zhang Ming had no idea what Xiao Jinyi thought of them. Otherwise, they really would have cried.
Was it that they hadn't wanted to follow? They simply hadn't been able to keep up!
By the time they finished throwing up and felt less nauseated, Shen Shixu and Xiao Jinyi were long gone.
A bridge they had to cross on their way back to the Capital was due for routine maintenance. They had forgotten about it on their return journey, only realizing when they reached it that they would have to take a detour.
As a result, they missed their chance to find lodging. They had thought they might have to sleep out in the open, but as luck would have it, an abandoned temple stood up ahead.
Dim candlelight glowed inside. Someone else must have missed their chance to reach an inn and taken shelter in the ruined temple.
Shen Shixu instructed Jiang Bin and the others, "Don't reveal our identities, and don't cause any trouble."
Only after giving them those instructions did Shen Shixu