Ye Fan made some talismans and protective magical artifacts, then shouldered his travel bag and set off for Falling Wind Town in Shanxi.
"I'm very sorry, but our inn is fully booked," the receptionist told Ye Fan.
Ye Fan looked at her in dismay. "You don't have even one room left?"
The receptionist shook her head. "No."
"I can pay extra!" Ye Fan said glumly.
"I'm very sorry, but we really don't have any rooms left."
While Ye Fan stood at the front desk pestering the receptionist, Bai Yunxi came down the inn's stairs.
Ye Fan lit up at the sight of Bai Yunxi. He hurried over, grabbed his arm, and asked, "You managed to book a room?"
The abrupt question left Bai Yunxi bewildered.
"What are you doing here?" Bai Yunxi asked, his brows drawn together.
"I came here for archaeology! But there aren't any rooms left!"
"Archaeology?" Bai Yunxi asked in confusion.
Ye Fan took out an identification card. "That's right. Uncle Zhou recommended me. Look at this..."
Bai Yunxi: "..."
"Why would Uncle Zhou recommend you?" Bai Yunxi asked disdainfully.
"Probably because he thinks I have potential! Did you get the letter I sent you?" Ye Fan asked.
Bai Yunxi frowned. "Letter? What letter? I haven't seen any!"
Ye Fan said in frustration, "Hmph, that bastard lied and told me it had already been delivered. I'll go have a word with him another day."
Bai Yunxi: "..."
"Oh! How about this? I'll sleep on the floor in your room, and I'll pay for the room!" Ye Fan proposed, looking at Bai Yunxi with bright, eager eyes.
Yang Fei came out just in time to hear Ye Fan's "bold declaration" and was immediately awestruck.
Yang Fei was Xiao Chi's apprentice and was on fairly good terms with Bai Yunxi. In his eyes, this junior fellow student was handsome, charming, and immensely talented, but far too cold and arrogant. Still, given Bai Yunxi's illustrious background, a little aloofness was only natural.
"I don't think much of that idea!" Bai Yunxi said, his expression darkening.
Ye Fan smiled. "Are you afraid I'll snore? Don't worry, I'm a very well-behaved sleeper. I definitely won't disturb you."
Bai Yunxi sneered. "Shut up! There's no floor space for you. Go sleep outside."
Ye Fan complained glumly, "Ah! You really are coldhearted!"
Bai Yunxi gave him a chilling smile. "What makes you think I'd let you sleep on my floor just to save a few hundred yuan on the room?"
Ye Fan looked at Bai Yunxi. "It's not like I'd be taking your bed."
"In your dreams!" Bai Yunxi scoffed.
Ye Fan: "..."
Yang Fei walked over. "Young man, could I take a look at your identification card?"
"Sure!" Ye Fan said readily.
Yang Fei took the card and checked it. "If you don't mind, there's a spare bed in my room. You can have it."
Ye Fan nodded happily. "Sure, great. Thanks! If only Young Master Bai had as nice a temper as you."
Yang Fei: "..."
Ye Fan followed Yang Fei into his room.
"Ye Fan, are you an Ancient Text Researcher too?" Yang Fei asked with a smile.
Ye Fan nodded. "That's right."
"Take a look at this inscription and tell me what it means." Yang Fei took out a sheet of paper and handed it to Ye Fan.
Ye Fan casually scanned the paper. "Oh, this says a princess was fond of handsome men, so she married eighteen husbands. Then the princess died, and her emperor brother had all eighteen unlucky bastards buried with her. What a formidable woman!"
Yang Fei stared at Ye Fan in astonishment. He's amazing!
The authorities had originally known nothing about the tomb in Shanxi. Two grave robbers had taken a bronze ding from it, and it had been discovered by chance when they tried to sell it on the black market.
What Yang Fei had shown Ye Fan was a rubbing of the inscription on that bronze ding.
Professor Xiao had put a great deal of effort into deciphering the inscription, yet Ye Fan had understood it at a glance. This fellow really was impressive!
"Where did this come from?" Ye Fan asked.
Yang Fei smiled. "An antique."
"Then I'm afraid that antique is an evil artifact! Prolonged contact could put your life in danger," Ye Fan said mildly.
Yang Fei's heart tightened. According to their information, there had been ten grave robbers in total. Eight had died inside the burial chamber. The remaining two had escaped, but both had died soon afterward. That was the tomb they were going to explore.
Yang Fei shook his head and stopped himself from thinking any further.
"Young Master Ye, what's your relationship with Young Master Bai?" Yang Fei asked curiously.
Ye Fan shrugged. "We don't have one yet, but once I win him over, he'll be my wife."
Yang Fei: "..." What a bold fellow! He even dared to say something like that. If the Bai Family's old patriarch found out, he'd have this guy drowned in a pig cage.
"Then you'll have to work hard. Young Master Bai isn't easy to woo!" Yang Fei said.
Ye Fan nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Exactly! He wouldn't even let me sleep on his floor."
Yang Fei: "..."
"It was Zhou Jinzhi, Elder Zhou, who recommended you...?" Yang Fei asked.
Ye Fan nodded. "Yes!"
Yang Fei: "..." Why would Elder Zhou recommend such an oddball?
"Get some rest early. Tomorrow we have a two-hour bus ride into the mountains," Yang Fei said.
Ye Fan nodded. "Oh, all right."
Early the next morning, several people were waiting for the bus in the open space outside the inn.
"Here, this is your ticket. Just sit in your assigned seat when you board," Yang Fei said.
"Can I sit with Young Master Bai?" Ye Fan asked.
Yang Fei shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Your ticket is for seat four. You'll have to sit with me."
"Why do I have to sit with you after sleeping with you?" Ye Fan asked unhappily.
Yang Fei: "..." You think I want to sit with you?
Noticing the looks directed their way, Yang Fei flushed red and wished he could crawl into a hole.
"Where's Young Master Bai?" Ye Fan asked.
"He isn't here yet," Yang Fei said irritably.
"Looks like he enjoys sleeping in!" Ye Fan muttered.
Ye Fan boarded the bus and found that his seat was diagonally across from Bai Yunxi's. Bai Yunxi occupied seat one by the window, with a frail-looking old man beside him.
"Hey, old man, how about switching seats with me?" Ye Fan asked casually, gripping Xiao Chi's seat.
Yang Fei: "..." Old man! That damned fellow actually called Professor Xiao an old man!
Yang Fei turned his face away, bitterly regretting his moment of kindness the previous day. Someone like this deserved to sleep on the floor.
Xiao Chi frowned and gave Ye Fan a displeased look. "No."
"Don't be so stingy, old man!" Ye Fan took out a jade pendant. "Look, old man, how about I give you this jade pendant in exchange for your seat?"
Before Xiao Chi could speak, a man nearby in Daoist robes opened his eyes. "That's a fine jade pendant, young man. It shimmers with spiritual light. I imagine it would cost at least two or three million."
Ye Fan looked at the man in surprise. "Oh, you've got a good eye, my friend!"
Xiao Chi: "..." That was Mr. Zhang Wentao of Dragon Tiger Mountain! The National Special Department had sent him especially. Ye Fan really had no idea who he was dealing with. What an attitude!
"May I ask which master's work this jade pendant is?" Zhang Wentao asked with a smile.
"I found it at an antiques market. Five thousand yuan." Ye Fan had indeed picked up the jade pendant there, but he had added the formation inside it afterward.
"You're quite fortunate, young man!"
Ye Fan nodded. "Yes!"
Ye Fan turned his gaze back to Xiao Chi. "Hey, old man, you heard him, right? This is good stuff! It brings good fortune and wards off evil. It's perfect for someone like you, who's getting on in years but still overestimates himself and goes courting death in ancient tombs full of yin energy."
Xiao Chi's beard trembled with anger, his face livid!
Yang Fei: "..." Was there something wrong with Ye Fan's head?
Zhang Wentao looked at Xiao Chi. "Professor Xiao Chi, this jade pendant can ward off harmful energies. Switch with him. You won't lose out."
Ye Fan nodded. "Exactly! Exactly! It's only a seat!"
Xiao Chi glanced at Ye Fan. "Fine, I'll switch with you."
"Old man, your name sounds a little familiar!" Ye Fan handed Xiao Chi the jade pendant, still finding time to mutter that remark.
Xiao Chi: "..."
Ye Fan finally got his wish and sat beside Bai Yunxi. Wearing sunglasses, Bai Yunxi rested with his eyes closed, not sparing Ye Fan so much as a glance. Ye Fan took out a bag of potato chips and offered it to him ingratiatingly. "Want some chips?"
Bai Yunxi gave Ye Fan a cold glance. "No."
"Want some White Rabbit milk candy?"
"No!"
"Want some Smart Star Milk?"
Bai Yunxi took off his sunglasses. "I don't, but you can drink some more. Maybe it'll help you grow a brain."
Ye Fan declared smugly, "My learning encompasses heaven and earth, the past and the present. I don't need any more brains."
Bai Yunxi: "..." Are you sure?
"Oh, you've taken the medicine! Ha, you lied and said you hadn't seen my letter. If you hadn't read it, how would you know the prescription?" Ye Fan said with satisfaction, catching the scent of medicine on Bai Yunxi.
Bai Yunxi said, "The prescription came from an extraordinary expert..." He suddenly faltered. "Could it be...?"
Ye Fan nodded and patted his chest. "That's right. I'm that extraordinary expert."
Bai Yunxi scoffed. "If you're sick, go see a doctor."
Ye Fan said dismissively, "I'm not sick! You're the one who's seriously ill."
Bai Yunxi: "..."
Bai Yunxi put his sunglasses back on, unwilling to waste any more words on Ye Fan. Ye Fan took his hand. Bai Yunxi initially wanted to pull free, but a warm current flowed into him through his palm, spreading warmth throughout his body. That unfamiliar sensation made him indulge Ye Fan's behavior.
As the bus continued onward, Bai Yunxi drifted off to sleep.
As he slept, he ended up leaning against Ye Fan's shoulder.
Ye Fan looked at Bai Yunxi's sleeping face, feeling rather pleased with himself.
Zhang Wentao smiled at Ye Fan. "So you're a fellow practitioner, young man. Forgive me for not recognizing you."
Ye Fan smiled without speaking.
Ye Fan knew there were people in this world who could use magical arts. They possessed some strange abilities, but he knew little about them, so he refrained from commenting.
Watching Bai Yunxi sleep on Ye Fan's shoulder, Xiao Chi couldn't help feeling as though a pig had rooted up the fine cabbage he had raised.
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