The weather had cleared, and Yang Xingjian had largely recovered from his illness. Baozhu planned to leave Lingbao County the next day and continue their journey. Pang Liangji arrived in a shoulder sedan, with Xiao Ran riding alongside him, to visit her at the inn. They brought a heap of gold and silver jewelry and four maidservants skilled at styling hair for Baozhu to use on the road.
Even with her limited knowledge of common life, she knew travelers must not flaunt their wealth, so she could not accept the jewelry. But people to help her dress and arrange her hair were precisely what Baozhu needed most. In her heart, she had already given all the girls new names.
Yet the servants passing messages in the missing-bride case had put her on her guard. Taking newcomers into their party carried an enormous risk of exposing her true identity. After much hesitation, she tearfully forced herself to decline, keeping only a few sets of men's clothing and Hu garments tailored for her.
She asked Pang Liangji, "Have all your senior brothers and sisters left Jade City?"
"They probably have," Pang Liangji replied. "Our school has no custom of saying goodbye. We never spout mawkish things like, 'The green mountains stand unchanged, the clear waters flow forever; we shall meet again in the Rivers and Lakes.' When we decide to leave, we slip away without telling anyone."
He had asked Luo Toutuo to blast open Lu Dan's tomb and had been waiting for the Lu Family to come make trouble, giving him a chance for a good fight. Who would have thought they would swallow the insult to keep the peace? Both puzzled and delighted, Pang Liangji told Baozhu, "I hear they're frantically tearing down their houses while digging up their courtyards