Pitter-patter~
The umbrella's ribs trembled beneath the curtain of rain. On the silent street, only by listening closely could one catch the faint conversations in the teahouses and taverns:
"To think the Azure Dragon Society had hidden itself so deeply. From now on, even Great Grandmasters will probably have to watch their backs..."
"Ah, the Azure Dragon Society is famous for following its rules. Why would they kill anyone without being paid? Hero Guo said Tian Wuliang's head alone cost thirty thousand taels. A Great Grandmaster's would have to start at a hundred thousand..."
Zhe Yunli stood beneath the eaves, listening intently and silently pondering. A hundred thousand taels to start? Are Martial Chiefs worth that much? Wouldn't killing just one be enough to buy the Female Prince's estate...?
Niao Niao, who had been dragged out for a walk against its will, was tucked under her arm, its eyes utterly devoid of any will to live. Finding that Poached Egg was getting hooked on listening, it began kicking her with its little feet:
"Chirp, chirp!"
"All right, I know. Still eating when you're this fat? Aren't you afraid you'll turn into a ball?"
"Chirp!"
After listening for a while and finding no particularly noteworthy news, Zhe Yunli headed back with Niao Niao under her arm. Along the way, she started brooding again over how Hua Qingzhi had descended from nowhere and beaten her-the childhood sweetheart from a matching family-to the prize...
Although she was still young and had yet to make up her mind, her master and her master's wife intended to marry her to Brother Jingtang. If she found it impossible to defy her master's wishes in the future...
Thinking of it that way, she did feel a little sour...
Amid these wandering thoughts, the girl and bird