Chapter 29 : Staying in the Suburbs
29: Staying in the Suburbs
The next day, when Fu Peibai and their caravan left the city, they saw a commotion at the city gate from afar.
Fu Peibai sat beside Xing Guang, one leg propped on the edge of the carriage, the other swinging freely. She was in quite a good mood, whistling a tune.
As the caravan drew closer, they could clearly see the three men hanging from the city wall. They had woken up and were making muffled noises, unable to speak. The guards on the wall were having quite a headache figuring out how to get them down safely. Below, a crowd had gathered, pointing at the three men and whispering among themselves.
Fu Peibai narrowed her eyes mischievously, the corner of her mouth lifting as she stared with great satisfaction at the dense writing covering one of the men. She turned her head and asked through the carriage curtain, "Peak Master, do you want to take a look?" Then, deciding against it, she added, "Never mind. It's something filthy that would just dirty your eyes. Not worth seeing."
Lu Yanran didn't listen to her. Yesterday, she had only instructed Xing Guang to teach those three a lesson without taking their lives. She hadn't expected Xing Guang to drag Fu Peibai along. She didn't know exactly how the two had "taught them a lesson" last night, but now her interest was piqued. She lifted the curtain halfway and turned her head slightly to look.
Three naked men were hanging from the city gate for all to see. On the chest, belly, and legs of one of them was written a long, rambling text that looked like a self-criticism. The crooked handwriting and the rambling content, she didn't even need to think about who was responsible for that. The corner of her mouth lifted unconsciously as she said faintly, "You certainly know how to curse people."
Fu Peibai simply took that as a compliment and chuckled twice.
Xing Guang cracked his whip, pulled the reins, and led the caravan out of the city. Just after passing through the city gate, they brushed past a carriage drawn by four horses. The breeze lifted the curtain of that carriage slightly. Fu Peibai tilted her head to look and saw a handsome but frail-looking man sitting inside. A pair of phoenix eyes, more enchanting than a woman's, were born on his face. He also looked at Fu Peibai at the same time, smiling faintly and nodding his head in greeting.
The two carriages quickly separated. Fu Peibai looked confused. She didn't know the man, but the smile he gave her seemed to hold a deeper meaning.
This tiny, insignificant matter was soon forgotten by her.
Traveling at full speed from Langzhong City, they could reach Xingyang City in a day. Except for the carriage Lu Yanran sat in, the other guards and A-Fu all rode horses. They could travel fast, but the carriage couldn't keep up that pace. Moreover, there were no other towns to stop at between the two cities. As night fell, they had no choice but to camp in the suburbs.
Fu Peibai didn't mind, but she felt it wronged the Peak Master. Although the carriage was spacious, one couldn't lie down in it. Sitting up all night like that would be quite exhausting.
She was racking her brains trying to figure out how to make the Peak Master sleep more comfortably at night when the guards had already lit a bonfire for light. Lu Yanran lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down. She walked over and casually sat on a tree stump.
Fu Peibai didn't even have time to say "Peak Master, it's dirty."
Her half-open mouth slowly closed. She held out the bun she was roasting. "Peak Master, do you want to eat?"
Lu Yanran looked at the bun with its slightly charred black skin and asked doubtfully, "Is this still edible?"
Fu Peibai quickly pulled it back. She had almost forgotten that she was used to coarse tea and simple meals, but the Peak Master had grown up on fine food and luxurious clothing. How could she eat something like this? So she lowered her head and started gnawing on it herself.
But just as she took a bite, she heard a voice beside her ear say, "Give it to me."
She looked up in surprise to see Lu Yanran reaching her hand out. But that bun had already been bitten by her, so naturally she couldn't give that to the Peak Master. She took another bun from the oil paper and offered it. Unexpectedly, Lu Yanran didn't take it.
Fu Peibai didn't understand her intention. She asked tentatively, "Does the Peak Master want a roasted one?"
Lu Yanran gave a soft hum of agreement.
A smile immediately appeared on Fu Peibai's face. As she strung the bun onto a stick, she chattered, "Actually, Peak Master, you don't know. Although this thing looks all black and ugly, once it's roasted over charcoal fire, it immediately becomes different. The texture becomes much softer. The sweetness hidden in the flour all comes out. It tastes fragrant and soft and sweet. If you have oil to brush on the surface, and add a little honey, it's simply wonderful."
Lu Yanran listened noncommittally, looking at Fu Peibai's spirited profile in the glow of the fire without saying a word.
"You've made me crave one just talking about it. Little Bai, roast one for me too," A-Fu said with a smile.
"No problem." Fu Peibai put the bun on the rack and hurriedly strung another one. Then she asked Xing Guang, "Brother Xing, do you want one?"
Xing Guang was wiping his heavy sword, his gaze focused. "Whatever."
Fu Peibai took that as a yes. She then loudly asked the several guards by the nearby fire, "Big brothers, do you all want one?"
From over there, they answered in unison, "We'll all take one. Thanks, Brother Fu."
"You're welcome, you're welcome."
Fu Peibai deftly strung a bunch of buns and placed them on the roasting rack, turning them at just the right intervals. Her skillful manner would make anyone think she used to run a roasted skewer stall.
Lu Yanran's skewer was roasted first. When she took it in her hand, it was still steaming slightly.
Fu Peibai kept turning the roasting buns in her hands as she reminded, "Blow on it, Peak Master. Be careful not to burn yourself."
Lu Yanran didn't blow on it. She held it in her hand and waited for it to cool naturally.
Before long, the others' buns were also ready. Fu Peibai distributed one to each person, then sat on the ground, staring at Lu Yanran. Her eyes were filled with anticipation.
"Peak Master, is it good?"
Lu Yanran tore off a small piece and chewed slowly. Seeing the nervous and expectant expression on Fu Peibai's face, the words "it's passable" stuck in her throat. After a moment, she said softly, "It's delicious."
Fu Peibai beamed with joy. She then loudly asked the others if theirs were good. Everyone was very supportive, all saying they were delicious.
After eating, they faced the problem of sleeping. The men were simple. They could just find a clean spot, lie down in their clothes, or lean against a tree trunk and sleep soundly through the night. Although Fu Peibai was a woman, she wasn't some young lady raised in a deep boudoir. Naturally, she didn't mind using the sky as her blanket and the earth as her bed. However, A-Fu and the Peak Master certainly couldn't sleep like them.
Fu Peibai took out the clean clothes from her travel bag, folded them into neat squares, and placed them on the cushion in the carriage. Although the cushion was soft enough, she still felt it wasn't comfortable enough.
After doing all this, she waved to Lu Yanran. "Peak Master, Sister A-Fu, come rest in the carriage."
Lu Yanran sat there unmoving. "No need. I'm not sleepy right now."
Fu Peibai walked over and sat down at a distance of about one person away from Lu Yanran, adding firewood to the bonfire. "We have to travel tomorrow. The Peak Master should rest early."
"Where will you sleep?"
"Just by this fire, I suppose. It's actually quite warm."
Lu Yanran was silent for a moment, then said, "The carriage can fit three people."
Fu Peibai froze for a moment, not understanding what she meant at first. After a while, she realized. Was the Peak Master telling her to sleep in the carriage too?
Thinking of this, she waved her hands repeatedly. "No, no, no. That won't do. I'm a man. The Peak Master and Sister A-Fu are both women. Staying in the carriage together at night wouldn't be proper. Not proper."
A-Fu laughed. "We are children of the martial world. Why worry about such formalities? Neither the Peak Master nor I, two women, mind. Yet you, a man, are getting all shy about it. Little Bai, have you not spent much time around girls before?"
Fu Peibai scratched her head, thinking that she really hadn't. When she was young in the village, she didn't play with the girls. The girls played house games, pretending to be this person or that, or went to pick flowers. She wasn't interested in any of that. She basically hung out with the boys in the village, catching crickets, playing cuju, catching fish, and shooting birds.
So she honestly shook her head.
A mischievous smile appeared on A-Fu's face. She asked, "Then you've never liked anyone?"
Fu Peibai quickly shook her head again.
A-Fu sighed as if it were a serious matter. "That really is a pity. Feelings in one's youth are the purest. If you don't get to experience the romance between a man and a woman properly at this age, it truly is a shame."
Fu Peibai wasn't very interested in this topic. She gave a very perfunctory hum from her nose.
"I believe Little Bai will definitely meet a girl who fills your heart with joy in the future. But speaking of which, I am a bit curious. What kind of girl do you like, Little Bai?"
Fu Peibai's mind wasn't really on what A-Fu was saying at all. She secretly glanced at Lu Yanran, feeling a bit curious. What kind of man would the Peak Master like?
"Whatever fate brings."
"Fate, fate. That's true too. Fate is determined by heaven, but one must also grasp it oneself. Little Bai, if you meet a girl you like in the future, you must seize the opportunity. Don't let it slip away."
Fu Peibai gave a couple of "hmm hmm" sounds and asked, "Peak Master, do you have someone you like?"
Lu Yanran had been resting with her eyes closed. Hearing the voice, she opened her eyes. She stared at Fu Peibai but showed no intention of answering.
A-Fu chuckled again. "Naturally not. What man could ever catch our Peak Master's eye?"
"Oh. Then what kind of person does the Peak Master fancy?"
"That I can't answer for you. Who the Peak Master likes, naturally only the Peak Master herself knows."
Fu Peibai turned her gaze back to Lu Yanran.
"I like..."
Fu Peibai felt her heart rise unconsciously, feeling inexplicably nervous. She stared at Lu Yanran's face, waiting for her to continue.
But at this crucial moment, Lu Yanran shut her mouth, as if she didn't intend to continue speaking. Fu Peibai's appetite was thoroughly whetted. She pleaded, "Go on, Peak Master."
Lu Yanran narrowed her eyes and asked in return, "Then what kind of person do you think I would like?"
How would Fu Peibai know? She thought for a moment and replied, "The kind I described last time? Someone worthy of the Peak Master?"
Lu Yanran shook her head. "That kind of person is too fake. Guess again."
Fu Peibai looked utterly confused. "Then I really don't know."
"If you can't guess, then let's go to sleep."
Fu Peibai was now so curious it felt like her heart was being scratched. How could she possibly sleep? "Tell me, Peak Master. I... I'm a little curious."
This time, Lu Yanran didn't beat around the bush. She looked straight into Fu Peibai's eyes. Their gazes met. She said slowly, "I like someone who, having weathered the storms and changes of the world, still retains the pure heart of a child."
Fu Peibai's eyelids jumped, and her heart jumped with them. Actually, she felt that the term "pure heart of a child" was too vague. She didn't understand what kind of person could be considered to possess such a heart, or what exactly counted as having one.
It was just that Lu Yanran's gaze as she stared at her was too focused and too serious. In a daze, she thought she heard the words "I like you." These words, born from her own imagination, seemed like a stone suddenly plunging into a calm lake surface, dragging her heart down, sinking deeper and deeper.