Chapter 78: The Lost Contact with Yangquan City

"Avoid Yangquan City?" Hearing Lu Zhiruo's suggestion, Feng Zi asked back subconsciously.

The reason was simple: Yangquan City is an important node for the route south to Baishan City, the administrative seat of Baishan Jun.

It is no exaggeration to say that in Zhenbei Dao, Baishan Jun is not a wealthy region, and the further north one goes, the fewer large towns there are.

So much so that north of the administrative seat, Baishan City, there is not a single other city besides Yangquan City.

It was precisely because of this that Feng Zi asked the question.

Lu Zhiruo did not answer immediately: "No rush, it will take quite some time to explain in detail—"

"The two of you haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't we chat while we eat."

Since the other party had already said so, Feng Zi did not decline, so he went out and ordered the waiter to prepare a meal for five.

Once the waiter had filled the table with food, Qinglin sat before it with eyes shining and began to feast.

Feng Zi also knew that for the current Qinglin, these exchanges were too dull, and he did not want to force her to listen.

Watching Qinglin's elegant yet swift way of eating, Lu Zhiruo could not help but raise her delicate eyebrows slightly, looking quite surprised.

But after sensing the gaze from Feng Zi, the other party stopped playing coy: "In fact, as early as a month ago, we lost contact with Yangquan City."

"In Wutai County, the Lu Family is specifically responsible for communicating with the outside world, and their family members have quite a few unique methods, being highly skilled at traveling and delivering messages."

"Therefore, you can simply understand this matter as: Yangquan City has already met with trouble."

"A month ago..." Feng Zi's chopsticks held a piece of food, but he remained still, subconsciously rubbing his chin as he muttered:

"Calculating the time, it was about a month ago that I set off south."

Lu Zhiruo also nodded slightly, indicating agreement: "I recalled it carefully, and the time we confirmed this was about three or four days before you set off."

Regarding this precise answer, Feng Zi asked with some surprise: "Zhiruo, why are you so familiar with my whereabouts?"

Since the other party had already said not to add any suffixes to how he addressed her, he naturally would not ask for trouble.

As for his question, Lu Zhiruo only revealed a subtle smile:

"Although I don't often appear in public, I am still a member of the Lu Family after all; how could I not know about the major and minor affairs of Wutai County?"

"Martial Master Feng Zi is the Champion of this Martial Meet; there are dozens of eyes watching your movements!"

It was hard to tell if it was Feng Zi's imagination—

Ever since he accepted Lu Zhiruo as a travel companion, her way of speaking had become increasingly straightforward, or rather... somewhat sharp-tongued.

Of course, these were minor details not worth mentioning; Feng Zi was already lost in thought.

A moment later, he raised his head, looked seriously into Lu Zhiruo's eyes, and shook his head:

"Zhiruo's suggestion must be out of good intentions, but after thinking it over, I have decided to follow the original plan."

"Why?" Lu Zhiruo had not expected Feng Zi to be so firm in his refusal, and she asked subconsciously.

"There are three reasons." Feng Zi casually picked up some food and replied:

"First, nearly a month has passed since I set off, and with Zhiruo accompanying me, choosing to take a detour rashly does not guarantee I will be able to participate in the Martial School on time."

"Second, Yangquan City is the only large city north of Baishan City; the supplies and information of northern Baishan Jun all converge there. I cannot accept the losses that a detour might cause."

Listening to these two reasons, Lu Zhiruo was clearly unconvinced:

"Those are excuses. You are a Martial Master; even with a detour, it wouldn't delay your journey much, and there wouldn't be many items in ordinary cities to attract you."

Feng Zi nodded slightly, also agreeing with Lu Zhiruo's point:

"Third, and most importantly—Brother Hanwen headed south seven days before me; does he know the news of Yangquan City losing contact?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhiruo was stunned, clearly not having expected to hear her brother's name at this moment.

But she quickly understood what Feng Zi meant and shook her head helplessly: "My brother does not know about this."

And this was a reason neither of them could refuse.

Feng Zi picked up another bite of food and sighed: "Either Brother Hanwen is safe and sound, or nothing has happened to Yangquan City—that would naturally be the best case."

"Or, Brother Hanwen and Brother Li Shou have been trapped by trouble in the city. The three of us have strength no less than that of ordinary Martial Masters, so we could look out for each other."

Lu Zhiruo did not hide her strength, and Feng Zi could easily discover that she was also a Martial Master of the Entry Realm.

"You make sense; we truly cannot take a detour." Lu Zhiruo had to admit that in terms of adapting to circumstances, she was far inferior to Feng Zi.

No wonder her father and brother held this person in such high regard; seeing him today, he was indeed extraordinary.

This made her feel deeply moved, and she could not help but admire the judgment of her father and brother.

The three of them soon wiped the table clean—without a doubt, most of the food had ended up in Qinglin's stomach.

Had Feng Zi and Lu Zhiruo not reacted quickly, they likely wouldn't have managed to get many bites at all.

After ordering the waiter to clear the tableware, Feng Zi asked Lu Zhiruo casually:

"Since we have agreed, you should go back to your room and rest. I will call for you when I go to the market with Yueyu tomorrow morning."

Without needing to think, Feng Zi knew that she must have booked an adjacent room beforehand.

"Alright." Lu Zhiruo agreed casually, yet she had no intention of moving her feet at all.

Seeing her refuse to leave, Feng Zi, who was sitting by the bed, asked in confusion: "What is it? Is there still something you don't understand?"

Lu Zhiruo hesitated for a moment, pointed at Qinglin beside him, and asked: "Does Yueyu live in the same room as you?"

"Otherwise?" Feng Zi's mind didn't turn the corner for a moment, and he asked back subconsciously.

Hearing his matter-of-fact reply, Lu Zhiruo's voice rose by two octaves: "A lone man and a lone woman, sharing a room? Don't you think there's a problem with that?"

Hearing this question, Feng Zi suddenly realized, came to her side, and whispered an explanation:

"Yueyu was severely injured; she has lost her memory, and her mind is like a blank sheet of paper. We have been supporting each other these past few days, so please don't let your imagination run wild."

Feng Zi certainly understood that, given Qinglin's strength, there was no essential difference between "whispering" and shouting loudly.

But this was an attitude, showing that even when speaking in private, he would never expose someone's shortcomings.

Even if Qinglin did not have the awareness for this at the moment, Feng Zi understood the principle of "a gentleman is cautious when alone."

Hearing his explanation, Lu Zhiruo finally realized, and her face turned red with shame.

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you all." She hurried toward the doorway, apologizing repeatedly as she spoke.

Watching the figure fleeing in a panic, Feng Zi smiled helplessly and said, "The journey ahead is destined to be anything but boring..."

He had never imagined that since arriving in Yuanping County, his life would undergo such earth-shattering changes.