Chapter 111: Traveling Together

While lost in thought, A'nuo slipped in quietly, handing her two steamed buns and a small pouch.

Pei Chuyun opened the pouch, picked up a tiny bellyband with two fingers, and asked, "What is this?"

"A bellyband," A'nuo scratched her head. "Master quietly instructed me to buy it."

"So you bought a child's bellyband?"

"Huh? Isn't this a bellyband? Are there other kinds of bellybands?"

Pei Chuyun held it up against her chest to compare, expressionless: "Is it supposed to look like this?"

A'nuo turned and ran.

Pei Chuyun reached out, grabbed her by the back of the collar, and gritted her teeth: "Go buy a new one!"

A'nuo turned back, forcing a smile: "Sister A'li..."

"What?"

"Believe me, if you really wear this to show my Master, she'll probably force you to practice the Maiden's Union Technique. I'm helping you."

Pei Chuyun: "You're six years old?"

A'nuo puffed out her chest: "The New Year has passed, I should be seven!"

Actually, she should be eleven... A'nuo tapped her index fingers together, looking quite distressed.

In some families, girls of this age could already be betrothed... How is A'nuo still so small? Hasn't she taken enough pills...

A'nuo was lost in thought; Pei Chuyun glanced at her sideways for a long moment, then took the opportunity to pull her closer.

A'nuo, distracted, didn't notice much until Pei Chuyun suddenly whipped out her jade hand and slapped the little brat on the bottom: "You are my enemy too, yet you still pretend to be cute here! For tricking me into drinking spring water, for taking me to the Sword Peak Hall!"

"What sound is that in the room?" Outside, at a stone table, Meng Guan was brewing tea with Lu Xingzhou and asked as if nothing were amiss.

Lu Xingzhou kept a straight face: "Oh, probably my inferior disciple playing with a cat."

Meng Guan laughed: "Forget it... This official has come to ask Mr. Lu, what are your plans for the follow-up to this matter?"

"Does the Governor truly fear offending the Huo family?"

"No matter how powerful the Huo family is, they cannot cover the sky with one hand; there are always political enemies."

"The Pei family?"

Meng Guan smiled but said nothing.

Lu Xingzhou said, "Then, if I want Huo Lu to die on the road to Jingcheng, eliminating the threat forever, what does the Governor think?"

Meng Guan shook his head: "I do not recommend that. In fact, it is unnecessary. Huo Lu's dantian is utterly destroyed, and his bones are all shattered; even an immortal pill could not heal him."

"What if he could be healed?"

"If the Huo family truly had such ability... they would still dare not heal him."

"Hmm?" Lu Xingzhou paused, startled: "Why? I would like to hear the details."

"Because back then, Grand Preceptor Huo presented a 'ancestral pill' that pulled the gravely injured Your Majesty back from the brink, but it could never fully cure him. If an injury of Huo Lu's severity could suddenly be healed, what would that mean? How would Your Majesty think?"

Lu Xingzhou naturally did not know the Emperor had once been gravely injured; hearing this, his eyes lit up, and he fell into silent contemplation.

This matter might prove to be a good thunderbolt later...

Then there was truly no need to kill Huo Lu; indeed, in the future, the same could be done to others in the Huo family...

"Although the Huo family has enjoyed great imperial favor in recent years, they are not without flaws," Meng Guan said in a low voice with deep meaning. "If the Seventh Young Master goes to Jingcheng, you might as well visit Prime Minister Pei; he should be very pleased to meet the Seventh Young Master."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Then may the Governor provide a letter of introduction?"

"Regarding this case, I will write clearly of your great merit. Those in the capital will naturally understand; the Lu Xingzhou who earned this merit is Huo Qi... At that time, your name will be the letter of introduction," Meng Guan smiled. "Unless the Seventh Young Master himself does not wish to be too conspicuous, and hopes to hide his role in the Xiazhou and Dongjiang cases?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "No need to hide anymore."

Meng Guan said, "I saw you block Huo Lu on the street, so I knew you must not wish to hide anymore... What, do you have thoughts of entering the imperial court directly in the future?"

"Yes," Lu Xingzhou said. "Upon leaving Mengui City this time, I will go straight to the capital to take the examination at the Imperial Alchemy Academy. Does the Governor have any advice on this?"

Even if the examination at the Imperial Alchemy Academy is extremely strict, it is not as absurdly rigid as the imperial examinations; behind the scenes, personal connections can still be made. Shen Tang could not play this role, but others might.

Under a system with no "Governors" but only "Inspectors" responsible for supervision, a governor of a great commandery like Meng Guan could be called a regional warlord; he would have face of his own, beyond that of the Pei family behind him.

Meng Guan let out a "Ha": "You asked the right person; Meng Li, the Lecturer at the Alchemy Academy, is my own elder brother."

Saying this, he truly took up a brush and wrote a letter, then added, "However, put aside the thought of entering through the back door; that is basically impossible. But ensuring you are not maliciously obstructed and securing a relatively fair environment should still be achievable. Otherwise... hehe, your days might not be easy."

"I am already very grateful," Lu Xingzhou rose from his seat and bowed: "Thank you, Governor, for your care."

"Why this official cares for you is not purely because the enemy of my enemy... but because of your act of using yourself as bait, facing danger without fear to eliminate demons; this official admits he lacks such courage," Meng Guan finished the letter and handed it to him, sighing, "Once you have an official court identity, remember the heart of today; do not be ground to dust by the millstone of officialdom and forget that you are still a human being."

Lu Xingzhou's expression became solemn: "Governor, rest assured."

Meng Guan suddenly stiffened his face, stood up, and swept his sleeve away: "Just based on the cat in your room, this official cannot rest assured."

Lu Xingzhou: "..."

Originally, this meeting with Meng Guan was mainly to ask how to proceed with the Huo Lu matter and what Lu Xingzhou needed to do. But seeing Meng Guan's attitude, there was no need to ask anymore; whether they chose to suppress it temporarily or explode immediately, the Pei family and Meng Guan and others would naturally have their political considerations, and there was no need for him to interfere.

This matter is enough to drive the Huo family to despair; their son has been crippled, and they are also smeared with the accusation of "colluding with the demonic path."

Lu Xingzhou returned to the room with a light heart, even humming a little tune.

He entered the room and was dumbfounded to see Pei Chuyun pinned to the bed by A'nuo, who was whacking her relentlessly: "You aren't even my Master's wife yet, and you dare hit my bottom? Now I am your senior!"

Waves of buttocks rolled, quite a sight to behold.

Pei Chuyun lay there, her face a picture of despair: "If you have the guts, unseal my acupoints..."

"Just because you ask, I'll unseal them?" A'nuo continued to whack: "You provoked me, you provoked..."

"A'nuo," Lu Xingzhou coughed dryly: "What are you doing?"

"... Cotton," A'nuo jumped off the bed with a "thud" and whined to complain: "Master, she hit me..."

Lu Xingzhou scooped her up in one arm and kissed her: "Master will help you teach this little demoness a lesson."

"..." Can't you see who is hitting whom? Pei Chuyun lay there, heart dead, too lazy to move a muscle.

Lu Xingzhou glanced over; the steamed buns were still on the table, uneaten. He truly couldn't tell whether to laugh or cry. How long did I talk with the Governor outside? Apparently, you two have been fighting in here for just as long?

He set Ah Nuo down, rubbed her head, and said, "Go play for a while; I have something to say to Sister Ah Yun."

Ah Nuo poked her head out from under Lu Xingzhou's armpit, stuck her tongue out at Pei Chuyun in a teasing manner, then turned and ran off.

Pei Chuyun remained lying there, motionless.

Lu Xingzhou took a steamed bun from the table, strolled over, and yanked her up by the arm: "Alright... you've made enough of a fuss; have some bun..."

His voice suddenly cut off in his throat.

Pei Chuyun's clothes were half-unfastened; a child's belly-band was tied to her front, letting the wind blow through from all sides so it barely covered anything, with both ends sticking out...

Lu Xingzhou stood there dumbfounded while Pei Chuyun looked utterly defeated: "Have you seen enough? This is the belly-band your good disciple went to buy for you."

Lu Xingzhou fell silent for a moment, then suddenly called out, "Ah Nuo."

"Whoosh~" A brand-new belly-band spun in through the window.

Lu Xingzhou extended his index finger and flicked it; the belly-band spun around his finger several times before finally stopping. Pei Chuyun looked and saw it was a normal belly-band.

So that dead kid had bought it beforehand, pretended not to understand, and did it just to trap someone?

"Ahem." Lu Xingzhou suppressed the urge to change the belly-band for her himself, placed it on her body, and bolted: "Put it on yourself; we'll wait for you outside..."

"Get lost~" Pei Chuyun finally reacted, untied the child's belly-band from her body, and flung it away with force.

The belly-band whistled through the air, struck the door, and even made a "Bang!" sound.

After so much time, whether the pills or the sealed acupoints, both had reached the limit of their strength; anger allowed the little demon girl to break through the final acupoint seals, and her power was restored!

Pei Chuyun dressed in a few quick motions, clenched her fists, and rushed out. Ah Nuo was just wheeling the wheelchair over to her master; seeing this situation, she dropped the wheelchair and took off running. The two demon girls, one big and one small, vanished from the courtyard in an instant, gone in the blink of an eye.

The wheelchair spun around in the courtyard; Lu Xingzhou covered his forehead.

The wheelchair wove through the bustling traffic of Menggui City; Ah Nuo held a lollipop in her mouth, pushed the wheelchair with both hands, and kept her eyes slanted toward the right, fearing someone might suddenly attack.

Pei Chuyun also had a lollipop in her mouth, glancing sideways at that master and disciple pair, following along beside them with a blank expression.

Ahead lay the road out of the city; Pei Chuyun had never thought that the name Menggui City was actually set for herself.

Dreaming day and night of leaving this ghost place.

"Um, Miss Pei," Lu Xingzhou finally spoke: "Why... are you still following us..."

Pei Chuyun, with a lollipop in her mouth, said as if gritting her teeth: "What does it matter to you how I walk? Is this road yours?"

That tone was nothing if not fitting. Lu Xingzhou really wanted to laugh: "Or do you still want to take revenge on us?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"Does your sect really have nothing to do, sending a Saintess wandering around everywhere?"

"I was originally out of the mountain for cultivation trials; who cares where I go for my trials?"

Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment, then smiled: "In that case, do you want to go to Jingcheng together? I'll give you every opportunity to take revenge whenever you like."

Pei Chuyun did not answer; she felt somewhat hesitant in her heart.

As for revenge, she truly no longer wanted it. He had let her off the hook; that was indeed a debt of not killing her. Where could she continue to be unreasonable? That would be sheer obstinacy... Now, she actually wanted to beat up that brat even more.

And the Pei family... Last night, Lu Xingzhou proposed going to Jingcheng to investigate her relationship with the Pei family again. To be honest, Pei Chuyun was somewhat tempted.

She investigated herself and found nothing; that didn't mean Lu Xingzhou couldn't find anything.

He was smart in his own right, but mainly, he seemed able to enter and leave the Pei family openly, unlike this demon girl who could only skirt the edges for secret visits; that was a completely different level of difficulty.

Perhaps if she hung out with him, she might actually have a chance to find something out.

But if that were the case, why take revenge at all? Instead, she would have to beg him.

Moreover, if they acted separately, he wouldn't be able to bring her along when entering the Pei residence. If they were to enter and leave openly together, they would need a suitable identity.

What identity could there be? Wife, concubine, or friend were all unsuitable.

The only suitable one was a maid... going to the capital for the imperial examination, bringing a young boy and a maid was a very standard arrangement.

Unable to take revenge, and instead turning herself into a maid. Was there such an embarrassing Harmony Saintess in the world? If the sect found out, they probably wouldn't even admit this person was their sect's Saintess.

Pei Chuyun would rather die than say that; after a long pause, she mumbled gloomily, "I will go to Jingcheng; even if it's just to cause you trouble, I must go."

"If you really want to cause me trouble, you don't need my help, do you?"

Pei Chuyun snorted, but she didn't dare to act tsundere and say no, fearing he might truly not help.

How could Lu Xingzhou not know what she was thinking? He turned and smiled: "Recently, I enjoyed a pleasant outing with Miss Ah Yun together. I wonder if the Miss would be willing to travel with us to the capital? Along this journey, cause as much trouble as you like."

Pei Chuyun, expressionless, said, "You said it."

As they spoke, the three passed through a market.

Pei Chuyun glanced and saw a chicken-slaughtering stall; she went over, tossed a piece of broken silver, picked up the dead chicken, and plucked the feathers one by one: "Then be careful."

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PS: It's been two or three days since I posted ten thousand words; here's a batch today. Also, asking for monthly tickets~

(End of this chapter)