Chapter 437

"Speaking of which."

On the muddy official road just thawed in early spring, Wu Mingxiao rode on his horse, turned his head, and asked Li Miao.

"Brother Li, if we are returning to Dengzhou, shouldn't we head north all the way, passing through Nanjing into Qilu? Why does it seem like we are heading northeast, toward Zhejiang?"

Li Miao sat loosely on his horse, saying lazily.

"What, in a hurry?"

Wu Mingxiao waved his hands repeatedly.

"No, no, just asking."

Li Miao then said with a smile.

"Did you forget that your own backside isn't clean yet?"

Wu Mingxiao was stunned, suddenly raising his hand to knock on his own head.

The events in Fukang County were too extreme for him, so much so that his mind was still immersed in the filth of the Huang estate, and he had almost forgotten his own affairs.

The matter of his family's Assistant Commissioner being wiped out had not yet been resolved.

Li Miao had helped him deal with one group of pursuers, but that was far from all. Right now, there might still be people chasing behind them, or setting up ambushes on the only path they could take, waiting for them to run into it.

Heading straight for Dengzhou, wouldn't that be walking right into a trap?

Taking a detour could actually avoid a lot of trouble.

Wu Mingxiao nodded, feeling he understood.

Zhao Ying, beside them, smiled silently.

She knew Wu Mingxiao thought Li Miao was avoiding trouble, but not to mention the huge commotion Li Miao had made in Fukang County, the three of them had been walking on the official road the whole way without concealing their tracks; how did that look like avoiding disaster?

Rather, the Japanese pirates were active at sea, and the closer they got to the coast, the more severe the pirate threat... Li Miao taking a detour toward the northeast was not avoiding disaster, but rather planning to wipe out the thieves in one fell swoop, right?

But Zhao Ying was no longer the ignorant girl she was when Li Miao first met her. Knowing the principle that saying more leads to more mistakes, she didn't speak at all, just rocking the infant in her arms.

"Waa—"

As she rocked, the child suddenly opened its eyes and began to cry.

A child of this age needed to be fed every hour or two, and it was clearly hungry now.

Before Zhao Ying could speak, Li Miao waved his hand.

"We've been on the road for half a day, and I'm tired too."

"There seems to be a manor ahead; let's rest our feet there."

So the three of them spurred their horses forward, and about two quarters of an hour later, they arrived outside the manor, dismounted, and led their horses toward the entrance.

This was a farmstead, essentially the property of a landlord from a nearby city, usually managed by a trusted steward, with tenant farmers working the land and paying rent. Because of the existence of the Great Ming's Jianghu, farmsteads were usually equipped with guards to prevent passing Jianghu people from robbing them of their wealth.

The three of them didn't look like ordinary commoners, and Wu Mingxiao had a saber at his waist. Before they even reached the manor gate, someone shouted from afar.

"The three of you, stop, stop."

"Could you please state your names and your purpose?"

The voice came from far to near, and a short, sturdy man carrying a staff ran over, smiling kindly at the three.

"The three of you, this is property of the Wild Goose Hall. If you are Jianghu travelers passing through, our Wild Goose Hall naturally keeps its doors wide open. It's just that I need you to state your names so I can report to the sect, and save myself from being scolded by the elders for neglecting honored guests."

Wow—this set of words left Wu Mingxiao stunned.

This is how to be a person, look at that.

Wu Mingxiao was a greenhorn, and Zhao Ying was a woman, so naturally, it was up to Li Miao to reply.

He stepped forward and said with a smile.

"Jianghu wanderers, Li Sen, Wu Mingxiao, Zhao Ying."

"Just passing through, no place to stay ahead or behind, here to ask for a bowl of tea and borrow a place to stay for the night, leaving at dawn."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and handed over a silver ingot.

The short, sturdy man had originally looked a bit relaxed upon hearing the words "Jianghu wanderers," but seeing the silver, he immediately became much more enthusiastic.

"Easy, easy."

"Please follow me. There are no mountain delicacies or sea treasures here, but coarse tea and light wine are plentiful. As long as the three of you don't mind!"

Li Miao also waved his hand with a smile.