Chapter 47: Miss Xia

Rong Yuyan and Jiu Qing exchanged glances, both reading the exact same thought in each other's eyes.

Senior brother?

Who on earth was this mysterious woman's senior brother?

And how had Prince Xuan managed to offend him in the past?

Rong Yuyan did not hesitate long before agreeing. "Very well, let Jiu Qing make the trip. You may tell him however you wish to exact your lesson."

Ji Hua smiled and expressed her gratitude. "Many thanks, Alliance Leader Rong. Young Master Jiu Qing, please escort me out. I will explain it to you along the way."

Hearing this, Jiu Qing said politely, "I shall see the doctor out, subordinate."

At the mountain gate, Liu Yiyi, whose feet were aching from standing, could not help stamping her foot. Then, hearing the sound of approaching voices, she immediately looked over in pleasant surprise—

And saw the masked young lady emerging.

A man was following close beside her.

Ji Hua stopped near the entrance of the bamboo grove and said to Jiu Qing, "Young Master need not walk any further. I can manage the rest of the road myself. As for the matter I requested, I must trouble Young Master Jiu Qing to keep it in mind."

Jiu Qing smiled and replied, "Rest assured, I will certainly see to it that the young lady gets a thoroughly satisfying vent for her anger."

Ji Hua nodded slightly, turned, and led Liu Yiyi down the mountain.

Jiu Qing did not pry further; he turned and headed back.

The Alliance Leader's stance was that since she was unwilling to reveal her true face, they ought not to pry excessively, especially when they were asking a favor of her.

Since she had praised them as gentlemen, they might as well play the part of gentlemen for once.

Not until they had descended the mountain did Liu Yiyi, who had been holding back her curiosity the entire way, finally muster the courage to ask, "Miss, what on earth were you and that man talking about just now?"

Ji Hua simply shook her head, having no intention of offering a detailed explanation.

In matters like this, the fewer people who knew, the better.

A thousand-li embankment can be breached by a single ant nest.

Ji Hua did not believe that Liu Yiyi would betray her.

Yet, if someone with ulterior motives were to trick her into talking and extract the information, it would still represent a loss for herself.

Therefore, it was best not to let Liu Yiyi know the inside story.

Pondering this, Ji Hua reflected on how she currently had no one at her disposal, which was truly troublesome.

If even a single capable person were by her side, she would not need to trouble Rong Yuyan over such minor matters.

Unable to resist, Ji Hua looked toward Liu Yiyi and asked, "Yiyi, do you happen to know anyone who possesses martial arts skills?"

Having said that, Ji Hua could not help letting out a soft laugh, feeling that she had asked a pointless question.

Yiyi had formerly been a young lady of a prominent family; how could she possibly know such people? Yet, to her utter surprise—

Liu Yiyi's lovely eyes widened in astonishment as she asked, "How did My Lady know that this servant is acquainted with someone who knows martial arts?"

"What?"

Now it was Ji Hua's turn to be astonished.

...

The carriage meandered along and turned into a small alley.

There were few shops in the alley, only a rather dilapidated-looking inn.

Ji Hua lifted the carriage curtain and glanced out—

"Fu Lai Inn?"

She looked at Liu Yiyi beside her and asked, "Is the person you mentioned staying here?"

Liu Yiyi scratched her head. "This servant is not certain if she is still here. This place looks rather remote. Would My Lady prefer to wait here while this servant goes inside to check?"

"After all, it has been several days. There is no telling whether she is still around. If she has left, we might make a wasted trip."

Ji Hua shook her head with a smile. "No need. Let us go in."

Hearing this, Liu Yiyi quickly lifted the curtain, hurried down from the carriage, and turned back to assist Ji Hua.

The two of them were dressed quite plainly, and the carriage they had hired was not luxurious either.

Fearing to draw attention, before setting out they had applied some dark rouge to their faces, leaving their complexions looking sallow and entirely unremarkable.

Leaving the coachman to wait outside, the two of them walked into the inn on their own.

As they walked, Liu Yiyi explained, "Miss, I am not entirely certain if that young lady is still here, but before we parted that day, she told me she lived at this address."

Ji Hua was also curious about the background of that person. "Did the two of you not talk a bit more?"

Liu Yiyi shook her head. "That day, things happened so suddenly. This servant was surrounded by a few ruffians on the street who were harassing me. The place was remote, and I thought for sure those scoundrels were going to have their way. I never expected to cross paths with that young lady."

"With a single move, she knocked all those ruffians flat! She even took all the silver from them to compensate me. At the time, I wanted to give it to her, but she refused it, saying she was merely witnessing an injustice and drawing her sword to help, and that she did not require my gratitude."

Recalling this, Liu Yiyi could not suppress the smile and admiration on her face, continuing her endless praise.

"That young lady is truly a remarkably formidable person! Highly skilled in martial arts and possessing a strong sense of justice. At the time, I insisted on finding a way to repay her kindness, but she adamantly refused, saying she had urgent business to attend to and had to leave."

"It was only because I persisted that she reluctantly gave me her residential address. So many days have passed since then, and I cannot help but worry whether she is still here."

By the end of her sentence, Liu Yiyi could not conceal her anxiety.

Ji Hua could tell that Yiyi seemed quite fond of this Xia girl.

Naturally, anyone saved from mortal peril would harbor favorable feelings toward their savior.

As they spoke, the two had already entered the inn.

The inn seemed genuinely poorly managed, as they did not see a single person in charge upon entering.

However, after taking a few steps further inside, they heard a noisy clamor coming from upstairs.

"What are you people doing? That is my bundle!"

"Young lady, we don't want to be this ruthless either, but how many days has it been since you paid your lodging fees? You had better leave immediately."

The sound of the argument instantly caught the attention of both Ji Hua and Liu Yiyi. Exchanging glances, the two of them followed the sound up the stairs.

Before they had even reached the halfway point, they saw two attendants impatiently shoving a young woman.

The person was dressed in black, with her hair neatly tied up in a masculine fashion, though one could still easily tell she was a woman.

Her features were delicate, and between her brows lingered an heroic aura rarely seen in women, though at the moment—

She appeared somewhat distressed.

The woman in black explained defensively, "I will have the silver in a couple of days. Just let me stay here for two more days, and I will pay you back the room and board I owe."

The two attendants refused to listen to her explanations and drove her relentlessly, pushing her all the way to the top of the stairs in a few rough shoves.

Xia Zhi finally could not help but cry out, "Miss Xia!"

Hearing her own name, the young woman lowered her head and caught sight of Liu Yiyi's astonished face.

At first glance, the woman in black did not seem to recognize her. After a brief daze, her eyes widened.

"You—it's you? What are you doing here?"

Realizing something belatedly, she glanced at the two attendants, whose eyes were filled with probing curiosity, and let out an awkward laugh.

"I, this..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the tips of her ears turned red.

Ji Hua said to Liu Yiyi, "Go ahead."

Liu Yiyi nodded immediately, releasing a breath of relief.

She hurried up the stairs, said something to the two attendants, and pulled a ingot of silver from her pouch to slip into their hands. The two attendants immediately beamed.

The woman in black wore a hesitant, tongue-tied expression, but finally, dejected and carrying her bundle, she followed Liu Yiyi back downstairs.

Once the group had returned to the carriage, Ji Hua deliberately avoided mentioning the recent episode, instead smiling and speaking to the woman in black.

"Miss Xia, I have heard Yiyi speak of you. You saved her, and since we happened to be passing by today, we dropped by to see you."