flstandardbreds Chapter 173 Who are we to each other?
Chapter 173 Who are we to each other?
Lin Fan waved his hand, "We don't need your help. Zi Yue, we'd better not listen to him. How do you know if his idea is useful or not? Is he deliberately misleading us?"
Lin Fan genuinely believed this; if Ma Liangcai wanted to fabricate something to deceive him, he would find it difficult to detect. This conclusion was drawn from his clear understanding of the gap between the two.
Zi Yue frowned and nodded, "Okay, you're the boss, you'll listen to everything."
Then he turned to Ma Liangcai and said, "Did you hear me? I told you to get out! You're not allowed to come out again unless I tell you to!"
Ma Liangcai knelt on the ground, looking like a lackey. This was not a change in his personality, but rather because he was someone who was preparing to enter the court and was already skilled at flattering superiors and bullying subordinates.
“Master, Mistress, I still have something to say. The people gradually gathering in Crab Mountain and Water Margin are all shrimp soldiers and crab generals, but their numbers are truly terrifying. You two must not get involved in this matter.”
Needless to say, Lin Fan thought the same thing. Was he out of his mind to deal with the rebels? It would be better to watch them fight like dogs with the imperial court.
However, Lin Fan couldn't help but ask, "You have a keen mind, but not an all-knowing eye. How do you know that the rebels are in Crab Mountain Marsh, and how do you know that their numbers are terrifying?"
Ma Liangcai calmly replied, "I was just guessing so that my master would know."
After saying this, Ma Liangcai wanted to keep everyone in suspense, but seeing Ziyue's white boot sole about to land on his face, he quickly said, "Although I am not from Sanjiang, I do have some understanding of the situation here. As soon as that Hunter Marquis spoke, I had a guess as to which families would respond and which would remain on the sidelines. As for where their base is, I don't even think about it."
Lin Fan felt a surge of inexplicable anger at his composed demeanor. Some people are just like that; they can unravel the whole story from the slightest clue. How can one not be envious? And this person's morals are so despicable.
How to put it? It's like a cruel joke from heaven, like sticking a beautiful flower in cow dung—it's disgusting and a pity.
Since they were already asking, Lin Fan decided to ask one more question: "Why is he called Marquis Duan Ye Hunter?"
Ma Liangcai quickly said, "Master, Duan Ye is someone we can use, but not someone we can get close to..."
"I didn't ask you to give me feedback!" Lin Fan interrupted. "Just tell me what you know."
Of course, what truly interrupted Ma Liangcai was Ziyue's boots. With one stomp, the pattern of the sole of the shoe was imprinted on one side of his face.
Ma Liangcai quickly replied earnestly, "Everyone knows this. Marquis Ping Le, not just this Duan Ye, but generations of them have neglected their duties, read little, and avoided associating with respectable people. They prefer hunting and befriending low-class江湖人士 (jianghu figures, people of the martial arts world). All fifty of their private soldiers have been turned into hunters. They refused the fertile land allocated by the court, exchanging it all for barren mountains. However, if you ask me, this is precisely the brilliance of the first Marquis Ping Le..."
This time, Lin Fan didn't speak, so Zi Yue interrupted him with her boots, "Didn't you hear A-Cheng say you shouldn't give your opinion?"
"I have nothing more to ask," Lin Fan continued.
"Get out!" Zi Yue said.
Ma Liangcai had shoe prints symmetrically on both sides of his body. He looked indignant but dared not say anything. After bowing, he disappeared on the spot.
"Ziyue, thank you." Lin Fan thanked her again sincerely.
Unexpectedly, Zi Yue stood on tiptoe, put her arm around Lin Fan's shoulder, and said like a "good buddy," "We're like brothers."
After saying that, he patted Lin Fan on the shoulder.
After a while, Ziyue withdrew her hand, and the two fell into an awkward silence.
For Lin Fan, it meant he had become distant from his girlfriend, which was unavoidable, not to mention that his memories of the past two years, which he had just recovered, were hazy. He had been in Daqian for a few months, and before that, no, his entire twenty-year memory was like a dream.
Think back, what did you do when you were with Ziyue?
They naturally share many common interests and hobbies. They often hang out together and chat about these things.
But given the current situation, it's impossible for anyone to sit down and talk about the good things in this world.
Lin Fan broke the silence first, "Zi Yue, we'll set off early tomorrow morning, so let's get some rest tonight? I'll give you my bed, I'll sleep on the floor."
Zi Yue quickly waved her hand, "No need, really no need, I'm not just being polite. I'm a spirit, it's the same wherever I sleep. But you have to help me wash my hair first."
Lin Fan's mind went blank for a moment, and he just blankly agreed.
Zi Yue was "lying" in mid-air, or rather, floating in mid-air, which looked very strange no matter how you looked at it. But she just floated there naturally, with her head sticking out above the bathtub.
Lin Fan untied her hair tie and awkwardly began to wash.
Looking at the black hair spread across the water, Lin Fan suddenly thought of something to say, "Zi Yue, you want to go back, don't you? Back to the mortal world?"
Ziyue was clearly taken aback when she heard the question.
Lin Fan knew that such things didn't usually require much questioning; the two of them shared that understanding. However, Lin Fan felt that such an important matter should still be confirmed verbally.
As expected, Ziyue complained, "My goodness, Acheng, if you have nothing to say, don't make things up. Just wash me properly, it's quite comfortable this way."
Then he answered seriously, "Of course I want to go back. But rather than saying I want to go back, I would say, Acheng, I will always be with you. Wherever you go, I will follow."
Lin Fan felt another wave of disorientation. Was it because he had lost too much of his memory? He and Zi Yue had known each other for two years, but had only dated for a few months. Although their relationship had progressed from close friends to lovers, did he really remember their relationship being that strong? Or was it that his memory hadn't fully returned?
Before Lin Fan could try to recall anything further...
Suddenly, he felt something wet on his face. Ziyue had splashed water from the bathtub onto his face. "My god, you're such a jerk! The girl said all that, and you didn't even show any remorse."
Lin Fan then realized what was happening, staring at the moon-like face reflected in the bathtub, and those beautiful eyes shimmering with purple light, and solemnly said, "Zi Yue, I will always be with you."
It's said that most vows made in love during youth will fall flat. Even now, as Lin Fan says it himself, he still feels a sense of disorientation, and then that awkwardness towards Zi Yue diminishes by half.
After quickly washing her hair, Ziyue wrapped it completely in a towel. A few strands of wet hair hung down her face, giving her a beautiful, lotus-like appearance.
"Alright, Acheng, go to sleep now. I'm going to take a shower. Ah, don't peek, or I'll never forgive you!" Ziyue said, pushing Lin Fan out and pulling the curtain closed.
"Spirits need to take baths too?" A thought flashed through Lin Fan's mind. "Right, do they need to eat too?" He wanted to ask Zi Yue if she ate, but then he figured if she didn't say, it wouldn't matter.
Thus, the straightforward Lin Fan missed an opportunity to show concern for his girlfriend and went to bed on his own.
As soon as his head hit the pillow, he suddenly felt sleepy. He hadn't gotten up until evening, so why was he so sleepy? Lin Fan fell asleep quickly.
Hongshan Guild Hall offers breakfast delivered to the rooms, so early the next morning, under Ziyue's angry glare, Lin Fan ordered two servings of steamed buns to be delivered to the room.