Chapter 22

A chance encounter breaks an ambush.

Shimei and Zanyue looked at Hongye, not quite understanding her implication.

Xiang'er, while stuffing crab meat into Xiaofu's mouth, looked around the room.

Besides Luan Jing'er's table, there were three others.

At the eastern table, two elderly people — an old man and woman, seemingly a couple, well-dressed and likely from a wealthy household.

At the western table, four people: a young, handsome man in deep purple attire with a sword at his side, two middle-aged men, and a young woman dressed as a boy, probably in her twenties. At the southern table, two martial artists with sturdy builds, out of place in such an elegant setting.

Puzzled, Shimei asked Hongye, "What's going on?"

Hong Ye subtly pointed towards a table nearby and whispered to Stone Meimei, "The man in claret purple over there is Duan Yan, the fourth young master of the Duan family."

Shimei was taken aback. The Duan family? Why would they appear in the capital unannounced?

"Those two big men over there," Hongye muttered softly, "are well-known hunters."

Stone Meimei looked puzzled, "Hunters?"

Hong Ye explained, "In jianghu terms, hunters aren’t actual game hunters but assassins who kill for money."

Stone Meimei and Zan Wei were startled. Hong Ye reassured, "No need to worry. They only target fellow jianghu figures and leave commoners unharmed. Besides, the jianghu world is far from you."

"And the elderly couple over there?" asked Stone Meimei.

"Not sure," replied Hong Ye, lowering her voice. "But their eyes are sharp, and their temples bulge, a sign of skilled martial artists."

Stone Meimei frowned, pondering. Could they be the legendary martial arts experts? Her thoughts drifted to Bai She. Wasn't his boat headed this way? Could these people be here for him?

"Stop worrying," advised Hong Ye. "Jianghu people don’t trouble commoners, especially someone of royal descent."

Nodding, Stone Meimei wasn’t worried for herself but for Bai She. She hoped he wouldn't come here and stir up trouble.

While enjoying her crab, Stone Meimei occasionally glanced outside, keeping an eye on everyone's movements.

Watching an old couple who seemed very affectionate, eating and laughing together, Zanyue couldn't help feeling envious, "Finding a good partner and staying in love until old age is the best thing."

Luan Jing Yi and her group also noticed Stone Meimei's table.

Ming Fu glanced over at Stone Meimei several times, noticing her elegant pearl dress and radiant beauty, clenching her teeth in envy. How did she become even more attractive?

"Ming Fu?" Luan Jing Yi seemed concerned. "Why are they here?"

Ming Fu frowned, muttering, "Who knows? But it makes sense. They're abandoned women with no men to attend to them, what else would they do but wander?"

Luan Jing Yi felt a sting in Ming Fu's words. Reflecting, she realized that compared to them, she was the one being neglected by the prince, living like a forsaken widow.

Seated with them were the wives of important officials in the court, whose families had connections with Qin Xiang Lian. Aware of Chen Shi Mei's divorce, they were all courting Luan Jing Yi, anticipating her elevation.

Meanwhile, Stone Meimei was oblivious to Luan Jing Yi's group, her thoughts preoccupied with Bai She's approaching boat, soon to dock.

Suddenly, a figure hurried upstairs, whispering urgently to the man in claret purple.

Duan Yan nodded, gesturing dismissively, and instructed in a low voice, "Proceed as planned."

……

Stone Meimei's brow furrowed slightly, wondering, 'What plan? Could there be an ambush?'

Zan Wei, noticing Stone Meimei's distraction, inquired, "What's wrong, Mei Zi? You seem distracted."

"Nothing," replied Stone Meimei, glancing at the table before asking Xiang Yi, "Is there any more plum wine? It's delicious; let's buy some more to take home."

"Sure!" Xiang Yi eagerly agreed to fetch the waiter, but Stone Meimei stopped her, "I'll go. You keep eating. I need to move around a bit; I've been gaining weight."

With that, she stood up and headed downstairs.

Xiang Yi followed, leaving Zan Wei and Hong Ye puzzled, unsure of what was happening.

Duan Yan turned to Hong Ye and greeted her with a nod, "Greetings, Miss Hong Ye."

Hong Ye returned the courtesy, asking, "What brings you here, Fourth Young Master?"

Duan Yan smiled, "Just attending to some matters... By the way, I've heard about Yu Yan's situation."

Hong Ye's expression soured, responding with a terse "Hmm."

"We're deeply saddened by Elder Brother Duan's demise," Duan Yan said, seeing Hong Ye's indifferent expression.

Hong Ye's lips curled in disdain. "Thanks for your concern. He led a wandering life and now finally rests in peace," she replied coolly, returning to her crab meal.

Duan Yan, taken aback by Hong Ye's aloofness, was about to reply when the girl beside him retorted, "Aren't you grateful? He even made it to the Duan family's genealogy! What more do you want? Stop putting on airs."

"Yue Er!" Duan Yan frowned and scolded the girl, who pouted in response. Hong Ye's face darkened, but before she could speak, Zan Wei interjected, "Such arrogance! Apparently, a name in the genealogy is more precious than human lives."

Hong Ye set her cup down and glared, "Feel free to erase his name and see if he returns. I wouldn't dare place his spirit tablet in such a high and mighty family shrine!"

Duan Yan quickly apologized to Hong Ye, "Forgive my sister's ignorance. I'll reprimand her. Please, don't be upset."

Among the Duan siblings, Duan Yan was relatively reasonable, or at least better at maintaining appearances. Hong Ye, annoyed by the girl's remarks, lost her appetite and turned away, ignoring them as Zan Wei comforted her.

Hong Ye gradually calmed down.

Leaving the underlying tensions upstairs for the moment, the focus shifts to Stone Meimei.

She hurried downstairs, bypassing the manager and heading straight outside towards the riverbank.

Xiang Yi, puzzled, followed her, "Mei Zi?"

"Shh," Stone Meimei motioned for silence, whispering, "See that white boat?"

Xiaoxiang looked up and excitedly said, "Eh? Isn't that Baisha?"

Stone Meimei stopped her, "Didn't you hear what Hong Ye said? There are many from the martial world upstairs!"

Xiang Yi blinked, "So, what's the problem?"

"They might be here for the Buddha statue. I'm worried they'll trouble Bai She. Let's warn him or at least inform him about the people upstairs to avoid any ambush," Stone Meimei expressed her concern.

"Oh..." Xiang Yi nodded, understandingly, "So Mei Zi, you're worried Bai She might be at a disadvantage? No wonder you seemed so restless."

Stone Meimei, feeling awkward, said, "Well, he is a friend, after all."

"Yes," Xiang Yi agreed eagerly, "A good friend indeed."

"How do we get in touch with him?" Stone Meimei asked, trying to hide her embarrassment, "Yelling out won't reach him, and it's impractical. Should we take a boat over?"

"That won't work, the boatmen for the painted boats have gone for lunch. They won't be back for a while," Xiang Yi explained.

Stone Meimei glanced at the nearby ferry dock, lined with several small rowboats. "How about we take one of those boats?"

Agreeing, Xiang Yi and Stone Meimei headed towards the dock.

The dock was deserted, save for some boatmen sprawled out on their boats, napping under their straw hats.

"Excuse me, sir, will this boat be departing soon?" Xiang Yi asked one of the boatmen.

The boatman, removing his hat, grumpily replied, "No, no, let a man sleep, will you?"

Stone Meimei was taken aback, while Xiang Yi, slightly annoyed, said, "Aren't you here for business? Why are you turning away customers? We want to hire your boat."

"Not renting, can't you see I'm sleeping?" Another boatman shouted from a distance, startling Stone Meimei and Xiang Yi into stepping back. "Why are these boatmen so aggressive?" they wondered.

Perplexed, Stone Meimei peeked into the boat’s cabin and noticed something suspicious. She saw people crouching inside, and behind them, something shiny glinted - knives?!

Gasping, Stone Meimei quickly pulled Xiang Yi to leave, but as they turned, they were confronted by the two hunters from the dining hall.

The hunters, with their intimidating looks and broad grins revealing rugged faces, said, "Ladies, looking for a boat ride? We'll take you across."

Xiang Yi sidled up to Stone Meimei.

"No need," Stone Meimei shook her head, attempting to walk away with Xiang Yi but was blocked by the two hunters who said, "Thinking of leaving after spoiling our plans? Not so easy!"

As they moved to grab Stone Meimei and Xiang Yi, Xiang Yi quickly pointed behind the hunters, momentarily distracting them. Seizing the moment, she grabbed Stone Meimei and they both started running.

However, they hadn't run far before the two burly men caught up with them.

As they braced for the worst, Stone Meimei, holding Xiao Fu Zi, heard someone sigh near her ear, "Why is it that every time I find you, you're being captured?"

Startled, Stone Meimei turned to see Bai She standing beside her.

"They..." Relief washed over Stone Meimei upon seeing Bai She.

"They're hunters, and you disrupted their business; naturally, they'll catch you," Bai She said, stepping in to stop the hunters, "She's just an ordinary woman, my apologies."

The hunters exchanged a look, then respectfully nodded to Bai She, "Since she's a friend of Master Bai, we'll let it go this time." Then glaring at Stone Meimei, one added, "We've been staking out for half a month to catch a thieving couple, and it's all ruined because of you."

Stone Meimei felt guilty but also a bit aggrieved. She turned to Bai She, who shook his head at her, signaling her to ignore the hunters.

Disgruntled at their foiled plan, the hunters left with their men by boat, grumbling all the way.

"What was that all about?" Stone Meimei asked, confused.

"Did you see an old couple that seemed very affectionate?" Bai She inquired, "They looked like they were deeply in love, right?"

"Yes!" Stone Meimei nodded.

"That couple is known as the 'Thieving Couple,' notorious thieves wanted by the authorities with a hefty reward for their capture," Bai She explained. "Though they're thieves, they're also considered 'righteous bandits' in the martial world, known for robbing the rich to aid the poor. You inadvertently helped them escape today, which is a good deed. But next time, try not to meddle in the affairs of martial artists."

"Oh," Stone Meimei nodded, inwardly musing, how was she to know they were after the thieving couple... she had thought they were targeting Bai She.

Bai She gently lifted the comically chubby Xiao Fu Zi, inquiring Stone Meimei, “Where can I buy a cat like this? It’s so plump.”

“Oh, it comes from the southwest,” Stone Meimei explained as she took Xiao Fu Zi back from Bai She. Noticing he was heading towards the Lake Pavilion, she interjected, “Wait, there might be an ambush at the Lake Pavilion.”

Bai She, taken aback, turned to her. “An ambush? What are you talking about?”

“It’s… End Yan is there,” Stone Meimei replied.

“Ah, he invited me to discuss something,” Bai She paused and looked back at Stone Meimei, realizing her concern. He smiled knowingly, “Oh… you thought they set an ambush for me?”

Stone Meimei nodded earnestly.

Baisha walked over and looked down at her, "You're quite concerned about me, aren't you?"

Stone Meimei, pulling Xiang Yi along, hurriedly left, muttering quietly, “It was just a coincidence.”

Bai She watched Stone Meimei run away and shook his head, following her. Noticing the stirring shadows near the Lake Pavilion, he thought with a cold smile - indeed, good that the girl was vigilant.

He then gestured towards the still distant painted boat.

Someone on the boat immediately halted it and turned back, warning, “There’s an ambush, stay alert and cautious!”

……